Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
The Novak Zone: Interview With George Allen
Aired November 30, 2002 - 09:31 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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: This week in "THE NOVAK ZONE," Robert Novak talks to the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Virginia Senator George Allen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to THE NOVAK ZONE.
Our guest this week is Senator George Allen of Virginia, the newly-elected chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Senator Allen, just after two years in this Senate, you're in the leadership. That's about as well as the pace as Lyndon Johnson was on, but you've got a tough act to follow as the chairman of what in effect is the campaign committee, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who recovered the majority in the Senate. You've got some more tougher entrenched senators on the Democratic side. What kind of changes are you going to make from the Frist regiment at the campaign committee?
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: Well, Bill, Frist did an outstanding job, and I think we'll just continue in that regard, although we have a changed playing field. Raising money will be completely different now with the new restrictions. And so, that will make it more difficult, but it's always a team effort.
What we were able to do in this last election is really energize a lot of people, including senators, who saw the difference when Jeffords defected. You saw Republicans saying, gosh, let's get back the majority, because the last year-and-a-half has just been so frustrating with the obstructionism.
So, I think that our goals, No. 1, will be our incumbents. They need our veterans. We need to get them ready to win. Then the other very important thing is to recruit quality candidates, who can articulate a positive message to motivate people in their states, sharing the values of the people in those states. And of course, a monumental effort, of course, is also raising money to make sure that their message can get out to the people in their states.
NOVAK: Senator, you shocked some people and depressed some people when you were recorded in the "National Journal" saying -- indicating you weren't going after Senator Barbara Boxer of California, a lot of people think is the best Democratic target in 2002, and certainly one they would like to make a stab at. Are you really going to give her a free pass?
ALLEN: We're not giving anyone a free pass. At this point, if you want to look at this in a football sense, this is before the preseason. We haven't even gotten into the inter-squad scrimmages of determining who's going to be running for the nominations, and who will be our nominees.
I'm going to make a concerted effort to try to recruit quality candidates in every single state.
NOVAK: Now, one on the opposite side of the Democratic spectrum is Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who has really been very helpful to President Bush on taxes, on homeland security. It would be pretty tough to go after him if he decides he wants another term.
ALLEN: I personally have a great deal of affection and friendship with Zell Miller. Again, even when you get into whether it's California or Georgia, we don't even know what the playing field is going to look like at that time. So, it's -- you know, to say what your best scenario would be, I don't think you ought to share your game plan with people too early.
NOVAK: Maybe you can share on what the agenda ought to be. A lot of religious conservatives, social conservatives, are a little disappointed that in the last two years, the Republicans didn't do anything on partial-birth abortion, that the anti-cloning bill that was just passed by the House is staying in the Senate. Do you think that to really get your base revved up for the next two years, you're going to have to take action on those issues?
ALLEN: I think we ought to take action on them, but as I would remind you and the viewers, in the last year-and-a-half, we weren't setting the batting order. The agenda was set of obstructionism on the part of Tom Daschle and the Democrat leadership.
I think there should be a vote on banning partial-birth abortion, and I think there ought to be a vote on banning human cloning as well. I don't know if there are sufficient votes for that, but nevertheless, we ought to take votes and be accountable.
NOVAK: Senator, I was shocked to read in "The Financial Times" this past Tuesday, Secretary of the Treasury O'Neill was interviewed by the "Times" in Manchester, England. And here's what he said. We're going to put it up on the screen. "Far from promising a hefty tax cut" -- he, meaning O'Neill, said -- "the reforms that were most likely were the ones that were minimally controversial and not very costly."
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) looking at some proposal to boost tax revenues, not cut them. Is that what we have a Republican Senate for, to raise taxes?
ALLEN: I think we have a Republican Senate to, No. 1, work with President Bush and making sure that we have a strong national defense, make sure that we have domestic security, make sure judges who are needed ought to be appointed and after fair hearings, we need to make sure our education system is leaving no child behind, and we need greater energy security so we're not so dependent on foreign oil, as well as create more jobs.
NOVAK: What about O'Neill's tax increases?
ALLEN: Well, tax increases do not boost jobs. Tax increases do not improve our competitiveness or create more jobs, nor allow people to have more individual freedom.
NOVAK: And you actually split from the Republican establishing in voting against the sales tax referendum -- increased sales taxes in northern Virginia, didn't you?
ALLEN: That's true. They didn't convince me we ought to be increasing the cost of shoes and clothes and especially in these times, and I think that the proponents would have made a better case for transportation if they had not been diverting funds dedicated to transportation. I'm not one who is normally for tax increases.
NOVAK: What about coming out for changes in social security? Your fellow Virginian man chairing the campaign committee in the House urged caution. Will you urge caution by candidates on that issue?
ALLEN: I think Tom Davis saw what I saw all across the country as well, and this is not an issue that I think is really ripe in the minds of the members of Congress or in America. I think people will first...
NOVAK: You won't push that?
ALLEN: I don't think it will be pushed. I think the president will need to push it. He has a commission. They have not reported. I think that Social Security needs to be made sound. I do think that we can move forward on giving those who will be retiring greater options and ability to save for their retirement.
NOVAK: Time just briefly for the big question. Senator George Allen, I was talking to some political activists from Richmond last weekend. They told me that if Dick Cheney doesn't take another term for vice president, there ought to be a George Bush-George Allen ticket in 2004. Is that realistic?
ALLEN: I hope the reality is, is Dick Cheney is running with President Bush. He's part of that great team as far as foreign policy that he needs, and...
NOVAK: I said if, though, if he doesn't run?
ALLEN: Well, I suspect that Dick Cheney will be running and continuing to serve, and I surely hope he will be.
NOVAK: He didn't say no. Thank you very much, Senator George Allen.
