MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript
Interview
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All right. Gentlemen, stay with us. Let's go to Maxine Waters with us now on Capitol Hill.
Maxine, Congresswoman, are you prepared to compromise on the public option and turn it over to the states? Because that's what they're talking about over on the Senate side. What do you think?
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: No, I'm prepared to do that. I have told you from the beginning I am for public option. I will not bend on it. I will not do anything that will not give our citizens competition and the right to have a public option, and to choose that above and beyond those insurers who have been ripping them off for so long.
So I'm holding firm. What's interesting about what is happening is this: Schwarzenegger came out and Jindal came out, and both of them said, come on, Republicans, work with the Democrats. We have to have health care reform.
That's very interesting. As you alluded to, they are reading the polls and they're hearing the people. The people want health care reform with the public option. So these guys are beginning to move.
SCHULTZ: Congresswoman Waters, can you tell us-do you know with confidence who these aides are from the White House that are going to be involved in these negotiations?
WATERS: No, I don't know who they are. I do know this: as of the last few days, we're hearing that the president of the United States is quietly pursuing public option with the opposition. So I don't know what that means, except something is going on. Even though he has not come out in the public and made a hard fight for public option, it seems as if there's some kind of light in the tunnel here, and that he's going after them one by one.
SCHULTZ: OK. The president's job approval rating in the midst of all
this negativity of the Olympics and all of the activity that's gone on in -
last August, his numbers look good, 56 percent approval rating, and only 39 percent disapproval. Is the Congressional progressive caucus ready to ask the president to step out and get engaged now that we're moving into the-the clock is going to strike 12:00 here pretty soon. What do you think? Or is it too soon?
WATERS: Absolutely. We think those improved ratings are because people better understand what this health care reform initiative is all about. In the beginning, we were preempted by those people out there who were basically lying about what this plan is and what it is not. So I think the work that you and others have done have helped to bring some truth to what we're trying to do. And I think that has a lot to do with the ratings change.
SCHULTZ: I do, too. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, you're a fighter. You're on the frontlines doing the work for the people. I appreciate it very much.
WATERS: Thank you so much. I appreciate you. We will be fighting for this.
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