Democratic Senator Dorgan Predicts What’s Ahead in Congress

JIM LEHRER:

The perspective on divided government from the newest side with power, and to Margaret Warner.

MARGARET WARNER:

And we get that perspective now from Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, number three in the Senate Democratic leadership and chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee.

And, Senator, welcome.

SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), North Dakota: Thank you very much.

MARGARET WARNER:

Thanks for being here.

SEN. BYRON DORGAN:

Good to be here.

MARGARET WARNER:

So you all are going to take charge in January. What's going to be the first order of business?

SEN. BYRON DORGAN:

Well, the first order of business is to address some things that have been stalled for a long, long while. Raise the minimum wage. It's been nine years. The people at the bottom of the economic ladder have had a very difficult time.

We'll deal with a number of issues, such as stem cell research, the re-importation of prescription drugs, a wide range of issues affecting jobs, affecting health care, energy policy. So we're really excited about this, and we know that we have to work across the aisle. We hope to cooperate with the president; we hope he cooperates with us to get things done.

MARGARET WARNER:

Now, will your approach on some of these issues — and these are on the list, also, that Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has vowed to try to pass in the first 100 hours, I think she said — will the approach be to seek a compromise with the president in the interest of getting something, get half a loaf, or will Democrats be laying down a marker and then saying, you know, "Take it or leave it," daring him to veto it?

SEN. BYRON DORGAN:

Well, you know, the American people really laid down a marker on Tuesday. They made the decision about what kind of government they wanted, and I think it's pretty clear that the agenda we're talking about, whether it's stem cell research or the issue of the minimum wage or good jobs that pay well with decent benefits, trade issues, all of those things, I think the American people want us to tackle these issues and do something.

We're certainly going to be interested in reaching across the political aisle, working with the president, but I don't think that we come to this job believing that we ought to leave half of it undone. We want to get these things done.