CNN "State of the Union with Candy Crowley" - Transcript: 2014 Elections
Interview
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Joining us now, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee and her counterpart, Reince Priebus, chair of the Republican National Committee. Thank you both for joining us.
REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Thank you, Candy.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR: You're welcome.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: How is this not a wild scare tactic? This is like Ebola, ISIS, they're all coming to get you and it's at president's fault.
PRIEBUS: I think -
CROWLEY: Is that your theme?
PRIEBUS: No, I think people are scared though. I think national security whether it be overseas, whether it be the economy, the borders.
Here's the thing, I think ultimately what this election has a lot do with is really bad management, mismanagement, the lack of management, managers that can't manage and the president's at the head of all of this. I mean, the question really is, the president's policies.
It's not really the president, but the president's made it very clear this past week, and I think, you know, I will be interested in what Debbie has to say about this, but is the president's policies on the ballot? And I think they are on the ballot. And so that's really - that's one question on the ballot.
But the second question is should we pass a budget in this country? You know, should we pass one of 350 bills sitting on Harry Reid's desk? Yes, it is about the president and yes it's about his policies but the Democrats don't want to admit that the president's policies are on the ballot. So, are they or are they not?
CROWLEY: Congresswoman, is this election about President Obama's policies?
SCHULTZ: This election is about making sure that we elect a Congress that will focus on the priorities that people care about the most, and that's creating jobs, getting this economy turned around, investing in education and health care, making sure that we can focus on a foreign policy that keeps people safe from harm. I mean, Candy, I represent 750,000 people in the United States
Congress. That my number one priority is to make sure that we can help kick this economy into even higher gear domestically and keep people safe, and so I agree with Darrell Issa, my colleague --
PRIEBUS: The question is the president's policy on the ballot?
SCHULTZ: No, no, Reince, I let you finish - I let you finish, Reince.. Reince, I let you finish.
I agree with Darrell Issa and what Darrell Issa said was that we need -- about the Ebola crisis is that we need to make sure that we recognize that we have to keep our people safe, and we have to have policies that make sure that we can do that by not overreacting.
PRIEBUS: Candy, you --
SCHULTZ: So when we're -- excuse me.
So, making sure that we have a balanced rational policy where there's not overreaction, where we can keep people safe and we can make sure that we can eradicate Ebola in the countries where people are coming from is important.
And let me say what's on the ballot is our domestic policy that we need to have a Congress that has people's back, that keeps people safe from harm and the focused on helping people reach the middle class, and the Republican are focused on extremism and a Tea Party -
CROWLEY: Congresswoman -
PRIEBUS: Extremism --
CROWLEY: Let me -- let me pick up the extremism thing for one thing and I'll give you a shot at this, because the word extremism is used fairly liberally in a lot of ads that we're seeing against Republicans -
SCHULTZ: Well, Candy --
CROWLEY: Let me pop in here, Congresswoman, for one second.
I want - I want to play you something. This is a DSCC ad not from you all but from your Democrat counterparts in the Senate and this is against Colorado Senate candidate Cory Gardner and it's about his stance on abortion. I want to play a brief clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gardner wants to ban abortions even in cases of rape and incest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's extreme.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gardner is sponsoring a bill to ban all abortions right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cory Gardner is wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cory Gardner is way too extreme for Colorado.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: So we've heard this in previous elections, too extreme, too extreme their Tea Party, we can't work with them. So, it seems that the Democrats' overall message is yes, ISIS is scary. Yes, Ebola is scary but Republicans are a lot scarier.
SCHULTZ: Well, that's right. Cory Gardner is a sponsor of a bill that would prevent women from being able to get access to make their own reproductive choices even in the case of rape or incest.
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: OK, now hang on a second.
SCHULTZ: The last thing we did before we left for the recess was vote to sue the president for doing his job when the Republicans won't even do their job. They won't work with us.
PRIEBUS: OK. And Debbie still hasn't answered the question.
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: First of all she still hasn't answered the question as to whether or not...
CROWLEY: Hang on one second.
PRIEBUS: ...the president's policies are on the ballot. And she wants to talk about - she wants to talk about this...
(CROSSTALK)
SCHULTZ: Reince, what's on the ballot are Democratic and Republican candidates.
PRIEBUS: ... the union leaders have -- OK. Well, this is ridiculous.
CROWLEY: Hang on one second.
SCHULTZ: Democratic and Republican -
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Congresswoman, tell us what this election is about? What's on the ballot? Are they the president's policies?
