When asked about the Republican Party saying Nancy Pelosi should be put "in her place," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said on The Young Turks, "[The Republican Party] has always had a woman problem."
She also reacted to Bill O'Reilly's accusation that Democrats are jealous of how Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann can attract women voters through their hotness.
Watch here:
Transcript and the full interview below (transcript provided by Louis Barr):
CENK UYGUR: Back on The Young Turks. Now we're going to talk to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz. She's from the 20th Congressional district of Florida. Congresswoman, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Oh, thanks for having me. It's good to be with you.
CENK UYGUR: It's good to have you here. There's a lot of discussion about what can get through the house as far as healthcare is concerned. Obviously, a public option is the focus. Representative Grijalva is saying that he thinks that they have 218 votes for Medicare plus 5%. That is the latest version that they are supporting. Do you think he's right about that vote count, first of all?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well I think that there are more than 200 votes in the Democratic caucus for the public option, for a robust public option. So I'm not sure if we're at 218, but it is very significant that we're at over 200 that support a robust public option.
CENK UYGUR: One of the central issues here is what we mean by a robust public option. What are the different choices in the House?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well generally we've defined a robust public option by tying it to Medicare +5. That's generally how the definition of "robust" has evolved.
CENK UYGUR: Right. And are you on board for that?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Oh yeah. I absolutely support a robust public option, whether it's Medicare plus 5%....to me, the strongest public option that we can pass, which ideally would be based on Medicare rates, and arguably, produces the most savings is the type of public option that I favor.
CENK UYGUR: What if leadership pushes a weaker version, will you vote against it?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I'm not drawing any lines in the sand at this point. I want to make sure that we pass the most significant healthcare reform that we can pass. I'm not at this point issuing any ultimatums to leadership. We're all working very, very hard to make sure that we can include the strongest possible public option in our legislation that we pass out of the house. We want to be in a very strong position for the conference committee with the Senate, which we think, unfortunately, has a chance of not having the public option in it. At this point, we're all working toward putting the strongest public option that we can get into our bill.
CENK UYGUR: Representative, I want to talk to about that idea of the line in the sand because I think it's an important one. Some would say, and seems that representative Grijalva is going in that direction, of saying, "Look if you don't make your position very, very clear, then they are able to erode that position" -- that's not a good negotiation strategy to say, "Well, I'm negotiable." Others have stood fast on many other issues. Of course, you've stood fast on some issues, and drawn the line in the sand on some other issues, including budgetary controls, and understandably, Hurricane Katrina. Why do you think it's a bad strategy in this case?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Honestly Cenk, I don't want to jeopardize healthcare reform. I'm not going to take my ball and go home if every single thing isn't exactly the way I would like to see it at the end of the day. What I want to do is...I am absolutely for a robust public option. I'm for using Medicare rates. The majority of our caucus is for that. And we're pushing hard to make sure that we can get the votes that we need, and as a Chief Deputy Whip it's going to be part of my job to, you know, whip the caucus as hard as I can, to get those 218 votes for a robust public option. But it's absolutely critical that we pass healthcare reform before the end of this year, and put it on the president's desk. And, you know, there are times when a line in the sand is appropriate, and times when we to maybe need to be a little bit more flexible, because the larger goal is what's important. I'm not willing to say, you know...I'm not willing to issue ultimatums when that would potentially risk making sure that we could pass significant healthcare reform.
CENK UYGUR: So where do the corporatist Blue Dog Democrats stand on it now? Are they still fighting the Medicare plus 5? What is their alternative? And what are the chances of getting them on board?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know the caucus is working together, the leadership is being very inclusive. We are having open discussions in caucus meetings about what the options are. We've got...basically everybody is at the table that wants to be at the table and so there's no one really pushing for one particular option. We are all for the three pillars the president Obama laid out in his joint address to Congress. And that's to make sure that any health insurance covers everyone that doesn't have coverage, provides security and stability to those who don't have it, and brings down the overall costs. So we're using those broad principles, and we're debating what we can get. Like I said, 218 votes to pass, and our overriding goal is to make sure that the House bill is in the strongest possible position for Conference when we know obviously we will come out with some compromises at that point.
CENK UYGUR: We're talking to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz from Florida. What I guess I don't understand is what the Blue Dog strategy is for cost containment.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I'm not a Blue Dog Cenk, so I couldn't really describe to you what the Blue Dog strategy is.
CENK UYGUR: Of course you're not a Blue Dog, I'm just asking, in caucus do they say, "Oh look, hey, I gotta tell you Representative, we have a great idea for cost containment. Let's try to push it." Or do they not even bother making a case?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well there are Blue Dogs and New Dems and others who make the argument that negotiated rates is a more appropriate way to pursue a public option. And that that is going to...
CENK UYGUR: But that would definitely be less cost containment. It would have higher costs, and they're supposed to be pro-fiscal responsibility. I'm just trying to get a sense of what their argument is. Do they say...how does that justify lower costs? I don't get it.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, Cenk, you're putting me in a really awkward position, because I'm not a Blue Dog and I'm not going to criticize the Blue Dogs, because I think we all have the same goal, and that's to get comprehensive healthcare reform passed. And my suggestion is that you have a blue dog on your show, and get them defend it. Cause it's not my job to do that.
CENK UYGUR: Fair enough. So, let me ask you about one other thing as far as the politics of this is concerned. Now on the Senate side they're talking about an opt-out version of the public option, and it sounds like it's an interesting idea. First, are you familiar with what Schumer and Carper are talking about? They just introduced I think yesterday as an idea.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, I've heard of the trigger, which has been talked about for a while now, but I have not heard anything about an opt-out.
