'Meet the Press' transcript for Feb. 22, 2009

MR. GREGORY:  Before you go, your political future is something that's been speculated about.  Here you were in November in Iowa, traveling there to raise some money all the way from Louisiana.  And this is how the economists reported some of your recent activities:  "Mr. Jindal's recent fundraising forays to other states--including Iowa, which every four years holds the crucial first presidential caucus--have raised some eyebrows at home.  His ambition is well known, and most people think he is laying the groundwork for a run at the presidency in 2012." Do you want to be president?

GOV. JINDAL:  I want to run for re-election to be governor of Louisiana in 2011.  I told the people of our state we have a once in a lifetime chance to change our state.

MR. GREGORY:  Hm.

GOV. JINDAL:  We just finished the longest presidential election in America's history.  I don't think our country needs another election.  I think we need this president to be successful.  We need to work with him.  We need to, when we disagree with him, stand on principle.

MR. GREGORY:  So if, if you're re-elected in 2011, will you serve out your term as governor in Louisiana?

GOV. JINDAL:  It's my--if the people of Louisiana will have me, I absolutely want to be governor for the next seven years.  Now, that's up to the voters of Louisiana.  We've got a lot of work to do at home.  We've cut taxes, we've grown the economy, we've reformed ethics laws.  We still have a lot of work to do.

MR. GREGORY:  So if you win, you will serve out your term.

GOV. JINDAL:  I want the people--yeah, it's my intent to, to run for re-election.  If they elect me to serve as governor, I will...

MR. GREGORY:  You're not ruling out a run for the presidency?

GOV. JINDAL:  What I'm saying is I'm running for re-election.  I have no, no plans beyond that.

MR. GREGORY:  So your, your position, essentially, is that you're focused on doing the job that the people of Louisiana have sent you there to do.

GOV. JINDAL:  Absolutely.

MR. GREGORY:  All right.  So just to show you, we save our tapes around here. There was another prominent politician who had something similar to say when he was on the program back in 2006.  Watch this.

(Videotape, January 22, 2006):

PRES. OBAMA:  I'm not focused on running for higher office, I'm focused on doing the job that the people of Illinois just sent me to do.

MR. TIM RUSSERT:  So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?

PRES. OBAMA:  I will not.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY:  We'll be checking this tape closely.

GOV. JINDAL:  Keep it in your archives.

MR. GREGORY:  Governor Jindal, thank you very much.

GOV. JINDAL:  Thank you.  And happy Mardi Gras.

MR. GREGORY:  Thank you.

Coming next, the other side of this heated debate over the stimulus.  A GOP supporter of Obama's stimulus package, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida. Plus our political and economic roundtable, all here only on MEET THE PRESS.

(Announcements)

MR. GREGORY:  Republican governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, a supporter of President Obama's stimulus package.  We'll ask him why after this brief station break.

(Announcements)

MR. GREGORY:  We're back with Republican governor of Florida, Charlie Crist.

Welcome, Governor.

GOV. CHARLIE CRIST (R-FL):  Good to see you, David.

MR. GREGORY:  So there you were down in Florida, in Fort Myers with President Obama just a couple of weeks ago, talking about the stimulus plan, very supportive of the stimulus plan.  Why would you buck your own party, which did not vote for this plan in Congress, as you know, to support the stimulus?

GOV. CRIST:  It's not a matter of bucking the party, it's a matter of helping the people.  I mean, I really view it as an issue of what can I do that's best for the people of Florida?  We've got almost 20 million people that live in the Sunshine State now.  I think my obligation is in essence the CEO of the state, to do everything I can to help us get through this tough economy. Certainly this stimulus package, about $12.2 billion to Florida, will help Florida an awful lot.

MR. GREGORY:  You heard Governor Jindal on the program just a couple of minutes ago.  Much different view, thinks they got the plan all wrong.  You disagree with the government role that's being exercised here in trying to fix the economy?

GOV. CRIST:  I do.  I think that, you know, there are times when you're in a crisis and we all need to work together in order to get through those crises. And I think that this is one of those times.  It is fundamental to be able to make sure that we help our children in school.  This is going to help us in our education in Florida by about $3.5 billion.  It's going to help us with Medicaid, the most vulnerable among us who really need help and need it now. That'll be in excess of $5 billion for Florida.  It also helps us in road construction and producing jobs.  That's almost $1.5 billion for the Sunshine State.  It's fundamentally important that we help the people, we reach out to them, we understand they're in a time of need.  In the past five weeks, I've visited six unemployment offices throughout Florida.  I look into the eyes of these people and I understand that the challenges are serious that they're having to deal with, and I want to do everything I can to help them.

