Obama's recently selected Chief of Staff appeared on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Read the complete transcript.
STEPHANOPOULOS: On Tuesday night, Senator McCain pledged to do everything he could to help President-elect Obama. And in your book that you wrote with Bruce Reed, “The Plan,” you had special praise for Senator McCain’s ideas on taking on corporate welfare.
Is that one specific idea that President-elect Obama and Senator McCain can work together on? And what are some others?
EMANUEL: First of all, they had -- as you know, they had a very good phone call. It would be presumptuous of me to say, that’s where they’re going to work. Obviously, President-elect Obama reached out to him.
As I said, they had a good call. They’re going to be talking about a series of things, not only domestically but internationally, on where they can work together.
And the good news is that John McCain has said, you know, as a total patriot throughout the campaign, and cares about his country, he’s going to be supportive of what we’ve got to do.
Because the challenges, as you noted in the introduction, George, whether on the national security front or on the economic, are looming large, and they’re going to require both parties and leaders of both parties, as well as independents, to offer up ideas to how to meet those challenges.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s get to...
EMANUEL: So there will be places, a lot of places to work together. and Senator McCain, I think -- obviously, I wasn’t privy to the conversation -- he has, throughout his career, when the campaign is over, the work of solving the problems of the country begin.
And, I’m sure, will be a partner in helping do that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s get to some of the news on those economic challenges. Just last night, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leader in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid , sent a letter to the administration, urging the Treasury secretary to tap that $700 billion rescue fund in order to help the auto industry.
The White House has already signaled they’re opposed. Is President-elect Obama for using that fund to help the auto industry?
EMANUEL: George, as President-elect Obama has said throughout the campaign, and as I think as recently as Friday, first, the auto industry is an essential part of our economy, an essential part of our industrial base.
Second, they should look at accelerating the $25 billion that was offered for retooling for the industry, going forward.
Third, there are other authorities within the administration they should use at this immediate time.
And, fourth, President-elect Obama has asked his economic team to look at different options of what it takes to help bridge the auto industry so they are a part of not only a revived economy but part of an energy policy, going forward, where America is less dependent on foreign oil.
Those are the parts that is necessary for...
(CROSSTALK)
STEPHANOPOULOS: So the administration...
EMANUEL: ... both the auto industry and the economy.
STEPHANOPOULOS: ... it does have the authority to tap that rescue fund. Do you think they should?
EMANUEL: Well, he has been very clear that they’re part of any sustained economic activity in this country. They’re an industrial base. They employ 3 million Americans. And it’s very, very important that they -- that anything that’s been done, A, you’ve got to tap the $25 billion that’s been offered.
B, there’s all this other authorities within the administration and within the government that they should do to help the industry.
And, fourth, he has asked his own economic team to come up with proposals, at this point, that would help the industry bridge toward a point in the future where they have a restructured, retooled auto industry that is part of not only our -- an essential part of our economy, essential part of our energy policy, which is less dependent on foreign oil.
And that is the most important thing to be done. And I think that the administration needs to -- and Congress -- work with the auto industry, at this time, to deal with the problems.
But, remember, it’s all toward an eye of a very important part, as he has said throughout the campaign, an important part of our economy; that is, the auto industry.
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