MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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SCHULTZ: Congresswoman, good to have you with us tonight.

KAPTUR: It`s my privilege.

(CHANTING)

KAPTUR: I love that audience.

SCHULTZ: No doubt. Absolutely.

What do you think needs to be done to bring the manufacturing jobs back Ohio? I drive down the street today in Toledo, I see empty buildings, it really is gut-wrenching to see it because all of the things that you
think about when you do see them. You know, boarded-up buildings, you want to know what was in them? Where are they now? What country did they go to? Where are the people?

How do we replenish these jobs, Congresswoman?

KAPTUR: Well, first of all, Ed, thank you for coming to our community and to our region. And I want to Leo Gerard, thank you. Thank you for helping our people tell our story, for magnifying our voice around the
country.

One of the most important things we can do right now is support the president`s jobs act as step number one. But that`s only step number one. I agree with the guest in the audience who said that we have to renegotiate our trade agreements, because every year -- and I said this to the president -- even if we pass this bill and we pay for it -- it`s paid for, it`s nearly about $450 billion -- our trade deficit equals about that
amount, half a trillion a year, $500 billion. So it offsets any investment we would make in our country.

We have to renegotiate these trade agreements so that America is on a level playing field again. And no president in the last 25 years has been willing to do that.

SCHULTZ: Well, how are you going to do it when you`ve got such corporate interests in these trade agreements? There`s more on the table that are anti-worker and there`s a sense in the Congress that the president isn`t moving fast enough on it. I mean, you`re talking about an awfully heavy lift, are you not?

KAPTUR: You`re talking about a heavy lift, but I want to tell youthat the reason I`m proud that you`re in Toledo is because Toledo has always been a strong voice for labor rights in our country and around the
world. And, you know, this it has been an historic struggle.

It started with our nation, founded in slavery, where it took us hundreds of years to both legally stop it and then to deal with all of its side effects. It wasn`t until the 20th century, a century later, we even
got labor laws, fair labor standards, on the books. Our mother, our father were a part of that era.

And now we see many of the elected officials in our state and nationally trying to pick apart the achievements of the 20th century. As we move into the 21st century, what we see happen in the last 25 years is the outsourcing of production where workers in Mexico, China are set against our own workers and they are earning so much less money, so many fewer benefits and we`ve got to level that playing field.

SCHULTZ: OK. Level the playing field with changing the trade agreements, passing the American jobs bill that the president`s got on the table.

Do you think any Republicans will step up and go along? Do you think this bill has a chance?

KAPTUR: I think that we have to fight for it. I think that the American people have to speak out. What I like best about the president`s speech was he said he was going to take his fight to America. And he`s in
Columbus, Ohio -- he was in Columbus, Ohio. And that`s what it`s going to take.

It`s not going to take a few guys getting together over in the White House behind closed doors and reaching a deal. It it`s going to take the president fighting with us.

SCHULTZ: So, how often do you want the president to go out?

KAPTUR: How, what?

SCHULTZ: The president has been out -- the president has been out the last three days in Ohio and North Carolina. Is this what he has to do, in your opinion, get out there? And how often should he get out there and take this fight to the people.

KAPTUR: Absolutely. That`s where he needs to be. He needs to be there as much as he possibly can. He has family to consider, of course, but he has to allow his cabinet people to run the departments, to carry out
the will of Congress, to carry out his administration`s agenda.

And he has to go to the people. He is most effective spokesperson as is Vice President Biden. This is a royal fight.

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