[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 31 (Monday, August 7, 2000)]
[Pages 1766-1770]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Kelly Ring of WTVT Television in Tampa

July 31, 2000

Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

    Ms. Ring. First of all, let's talk about why you came. And that's 
Medicare, and you know--I mean, this is something that's been important 
to you for a long time--getting Medicare, part of the prescription drug 
program included in Medicare. Talk about why that is so important to 
have that.
    The President.  Well, Medicare is a program that's 35 years old, and 
it's been a godsend for 35 years for a lot of our seniors. But when it 
was established, most of medicine was about doctors and hospitals and 
very little about prescription drugs. Now, the average 65-year-old has a 
life expectancy of 82 or 83 years, the highest in the world for seniors. 
And more and more, people need these drugs to stay alive and also to 
stay healthy.
    Over and above that, America has about 5 million people on 
disability who are eligible for Medicare, and they need the medicine 
even more. So what we have been saying is, ``Look, we've got this 
surplus. We have the money. We should add a voluntary prescription drug 
benefit to Medicare, because we have, all over America, seniors who are 
choosing every week between food and medicine because they can't pay 
their medical bills and because there is no other viable way to give 
them the medicine they need.''
    So I proposed this program, and I told the American people how we 
can add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, still have a family tax 
cut, still invest in education, and keep paying us out of debt. I think 
that it is so critical to provide for the elderly and disabled in 
America.
    Ms. Ring. Do you think it will happen before you leave office?

[[Page 1767]]

    The President.  I just don't know. I think the problem is the 
Republicans in the Congress believe that the program might be too 
expensive, although it's not nearly as expensive as their combined tax 
cuts, and they want--they also want a private insurance plan. But the 
bill they passed is just like one that got passed in Nevada, and not a 
single insurance company would offer the drug coverage because they knew 
they couldn't offer it at an affordable price. So the plan they passed 
is unworkable.
    Now, what's really going on here is that the pharmaceutical 
companies that make the drugs, they have reservations about it because 
they're afraid that if you put 39 million seniors, including 2.7 million 
seniors in Florida and 5 million disabled people, if you look at all of 
them and a significant percentage of them get in one program, that the 
people buying drugs for that one program will have too much marketing 
power, and they'll get the drugs for too cheap.
    Because what happens is, our pharmaceutical companies charge 
Americans more for drugs to cover all the research costs in America. 
Then they can sell them much, much cheaper in Canada or Mexico. You've 
seen all these press stories about people going there.
    Now, I just think that's not a very good reason to deprive senior 
citizens of medicine, and I don't think it's a partisan issue outside 
Washington. I think out here in Tampa or in Arkansas or New York or 
California, nobody asks you what party you're in when you go to the 
drugstore to buy medicine. In Washington, it's become part of an issue 
because the drug companies are against providing prescription drug 
coverage for Medicare. It doesn't sound reasonable, but it's true.

Florida and the 2000 Presidential Election

    Ms. Ring. Let's talk about the importance of Florida for this 
Presidential election. I know that you know how important Florida is. We 
have a Republican Governor--popular. His brother is running, but tell me 
what the Democrats are going to do to win Florida. Do you think they 
can?
    The President.  Well, absolutely. For one thing, I think we've 
worked very hard here for 8 years. We brought the Southern Command to 
Miami. We brought the Summit of the Americas to Florida. We worked on 
the plan to save the Florida Everglades. We have worked on trade policy. 
Our trade policy has helped a lot of Florida economic sectors.
    I was just here with Congressman Davis meeting with people from the 
Tampa area who would benefit greatly from the opening of trade to China. 
So I think we've got a strong record to run on. If you look at Tampa 
when I became President, unemployment here was 7.1 percent. Now it's 2.7 
percent. So, first we're going to run on our record. It's been good for 
America and good for Florida, and Al Gore will continue that economic 
policy, and I think that's important.
    Then, the second thing I think is just what we have to do is get out 
the differences on the issues. For example, Senator Graham has a bill of 
his own to provide prescription drugs for seniors that is a little 
different from ours but essentially in the same ballpark. And I know how 
much credibility he has with the Florida voters. So we can talk about 
Medicare, and we can talk about education, and we can talk about paying 
the debt off.
    I think when you see the Vice President and his running mate and 
Bill Nelson and all of these other Democrats out there just having a 
conversation with the people, we don't have to have a mean election this 
year. This year the economy is in great shape. The country is doing 
well, and we ought to have an old-fashioned citizenship lesson in this 
election. We ought to say, ``Here are the differences. You choose.''

