ED: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
IT’S SUNDAY DECEMBER 22.
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE BILL WELD IS OUR
GUEST.
LET’S GO "ON THE RECORD."
WITH IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE JUST
WEEKS AWAY FROM VOTING, CAN A
MASSACHUSETTS MODERATE STILL
MAKE AN IMPACT?
WHY BILL WELD ISN’T GIVING UP ON
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
PRES. TRUMP: TO IMPEACH THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
FOR THAT IS A DISGRACE.
ED: PRESIDENT TRUMP FACES
IMPEACHMENT WITH HIS SIGNATURE
DEFIANCE, WILL THE REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY HOLD THE LINE IN HIS
SENATE TRIAL
TED: THE PERFECT GIFT, YOUR OWN
SET OF EXQUISITELY CRAFTED
MINIATURE LITTLE WOODEN MBTA
CARS.
ED: IN HIS OWN SPECIAL WAY, TED
REINSTEIN GOES HOLIDAY SHOPPING
FOR BAY STATE POLITICIANS.
WHAT THEY’LL UNWRAP ON THE BIG
DAY.
FROM TODAY’S NEWSMAKERS GOING
"ON THE RECORD."
ED: GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO
"OTR."
I’M ED HARDING, ALONG WITH
NEWSCENTER 5 POLITICAL REPORTER
JANET WU.
OUR GUEST THIS MORNING IS FORMER
MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR BILL
WELD, WHO IS A CURRENT CANDIDATE
FOR THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL
NOMINATION.
HE SERVED AS GOVERNOR IN THE
COMMONWEALTH FROM 1991 TO 1997.
BEFORE THAT HE WAS THE UNITED
STATES ASSISTANT ATTORNEY
GENERAL FOR THE CRIMINAL
DIVISION.
HE ALSO SERVED AS THE U.S.
ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF
MASSACHUSETTS.
HE HOLDS DEGREES FROM HARVARD,
AND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD.
IT IS GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
FMR. GOV. WELD: THANK YOU.
ED: WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO BE
CALLED?
BILL: BILL.
JANET: THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH
US.
THE IMPEACHMENT PHASE NOW TURNED
INTO A SENATE TRIAL OR WHAT AT
LEAST PEOPLE THINK.
AND THE OUTCOME SEEMS CERTAIN,
BUT WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THAT
REPUBLICANS ARE SO LOYAL TO
THE PRESIDENT?
BILL: I DO NOT THINK THEY
ACTUALLY FEEL THAT LOYALTY AND I
DO NOT THINK THEY APPRECIATE
BEING ORDERED TO WALK THE
PLANK, BUT THE COMMON WASHINGTON
PROBLEM WITH BEING OBSESSED WITH
BEING ELECTED.
I WAS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF TERM
LIMITS WHEN I WAS IN OFFICE, SO
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT.
IT IS A LIVE, BREATHING ANIMAL
IN WASHINGTON DC AND CAUSES ALL
KINDS OF PROBLEMS.
JANET: DO YOU SEE POTENTIAL OR
ANY CHANCE THAT THE SENATE COULD
CONVICT HIM?
BILL: I DO.
I THINK OF LEADER MCCONNELL TOOK
A STRAW POLL AND SAW MORE THAN A
HANDFUL WHO WERE WILLING TO SAY,
WE JUST AS SOON HAVE THIS GUY GO
AND BE REELECTED, BUT HIS FIRST
ALLEGIANCE I DO THINK IT TO THE
SENATE BUT NOT THE PRESIDENT
KEEPING HIM IN OFFICE.
ED: SHOULD THERE BE A FULL TRIAL
WITH WITNESSES?
BILL: THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, I
READ ALL OF THE IMPEACHMENTS,
AND IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED
AT THE MANAGERS FROM THE HOUSE
SAY, HERE WE ARE, HERE ARE
WITNESSES AND DOCUMENTS AND THE
SENATE SAYS OR CHIEF JUSTICE
SAYS, NO THANK YOU.
WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANY
EVIDENCE.
I HAVE TRIED A LOT OF CASES IN
COURTS, AND THAT HAS NEVER
HAPPENED.
