The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; 1996 Republican Convention

it's big ms blakey that is because baby

as beans beans nbc news coverage funding for this program has been provided by the corporation for public broadcasting and viewers like you and good evening from san diego on jim lehrer welcome to our coverage of the republican national convention the business of the second night is that of the issues and the keynote speech we are here again in partnership with nbc news led by tom brokaw was an nbc sky with in the convention hall

today with your day jim and tonight after last night's great collection of stars in the gop informant night will be hearing from a galaxy of rising star thomas hughes last family that metaphor i feel if i have a lot of congressmen and governors from across the country young people who are taking control of this party they'll be talking about their own personal modest roots and how they found a home when his party will also be talking about the issues that they believe will be the hot buttons come before we talk about crime and welfare and the economy and education will be hearing from among others governor weapon of new jersey governor edgar of illinois governor thompson was thousand speaker gingrich will be here tonight as well jc watts young black congressman from oklahoma was made such a splash in washington and then of course the keynote speaker says molinari who is married to another member of congress and she is a working mother because they have a three month old daughter will be hearing about all that night as well i play guitar and our coverage plan for the evening as to supplement those major events from the podium in various ways will be looking

at the issues such as the dole economic plan and at the issue of newt gingrich and the issue of the gander jet gander gender gap among others we will be hearing from writer garry wills and senator pete domenici among other invited guests as well as our regulars pollster andrew kohut david gergen doris kearns good mornings johnson michael beschloss and bill kristol and our analysts shiels indigo syndicated columnist mark shields wall street journal columnist alter ego who be here with me throughout the meatball one of the republicans won't open up a sheer delight above all else they want to begin to make the case against bill clinton you see this play out the themes of the fall campaign and begin to make their arguments about why bill clinton or be removed about a lot of your own to be in his place still it should be said though we should expect some edge to this and i think i think last night it was so it was one the most remarkable opening night of convention i've ever herbert there was very little criticism of the income that was almost all positive i think tonight some other gospel market where a caller's

right if it's a spectacle of a red beet for the walker oh it's so last night the only people that live in red meat last night with a two elder statesman of the ride george bush and gerry ford the biggest lion and i was not a line in blessing bob dole and praising jack kemp it was jerry ford's why i'm not afford and not awake in the present incumbent the white house not a foreigner awakened he said dottie's a convertible botch and that was said that was the line that got the biggest their response was at bill clinton lying and i think that's we're going to see more of your thing to the republicans have to convince their own supporters have a bob dole supporters do not believe he's going to win in november the bacon is not only that the other guy deserves to be retired but that they guy can win and that process continues tonight how do they go about convincing the people in the hall that they can weather a part of that one of the things we tried to show that this is a team effort and that in fact it's just not bottles candidacy and it's not just the last

speaker that night they are also the republican party right people in the thirties and the forties who chew one statehouse races or chair committees in congress they were trying to move the country along the republican agenda and of course the selection of utah earlier this evening mark about the selection of susan molinari as the keynote speaker there's a message there is a strong message and that message is quite simply that they were want to record white male kansans from rural kansas i could choose as his keynote speaker a baby boomer new mother from staten island has the names of all one of funny assault weapons ban billboard far failing medically the bill clinton sponsored was pro choice this is a big party have been reached in and this is part of the republican party that's what banville was to say about all this is also as i said a moment ago issues my ambition fish are no but it gets more on the issues that both of the drum roll me it's also issues

nine at the issues that divide the republicans like abortion affirmative action there's no big deal most of the world they might be issues later in the campaign i think partial birth abortion will be an issue for example the president's veto of that band will be it maybe even affirmative action but what the la showcase of this this convention other main things i think the centerpiece of this is the economy and taxes well let's begin speaking of issues was performed for the scotsman saddam and it caught on what issues the republicans think they're so important was with the republicans for some answers we turn to andrew kohut director of the pew research center for the people and the press and independent polling organization andy just what is important what is your polling show about the republicans only four years ago and seventeen percent of republicans that the biggest problem in the country where their own conditions now the top tier issues so what worked with god what's wrong with the country are really the moral issues that people talk about crimea talk about the

