CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Debbie Dingell

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REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): So I obviously found this speech a little disturbing again because it's the same old fear and hatred that he has been spreading across this country, and the chaos and the drama for the last five years. And the fact of the matter is, is what really does bother me and has been previously stated was the fact that he is undermining the very pillars of our democracy in people's confidence in it.

I think what he's doing is playing to people's fears. He is pitting people against each other. I hear it. I've been home. And yet I want to push back on him. The fact of the matter is, OK, did he begin the development of vaccines? Yes. But did he help people get vaccinated? No. Did he create more chaos, tell people not to worry, it wasn't going to hurt them? And we're now at four million deaths worldwide, not because of his leadership.

I look at -- I've been home for 10 days, just in my hometown alone, almost 20,000 people have been damaged by floods here, which nobody is talking about, by the way. He talked about doing something about infrastructure but nothing has been done. There is a bipartisan bill now under Joe Biden's proposal, not bill, that would do something about infrastructure.

He's got to stop pitting people against each other, and we've all got to stop letting ourselves be pitted against each other. We are not Republicans or Democrats. We are Americans. And it's time that we remember what it means to be American. I'm proud to be American and what he does is just so unforgivable to me.

BROWN: But yet, you're seeing more and more Republicans adopt this lie, that the election was stolen, ahead of the midterms, right? I mean, as our analyst Ron Brownstein put it, it resonates with the base who feels their country is literally being taken from them. So what is the Democrats' plan to combat this sentiment?

DINGELL: So, first of all, who is the base? The fact of the matter is, even though he calls it a theft that he did not win, he didn't win, and very legitimately he didn't win. And you saw a lot of people who were tired of the drama, who wanted to see somebody actually care about them as people do something about COVID, do something about the economy, too. And that's what we have to do.

We cannot let ourselves get sucked into and go down this rabbit hole that he is trying to do of pitting people against each other. We have to talk about the economy. We have to talk about infrastructure. We have to show people what happens when a plan is put forth with vaccinated people and got -- we're not where we are. We're not at the 75 percent goal but we're getting close to it. And we got to talk about these issues every day.

And we cannot let -- you know, we're being forced to make false choices. People talk about it's not -- it's a false choice when we talk about public safety versus civil rights. We can have both and we need to be very clear and not let him dominate the headlines with fake news but we need to be very clear and dominate the news with the facts in what we are doing.

BROWN: Let's talk about some choices and I want to mention what Ron said also in this earlier segment that the real choice the Democrats in Congress face either protect minority rights in the country or the minority input in the Senate, you see how implausible it is that the standard Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema can be met. This is of course about the filibuster. So what do you say to that? What do you say to Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema?

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DINGELL: So I know that people are talking to them. I know that a number of civil right leaders who also met with President Biden have talked to both of them. I know that the work, the effort to -- I think they're both also hearing what Republicans are trying to do in a number of these states. Texas is one that's getting a lot of attention. But they're trying to do it here in Michigan, too.

And not only are they trying to suppress the vote but they're doing things here for years. Seniors have been able to vote by absentee ballot and now they're trying to require them that even if they vote, they have to go in and show some kind of voter I.D. They are making it hard for their voters to vote. And the senior citizens that often vote for Republicans. So I am not someone who is giving up on something happening.

I know that very significant discussions are continuing and I know the leadership of both the House and the Senate are continuing to commit, and the president of the United States, to get something done on voting right.

BROWN: And the president, as we know, is going to be giving this big speech on voting rights but the bottom line is it's about the votes. What is the speech going to do? How is the speech on this going to actually move the needle in your view?

DINGELL: So I want to say to everybody out there, you need to talk to your senator that we passed it in the House. We need to get -- hear it from your senator and Joe Biden is a very experienced, seasoned public policy maker. He has relationships. He made a commitment to those civil rights leaders that were in this week. He is -- knows how to talk to people. He knows how to tell people the importance of it, and all of us have to do that.

You live in a state where one your senators needs to be convinced, sit down and make it real, put a face on it. And that's what we have to do. You don't get something done by giving up and I'm not giving up.

BROWN: OK.

DINGELL: And nor are a lot of other people.

BROWN: Congresswoman Dingell, thank you. Always great to see you on the show and hear your perspective on these important issues. We appreciate your time tonight.

DINGELL: Thank you.

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