MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.

Another senator is echoing Mary Landrieu"s comments, who says health care reform is on life support. Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor says, "It"s very possible that health care is just at a stalemate and you can"t solve it this year."

Well, Landrieu criticized the president for not laying out a specific path for Congress to pass a final bill. And today, "The New York Times" reports that Rahm Emanuel wants health care moved to the back burner behind jobs and financial reform.

Joining me now is California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who is just back from Haiti. And we"ll talk about that as well in just a moment.

But Congresswoman, I was at the White House yesterday and had a lengthy meeting with Mr. Axelrod, and I didn"t get a sense that they have a roadmap to get conclusion on this, that this is really in the hands of Nancy Pelosi and those in the House who still want to continue this fight. Although, the White House is going to work on it, but it appears to be the next move is on the part of the House.

What do you think? How do you see it at this hour?

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, I think you"ve summed it up. Nancy Pelosi is saying that we"re going to bet it by hook or crook some way. She made a very strong statement about that.

The president says he wants it, but, of course, they are correct. Those who say he did not say how we are going to get there and what he"s going to do to provide leadership in some specific direction--and it may be because he recognizes that the differences are so great. And if he takes one side or the other, that he does nothing to bring people together.

So, I suspect that the people who say it"s on life support are correct. This is going to be very difficult. We don"t have a roadmap.

Nancy Pelosi is strong. She"ll do everything that she can do, but it"s going to be very difficult.

SCHULTZ: Do you think that there should be some separation? I mean, cooler heads prevail, put some time and space between this?

And I have to ask you, it"s hard to, as a broadcaster, to accept that, and as a radio broadcaster as well. I want to tell you, Maxine, today, I got an e-mail from one of your constituents in California who has Anthem Blue Cross. Her premium is going from $826 a month to $1,182 a month.

Now, the American people are suffering. The president said that in the State of the Union Address.

Does it make sense to put this on the back burner, in your opinion, or continue to push forward? What do you think?

WATERS: I agree with the president in his State of the Union Address. He said that we"ve come too far to turn back now. And I think we should push ahead.

I think we should try to get to the floor of the Senate. And I think we should try and just get a bill. And if they want to filibuster something, let them filibuster.

Let"s go. Let"s try and let the world see who is for it and who"s against it, why they are for it, why they are against it. Let"s lay down the gauntlet and let"s go for it.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman Waters, you just came back from Haiti. Can you summarize--are we making great progress? Is this relief getting to the people?

It"s been several weeks now and the reporting continues on, the suffering continues, but how do you assess the situation today?

WATERS: Each day it gets a little better. The logistics have just been very difficult.

Coordination is not easy. You have all of the international community there, all of our agencies are there, all of the nongovernment organizations on the ground. They are trying to have these cluster meetings every morning to try and coordinate, but the country is in terrible shape.

The buildings have been flattened. In some cases, you can"t get past the roads, in other cases, to get to certain communities. But each day it gets a little better.

People are working very hard. All of the agencies are. And so that"s all we can do, is encourage them, get the medical aid there, get the food stuff there, and hope that they can get them distributed a little better each day.

SCHULTZ: Congresswoman, thanks for your time tonight. Thanks for your work. I appreciate it so much.

WATERS: You"re welcome. Thank you so much, Ed.

SCHULTZ: You bet.

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