morality drug use gangs basically the way we relate to one another the second tier of issues in terms of the problems with the country republicans balancing the budget and the way government works in the way the political system works toward reform so these are the issues they want the candidates to address well not necessarily because understand the issues when there is no overarching issues like peeling an onion and balancing the budget when when we asked voters what we would have these candidates talk about republicans say at the top a balancing the budget morality but also still economy and of course taxes which republicans always worried about it you know crime is important they don't miss that it's something they really want people to address well i think they acknowledge her feel that the presidential candidates can do less about corn they need to do in dealing with the ultimate luxury room with the moral crisis in the country and i think it began about the moral crisis by government dealt mostly they say that the president

should set a good example of moral character has to be the case and that's the president sets the tone for the country and this issue of morality and what we was there a way in the way we relate to one another very important part of the mother of the waters as well now you said texas more important that you didn't estimate a major issue well it's not taxes or not as important to republicans as balancing the budget when cbs new york times poll paul post the issue what's more important balancing the budget that there was a silent majority republicans after paula davis sat down to budget on taxes and five republicans also say it's more important to maintain a level of spending on education and defense spending and to cut taxes so even though cut tax cutting as an important issue for republicans in these other priorities that live all the taxpayer and

yet senator dole is hoping that common for a tax cut will really give him a lot of support will that's because they were from the other side of the issue as economic conditions this week the supply side argued successfully republican with republican voters are an awful lot of republicans who while they think economic conditions are better than they were four years ago they worry about the future they're more republicans who are middle income and lower income people they have anxiety about the future generation and they are jammed us for more on republicans on the issues we returned tom brokaw the conventional time and you were going to go down to the floor of the convention now i hear from these delegates about what they're worried most about what they anticipate in terms of a dull presidency would excite the most order to begin with and the season isn't wires who's in the california delegation the biggest electoral college because of the fuel itself tom thank you very much i'm here with

more clearly and businessman a member of the california university's board of regents and that kind of makes you think the most important issue facing the country is like a lot of confidence confidence of the political process doesn't work you are willing to pay taxes we view each other i think that's it i'm not here is surprisingly as the republicans are bashful and i think that there is a lack of competence of the white house and i think that they've filed a situation man of the road still that it's almost and that's not healthy for democracy that has made you really great there is more important than the

economy in taxes as a businessman i do democracy are willing to do that fate of the political process of flavors that you can reach consensus on anything thank you very much my colleague when ayatollah khomeini thank you mars the new

plan during an rnc for life that we are opposed to and you know how it's the most important issue that's not happening at the debate over abortion tends to overshadow the words immediately it is and then more money is needed write more attacks and to continue mr price well in the virginia delegation gen shar is a self employed as a businesswoman from virginia and also tell us that's not the most important issue for you what is

it any jobs concern about health care insurance for the republicans cannot and this is what you told you find that's the message that has been sent to some women about what trouble well i would like to be a little friendlier for women however i think that republican women changed that diplomatic rounds republican women are very concerned that that is about and so i found a crime in our neighborhoods of republican women can tell other women we are concerned it can help in these sessions when you go home to virginia to talk your friends about this convention and here's why he should vote for bonds or what we tell

i know it now thanks very much that's arrested a boom in fact the scene this evening is listening to america and there are women lining here in moore paul some videos on the giant screens above order americans across the country and their concerns about things like small business and welfare and cried and now let's listen to one of the rising stars of the phony mr lloyd roberts the plane very

well scripted television infomercial of november but within roaring thank you very much and i am delighted to be with you tonight as we highlight small business in america no sector of our economy is more important they're helping the american dream become reality in my state of illinois eighty five percent of the new jobs are being traded by small business we've created an environment where small business can forage we downsized government we cut taxes we need

you lawsuit happy lawyers at the expense of small businesses and when it comes to regulating business we have proven that we can protect the environment the consumer and the bottom line by replacing nonsense with common sense i'm proud that our unemployment rate in illinois is lower than it's been for decades and it is below the national average when we create the right climate for small businesses to grow and prosper we all cry more jobs better pay wrong and it's a big economy but the day in america build planes government is afraid of the wrong climate for small businesses

high taxes oppressive regulation into his government this type of role bill clinton pushed through the largest tax increase in history it it fell hardest on america's small business owners but bob dole will change that we love those extraordinary leadership in the white house we're going to get less government none bigger government we'll accomplish on a national level what republicans have been doing in statehouses around this nation by paul shares about small business models fifteen percent across the board cut in

the intent that's right and his fifty percent cut in the top right of the capital gains tax will put money back in the hands of people who hold small businesses this will mean new investments new markets and more most importantly it will mean new jobs for the american people it will mean new opportunities for small business owners like lou and mandates in my home state of illinois my father started the business in nineteen seventy two my oldest brother my second oldest brother hacking into this is prior to myself it was about nineteen eighty or not i'm getting

a hugely one thing and then there's always something waiting on the french that could make you take a step backward an author another mandate or something going down it's just it's a constant fight i don't like a lot of government and i think government has its roots its important role we couldn't we couldn't function as we do the nation without it that i feel like when it comes to doing business especially small business that we can do ourselves is fighting to keep her business alive in the small town where our nation was once locked in an epic struggle gettysburg bar who lives the american dream began for

me when i became the owner of the small restaurant but that dream has turned into a nightmare along with more than five hundred and fifty other small businesses i was driving into a superfund lawsuit in nineteen ninety five you know it made on government regulations among their targets are restaurants that was leftover mashed potatoes into the dumpster i like myself and nine this is not the

panacea and there we might look and watermelons anyone who is why i asked the government to guarantee that success but they like small business owners nationwide are asked the government to get out of the way and allow them the chance to six eight oh my we'd

like to know texas's that if i wasn't paying taxes to the federal government and in high amounts i could be dying more equipment i could be putting out more employees i could i could be growing answer republican congress has been phenomenal unfortunately they haven't been able to do some of the things that they wanted to do and tried to do because the plant has vetoed them there had been so many good bills that had been brought up in congress this year that would have made it very very big change for small businesses and there's more to calm fears the yard bit to chrysler for michigan has introduced the small business bill of rights which is going to be a very important thing to us i don't think that the plan has signed for the first time the chairs of the committee's republican chair is have been totally something small businesses using this has never happened millions of small businesses are helping

make the american brain cancer a whole and the republican party are committed to that area we need more taxes we need we need much as nonsense in more common sense of how these are the president of the way police van with europe now and with the hall as the next president of the united states we were in the league into retail the american dream illinois and some of his constituents their small business owners where we learn more from various governors

and members of congress in iraq crime and education and welfare reform as well as we go through this so the night of the republican national committee next time or chills palsy go first all this is a matter of technique would be to think of that approach of the governor in addition various constituencies can call teacher reads haven't politicians stand up there and lecture to the country i mean it's just a better way of selling something if you have real life examples and people talking about their concerns and that's obviously what they're trying to do they're trying to say this is not a party which is a bunch of blue suits lecturing to you it's really about our power authority it's about something we can do in your behalf to get it i think you're going to see the democrats billed as well mark i think in the day it's its board of some necessity i mostly issues or cutting against the republicans in this selection thus far been environment education healthcare unemployment i am when they are stronger than government spending and double the size of the federal government so it

emphasizing that makes political sense funk thought what they're going to win the election but it certainly does have an appeal of republican voters and independent voters on the issues the housekeeper was intrigued by what we're commonly of the california been dismantled lisa myers the insane the economy even say health care even say he said confidence confidence in and the people who lead this country candidates in all institutions i mean it really and that's right and there's no no question about it and that's that that is a that's a problem plagues united states in the last four years of the twentieth century an aggressive touches on the economy on it adam lanza isn't not baldwin some politicians a limited budget taxes and raise your taxes confident and meanwhile the news every time a politician breaks a promise there is an erosion of trust and what the republicans are trying to do here is say that we will keep ours and they contrast to what president clinton promised in it too and didn't keep his most particularly on

