Fox News Channel "Fox News Live" - Transcript

Interview

Fox News Channel "Fox News Live" - Transcript

MR. HEMMER: Today, we're joined by the New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat and the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, so the other side today.

Senator, good morning to you.

SEN. SCHUMER: Good morning.

MR. HEMMER: What's your expectation?

SEN. SCHUMER: Well, I think our expectation is very positive. We're going to pick up a good number of seats. Sixty is very, very hard -- not impossible, but hard because of the red terrain.

MR. HEMMER: Let me push you on that a bit. Are you expecting 56, 57? Or would you put a number on it?

SEN. SCHUMER: You know, I think we're going to get between 56 and 58. You know, it's possible -- I don't think it's -- I think it's possible that we could get more than that, but unlikely. Although the one caveat is this: The turnout seems huge. I voted this morning in New York in my Brooklyn precinct. It's a heavily Democratic precinct. I have never seen anything like it.

I waited on line for one hour. It's never been like that before. Everyone is coming out to vote. And if that's an indication of the fervor of the pro-Obama people -- because our precinct is very, very Democratic -- then this could be -- this could be a really good night for Democrats at the presidential and at the congressional level.

MR. HEMMER: I experienced a similar thing in lower Manhattan earlier today, and I just -- we'll see the way vote goes and turns out later today. But for the sake of our conversation, I want to get to a couple of issues here --

SEN. SCHUMER: Shoot.

MR. HEMMER: -- that are clearly a priority, if the Democrats lead the Senate, especially on your side. The card check that applies to unions. Why can't a union member keep their vote private?

SEN. SCHUMER: Well, here's what's happened. Over the years, those against forming unions have found every which way to prevent unions from happening. Right now, and in the private sector, everyone's saying, "the big bugaboo unions." Do you know what percentage of the private sector is unionized? Six-and-a-half (percent)? And so, there has to be some counter. There is not fair -- it is -- the elections -- I understand ballot is one of the issues -- but the elections just don't work anymore, to have 6 percent of America unionized.

And there's a bigger issue here, Bill, and that is that that the average middle class income has declined from 48,000 (dollars) to 46,000 (dollars) during the years of so-called "prosperity," 2000 --

MR. HEMMER: But -- but my question goes to --

SEN. SCHUMER: -- well, let me just finish.

MR. HEMMER: We have fought and died in Iraq to help make sure that Iraqis have a secret ballot.

SEN. SCHUMER: Yeah, and the bottom line is --

MR. HEMMER: Why do we not pursue that here?

SEN. SCHUMER: Well, what you should do is make sure the electoral process is fair, and it's not right now. The employers have every leg up on people who want to organize, and that's why union workers have gone down from about 25 percent in America to 6 percent.

MR. HEMMER: Now, we could continue on this, but I want to squeeze --

SEN. SCHUMER: We could.

MR. HEMMER: -- in another thing --

SEN. SCHUMER: Okay.

MR. HEMMER: -- and that's the fairness doctrine.

SEN. SCHUMER: Okay.

MR. HEMMER: Suggesting -- are you a supporter of telling radio stations in America what content they should have on their radio station?

SEN. SCHUMER: Well, I think we should all try to be fair and balanced, don't you?

MR. HEMMER: Well, this is commercial enterprise, not run by the government. It's not public money.

SEN. SCHUMER: Yeah.

MR. HEMMER: And I do believe in fair and balance.

SEN. SCHUMER: Yeah, good. Well, you know, there are -- the radio air -- it's not that this is like printing a broadside. You would never say anyone who wanted to hire a printing press or go on a computer has to have any view. Do you think we should allow people to put pornography on the air? Absolutely not, particularly on television and radio.

MR. HEMMER: But this is -- this is private industry that many fear will be --

SEN. SCHUMER: There are always -- there are always -- you've got to let me finish --

MR. HEMMER: I will, but many fear it will be legislated from the Hill --

SEN. SCHUMER: Okay.

MR. HEMMER: -- and they strongly disagree with that. I'll give you the last word.

SEN. SCHUMER: The very same -- the very same people who don't want the fairness doctrine want the FCC to limit pornography on the air. I am for that. I think pornography should be limited. But you can't say government hands off in one area to a commercial enterprise but you're allowed to intervene in another. That's not consistent.

MR. HEMMER: All right, Senator. Thank for you time. John Ensign was on with us yesterday, by the way.

SEN. SCHUMER: Thanks, Bill. Nice to talk to you.

MR. HEMMER: Nice to speak with you.

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