Sept. 26 Democratic debate transcript

Kucinich: I think...

Russert: Real fast.

Kucinich: ... of course, we ought to be raising the cap in order to protect Social Security, which is solid to about 2040 without any changes whatsoever.

But what everyone should realize in this country is that Wall Street is very interested in privatization.  And unless we have a president who states very clearly -- no privatization, believes in economic growth -- and I'm talking about a new WPA, a Works Green Administration, creating technologies for a green America.

We have to believe in economic growth.  We should raise the ceiling.  And in addition to that, Tim, we should be thinking about lowering -- lowering -- the retirement age to 65. People's bodies break down.  There are people who are retiring early. They don't have the kind of economic help they should get.  We should be thinking: Raise the cap, lower the retirement age to 65, stop privatization, increase economic growth.  That's what a Kucinich presidency will mean.

Russert: Senator Dodd, Senator Edwards invoked your name.  You have 30 seconds.

Dodd: And I thank you.

What I was suggesting here -- Joe, I think, said tax everybody.

(Crosstalk)

Dodd: I think clearly that you don't have to do that.

(Laughter)

Dodd: But you can do this by basically readjusting that tax so you don't have to -- doesn't have to affect everyone in society.

So, John, I'm not suggesting...

Russert: But you'd raise it to $500,000?

Dodd: But you've got to raise it up, clearly, to do this.

Now, let me also say something.  Look, because all of this comes down to one other issue, Tim, clearly.

Joe made the point earlier.  We can all talk about this.  No one political party is going to do this.  It's going to take people who can bring people together to get the job done.

And you need to demonstrate not just the experience but the proven ability to actually get results by bringing people together to do things that were difficult to accomplish.  That's what I've done for 26 years.  I know how to do this.

And I think the American people are looking for leadership that not just makes promises about what they're going to do but the ability to bring elements together, as you had happen with Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill and Bob Dole and Pat Moynihan.  That kind of leadership is missing today.  That's what the American people want back.

Clinton: Tim, I just have to insert something here.  You know, the Democrats are against privatization.  I fought against it.  We all did.  But in the interest of, I think, facts, we were on a pathway at the end of the Clinton administration, in the words of Alan Greenspan, of "eliminating the debt."

That was one of the excuses he gave when he voted for those horrible tax cuts in 2001, that he was so worried that he would actually eliminate the debt.  So I think it's important that you cannot give away what you're going to be negotiating over when it comes to Social Security until you make it clear that fiscal responsibility has got to be the premise of the negotiation.

And if you don't lead with that, and if you don't point to the fact that the Democrats are much better stewards of our country's budget than the Republicans are -- because, once again, we're in a mess after this President Bush leaves office -- then you're going to be negotiating with yourself, and I think that's a mistake.

Russert: But Senator Clinton...

Clinton: But fiscal responsibility first.

Russert: Senator Clinton -- Senator Clinton, you would acknowledge that the programs, as they are now constructed, will not exist unless significant changes are made in them for the next generation.

Clinton: Well, I think we have to make some significant changes. And I've told you where I would start from and what I would do.  And I think it's a mistake to be negotiating over what you will give away before you even get to the bipartisan process, because the fiscal responsibility is key here.

Russert: One second -- one second here.

I want to turn to another health issue, because this is important, before I bring Allison in.

Four -- over 400,000 Americans have premature deaths due to smoking or second-hand smoke.

Senator Clinton, would you be in favor of a national law to ban smoking in all public places?

Clinton: Well, we banned it in New York City, and people thought it would be a terrible idea.  And everyone was really upset about it. And actually business at a lot of establishments, like restaurants and other places, increased, because many people felt more comfortable going when there was no smoking.

I think that we should be moving toward a bill that I have supported to regulate tobacco through the FDA.

And once it has those health warnings and once the FDA can regulate it, I think that will give a lot of support to local communities to make these what are essentially zoning decisions.  And I fully support that.

Russert: But you're not in favor of a national law to ban smoking in public places?

Clinton: Not at this point.  I think we're making progress at the local level.

Russert: Senator Obama, a national law to ban smoking in all public places.

Obama: I think that local communities are making enormous strides and I think they're doing the right thing on this.  If it turns out that we're not seeing enough progress at the local level, then I would favor a national law.

I don't think we've seen the local laws play themselves out entirely because I think you're seeing enormous amount of progress in Chicago, in New York in other major cities around the country because I think we have been treating this as a public health problem and educating the public on the dangers of second-hand smoke.

That pressure will continue.  As I said, if we can't provide these kinds of protections at the local level, which would be my preference, I would be supportive of a national law.

Russert: Have you been successful in...

Obama: I have.  The best cure is my wife.

(Laughter)

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