taxes but also for care and it if you get any kind of measurement of the impact of the economic plan or bob dole governor edgar used on that small business what every other airline had something to do about the economic plan no that's right and that's that's obviously what republicans want the issue focus to be in this campaign to the view that this is a presidential election without with about foreign policy or national security component to it unlike president elections were then through the cold war and it was about the size of our defense budget there are far fewer troop commitments but that is not the case that's not the bullets really in nineteen eighty six during some some disaster initially so they do the dole campaign is trying to fix it on the economy and one real problem is that they talk about wage stagnation which have been real imaginative twenty years it hasn't stopped the bill clinton too many conservative thinkers politicians and riders have been denied that there was

waged a nation now they're insisting there is in the last four years right and we must mean some time now on the poll plan on other matters economic winger began with a garden dialogue david gergen editor of art of us news and world for talks now the garry wills professor of history at northwestern university author of reagan country an article in last sunday's new york times magazine david thanks to gary in your article the sunday new york times on the cover was a cover story he wrote that reagan made possible the republican revolution that is at stake in san diego one could say of the convention site what sir christopher wren students as a cathedral built over it don't look for his mind when you're in it you're really really are in san diego and the monuments are all right tell us about his legacy well it was pretty evident last night when the films show about him that is the dream boat of the republicans but also of all americans there was something just incredibly attractive and central american and the symbolism of the right

at the last he spent down to world on fire is in effect by tripling our deficit and driving the soviet union into trouble and he also drained legitimacy from the soviet union as the evil empire which was which it deserves a bit of credit for bringing to announce we are so very legitimacy from our government we have no people around the federal government fascists and not noticed finnish people with leaders of the republican party in the house of representatives they would not ever have been able to do that except for the fact that reagan so clearly stigmatized and was the enemy it was on our backs that was the problem not the solution and so even legitimate a really quite radical distrust and even hatred of government in egypt made a great deal of the things that the legitimate in the country he was not ever perceived as an extremist for instance uses too much american

i cut and yet if you look around at the convention here which an appeal to him for almost everything that brings up at this abortion or really strong radical economic measures that appeal to him this is a terribly radical conventions uribe but for me once six constitutional amendment say one drastic change they want to get rid of four agencies and for departments they want to get into family life care and what is in his own marriage and all of that has taken the republican party right over the underpass dissonant angle have a party over it and never scared anybody because it wore that reagan it's hard for you to leave oh terrific and of course he drew on much of the

roosevelt symbolism which he admired a great deal sure reagan was so good that he could make pass accept things it we would've taken from other people comfortable some of the republicans here would argue very strenuously with your characterization of reagan economics says look at period of growth period for new cars private enterprise prosperity was for shane we've never thought of but of the nation were in nineteen eighty that much we brought on a period of growth after it plunges into a terrific recession at one in eighty two when the average family lost three thousand dollars just at that time of course that leverage was not distributed equitably then there was a quick rebound but not quick enough that the growth in his last five years equal the growth in the five years preceding his presidency you know he came in and the major problem was inflation in the normal prescription for that was tough

medicine to cool off the economy tightened things up that went against reagan's optimism and so he wanted to appeal to his idea that lesotho take every just let go you could come in from northwestern sounds like echoes what we may be hearing in chicago in about ten day's time we're coming about what if whether that though plant in your view until economic plan represents an extension will serve the idea that you can have a very drastic tax credit will not pay for itself certain in conjunction with other things cause enough growth that overall you come out ahead you know even now people don't trust that there's a polling of the delegates to this convention very conservative convention asking what their other first priorities twenty nine percent said balancing the budget only thirteen percent said cutting taxes so it's hard to see how some of the country if he has this kind of attitude even in the very conservative republican delegates who

