MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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LT. GOV. TIM MURRAY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Thanks for having me, Ed.

SCHULTZ: It"s all about turnout, isn"t it? Or am I wrong on that?

MURRAY: No, you"re 100 percent right. It"s, get out the vote and really--and trying to get out to those Democratic voters and progressives and liberals, and letting them know what"s at stake here.

You know, Scott Brown is not this kind of affable, middle-of-the-road guy. He is, as you"ve described, someone who subscribes to the Bush/Cheney agenda. He"s someone whose record, when we actually get down to talking about his record, indicates that on a whole variety of fronts--women"s health issues, voting against the expansion of mammograms and breast cancer awareness campaigns. He proposed a bill, a piece of legislation, that would allow hospitals to prevent rape victims from getting emergency contraception.

SCHULTZ: So this would be a radical change if this guy were to win this election on this Tuesday; right?

MURRAY: There couldn"t be someone more diametrically opposed to the values and the beliefs that Senator Ted Kennedy fought for, for so long.

SCHULTZ: So, what"s going on in Massachusetts? Why is this even close? I mean, it was just weeks ago that Martha Coakley had a very comfortable lead?

What"s happened, in your opinion?

MURRAY: Well, in Massachusetts, the largest number of voters are unenrolled. And I think Scott Brown has been able to portray himself for a period of time, though I think that"s changed in the last week as this kind of moderate type of Republican, which occasionally has been elected here in Massachusetts. But I think that"s changing quickly as people get the word out that his rhetoric and his sound bites don"t meet the rhetoric and the facts.

SCHULTZ: Do you think, Mr. Murray, that Barack Obama, the president of the United States, his being in Boston, him being up there on the stump, is that going to help? Is that going to really wake up those who might think, hey, wait a minute, we"ve got to go vote on Tuesday?

MURRAY: No, I think it does. It brings attention to how important this race is and what is at stake. Literally, the agenda of the president.

And you showed Senator Kennedy, and Senator Kennedy was someone who was strong in his beliefs and fought for it. But he also was able to reach out, whether it be on the No Child Left Behind and others, in certain areas. Isn"t it unfortunate that the Republicans have not offered that same type of bipartisan spirit of compromise that Senator Kennedy himself offered to the former president, George Bush, on issues of education and other types of things?

We"ve got a Republican minority that really is trying to obstruct the will of the voters in the 2008 election who elected President Obama and a Democratic House and Senate.

SCHULTZ: Mr. Murray, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time. I hope it all works out. There is definitely a lot at stake, no question about it.

MURRAY: Thank you, Ed.

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