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CNN Saturday Morning News
Who Is Bill Frist?
Aired December 21, 2002 - 09:09 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In Washington, Senator Bill Frist looks like a shoo-in to replace Trent Lott as majority leader in the Senate. But just who is this second-term Republican from Tennessee?
CNN's Jason Carroll is in Nashville and took a poll of sorts as you've spoken with people there. What are the answers?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me first of all start out by showing you a little headline here from the front page of "The Tennessean" paper. You can see here, "Frist Ready to Replace Lott."
Just about from everyone that we've talked to here, I can tell you that Frist is a popular senator here in the state of Tennessee. I want to tell you a little bit more about the man who America will probably most likely be seeing a lot more of in the coming days.
First off, he is a two-term senator. He was worked very closely with the White House over the past several years. He's 50 years old, married with three sons. He's a heart and lung transplant surgeon. In fact, he's the first physician to be elected to the Senate since 1928.
Frist is viewed as a senator who can appeal to moderate Republicans. His voting record, though, on certain issues is pretty much the same as Senator Trent Lott. Take a look at some of these. Frist voted yes on banning affirmative action. He voted no on expanding hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation.
But again, Frist is a popular senator here in the state. Many of his peers say that he would make a strong majority leader.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN.-ELECT LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE: He's a humanitarian, I'd say. You know, he founded the Heart-Lung Transplant Center at Vanderbilt University, and now that he's in the Senate, he's chairman of the Africa Subcommittee. He takes a week in the summer when he could be taking a week off, he goes to Africa, flies his own plane into the Sudan, to rebel-held territory, and performs operations on poverty-stricken people there so he can learn more about AIDS. That says a lot about his character.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: If elected, look for Frist to be instrumental in issues such as health care reform. The vote should take place on Monday. It will be by secret ballot. We are told that oftentimes historically that these votes are somewhat unpredictable, but again, we are also hearing that Frist has enough votes to be named majority leader, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Now, Jason, just moments ago, we had a very good friend, a friend of more than 30 years with Bill Frist, his name is Nick Allard, and he spoke of Bill Frist as being a born leader, a natural-born leader, just from the college days, he was always someone who kind of stood out in front and would always be there to help others, et cetera.
And that he really was a very good people -- or he is a very good people person. Of the constituents there in that area, how are people speaking about, you know, what -- how he represents himself as a real people person and not a politico?
CARROLL: Well, you get the impression from just talking to the average person here that he is definitely not only respected but well liked, so that's definitely something that stands in his favor. He has spoken out on a number of issues that I think people really care about, AIDS for one. People like the fact that he's been instrumental in making numerous trips over to Africa in order to give health care there.
Health care here in the U.S., definitely an issue that is near and dear to many people. I think people will also feel comfortable with his bedside manner. That's one thing that I was told, the fact that he is a physician, I think, is something that definitely people feel most comfortable with.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jason Carroll from Nashville, thanks very 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 December 21, 2002 - 09:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In Washington, Senator Bill Frist looks like a shoo-in to replace Trent Lott as majority leader in the Senate. But just who is this second-term Republican from Tennessee?
CNN's Jason Carroll is in Nashville and took a poll of sorts as you've spoken with people there. What are the answers?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me first of all start out by showing you a little headline here from the front page of "The Tennessean" paper. You can see here, "Frist Ready to Replace Lott."
Just about from everyone that we've talked to here, I can tell you that Frist is a popular senator here in the state of Tennessee. I want to tell you a little bit more about the man who America will probably most likely be seeing a lot more of in the coming days.
First off, he is a two-term senator. He was worked very closely with the White House over the past several years. He's 50 years old, married with three sons. He's a heart and lung transplant surgeon. In fact, he's the first physician to be elected to the Senate since 1928.
Frist is viewed as a senator who can appeal to moderate Republicans. His voting record, though, on certain issues is pretty much the same as Senator Trent Lott. Take a look at some of these. Frist voted yes on banning affirmative action. He voted no on expanding hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation.
But again, Frist is a popular senator here in the state. Many of his peers say that he would make a strong majority leader.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN.-ELECT LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE: He's a humanitarian, I'd say. You know, he founded the Heart-Lung Transplant Center at Vanderbilt University, and now that he's in the Senate, he's chairman of the Africa Subcommittee. He takes a week in the summer when he could be taking a week off, he goes to Africa, flies his own plane into the Sudan, to rebel-held territory, and performs operations on poverty-stricken people there so he can learn more about AIDS. That says a lot about his character.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: If elected, look for Frist to be instrumental in issues such as health care reform. The vote should take place on Monday. It will be by secret ballot. We are told that oftentimes historically that these votes are somewhat unpredictable, but again, we are also hearing that Frist has enough votes to be named majority leader, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Now, Jason, just moments ago, we had a very good friend, a friend of more than 30 years with Bill Frist, his name is Nick Allard, and he spoke of Bill Frist as being a born leader, a natural-born leader, just from the college days, he was always someone who kind of stood out in front and would always be there to help others, et cetera.
And that he really was a very good people -- or he is a very good people person. Of the constituents there in that area, how are people speaking about, you know, what -- how he represents himself as a real people person and not a politico?
CARROLL: Well, you get the impression from just talking to the average person here that he is definitely not only respected but well liked, so that's definitely something that stands in his favor. He has spoken out on a number of issues that I think people really care about, AIDS for one. People like the fact that he's been instrumental in making numerous trips over to Africa in order to give health care there.
Health care here in the U.S., definitely an issue that is near and dear to many people. I think people will also feel comfortable with his bedside manner. That's one thing that I was told, the fact that he is a physician, I think, is something that definitely people feel most comfortable with.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jason Carroll from Nashville, thanks very 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