they argued that to bob dole stands for cutting spending cuts and cutting taxes together well you know reagan also said that he was right exactly did try study had been stuck wondering all kinds of plans i can remember having standup who testifies people but it didn't work and of course what happened is that we didn't want to that tremendous recession and people blame bush for raising taxes so emotional back to reagan reagan raised taxes incrementally four times later on what he called the revenue enhancements center thank you yes and we continue the discussion now of margaret warner mark now a closer look at the issue that republicans have to make the defining one of the selection economy for that we're joined by senate budget committee chairman pete domenici of new mexico stanford economist and dole kemp adviser john taylor and white felons executive director of the concord coalition welcome all of you chan tell you just heard wood garry wills said in most of the polls show this that the

american public is not as deeply concerned about the economy and the cutting taxes have in the past what makes your cubicle door campaign think that this is one of the weakest expansion to meet over wages are not going in motown's growth is low productivity growth slow growth is really a major issue for america the future for our children so we can raise incomes and all of its key issue the issue is just for this program in terms of people's preferences if you ask people if they liked both reduced taxes and balanced budget that gets the big issues for sixty percent of people say that the fun with that as a choice that's what they like to look at the port that's what this program senator polls show that if you ask people especially better off today than you were four years ago in which it a slim majority say i am better off that kind of esoteric issue has concluded that for someone that would your estimate

you're the mask would be a state issue that what would you why do you think your paycheck be bigger than it is in the work you do you should ask for your family or your medium income the two of you that are working should it be growing more dubious see what the answer so that's what this this economic plans directly that there's stagnation in wages and stagnation and medium incomes like we've never had a kid contrary to what the president says is getting worse not better and if you don't address the growth in the economy the checks are never going to go out and productivity is the worst it's been in many decades that means their paychecks are markedly bigger unless we do something dramatic results do you agree that that issue can be brought her liquor store transition economic growth i think that economic growth as a political issue it's very difficult if you ask people would you like to have a tax cut they say sure and then they say but how can we afford that and how are you going to try and they're going to a balanced budget plan and right now we're not seeing any specifics about how

we can do that we've tried this before where we've said we're going to make gigantic reductions in the rate of growth of spending some people called the scuds other people thought and truthfully we don't know how we can afford to do both and unless we stop running large government deficits that cut into our culture savings we don't know how we can grow up with it's hard to credibly make the case that you can cut taxes and balanced approach and i don't think it will look at the political campaign is it takes the deficit and tutors and two decision to do it it reduces tax is a way you deal with people or legal issues you look at their first of all it doesn't bring the deficit down at all for the first four years than a dozen us straight nose dived for the last two years and it takes the fence off the table social security any further cuts in medicare beyond what the republican congress indicated an interest of two thirds of the budget is off the table but let me ask a man is made out of

balancing the budget a life's work according to many stories i've read before they could sell this plant john taylor and others to bob dole they had to sell you can you afford bob dole would then be more trouble with it what persuaded unit were the first thing to go and no one to six economist at work on this about the worst stag remembers dr that the universe check these are not radical views of the best in the world mainstream as could be and they are not predicting as some are calling these are not predicting a big supply side recall in this plan they are saying twenty seven percent you can expect as a report and even though most economists that don't like tax cuts say probably anything less than thirty five percent is pretty reasonable the goal of this plan is

not that you were being asked to assume huge new tax will cut taxes but rather you gotta find about another hundred and eighty billion dollars to hundreds and cuts reductions we think part of it's going to be from corporate welfare much as ninety two hundred and it and we're gonna look around and look for some more and frankly we're in a contract that's what scares me i don't specify what the corporate welfare well being you have stated cuts you have one percent unspecified cuts you've got four hundred billion dollars money that falls and your lap because of fiscal dividends the politics of this gets really really here to discuss the democrats are saying there's no way you can do this without going after entitlements year the concord coalition you agree with that we say that over the long term i don't know it's a really really serious problem is we've got medicare growing faster than the tax base and faster than i'm really going to do something serious to medicare budget we've got shaving in

