CNN "State of the Union with Candy Crowley" - Transcript
Interview
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CANDY CROWLEY, HOST: A week to forget at the White House: falling poll numbers, twin defeats in special House elections and tepid reaction to the president's jobs package.
Today the politics of a struggling economy with Senate majority whip Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
Then a U.N. showdown over Palestinian statehood with the PLO's chief representative Maen Rashid Areikat and the Israeli ambassador Michael Oren.
Then recession worries with economist Alice Rivlin and Douglas Holtz-Eakin.
I'm Candy Crowley and this is State of the Union.
The president unveils how he will pay for his $447 billion jobs plan tomorrow. Public reaction to part one has been tepid. In the latest New York Times/CBS poll, Americans are split on whether the jobs plan will actually create jobs. As for the president's own employment, there is open Democratic fear he's a one-termer. The vibe was bad enough this week, the top Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod sent a memo to reporters noting that the president's support from the Democratic base is strong. The same cannot be said of independents, 54 percent disapprove of how he's doing his job.
Things can change between now and November 2012. The more immediate question is whether President Obama has the political capital to sell his jobs plan to the public and push it through congress. Joining us now, the number two Democrat in the Senate, Senator Dick Durbin. Thank you so much for being here.
And let's just start with that question. We do see a president who's being openly criticized by Democrats, whose poll numbers are falling. A weak economy. And people just not really sure this jobs plan is going to work. How do you sell that to the public and how do you pass that in the Senate?
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: Candy, you can understand the skepticism of Americans. They've watched the confrontation in Washington virtually threaten to close down the government, even close down the economy. So they're skeptical of any political promises. But when you go to the specifics about President Obama's plan, you can get a positive reaction. Should we give a tax credit, an incentive to small businesses across America to hire the unemployed? Should we give a payroll tax cut to working families that are struggling paycheck to paycheck? Should we invest in making sure that we don't lose the jobs, important jobs, of firefighters and policemen and teachers. Should we put money in the economy to build America for the 21st Century. People say yes to those things.
The president's plan is a positive plan to move us forward.
CROWLEY: But let me just point out that I think some of the skepticism -- you're absolutely right -- is about this gridlock in Washington, but it is also about the fact that there was about $800 billion spent in stimulus with the White House promising, as Republicans point out all the time, that unemployment would not rise above 8 percent if we would just spend money in stimulus.
Well, it's 9.1% now. It got as high as 10.1 percent. Now you want to spend more than half that again in a $447 -- I'm sorry, more than $400 billion in jobs. So why is that going to be any more successful than the first one was in bringing down the unemployment rate which is what this is about?
DURBIN: Candy, you're going to have some economists on later and they're going to tell you this is one of the most challenging recessions America has ever faced. You go back to the Great Depression. What we did with the first effort by the president was to stop this recession from going deeper. Now we've got to do something positive.
Look at the other side of the equation and ask what the Republicans would do. They would make sure that we have no new tax burden on the wealthiest people in America and they would continue to criticize any effort to step forward and do something positive to move this economy.
Most Americans reject that. They understand that with 14 million people out of work and 46 million in poverty, we need to step up and move this economy forward. That's the president's plan.
CROWLEY: Many economists say two things. That in the short term now -- we're just talking about the short term and not the long term -- you shouldn't cut spending by too much and you shouldn't raise taxes. And yet we now know from the White House that one of the things the president wants to do is the so-called Buffett plan which is to make sure that no millionaire pays less of a percentage in federal tax than anyone in the middle class.
Is it a good idea right now to raise taxes on anybody right now?
DURBIN: Well, certainly on those who are wealthy and comfortable and wouldn't even notice it, yes. Warren Buffett has been honest, and other people I know who have been fortunate in life and wealthy have said, for goodness sakes, you can raise my taxes if that's going to help this economy move forward. I wonder if John Boehner knows what it sound like when he continues to say the position of the Republican Party in America is that you can't impose one more penny in taxes on the wealthiest people. I wonder if he understands how that sounds in Ohio to working families who are struggling paycheck to paycheck.
CROWLEY: Do you think that's the point of... DURBIN: ...how that sounds to 46 people out of work?
CROWLEY: And that's the political side of this. And do you think that is the point of this proposal, is to paint the Republicans as, again, as people who will protect the wealthy at any cost?
DURBIN: No, I'll tell you what it is. The president said at the outset that his plan to move the economy forward would be paid for. In other words, he would come up with the revenue to pay for tax cuts for working families and incentives for small businesses to hire.
So he went after two areas. He said we've got to trim the deductions which the wealthiest people in American can take, and secondly, we have to end the federal subsidy to the oil companies, which are the most profitable and richest companies in America. That to me is a reasonable way to make sure we pay for what the president says, a plan to put America back to work.
CROWLEY: When is his jobs bill getting on the Senate floor?
DURBIN: It will start the debate this week. Now there are going to be a lot of variations and ideas...
CROWLEY: But the bill won't be on the floor to vote on this week. I mean, you guys can debate anything at any point. When is the bill going to get on the floor?
DURBIN: The bill is on the calendar. Majority leader Reid moved it to the calendar. It is ready and poised.
There are a couple other items we may get into this week not on the bill and some related issues that may create jobs. But we're going to move forward on the president's bill. There will be a healthy debate. I hope the Republicans will come to...
CROWLEY: After the recess so next month? Or when will it actually begin to act on?
DURBIN: I think that's more realistic it would be next month.
CROWLEY: Next month. OK.
Let me just turn you to some politics.
As you know, the man who lost the New York district that used to be Anthony Weiner's, which has been a Democratic district for more than 80 years, says that he lost because it was a referendum on the Obama administration. What does that tell you about Democrats' chances in 2012 and the president's chances?
DURBIN: I don't think anybody can predict 14 months from now what we're going to face and as David Axelrod said in this memo that you referred to, we're not talking about the president running in some black box scenario. There will be an opponent. And as I listen to the Republican presidential nominee candidates come forward and spout their ideas and bow and genuflect to the Tea Party and their agenda, I remember the Tea Party is not very popular in America. What they brought us to in Washington twice already is a confrontation that is virtually threatened to close down the government and our economy. So I don't think people like that style of politics and that's the reality of we'll be facing in November 2012.
CROWLEY: James Carville, a Democratic consultant, a true blue Democrat through and through has said that those elections should cause the White House to panic. He said it is time to fire someone. That the economy hasn't gotten any better as far as people are concerned and still the president is using the same economic team and as much as he respects them, it is time for them to go and get in some new blood to show the American people the president understands.
Good idea?
DURBIN: I've listened to this president. He's been my friend and I've worked with him nor for years. He is always open to ideas and contributions from everyone, from both sides. And he's tried to make sure that his team...
CROWLEY: Should he fire anybody?
DURBIN: Well, at this point I don't see that you would pick out one person and say that's the reason the economy's bad. That's the reason the campaign...
CROWLEY: Well, politics is about impressions, though. For people who think that he doesn't...
DURBIN: Well, of course you're right.
CROWLEY: Yeah. So should he fire some people and get in a new team and say I'm working again, we're taking a fresh look?
DURBIN: I don't think so. I'll tell you what I think. I think his team has put together a positive good plan. The American people believe that if you help working families, invest in making sure we have our firefighters an policemen and teachers on the job, invest in infrastructure, America's going to start to move forward.
What's the Republican alternative? Do nothing and protect the millionaires.
CROWLEY: Senator Dick Durbin, thank you so much for your time this morning.
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