Barbour Says GOP Ready to Rescue Dole From Funding Woes

Aired March 8, 1996 4:13 pm

BERNARD SHAW, Anchor: Bob Dole may want Pat Buchanan out of the Republican presidential race, but our CNN Time shows half of registered Republicans do not. But they are pretty much split on whether Steve Forbes should end his presidential campaign. The poll shows registered Republicans are also divided about the quality of the GOP field, with nearly half saying they are satisfied, and slightly fewer saying they are dissatisfied. Chances are those numbers are of interest to the Republican Party chief.

RNC Chairman Haley Barbour joins us to talk presidential politics. Those numbers interest you?

HALEY BARBOUR, Chair, Republican National Committee: Well, you know, I look back to Ronald Reagan in 1980, George Bush in 1988, I'm sure Democrats in 1992- the public always says, well, we'd like more choices, and there's always this argument about is the public satisfied? When this nomination's over, and I think it's premature to say that it is-

SHAW: But it's pretty certain that Bob Dole will be your horse.

BARBOUR: Well, it's not certain enough for me to say that, but certainly Senator Dole has got the thing moving in his direction, and Bernie, we said last year by the end of March we were likely to have a nominee. And it looks like that's probably the case, and when we clearly do know who our nominee will be, chosen by the Republican voters of the country, then we'll start to treat him that way. And I think Republican voters in the country united behind him.

SHAW: But in your bones, you feel it will be Dole?

BARBOUR: Well, you know, I was born at night, but it wasn't last night- [laughing] you guys want nine in a row.

SHAW: OK, Brooks Jackson is reporting Bob Dole brushing up against that $37 million dollar federal spending limit. Indications are your party which you head will bail him out, possibly with paying for campaign trips or TV commercials.

BARBOUR: Well, we can't pay for campaign trips for his campaign or TV commercials for his campaign, but we can pay for advertising for our party, our party's positions on issues. Senator Dole can go places and attend party events for party purposes. You know, it's an interesting law. Bill Clinton hasn't had to spend any of the money he has seeking his nomination. The taxpayers are giving Bill Clinton $10 million of taxpayer money to win the nomination, when he doesn't even have a contest for it. You know, instead of people worrying about Dole running out of money, what people ought to be saying, `Why don't Bill Clinton give that $10 million back that he got from the taxpayers to seek his nomination, since he got it automatically?'

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SHAW: A CNN Time Magazine poll out shows that registered voters think that Bill Clinton is ahead of Bob Dole - Clinton running nine points ahead. Does that bother you?

BARBOUR: Not really. You know the polls that count are the ones September, October, November- those are the polls that I'll be looking at; we'll be basing our plans on. But right now, if you look internally in the polls, the public agrees with the Republicans, and it's not just Bob Dole. It's Pat Buchanan, it's Steve Forbes- they want lower taxes, less spending, fewer regulations, genuine welfare reform. Bill Clinton has vetoed welfare reform twice, he has vetoed tax cuts for working families and for economic growth, he has vetoed the first balanced budget in 26 years. So, when the election is about the difference between our candidate and party, and Bill Clinton and his party, instead of Republicans talking about what they disagree on, then I think the polls will change, and that's why I am not worrying about the polling today.

SHAW: The poll shows, that if Colin Powell were on the ticket running with Bob Dole, more Republicans more likely to vote for that ticket.

BARBOUR: Well, once we have a nominee- I don't know who our nominee will choose, but the great thing is there is such a tremendous field to choose from. He'll have an embarrassment of riches in front of him to pick a running mate from.

SHAW: The clock is chasing us. I have got to get on to I hope two more questions.

Did you form a truth squad today because your presumptive nominee, Bob Dole, will need all the help he can get?

BARBOUR: No, we formed it today because a year ago this week, the Democrats ran the big school lunch fraud where they went out and Bill Clinton himself said Republicans are cutting the school lunch program, when the fact is school lunches were going up, and the budget Bill Clinton vetoed raised school lunch funding exactly the same amount as his own budget. We know that people need to have the facts in front of them, and we formed the truth squad because we want the election to be decided by the truth.

SHAW: OK, thanks very much. One other thing in reference to the party helping Bob Dole. Ronald Reagan in 1984 took matching funds in the primaries.

BARBOUR: Ronald Reagan did not spend millions and millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money running advertising attacking the other side like Clinton does. Clinton has got this as a gimme. The taxpayers ought to get their money back.

SHAW: OK, Haley Barbour, head of the Republican Party- got to have you back when we've got ten minutes for you.

BARBOUR: Thanks, Bernie.

SHAW: Thank you.

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