the salon republican congressman will by us a few years but it doesn't solve the problem and social actually it was good off the table specifically over the long term people need to be concerned with that politically it's probably a nonstarter to raise these issues because he wants to you know talk about these difficult choices and yet i think most americans know those choices are out there that the baby boomers are going to become the senior bowman who's going to pay for all that retirement and we've got to address these issues what about that can use likely address those issues raised those issues and i think the plan lays out others that have been done recently and she says is this is as specific as you can possibly get more and what i would say in terms of the future of in terms of entitlement to the next century the number one thing to do and we can afford it so we can do these things

let me as you this settled this difference of a deal between these two about whether or not to make this plan work over the next five years or whatever the span is to get this over five hundred billion text that you will have to address middle class entitlements you know it's basically in in the budget resolutions and it worked on there are plans for slowing the growth of various entitlement cuts in the budgets very clear there's nothing in addition it's in his plan to reduce taxes years ago one of the last interviews but the democratically chosen not the last ones we went through on medicare are very close to the persons in fact i wish i had the numbers here that we are very close to him on medicare and medicaid we maybe one percent off in terms of how much restraint when humanity we can we can find that out and then they tell you the problem the budgeteers have on one of those

rivers and she has all she knows is that they expect presidents to come through with the budget but it's this that has gotten over the two no president ever since that what i'm satisfied is that this plan is not calling for a huge increases in tax revenues which all revolve supply side tax increases it does not provide those in anything like the amount that some supply side economists thought and a few seconds enough to reduce its not as basically supply side planning to inject campus a major leagues plus this tell us a larger evolution tax cuts but it focuses on the supply the attention it imperative that that's why that sense but the floats and then she says is purposely conservative and make the program say overtime increased much more than they're giving this point they're being conservative on a statement but i want to leave it there thinking off its iq margaret quickly paul and marcus

can we read from that all that supply siders know a bad turn as the economic planning on those is not surprised is not supply side it's not supply sites was you know the man who coined that phrase with her star richard nixon's chief economist in the early eighties and it quite as an epithet and the supply siders about the best thing anyway and that it's taken on a little bit of negative connotation but the truth is is classical economics basically it's in the dissenters matter and bob dole is saying that taxes are a way to affect incentives and you can grow the economy faster that way so i don't think it's dead at all of the charitable side of the termite fred the terms was that it's a killer and it really hurt supply side sounds exactly like free like something from nothing the rich get there is that they come up with they got to come up with something no they really go i don't know what it is but

it's against it would say why the gig and a label and okay thank you both very much let's go back now to tom brokaw on the convention hall talking so jim forgive woman marshals was just talking about there are a lot of voters down under for this convention who drink deeply from a cup of wine or whatever the label is working for you on issues or talk about that somehow and governors around the country who are trying to invoke the idea of the tax cuts to stimulate their economy other governors who are worried about the consequences with begin with tim russert who is with your governor george pataki and i gathered you know we have some of the solution as well we do it we're excited about what astrology what atf estimates to nominate him to warn iran gets an honorary really happen so george pataki will nominate

jack and tomorrow night in a school that's right now let me ask you about the final vote as you know the overthrow of the fifteen thousand five hundred billion dollars you know what the first round welfare reform tax cuts have done for the us that we've been able to create jobs we've been able to get people off welfare we've been able to increase our revenues so that we had a surplus last year for the first time in a long time at the federal level to get those that we can cut taxes and create jobs and opportunity and you can balance the budget but he's always had an optimistic visionary view of america he's always believed in the american people and he's right they had tremendous now if we get the government out of that was that you have no concern that a person in your family today when bob dole and jack kemp say we're going to cut taxes you're going to be ok and

i believe it's going to create jobs and i believe it's going to expand opportunities for people across america and in europe and tax cuts in new york have created jobs and increased revenues we've been able to i'm used to provide the services that we have been for people who depend on them and i'm very confident that is in that camp as superman is a vision of people with this aaron is going to make us a better country police estimates not just among the month but you're here a generation to generation in her job is far better than a welfare check by cutting taxes you're going to create jobs you're going to get people to themselves fine the ladder of opportunity instead of being trapped in a nightmare a while for your

