MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript
Interview
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SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: I think this is basically a question of
right or wrong, Ed. This is about standing up for the most vulnerable
people in our country. The fact of the matter is, if you make 250, 300
bucks a week, you are not living some life of leisure. You are not part of
the lifestyles of the rich and famous. You are walking on an economic
tight-rope. You"re trying to pay the food bill, the rent bill. You"re
trying to put the essentials for your family out there so they can survive.
This is, in my view, just a fundamental question of getting done
what"s right for folks who are hurting.
SCHULTZ: Let"s talk about Senator Bunning. What"s this guy"s
program? And why not make him stay up all night? I mean, you"ve been down
that road, Senator Wyden. You were filibustering. You had to go through
all that. Of course, over on the right, they"re abusing it like crazy.
We"re on pace for a record number in this session of the Congress. Why not
make him stay all night and make his case?
WYDEN: We are going to do that. We are going to insist that this get
done, Ed. We had a good session with Senate Democrats today. The bottom
line here is we are going to get this done because there are--
SCHULTZ: When is the all-nighter?
WYDEN: We"re going to get it done tonight. We have been pushing all
through the day to work out an agreement. Fortunately, a number of
colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying to get to Senator
Bunning and convince him that the logic here is just so obvious. I mean,
you"ve got economists, for example, people who are advising the
Republicans, like Mark Zandy, saying that for every dollar of unemployment,
you get 1.64 in return.
The point that Senator Kyl made about how unemployment, in some way,
is a disincentive, that"s just flat-out wrong. To get unemployment
benefits--this is important for viewers--you have to prove that you are
out looking for work or losing those benefits. This is a lifeline. And
we"re going to make sure people get it.
SCHULTZ: This is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talking about his
friend over on the right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: My friend talks about the
debt. He wants to make sure that the debt doesn"t go up. Where was he
during the Bush years? Unpaid wars--two wars unpaid for, taxes unpaid
for. He"s talking about Pay Go now? He voted against it. He voted
against it right here on the Senate floor.
If he"s so like Pay Go, why didn"t he vote for it? He"s throwing
around words like hypocrite. People can make their own decision as to who
is a hypocrite. I"m not calling anyone a hypocrite, although I"m just
stating facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: Come on, Harry! He"s a hypocrite. Of course he is.
Senator Wyden, I just--that kind of stuff frustrates me. But I realize
you have to be polite and everything else in the Senate. You have to get
along, at least try to. But what is Bunning doing here? Is this a guy--
is he being put up by the conservatives? Did they take him behind closed
doors and say, look, you"ve got nothing to lose; you"re getting out of
here; go ahead and stick it to him? What do you think?
WYDEN: I believe they underestimated the force of the American people
for justice. And they certainly underestimated how strongly we feel in the
Senate Democratic caucus. We"re drawing a line in the sand here. This is
about a 30-day extension. We"ll have plenty of big-budget debates, Ed. I
sit on the Budget Committee. We"re going to have a debate about the ten-
year budget.
This is going to be essential for the well being of millions of
people. You talk about losing your Cobra, for example, in the middle of an
extended health care treatment? People are going to suffer here. Families
are going to do without. Kids are going to be deprived of the essentials
they need, food and energy for their homes during a cold winter? This is
about right and wrong.
SCHULTZ: Senator, good to have you with us tonight. Thanks for
signing on to that letter about the public option. You and two others,
Senator Casey and Senator Udall, signed on to it. I appreciate that.
WYDEN: Voted for the public option twice. We"ll make sure we hold
those insurance companies accountable.
SCHULTZ: Thank you, Ron. Good to have you on. Appreciate it. For
more, let me bring in Sam Stein, political reporter for the "Huffington
Post."
Well, Sam, we"ve got news there. They"re going to pull an all-
nighter. Does Bunning have it in him to stay up all night, every night, to
get this thing done? What"s going to happen?
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