'Meet the Press' transcript for Dec. 28, 2008

MR. GREGORY:  But will you hold off on any tax increases?

MR. AXELROD:  Well, look, the question is on the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans, and it's something that we plainly can't afford moving forward.  And whether it, it, it expires or whether we repeal it a little bit early we'll determine later, but it's going to go.  It has to go.

MR. GREGORY:  All right, but that is an increase.  You're saying you won't--you would just let it expire, you wouldn't try to repeal it early?

MR. AXELROD:  I'm saying we'll make that decision moving forward here.

MR. GREGORY:  All right, but you're not--because the commitment was to, to lower those taxes to definitely--excuse me, I mean to raise those taxes on people by letting those tax cuts expire.  You're saying you'll hold on and see.  You won't make a decision yet.

MR. AXELROD:  Yes, I'm saying that.  But I'm also--I also want to stress that what the president-elect proposed during the campaign amounted to a net tax cut.  In other words, when you add up the tax cuts and the change--the expiration or the repeal of, of the tax cut for the wealthy, it'll amount to a net tax cut for the American people.  It'll just restore some balance, David, which we badly need.

MR. GREGORY:  Let me turn, in our remaining moments, to the issue of politics.  I don't have to tell you that the president-elect has been criticized by some of his supporters for naming Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration, the evangelical figure, preacher, pastor in California who is opposed to gay rights and supported Prop 8 in California, which overturned gay rights in California.  Frank Rich in The New York Times wrote this that was critical of the president-elect this morning.  "Obama may not only overestimate his ability to bridge some of our fundamental differences but also underestimate how persistent some of those differences are.  ...  When Obama defends Warren's words by calling them an example of the `wide range of viewpoints' in a `diverse and noisy and opinionated' America, he is being too cute by half.  He knows full well that a `viewpoint' defaming any minority group by linking it to sexual crimes like pedophilia is unacceptable." Let me just point out that Rick Warren did liken gay marriage to a brother and sister marrying or to an older guy marrying a daughter.  Do you think that the president-elect has risked offending the very people who put him into office?

MR. AXELROD:  Well, look, Rick Warren and the president-elect have had a dialogue for some, some time, David.  They've had a dialogue about things on which they agree, such as fighting poverty and reducing the terrible plight of--the terrible disease that, that crosses Africa.  And they've, and they've had a dialogue about things on which they disagree, such as civil rights for gays and lesbians and a woman's right to choose.  But the important point here is that you have a conservative evangelical pastor who's coming to participate in the inauguration of a progressive president, and this is a healthy thing and a good thing for our country.  We have to be--we have to find ways to work together on the things on which we do agree, even when we profoundly disagree on other things.  And that's how we are going to build bridges of understanding and move this country forward.  And that's what Barack Obama promised as a candidate.  That's what he's going to deliver as president.

MR. GREGORY:  But is--isn't the question for all those progressives, all of those new registrants to the Democratic Party, when you promised a progressive presidency with a progressive candidate, and then you get this.  Pat Robertson, the televangelist who said in praise of Obama this week, "I am remarkably pleased with Obama.  ...  He's picked a middle-of-the-road Cabinet." Again, do you think Obama supporters would think that that's the kind of praise they want to hear?

MR. AXELROD:  David, we've got to get beyond this sort of politics where we're each on the jagged edge of a great divide, shaking our fists at each other.  We do have a great Cabinet.  We're proud of that Cabinet.  It's diverse.  It represents great talent and experience from inside Washington and outside Washington.  It's going to move this country forward.  And if that pleases people, whether they're from the right or the left, that's fine.  But the, the bottom line is watch what we do, watch the policies that we implement.  We're going to move this country forward.

MR. GREGORY:  Has Barack Obama become a moderate now that he's become president?

MR. AXELROD:  I think Barack Obama--one of the great virtues of Barack Obama is consistency.  He is exactly who he's always been.  He's always worked across ideological lines, partisan lines to try and achieve progressive goals, and that's what he's going to do as president.

MR. GREGORY:  Finally, let's talk about your role in the White House.  The last major political figure in a campaign to have a big portfolio in the White House was, of course, Karl Rove.  You've described your role this way.  "I'm a kibitzer with a broad portfolio." Here's my question:  Will you begin working on Barack Obama's re-election from day one?

MR. AXELROD:  No, I'm working on--my, my job, David, is, is different from Mr. Rove's job was.  I see my job simply as helping disseminate the message of Barack Obama, working with the communications team to make sure that we're true to the, to, to the ideals and the values and the programs that he wants to advance in this country.  And that, that's the extent of my involvement. We've got plenty of good talented, political people who, who are not coming into the administration.  And when the time comes, we'll run the campaign. But our, our, our view is that we've got tremendous challenges in this country right now, and what we should be thinking about is how we're going to address those and not the next election.  And if we do that well, the next election will take care of itself.

MR. GREGORY:  Are you saying you're not interested in political realignment in this country that would help to achieve those goals that you hope to achieve?

MR. AXELROD:  David, I'm interested in--and we as an administration are interested in solving these profound problems that are facing the American people right now.  And, you know, there's an old saying that good, good government is good politics.  I think that's more true today then ever.  The American people are not looking for more politics, they're looking for solutions, and that's what we want to provide.

MR. GREGORY:  David Axelrod in Chicago this morning.  Happy new year and thank you for coming on.

MR. AXELROD:  Happy new year to you.  Thank you.

MR. GREGORY:  Coming next, how will the Obama administration solve our economic problems?  And how will history judge the Bush administration?  Our roundtable weighs in.  Rich Lowry, Todd Purdum, Michelle Singletary and Richard Wolffe, all here only on MEET THE PRESS.

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MR. GREGORY:  Our MEET THE PRESS roundtable weighs in on the economy and President Bush's legacy after this brief station break.

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