MSNBC - Transcript
Interview
MR. GREGORY: Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Congressman, welcome.
REP. VAN HOLLEN: David, great to be with you.
MR. GREGORY: How do you respond to the comment from the president?
REP. VAN HOLLEN: President Bush had it exactly right eight years ago when he said that John McCain was a Washington insider. Now they've set up this convention to try and distance themselves from George Bush. But it's awfully hard to run away from the fact that you've been voting with the president 90 percent of the time in Washington. And on the biggest issue of concern to the American people, the economy, you're in lock step with the president.
In fact, you know, if you like George Bush's campaign on the economy and the way he's run the economy, you're going to love John McCain. And I think the fact that we didn't learn from them last night on the economy is an indication that they've got nothing to say but more of the same.
MR. GREGORY: Congressman, let me ask you about Governor Palin. And let's go through the facts here. There are still questions about whether Senator Obama is qualified and experienced enough to be commander in chief. Those are questions within the Democratic Party. Notwithstanding the fact that Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton now vouch for him, there were still 18 million voters who had questions about that who voted for her.
Why not apply the same standard and say, if Barack Obama can surmount those questions -- (inaudible) -- bipartisan sensibility, he's inspiring, he's such a terrific speaker -- we don't know whether Governor Palin is capable of that as well, and perhaps she can surmount some of the questions about her lack of experience.
REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, I think the issue boils down to judgment, at the end of the day. I mean, what we've seen from this administration, with Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld, is the amount of time you spent in Washington is not an indicator about whether or not you'll have good judgment.
What Barack Obama has done now for more than 19 months on the campaign trail is talked about his vision of where to take this country, both at home and abroad. He's answered the questions on national security.
With Sarah Palin, we just have a blank slate right now, and they're going to have to fill that in. It was a very risky choice. It tells us a lot about John McCain's decision-making process, where he's having to find out a lot more about her in the days since he decided to choose her as vice presidential running mate than before.
MR. GREGORY: All right, but you're going to concede, Congressman -- you will concede that, yes, you don't know a lot about her, but you have nothing -- (inaudible) -- her judgment is flawed and that Obama's judgment is any better. You're just saying you don't know.
REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, we know what Obama's judgment is on these issues. He's been tested. He's been asked on the campaign trail. He's answered lots and lots of questions. What we do know about her is she has not rendered any judgments on important issues like national security issues and national economic issues, so they're going to have to fill in that slate.
But what we do know is that much of what they've told us so far about her has turned out to be not the case. They tried to present her as a reformer; turns out she was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it. She had a Washington lobbyist to get earmarks. They say they're not for earmarks. She's under investigation in Alaska. These are facts.
And so what we've learned is that John McCain rushed to judgment on this issue. And, you know, it's one thing if you personally are bearing the consequences of that. It's another thing to ask the American people to bear that risk.
MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you about Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman at last night's convention. He was on the ticket as a running mate in 2000, and now he's making a direct appeal to independents and Democrats to vote for McCain. Watch.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (ID-CT): (From videotape.) Some of you may never have voted for a Republican before. And, frankly, in an ordinary election, you probably never would. But I want you to believe with me that this is no ordinary election.
MR. GREGORY: No ordinary election. How do you feel about Senator Lieberman?
REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, David, for Senator Lieberman, this is all about Iraq. He was with George Bush on Iraq. He was with John McCain on Iraq. I think the American people decided that going into Iraq the way we did was the wrong decision. We took our eye off the ball in Afghanistan. Barack Obama has been right. We continue to see al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden gather in strength there.
What we saw in the midterm congressional elections last time around, where independents were the deciding vote, was that they did not like the course that the president took on Iraq. So for Joe Lieberman to come to the Republican convention and say, you know, "Stick with me and George Bush and John McCain on Iraq," I don't think is going to sway any independent voters. It may mean that Joe Lieberman loses some support among independent voters for himself.
MR. GREGORY: All right, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, thank you very much for joining us inside the Xcel Center tonight.
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