‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Aug. 12, 2007

REP. FORD:  I would go.

MR. GREGORY:  ...to each other’s conventions?

MR. MOULITSAS:  I would, I would go.

REP. FORD:  I—I’d—I’ll make clear that I will be there next year.

MR. MOULITSAS:  But, ultimately, I—if it was up to me, I would be sitting here right next to—talking to Senator Harold Ford and we had...

REP. FORD:  Appreciate that.

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...we had 10 Senate races and one was run sort of on the DLC platform of blurring distinctions and, and not really proudly standing for Democrats.  And I hope that the DLC moves forward, being proud of being Democrats.

MR. GREGORY:  Mm-hmm.

MR. MOULITSAS:  It doesn’t have anything to do

REP. FORD:  But...

MR. GREGORY:  But—right.

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...with being conservative or liberal, being proud to be Democrats...

REP. FORD:  But, Markos, let, let me say...

MR. GREGORY:  But does it trouble you, congressman...

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...and, and we won.

MR. GREGORY:  ...that none of the Democrats running for president came to your convention this year?

REP. FORD:  Naturally, we wanted them all there, but primaries on both sides. Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson looked like raging conservatives.

MR. GREGORY:  Right.

REP. FORD:  They didn’t look that way when Mitt Romney was governor and Fred Thompson was Senator.

MR. GREGORY:  In other words, you think they’re going to come back to the center.

REP. FORD:  They’ll all be there next year.  But let me, let me just—the DLC, balancing budgets, trading surpluses, reducing welfare, reducing crime, introducing the earned income tax credit, raising the bottom 20 percent income 24 percent.

MR. MOULITSAS:  You’re, you’re taking, you’re taking credit for everything that, that, that President Clinton did.

REP. FORD:  No, but, but, Markos, but you’re blaming—no, no, but you’re blaming me for John Breaux.  It’s not fair.

MR. MOULITSAS:  And—right.

REP. FORD:  Bill Clinton...

MR. MOULITSAS:  And you’re taking credit for everything Clinton did and...

REP. FORD:  But he was chairman of the DLC, Markos.

MR. MOULITSAS:  And ultimately, think about this.  You talk about a feeling...

REP. FORD:  But you can’t have it both ways, sir.

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...of the American...

REP. FORD:  I have great respect, but you can’t have it both ways.

MR. MOULITSAS:  No, no, no.  You’re talking about bringing the, you know, appealing to the vast majority of the American public.  Bill Clinton never one with 50 percent plus one of the votes.

REP. FORD:  But he was president twice.  I’ll take his record any day of the week.

MR. MOULITSAS:  The most, the most talented—the most talented politician of our era, incredible political talent, wasn’t able to beat—to win 50 percent of the American vote.  Now, last year in 2006, running as strong unapologetic muscular Democrats, Democrats brought in 56 percent of the vote.  We are appealing to the mainstream.  We brought in independents in droves, and it wasn’t just George Bush.

REP. FORD:  Right.

MR. MOULITSAS:  George Bush gave us an opening.

REP. FORD:  I would agree.

MR. MOULITSAS:  But if it was George Bush, if it was only George Bush, you would be senator today.

MR. GREGORY:  But let me just...

REP. FORD:  But Jon Tester—Jon Tester, Claire McCaskill, Jim Webb...

MR. MOULITSAS:  Jon Tester, we beat in a primary.  We beat...

REP. FORD:  Let me finish.  Let me finish.  Let me, let me...

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...a GOP-backed primary candidate.

REP. FORD:  But, but, but, Markos, Markos, he ran to the right of the DLC and...(unintelligible)...on several issues.  He ran to the left on other issues.

MR. MOULITSAS:  On what issues?

REP. FORD:  On guns, on gay marriage.

MR. MOULITSAS:  That’s not to the left.  I’m not a pro-gun Democrat.

REP. FORD:  On guns, on gay marriage.  There are a number of issues on cultural issues.  Jim Webb the same way.  My only point is this.  There’s no need for us to argue.  Those guys won, and we should be proud.  I think...

MR. MOULITSAS:  Because they were proud Democrats.

REP. FORD:  And I’m one, too.  There’s no need to question my allegiance.  I want to do nothing more than ensure that progressive causes and interests are advanced.  I want nothing more, and I, I know you do as well, want Democrats to win.  We do nothing but help Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani when we argue essentially over semantics.

MR. MOULITSAS:  So will you go on—will you stop going on Fox News and attacking Harry Reid for abandoning...

REP. FORD:  No, but, but...

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...the troops...

REP. FORD:  I’m, I’m not...

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...betraying the troops?

REP. FORD:  I...

MR. MOULITSAS:  You just said that a couple days ago.

REP. FORD:  But, but, Markos, in all fairness, your site has posted awful things about Jewish-Americans.  Your site...

MR. MOULITSAS:  That’s not true.

REP. FORD:  ...has offered...

MR. MOULITSAS:  It’s not allowed.

REP. FORD:  You—now you have a site up about...

MR. MOULITSAS:  It’s not allowed.

REP. FORD:  ...something about Cindy Sheehan, she uses it as a—she has a heavy presence there in talking about her run against...

MR. MOULITSAS:  It’s called democracy.  If you don’t like regular people—hundreds of thousands of people...

REP. FORD:  No, no, I love it.  But you can’t be critical of us.

MR. MOULITSAS:  ...talking, you’re going to have—you’re going to have...

REP. FORD:  ...of us.

MR. MOULITSAS:  Of course.

MR. GREGORY:  Let me—let me insert...

MR. MOULITSAS:  Because I don’t control hundreds of thousands of voices.  You and your organization have a few dozen people.  You can control that message. And you don’t need to attack Democrats.

MR. GREGORY:  Let me insert here and conclude by asking you about Hillary Clinton.  Because it’s quite striking what you have written about her in the past going back to last year.  This is what you wrote in, in The Washington Post about her:  “Hillary Clinton is part of a failed Democratic Party establishment.” Referring in part to her husband’s leadership as well.  “She epitomizes the ‘insider’ label of the early crowd of 2008 Democratic contenders.

“Senator Clinton shows no proclivity for real leadership as a lawmaker. Afraid to offend, she has limited her policy proposals to minor, symbolic issues.  She doesn’t have a single memorable policy or legislative accomplishment to her name.  Meanwhile, she remains behind the curve or downright incoherent on pressing issues such as the war in Iraq.  The last thing we need is yet another Democrat afraid to stand on principle.  Her advisers have stripped what personality she has, hiding it from the public. What remains is a heartless, passionless machine.

“Today we regard Hillary Clinton’s candidacy as anything but inevitable.  Her obstacles are big, and from this vantage point, possibly insurmountable.” She appeared before the YearlyKos convention this year, just last week, and she had this to say.  Let’s watch.

(Videotape, August 4, 2007)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY):  I’m aware that, you know, not everybody says nice things about me.  But—yeah, I know, it’s a burden I have to bear.  But let me start by saying something, perhaps, a little unexpected, and that is thank you.  Thank you for caring so much and being so involved in helping us create a modern, progressive movement in America.

(End videotape)

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