MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

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Joining me now is South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, the House majority whip.
Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC), MAJORITY WHIP: Well, thank you so much for having me.

SCHULTZ: Do you think the Senate should have stayed in to take care of these issues before going on break? Do you agree with your colleague, Mr. McDermott?

CLYBURN: Well, that would have been a good approach to take. I was certainly willing to stay around. Of course, we had already passed a bill, but it was a little bit unseemly for us to be taking the July 4th break knowing full well that there are so many families who were not going to be able to enjoy the festivities of our country"s birthday because they were not going to get their unemployment checks.

SCHULTZ: What are we going to do with these Americans? What"s their future at this point? Because the Republicans have obstructed everything, and we"re just several months away from the midterm, and they"re all about winning and power.

So now what? What do you think, Congressman?

CLYBURN: Well, I think we ought to employ Jim McDermott"s procedure for our August recess. I think we ought to stay in until we get something done for the American workers, because we"re now approaching Labor Day, the day that we celebrate what they mean, working men and women, mean to this country. And we ought not celebrate Labor Day with them without their unemployment compensation checks.

Hopefully with some jobs, as well. There"s a jobs bill setting over there in the Senate that we can"t seem to get moving. Not just summer jobs, but a jobs bill.

There are other things sitting there that we need to be doing for the American people that we ought to do before we go home in August. Because if you don"t do it, there"s going to be a very horrible back-to-school celebration for too many families.

SCHULTZ: So we"re going to find out whose strategy works in November.
This is Robert Gibbs on "Meet the Press" yesterday talking about what could happen if the Democrats don"t engage.

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ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There"s no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control. There"s no doubt about that. And this will depend on strong campaigns by Democrats.

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SCHULTZ: Congressman, if half the unemployed people in this country turn on the Democrats, it"s going to be hell to pay in November.

Would you agree with that? I mean, where are these people going to vote if they don"t get it done?

CLYBURN: Well, I would agree with that, but we don"t plan for that to happen. We are going to go to the American people and we are going to draw a contrast between us and them.

The American people will know exactly who has been standing in the way of their unemployment checks, who is standing in the way of more job creation, who is standing in the way of good financial reform. All of these filibusters that have been taken on by Senate Republicans, we are going to remind the American people of exactly who is preventing us from doing what needs to be done on their behalf.

SCHULTZ: And Congressman, do you think that the Senate Republicans are out of touch with this issue, that they"re heartless?

CLYBURN: Well, I don"t know where their hearts may be, but I know for certain they seem not to be in touch with reality. I don"t care who you are. You must understand that we have a system in place, we have safety nets out there, and we know what this economy has been like for the last few months, and we need to provide the safety net for the American families that we have in place for them.

To have them there not funded is just a cruel hoax to play on the American people, and I hope we will stop doing it.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, appreciate your time tonight. Thanks so much.
Jim Clyburn from South Carolina, here on THE ED SHOW.
Thank you so much.

CLYBURN: Thank you so much for having me.

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