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CNN Saturday Morning News
The Novak Zone -- Interview With Katherine Harris
Aired July 19, 2003 - 09:29 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.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: She came into the national spotlight during the 2000 presidential elections. Some saw her as a hero, while others proclaimed her a villain. Well, now the former Florida secretary of state has a new job. It's on Capitol Hill.
Representative Katherine Harris joins Robert Novak in "The Novak Zone."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, "THE NOVAK ZONE": Welcome to "The Novak Zone." I'm Robert Novak at the Cannon House Office Building talking to Congresswoman Katherine Harris, Republican of Florida.
Congresswoman Harris, you are arguably the most famous and most easily recognized freshman member of the House of Representatives because of your role as secretary of state of Florida and the 2000 Florida recount.
Now has being so well-recognized made it more difficult for to you be a freshman congressman?
REP. KATHERINE HARRIS (R), FLORIDA: I think we have such an outstanding freshman class -- we have former governors and speakers of the House -- that I feel really fortunate just to be a part of that group, and we've become very close, although we had a lottery to choose our offices, and I inadvertently drew number one, and they immediately demanded a recount.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: So we -- I've been -- I'm one-third of one-half of one- 435th, so it's nice, kind of the anonymity of such large numbers and also such extraordinary talents.
NOVAK: You were a 19-year-old intern in Washington, and I understand you thought this was an evil place that you didn't want to come back to. Does it seem less evil now? Have you changed your mind?
HARRIS: Actually, I had a wonderful experience in the House. It was just some of the things that I think at 19 years old I wasn't ready to see. I was ready to come back. There's so much that we can do to improve the quality of people's lives -- everyday lives, and so I -- I'm immensely honored to be here and serve.
NOVAK: Do you think it's changed a lot since you were there as a young lady?
HARRIS: I think that things have changed, but I couldn't say for better or worse. But I think that the people here are very, very serious about their work, and, certainly, the learning curve -- the vertical learning curve for a freshman is tough, and the pace, as we were discussing earlier, is very intense.
NOVAK: Ms. Harris, you are a part irrevocably of American history because of the Florida recount and your role in it. Do you think the system worked?
HARRIS: Our laws were written, and, as they were followed, they prevailed. The system that Florida had was -- the problems that we experienced were not unlike any other state. And yet, ironically, our election equipment was noted to be among the best in the nation. So you can only imagine...
In retrospect, when we look back, when I petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a uniform standard and when I said I would certify according to the law as it was written in time, to end that protest phase, which was really a procedural milepost, so that the contest phase could begin -- where the legal contest could cur.
By virtue of the Supreme Court refusing to honor a uniform standard that I petitioned for and by virtue of their rewriting the law and extending the deadline, now, in retrospect, they've said that -- and the U.S. Supreme Court said, had those two things not occurred, there would have been time for a statewide recount.
So I think if the laws had been followed as they had been written that it might have been a little smoother. But, in retrospect, I know I couldn't have done anything different, that I followed the rule exactly.
NOVAK: And you have become a whipping lady by a lot of the Democrats. They attack you. I'm on "CROSSFIRE," and some of my combatants attack you. Do you get a lot of -- have you have gotten a lot of hate mail in -- since 2000 on that?
HARRIS: Well, during the -- those 36 days, we received thousands of letters and faxes, 750,000 e-mails. The vast majority were very positive and encouraging. And I've got to tell you here that both sides of the aisle have been very gracious.
I mean they understand it's a learning curve, and -- and I think that maybe the Democrats have realized I'm not quite the Cruella De Vil that I was made out to be.
But, you know, there was so much at stake on both sides, and -- but I had sworn an oath to follow the law. My role wasn't to protect Al Gore's political liability. It was to honor his legal rights.
NOVAK: Is it -- is it more partisan up here in Washington than it was in Tallahassee? You have so many party-line votes in the House of Representatives. HARRIS: Well, the Senate in Florida was not very partisan whatsoever. But I can honestly tell you that the -- as I said earlier, the Democrats have been very gracious and kind, and -- the votes are tough. I mean we have different philosophies, and so we have to deal with those partisan issues. But, on the other hand, I think, on a personal basis, people are pretty kind to one another.
NOVAK: Now you have a bill, the American dream down payment bill, which provides $400 million. Is that correct?
HARRIS: Actually, what -- what it's going to do -- the president has this vision to have five-and-a-half-million new low-income minority homeowners by the end of the decade. What it will actually do is provide that down payment and closing costs because that is the biggest impediment to home ownership.
NOVAK: Well, it provides -- it provides a down payment for lower=income people.
HARRIS: It takes them off -- out of public housing and puts them in their own home. When you start looking at what it does to their net worth, it will go from $700 from a low-income renter to over $70,000. So that kind of economic empowerment and the stability of the home and the dignity is going to make such a difference in our nation.
NOVAK: How does the Majority Leader Tom DeLay like that bill? Is that...
HARRIS: Actually...
NOVAK: Does the leadership like it?
HARRIS: We have 25 from the conservative caucus that have signed up. It's a bipartisan bill. Because, again, we're checking...
NOVAK: How about the leadership?
HARRIS: I think the leadership -- I think we'll have it come to the floor this month.
NOVAK: And this is your big issue for your freshman year in Congress, isn't it?
HARRIS: Well, yes, sir. It's really important to my district. At a time of unprecedented material wealth and comfort ever in history, it's -- it's unconscionable that people are living in such deplorable conditions, and I visited one of these such locations in my district in Sarasota, Florida, which is a beautiful area, and what I saw really brought me to tears.
And so I believe that we have the unique opportunity to really change the course of history for these people. It even shows that the economic achievements of children that are living in homes owned by their parents versus the rentals will skyrocket. So it's an exciting bill. NOVAK: And now the big question for Katherine Harris, Republican representative from Florida.
Ms. Harris, there's a possibility of -- next year, 2004, of a wide-open race for the U.S. Senate from Florida. I don't expect you to announce your intentions on this program, but are you at least considering the possibility of running for the Senate?
HARRIS: Truly, it's not on my radar screen. They have me so busy here. I'm loving being on the committees. I'm vice chair of the Western Hemisphere, and we're -- I serve on the Middle East and Central Asia Committee, as well as Financial Services, Housing, and Capital Markets. So, with all those things that are happening, there's so much to do for the folks back home in my district that -- I'm very, very happy here.
NOVAK: I don't think you ruled it out, did you?
HARRIS: Well, I've been told to never say never, but I can tell you all my efforts are focused right here right now.
NOVAK: Katherine Harris, thank you very much.
HARRIS: Thank you very much.
NOVAK: And thank you for being in "The 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 July 19, 2003 - 09:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: She came into the national spotlight during the 2000 presidential elections. Some saw her as a hero, while others proclaimed her a villain. Well, now the former Florida secretary of state has a new job. It's on Capitol Hill.
Representative Katherine Harris joins Robert Novak in "The Novak Zone."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, "THE NOVAK ZONE": Welcome to "The Novak Zone." I'm Robert Novak at the Cannon House Office Building talking to Congresswoman Katherine Harris, Republican of Florida.
Congresswoman Harris, you are arguably the most famous and most easily recognized freshman member of the House of Representatives because of your role as secretary of state of Florida and the 2000 Florida recount.
Now has being so well-recognized made it more difficult for to you be a freshman congressman?
REP. KATHERINE HARRIS (R), FLORIDA: I think we have such an outstanding freshman class -- we have former governors and speakers of the House -- that I feel really fortunate just to be a part of that group, and we've become very close, although we had a lottery to choose our offices, and I inadvertently drew number one, and they immediately demanded a recount.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: So we -- I've been -- I'm one-third of one-half of one- 435th, so it's nice, kind of the anonymity of such large numbers and also such extraordinary talents.
NOVAK: You were a 19-year-old intern in Washington, and I understand you thought this was an evil place that you didn't want to come back to. Does it seem less evil now? Have you changed your mind?
HARRIS: Actually, I had a wonderful experience in the House. It was just some of the things that I think at 19 years old I wasn't ready to see. I was ready to come back. There's so much that we can do to improve the quality of people's lives -- everyday lives, and so I -- I'm immensely honored to be here and serve.
NOVAK: Do you think it's changed a lot since you were there as a young lady?
HARRIS: I think that things have changed, but I couldn't say for better or worse. But I think that the people here are very, very serious about their work, and, certainly, the learning curve -- the vertical learning curve for a freshman is tough, and the pace, as we were discussing earlier, is very intense.
NOVAK: Ms. Harris, you are a part irrevocably of American history because of the Florida recount and your role in it. Do you think the system worked?
HARRIS: Our laws were written, and, as they were followed, they prevailed. The system that Florida had was -- the problems that we experienced were not unlike any other state. And yet, ironically, our election equipment was noted to be among the best in the nation. So you can only imagine...
