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CNN Live Today
Bush Arrives in Louisville
Aired February 26, 2004 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush on the road today. He travels to two states to drum up support for his re-election effort and sell his economic policy. Then there's the issue of federal reserve chief Alan Greenspan's notion of cutting Social Security.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is traveling with the president. She joins us from Louisville, Kentucky this morning -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the president landed here in Louisville, Kentucky just a few minutes ago. On the flight with him was one of the congressman -- or congresswoman, from Kentucky. The president, as far as I know, is still at the airport being greeted by some of the citizens here.
And the president, as you mentioned, is coming here to talk economy and also to raise some money for his already substantial re- election war chest. Unclear whether or not the president will make any reference to Fed chairman Alan Greenspan's remarks yesterday which were greeted with both kudos and consternation by Republicans and by the White House. The administration obviously pleased the chairman argued against raising taxes and for making the Bush tax cuts permanent.
However, President Bush yesterday was very careful to quickly distance himself from any suggestion that Social Security benefits be cut in order to lower the deficits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My position on Social Security benefits is this, that those benefits should not be changed for people at or near retirement. As you know, in the 2000 campaign, I articulated a point of view that we ought to have personal savings accounts for younger workers that would make sure those younger workers receive benefits equal to or greater than that which is expected. I still maintain the same position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now in about 20 minutes, the president will be engaging in one of his many conversations on the economy that he holds as he travels around the country. The backdrop, obviously, very carefully chosen. And in this case, it's a family owned business that makes plastic pipe products. They have seen their income and employment here go up some 50 percent over the last two years now. Critics would say that is not representative of the state of Kentucky as a whole, which has seen some 87,000 jobs, nearly 87,000 jobs, disappear during the Bush presidency. But Republicans point out that on the whole, that this is a conservative state, that it did vote for George Bush in 2000, that he beat Al Gore here by 15 percentage points and the Bush administration plans to keep it in his win column come November -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Kathleen Koch, live from Louisville, Kentucky today. Kathleen, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 26, 2004 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush on the road today. He travels to two states to drum up support for his re-election effort and sell his economic policy. Then there's the issue of federal reserve chief Alan Greenspan's notion of cutting Social Security.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is traveling with the president. She joins us from Louisville, Kentucky this morning -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the president landed here in Louisville, Kentucky just a few minutes ago. On the flight with him was one of the congressman -- or congresswoman, from Kentucky. The president, as far as I know, is still at the airport being greeted by some of the citizens here.
And the president, as you mentioned, is coming here to talk economy and also to raise some money for his already substantial re- election war chest. Unclear whether or not the president will make any reference to Fed chairman Alan Greenspan's remarks yesterday which were greeted with both kudos and consternation by Republicans and by the White House. The administration obviously pleased the chairman argued against raising taxes and for making the Bush tax cuts permanent.
However, President Bush yesterday was very careful to quickly distance himself from any suggestion that Social Security benefits be cut in order to lower the deficits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My position on Social Security benefits is this, that those benefits should not be changed for people at or near retirement. As you know, in the 2000 campaign, I articulated a point of view that we ought to have personal savings accounts for younger workers that would make sure those younger workers receive benefits equal to or greater than that which is expected. I still maintain the same position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now in about 20 minutes, the president will be engaging in one of his many conversations on the economy that he holds as he travels around the country. The backdrop, obviously, very carefully chosen. And in this case, it's a family owned business that makes plastic pipe products. They have seen their income and employment here go up some 50 percent over the last two years now. Critics would say that is not representative of the state of Kentucky as a whole, which has seen some 87,000 jobs, nearly 87,000 jobs, disappear during the Bush presidency. But Republicans point out that on the whole, that this is a conservative state, that it did vote for George Bush in 2000, that he beat Al Gore here by 15 percentage points and the Bush administration plans to keep it in his win column come November -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Kathleen Koch, live from Louisville, Kentucky today. Kathleen, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
