Bill Clinton: “Well, the answer to the second question is no. And I expect you will see some distinguished Louisianians appointed…”

“Well, the answer to the second question is no. And I expect you will see some distinguished Louisianians appointed before long. That has nothing to do with it. Let me say first, Senator Breaux, in my judg- ment, played a very constructive role in this whole process. He wanted to pass a budget that was fair to Louisiana and also fair to the United States. And he voted for the passage of the Senate budget. So I have absolutely nothing negative to say about him. You've got to give him credit for trying to work out a program that he thought was better for Louisiana than the original proposal I had made but would also meet our objectives. And the budget that he worked on and that he voted for plainly does that. Senator Johnston was very candid. You know, he went through a tough campaign, and he's very worried about the ability of the facts of this budget to be misrepresented. I mean, John Breaux told me the other day that he cannot believe that people in Louisiana have bought all the negative rhetoric about the budget when most Louisianians either would get no tax increase or would actually get a tax decrease because this program emphasizes help to the working poor and the small businesses. Let me just give you one example, once again. Ninety-four percent of the small businesses in the United States will not have income tax increase under this plan. And every one of them will be eligible for a tax cut if they invest more money in their own business. Now, that is a stunning statistic. I'll bet you not 5 percent of the people in Louisiana know that. Why? Because it hasn't been a source of controversy. So I think Senator Johnston, if he knew for sure that the people in Louisiana knew what was in this program, would feel more comfortable about voting for it. He's getting a lot of negative feedback. I understand that. But the facts are that this is a very good program for Louisiana and Louisianians, and I don't think people know the facts. We find that over and over again, that not since I laid out the program on February 17th, when over 60 percent of the American people said they were for it, had they been given the details of the program. All they have heard since February the 17th is a endless litany on the part of people who are against it, largely Republicans, about taxes that they say are damaging to the people and to the economy. If you look at the facts, it's good for Louisiana, and it will be good for the future of the State. Super Collider”