May 11, 2010: Robert O'Leary runs for Congress

>> Rooney: STATE SENATOR
ROBERT O'LEARY WANTS TO
SUCCEED BILL DELAHUNT IN
CONGRESS.
HE WAS ELECTED TO THE
SENATE IN 2000, AND IS A
TENURE PROFESSOR OF
HISTORY AND POLITICS AT
THE MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME
ACADEMY.
AND ROBERT O'LEARY IS
HERE, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE
TO GET TO A CLASS.
>> I HAVE AN EXAM TO GIVE
TONIGHT.
>> Rooney: THOSE POOR
KIDS.
LET'S GET RIGHT DOWN TO
BUSINESS.
>> OKAY.
>> Rooney: LAST COUPLE
OF WEEKS, CAPE WIND WAS
APPROVED, AND EVERYBODY
RUNNING IS AGAINST IT.
>> EVERYBODY IS AGAINST
IT.
>> Rooney: THE NATIONAL
GRID SIGNED ON TO THE
PROJECT LAST WEEK --
YOU'RE MAKING THE ARGUMENT
THAT IT WILL COST MORE
THAN THE CURRENT ENERGY.
BUT ISN'T THERE A TRADEOFF
IN TERMS OF CLEAN
ENERGY --
>> FIRST OF ALL, I'M FOR
OFFSHORE WIND.
I AUTHORED THE OCEAN'S
ACT, AND IT IS WENT
THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE
LAST YEAR, AND IT OPENED
UP OUR STATE WATERS TO
OFFSHORE WIND.
WHAT THAT DID WAS GET THE
PUBLIC AGENDA AGAINST THE
PRIVATE AGENDA.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE
APPROPRIATE WAY TO DO
THESE KINDS OF PROJECTS.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAPE
WIND PROJECT IS THAT --
IT'S NOT THE FAULT OF THE
DEVELOPER, BUT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SIMPLY DIDN'T
HAVE ANY PROCESS IN PLACE
TO DEAL WITH THESE THINGS.
SO YOU HAD A PRIVATE
DEVELOPER COMING IN AND
STAKING OUT 24 SQUARE
MILES OF OCEAN, PUTTING
TOGETHER A PLAN, AND THEN
THE REGULATORS RUNNING
AROUND TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
FRANKLY, IT WASN'T VERY
TRANSPARENT AND BECAME
FAIRLY POLITICAL EARLY
ON --
>> Rooney: WELL, IT HAS
BEEN 10 YEARS.
>> IT HAS BEEN A LONG
TIME.
TOO LONG.
FRANKLY, THESE PROJECTS
SHOULDN'T TAKE THAT LONG.
THERE SHOULD BE A FORMAL
PUBLIC PROCESS THAT SETS
UP A WAY WE CAN DO THESE
THINGS.
>> Rooney: WILL YOU
FIGHT IT IF YOU'RE
ELECTED?
>> THEY'VE ALREADY GOT A
PERMIT.
I THINK RIGHT NOW THE ONLY
ISSUE IS WHETHER IT IS
COST-EFFECTIVE OR NOT.
THAT'S REALLY THE
QUESTION.
>> Rooney: BUT I DON'T
WANT TO SAY SO WHAT, BUT
THEY'RE ARGUING THAT THE
TRADEOFF IS WE'RE NOT
GOING TO BE DEPENDING ON
FOSSEL FUELS.
>> NO.
I THINK WE NEED
RENIEWIVELS, AND I DON'T
THINK THAT IS THE
QUESTION.
BUT DO WE DO A MORE
EXPENSIVE RENEWABLE OR A
LESS EXPENSIVE RENEWABLE.
THERE ARE RENEWABLES IN
MAINE AND CANADA, AND
THERE IS SOME DEBATE ABOUT
WHAT THE FINAL NUMBERS
ARE.
AND WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT
THAT IS.
I THINK WE KNOW WE'RE
GOING TO PAY MORE FOR
OFFSHORE WIND THAN WE ARE
FOR CONVENTIONAL ENERGY,
AND WE NEED TO DO THAT.
I ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH
THAT.
IT SEEMS TO ME, THOUGH, WE
NEED TO DO THE MOST
COST-EFFECTIVE RENEWABLES.
I THINK THAT IS THE
QUESTION THAT A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE RAISING NOW.
WHEN THEY SAW THE NUMBERS
COME IN ON CAPE WIND, I
THINK WERE A LOT HIGHER
THAN ANY OF US
ANTICIPATED.
>> Rooney: ONE OF YOUR
OPPONENTS ON THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE, KATE
PERRY, OPPOSED THIS RULE
IN THE SENATE WHERE PEOPLE
WHO ARE UNDOCUMENTED OR
ILLEGAL ALIENS WOULD NOT
BE ALLOWED ACCESS TO
CERTAIN PUBLIC SERVICES.
IT WENT DOWN.
>> RIGHT.
>> Rooney: IT WAS
ACTUALLY --
>> IT WAS A BIG DEBATE
ABOUT IT.
>> Rooney: 8275.
WHERE DO YOU STAND ON
THAT?
