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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With Gail Chaddock
Aired January 05, 2003 - 16:22 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The president is back in Washington, as we reported earlier. And members of the House and Senate gathering on Tuesday to kick off the new session of Congress.
With me now to talk about the big issues facing lawmakers and the president is Gail Chaddock. She covers Congress for the "Christian Science Monitor."
Thanks for being with us, Gail.
GAIL CHADDOCK, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR:" Thank you.
COOPER: This session of Congress is in many ways potentially historic. I believe it's the first time since, I think the first two years of Eisenhower that a president has been in control of both houses.
CHADDOCK: That's right.
COOPER: What are we going to see?
CHADDOCK: Well, control is the operative word.
The House has been a very disciplined group, even with a margin of six points. There are six seats. Their margin is going to be larger, especially if the Hawaii vote goes -- actually, the Hawaii vote will give it to the Democrats.
But they're looking at something like a 23-seat margin.
But the Senate is the tricky one. Even though there is a two- seat margin there, control always depends on 60 votes for controversial issues. So the president is going to have to work with Democrats, as well as Republicans, if he's going to get important pieces of his agenda through.
COOPER: The Democrats, I mean, are jockeying already for the presidential elections coming down. We've already had a couple people naming themselves as running as candidates. We're likely to see a few more join that list.
How is that going to impact how the Democrats are playing?
CHADDOCK: Well, the -- I think the main thought on that is that it's going to make it difficult for Democrats to present a united front, especially if Tom Daschle, the current Democratic leader, decides to join that growing list of Democrats seeking the presidency.
COOPER: Do you think he will?
CHADDOCK: I think it's likely. But who knows? That's a real insider -- he hasn't given me any indication.
COOPER: OK. But who knows how it's going to -- I mean, you said the Bush Administration has to, you know, work with Democrats. It's going to be hard to do that if they're jockeying to run for president against President Bush.
CHADDOCK: Well, there are also -- I think the important Democrats are the ones up for reelection on their own in the next cycle, people who are facing their constituents, many of whom voted for -- in districts that supported President Bush in the last election.
Remember, when the president tried to push his tax cuts program in the beginning of the last Congress, 12 Democrats voted with him on the Senate. Most of them are still here.
So there is a group with moderate or conservative constituents that are going to have good reasons to talk to him.
COOPER: Let's talk about specific issues here for a moment. What is left over from the last session that still needs to be cleaned up?
CHADDOCK: Oh, about everything. First of all, all the spending bills. I mean, incredibly we're already into the second quarter of the fiscal year for 2003. And only two spending bills have been approved. So that's the first item.
They'll probably extend the limit they've given themselves to the rest of the month.
But there are still real gaps to be worked out between people who want to spend more, both in the president's party and, of course among Democrats. So there's work to be done there.
There's also decisions to be made about how to reconstitute the Senate. That's what Senator Lott was working on with Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader, when the remarks at Strom Thurmond's birthday party led to his own downfall. So it's going to be a big issue for Bill Frist to pick up as new Republican leader.
COOPER: Also you have judicial nominations that have yet to be solved, are we expecting to see a greater movement on that?
CHADDOCK: I think that's probably going to be one of the easier ones. Because many of those nominations would have probably cleared the Senate if they'd reached the floor.
They were held up in committee. With Orrin Hatch taking over the chairmanship of that committee, you'll see floor votes. The tricky thing is going to be that any of those nominations that turned on racial questions are going to face even more scrutiny, precisely because of the Lott affair, and they really reexamining of Republican position on race. So that's going to be a more sensitive issue than before.
COOPER: The White House obviously, they must feel they have some momentum coming into this session. What are they going to look -- I mean, you know, the White House seems very well adapted, sort of targeting key issues and trying to get moving on those.
What do you think they're going to target? Is it economic stimulus?
CHADDOCK: I think that's one. And the other one that they really need before a presidential election in 2004 is some progress in movement on prescription support for seniors.
This is an issue that both parties have been promising voters for the last two, and even three, election cycles. So it's something that the president really needs to show progress on.
COOPER: And something you would think, with a doctor now leading the Republicans, Frist, they would probably get some sort of movement on?
CHADDOCK: He's a perfect spokesman on that issue.
COOPER: All right. Gail Chaddock, thanks very much. From the "Christian Science Monitor," thank you. We appreciate it.
