MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

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REP. JIM MCDERMOTT (D), WASHINGTON: Good to be here.

SCHULTZ: I would think that you would welcome this strategy by the Republicans. What do you think?

MCDERMOTT: Well, this is nothing but Newt Gingrich starting his presidential campaign for 2012. He wants to put this letter out and then if the Republicans win, he will say, I"m the one that led them out of the wilderness, just like I did in "94. He will be on his way. It is nonsense, what he says. Without food stamps and without unemployment insurance, this country would be in a terrible mess today. You have to give people temporary support, so they can get to their next job, and that is what those programs have been about, the Republicans have voted against it, the Republicans voted against the program recently in the Senate that would keep 250,000 jobs that even Haley Barbour, that great liberal from Mississippi said was a great program. The Republicans simply don"t care about ordinary people.

SCHULTZ: Well, correct me if I am wrong, congressman, the food stamp program is in the farm bill which is already allocated dollars, is that correct?

MCDERMOTT: Absolutely. It"s the farmers put it together. The Republicans have always thought it was a good idea because it"s how we got rid of our surpluses. It is simply nonsense for them to be attacking the food stamp program, it keeps grocery stores and 7-11s and a lot of grocery outlets open because people have a way to go and get food for their family. What they are saying is we don"t care if people can"t feed their children.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, what do you--how do you feel now with inside a month to the midterms? Are the Democrats picking up some steam? Is this starting to swing or do you think that the Republicans are still pretty much flexing their muscles, thinking that they are going to take over the House? Where do you stand on all this?

MCDERMOTT: The American people are now very serious, Ed about this election.

SCHULTZ: They are paying attention?

MCDERMOTT: Yes. They are paying attention and what they hear from the republican candidates is nonsense, witchcraft and all kinds of crazy stuff and they simply know they want to stay with President Obama and keep moving forward. Nobody thinks we are going as fast as we want to, but certainly, we don"t want to go back to the guys who put us $3 trillion in debt and want to extend the tax cuts for billionaires, so that we can put another $4 trillion of taxes on our children. That simply is not where Americans want to go and I don"t think they are going to come out and vote for Republicans who say that"s what we are going to do. We are going to repeal everything. We are going to go backwards.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, good to have you with us tonight. Thanks a lot much. Appreciate your time.

MCDERMOTT: You"re welcome.

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