NPR Tavis Smiley - Transcript
National Public Radio (NPR)
SHOW: Tavis Smiley 9:00 AM EST NPR
October 13, 2004 Wednesday
HEADLINE: Representative Nancy Pelosi discusses the approaching elections, composition of the US House and Senate and recent ethics violations against Tom DeLay
ANCHORS: TAVIS SMILEY
BODY:
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
TAVIS SMILEY, host:
From NPR in Los Angeles, I'm Tavis Smiley.
On today's program, part two of our look at regional and local candidates of color. We speak with US Senate candidate Marvin Scott, a black Republican out of Indiana, battling the odds against one of the biggest names in national politics. And later, singer and songwriter Brenda Russell is back working a blend of R&B, jazz, classical, pop and Latin music, but first, the Democratic response.
As the divisions in the country widen in this homestretch of the presidential campaign season, polarization also seems to be widening along party lines in Congress. Just last week on this program, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist pointed the finger squarely at congressional Democrats for furthering the divide by laying obstacles to more legislative successes and judicial appointments in the nation's capital.
Senator BILL FRIST (Republican Majority Leader): We're spending time on them, more time than in the history of Congress, because the Democrats have obstructed. For the first time, there have been 10 circuit court judge nominees by the president obstructed to death, meaning that they'll never pass, by the Democrats. That is uncalled for. Number two, again obstructed by two out of three Democrats, is energy policy. Well, too, even though we spent a lot of time on the floor, we didn't produce a comprehensive bill because of this filibuster, which two out of three Democrats came to the floor and said absolutely no.
SMILEY: For a different view on Congress being stifled by partisanship, we're joined now by Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives.
Ms. Leader, nice to have you back on the program again.
Representative NANCY PELOSI (Democratic Minority Leader): Hi, Tavis. Always wonderful to join you.
SMILEY: Always glad to have you on.
Rep. PELOSI: Thank you.
SMILEY: You heard Senator Frist. Are you all a bunch of obstructionists?
Rep. PELOSI: Well, you know, the unprofessional attitude of the Republicans is really appalling. When they had the White House, they controlled the White House, they control the United States Senate and they control the House of Representatives. They have it in the power to do whatever they wish to achieve. Their problem is is that their ideas are not appealing to the American people, but for them to blame their lack of success when they control everything in Washington should say something to the American people. God bless the Democrats if they're able to hold up that energy bill which is just a total giveaway to the energy and petroleum companies that does nothing to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, to have alternative energy sources, to protect our environment, to promote conservation and energy efficiency. And some of their judgeships are not worthy of being approved.
But the fact is is they control it all and they should be able to deliver without having to blame it on the Democrats. I myself think there has to be an end to the partisanship that the Republicans have injected into all of this. I have said to Speaker Hastert that I expect to be speaker in January. I ask him to sign my principles of majority rights which say that we'll have bipartisan administration of the House of Representatives, that the people throughout the country's voices will be heard because we will allow both parties to bring legislation to the floor. That is not the case now, but, you know, they lose in the battle of ideas. The public does not support them in those ideas. So they have to blame it on the Democrats and change the subject from jobs, health care, education, protecting the environment, to strong national defense to issues that relate to what they call values of saying that Democrats are going to ban the Bible and take away their guns, none of which, of course, is true.
SMILEY: I want to talk about issues here in just a second. Before I get to the issues, though, let me ask, I'm just curious, how does Speaker Hastert respond when you say to him that you're going to have his job in January. How did he respond to that?
Rep. PELOSI: Well, he knows that's, of course, what I believe and that's what we're fighting for, and I'm traveling the country to take our country back for the American people, but win or lose, whatever the outcome, it should be that the American people win and that we would have bipartisan administration of the House. American people expect and deserve that. Our Founding Fathers sacrificed their lives, liberty and sacred honor for it, and it is what our Constitution calls for. But right now, because they're afraid of ideas, they don't allow any Democratic initiatives to come to the floor. We're not afraid of ideas. We welcome any suggestions they may have. We'll allow them to bring their bills to the floor, and if they have a good idea, to embrace it, and to find our common ground, but where we don't find our common ground, to stand our ground for the American people.
SMILEY: Let me ask you because you are the minority party. To the earlier point you made, it is-no matter who the party is in the minority, it's always difficult to get your agenda pushed through. That said...
Rep. PELOSI: It's impossible.
SMILEY: That-I understand. That said, tell me what you do see as successes by your party in this last Congress.
Rep. PELOSI: Well, as I say to you, we have been a situation where they will not even allow our legislation to come to the floor, but where I think we have been successful as Democrats is that we have come together and built a consensus within our party. We're more unified than the party has ever been since 1960 when Sam Rayburn was speaker and John Kennedy was about to become president of the United States, and that unity does not come from discipline. It comes from consensus and respecting the views of our members. And so we have built our new partnership for America's future, about prosperity and community and fairness and opportunity, accountability and a strong national defense. We're ready to go as soon as we win with these positive initiatives for the American people.
