MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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Joining me now is Maryland Congressman, Chris Van Hollen, Chairman of the DCCC. Congressman, it‘s good to have you with us tonight.

REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD), MARYLAND: It‘s good to be with you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Low-voter turnout. Does that change your expectations at all tonight? I mean, the numbers going to the polls today in Virginia are a lot different than what they were a year ago.

VAN HOLLEN: They are, I don‘t know what the results will be tonight. We need to make sure, Ed, a year from now in the next congressional elections. People do understand that the Obama agenda is at stake, that it is up for election, so to speak, that it will be a midterm report card. I think people will understand that. We‘re going to have to wait until the end of this evening to see what turnout numbers are right now.

In New York 23, the turnout seems to be kind of steady on both sides. Of course, the big story there is that the Republicans already had a fight even before election day and they said, "we don‘t want any moderates, we don‘t want problem solvers in our party anymore."

SCHULTZ: What do you make of 23? I‘m going to get back to the gubernatorial races, but what do you make of what is happening in 23? I personally think, look, the Republicans, this has been their territory for a long time. What‘s the big shakes on this? It‘s their problem, not ours.

VAN HOLLEN: Well, that‘s exactly right. They‘ve had it for more than 100 years. The NRCC spent more than $800,000 on the Republican candidate. All these outside groups came in spending on the conservative party candidate so the Republicans threw their candidate under the bus. They said, we don‘t want any moderates in the party.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHULTZ: So, no matter what happens in 23 tonight, it‘s not going to be bother you? In fact, you‘re going to take a positive out of that because the Republicans are fighting with one another up there?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, of course, we would like to win, but it does spell big trouble around the country. Because if the conservative party candidate wins, it will further embolden the right-wing, the far right extremes and all these Republican primaries that are going on around the country, which will determine what happens in 2010.

SCHULTZ: All right, the governor‘s race in New Jersey, want to talk about that first. You take a look at that Jon Corzine in a state where they have not elected a Democrat in 16 years for a statewide office, and he‘s been behind most of the way. The Obama presence there, his visits have closed the gap. This is kind of ground zero for the Democrats, isn‘t it? I mean, to lose the governor‘s chair in New Jersey, I think it could only be seen as a big negative and maybe the start of a shift in this country. What do you think?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, first of all, I think we‘re going to win. I think Corzine is going to --

SCHULTZ: You think Corzine will win?

VAN HOLLEN: .going to pull it out, but I do believe that it‘s wrong to see what‘s happening in New Jersey, which has its own set of state issues with the governor, with what‘s happening with the legislature there and read into that too much about people being disaffected at the national level. Because Obama‘s numbers remain very high in New Jersey.

That, after all, is why Governor Corzine has asked Obama to come in because he remains very popular. So, to read a loss in New Jersey--I don‘t think it will be, but to read that to mean that somehow Obama‘s agenda is not something that has support of people in New Jersey is just dead wrong. I believe it‘s a--

SCHULTZ: But, Congressman, if you take a look at President Obama‘s popularity, if you break it up into sections across the country, the northeast he‘s at 84 percent when it comes to favorability. How could he show up three, four, five times in New Jersey, be a strong supporter of Jon Corzine, Corzine who spent a boat load of money. A loss for Corzine would be a loss for the White House. I mean--this would not be good.

VAN HOLLEN: Well, it would suggest--if that were to happen, and again, I think Corzine‘s going to win there. But it would suggest in this case, people were voting on the state issues, on the local issues in New Jersey that they did not believe that the Obama agenda was at stake.

Where it will very much be at stake when you‘re talks about a congressional election because if Obama loses a vibrant majority in the House, we all know, and voters will know by then that his agenda for a change will be threatened. So, look, 2010, you‘re absolutely right. We need to maintain the energy levels and we need to make sure a year from now if they‘re low today, that people understand what‘s at stake. I think they will when you have a regular congressional election.

SCHULTZ: All right, now, in Virginia, I want to talk about Virginia. Where are the 500,000 people that showed up for Obama last year that aren‘t there today? What happened to them?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, that‘s a good question. I think what you‘re seeing here, though, Ed, is that the--it‘s not that people are unsatisfied with Obama. Obama‘s numbers are higher in Virginia today in terms of favorability than they were on election day 2008.

Now, what you‘re seeing is--what you are seeing, and I agree with this is, those who voted for the president do not see his agenda threatened now in this election. Whereas the opposition feels that, you know, they lost the 2008 elections, they‘re out here to, you know, sock somebody, and it may mean there‘s a little complacency on the Democratic side.

It doesn‘t mean people are unhappy with the president‘s performance. In fact, as I said, his favorability are high, but it does protect--it may mean people are a little bit complacent and they do not see this election somehow threatens the Obama agenda so they‘re not as motivated to go out.

So, if that is the case tonight, we‘re going to have to work very hard between now and a year from now to make sure people are motivated and understand what it would mean if he was to lose a majority in the Congress or a substantial number in Congress.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, it‘s good to have you with us tonight. Thanks so much. Chris Van Hollen with us.

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