MSNBC "Super Tuesday"-Transcript

Interview

MSNBC "Super Tuesday"-Transcript

MS. CURRY: Welcome back to MSNBC's "Super Tuesday." We've got some numbers that may send shivers of fear through the Democrats. The latest polling from Zogby finds that while President Bush's approval rating is still mired in the 30s, the rating for the Democratically controlled Congress has sunk much lower. Thirty-four percent of those questioned say they approve of the job that President Bush is doing. Just 14 percent give Congress the thumbs up.

So let's bring in Congressman Chris Van Hollen, who is here -- actually the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Sir, hello; pleasure to have you here.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Good to be with you.

MS. CURRY: So, Congressman, Democrats are the majority party; just 14 percent approval for Congress. What's your party doing wrong?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, look, we've been working to make changes from day one. We've been in control of Congress for seven months. Sometimes these changes take time to work their way to the system and be felt. Today, for example, the minimum wage is going into effect; for the first time in 10 years, an increase in the minimum wage. That was passed two months ago, but people aren't going to begin to feel it until today with that increase.

I think the biggest frustration deals with the war in Iraq. And frankly, the Democrats in Congress have also been frustrated with the lack of progress in terms of changing direction with the war in Iraq. But we have sent a bill to the president. The president vetoed a bill that would have dramatically changed direction in Iraq.

And Republican members of Congress continue to rubber-stamp the president's veto and stick with him. And until we get enough Republicans to come along on our side in deed and vote, and not just in terms of their words, we're going to have to keep pushing. And we are intent on pushing this issue until finally some of our Republican colleagues come around.

MS. CURRY: Congress has a lower approval rating than it did last October, just a week before. So voters tossed the GOP out of their leadership posts in both houses. So how concerned are you?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, the reason I'm not that concerned right now is two things. Number one, people understand that it is the Democrats that are working for change, because all of these polls, while they show Congress as an institution with relatively low numbers, they consistently show significant improvements for Democrats over Republicans.

In other words, people remain much more confident in Democratic leadership over Republican leadership because they understand that the Democrats are trying to achieve change both in Iraq and on the domestic policy front.

I mentioned, for example, the minimum wage. After 10 years, we finally broke it loose. That is going into effect now. We are working every day to try and change direction in Iraq. The Republicans have stymied those efforts. They've blocked those efforts. We're frustrated by that lack of progress.

But people understand that we're still the agents of change. We are trying to change direction. We share the frustration of the American people, and we're going to keep working at it until we change direction in Iraq. And that's why the American people in these polls, while they don't like the fact Congress as a whole hasn't moved forward, they still much prefer Democratic leadership over Republican leadership. They see us as the agents of change.

MS. CURRY: Well, if that's true, sir, if Democrats see -- if Americans see that Democrats are the agents of change, take a look at these poll numbers from The Washington Post. What do you say to Americans who feel as though they've been let down by the Democrats on the issue of Iraq? Take a look at that.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, I have looked at those poll numbers, and those are the poll numbers that also show that Americans have much more confidence in the fact that Democrats are fighting for change. The lower poll numbers reflect the fact that people are not satisfied with the pace of progress, and neither are we.

But the fact of the matter is -- and I think the polls show that people get this -- the Senate Republicans have time and again tried to block and successfully blocked efforts to get bills through the Senate. And the president himself has vetoed the bill that called for the redeployment of U.S. combat forces out of Iraq by next spring.

And so, yes, we share the frustration that things haven't moved more quickly. But the American people are very smart and they understand who's standing in the way. And while they share our frustration with the lack of progress, they also understand that we have sent the president a bill that would change direction in Iraq. He vetoed it, and the Republicans continue to walk in lock-step with him.

So we're going to continue to move forward on an active agenda. This month we think we'll send the president a bill that finally enacts the 9/11 commission recommendations. They've been sitting on the shelf for three years under the old Congress. We're going to get those to the president's desk. We're going to move forward on a lobbying reform bill. It's passed the House. It's passed the Senate. We expect to move forward on that.

So we are making progress. We are making changes. We've been in control of Congress for only seven months now. We think there have been some significant achievements, both in accountability and transparency in the process. We wish there was greater progress in terms of changing direction in Iraq, and we're going to continue to fight every day to try and make that happen.

And we call upon the American people to join us in asking their Republican members not just to say the right things back home, but if they really think we're headed in the wrong direction in Iraq, as they say they think we are, then we need for them to vote that way too.

MS. CURRY: Congressman Chris Van Hollen, thank you so much for joining us today.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Thank you.

Source