MR. GREGORY:  There's no Republican from Florida in Congress who supported the stimulus.  One prominent Republican consultant said this about you and your support for it:  "I don't think he's helped any national Republican ambitions he may have had by stepping up to the plate and batting for the other team. ... There's a difference between working in a bipartisan way for the common good and switching sides and putting on the other team's jersey. At the one moment when we finally found our voice and remember who we are as Republicans, Charlie Crist forgets.  It is stunning." Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, also said nobody thinks you're a fiscal conservative. Are you an Obama Republican?

GOV. CRIST:  I'm a Florida Republican.  And in the Florida way, we work together in a bipartisan fashion to do what's right for the people.  That's really what it's all about.  You know, people run for office in order to try to help their constituents, the people of their state or their district or their country.  In my case it's Florida, and that's all I care about.  And in Florida we work across the aisle.  My friends in the House and the Senate that are of the Democratic Party, I reached out to them.  People like Robert Wexler.  He wanted to have a paper trail for our elections.  We had some embarrassing elections in the past in my state.  I didn't want my state to be embarrassed anymore.  So I'll take ideas from anybody.  It really doesn't matter if they're a Republican, a Democrat or an independent; if they're a Floridian and they care about the people of our state, I want to work with them to make sure that we have a better future and a brighter future.

MR. GREGORY:  Do you think it's a mistake for the Republican Party to define itself by opposition to the stimulus?

GOV. CRIST:  Well, it may be.  All I know is I have to do what I think is in the best interest of the people of Florida.  And from my perspective, it's to try and help them.  Help them every single day in every way that I can in education, in infrastructure, in health care; do the kinds of things that keep us from having to raise taxes.  You know, another part that people don't talk about in the stimulus bill is that it cuts taxes.  About a third of it cuts taxes.  That's an important thing for people to remember, I think, because people need a break.  We've been able to cut taxes in Florida.  We have reduced our property taxes.  It's the largest single tax cut in the history of my state.  I'm very proud of that.  At the same time, because of the stimulus we'll be able to pay our teachers more next year than we were this past year. So I think it works, it works well, it helps people, it does what's right.

MR. GREGORY:  Do you think the president has the right prescription to ease this recession?

GOV. CRIST:  I think he's on the right track.  I don't think anybody says this is a perfect bill.  I don't.  I don't think even President Obama says that.  But we've got to do something.  We are at a time of need, and to do nothing certainly is not acceptable.  This is not perfect, but we've got to do something to try to get our country back on track for the benefit of our people.

MR. GREGORY:  I want to talk a couple of minutes about housing.  Florida, of course, second highest rate of foreclosures in the country in 2008.  You also benefited from an incredible housing boom and a speculative boom that preceded the fall of the housing market.  Now, the Obama administration's plan essentially boils down to this:  more available refinancing for about five million homeowners, and help with payments--modification of payments, reduction in payments--for three to four million homeowners.  Is this the right plan?

GOV. CRIST:  It may be a good start.  I think some of the details still have to be rolled out in early March, as I understand it, and we're going to watch it very closely.  But we need to do something to help the housing market. Certainly it's huge in Florida, as you know and you, and you alluded to.  One thing that's happening in Florida that's encouraging, in December of '08 we had a 27 percent increase in housing sales over December of '07.  I think that's mostly a matter of people getting reasonable about the prices they expect for the value of their home.

More from NBC News broadcasts   Murray: Filming 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' was 'different'   No ‘favorite things’? Say it isn’t so-prah! Struggling species gets helping hand Astronaut over the moon for daughter’s birth   Panel examines cancer screening confusion Follow on Twitter: Making a Difference

MORE FROM MEET THE PRESS

Meet the Press Section Front

Sunday's Meet the Press guest list Nov. 22: Senate roundtable, Brinker, Snyderman Nov. 15: Clinton, Duncan, Gingrich, Sharpton Nov. 8: Casey, Barbour, Rendell, roundtable, Brokaw Nov. 1: Tim Geithner, David Plouffe, roundtable Oct. 25: Cornyn, Schumer, Burnett, Sorkin, roundtable Oct. 18: Jarrett, Dodd, Kyl, Shriver, Podesta Oct. 11: Levin, Graham, McCaffrey, Myers, roundtable Oct. 4: Ambassador Susan Rice, roundtable Sept. 27: Bill Clinton, Paterson, Kyl, Webb Meet the Press Section Front   Add Meet the Press headlines to your news reader: