Transcript for Sept. 3

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT: MEET THE PRESS. The Senate seat from Pennsylvania. Rick Santorum, Bob Casey. After this station break.

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT: And we are back with the contenders for the U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania: the Republican incumbent, Rick Santorum; his Democratic challenger, Bob Casey.

Senator Santorum, another social issue. The Federal Drug Administration has said that Plan B, the morning-after pill, can be sold over the counter to Americans 18 and older. Many in the right-to-life community have called that pill an abortifacient. Are you in favor of the FDA decision to sell the morning-after pill?

SEN. SANTORUM: No, I’m not. I, I agree that it is an abortifacient, and that, that it’s dangerous to give a dose of hormones equivalent to one third of a whole series of birth control pills to, to someone without any kind of doctor supervision. I think it could be dangerous and I think, obviously, if you’re giving it out over the counter to, to 18-year-olds it’s going to get to younger people, and I think it could be very dangerous, can lead to serious problems. And plus, I do believe that it, that it causes abortions—in some cases.

MR. RUSSERT: The morning-after pill. You in favor of it selling over the counter?

MR. CASEY: Yes, Tim. We, we disagree. I think what emergency contraception is, according to the science, is, is basically that. It is contraception, and I support it, and it’s a difference of opinion.

MR. RUSSERT: But you do believe life begins at conception?

MR. CASEY: I do.

MR. RUSSERT: And in fact, if this was fertilized, would you call it contraception or abortion?

MR. CASEY: Tim, I think the science is clear on this. I think it is contraception, and I support it. I think we’ve got to make it widely available, and I think that’s one of the ways, I think, that we reach common ground on the very tough issue of abortion: to reduce the number not just of unwanted pregnancies, but I think emergency contraception can reduce the number of abortions. That’s what we should emphasize.

SEN. SANTORUM: He says the science is clear and it is clear. In fact, it is an abortifacient in certain circumstances. If the, if the egg has been fertilized and, and the, and the pill is taken, it does cause an abortion.  It’s inconsistent with his previous position. It’s a classic attempt of him, how in a general election, to try and middle and, and, and violate his principles. And I think his father would be very upset if, if he were alive today and, and heard him be supportive of something like this.

MR. CASEY: (Unintelligible).

MR. RUSSERT: Senator, if you believe that life begins at conception, then why do you support exceptions for rape, incest, and life of mother?

SEN. SANTORUM: What I said is—yeah. What I said is that I would vote for things like that. I think that, that...

MR. RUSSERT: But it’s the taking of a life.

SEN. SANTORUM: I, I said I would, but so does the Hyde Amendment allows rape, incest, life of the mother. That’s what I talked about is that if, if that is the common ground we could get, I would support that.

MR. RUSSERT: But by your standards, it’s the taking of a life.

SEN. SANTORUM: It is, there’s no question it’s the taking of a life. But if it—it is an attempt for me to try to see if we can find common ground to actually make progress in limiting the other abortions. So yes, that’s what I would do.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me show you something from the Weekly Standard, Mr. Casey.  “Rick Santorum has proven that he gets the job done. Time and time again he has come through. ... When it comes to Pennsylvania, Santorum delivers.” Quote/unquote, fellow Democrat, Governor Ed Rendell. When you read that, what did you think?

MR. CASEY: Well, Tim, I’m going to go out on a limb and say I disagree. You know, Tim, what I think what the governor is trying to make a point about is that, as a public official, certainly as a governor, you’ve got to work with both parties, and I’m glad that he does, and he’s a great, great governor.  And Ed Rendell has been a great supporter of mine throughout this whole campaign and we look forward to, to working together and, and winning this race.

MR. RUSSERT: But is it helpful for a Democratic governor to say, “Santorum delivers”?

MR. CASEY: Tim, I’ll let the pundits decide that. I just have to, to focus on my campaign and, and work to make sure I win this election. He’s been a tremendous supporter. I don’t know of any public official in the country, literally, who’s done more to help our campaign, and I’m grateful for his help.

SEN. SANTORUM: And the bottom line is, though, Tim, that, that is a huge issue in this campaign and that someone—that’s the governor talking, but I think you could talk to, to mayors all over the commonwealth, Democrats and Republicans, who would tell you that there’s no one who fights more and delivers more for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, whether it’s transportation funding, whether it’s writing the a Part D plan that, that works for Pennsylvania—a whole host of other things that I do to make sure that Pennsylvania’s represented and represented aggressively.

I’m the number three man in the United States Senate. I hope to be the number two guy when this is all said and done. And I’m going to be someone leading.  I’m going to be someone taking the aggressive position for Pennsylvania here in Washington, D.C., as opposed to someone who has a record of when it gets tough, he doesn’t stand up. And I, I want to point to the issue of the pay raise. There’s a pay raise in Washington—in, in Harrisburg last year.

MR. CASEY: Yeah, let’s talk about that.

SEN. SANTORUM: And Bob Casey as treasurer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania refused—absolutely refused to fight that pay raise. He said nothing for three months, signed the checks that, that, that was an unconstitutional pay raise, and then five months afterwards, after the November election, after the people of Pennsylvania said, “We don’t like this pay raise,” Bob Casey comes out and files a legal brief saying that what he did was unconstitutional. That’s not courage, that’s political pandering.  That’s not someone who’s going to come to Washington and fight for Pennsylvania. That’s someone who plays games with his old buddies, and when the going got tough, he was nowhere to be seen.

MR. RUSSERT: Are you going to respond?

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