CNN "State of the Union with Candy Crowley" - Transcript
Interview
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CROWLEY: Welcome back. Joining me now from Springfield, Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Majority Whip Dick Durbin. Senator Durbin, thanks so much for joining us. I want to -- DURBIN: Good to be with you, Candy.
CROWLEY: Thanks. I want to replay or re-show you a new CNN poll that we're putting out today. It's likely voters' choice for Congress, that is the House, in their district. Those who are going to vote for a Republican candidate, 52 percent. For a Democratic candidate, 42 percent. A ten-point gap in what we call the generic ballot.
Two years ago, when the president looked as though he was going to win, he was still a candidate, and then through January we were talking about the demise of the Republican Party. It was going to take a decade for the Republicans to rebuild. Now it looks as though they're going to clock you on Tuesday night. Looks as though they're going to take control of the House, that you're going to lose some Senate seats. What happened?
DURBIN: Well, of course, off-year elections are never kind to an incumbent president's party. Only twice in history has a president gained ground in an off-year election. So history tells us--
CROWLEY: This was less than kind.
DURBIN: -- there is -- well, let me take another step into it. People aren't going to be voting for generic candidates on Tuesday. They'll be voting for actual candidates. And what I found as I traveled around is that in many of the states that I visited, when people listen to the candidates and know them and directly ask them questions and trust them, you get a much different outcome.
CROWLEY: Well, surely. Are you suggesting that the House might stay Democratic? Are you suggesting you're not going to lose seats in the Senate?
DURBIN: Oh, of course we'll lose some seats in the Senate and in the House. That's what history tells us.
But here is the thing that gets down to it. You brought it up with Chairman Steele. When people are asked directly, what do you think about the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, usually we fair a point or two better than the Republicans. There is no mad love affair with Republicans across America, and I think it gets down to a basic thing in this election campaign. If you had to identify the message of the Republican Party, it's basically what you said to Chairman Steele, we are not Democrats. That's all they're saying. And when it gets down to specifics, you say, well, let's hear what unifies your party. What unifies them? Privatizing Social Security and Medicare, that unifies them. The Republicans also tell us they don't want to change the tax code that rewards corporations for moving jobs overseas. They also tell us that we ought to be sticking with the tax cuts from the Bush era, tax cuts which unfortunately led to the greatest deficits in our history and led to massive unemployment.
CROWLEY: The truth is, I mean, you do--
DURBIN: And those things, I think when you look at specifics, are important.
CROWLEY: You do speak the truth when you say they don't like Republicans any better than they like Democrats, but they don't like Democrats very much. And at some point, you are going to have to come back to the U.S. Senate with a lesser majority or perhaps be in a minority position -- most people think it will be a lesser majority for Democrats in the Senate. How does that affect the big-ticket items on the Obama agenda, immigration and energy reform?
DURBIN: Well, I can tell you, when you're dealing with Republican Senate leadership that brings 100 filibusters to the floor in a given year, and now you will have more Republicans, at least a few more, and fewer Democrats, if they want to stick with this filibuster strategy, obstruction and saying no, it's going to be difficult to do anything.
CROWLEY: What about you? What about Democrats?
DURBIN: Anything at all.
CROWLEY: What is your -- what is your responsibility going back in whatever position you go back to? Aren't the voters, even in the polling, aren't the voters telling you something, and what is it they're telling you?
DURBIN: They're telling us they're in pain. They are in pain over the unemployment in America and the fact --
CROWLEY: And they blame Democrats.
DURBIN: -- they have bean increasing -- well, they do. And though we've increased jobs in the private sector and things are moving in the right direction, and we're not sinking into a depression, people are impatient. They want to see results, not just when it comes to jobs but also when it comes to health care reform. And some of these things will take time to bring us out of the morass that we are in.
When you ask, what about the big issues? Well, I have big questions. Will we see Republican leadership as we did in the past when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform, will we find a few Republicans willing to step up and deal with the whole energy and environment challenge that we face? In the past, they've been there. Over the last two years, we haven't had their help.
CROWLEY: But what are the questions to the Democrats? Because surely there must be some voters in there somewhere -- because whenever you talk to a Democrat, they say, oh the messaging has been bad, or people are impatient or they don't really understand what we've passed. Maybe some voters think you've done the wrong thing. And if they think that--
DURBIN: Of course some do.
CROWLEY: Yes, and so that may have voted for you previously. So what is the message you take from that that is going to make the dynamic different? We understand what you think the Republicans should do. But what should you all do?
DURBIN: I think fundamentally the major elements of what President Obama set out to do were important to be done. First that we don't sink deeper into a depression. And our recovery package was really geared toward creating more good-paying jobs in this country, giving tax breaks, the largest tax breaks in history to middle-income families. Those were good things.
Secondly, the health care reform. The cost of health care is breaking the bank for families and businesses as well as for government.
And finally, when it comes to Wall Street reform, to say once and for all there will be no more bailouts. We're going to make fundamental change, oversight, and regulation of Wall Street so we don't sink into another recession. Those are three fundamentally sound things that history will prove were essential to turn this economy around and move us forward.
So yes, we can learn lessons and we have learned lessons, but in terms of the basic principles, I think we are moving America in the right direction.
CROWLEY: Have you -- you look at let's take a look at the Senator Reid's contest in Nevada against Sharron Angle, your majority leader in the Senate. They were delighted when Sharron Angle frankly was nominated. They thought they could portray her as an extremist, too conservative for Nevada. He's in the fight for his political career, as you know. Have Democrats underestimated the anxiety in this country?
DURBIN: No, I don't think we've underestimated it, but I think we've also seen, particularly in the case of Nevada, that when the Tea Party Republicans produce a candidate, many times they are candidates that have views that are very extreme. Most Americans are not going to agree--
CROWLEY: Except for that she's beating him in the polls, so they can't be that extreme, can they?
DURBIN: Well, I see different polls. And although it's close, I believe Harry Reid has maintained a lead and he is going to win on Tuesday.
CROWLEY: And if he should not, can you see yourself supporting Senator Schumer, your roommate down there in Washington, as majority or minority leader in the Senate?
DURBIN: I made a promise to Harry Reid I wouldn't even speculate on this possibility. Harry Reid is our majority leader and I support him.
CROWLEY: Well, we are always sorry when you make that kind of deal, but we appreciate you spending some time with us, Senator Durbin.
DURBIN: Thanks, Candy.
CROWLEY: Up next, we'll break down last-minute strategy. Is there anything Democrats or Republicans can do to swing the polls before Tuesday?
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CROWLEY: Welcome to the political edition of "Where Are They Now." Women, independents and lower-income families, they were a huge chunk of the Obama victory coalition two years ago. For instance, the president won independents by eight percentage points.
Where are they now? Republicans have a 20-point edge among independents. The president's 22-point advantage among families making less than $50,000 has evaporated into a 2-percent advantage for Republicans this year.
Most worrisome for Democrats is the female vote, a usually reliable, always necessary part of the Democratic constituency. The president's 13-percent margin among women in 2008 is a four-percent advantage for Republicans in 2010. The New York Times put it succinctly -- the Obama coalition is fraying. What that means for Tuesday when we come back with former Senator Bob Kerrey and CNN contributor Bill Bennett.
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