PRIEBUS: Are they the president's policies or not? Are the president's policies on the ballot?
SCHULTZ: Thanks, Reince. Maybe you can let Candy ask me the questions rather than you.
PRIEBUS: She's been doing a great job of it so far. You haven't been answering them, though
SCHULTZ: So, what's on the ballot - what's on the ballot is a choice for voters between Democrats, who are running for congress, and I'm one of them, that's running for Congress that's focused on creating jobs, on making sure that we can help people reach the middle class, by focusing on investing in education and health care, and infrastructure. And the choice between Republican candidates who support a Tea Party agenda, who do like Cory Gardner, cosponsor legislation that prevents women from making their own reproductive choices even in the case of rape or incest, that sues the president for doing his job, that shuts the government down in the name of denying good health care.
PRIEBUS: This is like a 10 minute commercial here.
SCHULTZ: That's the choice. No, what it is is it's reality. It's the reality that voters face in the next nine days, Reince.
PRIEBUS: OK. Well, here's the deal. The -
(CROSSTALK)
SCHULTZ: Your candidates who put extremism at the top of the agenda...
PRIEBUS: Well, this is (INAUDIBLE)...
SCHULTZ: ...and our candidates who focus on job.
PRIEBUS: This is a wonderful conversation.
SCHULTZ: Hang on one second, Congresswoman.
SCHULTZ: It is. I'm enjoying it too. Thank you.
PRIEBUS: Good for you.
Then in "Denver Post" and "The Union Leader" had said the Democrats are beclowning themselves with this operation talking about putting teenagers in jail.
I mean, what about the fact that Charlie Crist who was discovered the other day has been taking thousands of dollars from strip club owners in Florida. Is Debbie going to call out Charlie Crist on that?
SCHULTZ: Oh my gosh. This is unbelievable. Rick Scott --
PRIEBUS: What about the congressman in New Mexico? What about the congressman in New Mexico that Debbie defended that was defending --
SCHULTZ: Candy, let's talk about the Florida -
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Hang on one second.
PRIEBUS: ...a person that was accused of beating up his wife, this person was accused of ransacking his other wife's home.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Let me ask you something -
SCHULTZ: All they have is --
PRIEBUS: And what does she do, she defends these people. She defends them and then she comes after -- and then talks about this --
SCHULTZ: My turn, Candy. My turn.
PRIEBUS: This isn't possible because I can't even hear what's going on. This is ridiculous.
CROWLEY: Let me -- OK. I'll going to give you each 30 seconds.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHULTZ: So, let's talk about the Florida -
CROWLEY: Wait one second, Congresswoman. I've only got...
SCHULTZ: Sure.
CROWLEY: ...30 seconds for each of you and I want to ask you something.
So, I understand what you all are talking about here. Reince is talking about, you know, you all say the Republicans have a war on women and he's pointing out some things that Republicans find objectionable.
You think the Democrats are finding --
PRIEBUS: No, women are worse off today..
CROWLEY: Hang on and let me just ask the question.
PRIEBUS: ...than ever been under this president.
CROWLEY: Do you think that Democrats and Republicans are talking about...
SCHULTZ: See, Reince just wants this to be a monologue because they don't have any issues (ph).
CROWLEY: ..what voters want them to talk about.
PRIEBUS: A monologue. I think a monologue is coming from south Florida right now. Are you kidding me? (CROSSTALK)
SCHULTZ: OK. Rick Scott at the debate the other day, Candy, admitted that he delayed an execution of an inmate on death row because he wanted to make sure that Pam Bondi, our attorney general, could attend a fund-raiser. I mean, that is the type of decision that Rick Scott has disqualified himself from being governor of this state and all -
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: OK. Congresswoman, I got --
SCHULTZ: You have Republicans who don't take care of the priorities that people care about which is jobs and the economy and that's what this election is going to turn on.
PRIEBUS: And Debbie still hasn't answered the question is...
SCHULTZ: I've answered it.
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: ...whether the president's policies are on the ballot.
SCHULTZ: ...you just want to focus on anything but jobs and the economy.
PRIEBUS: Are the president's policies on the ballot? Yes or no? Are the president's policies on the ballot? Yes or no?
SCHULTZ: Jobs and the economy are on the ballot versus your candidates which are focused on extremism.
PRIEBUS: And things aren't going (ph) well, Debbie (ph). Things are not going (ph) well in this (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: (INAUDIBLE) the DNC and Reince Priebus chairman of the RNC.
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