Differing Visions of the Future

    Ms. Ring. And it's like you said in the speech a little while ago, 
you're talking about the differences. The Democrats are, but the 
Republicans aren't. Elaborate a little bit on that.
    The President.  Well, I think it's because they know that there is a 
tendency in the country to give the other crowd a chance after they've 
been out a while, and they know

[[Page 1768]]

that Governor Bush is an immensely charming, attractive man, and Mr. 
Cheney, Congressman Cheney, is a very nice man and has had Washington 
experience.
    So what they want to do is to seem safe and reliable and 
compassionate and inclusive. So they're not going to be up there saying, 
``Vote for us. Our favorite Supreme Court judges are Justice Thomas and 
Justice Scalia, and we're going to repeal  Roe  v.  Wade,'' but that's 
what's going to happen. But they're not going to say that. They're not 
going to be up there saying, ``Vote for us. We want to weaken air 
pollution laws on the chemical industry,'' or, ``Vote for us. We want to 
make sure that we don't have a Medicare prescription drug program that 
works,'' or, ``Vote for us. We're going to give all your money away in 
tax cuts, and we'll have higher interest rates and a deficit.''
    But what I think is important is, they should be able to defend 
their policies, but what they want to do is to obscure the differences. 
I see this as I travel from State to State now. They accuse the 
Democrats of running negative campaigns if they have advertisements 
pointing out how the Republicans voted. It's like they're almost saying, 
``We have a right to obscure our record from the people if you want.''
    What I think the voters need is clarity of difference. There are 
honest differences between these candidates. Let them state the 
differences honestly, but don't pretend the differences don't exist, 
because an election is a choice, and choices have consequences. And the 
American people should know the choice, know the consequences, and then 
make up their mind.
    And there are real differences on economic policy, on health care 
policy, on crime policy, on environmental policy, on policies relating 
to civil rights and individual liberty; profound differences, not just 
between the Vice President and Governor Bush but between these 
candidates for Senate, in this case, Bill Nelson and his opponent here--
right around the country. And what we should do is to say, ``Hey, this 
country is in great shape now, and we have a unique moment in history to 
make the most of our prosperity. So we'll bring our ideas; they'll bring 
theirs. Let's clarify the differences. Let's don't say bad things about 
our opponents. Let's assume everybody is patriotic, loves their family, 
loves their country, is honest, and would do what they have said they 
would do. But let's don't pretend that they didn't say they would do 
some of the things they said they would do. Let's just clarify the 
differences, and let the people make their mind up.'' That's my whole 
theory of the election.

Hillary Clinton's Senate Campaign

    Ms. Ring. Sounds pretty good. But let me ask you: Now that you're in 
the last few months of your Presidency, your wife is just beginning her 
own political career.
    The President.  I'm very proud of her.
    Ms. Ring. I know you are so proud of her. But on the other side, 
politics is mean- spirited. How do you feel about that?
    The President.  It hurts me. I get more nervous about her than I 
ever did about me, and everybody that always hated me all those years 
and were so mean to me, they've all transfered all their anger to her 
now. It's almost as if they've got one last chance to beat me. And then 
there are some people who voted for me that think they're mad at her 
because she's running in New York, and we just bought a home there.
    All I can say to them is, it wasn't her idea. The New York 
Democratic House delegation came to her and asked her to run. And before 
she said she would do it, she said, ``I'm going to go up there and look 
around, talk to people, and see if I could serve.'' She spent almost a 
year doing that, and then finally she decided that she would like to 
serve if they wanted her to.
    So I think if we can get this election again in a position where 
they just look at who's got the greatest strength, who's got the ability 
to do more, and which candidate do they agree, I think she'll do fine. 
I'm really proud of her, though. It's a really brave thing to do.
    Ms. Ring. It certainly is. As you said, it makes you very nervous 
thinking about what she's getting into.
    The President.  I guess when you're in a campaign, you don't have 
time to think about it. But I spend a lot more time worrying about her 
than I ever did worrying about myself when I was out there running. I 
feel like

[[Page 1769]]

I just wake up every day wishing I could do something else to help.

Post-Presidential Plans

    Ms. Ring. What are you going to do when you leave office? 
Everybody's talked about all kinds of things, and I know you probably 
haven't decided yet. I mean, everything----
    The President.  Well, I'm going to build a library and a public 
policy center at home in Arkansas. I know I'm going to do that. And I'll 
be there a couple of days a week. And then I'll probably be with Hillary 
a couple of days a week in New York. And then, of course, she'll have to 
work in Washington if this election goes well, and I believe it will. So 
I'll just decide what to do.
    There are a lot of things that I have in mind to do, but I don't 
think I really should make final decisions until after I leave here. 
What I want to do is to spend every last waking moment I can doing as 
much as I can for the people of America. And that's what this job is.
    When I lay the job down, then I would like to rest a bit and have a 
clear head and decide what to do. I'll try to find something to do to be 
useful for the rest of my life. I think I'll be able to find something 
to do.