CENK UYGUR: The opt-out idea is pretty simple. You get the public option by the federal government, but different states can opt out of it, but they have to actively, proactively opt out of it, either through their state legislature, or maybe even a referendum, or act of the governor, or combination thereof. And then that gives red state Senators, whether they're Democrats or Republicans....
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Then we're leaving that state's...then we're not providing the necessary competition and choice for Americans in those states.
CENK UYGUR: That's definitely a downside of it. The upside of it is it takes away all excuses. And so if you say, "Hey listen, I'm not comfortable with the public option." Great, then your state doesn't have to have it.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, but we've got mixed delegations Cenk, where we have Republicans...I don't know...I have to spend some more time hearing about that. In my state we've got 10 Democrats and 15 Republicans and a split on our Senators. I wouldn't want to be duking it out with the rest of my delegation on who wins, on whether or not we do or don't participate in the public option. And I certainly wouldn't want Charlie Christ to be able to make the decision. And he is our governor. At the end of the day we've got tens of thousands of people who die each year directly because they lack health insurance, Cenk. And I'm not going to let 40,000 or 80,000 or more people die simply because I couldn't get everything I wanted on this. We've got to make sure that we pass out of House the strongest possible public option. To me it should a robust public option to Speaker Pelosi, who I literally, just in caucus yesterday, heard her stand in front of the room, and push the Caucus as hard as she could to make sure we had a robust public option as part of our bill so that we can be in a stronger position versus the Senate in Conference. And uh, I feel confident that we are going to maintain that position and do our best to get 218 votes to make it happen
CENK UYGUR: You just mentioned Congresswoman Pelosi, and there's a recent controversy about her as well. I wanted to run that by you. I believe that the NRCC...
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Charming group of people.
CENK UYGUR: A spokesperson within that group came out and said that Gen. McChrystal should put Nancy Pelosi in her place. Do you think that sounds a bit anti-women, to put it not so politely?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Just to make sure we know who we are talking about, the NRCC is the Republican party. It's the national Republican party. It's the House congressional political arm of the Republican party. And yes, they actually said that they hope that Gen. McChrystal puts the Speaker in her place. Last time I checked, the speaker's place is at the top of the House of Representatives. To be quite blunt, Cenk, it was understandable coming from a group of people that are 80% male and 100% out of touch.
[LAUGHTER]
CENK UYGUR: Does the Republican Party at this point, with Sen. Kyl's comments in regards to a discussion he had with Sen. Stabenow about how he doesn't need maternity care, and there's been a number of...
[LAUGHTER]
CENK UYGUR: In his offices today were a lot of women. Moms showed up saying, "But we do need maternity care. And your job is also partly to represent us of course as our senator.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Cenk, look at the pattern in the Republican Party today: You have Sen. Kyl who thinks that it's not necessary to make sure that we have maternity coverage in insurance policies because he can't get pregnant. You have Bob McDonald., in Virginia, who wrote a thesis and actually said that women damage families when they work outside the home. You have Chris Christie, in New Jersey, the Republican nominee for governor there, who said that it's ok to pass mandate free insurance policies, which would basically mean that women couldn't be sure to get access to mammograms any a more, or get kicked out of the hospital in less than 24 hours after a mastectomy, or after a birth, and that that's perfectly acceptable. The demonstration of how out of touch, by the hour, in the last several days, in terms of the Republican Party, has just been, it's been shocking.
CENK UYGUR: Does the Republican Party have a woman problem?
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I think that they've always had a woman problem to be really honest with you. The evidence of that is how Democratic candidates consistently win the women's vote. And there's a reason for that. It's because they [Republicans] don't really seem to have much interest in recruiting women to run for office, they don't have an agenda that appeals to women. Their agenda, in fact, much of the time is offensive to women.
CENK UYGUR: I don't know if you saw this. Bill O'Reilly, I believe it was last night with Michele Bachmann, said that you Democrats are threatened by Bachmann and Palin because they're hot.
[LAUGHTER]
CENK UYGUR: And that somehow that would appeal to women more.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Um, who said that?
CENK UYGUR: Bill O'Reilly.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Okay. Well, again the sexism that runs as deep as it has ever been evidenced in the last few days in the Republican Party even permeates their voices on the air. I don't even know what to say to that. That's just...
CENK UYGUR: What I found curious about it is that he thought that somehow they appeal to women more, and that that's why Democrats are afraid of them, and that they appeal to women by being hot.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Ann Coulter actually said something similar. In fact Ann Coulter, I remember criticized...brought me into it a few months ago, and said that the reason I was critical of Sarah Palin was because I was jealous about her looks. And that Democratic voters across the country were coming to my defense because they were upset because Sarah Palin was hot. Even to be having a discussion about looks when it comes to women elected officials and the important issues that matter right now: Turning the economy around. Making sure that we can pass comprehensive healthcare reform. Making sure that we invest in alternative energy and really wean ourselves off our dependence on foreign oil. Those are the issues that are important to women voters. And to trivialize what's important to women voters by suggesting that looks is what matters. Or suggesting that, like Chris Christie did, that John Corzine support, for universal pre-K. in New Jersey, is tantamount to babysitting, just shows the lack of respect that they have for women.
CENK UYGUR: But on the other hand, I can see their point because I can remember when the Republicans were in charge, I was quite jealous of Dennis Hastert's looks.
[LAUGHTER]
CENK UYGUR: And it bothered me a lot. And as a talk show host, I'm jealous of Rush Limbaugh's looks every day.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yeah, well...I'm just not going to go there on other people's looks. People in glass houses.
CENK UYGUR: That's probably a wise idea. I certainly shouldn't go there.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You can go there. I'm not going there.
CENK UYGUR: Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, we really appreciate you coming on The Young Turks.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thanks so much Cenk. Good to talk to you.
Complete interview: