Alexander Hopes N.H. Voters Recognize His New Ideas

Aired February 19, 1996 2:18 pm

BERNARD SHAW, Anchor: Well, our tape machine had Lamar Alexander going in reverse, we know he's moving forward, according to our polls. Everything is squared away, I'm told. Let's go back to the Alexander interview.

Governor, our latest tracking polls show that Bob Dole is bleeding support, with you apparently picking up some of it. How are you doing that?

LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), Presidential Candidate: I think he's doing it. He's helping. He's running these negative ads. I mean, he's ducking interviews, he's running negative ads about me. My wife saw four in 30 minutes. Here we have our most distinguished legislator at the end of his career with nothing to say, not on idea, and people here are sick of it. They're going for a positive campaign. I'm talking about new ideas, about jobs, about welfare. They're looking for a president, they're looking for somebody who can beat Bill Clinton and I think that's why I'm going up.

SHAW: What do you mean, Bob Dole is ducking interviews?

ALEXANDER: Well, he hasn't been around. He won't go on major network interviews, he doesn't show up in the evening. He hasn't got one idea about where to take the country. I mean, this is the day before the most important primary in the presidential race, and Senator Dole ought to be out here saying, `This is the way our country is going,' and he's not anywhere.

SHAW: Governor Alexander, how much have you and other candidates contributed to the anxiety of the undecided voters by saying one thing in Iowa and another thing in New Hampshire?

ALEXANDER: I think I've said the same thing both places. I mean, I've talked about a work scholarship for people changing jobs, a new branch of the armed services to control our borders, about expecting less from Washington, asking more of ourselves. I've been positive. My ads have been about me, about where I hope to take the country. I hope that's why I'm going up in the polls.

SHAW: Why do you think Bob Dole is too old?

ALEXANDER: I have never said he's too old.

SHAW: I didn't say you said that; I asked why do you think that?

ALEXANDER: I'm not going- Bernie, I'm not going to say that about Bob Dole.

SHAW: Do you believe it?

ALEXANDER: What Bob Dole doesn't have is ideas. I'm not going to make age an issue. There are some things that voters can decide for themselves. I think- what I hope the voters focus on is the difference between my new ideas and Bob Dole's lack of them. My positive campaign and his mudslinging.

SHAW: Let's be frank. Do you really have to be an Energizer Bunny to be president?

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ALEXANDER: No, but you need to be a visionary architect, you need to be able to beat Bill Clinton. You ought to have one idea about where to take the country. I haven't heard Senator Dole say one thing about where he'd like to take the country. I mean, he's good at getting a bill out of the subcommittee, but why would he be slamming me in negative ads, ducking interviews, relying on endorsements, when he ought to be standing up there and say, `Let's elect the first president of the next century. Here's where I would like to take us.'

SHAW: You are a very close third in this bunched up trio as we go into voting tomorrow morning when the polls open here in New Hampshire. Is it unlikely that you're going to move any further between now and then?

ALEXANDER: I don't know. What happened is that there was a high undecided. I had a high favorability, and as people made last-minute decisions, I gained. Here, there are some undecided, I have a high favorability, at least the last time I checked, unless those negative ads have worked me over, and maybe it'll break my way in the last day or two. In any event, it's going to be very close on Tuesday, and we're heading right on down the road to South Carolina and Georgia.

SHAW: You're talking about wanting to be your party's nominee, wanting to be a Republican president in the White House, and now you're putting distance between yourself and people like House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Contract With America. Why are you doing that?

ALEXANDER: I've always- I've not changed my view. I gave Newt an A-plus for his Contract, but some of my views are different. I mean, on welfare, for example, I don't like their 800-page welfare bill. I'd end Washington welfare and take the same amount of money and create neighborhood charity funds. On the environment, I'm a strong supporter of clean air and clean water, and I think I could help the Republicans in Congress come up with a way to celebrate the great American outdoors and then go to work against the environmental extremists.

SHAW: And you're critical of the Senate majority leader's leadership in the Senate?

ALEXANDER: Sometimes. I think Senator Dole is a fine legislative leader. I think he ought to stay right where he is. I think he's in the wrong- he's running for the wrong job. It'd be like playing Cal Ripken at quarterback.

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