Fox Business "Cavuto" - Transcript

Interview

NEIL CAVUTO, FBN HOST: So forget the super-committee looking for places to cut. The president looking for areas to spend, pushing Congress to pass his infrastructure chunk of his jobs bill. That carries a price tag alone of around $50 billion.

My next guest says that doesn't go far enough. Congressman Dennis Kucinich is a Democrat from Ohio. He joins us. One thing I always love about this, congressman, is unlike a lot of folks with both parties. He doesn't go back and forth. He sticks to that position. Congressman, very good to have you. I hasten to add it's a wrong position, sir, but nevertheless you stick to it. I'm kidding. We don't have the money. And he is pushing.

And I know you are pushing we need more money for infrastructure been there, tried that, gotten squat for that. So why would this be any different?

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: Well, if we play this scenario, saying we can't spend any money until we erase the budget deficit or erase the national debt we're looking at triggering a depression.

CAVUTO: Yes but how about, just not repeating the same way we spent money before? Try something different?

KUCINICH: Look it. I'm all for not going to, you know, running up the bill for these wars that didn't have to be fought. Having a trade deficit with China that is sinking our domestic industries. I'm all for taking a new approach to making sure we have a fair tax system. But we have to create 14 million jobs right now. And the president is at least making a start with a suggestion about creating jobs with $60 billion.

CAVUTO: You know what congressman, he is all over the map on this. And I wasn't blowing you smoke before, agree or disagree you have been extremely consistent on this. He is all over the map. I think that is what is confusing the markets. You want a pullback on spending? No you want more spending. You want to pull back on infrastructure. No, you meant to say you want more infrastructure.

You do one speech in the financial community to say you feel a little bit of their pain. Then you're in front of a bridge to say the whole world is collapsing. They're all saying the same thing, sir. This guy doesn't know

what base he is on?

KUCINICH: Well, let's talk about how we get to third base. And the way we get to third base is to, for the government to spend money to create jobs.

That is the one area we ought to be doing.

CAVUTO: I just want to get on base, congressman. And spending money we have, we haven't gotten there. Many who spent a lot of money building up good teams and they don't get to the playoffs. I know there is history with wasting money. But we're wasting money now on steroids. And you're proposing spending still more hoping that the math will change this go round.

KUCINICH: No, I'm, I listened to your last guest who talked about the fed is considering creating more money out of nothing.

CAVUTO: Right.

KUCINICH: They call it, they call it quantitative easing. You know what?

They're using the federal government's authority to do that. We ought to be spending the money into circulation. Put millions of people back to work instead of giving money to banks in this country or even worse European banks. Why don't we take care of our own country here with the resource and the power we have? That is what I'm advocating and if President Obama takes a small step forward in offering a $60 billion bill that would help improve the infrastructure well that is the least that we ought to be doing. And I will support that.

CAVUTO: All right. But with all the money we spend that's yielded very few results. I know there is a great deal of frustration. Many on your end of the party say the president doesn't spend enough. There are many blue dog democrats who argue he spent too much and it's time to look at tax cuts and the like. But the frustration on your end of the party, the liberal wing of the party is palpable.

I've ask you this before, congressman. I'm curious. Many more saying the president needs a challenge just to keep him on message or to get a sense of his message or to just snap him out of his arrogance. Do you want to run against him>

KUCINICH: No. I want the president to be creating jobs. I want the president to make sure -

CAVUTO: You will never, ever, consider a challenge? You think the president should get a party challenge?

KUCINICH: I said it before, Neil. I think it would be helpful if there was a challenge to make these issues, these economic issues -

CAVUTO: No one has the name recognition of all the names mentioned out there than you, shy of maybe Hillary Clinton. So you're saying that there is no circumstance under which you would consider a party challenge to the president?

KUCINICH: I'm planning on running for re-election to Congress. I have already said that the president ought to be challenged but on what? Not just for the sake of a challenge. We got to get America back to work.

CAVUTO: But he is not being challenged. No one is coming to the fore to challenge him. If no one does, will you?

KUCINICH: Neil, we need to create millions of jobs.

CAVUTO: I know that but no one - but you just said he needs to be challenged. Would you challenge him?

KUCINICH: I'm challenging the policies. I'm going to keep challenging the policies as far as the political stuff I don't know about that. I already made a case as to why I think we ought to be focusing on getting Americans back to work, challenge the president on his policies. And maybe that will have the effect of causing him to go to the American people and rally the country around a new jobs program that will put millions back to work over and beyond what he is proposing now.

CAVUTO: All right. So when you do announce for president please stop by here congressman. Thank you very much. Kidding, kidding. Very good seeing you again.

Source