MSNBC "The ED Show" Interview - Transcript

Interview

MSNBC "The ED Show" Interview - Transcript

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SCHULTZ: You bet. Joining me now is Congresswoman Maxine Waters, member of the Progressive Caucus. Congresswoman, you go along with that math? That‘s no representative left behind right there. That‘s what that is. Do you go along with that math tonight?

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Yes, absolutely. And I think your question is very, very clear. You‘re asking whether or not we will support some other alternative to public option. I want to be very, very clear. I have said over and over again that any comprehensive universal health care plan must have public option or we don‘t bring down the cost. We don‘t have any competition. In order to have competition, bring down the cost and not allow the insurance companies to keep running rampant over the American people, squeezing them for high premiums. We‘ve got to have a public option. I will not vote for anything that does not have a public option.

SCHULTZ: Amen to that. This is what people who put Obama in the White House, this is exactly what they want to hear tonight. It‘s important that the true Democrats stand up and tell it like it is. Now, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid went over and visited with the president today. Day one, back to work, he gets the leadership of both houses—the Senate and the House together. Here‘s what Nancy Pelosi had to say after the meeting.

WATERS: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER: As the president has said and I listened to him very carefully, he believes that the public option is the best way to keep the insurance companies honest and to increase competition. But he said if you have a better idea, put it on the table and so if somebody has a better idea of how to do that, put it on the table. For the moment, however, as far as our House members are concerned, the overwhelming majority of them support a public option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, the only better idea on the table in my opinion is single payer. And that‘s not going to happen over on the Senate side. You‘d never get that.

WATERS: You‘re absolutely right.

SCHULTZ: So I‘m hearing you tell the president, tonight, Mr. President, this is what we got to have, or you‘re not going to have a deal from House Democrats. Correct?

WATERS: Oh, absolutely. As a matter of fact, I said in my town hall meeting where there was tremendous support for public option, and still some people angry that we didn‘t have single payer, I said Mr. President, it‘s time to fight. It‘s time to stand up for what you believe in and we know that you want public option. We know this is what you would prefer. We know this is what you campaigned on. Stand up and we‘ll be behind you.

We got your back.

Remember that‘s what I said and I continue to say that. Mr. President, we are prepared to fight with you to get public option, to get a credible universal health care reform bill. We‘re not going to go along the usual way. This is not backroom politics. This is not politics as usual. This is real change. And that‘s what we‘re all about.

SCHULTZ: Thank you, Congresswoman Maxine Waters. I appreciate your support tonight.

WATERS: Thank you.

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