MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Pleasure to be here, Ed.

And the answer is, absolutely not. No Democrat"s ever acted like that.

Think about President Bush W."s first term. He got solid support from Ted Kennedy and Democrats on No Child Left Behind. He got many Democratic votes on Medicare Prescription Part D to help seniors get prescription drug coverage. And even on the war in Iraq, as you recall, Ed, there were many Democrats who voted to support the president.

What we tried to did is what a responsible party should do. We tried to make government work. We tried to attack the problems that the country was facing.

And what"s so criminal about Mitch McConnell"s statement is that America is facing tremendous challenges. Everyone knows the challenge we face about our economy in creating jobs, but we have to do something about the deficit. No question about it.

We have to do something about military spending and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We"ve got to do so many things about things that are wrong. American manufacturing is on the brink of extinction.

We"ve got so many serious challenges, we can"t spend the next two years trying to destroy the president. It"s absolutely outrageous.

SCHULTZ: It"s mind-boggling. I mean, I know Dick Gephardt. He was over in the House. I know Tom Daschle.

How about George Mitchell? Could you imagine George Mitchell saying something like this?

RENDELL: Not a chance.

SCHULTZ: I mean, this is a mindset. And this is what voters, I think, have to understand. It is about power. It"s not about the people.

Your thoughts on that?

RENDELL: I"ve never seen anything like this. American politics has deteriorated to this level.

And look, some our guys are to blame, too. But it"s mostly, as you point out, Republicans who are on this crash-and-burn type of politics.

We can"t wait for the next two years to begin solving America"s challenges and problems. And that"s what Mitch McConnell is basically saying. We"re going to put everything on hold and, for two years, everything we do is not what"s good for the American people, but to destroy this president.

And let me give you--if our viewers think that that can"t happen, let me give you the perfect example, Ed.

You remember back in June, the president came out with a great bill for small businesses.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

RENDELL: Thirty billion dollars in lending lines of credit, which is what small businesses desperately needed, and capital gains investments in small businesses, non-taxable. It"s what small businesses wanted.

The Republicans claim they"re the party of small business. Well, they wouldn"t produce one vote for it for four months. Finally, Senator Voinovich, who"s a good man and he"s not running for re-election, he voted for it, to break that filibuster.

SCHULTZ: Exactly.

RENDELL: And we got it passed. But for four months, this party that claims they"re the friend of small business, to just make it seem like the Democrats weren"t achieving anything, stopped this bill.

SCHULTZ: And Governor, they"re just announcing it"s going to be the same old stuff. In fact, it"s going to get worse, because all they"re attention is going to be on getting the White House.

Governor Ed Rendell, always a pleasure. Good to have you with us tonight.

RENDELL: And Ed, your message to Democrats sitting on the fence or Independents is absolutely right. Get out there and vote. This is disgraceful.

SCHULTZ: That is the name of the game. Thanks, Governor.

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