CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Aug. 27, 2008 – 9:00 p.m.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
CQ Transcriptswire
SPEAKERS: REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO
BILL O’REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST
[*] O’REILLY: “Personal Story” segment tonight. Our pal, Congressman Dennis Kucinich from Ohio, a reliably far-left guy, gave a speech here at the convention. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KUCINICH: Up with health care for all! Up with education for all! Up with homeownership! Up with guaranteed retirement benefits! Up with peace! Up with prosperity! Up with the Democratic Party! Up with Obama-Biden! Wake up, America! Wake up, America! Wake up, America!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O’REILLY: All right, I’m awake. You know who you look like there? K.C. and the Sunshine Band. I thought the Sunshine Band was going to come out.
KUCINICH: How did you rate it? That’s my question.
O’REILLY: I mean, listen, you’re the -- everybody else is dead here. You’re the only person alive.
KUCINICH: You know, first of all, the American eagle needs two wings to fly. Don’t forget that. And, secondly, what I stand for is mainstream: health care for all, jobs for all, employment security. That’s what all Americans want.
O’REILLY: Yes, they want it, but you can’t -- the only way to get all that is by implementing a socialistic system. And that’s what they don’t want, so that’s the...
(CROSSTALK)
KUCINICH: You know what, though? But in a country where the wealth is accelerating to the top because of our tax system, because of our health care system, because of our energy policies, I think the American people in this election are going to want to recognize we need to go in a new direction.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
O’REILLY: It’s going to be -- it’s going to be interesting, because most Americans don’t like socialism and they admire achievement. And they understand that guys like me pay an enormous amount of tax, enormous. Now, I don’t mind paying it, but if you’re going to take 50 percent, 60 percent, I’ll retire. You don’t want that.
KUCINICH: Well, maybe you pay taxes, but there’s a lot of other people who don’t.
O’REILLY: Well, that’s another thing. Enforcement is fine, but class warfare isn’t.
KUCINICH: But you know what? The class warfare -- you’re right, there’s class warfare. But you know what? And the poor and the working class, middle class, they’ve lost, because they’re losing -- they’re losing their homes, they’re losing their jobs, they’re losing their retirement security.
O’REILLY: It’s not as dire as you make it out to be. KUCINICH: For a lot of people, where I come from in Cleveland, people are having a hell of a time.
O’REILLY: They’re having a tough time now.
KUCINICH: And you know what? And it’s happening where the election is going to be decided, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. These economic issues, I think, will cause people to support the Democrats.
O’REILLY: And I agree with you. But if the far left runs Obama, if he’s perceived to be in their pocket, he’s going to lose, like McGovern lost, like Dukakis lost. And you’re a far-left guy. So my question to you is, do you understand how you’re perceived by many of the people you’re talking about?
KUCINICH: Well, I’m on Fox, so, you know...
O’REILLY: Oh, I love you. I think you’re great.
KUCINICH: If I stand -- no, but if I stand...
O’REILLY: I got no problem with you.
KUCINICH: If I stand for health care for all, by some definition, that would be to the left.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
(CROSSTALK)
O’REILLY: Standing for health care for all -- hold it. Hold it.
KUCINICH: ... centrist position.
O’REILLY: Massachusetts is bankrupt because of health care for all.
KUCINICH: They’ve got the wrong system.
O’REILLY: All right, they have the wrong system? Whatever it may be.
KUCINICH: They have a partial system.
O’REILLY: You’ve got to spell it out so that everybody knows where you’re going.
KUCINICH: Do you know that 1 out of every 3 health care dollars goes for the activities of the for-profit system, corporate profits, stock options, executive salary, advertising, marketing?
O’REILLY: That’s the free market place. You can’t control it.
KUCINICH: Well, you know what? But health care should be a basic right, not left to the marketplace.
O’REILLY: But that -- do you really think Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson, when they forged the Constitution, said health care is a basic right and we’re going to pay for it? You don’t believe that.
KUCINICH: Actually, you know what?
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
O’REILLY: You don’t believe that.
KUCINICH: Thanks to the magic of television, here’s a copy of the Constitution.
O’REILLY: Right.
KUCINICH: Now, if you look into the preamble of the Constitution, “promoting the general welfare” is consistent with health care.
O’REILLY: But you could say that about anything.