town will nominate a woman who wrote the idea of a tax cut to a big upset victory in the state of new jersey is governor christie whitman and she's on the forgers night with our maria shriver grew at a camera like after the fact because they've seen it happen is a devastating crisis governors of texas have seen economic growth things that really was ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha <unk> raise taxes its was a sixty year program anyway we're in the second half years in and we created a

rotisserie six thousand more jobs and that the ones that we will place that we've lost jobs created the state which is right now years into bill clinton has said that are crippling the economy deficit and weinstein says a lot of those opposed on our street had simply you see you know there's an increasing just in greece but in nineteen eighty four ronald reagan asked the american people to ask themselves were they better off as they had four years ago people are saying to themselves like the better off under bob dylan speaking and i am under bill clinton that some of them don't have the answers why should they change if if you have a very definite yes voters that we're talking about is putting more money in their pockets to spend than before to save or invest as they see this big government out of their lives that are a little

bit and it's the kind of thing gives an opportunity for real economic growth in america reels haven't a weapon thank you so much tom is even hearing these speeches and i pretty much every city taxes this year one of the rising stars in the eastern seaboard the republican party and as governor george allen of the state of virginia governor are you not at all concerned about what happens to the federal deficit which is a major major concern for most of the lawyers at this convention base in the polling that we've done if bob dole's able to put into effect his fifteen percent tax cut for the english legitimate concern about the deficit there's also legitimate concern about people who worked day in and day out for money for their families and what we want to do is allow them to keep more of what they earned just by doing that they will be spending the money will be saving a company investing in there's no doubt that they'll be an increasing revenues they're willing to be reductions in the federal government they won't be easy no engine and say that oh gosh as will just be a simplistic raise but the

congress that's in their shown the willingness to make those tough decisions i have the backbone to make the tough decisions and also the result will be of more decisions will be sent to the people and communities and states because the federal government will not be involved in some money how burdensome regulations and they're in areas that are best left to the people in the states legalizing your constituency was a ridiculous and we're gonna cut by fifty percent taxes my i can't touch sixty percent of the budget that were dealing with iran as the realities facing bob dole because of medicare and defense spending and other things you think that we can get home for years seven years and balanced the budget well as far south the national defense is concerned that has been cut a great deal that is clearly the primary responsibility of the federal government the other areas that may not be cutting up to understand this and then i couldn't cut it increases might not be as great as they would be ordinarily and unfortunately washington dc if somebody gets two or three percent increase that is somehow considered the cut because i won a five or six percent i'm in the state of virginia

prosper in part because in the northern part of your state you have a very large federal government presence of that tradition of the blues well our economy has had to deal with the current downsizing especially in the military whether it's in hampton roads where that the naval facilities are or northern virginia it does have an impact on on virginia but we don't look at the government as an employer of last resort and in fact virginia under our ministration we have reform our tax laws or regulatory policies were open for business and we've had record investment in the commonwealth of virginia and we're getting folks in like a semiconductor chip manufacturers such as ibm to shave a seaman motorola gateway two thousand computers and many others and so our economy is going very well in virginia despite the tough challenges we have with the military down sizing your march thank you mr burke and baggage and where we will continue our discussion on the economy but

first critic mark governor pataki told tim russert that jack of jack kemp asked him to nominate not so thats interesting choice i don't he gets it as it is politically significant the fault line that submerged object to reject him and the republicans in the congress to give the speaker and that's been over immigration the jack kemp has been probably the most staunch supporter of open immigration george pataki the governor of new york was asked to give a speech on immigration the platform without a bible and i can any six after constitutional amendment prohibiting pickling citizenship for child one as states get their parent he's here legally which jack kemp opposed any a joint attack refused to do it he said because his own maternal grandmother came from ireland you legally of course older sisters immigration papers and he and noble was a german sailing jump ship in new york harbor became citizens this country productive working people so it's intriguing choice i think the objectives are at it again at ethnic

