Priebus on GOP approach to Obamacare: “I am not advocating for one tactic or the other”
Today on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus spoke about Obamacare and the GOP divide over whether to shut down the federal government in a bid to end the health care law. Priebus also discussed the RNC’s planned debate boycott of NBC and CNN. Highlighted video excerpts are below, and a full transcript is after the jump.
Via the CNN Political Ticker:
RNC chair not picking sides on GOP Obamacare tactics
Priebus: It matters who airs Clinton films, not who makes them
MORE EMBEDDABLE VIDEO: Priebus: Networks promoting Hillary
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Full Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CROWLEY: Joining me is Reince Priebus. He is chairman of the Republican National Committee. I believe you’re in Wisconsin this morning, so, thanks for getting up a bit early to talk to us, Reince. I’m assuming that you’ve heard a little bit of the conversation that preceded you while we got your satellite working.
So, talk to me about the influence you think the continuation and the implementation of Obamacare is going have on the 2014 elections. I don’t know if you heard Congressman Clyburn say you’re darn right Democrats are going to campaign on it because folks like it.
PRIEBUS: Well, I mean, I think it’s pretty clear that when you have over 30 Democrats voting against the president on funding Obamacare that the real division in any party is on the Democratic side of the aisle, yet, you know, the news media wants to talk about, you know, The republicans debating a tactic as opposed to the fact that you’ve got the most vulnerable — or, excuse me, the most vulnerable Democrats that are running for Senate and the House that are saying, hey, listen, we want to wipe our hands clean of this Obamacare bill that’s a total train wreck and that’s their words, not ours, although we would join in on that chorus, so I think it’s pretty clear.
PRIEBUS: I think it’s the tactic that the president is using in delaying the employer’s side is all part about — all about getting some Democrats reelected in 2014 and it’s — I think it’s very obvious that it isn’t a law that people like. I’m in Racine, Wisconsin, and I live in Kenosha, Wisconsin, these are mostly middle-class families that see Obamacare as something that’s very bad for their families and their futures.
CROWLEY: On the other hand, you do have the things that Congressman Clyburn talked about that Republicans say they are for which is no lifetime limits on health care, payback from insurance companies, keeping your adult children on your health care until they’re 26 and no such thing as pre-existing conditions. If the Republicans position themselves as some senators have and certainly some congressmen have, that no matter what Obamacare has to be defunded, that is not implemented, does that not put you all in a place where you have to argue why are you against these good things because you saw the president and that’s exactly what he’ll do?
PRIEBUS: Right but Candy, you’re picking out three things out of a bill that lists, you know, 5,000. I mean the fact is —
CROWLEY: They’re kind of the most important things to a lot of people, you know.
PRIEBUS: No, they’re not. But, you know, the Republicans had — the Republicans had many of those provisions in their bill. I mean, when we ran in November we were talking about pre-existing conditions, kids that were 26 on their parents’ plans. I mean this isn’t like some Democratic exclusive or something. I mean the fact is what people don’t want are government panels deciding whether something is medically necessary. They don’t want a government panel deciding that their doctor instead of getting deciding, you know, a quarter for every dollar or service they’re going to say, well now you’re going to get a nickel. Well the guess what I’m not taking that patience (ph).
People know what Obamacare is. I mean it’s European, socialist style-type health care and people don’t want it. I mean the real story here is that the Democrats in the Senate and the House, the ones that are vulnerable and want to be reelected have turned their back on the president. That’s the story not the tactics on the Republican side of the aisle. People don’t want this. If this was such a great idea then all of these senators that were vulnerable in 2014 would have voted for it and they didn’t. And so that should tell you everything you want to know. You know the cynical part of me says, keep it in place so that we can run even more on Obamacare in 2014. CROWLEY: Nonetheless, there are divides in the Democratic Party, you’re right. There are divides in the Republican Party, as my father used to say, that’s why God made horse races. So nothing wrong with that, but you are hearing some folks in the Republican Party saying I am not going to — I would rather shut the government down than to continue to fund Obamacare. Politically speaking, how would the government shutdown play in 2014 for Republicans on the ballot?
