John King: Comair strike, Bush and the economy, and other politics this week

CNN Moderator: Good morning John King. President Bush intervened in the mechanics strike of Northwest Airlines earlier this month. Is he planning to take any action in the Comair pilots strike?

John King: For now, no. The president can only intervene if the National Mediation Board recommends a Presidential Emergency Board - as it did in the Northwest Airlines pilot dispute. But there has been no such recommendation in the Comair dispute, so the president has no power to intervene.

Message Boards Campaign Finance Reform The Bush Budget Airline Strikes?   Previous Transcripts John King: Campaign finance reform and other politics this week John King: Airline strike intervention and other politics this week

CNN Moderator: Why does John McCain think there will be "more hysteria" this week in the Senate campaign finance reform debates?

John King: McCain believes, and there is evidence to support this, that some of those who say they are for McCain-Feingold or something close to it in reality don't want change -- that they supported it believing it would never become law. So now that it is closer to passing, there is a confusing but fascinating debate over amendments, and some of them are clearly designed to kill the legislation. So it will be a very interesting week of debate.

Question from chat room: Mr. King, will President Bush continue to push his message of doom and gloom in order to make his tax cut seem more palatable?

John King: The White House is sensitive to allegations the president makes matters worse -- especially with regards to consumer confidence -- when he says alarming things about the economy. And Mr. Bush has moderated what he says somewhat: still raising doubts about a sputtering economy but beginning more and more to add that he thinks the long-term fundamentals are sound. Democrats sense a potential opening here. There is no evidence yet that voters blame Mr. Bush for the slowdown. But if things get worse, it will become not only an economic debate but the political blame debate will heat up as well and a lot of what you see and hear now is the early stages of that debate.

Question from chat room: Mr. King, is Bush going to let California face a major recession with a 50% increase in rates when they already pay 6 times the rate of the rest of the USA?

John King: Well, the White House has made clear that it views California as largely on its own in terms of dealing with this latest crisis. There was late in the Clinton administration some federal help and Bush extended that for a bit. The question would be what would happen if California had more than just these periodic rolling blackouts and an even bigger crisis. Then the White House would face considerable pressure because of California's impact on the national economy.

CNN Moderator: What other events might be in the political spotlight this week?

John King: There are more international leaders coming to the White House this week -- including the German chancellor. And the developments in Macedonia have the White House on alert because of the U.S. peacekeepers in Kosovo. There are more and more international issues confronting the president - and some criticism from allies about the new administration's posture. So that is worth watching, as is the continuing tax cut debate – Mr. Bush might not get all he wants as the Senate begins to get into the details.

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, John King. Look forward to our discussion again next week.

John King: Take care ... and sorry again for being a little late. Thanks

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