big state new york republican and he was also one of the governors who was it was going to leave the floor fight that didn't happen over the abortion why do i think that that's really true but i also think it's more poor because he's one of the governors who cut taxes and if you look at the store that's another side again i think that's another tie course is also a caution for buffalo for nearly twenty years but you look a good christian would look at georgia arguably john edwards michigan gop governor pataki all these governors really have a secret weapon for the republicans hope will be the secret weapon in this campaign because they've all practice tax cuts in their states successfully and the only witness critical equipment your cheap she won election on yet so that's the real precedent they're looking for ok when we continue our conversations about about the bad economics now and we weren't sure when i will richardson is our regulars for an examination of the role issues like economics have played in past elections presidential historians doris kearns goodwin and michael beschloss journalist and

author haynes johnson and they are joined by william kristol editor and publisher of the week the standard is you've been listening to this conversation dominated by economics or what is the role of big issue in presidential campaigns historically every four years we talk about the issues or there that this is an issue that is the single issue that's happily not the case unless we have a great crisis like civil war slavery or a great depression then you do have an issue to drive it but basically it's what we're most of it about how people feel about their own lives oblivious about the economy how they feel about their leaders can't elusive thing called leadership we want to hear a we want strong aversive the soldier statesman willett generals feel good political i think we'll let the eisenhower to grant these are these are powerful figures and character count clinton i feel your pain will see how much pain we use in this election the people that it's elusive but it's different than the

questions of character a personality disorder one of the things thats happened is that the character's going to find in the last election to merrily it's almost as if all the characters is the moral virtues of a leader whether he slept with somebody or not i think the way you define it as much more quickly is the leader what impression if he decides that doesn't have convictions doesn't have confidence to see if energy look cleveland had an illegitimate child he won reelection because people thought would be a better leader for them in nineteen sixty when jfk what to do with his hair was better than nixon's in the debate nixon sweat was because he made people feel the country was going to be moving again that by touting energy that's what they're looking for some and connecting to their problems will be a leader i said we're calling the businessman from california should say that it was that lack of confidence that people were worried about and that character was more pointed out in the budget we surprise that that was interesting well there is also important and i think the forces right that

how you define character will be a big big issue in the sort of character is feeling you're paying someone who's understand your problems clinton wins you look at polling data clinton is being told to throw you one question does he understand your problems fifty six percent of americans think the world doesn't understand or prosperity or the president of people thinking the president ended doesn't understand what they go through on the other end if you ask higher ethical standards higher and better more integrity golden still and so one of the battles of the selection of the worst character mean does any feeling your pain or does it mean leadership entered michael voris so just talked about john f kennedy and i remember people commonly used in effect you know the personality of peak candidate is more important indication convinced harris the book's nixon so what was it is it is

larry horn all the time in the nineteenth century when you had basically we president's strong congress's it didn't really matter that much what kind of all these skills we sell in a president to get out of the twentieth century in particular opera particularly our own time we have in recent years got a lot more sophisticated about the degree to which you have a president like richard nixon with certain character defect certain lack of certain clinical skills and always those kind of things can sometimes be foreshadow nowadays to look for hints of those things before we elected president we didn't do that for instance with woodrow wilson nineteen twelve although wilson was probably pretty interesting psychiatric facility the other thing is television wilson we did not have to watch on television morning noon and night nowadays i think to some degree voters think about the fact that they do have to live with this

person and his family and his entourage in his values and his no you look for a long period of time and that does somewhat effective judge one of the most fascinating things about this if you think about two strong presidents indisputably both of whom came to disaster lyndon johnson won the greatest electoral victories all indicative of roosevelt thirty six sixty one point six one percent oppose that richard nixon comes along and just comes right behind the united states each of them catered to proceed with questions about the character and moral probity all that and yet public media's distinction and one of them in the office because they believed the babies of success i think what happened in the public was a referendum against what happened before they were against the vietnam war when they voted for next time but sometimes those are the main issues that happen in elections are voting again somebody rather than one that's what nixon said it that people vote against rather than more formally announce

it sure i am we are going to take a short break now but tom brokaw all of us will be right back to resume our joint pbs nbc news coverage of the republican national convention ms boynton has begun fb