VP Biden "Lets do the nation's Businessa":
TRANSCRIPT
Vice President Joe Biden sat down with NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell to discuss the current state of the war in Afghanistan, debates over the START Treaty, the tax compromise and Wikileaks. Vice President Biden also offered his heartfelt thoughts on the loss of Richard Holbrooke.
Read the excerpts below:Biden on the START Treaty and Tax Compromise VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I say let's do the nation's business. Sixty-seven senators voted to move forward on this, including John McCain and Lindsey Graham and the leading voices in the Republican Party.
NBC's ANDREA MITCHELL: But they say they haven't had enough time to study it.
BIDEN: Well, they haven't said that —
MITCHELL: No, I —
BIDEN: They haven't said that.
MITCHELL: — you know, Senator Kyl and the opponents —
BIDEN: Senator Kyl is opposed to the treaty. He is flat opposed to the treaty. So is Senator DeMint opposed to the treaty. Do not let — do not stand in the way of the nation's best interests. Let the Senate vote. Overwhelming, the American people support the START Treaty. Overwhelmingly, the United States Senate supports the START Treaty. It's clearly in our national interests. Every former national security adviser, secretary of Defense, the secretary of State on the Republican Party from George Shultz to Colin Powell thinks it's essential we pass this treaty. Get out of the way. There's too much at stake for America's national security. And don't tell me about Christmas. I understand Christmas. I have been a senator for a long time. I've been there many years where we go right up to Christmas.
There's 10 days between now and Christmas. I hope I don't get in the way of your Christmas shopping, but this is the nation's business. This is the national security that's at stake. Act. Act.
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BIDEN: — that we just acted on.
MITCHELL: But you had a rough session with House Democrats.
BIDEN: Sure, I did.
MITCHELL: They say you sold them out, you sat down with Mitch McConnell and you went in the back room and you cut a deal with the Republicans.
BIDEN: Hey, look, it's true I did — It's true I did negotiate this package. I was in an interview
with another network, I will not mention, not long ago. And they said the Senate said you sold them out and it will never pass. I said more than 80 will vote for it. Eighty senators just voted for that deal I allegedly sold them out on.
MITCHELL: Eighty-one.
BIDEN: Eighty.
MITCHELL: Eighty-one.
BIDEN: Well, more than 80. Yes, 80 — 81. The House will, as well. Look, people feel very strongly and I don't blame them. But we cannot afford to go into next year with everyone's
taxes going up, the economy threatening to go into a double dip, not growing the economy.
So I had two dictates from the president. Joe, one, make sure whatever you negotiate grows the economy next year. Every major econometric model points out the deal that I was asked to negotiate will increase the growth of the economy from 2.3 to 2.5 to 3.7 to 4. That means tens of thousands, millions of additional jobs.
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Every one of the tax breaks they had, from college tuition to child care tax credit, which the Republicans opposed, is part of that deal. Every single tax break for middle class Americans has been preserved.
BIDEN: Thirdly, it's for two years. We also have a payroll tax where every person next year will get 2 percent less taken out of their payroll. That's real money. That means well over $1,000 for the average person out there, additional.
MITCHELL: But the House Democrats, the liberals, they are the people that brought you into power.
VP Biden on Wikileaks
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