>> WELL, I THINK IT REALLY
RAISES THE WHOLE ISSUE OF
IMMIGRATION, AND
IMMIGRATION REFORM.
WE'VE SEEN IT PLAY OUT IN
ARIZONA IN TERMS OF THAT
STATE TRYING TO STRUGGLE
WITH THE PROBLEM.
I BELIEVE IT DEMONSTRATES
THE NEED FOR FEDERAL LAW
HERE.
WE NEED TO FIX THE CURRENT
LAW.
I'M ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED
THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
IT WAS AN ABSENCE OF
FEDERAL ACTION THAT PUTS
STATES LIKE ARIZONA, IN
PARTICULAR, IN BIG
TROUBLE.
I THINK ONCE WE FIX THE
LAW, WE NEED TO ENFORCE
IT.
>> Rooney: JUST ON THE
GENERAL PRINCIPLE OF IT,
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
>> I THINK IN THE CASE --
I DON'T THINK ILLEGAL
ALIENS SHOULD BE GETTING
ACCESS TO STATE SERVICES
AS A GENERAL RULE, AND I
DON'T BELIEVE THEY DO.
BUT IT GETS INTO HOW YOU
IMPLEMENT THAT, HOW YOU
CARRY THAT OUT.
AND THE ONLY SOLUTION IS A
FIX AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
BECAUSE IN THE END,
IMMIGRATION IS A FEDERAL
RESPONSIBILITY.
AND THEY FAIL TO DEAL WITH
IT.
I THINK WHEN YOU, AS I
SAID, FIX THE LAW AND
ENFORCE IT, AND SET UP A
PROCESS BY WHICH THOSE
PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE EARN
THEIR WAY INTO
CITIZENSHIP.
I THINK THERE ARE SEVERAL
BILLS IN FRONT OF CONGRESS
RIGHT NOW THAT BEGIN TO
MOVE US IN THAT DIRECTION,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE
NEED TO DO.
>> Rooney: YOU WERE ONE
OF THE PEOPLE IN THE
SENATE WHO PROPOSED THE
ANTI-BULLYING LEGISLATION
WHICH HAS FINALLY GONE
THROUGH.
HOW DID YOU GET HUNG ON
THAT ISSUE, AND DO YOU
THINK THAT WILL MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF THE
BEHAVIOR OF KIDS IN
SCHOOL?
>> WELL, I THINK IT IS --
I HOPE IT IS.
LET ME PUT IT THAT WAY, I
HOPE IT IS.
I THINK THE LEGISLATION
WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP
BECAUSE IT GRABS SOME
BEHAVIOR WE COULDN'T DEAL
WITH IN THE PAST, WHICH IS
THIS CYBER-ISSUE.
IT RAISED A VISIBILITY,
AND MADE IT CLEAR TO
STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND
ADMINISTRATORS, THAT
BEHAVIOR THAT MIGHT HAVE
BEEN ACCEPTABLE IN THE
PAST IS NO LONGER SO.
I DON'T THINK WE FELT IT
WAS GOING TO SOLVE ALL OF
THE PROBLEMS.
BUT CLEARLY THERE IS A
PROBLEM OUT THERE.
I MET WITH SCHOOL
OFFICIALS ON THE CAPE, AND
WHEN I SAT DOWN WITH THEM
AND ASKED THEM HOW BIG A
PROBLEM WAS THIS, I WAS
KIND OF SURPRISED AT HOW
UNIVERSAL WAS THE
SENTIMENT OF VIRTUALLY
ADMINISTRATORS AT EVERY
LEVEL, THAT THIS IS A
PROBLEM IN THEIR SCHOOLS
AND IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE
AND THEY WANTED US TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
I THINK IT WAS ABSOLUTELY
THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
>> Rooney: SO FAR OUR
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION
IS ALL DEMOCRATIC.
AND THERE IS A REPUBLICAN
IN THE SENATE NOW.
YOUR DISTRICT WON 61% FOR
SCOTT BROWN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL
HAPPEN?
>> THIS IS A TOUGH RACE.
IT IS A DISTRICT THAT
CLEARLY NO ONE HAS
OWNERSHIP TO IT, NEITHER
THE DEMOCRAT OR THE
REPUBLICAN.
A LOT OF INDEPENDENTS.
I'VE BEEN THE FIRST
DEMOCRAT ELECTED TO A
COUNTY OFFICE ON THE CAPE.
THE FIRST DEMOCRAT EVER
ELECTED TO THE STATE
SENATE FROM THE CAPE.
I THINK I HAVE AN ABILITY
TO APPEAL TO INDEPENDENTS.
I LIKE TO SAY I CARRY
CHATHAM, AND THAT'S A
TOUGH THING TO DO.
SO I'M OPTMISTIC.
I BELIEVE I CAN WIN, BUT I
UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A
STRUGGLE.
>> Rooney: YOU'VE GOT TO
GET THROUGH THE PRIMARIES.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Rooney: ROBERT
O'LEARY, A PLEASURE TO
CONTINUE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Rooney: WHEN WE
CONTINUE, MUSIC AND COMEDY
TRAILER PARK-STYLE.