That's all for now on this week's edition of NOVAK ZONE.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 November 30, 2002 - 09:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: This week in "THE NOVAK ZONE," Robert Novak talks to the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Virginia Senator George Allen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to THE NOVAK ZONE.
Our guest this week is Senator George Allen of Virginia, the newly-elected chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Senator Allen, just after two years in this Senate, you're in the leadership. That's about as well as the pace as Lyndon Johnson was on, but you've got a tough act to follow as the chairman of what in effect is the campaign committee, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who recovered the majority in the Senate. You've got some more tougher entrenched senators on the Democratic side. What kind of changes are you going to make from the Frist regiment at the campaign committee?
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: Well, Bill, Frist did an outstanding job, and I think we'll just continue in that regard, although we have a changed playing field. Raising money will be completely different now with the new restrictions. And so, that will make it more difficult, but it's always a team effort.
What we were able to do in this last election is really energize a lot of people, including senators, who saw the difference when Jeffords defected. You saw Republicans saying, gosh, let's get back the majority, because the last year-and-a-half has just been so frustrating with the obstructionism.
So, I think that our goals, No. 1, will be our incumbents. They need our veterans. We need to get them ready to win. Then the other very important thing is to recruit quality candidates, who can articulate a positive message to motivate people in their states, sharing the values of the people in those states. And of course, a monumental effort, of course, is also raising money to make sure that their message can get out to the people in their states.
NOVAK: Senator, you shocked some people and depressed some people when you were recorded in the "National Journal" saying -- indicating you weren't going after Senator Barbara Boxer of California, a lot of people think is the best Democratic target in 2002, and certainly one they would like to make a stab at. Are you really going to give her a free pass?
ALLEN: We're not giving anyone a free pass. At this point, if you want to look at this in a football sense, this is before the preseason. We haven't even gotten into the inter-squad scrimmages of determining who's going to be running for the nominations, and who will be our nominees.
I'm going to make a concerted effort to try to recruit quality candidates in every single state.
NOVAK: Now, one on the opposite side of the Democratic spectrum is Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who has really been very helpful to President Bush on taxes, on homeland security. It would be pretty tough to go after him if he decides he wants another term.
ALLEN: I personally have a great deal of affection and friendship with Zell Miller. Again, even when you get into whether it's California or Georgia, we don't even know what the playing field is going to look like at that time. So, it's -- you know, to say what your best scenario would be, I don't think you ought to share your game plan with people too early.
NOVAK: Maybe you can share on what the agenda ought to be. A lot of religious conservatives, social conservatives, are a little disappointed that in the last two years, the Republicans didn't do anything on partial-birth abortion, that the anti-cloning bill that was just passed by the House is staying in the Senate. Do you think that to really get your base revved up for the next two years, you're going to have to take action on those issues?
ALLEN: I think we ought to take action on them, but as I would remind you and the viewers, in the last year-and-a-half, we weren't setting the batting order. The agenda was set of obstructionism on the part of Tom Daschle and the Democrat leadership.
I think there should be a vote on banning partial-birth abortion, and I think there ought to be a vote on banning human cloning as well. I don't know if there are sufficient votes for that, but nevertheless, we ought to take votes and be accountable.
NOVAK: Senator, I was shocked to read in "The Financial Times" this past Tuesday, Secretary of the Treasury O'Neill was interviewed by the "Times" in Manchester, England. And here's what he said. We're going to put it up on the screen. "Far from promising a hefty tax cut" -- he, meaning O'Neill, said -- "the reforms that were most likely were the ones that were minimally controversial and not very costly."
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) looking at some proposal to boost tax revenues, not cut them. Is that what we have a Republican Senate for, to raise taxes?
ALLEN: I think we have a Republican Senate to, No. 1, work with President Bush and making sure that we have a strong national defense, make sure that we have domestic security, make sure judges who are needed ought to be appointed and after fair hearings, we need to make sure our education system is leaving no child behind, and we need greater energy security so we're not so dependent on foreign oil, as well as create more jobs.
NOVAK: What about O'Neill's tax increases?
ALLEN: Well, tax increases do not boost jobs. Tax increases do not improve our competitiveness or create more jobs, nor allow people to have more individual freedom.
NOVAK: And you actually split from the Republican establishing in voting against the sales tax referendum -- increased sales taxes in northern Virginia, didn't you?
ALLEN: That's true. They didn't convince me we ought to be increasing the cost of shoes and clothes and especially in these times, and I think that the proponents would have made a better case for transportation if they had not been diverting funds dedicated to transportation. I'm not one who is normally for tax increases.
NOVAK: What about coming out for changes in social security? Your fellow Virginian man chairing the campaign committee in the House urged caution. Will you urge caution by candidates on that issue?
ALLEN: I think Tom Davis saw what I saw all across the country as well, and this is not an issue that I think is really ripe in the minds of the members of Congress or in America. I think people will first...
NOVAK: You won't push that?
ALLEN: I don't think it will be pushed. I think the president will need to push it. He has a commission. They have not reported. I think that Social Security needs to be made sound. I do think that we can move forward on giving those who will be retiring greater options and ability to save for their retirement.
NOVAK: Time just briefly for the big question. Senator George Allen, I was talking to some political activists from Richmond last weekend. They told me that if Dick Cheney doesn't take another term for vice president, there ought to be a George Bush-George Allen ticket in 2004. Is that realistic?
ALLEN: I hope the reality is, is Dick Cheney is running with President Bush. He's part of that great team as far as foreign policy that he needs, and...
NOVAK: I said if, though, if he doesn't run?
ALLEN: Well, I suspect that Dick Cheney will be running and continuing to serve, and I surely hope he will be.
NOVAK: He didn't say no. Thank you very much, Senator George Allen.
That's all for now on this week's edition of NOVAK ZONE.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