ED: DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE IN
THE PARTY’S BEST INTEREST TO
MOVE QUICKLY, HOW OFTEN DO YOU
SEE MITCH MCCONNELL SAY WE ARE
GOING TO MOVE ON?
BILL: I THINK THAT IS A
DAY-TO-DAY CALCULUS THAT CHANGES
ON WHETHER IT IS IN THEIR
INTEREST OR NOT TO GET CLOSER TO
THE PRIMARIES AND IOWA’S IN
FEBRUARY 3, NEW HAMPSHIRE,
FEBRUARY 11, AND THAT COMES
AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.
IT IS ANYONE’S GUESS, BUT I CAN
TELL YOU ONE THING, IT WILL NOT
BE THE SAME CONCLUSION FOR BOTH
PARTIES.
ED: CONVENTIONAL WISDOM SUGGESTS
THAT THERE WILL BE NO WAY TO THE
PRESENT IS REMOVED FROM OFFICE,
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
BILL: I DON’T KNOW, I THINK HE
IS WAY OUT THERE.
SOME OF HIS RECENT RANTS SEEM TO
NOT BE TETHERED TO REALITY AND I
THINK HIS PERFORMANCE HAS BEE
MORE ERRATIC.
I NOTICED BEGINNING IN AUGUST
AND NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT MORE
VOTERS, MORE PEOPLE WERE COMING
UP TO ME IN THE STREET AND
SAYING, GOVERNOR, GOOD TO SEE
YOU, AS OPPOSED IT TO ME GOING
AND BUTTON HOLING THEM, AND I
WAS THE ONLY CANDIDATE IN THE
MANCHESTER PARADE CROSSING THE
STREETS, PRETENDING THAT I STILL
HAD MY WING MAN.
I WOULD GO AND MAKE THE EXIT,
AND PEOPLE WOULD COME ACROSS THE
STREET AND SAY, CAN WE GET THAT
GUY OUT OF THERE.
THEY NEVER MENTIONED THE NAME
TRUMP, THEY DON’T WANT TO HEAR
THE WORD, TRUMP, BUT THEY HAVE
THIS EMOTIONAL FEELING THE, CAN
WE GET THAT GUY OUT OF THERE.
THE ENORMITY OF THE FACTUAL
ALLEGATIONS THAT THE HOUSE DID
BRING, WHEN THAT SINKS IN,
PEOPLE MAY HAVE A DIFFERENCE I
CAN REACTION.
JANET: IN ORDER FOR YOU TO BEAT
THEM, YOU HAVE TO BE ON THE
BALLOT IN MASSACHUSETTS WHERE
YOU WON THE ELECTION TWICE AS
GOVERNOR.
TRUMPIANS TRY TO KEEP YOU
OFF OF THE BALLOT AND IT WAS THE
DEMOCRATIC SECRETARY OF STATE TO
REALLY CAME TO YOUR RESCUE.
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
BILL: TRUMP HAS SENT THE ORDER
TO EVERY REPUBLICAN STATE PARTY,
TRY TO KEEP WELD OFF THE VALLEY.
HE EVEN PROPOSED TO DOING AWAY
WITH THE FIRST IN THE NATION
PRIMARY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
THAT DID NOT GO DOWN TOO WELL
AND NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT THE TRUMP
PEOPLE LOYALTY SAID, WE SHOULD
ABOLISH OUR OWN PRIMARY.
THAT IS HOW FANATICAL THE TRUMP
PEOPLE ARE ABOUT HAVING NO
COMPETITION.
I THINK I KNOW THE REASON WHY.
THE PRESIDENT, AND I SAY IT WITH
RESPECT, HE HAS NO SUBSTANTIVE
KNOWLEDGE BASE ABOUT ANY ISSUE.
HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND CLIMATE
CHANGE SO HE CALLS IT A HOAX.
HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE
SUBTLETIES OF IMMIGRATION POLICY
AND WHY WE NEED MORE IMMIGRANT
VIS AND NOTA FEWER, HE DOES
NOT UNDERSTAND THAT, SO HE HAS
ONE WORD POLICIES.
WALL.
IT IS A THIRD GRADE LEVEL.