Chelsea Clinton

    Ms. Ring. You're so young, so you've got so many opportunities.
    You've got to be so proud of your daughter, Chelsea. I mean, we 
reported last week she's made a decision to take a break and spend time 
with you--that's wonderful--and to help her mom campaign.
    The President.  It's wonderful. When your children grow up--I can 
say, now that I have this experience--you're always mildly surprised 
when they still want to spend time with you and completely relieved and 
happy. So you know, she's lived 40 percent of her life in the White 
House. She's 20, and she was just, when we came here in '92, she was 
still 12 years old. She was actually--I mean, in '93 she was still 12 
years old. She had her 13th birthday in the White House, in February.
    So she's been here for 40 percent of her life, and she's got more 
credits than she needs to graduate from college, and she told me that 
she was interested in doing three things: She wanted to help her mother 
some; she wanted to be with me when I would otherwise be alone; and--
like, she went up to Camp David with me and stayed the whole 15 days and 
kept everybody in a good humor.
    She flew to Okinawa with me, and she did a great job. And I think 
the third thing she wants is just to be in a place that has been her 
home for nearly half her life, every night she can be. Because she knows 
when she leaves, it's for good, you know, and she'll never be back, I 
mean, as a resident. So I think it's a very smart decision for her, and 
I'm thrilled.
    Ms. Ring. Because I'm sure you must be, because here she was just a 
young girl, and now she's a young woman. It's been so wonderful. I mean, 
everybody's fallen in love with her. She's just a very special person.
    The President.  I think she's an unusual young woman, and we're very 
proud of her and very grateful. And I think it's great. You know, 
tomorrow she and her mother are going to Long Island together. They'll 
have a big time. I think it's great.

Middle East Peace Process

    Ms. Ring. One more--can I ask about Mid East peace, because I know 
how important that is. You spent 3 tough weeks. Do you ever foresee a 
time when there is going to be peace in the region, and is Jerusalem the 
sticking point there?
    The President.  The answer to both questions is basically yes. I 
think--yes, I think there will be peace in the region; yes, Jerusalem is 
the most difficult issue. They did not agree on everything else, but 
they're close enough that I think that we can still get an agreement.
    Just a few hours ago, before we sat down for this interview, the 
Barak government, Prime Minister Barak's government in Israel was 
confirmed in a no confidence vote; that is, they didn't vote him out of 
office. So I think now, we just have to see if we can get some movement 
from the Palestinians, as well, and see if we can put this thing 
together again.
    If they want it, they can get it, because they're close enough now. 
They can get it. And I saw something after we had been there

[[Page 1770]]

2 weeks--sort of the body language that the Israelis and the 
Palestinians, the way they relate to each other. They know each other. 
They call each other by their first names. They know they're neighbors, 
whether they like it or not. They know their future is together, whether 
they would always want it to be or not. And they know their children are 
going to have to be partners and hopefully friends; and I think they'll 
find a way. I do believe that.
    I think it's just a question of making sure that we keep pushing 
them. When you deal with issues this difficult and this painful, it's 
like going to the dentist without having your gums deadened. You're not 
going to do it unless somebody herds you on, and you do it.
    But the calendar is working against them a little bit, because they 
have pledged to finish by the 13th of September. And that puts all kind 
of pressure, especially on the Palestinians. So they've got to keep 
working right now. They've got to do everything they can to get as much 
as they can done over the next 6 weeks.
    I think they will, and America's role is just to help. They've got 
to make the decisions and live with them, but we'll do everything we can 
to help.
    Ms. Ring. Will you try to bring them back to Camp David?
    The President.  I can't say yet. It's too premature to make a 
decision. What I will try to do is do whatever I can to get the peace 
process up and going and to bring it to a speedy conclusion. But I do 
not know, honestly do not know, as we sit here and talk, what would be 
the most helpful.
    Thanks.
    Ms. Ring. Thank you very much for doing this.
    The President.  Okay.

 Note:  The interview was taped at 3:30 p.m. in the Presidential Suite 
at the Hyatt Regency Westshore for later broadcast. In his remarks, the 
President referred to Republican Presidential candidate Gov. George W. 
Bush of Texas and Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney; Prime 
Minister Ehud Barak of Israel; and Bill Nelson, Democratic candidate for 
U.S. Senate from Florida. Ms. Ring referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. 
A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
interview.