PRIEBUS: I think all Republicans are unified on one thing and that is defunding, delaying, getting rid of, eliminating Obamacare. So we have total unanimity on that issue and the question is what are the tactics? And you know, even if you take the position of a Ted Cruz or Mike Lee, basically what they’re saying is we actually are funding 100 percent of the government except for that small percentage of nondiscretionary — excuse me, discretionary funding the Obamacare. So Mr. President, if you want to shut the government down because you don’t – you want to continue to fund this monstrosity that you’ve already admit is half broken, then go ahead. I mean the fact that it’s on the Republican Party I just think is spin from the Democratic Party that you ought not be adopting. I don’t know why you’re adopting that spin.
CROWLEY: Because there had been plenty of congressmen, Republicans and senators — Republicans saying this will ruin the Republican Party if we are seeing this, forcing a shutdown of the government. I mean it hasn’t really worked for you for Republicans in the past. So it isn’t just Democrats daring Republicans to do it. It’s other Republicans saying no, you guys, we always lose when we do this.
PRIEBUS: Well, I mean, it’s not like it happens every year. I mean the fact of the matter is I think that the budgetary effects back in the mid-’90s were actually ultimately very positive for the Republicans. Look I am not advocating for one tactic or the other, but what I am advocating for is to set the record straight that the Republican Party is that party that is totally unified in defunding and delaying and getting rid of Obamacare. It’s the Democrats that are fighting each other over the overall picture of whether or not we ought to keep Obamacare in place. The president himself has told the American people that Obamacare right now is half broken. So how do you take taxpayer money and then fund something that the president has admitted is half broken. Is that reasonable? We think it’s not.
CROWLEY: Yes, I think that they would –as you know, they’re describing that as a technical glitch. You’re right. I mean this is about the messaging sort of going forward. I need to quickly turn you to the subject that has occupied so much of your week whether you intended to or not which is your feeling that if NBC runs a miniseries, a fictional, based on fact about Hillary Clinton or if CNN which has commissioned an outside documentary on Hillary Clinton runs that, that they will not be eligible for any debates that you all are going to sponsor. “The New York Times” is reporting that the NBC Clinton series might likely be produced by “FOX Television Studios,” that’s sort of a sister company to “FOX News.” So if we follow your logic, do you think that there then is a connection to “FOX News” and would they be subject to the same kind of scrutiny? PRIEBUS: Well first of all, I mean, our party has to quit availing itself to bias moderators and companies that put on television, you know, in this particular case documentaries and miniseries about a particular candidate that we all know is gearing up to run for president and that’s Hillary Clinton and so the big question for me, Candy, is number one, which company is putting it on the air. Who is doing the work? I’m not interested if they’re using the same caterer or whether they drink diet Coke and I’m not boycotting Diane Lane.
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: I am going boycott the company that puts the — I am going to boycott the company that puts the miniseries and the documentaries on the air for the American people to view. I’m not interested in whether they use the same sound studio or whether they use the same set. I don’t know the truth of anything you’re talking about, but I do know what’s very clear is that the company that puts these things on the air to promote Hillary Clinton, including CNN, is the company that is not going to be involved in our debates. Period. Very simple.
CROWLEY: So the people that write and produce and put together the shows are not –
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: I’m not going to boycott Diane Lane. Listen, I’m not going boycott Diane Lane. It’s not her fault she decided to take a script. I’m not going boycott the food trucks that service all of the same –
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: The people producing – I don’t want to put you…
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: … because I think it sounds like no is the answer.
PRIEBUS: Candy, some researcher — some researcher at CNN or “NBC” worked for a few days to find some little connection somewhere down the road to — to bring something into this debate. I think it’s totally ridiculous and stupid. The fact is what channel am I going to tune in to, to see the documentary and the miniseries that is all about promoting Hillary Clinton and at this point it sounds like it’s going to be CNN and NBC and the fact is that they’re not going to be involved in our debates. Period.
CROWLEY: OK. Let’s have lunch we’ll talk. But in the meantime, thank you so much for joining us continue on from the beautiful city of Wisconsin. We will talk to you later.
PRIEBUS: Thank you.
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