Many Democrats Still Undecided on Health Care

This is a rush transcript from "Your World With Neil Cavuto," March 11, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, ANCHOR: All right, now to the Democrats' health care fix and the rush with the mush. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, all but saying mush to Democrats, member by member.

To a very important member she simply must win over. He's kind of a big deal. Arkansas Democrat Congressman Vic Snyder voted yes on health care the first go-round, but is undecided this go-round.

Congressman, where are you leaning?

REP. VIC SNYDER D-ARK.: Oh, I'm leaning to vote for it, Neil.

We haven't seen words yet. We haven't seen the scoring. You know, I never like to make a final commitment until we actually see words on paper and have a chance for you to look at it and the people of Arkansas to look at it and all the analysts all around the country to look at it. And we're not at that point yet, although I think we're getting close.

CAVUTO: All right, now, you had indicated I believe you're retiring from Congress. Is that right?

SNYDER: Well, my wife has not let me use the word "retire," since we have four boys three and under, so I have got to change jobs.

CAVUTO: Oh, my goodness.

SNYDER: It just — it just became I'm not running for reelection. It became too painful to leave these four babies in Arkansas every week. And, with the schedule, it just wasn't working very well.

My life changed dramatically with a set of triplets a year ago. So, that's what...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Well, that would do it, Congressman. I think the triplets are one, right?

(CROSSTALK)

SNYDER: Yes. Yes, that's correct.

CAVUTO: Man, oh, man. All right. God bless you, Congressman.

SNYDER: Here's your — here's your...

CAVUTO: Go ahead.

SNYDER: Here's your factoid — here's your factoid for the day, Neil. There are four male members of the House that are fathers of triplets.

CAVUTO: Wow. That's interesting.

SNYDER: Isn't that amazing? It is — in fact, one set younger than mine.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: All right.

So, you're going to be leaving. I know your family commitments, and that's a big one.

SNYDER: Yes.

CAVUTO: But did it have anything to do with you could see this tidal wave of angst at any incumbent, and you just wanted to get out of the way?

SNYDER: No. No.

I mean, I recognize that I had a — had a — it was going to be a robust election year, but where it factored in was I knew that, even when I was in Arkansas, I was going to — if I wasn't in my office either calling for donations or traveling around the district late into the night, I would have trouble, and that just meant more time away from kids.

CAVUTO: Right.

SNYDER: That was the factor. I would like to be in the thick of this thing. I think these issues are so important, whether it's health care or energy or the direction our foreign policy is going. Whatever it is, I would like to be in the thick of this thin. And I will do the best I can as a former member at another job. But...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But, you know, I'm looking at the math, Congressman, however you go on this and all, but Nancy Pelosi's going to have a very tough time getting I guess the 216 votes she's going to need right now, because with folks like you retiring and others looking to protect themselves because they don't want to retire or leave or risk defeat, she's already looking at 25 confirmed no-vote Democrats.

That's not even considering the Hispanic Caucus, half of whose members are not for this, so we're back to around 32, 33. You get about 35, game over, right?

SNYDER: Here's the situation, Neil.

We — I look at this whole thing as beginning formally for me was in November 1992. A couple days after Bill Clinton was elected, when I ran into him in Little Rock in the state capital, he said, "I want you to help me with health care."

This debate has been going on, in my view, for almost 20 years. Every year that goes buy, things have gotten worse, by any index that you look at. Since this debate started at the beginning of last year, everything's getting worse. Everything's getting worse.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Do you think this prescription is really worth this nearly 20-year wait?

SNYDER: Do I think this prescription — I think that we have to do something big. We can't pick and choose the things we like and ignore the difficult ones.

I'm hearing people — I'm hearing members, both Republican and Democrat, say, well, just do away with preexisting conditions and do insurance law reform. That will not work. The insurance companies will have to raise their rates sky-high, because there will still be 30 million people not in the system.

CAVUTO: So, when Americans — Congressman, when two out of three Americans are saying right now, we should you think start from scratch, because what you have got is a pile of you know what, then what does that say?

SNYDER: Number one, I do not believe that that's the numbers.

Now, when you look at the different parts of the plan, they have good support. And what I think will happen is, we will get this bill out with actual words and scoring.

CAVUTO: OK.

SNYDER: And we will have a week or so to read it, examine it. It will be — we will have learned from what is the debate that has occurred for the last year on your channel and others.

CAVUTO: All right.

SNYDER: And — and we will move forward. And I think that...

CAVUTO: OK.

SNYDER: ... that some of the people who — who don't like what they're hearing, as time goes by, may have the most to gain, like small business.

CAVUTO: All right, Congressman, good luck with those boys.

SNYDER: Thank you.

CAVUTO: Good luck in your remaining months in office.

Be well, sir. Very good seeing you.

SNYDER: Appreciate you. Thank you.

CAVUTO: Congressman Snyder.

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