In retrospect, when we look back, when I petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a uniform standard and when I said I would certify according to the law as it was written in time, to end that protest phase, which was really a procedural milepost, so that the contest phase could begin -- where the legal contest could cur.
By virtue of the Supreme Court refusing to honor a uniform standard that I petitioned for and by virtue of their rewriting the law and extending the deadline, now, in retrospect, they've said that -- and the U.S. Supreme Court said, had those two things not occurred, there would have been time for a statewide recount.
So I think if the laws had been followed as they had been written that it might have been a little smoother. But, in retrospect, I know I couldn't have done anything different, that I followed the rule exactly.
NOVAK: And you have become a whipping lady by a lot of the Democrats. They attack you. I'm on "CROSSFIRE," and some of my combatants attack you. Do you get a lot of -- have you have gotten a lot of hate mail in -- since 2000 on that?
HARRIS: Well, during the -- those 36 days, we received thousands of letters and faxes, 750,000 e-mails. The vast majority were very positive and encouraging. And I've got to tell you here that both sides of the aisle have been very gracious.
I mean they understand it's a learning curve, and -- and I think that maybe the Democrats have realized I'm not quite the Cruella De Vil that I was made out to be.
But, you know, there was so much at stake on both sides, and -- but I had sworn an oath to follow the law. My role wasn't to protect Al Gore's political liability. It was to honor his legal rights.
NOVAK: Is it -- is it more partisan up here in Washington than it was in Tallahassee? You have so many party-line votes in the House of Representatives. HARRIS: Well, the Senate in Florida was not very partisan whatsoever. But I can honestly tell you that the -- as I said earlier, the Democrats have been very gracious and kind, and -- the votes are tough. I mean we have different philosophies, and so we have to deal with those partisan issues. But, on the other hand, I think, on a personal basis, people are pretty kind to one another.
NOVAK: Now you have a bill, the American dream down payment bill, which provides $400 million. Is that correct?
HARRIS: Actually, what -- what it's going to do -- the president has this vision to have five-and-a-half-million new low-income minority homeowners by the end of the decade. What it will actually do is provide that down payment and closing costs because that is the biggest impediment to home ownership.
NOVAK: Well, it provides -- it provides a down payment for lower=income people.
HARRIS: It takes them off -- out of public housing and puts them in their own home. When you start looking at what it does to their net worth, it will go from $700 from a low-income renter to over $70,000. So that kind of economic empowerment and the stability of the home and the dignity is going to make such a difference in our nation.
NOVAK: How does the Majority Leader Tom DeLay like that bill? Is that...
HARRIS: Actually...
NOVAK: Does the leadership like it?
HARRIS: We have 25 from the conservative caucus that have signed up. It's a bipartisan bill. Because, again, we're checking...
NOVAK: How about the leadership?
HARRIS: I think the leadership -- I think we'll have it come to the floor this month.
NOVAK: And this is your big issue for your freshman year in Congress, isn't it?
HARRIS: Well, yes, sir. It's really important to my district. At a time of unprecedented material wealth and comfort ever in history, it's -- it's unconscionable that people are living in such deplorable conditions, and I visited one of these such locations in my district in Sarasota, Florida, which is a beautiful area, and what I saw really brought me to tears.
And so I believe that we have the unique opportunity to really change the course of history for these people. It even shows that the economic achievements of children that are living in homes owned by their parents versus the rentals will skyrocket. So it's an exciting bill. NOVAK: And now the big question for Katherine Harris, Republican representative from Florida.
Ms. Harris, there's a possibility of -- next year, 2004, of a wide-open race for the U.S. Senate from Florida. I don't expect you to announce your intentions on this program, but are you at least considering the possibility of running for the Senate?
HARRIS: Truly, it's not on my radar screen. They have me so busy here. I'm loving being on the committees. I'm vice chair of the Western Hemisphere, and we're -- I serve on the Middle East and Central Asia Committee, as well as Financial Services, Housing, and Capital Markets. So, with all those things that are happening, there's so much to do for the folks back home in my district that -- I'm very, very happy here.
NOVAK: I don't think you ruled it out, did you?
HARRIS: Well, I've been told to never say never, but I can tell you all my efforts are focused right here right now.
NOVAK: Katherine Harris, thank you very much.
HARRIS: Thank you very much.
NOVAK: And thank you for being in "The 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
