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MATTHEWS: We are back.
A big week for President Obama. The Democrats capped off by the passage late today by the way of the health care bill for 9/11 responders.
U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer is a Democrat from Maryland. He"s the House majority leader.
Mr. Leader, I have never seen you so strong. I have never seen such a nation powerhouse as you. I"m serious. This plan--what happened the last two months that allowed you folks on the Hill to come back from a blistering election and yet show such strength in supporting the program here, including this one?
REP. STENY HOYER (D), MARYLAND: Well, I think we had a lot of very important things that we wanted to get done and what the election did was it took away the high motivation for obstructionism that I think existed prior to the election. As a result, we were able to sit down at the table and agree on some things and move forward.
The 9/11 bill, as you know, just got 70 percent of the votes that were cast in the House of Representatives, very important bill, but the tax bill we did in a bipartisan fashion. We moved the COMPETES bill, we moved the CR. We moved a lot of very, very important legislation.
And today, of course, as you know, the president signed "Don"t Ask, Don"t Tell," which is supported by 70 percent of the American people, but we couldn"t get done before the election.
So, I think what happened was the motivation for obstruction and a lack of cooperation was eliminated when the election occurred and there was an ability to come together, and we were--and we were committed to doing the kinds of things and the specific things that we told the American people we wanted to get done.
And I think President Obama has had a victory. I think the American people have had a victory.
MATTHEWS: Did you see coming out of the election--in fact, going into it and seeing you"re an expert on how the votes were going to go--seeing the damage that was going to be done to your caucus? Did you see the importance of making a tough call on the tax issue so that you wouldn"t have all this collateral damage? A lot of people, and I think the president and you, did see that if you hadn"t cut a deal on taxes, as difficult, as excruciating as it was, you would have lost probably "Don"t Ask, Don"t Tell"? You might have lost new START? You would have lost this thing for the 9/11 responders?
HOYER: I think the president--and I agreed with the president on this--knew that we need to move through that issue. We wanted very strongly not to increase any taxes on working Americans in this country. We didn"t think that would be good for the economy. And we were committed to making sure that didn"t happen.
MATTHEWS: Right.
HOYER: And we had to make a compromise. We may not have agreed on all of it, but I think on balance, it"s going to help grow the economy. And I think the American people think it was the right thing to do.
MATTHEWS: Do you see any opening Republican Party? They"d been pretty party line on issues on taxes and things like that. Do you see any opening for the potential--of different coalitions next year, like we"re seeing in this lame duck?
HOYER: I see a potential for that. I think that the new speaker, Speaker Boehner, as I have said before, has facilitated transition that has not been as confrontational, not as poisoned as the transition of 1994-"95 was. I think that sets a good base on which we can work.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HOYER: And the country needs us working together, needs us to find common ground, because we"ve got some tough problems. And, very frankly, the competition around the world is much keener than it used to be. And, therefore, we need to be more united than we had been.
MATTHEWS: Well, it"s great to have you on and I do salute you. I think that you"ve been a strong leader. I mean that"s an objective statement. Regardless of party label, you"ve been a very strong leader, sir. And thank you for coming on HARDBALL and have a happy Christmas, sir. Thank you.
HOYER: Thank you, Chris.
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