BROWN: Senator Thune, welcome to you. Appreciate you joining us.

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: It's good to be with you this evening, Campbell.

BROWN: Senator, a number of prominent Republicans, including John McCain, including Michael Steele, are calling on Congress to repeal the health care bill that just passed last night. Is that realistic?

THUNE: I think you will see a repeal-and-replace campaign get under way. There are going to be a lot of people around the country who are going to want to see that happen.

And I think there will be a lot of remorse among members of Congress who voted for this, too, when they realize the impact this is going to have on people across the country.

BROWN: But the question was, a repeal by Republicans, is it remotely realistic?

THUNE: Well, I think it depends a lot -- right now, obviously, we're fairly deep in the minority. And they just had the vote here. But if in November, if a campaign gets under way and the American people get mobilized on this, and November, there are some changes made in here both in the House and the Senate, and we're in a better position after the election, I wouldn't rule that out.

BROWN: So that would mean that you think Republicans are going to win majorities in both the House and the Senate in November in order for you to override a presidential veto.

THUNE: I didn't say that.

BROWN: You're pretty optimistic.

THUNE: That's wishful -- that's -- obviously, that would be -- that's -- I'm dreaming now.

BROWN: Right.

THUNE: But, remember, we could be in a better position. Now, that isn't to say that we're going to win majorities. But I think that Republicans have to carry on with the -- what we're hearing from the American people in terms of trying to right this wrong and get us back on a track that doesn't lead to a train wreck.

BROWN: Setting aside repeal, I know you and your colleagues are vowing to fight tooth and nail to block the reconciliation package from passing the Senate using sort of every parliamentary trick in the toolbox. But even many top Republicans concede that's a long shot, that Harry Reid does have the votes that he needs.

So, I guess why waste people's time, then? I mean, there are so many important issues out there for you to deal. Why not start working on one of them, instead of trying to make political hay here?

THUNE: Well, remember, the reconciliation bill includes a lot of provisions. In fact, it raises taxes more. It cuts Medicare deeper than the Senate-passed bill that the House acted on yesterday. It also has a takeover of the student loan program, which we think is something that hasn't been all that well covered yet.

So, the reconciliation bill on its own is really bad policy. And I don't concede for a minute that we aren't going to be able to have some impact on that.

BROWN: Senator, earlier this year, your colleague, Senator DeMint, said, if Republicans could stop -- I want to make sure I got it -- if Republicans could stop President Obama on health care, it would be his Waterloo.

Republicans clearly decided that they would just say no to pretty much everything here. Do you think you gave up an opportunity to try to influence what was going to become major social policy in an effort to score political points?

THUNE: We would love to have been -- had the opportunity to influence this. As you know, we were not included in the discussions from the very beginning. We did offer prescriptions that we thought made more sense.

BROWN: And some of them were included. Do you not concede anything was included in terms of the ideas that...

(CROSSTALK)

THUNE: I mean, they sprinkled some crumbs in there. But, basically, this is their bill. They went alone on this. And what we have is a product that is -- I think, reflects that, which is why they had to make all these backroom deals and 11th-hour agreements to try and sort of buy the necessary votes to get it through the House of Representatives and through the Senate as well.

BROWN: Is there any chance of Republicans and Democrats getting together to pass anything meaningful this year? Senator John McCain said -- quote -- "There's going to be no cooperation for the rest of the year. They have poisoned the well in what they have done and how they have done it."

Do you agree with him?

THUNE: Well, this was a pretty extreme example of using a very partisan process -- it's been partisan from the beginning -- and using reconciliation and the way they went about trying get this through the House, and now that it's coming back to us in the Senate, and -- and trying to accomplish all these things that they're trying to do through reconciliation is a very partisan tactic.

But that isn't to say that on the other issues that are in front of us, whether it's financial regulation, some of the other things, obviously, we're going to look at these issues on a case-by-case basis. And if it makes sense, and we think these are solutions that represent the middle, and not the extreme left, like the health care bill did, then we will be willing to work with the Democrats and to make sure that we try and get good solutions in place.

BROWN: Senator Thune, appreciate your time, as always. Thank you so much for joining us.

THUNE: Thanks, Campbell.