CBS "Face The Nation" - Transcript

Interview

BOB SCHIEFFER: Today on FACE THE NATION, we'll find out in a matter of hours, do the
Democrats have the votes to pass health care reform?
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We are going to get this done.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BOEHNER: We're about twenty-four hours from-- from
Armageddon.
BOB SCHIEFFER: The House will have an up-or-down vote on the Senate health care reform
bill sometime today. Do they have the two hundred sixteen votes they need to pass it? We'll ask
the men who are tracking the votes--House Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina and the key
political strategist Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. And if it does pass, can Republicans then stop
it in the Senate? We'll talk with the Republican leader there, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and
Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois.
I'll have a final thought on an anniversary we should not forget.
But first, counting the votes on FACE THE NATION.
ANNOUNCER: FACE THE NATION with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob
Schieffer. And now from CBS News in Washington, Bob Schieffer.
BOB SCHIEFFER: And good morning again. So today is the day. The House will finally vote on
health care reform and a year-long debate that's been rancorous and mean from the start
turned even nastier yesterday. Demonstrators protesting the bill poured into the halls of
Congress shouting "kill the bill" and "Made in the USSR." And as tempers rose, they hurled
racial epithets even at Civil Rights icon John Lewis of Georgia, and sexual slurs at
Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank. Other legislators said the protesters spit on them and
one lawmaker said it was like a page out of a time machine. One of the lawmakers who saw all
this is the chief vote counter for the Democrats, Jim Clyburn, who is at the Capitol this morning
still working the hallways for votes. He is with the Democrats' chief political strategist,
Congressman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
Congressman Clyburn, before we talk about this do you have the votes? What about these
demonstrators yesterday? Have you seen anything like this in recent times?
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES CLYBURN (Majority Whip/D-South Carolina): No, not in the recent
times. Thank you so much for having us. The last time I saw anything like that was back in
1960. I celebrated a week ago the fiftieth anniversary of the march in Orangeburg that I have to
organize the so-called Orangeburg Seven of which I was one. Two others, three of us got
together with some students last Monday to talk about those experiences. And we were telling
those students how those kind of stuff was behind us. I suspect that I might have to modify
some of that after yesterday.
BOB SCHIEFFER: I-- I think I should add that Republican leaders this morning along with
Democrats, such as yourself, have denounced these demonstrations. But be that as it may it
just shows how-- how hot tempers are and-- and how volatile this whole situation has been.
Congressman Van Hollen, the two of you have been tracking these votes. Where are you right
now do you think?
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee/D-Maryland): Well, Mister Clyburn is the whip and he informs me that he is
absolutely confident when the vote comes. We will have the votes to get this gone. What we've
seen is in our recent weeks and months as our members have gone back to their districts and
talked with their constituents, they're getting the very clear signal that the status quo is
unacceptable. We have a system where the health insurance industry continues to increase
premiums by huge amounts, turn down constituents for coverage based on pre-existing
conditions, fine little fine print in health care policies to deny access to care when people need it
the most, and that the status quo is just unacceptable.
BOB SCHIEFFER (overlapping): Well--
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: And that has built this consensus to get this done.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Mister Clyburn, that-- from the beginning the Democrats have been saying
we think when this finally comes to a vote this afternoon we-- we will have the votes. You don't
have them yet, though. Do you in-- in all honesty?
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES CLYBURN: Well, you know, in doing vote counting you try
sometimes to work backwards. You-- you look at what it is that you're dealing with. And then
you look at the members who have issues that you must reconcile. And you start counting back.
And that's the way that I do it. And we do believe that the issues that are of concern to people,
you know, like racial disparities in health care. We have been talking about that but it's been
regional disparities that has caused us the problem that-- in this health care bill. And we are
trying to make sure that we reconcile those differences in such a way that every state, every
community feels that they are, in fact, getting a just return on their investment. So these little
issues have caused us to really be very, very careful as we move to the final vote. And that's
why we are not going to talk about that two sixteen number until such time as we get to the floor
this afternoon.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, by our CBS count, we put you at having as, you know, maybe as few
as two hundred and four votes, but maybe somewhere around two hundred and ten--
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES CLYBURN: Mm-Hm.
BOB SCHIEFFER: --which would mean you're about six votes short now. But there's about a
dozen votes, it-- it would seem to me, that are-- are in play. Mister Van Hollen, why is it that
House Democrats are-- are so wary of voting for this bill that the Senate has passed?
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Well, first of all, Bob, we're going to get the votes to
go over the top. But the reason the Senate bill created some controversy is there are some
things that shouldn't have been in the original Senate bill, for example, the Nebraska deal and
some other deals. We're getting rid of those. We're getting rid of the Nebraska deal. We're
