MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. President Obama has to start making the economic recovery felt on Main Street. They‘re working on it. We have had 22 straight months of job losses. Unemployment at the highest rate in 26 years. And now "Huffington Post" founder Arianna Huffington has written a piece--you can check it out on "Huffington Post"--comparing Obama‘s response to unemployment to Bush‘s incompetence after Hurricane Katrina.

For more on that, let me bring in Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks. Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D), NEW YORK: Good to be with you.

SCHULTZ: Arianna Huffington writes and she compares to the 2,500 foot flyover that Bush did over Hurricane Katrina, to the president looking down on the economy now. Is that a bridge too far? What do you think?

MEEKS: That‘s almost laughable. When you look at this president, before he was even elected president, he was focused on the jobs issue. He was talking about that we have to make sure that we create jobs again. Now, unfortunately, the damage that was done from the storm, the financial storm that took place, the first thing that you have to do is you have to build a pillar. The pillar of roots in the ground. The roots in the ground, we have to recover the economy. That‘s why this is the biggest catastrophe that we‘ve had since the Great Depression.

SCHULTZ: It‘s about jobs. What‘s the next pillar, in your opinion?

What does the president have to do?

MEEKS: You‘re going to see soon we‘re going to pass the transportation bill next year that‘s going to create jobs. On December 3rd, the president is having a jobs summit, of which he‘s bringing together small business, big business, labor organizations, not for profits, of which we‘re also going to talk about how we put things in place, moving in that direction.

I think as the money, the stimulus money--you have to remember most of that money has not been spent yet. As we begin to lay that money out, that‘s going to create more jobs. The first part of it actually saved some jobs.

SCHULTZ: You know, I get the infrastructure and I get the government funding and all that stuff. But the private sector is going to have to create jobs for long-term sustainable growth if we‘re going to turn out of this thing. Is this not a real serious moment for the Obama administration, this jobs summit that they‘re going to have next month?

MEEKS: Absolutely, it‘s a serious moment. We have not had this kind of problem since the Great Depression. People forget that for the Great Depression it took us ten years to get--almost World War II. That‘s not going to be as long in this situation because this president is focused on it. I predict jobs will be created and we start looking at a six to eight month period of time. You‘ll start seeing jobs created. This president is on the mark and he‘s ready and he‘s moving and he‘s focused in getting it done.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Meeks, appreciate your time tonight. Thanks so much.

MEEKS: My pleasure.

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