I mean, how irrelevant the Congress is to the lives of the American people. Where are the jobs? Where's the health care? Where's the education for our children? Where is the-why did they eliminate the progress we've made on Clean Air, Clean Water over time? So our successes have been internal. That is to say, to build our unity, to establish our priorities, to make the distinction to the public in the races that we're in now so that people know what to expect when we win and that's jobs, health care, education, clean environment and a strong, strong national defense which not only protects the American people but protects and defends the Constitution of the United States which is our oath of office.
SMILEY: Let me ask you about your Republican counterpart, Tom DeLay. We all know Mr. DeLay is the majority leader in the House, and we all know that the House ethics panel has chided him not once but twice in recent weeks. Tom DeLay in a lot of trouble. There are a lot of folk who say that because he is the majority leader in Congress and because he's been slapped two or three times on the hand now by the House ethics panel that he ought to step aside. Should Tom DeLay step aside?
Rep. PELOSI: My view of it is is that it's up to the Republican conference. This is the standard of ethical conduct that they approve of, then the public should know that, but it isn't right. Tom DeLay has gotten three rebukes this past-in one week, and that made four altogether since he's been leader in addition to which his close associates are under indictment in Texas for their criminal behavior in regard to the Texas redistricting and more information has emerged since the rebukes that connects him more closely to what happened in Texas. So if this is the ethical standard that is good enough for the Republicans, than the public should know. It certainly is not what the public again expects and deserves, and I would hope that they would make that judgment, but it's up to them and they're painted with the same brush as Tom DeLay if they think that what he did is OK.
SMILEY: This evening, your guy, John Kerry, gets his last shot, one on one, at least, against President George W. Bush. The agenda, the topics, clearly, tonight, around the domestic issues that so many American voters are concerned about. What do you expect out of this debate tonight on the domestic front?
Rep. PELOSI: It's hard to understand how George Bush can even face the public with his poor record on job creation-the worst record since Herbert Hoover-and on issues relating to health care where five million more people do not have access to health care since he became president and where he's leaving millions of children behind because of his withholding of $30 billion for No Child Left Behind and sending our kids into crushing debt as they go to college instead of working to, as the Democrats are, making college education tax deductible for our young people.
So on the domestic issues, John Kerry has a plan. He has a vision for America that is about expanding opportunity. He will create 10 million jobs. He will expand access to health care by at least 26 to 30 million people. He will promote education 'cause that is the key to opportunity for all of the American people. His proposals for clean air and clean water and food safety, in terms of the environment and the health of our children is one that no one has a stronger credential than John Kerry.
So on the domestic issues, George Bush doesn't have much to talk about if he speaks from truth to the American people. I'm very, very proud of the candidacy of John Kerry because it's essential that the next president of the United States address the aspirations of the American people in terms of their economic security, their health security, the opportunity for their children. This dignified, logical man with great knowledge of the issues and a plan to make the future better will make change for the American people.
SMILEY: Coattails are always nice, but let me ask you how important you think this presidential race is to improving the lot of Democrats in Congress.
Rep. PELOSI: When my colleagues and I drew up the plan to win the House for the Democrats, George Bush was at 74 percent in the polls. He's now more like 47. That has enabled us to build our unity, to attract the candidates, to mobilize at the grassroots level, to deliver our message and to raise the money-the three M's: money, mobilization, message-to win the election. We will be running in places that are not battleground states. So we will have to be doing our own heavy lift in those states in order to win.
In the other states, the battleground states, we hope that our Get Out The Vote efforts will help John Kerry, and so it's sort of a mutually beneficial relationship. He helps us, we helped him. We just have to have him do well in the non-battleground states so that we're not too far behind going in.
But let me say this. We will help John Kerry win the election. The Democrats in Congress must win so that we can help John Kerry succeed. The last thing he needs as president is to look down Pennsylvania Avenue into the eyes of the unethical Tom DeLay and expect him to cooperate, to create jobs and to expand health care, etc. He hasn't done it when the Republicans were in total control. What makes us think he would do it to help John Kerry and help the American people?
So coattails or not, some districts it will help, some other districts, they're not in the districts, but we've adapted our campaigns in each of the districts in order to win the House, win the Senate and help win the White House for John Kerry.
SMILEY: Nancy Pelosi is the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the first women to ever hold such a position. She is a Democrat from the Bay Area here in California.
Ms. Leader, nice to have you on. All the best to you.
Rep. PELOSI: My pleasure, Tavis. Good luck to you. Thanks.
SMILEY: Be well now.
Rep. PELOSI: You, too. Bye-bye.
SMILEY: Just a quick reminder that we're inviting some of our listeners to join us for a week of the people's debates. If you want to share your views on some of the top issues of this election season, call us or write us and let us know about yourself and why you're up to the job. You can e-mail us at tavis@npr.org or call us at (202) 408-1271. That's (202) 408-1271 if you want to be a part of the people's debates.
It's 19 minutes past the hour.