Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript

Interview

Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript

FOX NEWS CHANNEL "HANNITY" INTERVIEW WITH REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX) INTERVIEWER: SEAN HANNITY
SUBJECT: STIMULUS PACKAGE; PROPOSING A TAX HOLIDAY FOR AMERICANS INSTEAD

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MR. HANNITY: And joining us tonight with more is Texas Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert who was an opponent of the spending package.

Congressman, good to see you. Thank you.

REP. GOHMERT: It's always good to see you.

MR. HANNITY: We're becoming too dependent on government. People are realizing it. They don't have faith the stimulus is going to work. Obama's poll numbers are falling, and people see it as a spending package, not a stimulus package. People are beginning to get it.

REP. GOHMERT: It is a spending package, and you're exactly right. And as Chuck -- (inaudible) -- said, our hopes aren't going to arrive on Air Force One. People are starting to realize that. The rant by Santelli (ph), it clearly points that out. But you have been pointing that out. And the real hope is going to be in the American people, letting them keep more of their money. And I appreciate so much you continuing to put that back. But as you know, there is an atmosphere of arrogance in Washington. And I got this quote so I wouldn't miss it. This is John Kerry. When we talk about putting more money in American's hands, he said we shouldn't this. His exact quote, "If you put a tax cut in the hands of business or a family, there's no guarantee they're going to invest that or invest it in America. They're free to invest anywhere they want so, therefore, you can't trust the American people. The American people know they are trustworthy."

MR. HANNITY: Well, I agree with that, but nor do people have faith in the government. But there is a growing thought process out there that thinks the government can answer all our problems. You had an alternative idea. We keep hearing, all right, well, you're trashing the president, you're not giving him a chance. But you had an idea of what to do with $800 billion. And you said, wait a minute, if we could give every man, woman and child in America a check. If we add the 800 billion (dollars), the 700 billion (dollars), add the interest we're going to pay, we could write every man, woman and child a check in this country for nearly $5,000 with those two plans combined. Correct?

REP. GOHMERT: Well, even better than that, we wouldn't have to write a check. It can be in their next paycheck from their employer. And if they're self-employed, they write themselves that check. And actually, the average would be over $2,000 per household, but it's everybody getting back their own income tax, and then they would start seeing how much they've been sending to Washington. But Moody's had their own independent study that said that increases GDP more in one year than any other plan. So Sean, I would like to say tonight, announce, that if the American people will let the Republicans back in charge, the 60 percent of this bill that won't be spent until after the next election, we'll cut it off and let it go to the Americans.

MR. HANNITY: You know what? That's a great campaign to start right here. Now the Republicans, once again, can regain the mantle of fiscal responsibility and, obviously, the party of integrity. Here's a question I have. Ninety percent of homeowners, you know what? They pay their mortgage on time. I did not buy my first house until I was in my mid 30s. I paid $115,000 for it. I was working in radio. I thought I could get fired at any time. And I was thinking, all right, if I buy this house, worst-case scenario, what's going to happen if I get fired? How do we justify 90 percent of people that pay their mortgage now having to bail out people that bought homes they couldn't afford and didn't look at the mortgage rates at the time?

REP. GOHMERT: Well, you can't. And the problem is you're taking money from those who can provide jobs, who can allow people to stay in their homes by providing those jobs, taking that away so they can't provide the jobs anymore. But Sean, there's only one other thing, and I was listening to you, I was on the road. You keep saying that maybe Obama was not being truthful when he said there's not a single earmark in this spendulus bill. And you of all people ought to know, now, that's one area I've got to take up for him. He's right. There's not a single earmark in this bill. It's chock full of earmarks, Sean. There's not a "single" one.

MR. HANNITY: (Laughs.) Listen, it all depends what is is. You know, whatever.

REP. GOHMERT: Now, you got it. You can do a translation on this.

MR. HANNITY: I've got to learn to parse my words. Yeah, listen, we need the liberal translation effect on Hannity here. Look, here's another problem, though, is that not only have Democrats doubled down after TARP I, TARP II, we got stimulus I. They're already talking about stimulus II for this. And we hear from Congressman John Dingell, he thinks now that Barack Obama's got all this political momentum and the wind behind his back that maybe it's time to move forward with nationalizing health care right now. So are we going to have, you know, any -- like this guy from CNBC. God bless this guy. He's probably going to be fired tomorrow. He works for NBC, pretty liberal organization. Does that mean that, you know, this never ends, that socialism now is the government of America?

REP. GOHMERT: I hope and pray not. And it's you and Rush, people that are driving this message because socialized medicine never works. Socialism, as you know, never works. And what they were driving this to is not just European socialism, it's just socialism where the government owns everything. Because then once you have socialized health care which we're moving to, you have to have rationed care. And I don't want to go there because in order for socialized medicine to work, you have to deny people medicine they need, you have to have people die while they're on these lists to get MRIs, to get surgery. We don't need to go there. We can do better.

MR. HANNITY: Yeah. Congressman Gohmert, great job offering a tax holiday for nine months to the American people. You're saying that if Republicans --

REP. GOHMERT: Well, it would be a lot more than $5,000 for most people, actually.

MR. HANNITY: We could rescind this bill if the Republicans get in power in 2010. So it's something to fight for.

REP. GOHMERT: We ought to make that promise now.

MR. HANNITY: All right. I like that idea.

REP. GOHMERT: Thanks so much, Sean.

MR. HANNITY: Thank you, Congressman. Appreciate it.

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