MTP Transcript for Feb. 4, 2007

MR. RUSSERT: But, in terms of Medicare and Social Security, life expectancy is now 78, 79, 80 years old. Would you consider raising the age of eligibility? Would you consider looking at cost of—cost of living increases? Would you look at means testing? Would everything be on the table?

SEN. EDWARDS: Well, here’s, here’s what I think we’re going to have to do, actually, in both cases. This is such a hot political issue that it will require serious—this is the one area where it will require really serious bipartisan effort to get anything done. You know, this has been approached and approached and approached in the past. But I do have—and, and so what I would do is, let me first say what I would do as president of the United States, I would bring together leaders on both sides and experts and put—try to put together something that would work on both Social Security and, and Medicare. But, but I just have to put one caveat in here. I heard your description about people are living longer. You know, this applies to my own father and yours, you know, people who, who have—we still have a lot of people in this country who work very, very hard and, when they reach retirement age, they deserve to be able to retire. And I just think we can’t ignore the fact that we have made a social contract with millions and millions of Americans, and we can’t go out there and just yank it out from under them.

MR. RUSSERT: But what about for Americans, say, who are 50 and younger, the next generation? Could you establish something different for them?

SEN. EDWARDS: I think there’re multiple ways to do it. You know, we could do—one example is, we now have a cap on, on, on the taxes that’re paid. About—it’s about $90,000. And does that cap make sense? Maybe not. Do we need to be—do we need, perhaps to—if we’re going to raise the cap or eliminate the cap, do we need to have a bubble for middle income families that earn over $90,000 a year? Maybe. I think there’re—I think there’re tools available to us, and we certainly do need to deal with it.

MR. RUSSERT: After Iowa, January 14^th, the caucus next year—you’re doing well in Iowa?

SEN. EDWARDS: I’m winning there, according to the polls. I don’t know if I believe them, but they say I’m winning.

MR. RUSSERT: Next stop is Nevada, January 19^th. Big issue there is Yucca Mountain...

SEN. EDWARDS: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: ...the nuclear repository. You voted against making that a national repository, then you voted for making it a national repository, saying that...

SEN. EDWARDS: And that’s starting to have a familiar ring.

MR. RUSSERT: You voted—you voted for it before you voted against it. But the thing...

SEN. EDWARDS: You said that, not me.

MR. RUSSERT: But now you’re saying that maybe the nuclear waste should be stored locally where the waste was produced. Is that your position?

SEN. EDWARDS: My position is that, that what’s happened with Yucca Mountain is there’ve been serious questions, including the, the possibility of lying and fraud in the scientific evidence of—that Yucca Mountain would work. I was always concerned, still am, about this nuclear waste being transported around the country. I, I think, at this point in time, it does not make sense to do—to do Yucca Mountain. So the, the, the answer is we have nuclear plants, the, the stuff has to be stored—waste has to be stored somewhere, so it has to be stored where the plants are.

MR. RUSSERT: So in...

SEN. EDWARDS: Or in the vicinity.

MR. RUSSERT: So in Seabrook, New Hampshire, the nuclear waste has to be stored in New Hampshire.

SEN. EDWARDS: It has to be stored somewhere close by.

MR. RUSSERT: Gay marriage.

SEN. EDWARDS: I can’t imagine why you asked about New Hampshire.

MR. RUSSERT: It’s next up after Nevada. Gay marriage. You said this: “ It is [a hard issue] ... because I’m 53 years old. I grew up in a small town in the rural south. I was raised in the Southern Baptist church and so I have a belief system that arises from that. It’s part of who I am. I can’t make it disappear. ... I personally feel great conflict about that. I don’t know the answer. I wish I did. I think from my perspective it’s very easy for me to say, gay civil unions, yes, partnership benefits, yes, but it is something that I struggle with. Do I believe they should have the right to marry? I’m just not there yet.”  Why not?

SEN. EDWARDS: I think it’s from my own personal culture and faith belief. And I think, if you had gone on in that same quote, that I, I have—I, I struggle myself with imposing my faiths—my faith belief. I grew up in the Southern Baptist church, I was baptized in the Southern Baptist church, my dad was a deacon. In fact, I was there just a couple weeks ago to see my father get an award. It’s, it’s just part of who I am. And the question is whether I, as president of the United States, should impose on the United States of America my views on gay marriage because I know where it comes from. I’m aware of why I believe what I believe. And I think there is consensus around this idea of no discrimination, partnership benefits, civil unions. I think that, that certainly a president who’s willing to lead could lead the country in the right direction on that.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe you’re born gay?

SEN. EDWARDS: I, I, I think that—I, I, first of all, sexual—I’m not an expert on sexual orientation. I, I think that, that, there’s a real possibility that people are born gay, yes.

MR. RUSSERT: You don’t believe—do you believe that homosexuality is a sin?

SEN. EDWARDS: No.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe that openly gay men and women should be able to serve in the military.

SEN. EDWARDS: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: And you would do that as president?

SEN. EDWARDS: Absolutely.

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