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Saturday Morning News

Karl Rove Discusses the Republican National Convention

Aired July 29, 2000 - 8:18 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going back now to the site of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And our man on the scene, Leon Harris.

Hi, Leon.

LEON HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, morning folks. Good to see you again.

Now, as Republican delegates begin making their way to the convention here in Philadelphia, the GOP presidential team is now winding its way through the five states that President Clinton won in the past two elections.

Joining me now is Karl Rove. He's senior strategist for the George W. Bush campaign and he's going to explain to us exactly why the candidate's taking that tour.

KARL ROVE, SENIOR BUSH STRATEGIST: Well, we want to send a message that he's a different kind of Republican and we're taking no vote for granted and we're doing well in places in America that Republicans haven't done well in the last couple of elections. We're going to one state that we last won in 1984, West Virginia. In fact, before we won West Virginia in 1984, the Republicans won it in 1952, in 1972. The only time we've ever won it in an open election is 1928. So we want to send a signal that we're going to compete hard for votes that Republicans normally don't get.

HARRIS: Yeah, well the signal, you said this signal that Mr. Bush is sending out is that he's a different kind of Republican.

ROVE: Right.

HARRIS: There are some people who are crying or casting aspersions on that, that is that assertion, because of this selection of Dick Cheney and now the information coming out about his voting record. How do you answer those critics?

ROVE: Well, look, Dick Cheney is, Governor Bush said I want to pick somebody who could be President of the United States. Dick Cheney has served our country tremendously as Secretary of Defense during the Gulf War, as a member of Congress, as the youngest chief of staff for a President of the United States in history. This man is a great pick. He raises the bar for Al Gore. Al Gore now has to have somebody that the American people can look at and say, just like they look at Dick Cheney, and say that person could be president.

HARRIS: But now that they're looking at his record, I have to ask you, did you not know that about his record going in or was that, did that not surprise you?

ROVE: No, not at all. Look, if it wasn't that, the Democrats would attack him for something else. I mean they attacked him for his stewardship of the Defense Department during the Gulf War. And look, one other thing. I love how the Democrats are attacking him for his voting record because like, for example, on abortion, his voting record is virtually indistinguishable from Al Gore's. On guns, his record is virtually indistinguishable from Al Gore's. Al Gore has, in essence, by these vitriolic attacks on Dick Cheney, put in play Al Gore's own voting record when he was a member of Congress and a member of the U.S. Senate.

HARRIS: Now, let me ask you something else about some recent news. There's been talk at this so-called Delaware Plan here being discussed about changing the way the primaries work because there have been so many complaints about how the big states pretty much dominate the process and the voting is over, pretty much, in March and most of the country doesn't get to participate.

Your candidate was not supposed to -- you had said earlier he was not going to have a position on that and you've come out and nixed that plan. What's -- why is that?

ROVE: Well, we had hoped to, we, this plan, it's not, you pointed out some of the problems. That's not all of the problems. One of the -- there are lots of other problems with the current system. We don't defend the current system. But the object here was to let the debate go forward and see if a plan would evolve that could be consensus supported by the Republican Party.

But unfortunately this plan would have on the first day of the election season a candidate would have to be simultaneously campaigning in states as far flung as Alaska and Hawaii, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware. I mean from literally one edge of the United States to the other all on one day and the wear and tear on a candidate would be terrific. It would also extend the length of the season and drive up the cost of it because there would be, you know, have over, you know, a majority of the delegates are not chosen until the final day. I mean half the delegates are up for grabs the final day.

So there are just, it was some concerns about it. There were a lot of concerns on the committee. There was a, you know, a lot of people said we really would like some guidance on what you all feel about this and we shared our concerns. But we do have a terrible system, though. There's no doubt about it.

HARRIS: Well, I can't let you go without asking you to give us a tidbit or something of what's going to come out of George W. Bush's speech when he does arrive in Philadelphia.

ROVE: Well, he's...

HARRIS: What's going to happen?

ROVE: Well, he's going to arrive on Wednesday and give a speech on Thursday and he's going to share what's on his heart and his mind. He'll talk about his agenda to reform education, strengthen Social Security.

HARRIS: Will we hear something we haven't heard before?

ROVE: Yeah, you'll hear some very interesting thoughts and you'll hear it expressed in a very from the heart point of view. He's worked hard on the speech. It represents him. It's his voice. And I think the American people will be interested to hear what he has to say.

HARRIS: Big tease. Still waiting. You're still going to make us wait.

ROVE: Exactly, Leon.

HARRIS: All right, Karl Rove, thanks much. Nice to have you with us here in Philadelphia.

ROVE: Great. Thanks.

HARRIS: Have a good time while you're here.

All right, we'll hear more about the Bush strategy when his vice presidential running mate Dick Cheney appears on a two hour special edition with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on LATE EDITION tomorrow at noon Eastern as well. But for now, let's go back to Atlanta to Kyra and Miles.

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