JANET: DID YOU EVER GET A CALL
FROM THE HEAD OF THE PARTY HERE
IN MASSACHUSETTS OR HAVE A
CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS?
BILL: NO, I HAVE NOT.
I THOUGHT ABOUT GOING TO A
REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT HE IS
HAVING NEXT WEEK, AND I AM ON
EVERYBODY’S LIST.
I WAS ON KAMALA HARRIS’S LIST
FOR SOME TIME.
[LAUGHTER]
JANET: I DO NOT THINK SHE IS A
REPUBLICAN.
BILL: I SAY EVERYBODY.
ED: I HEAR YOU ARTICULATE EACH
POINT AND HOW YOU SUGGESTED THE
PRESIDENT DOES OR DOES NOT KNOW
WHAT IS GOING ON, SO IT STRIKES
IN ME A DEBATE WOULD BE
INTERESTING BETWEEN THE TWO OF
YOU.
IS IT FAIR TO SAY YOU ARE
STRUGGLING TO GET TRACTION IN
MOST STATES?
BILL: NO, I DON’T THINK SO.
ED: HOWEVER YOU WOULD CATEGORIZE
IT.
BILL: I HAVE A GOOD WAYS TO GO
IN EVERY STATE INCLUDING NEW
HAMPSHIRE, BUT I THINK I CAN GET
THERE.
ED: I DEBATE WOULD GIVE YOU A
MUCH NEEDED PLATFORM.
IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU WOULD GO
FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE PRESIDENT?
BILL: THAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD
DO THAT --
ED: WITH YOU?
BILL: I DON’T THINK HE WOULD,
HIS HANDLERS ARE TOO SMART.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A DATABASE
AND YOU ARE GOING UP AGAINST
SOMEONE WHO HAS A PRETTY GOOD
GROUNDING IN THE ISSUES, AND
INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL HAVING
TRAVELED WIDELY FOR THE LAST 15
YEARS ON BUSINESS AND LAW CASES,
NO, I DO NOT THINK THEY WOULD
LET HIM DO IT.
JANET: NO CHANCE WHATSOEVER?
BILL: I WISH THEY WOULD, BUT
YEAH.
ED: INTERESTING.
JANET: AMAZING.
ED: IT IS JUST INTERESTING, I AM
JUST THINKING OF THE THEATRE IT
WOULD PROVIDE.
A POP QUIZ WILL PROVIDE ITS OWN
THEATER.
BILL: THERE YOU GO.
ED: WE HAVE IT FROM AN INSIDER,
A WELL-PLACED INSIDER.
JANET: WHO WILL BE ON THE SHOW
LATER -- NINE
ED: YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHO IT
IS.
YOU WANT TO JOKE THAT THAT YOUR
ANCESTORS DID NOT COME OVER ON
THE MAYFLOWER, THEY SENT THE
SERVANTS HONORED TO GET THE
COTTAGE READY.
YOU CAN LAUGH AT IT.
BILL: THAT WAS THE FIRST BILL
BULGER BREAKFAST AFTER I WAS
ELECTED.
ED: THERE WAS ANOTHER SHIP THAT
WAS SUPPOSED TO SAIL ALONG WITH
THE MAYFLOWER, BUT WAS FOUND TO
BE LEAKY.
WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT SHIP?
CORNFLOWER, SPEEDWELL,
OR HOLLAND.
BILL: CORNFLOWER, I DON’T KNOW.
[LAUGHTER]
ED: SPEEDWELL, THE SHIP HAD TO
BE SOLD AT AUCTION BUT
EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO THE HIGH
SEAS.
HERE’S A TOUGH ONE, BECAUSE
THERE’S NO MULTIPLE CHOICE THIS
TIME.
FOUR TOWNS IN MASSACHUSETTS WERE
FLOODED TO CREATE THE QUABBIN
RESERVOIR IN THE 1930’S.
YOUR QUESTION, CAN YOU NAME ANY
OF THE FOUR TOWNS?
FOUR TOWNS.
BILL: DANA, ENFIELD PART OF NEW
SALEM, HALF OF NEW SALEM WAS
FLOODED.
ED: YOU GET THE ANSWER.
GREENWICH AND PRESCOTT.
DANA WAS IN WORCESTER COU
