CNBC Capital Report - Transcript

CNBC News Transcripts

SHOW: Capital Report (10:00 PM ET) - CNBC

March 2, 2004 Tuesday

HEADLINE: David Dreier, California Republican Congressman, discusses the presidential race

ANCHORS: ALAN MURRAY; GLORIA BORGER

BODY:
Senator JOHN KERRY (Democrat, Massachusetts; Presidential Candidate): My campaign, our campaign is about replacing doubt with hope, and replacing fear with security.

ALAN MURRAY, co-host:

Welcome back to CAPITAL REPORT. So what are Republicans saying about John Kerry's big victories tonight? Joining us now, California Congressman, Chairman of the House Rules Committee, David Dreier, Republican from California. He was a major player in Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign. We'll get to Governor Arnold in a minute. But let me ask you first: You see the strong performance that John Kerry is having tonight. We haven't gotten your state yet, but it looks like it will be strong there as well. Does that forbode a very tough campaign for George Bush (unintelligible).

Representative DAVID DREIER (Republican, California; Chairman, Rules Committee): Absolutely, and that's what we've been saying all along. First of all, congratulations to Senator Kerry. The president of the United States was magnanimous enough to call John Kerry and congratulate him this evening. And actually, as I listened to John Kerry's speech, he started with a reasonably conciliatory message which was encouraging to me. And then I heard him launch into the line that he's been using the last couple of days, describing George Bush's foreign policy as being inept and reckless and arrogant. And I think that those kinds of pejoratives are not what the American people want. And, you know, the ads that we've got coming, Alan, are going to be ads...

MURRAY: Yes, starting Thursday ...(unintelligible).

Rep. DREIER: They'll be unveiled tomorrow. It's a $4.4 million buy on cable television. I'm sure they'll be some here on CNBC.

MURRAY: Well, I would think so.

Rep. DREIER: By the way, when I was outside, I saw the b-roll with Kerry, and this was this big slash over CNN on the b-roll. I don't know if you saw that in front of the thing.

MURRAY: We wouldn't do that.

Rep. DREIER: I wonder if there's any significance at all to Kerry and that b-roll.

MURRAY: We wouldn't do that. Go ahead. Go ahead. Tell us about those advertisements. What's the focus?

Rep. DREIER: They're going to be vintage George Bush. They're going to be very positive optimistic, talking about the record of accomplishment. It's interesting. I saw this morning...

MURRAY: Yeah, but you don't mean to suggest that we aren't going to very quickly get into the Bush campaign telling us what's wrong with Senator Kerry-has been...

Rep. DREIER: Well, we're going to clearly talk about John Kerry's record. And it's fascinating to have seen the John Kerry ad that is being carried now, I mean, a very, very strident vicious attack on the president on a number of bipartisan issues, like the No Child Left Behind legislation, which Senator Kennedy actually was the author of.

MURRAY: But put all that aside for a minute, because if you look at all the exit polls that were done today, if you listen to what Tad Devine said on this show just a few minutes ago, if you listen to what every guest we've had on tonight...

Rep. DREIER: Herbert Hoover.

MURRAY: ...said, it's jobs. It's jobs. You got Ohio has lost 4 percent of its jobs. Missouri has lost a lot of its jobs.

Rep. DREIER: Alan, you asked the right question of Tad Devine, because I listened to that interview. And we saw 112,000 jobs created last month. As you said, Friday, we're go-or in January. As you said on-it's hard to believe this is now March. You said that on Friday, we're obviously going to be having a report come forward. We know that the jobs picture is continuing to build because of the tax package which we put through, because of the very strong commitment that we've had. And it is true that there may be fewer jobs by November of 2004 than there were in 2001. But the fact of the matter is, when you look at what this nation has gone through, you know, September 11th, 2001, the war on terrorism that has followed and continues on today, I mean, we are a nation at war, as the president's pointed out, and then, of course, the battle in Iraq. I mean, it is-but we know we have a though campaign ahead.

MURRAY: Now there's one issue you haven't mentioned, but your president has made a big deal of in the past week, and that is this issue of gay marriage.

Rep. DREIER: Right.

MURRAY: And it's also become a big deal in...

Rep. DREIER: Exactly.

MURRAY: ...the state of San Francisco where the mayor has been approving gay marriages. I want to show you...

Rep. DREIER: It's a city, not a state, but...

MURRAY: Did I say state?

Rep. DREIER: You said the state of San Francisco.

MURRAY: City of San Francisco. There we go.

Rep. DREIER: Thanks.

MURRAY: The independent nation of San Francisco is the...

Rep. DREIER: Yeah, right, right, right.

MURRAY: I want to take a look at what your governor had to say about this, and then we'll talk about it. Or your president, it is, on it?

Rep. DREIER: On "Jay Leno," right?

MURRAY: Yeah, he did. Take a look at this.

(Excerpt from "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno")

Mr. JAY LENO: Would you have any problem if they changed the law?

Governor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (Republican, California): No, I don't have no problem. And let the court decide. Let the people decide.

MURRAY: He has no problem with making gay marriages legal. The president wants a consti...

Rep. DREIER: That's not what he-he says he has no problem making them legal. What he's saying is, he said...

MURRAY: If states changed their law.

Rep. DREIER: Yeah, he said if the laws are changed. Basically, the Defense of Marriage Act, as you know, Alan, was legislation that made it very clear that states could, in fact make these decisions. And Congress, under the full faith and credit clause in the Constitution, I believe, correctly stepped in in saying that those agreements could not be thrust onto other states. And I believe that, as you know, Alan...

MURRAY: Yeah, but the president is talking about a constitutional amendment. Is that a good idea?

Rep. DREIER: You know, and we spoke about this last week, that I'm very concerned about amending the US Constitution. I think we should take a go-slow approach. And I believe that we should, as Governor Schwarzenegger said, allow the courts to run the route. The polls in California close in about 45 minutes, and we have two very-initiatives on the ballot, Propositions 57 and 58. And I predict that the governor is going to have a phenomenal victory here, because he's working to get California's economic engine moving again on all 12 cylinders, as he likes to remind me. And I think that consolidating our debt that he has inherited, and the bipartisan efforts put together on this with Dianne Feinstein, Steve Wesley and Gray Davis supporting Governor Schwarzenegger on it is a real testament to the leadership he's already shown.

MURRAY: Quick last question: Does Dick Cheney help this ticket or hurt this ticket?

Rep. DREIER: Absolutely. Dick Cheney has been a phenomenal vice president. I mean, you know, I served with him in the House. I've known him very well. He's smart. He's extremely capable. He's a strong leader, and I think that he brings an awful lot, not only to the campaign, but also to the leadership that President Bush has shown.

MURRAY: David Dreier, Republican of California...

Rep. DREIER: Always great to be with y'all. Had fun.

MURRAY: ...good to have you on CAPITAL REPORT always.