DAVID GREGORY: There is a filibuster in the Senate, thankfully not on Meet the Press, so we're gonna keep this debate moving. But I want to start with a question for all of you which is really a yes or no question. Senator Lee: Is the government going to shut down?
SENATOR MIKE LEE: No. We all know that the government's going to be funded; the question is whether it will be funded with Obamacare or without.
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DAVID GREGORY: All right. Who wants it, who doesn't want it, is it going to be shut down; but you all think somehow this is going to be avoided. The question for you, Senator Lee, as one of, if I may, the firebrands in the Senate, conservatives who are fighting to de-fund Obamacare, you have gotten what you wanted. You wanted to have this fight. They've had it in the House, it's now coming your way in the Senate.
But I don't have to tell you Republicans are arguing with each other about whether this is the right thing. You have members of Congress who think you have over-promised to the base. Your own colleagues that I've spoken to believe that. Carl Rove wrote this (former Bush advisor) in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday: "The desire to strike at Obamacare is praiseworthy, but any strategy to repeal, delay, or replace the law must have a credible chance of succeeding or affecting broad public opinion positively.
"The de-funding strategy doesn't. Going down that road would strengthen the president while alienating Independents. It's an ill-conceived tactic and Republicans should reject it. What do you say to that, Senator Lee?
SENATOR MIKE LEE: Well, ever since we started talking about the de-fund Obamacare effort back in July, people within the Washington establishment, in both political parties, have been attacking it. Right off the top, they said it can't be done. Some of them even said legally. It is not physically or legally possible to pass a bill that funds government but de-funds Obamacare.
Meanwhile, we've seen that all of those things are untrue. We've seen that the American people are rallying around this idea. They have seen the president acting to protect big business, big unions, and other special interests, and they want to be protected too.
DAVID GREGORY: But, Senator, you don't have--
SENATOR MIKE LEE: So this week--
DAVID GREGORY: Public opinion is running against Obamacare, that's a fact. You also don't have support in the Senate to de-fund Obamacare, do you?
SENATOR MIKE LEE: Well, look, here's the issue. We have to ask the question, how many more people will have other lose their jobs or have their wages cut or lose their health care benefits before Congress acts, before Congress does something to protect the American people? How many states will have to announce that premiums are going up? You know, this week we saw Home Depot announcing that 20,000 employees will lose their health care benefits. The House boldly acted this week, and I commend Speaker Boehner for his leadership--
DAVID GREGORY: All right, but--
SENATOR MIKE LEE: --on this.
DAVID GREGORY: But I asked a direct question.
SENATOR MIKE LEE: And now it's going--
DAVID GREGORY: Do you have support in the Senate to de-fund Obamacare or don't you?
SENATOR MIKE LEE: We have support in the Senate. All 45 Republicans in the Senate, in March, voted to de-fund Obamacare. We will keep those and add a 46th, Jeff Chiesa from New Jersey. I nope that a few Senate Democrats, particularly those from red states who are up for reelection this year, will consider joining us because this is what the American people ask--
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