KUCINICH: No, I’m saying about health care.
O’REILLY: I’d like a nice suit. You buy it for me.
KUCINICH: You’ve got a nice suit.
O’REILLY: I want another one, promoting my welfare. Look...
KUCINICH: This is about health care. Health care is a basic right.
O’REILLY: I like the fact that there should be a safety net for health care. I don’t want anybody to be out on the street.
KUCINICH: Bill, 50 million people are without health care.
O’REILLY: We can’t afford it.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
KUCINICH: Another 50 million -- yes, we can. We’re already paying for it. We’re not getting it. Fifty million people uninsured, another 50 million underinsured. This would help business in America. This would help productivity. We’d have small business be able to be sustainable. I’m a main...
O’REILLY: You know, you’d have to show me the numbers...
KUCINICH: I’m a mainstream guy, Bill.
O’REILLY: ... because in California and in Massachusetts, when they tried it, fiscal disaster. Now, why aren’t you for Nader? Nader is more your guy.
KUCINICH: Well, Ralph Nader is a friend of mine.
O’REILLY: Yes, why don’t you support him?
KUCINICH: But, you know, I made a choice to run as a Democrat. And as a Democrat, I’m supporting the Democrats. Ralph Nader is a friend. You know, it’s...
O’REILLY: But he’s closer to you philosophically.
KUCINICH: You know what? He may be. He may be. But at the same time, I’m taking this debate inside the Democratic Party. Every position that I hold, I still hold. I’m saying let’s unite on these economic issues. After the election, I’m going to be right in there battling on a continuing basis.
O’REILLY: But I don’t know if Obama wants you around.
KUCINICH: Well, you know what? They invited me to the convention.
O’REILLY: I know that, but let me make my case.
KUCINICH: You saw my speech.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
O’REILLY: Let me make my case. You represent a soft approach to Iran, Al Qaida...
KUCINICH: Soft?
O’REILLY: Yes, I mean...
KUCINICH: Are you kidding?
O’REILLY: ... you don’t want to confront them militarily.
KUCINICH: What is the truth, “soft”?
O’REILLY: I don’t know what the truth is...
(CROSSTALK)
KUCINICH: The truth is we shouldn’t have gone into Iraq.
O’REILLY: OK, but Iraq’s a different thing. We won that. We won that.
KUCINICH: Where’s the soft approach?
O’REILLY: You don’t want to confront Putin militarily in Georgia; you don’t want to confront Iran militarily. You don’t want to do all of that.
KUCINICH: Bill, why have a war if you don’t need it?
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
O’REILLY: OK, but if Iran develops nuclear weapons, you’re OK with it?
KUCINICH: Oh, no.
O’REILLY: No? Well, what are you going to do to stop it?
KUCINICH: No, no. What I’ve said is that we need to get rid of all nuclear weapons.
O’REILLY: But that’s not going to happen.
KUCINICH: Well, it must happen.
O’REILLY: But it’s not.
KUCINICH: Have you read the nonproliferation treaty?
O’REILLY: Look, no, of course I haven’t read it.
KUCINICH: But you know what? If you read it, you would be surprised, because what it calls for...
O’REILLY: Congressman...
KUCINICH: Bill, follow me.
O’REILLY: ... you could stand here -- I’m following you. It’s not going to happen.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
KUCINICH: Follow me. It calls for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.
O’REILLY: So what?
KUCINICH: Well, that’s the goal. And we have to ask all nations to get rid of nuclear weapons.
O’REILLY: But they’re going to say, “No.”
KUCINICH: We have to come to a point where we realize these weapons threaten our existence.
O’REILLY: All right, I understand that. They’re not going to do what you want them to do. So, therefore, you’ve got a rogue nation, Iran...
KUCINICH: Do you know that Putin, when President Bush first came in, asked for arms reductions and President Bush in response canceled the ABM treaty? I took them to court and sued on that. I know about that.
O’REILLY: Because the reason Bush did that was because he knew down the road Putin would invade somebody, which he has.
KUCINICH: No, excuse me. Georgia invaded South Ossetia.
O’REILLY: OK. All right, you know I love you. It’s great to have you on here. All right, I’m just wondering whether Obama loves you as much as I do.
END
.ETX
Aug 27, 2008 20:46 ET .EOF
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Is Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly
Source: CQ Transcriptions
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