getting rid of the deal that was in there for Florida and New York. We're making other
improvements to this bill to make sure that coverage is more affordable. And that's why our
members are now very comfortable voting for the Senate bill as amended, as it's going to be
amended by the reconciliation bill. And that's the package. And we're going to have a majority of
votes to get that done. And as I said it is a whole lot better than the status quo when it comes to
health care.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Just for those who don't follow this as closely as we do here in Washington,
the basic deal here right now is you have made a decision you're going to vote on the Senate
bill, even though many in the House don't like it. You're going to take an up-or-down vote on
that. And then as I understand it, next you will vote on what is called this reconciliation bill which
corrects a lot of the things in the Senate bill that-- that House members don't-- don't like.
Mister Clyburn, what about those in the House? And I know you've had problems. There are
about a dozen that were very concerned about that this Senate bill does not go far enough on
abortion, about prohibiting public funds and-- and these insurance plans from covering abortion.
I'm told now that the President is going to issue some sort of an executive order that you hope
will-- will satisfy that group of people. And where is that? Is-- is that settled yet?
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES CLYBURN: No, I don't think it's quite settled yet but I think it will be
by late afternoon. Bart Stupak and I spent a lot of time together last evening. I've-- I've seen him
on one of the networks this morning saying that we are very, very close. And I think that we'll--
we'll be there by the time that we vote. And I fully expect that we'll get the votes that are
necessary.
BOB SCHIEFFER: You-- you do expect to-- to have his vote. Now, let me ask you this about
this-- these reconciliation corrections. Are you satisfied that these corrections will pass
parliamentary muster when they go over to the Senate because, as you well know, the Senate
parliamentarian has to rule on whether they are germ-- germ-- germane. And if they are, they
have to have something to do with reducing the deficit. Mister Van Hollen, are you telling your
people that-- that this can work? And how do you have the assurance that the Senate will
actually pass this reconciliation part? Because I know that's one of the things that-- that a lot of
people in the House are worried about. They're afraid that the Senate will just turn its back on
that and then House members will be left out there on a limb having voted for something that
they don't really like.
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Well, we are confident that it-- it will work and Harry
Reid, the Senate leader, came over to address the House caucus yesterday. He said he had
absolute commitments from the majority of senators to get this done. And it does meet the
deficit reduction requirements. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office has said that over the
first ten years of this bill, it will reduce the deficit by a hundred and forty-three billion dollars and
over the second ten years by 1.3-- 1.2 trillion dollars. So this is more than paid for. It's fiscally
responsible. I-- I will say unlike some of the bills that have been passed in the-- in the past by
our predecessors which draw-- drove up the deficits this actually reduces the deficit.
BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. And let me ask you this, Mister Clyburn. I know some House
members (LAUGHING) are so distrustful for-- of the Senate that they've actually demanded that
Senators send them a letter with fifty-one signatures on it, assuring them that if they pass these
corrections to the bill that the senators, those fifty-one, will pledge to-- to-- to vote to-- to
approve those corrections. Have you ob-- obtained such a letter from the Senate? Or will that be
necessary?
REPRESENTATIVE JIM CLYBURN: Well, it's not necessary for me. When Senator Reid came
over on yesterday, he told me that he had these ironclad commitments and asked me whether
or not I wanted to see the letter. I told him, no, I don't need to see the letter. Your word is good
enough for me. Now I know that as an institution, we sometimes distrust the Senate. But the
facts still remain that I think they're people of goodwill and we'll get this done.
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, and-- and when you say you don't need to see the letter, does that say
that you-- there is such a letter, that he has collected those signatures?
REPRESENTATIVE JIM CLYBURN: Well, I don't know if he's got the signatures or not. I know--
I was told that a letter exists. Now whether he was asking me whether or not I see-- needed to
see something that was in his possession, whether or not he just get me something before we
started voting, I don't know exactly what he meant by that. But I did tell him that his word was
good enough for me.
BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. And-- and Mister Van Hollen, quickly, are some Democrats facing
defeat out there, members of the House in some of those marginal districts if they vote for this
bill?
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: No, they're not facing defeat. What's going to
happen, Bob, is this: once we pass this bill. Everyone's going to see right away that all those
horror stories are not going to come true. The world's not going to come to the end. It's not
going to be Armageddon. There not going to be these death panels. In fact, they're going to
begin to see the benefits. We're going to be closing the doughnut hole, so seniors have more
help in pain for their prescription drugs. We're going to make sure--
BOB SCHIEFFER (overlapping): All right.
REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: --that there lifetime limits, somewhat out of pocket
costs. So there're a lot of benefits that people will see and they'll see that a lot of the hysteria
and the fearmongering just was not true.
BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Well, thank you so much, both of you for a very enlightening
discussion bringing us up to the minute.
We'll be back to get the Republican side of this in a minute.

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