MSNBC "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" - Transcript

Interview

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OLBERMANN: For more on where health care reform now stands in Congress, let"s turn to Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey of California, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus

Congresswoman, thanks for your time tonight.

REP. LYNN WOOLSEY (D), CALIFORNIA: Thanks for having me, Keith.

OLBERMANN: I won"t ask you to try to explain how Senator-elect Brown can be involved in this process while the idea is still on the table of having the bill that"s already largely passed the Senate get jammed through the House. But as Mr. Gibbs just indicated, apparently that is still in the White House considerations as a means to get through the health care issue.
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Is that a viable option in the point of view from yours and your caucus" point of view?

WOOLSEY: Well, actually, I don"t think very many of the Democrats in the House would vote for the Senate bill straight up. So, they can try it, but I don"t think it"s--I feel certain it won"t pass.

OLBERMANN: Congressman Barney Frank has walked back to some degree. His statement earlier that health care reform is dead, or at least this form of it is. He said that if he"s reassured the bill will be fixed down the line, the old pass what you"ve got now, and then pass fixes for it maneuver, he would vote for that health care bill from the Senate.

Is there anything that you and the members of your caucus could get in order to follow that process?

WOOLSEY: Well, what we would--what we want is the House bill to be integrated into the Senate bill and we probably can only do it by having a separate vote. And we want that before we vote on the Senate bill. So that we can incorporate some--much of the good parts of the House bill and take out parts of the Senate bill that we just don"t agree with.

OLBERMANN: It"s been reported that House leadership postponed what was to be a full caucus meeting this afternoon to meet with members individually. Have you met with the speaker yet? And what would you need to hear if you haven"t?

WOOLSEY: Well, I"ve actually met with the speaker twice, as the co-chair of the progressive caucus, and for about an hour. And then I met with her with the California Democratic delegation at lunch.

OLBERMANN: And where--where does it--where does she stand on this? Because it seems there"s almost no--there"s no place to hold on to in this entire understanding of where health care stands in not only the wake of what the Senate had done to it in the last two months. But in the wake of the Brown victory last night, where does she think it stands?

WOOLSEY: Well, I can"t speak for her, but I can for Lynn Woolsey and where I think the progressives are. And I don"t think we"re too out of--out of step at all with most of the Democrats in the House.

We want to see health care benefit the public and those who are going to be insured. And we want those who are going to be the insurers, the health insurance companies, not to be the only ones that benefit. So, we"re looking for a national health care system.

The progressives would still like to have the public option, because we want competition to the private insurers. And, you know, that saves $110 billion right off the top. So, we are still going to start, you know, talk about that. If we don"t get it in fixed to the Senate bill, we"re going to certainly have our own bill once we"ve gotten this through the House.

OLBERMANN: Last point--the lesson that many seem to be trying to impose--I think is a good word to use--in the wake of the Brown victory, is that Democrats have been doing too much in the last year, particularly on health care. Is that not the wrong conclusion to make? I mean, the public--the public option was favored by a large number of voters for Scott Brown, intriguingly enough, last night.

Aren"t progressive voters frustrated that--in fact, or average Americans, perhaps--frustrated that Democrats and the rest of their elected officials in both houses have not done enough, not done too much?

WOOLSEY: Well, actually, I think, part of the election last night was due to frustration from the voters, not on health care, but on the fact that jobs, they are worried sick that they"re going to either lose their job or not be able to find one when they"ve already lost their job. And we inherited--the White House inherited such a mess.

And the country is frustrated. They wanted that change much quicker than is possible. And so, they needed to see some really bold steps. And I think we could have been much bolder on health care.

OLBERMANN: Representative Lynn Woolsey--I guess there"s still a chance--with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of course. Great thanks again for your time.

WOOLSEY: Thank you, Keith.

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