CBS "Face The Nation" - Transcript

Interview

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BOB SCHIEFFER: I want to go now to Dick Durbin, who is number two in the Democratic
leadership in the Senate. He's in Springfield as we said a while ago. Let's pick up on that health
care-- those remarks by Senator McCain on health care. Senator Durbin, what are Democrats
going to do now?
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN (D-Illinois/Assistant Majority Leader): Well, we are now
considering our strategy. We have talked to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Nancy Pelosi, about an avenue that we can follow. But for those who say start over, let's-- let's
start at the beginning, let's do a little bit, let's, maybe, do nothing, some say. I would just tell
them if we do nothing, the Medicare trust fund would be exhausted in seven years. The plan we
have before the Senate would extend the life of Medicare for nine more years. If we do nothing,
there'll be fifty-seven million Americans uninsured instead of forty-seven million in just a few
years--
BOB SCHIEFFER (overlapping): Well--
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: --and the cost of the average health insurance plan for the
average family of four will double in the next ten years if we do nothing.
BOB SCHIEFFER (overlapping): Well, let-- let me--
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: That's why we think this is a serious issue.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, I don't think anybody would-- would argue that it is not a serious issue,
Senator Durbin. But-- but let me just ask you this, what Senator McCain said. He said he is
willing to try to get some Republicans to sit down with Democrats and see what you agree on.
What would be wrong with that just saying--
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN (overlapping): There's--
BOB SCHIEFFER: --here is what's out there? We agree with this. We don't agree with that and
then just go pass what you agree on. Wouldn't that be a start?
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: There's nothing wrong with it. But-- but, Bob, for the record,
President Obama met personally with the Republican leaders in the House and Senate before
this began and engaged them and asked them, be part of it. We brought them into the
committee hearings. A hundred and seventy Republican amendments were accepted as part of
this process in both the Senate committees. We have kept the door open. We waited for months
in the hopes of bringing across three Republican Senators who expressed an early interest. To--
so to suggest that we have closed the door to them and haven't engaged them is really not a
proper statement of what's happened.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, clearly, you're not going to get it done by the President's State of the
Union speech next week, which was the original goal. When would you expect, Senator, that
Democrats will be ready to bring something to the floor?
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: I can't-- I'm not going to give you a deadline. I've seen too
many of those that predicted and failed.
BOB SCHIEFFER (overlapping): Well, I mean, do you think weeks, month? Some people say if
you wait six weeks like some are suggesting, you might as well just kiss the whole thing good-
bye. But you--
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN (overlapping): Well, I think what we have to do is honestly sit
down with our membership and decide the best course of action to move forward. The door is
always open on the Republican side. We're still reaching out to try to find those who will support
this.
But we have-- have to accept the obvious. This problem that we face with health care in
America is one of the greatest threats to the future of our economy, not just as a nation but as
businesses and families. If we ignore this and walk away from it for whatever reason, we are
going to face a crisis much, much worse in the near future. The President understands that. We
would not even be in this position of taking this seriously if he hadn't shown the courage to lead
us into this debate.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me ask you about Ben Bernanke. Do you have the voa-- votes to get him
confirmed, Senator? I know you're one of the vote counters.
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: Well, I'm going to vote for Chairman Bernanke. I have some
misgivings about Fed policy and economic policy. But I really do have to say this man guided us
through the worst economic crisis this nation has seen since the Great Depression. And we are
in much better shape today because of his guidance and leadership. I still have unanswered
questions and many colleagues do. We will need Republican support to make certain that we
pass the cloture vote, which is the sixty-vote requirement when it's taken up this next week.
I think that we're going to have the votes to make sure that he is reconfirmed as chairman of the
Federal Reserve.
BOB SCHIEFFER: You think but you're not sure at this point.
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: Well, any whip who gives you that kind of prediction this far in
advance isn't-- hasn't been on the job very long. And I've been there for a while.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Senator, why do you think Scott Brown won the race in Massachusetts?
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: Variety of reasons. Some went right to the candidates and the
campaigns, others to much larger issues. I think the independent voters, in particular, in
Massachusetts told us, focus on the economy, focus on creating jobs, let's see more action and
more commitment in Washington than we have. I accept that verdict of history and that
message.
Secondly, they are frustrated by the fact that we haven't passed health care reform. Remember,
Massachusetts is a state which under a Republican governor, Mitt Romney, with the support of
then State Senator Scott Brown put a mandate in for health insurance. Ninety-seven to ninety-
eight percent of the people in Massachusetts have health insurance. Some of them were
concerned that our health care reform would diminish their state benefits, so it was a complex
issue within the state of Massachusetts.
But I think more than anything, the voters there said get busy in Washington, do something
about the economy.
BOB SCHIEFFER: And campaign finance. You just heard Senator McCain say that this ruling
by the Supreme Court pretty much blows the lid off a reform. He sees nothing that can really be
done from here on in.
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: I joined with John McCain and Russ Feingold in supporting
their campaign finance reform. It was good law. And I'm glad we did it. But banning soft money
from campaigns was small in comparison to what the Supreme Court did to America this last
week.
I can't wait to see my Republican and conservative friends who stood up and preached against
judicial activism explain this decision, which overturned sixty to a hundred years of American
precedent, a precedent which basically said we want to keep big business out of our campaigns
in America. And now in the name of giving free speech, this Supreme Court has allowed political
extortion by big business, big oil, big banks.
Think about this for a minute, Bob. We're considering a tax on the multimillion-dollar bonuses of
the executives at banks who receive bailout money. Those banks can now come and say to
senators and congressmen, incidentally we want you to vote against this tax and we're going to
be big players in the next election. We're going to spend millions of dollars and reward our
friends and punish our enemies. That's exactly what this Supreme Court has invited.
Now what can we do? We can demand disclosure. We can demand that those who belong to
labor unions and shareholders vote before the money is spent on any political campaigns. And
even more important, I'd say to John McCain, join me in a public financing effort. I've got the bill
in with John Larson of Connecticut. Let's really take the reform on that many states already
have started, including the State of Arizona to make sure that every candidate of modest means
has a chance to run and win.
BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Thank you so much, Senator. Hope to see
you again.
SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN: Thanks, Bob.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Back in a minute.

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