MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: President Obama's Ability to Move the Economy Forward

Interview

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REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, (D) MARYLAND: Good to be with you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Everybody has a wish list. You just heard mine. But -- what is going to be different this year? The president called for action on tax reform, climate change and immigration. He didn`t get any of that.

So what is going to make this speech in this year different?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, that`s a good question. Look, Ed, one of the reasons that Congress as it historically low levels of public support is because we have done nothing in terms of working with the president to try and move the economy and jobs forward.

You laid out that list of things the president called for last year. Not only we not move the ball forward on those things, but in the House, we haven`t even been given a vote on those issues.

So the president is going to have to do two things. Number one, he`s going to lay out that common sense of (inaudible) that you just talked about, minimum wage increase, disgraceful that you can work full time in this country and still be in poverty, invest in our infrastructure. You got huge unmet needs. You got a lot of people still employed in the construction industry. That`s a no-brainer, a win-win.

And the president has to say to Congress, "You got to do these things and I want to work with you. But if you`re not working with me, I`m still going to find a way to get important things done." And the federal government is a major purchaser of goods and services. We can lead by example in how we purchase goods and services on the behalf of the American people. And the president has lots of leeway as the chief executive in that area.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, I get a sense that Democrats are behind closed doors saying, "I hope he goes and text it to him. Go get him. It`s time."

How much more time do the Democrats have to spend on waiting for the Republicans to try to move the country forward? We got such an ideological split on Capitol Hill on how the country should be run. What are we waiting for?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, we`re not waiting down here, Ed. We`re going to move forward on it. We got our own budget proposal that lays out our priorities in clear contrast to the Republican budget proposal.

Their proposal is essentially a declaration of class warfare. You know, we hear the Republicans always .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

HOLLEN: . talking about, "You guys are declaring class warfare." Take a look at the House Republican budget from last year, major tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while slashing important safety net programs. If that`s not a declaration of class warfare, I don`t know what is.

SCHULTZ: OK.

VAN HOLLEN: And so the president`s got to layout these challenges, layout the contrast, invite Republicans to work with them but make it clear that we`re not going to go as slow as the slowest vote.

SCHULTZ: How far are you willing to see the president go before it would raise some questions about his authority to do things? I mean, I think it`d be a hell of a conversation for the country to engage in. I mean, well they`ve already talked about impeachment in the past but it would seem to me that the Democrats would be saying, "Mr. President, you go. You go as far as you think you have to go." Was that attitude out there?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, Ed, look, obviously everybody wants to make sure that everyone is -- works within their constitutional power. So nobody is suggesting, I know you`re not, that the president take extra constitutional actions.

At the same time, we know that the constitution gives the president lots of flexibility within the powers that he is given. And we do believe the president should exercise those powers for the good of the people.

Again, take climate change, for example. You could put in the place laws that would be -- reduce climate change in a much smarter way if you get Congress engaged. But if Congress is going to refuse to engage, the fact is the president has lots of authority on his own to take certain actions.

So we`d all be better off if Republicans in Congress would work with the president but that doesn`t mean he doesn`t have alternatives using the executive powers.

SCHULTZ: Should the president point out some of the polls that are out there consistently on minimum wage? And all of the different things about income inequality and speak to the definition to it? And really frame it, you`re on the wrong side Republicans and you haven`t wanted to move on anything. I mean, how direct do you think the president should be and how
effective would that be?

VAN HOLLEN: No, that I think he needs to be directive about, Ed. Because, look, the figures are startling and I think every American understands that it`s unacceptable that we`ve had productivity gains over the last three decades, we`ve seen a doubling in economic output and yet overwhelmingly the majority of those gains have gone to people at the very, very top where everybody else is essentially been running in place in terms of real wages.

The president has to take that on, head on. I think he will. Look, we just saw the Conservative government in the UK, in England, say they support a minimum wage and yet we`ve got Republicans here who for ideological reasons, refuse to accept reality that the minimum wage will first lift 5 million plus Americans out of poverty, will help tens and millions more, and will help create more jobs by giving more people a little spending money in their pocket.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

VAN HOLLEN: People who will go out and create more jobs by buying goods and services at their local grocery stores with local merchants. So this is another no-brainer. And so I think, Ed, the president`s got to be very direct on issues like job opportunities, economic equality. We need a country where everybody shares in the growing prosperity of this country, rather than what we`ve seen for the last couple of decades and certainly the last couple years where all the gains have gone to folks at the very top. And everyone is getting a sense that the rules are rigged against most Americans

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

VAN HOLLEN: You see, you know, when people say they want performance pay on Wall Street and yet you see these huge bonuses even when taxpayers had to bail them out.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Chris Van Hollen, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time so much. Thank you, sir.

VAN HOLLEN: Good to be with you.

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