CHADDOCK: Thank you.
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 January 5, 2003 - 16:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The president is back in Washington, as we reported earlier. And members of the House and Senate gathering on Tuesday to kick off the new session of Congress.
With me now to talk about the big issues facing lawmakers and the president is Gail Chaddock. She covers Congress for the "Christian Science Monitor."
Thanks for being with us, Gail.
GAIL CHADDOCK, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR:" Thank you.
COOPER: This session of Congress is in many ways potentially historic. I believe it's the first time since, I think the first two years of Eisenhower that a president has been in control of both houses.
CHADDOCK: That's right.
COOPER: What are we going to see?
CHADDOCK: Well, control is the operative word.
The House has been a very disciplined group, even with a margin of six points. There are six seats. Their margin is going to be larger, especially if the Hawaii vote goes -- actually, the Hawaii vote will give it to the Democrats.
But they're looking at something like a 23-seat margin.
But the Senate is the tricky one. Even though there is a two- seat margin there, control always depends on 60 votes for controversial issues. So the president is going to have to work with Democrats, as well as Republicans, if he's going to get important pieces of his agenda through.
COOPER: The Democrats, I mean, are jockeying already for the presidential elections coming down. We've already had a couple people naming themselves as running as candidates. We're likely to see a few more join that list.
How is that going to impact how the Democrats are playing?
CHADDOCK: Well, the -- I think the main thought on that is that it's going to make it difficult for Democrats to present a united front, especially if Tom Daschle, the current Democratic leader, decides to join that growing list of Democrats seeking the presidency.
COOPER: Do you think he will?
CHADDOCK: I think it's likely. But who knows? That's a real insider -- he hasn't given me any indication.
COOPER: OK. But who knows how it's going to -- I mean, you said the Bush Administration has to, you know, work with Democrats. It's going to be hard to do that if they're jockeying to run for president against President Bush.
CHADDOCK: Well, there are also -- I think the important Democrats are the ones up for reelection on their own in the next cycle, people who are facing their constituents, many of whom voted for -- in districts that supported President Bush in the last election.
Remember, when the president tried to push his tax cuts program in the beginning of the last Congress, 12 Democrats voted with him on the Senate. Most of them are still here.
So there is a group with moderate or conservative constituents that are going to have good reasons to talk to him.
COOPER: Let's talk about specific issues here for a moment. What is left over from the last session that still needs to be cleaned up?
CHADDOCK: Oh, about everything. First of all, all the spending bills. I mean, incredibly we're already into the second quarter of the fiscal year for 2003. And only two spending bills have been approved. So that's the first item.
They'll probably extend the limit they've given themselves to the rest of the month.
But there are still real gaps to be worked out between people who want to spend more, both in the president's party and, of course among Democrats. So there's work to be done there.
There's also decisions to be made about how to reconstitute the Senate. That's what Senator Lott was working on with Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader, when the remarks at Strom Thurmond's birthday party led to his own downfall. So it's going to be a big issue for Bill Frist to pick up as new Republican leader.
COOPER: Also you have judicial nominations that have yet to be solved, are we expecting to see a greater movement on that?
CHADDOCK: I think that's probably going to be one of the easier ones. Because many of those nominations would have probably cleared the Senate if they'd reached the floor.
They were held up in committee. With Orrin Hatch taking over the chairmanship of that committee, you'll see floor votes. The tricky thing is going to be that any of those nominations that turned on racial questions are going to face even more scrutiny, precisely because of the Lott affair, and they really reexamining of Republican position on race. So that's going to be a more sensitive issue than before.
COOPER: The White House obviously, they must feel they have some momentum coming into this session. What are they going to look -- I mean, you know, the White House seems very well adapted, sort of targeting key issues and trying to get moving on those.
What do you think they're going to target? Is it economic stimulus?
CHADDOCK: I think that's one. And the other one that they really need before a presidential election in 2004 is some progress in movement on prescription support for seniors.
This is an issue that both parties have been promising voters for the last two, and even three, election cycles. So it's something that the president really needs to show progress on.
COOPER: And something you would think, with a doctor now leading the Republicans, Frist, they would probably get some sort of movement on?
CHADDOCK: He's a perfect spokesman on that issue.
COOPER: All right. Gail Chaddock, thanks very much. From the "Christian Science Monitor," thank you. We appreciate it.
CHADDOCK: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
