|
|
|
|
|
NEWS
BRIEF August
17, 2003: Illinois, USA CNN LIVE SUNDAY Interview With Chirinjeev Kathuria Aired August 17, 2003 - 16:13 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: While California prepares for its historic recall election, another remarkable political event is taking place in Illinois. The first Indian-American and the first person of the Sikh religion running for federal office. Chirinjeev Kathuria is a Republican seeking an Illinois U.S. Senate seat, and he joins us now from Chicago. Good to see you. Thanks for joining us. DR. CHIRINJEEV KATHURIA (R), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: Thanks, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right. At 38, and have you ever held office before? KATHURIA: No. This is my first run for this office. WHITFIELD: All right. Well, what is it - what is it, then, about this office that appeals to you? KATHURIA: You know, I think, Fredricka, my father came to this country with a few dollars in his pocket and because of living in America, America being a very accepting and tolerating country, I was able to get an undergraduate and a medical degree from Brown, an MBA from Stanford, and start one company, The Extreme Networks, that merged and went public for over $2.9 Billion, and it could only happen living in America. So I thought it was my turn and my chance to give back to America. WHITFIELD: So here you're living the American dream. You're a millionaire. You are leading your own Internet firm. What kind of message do you believe you're sending to the rest of America by pursuing yet another very high office, leaving the private sector to now going into the public sector? KATHURIA: You know, I think there's a couple of things. I think, Fredricka, if you look at it from the Republican's Party's point of view, they really need to expand their traditional base, and if the president wants to win Illinois, they've got to reach out to more independent voters, more moderate voters, and more ethnic minorities. And what better way to show the Republican Party is reaching out by electing a well-qualified candidate like me to the Senate? And you've also got to remember, I'm also a physician. WHITFIELD: Wow. And the list goes on, then. Your resume
is quite healthy there. So you've got the financial backing. Here you
are financing your own campaigning. But you need the backing of your constituency,
too. What kind of reception have you been getting? KATHURIA: You know,
the reception has been really great. From Judy Bartapinka (ph) yesterday
at the Illinois State Fair, if you read the headline, she says "the
Republican Party must diversify very quickly." It's an eight-person
primary in Illinois. And They've got together and endorsed my candidacy. Just their vote alone could help put me in office. But all of the Republican groups are very supportive. If you look at what our candidacy brings; one, we have experience creating jobs, small businesses. Being a physician, I understand how to fix and work on Medicare. We can go through the issues a little bit later. But I think everyone is very excited about the candidacy. And more importantly, they feel it might be the best hope to hold our seat. Because as you know, Illinois is gradually going Democratic, and if I were to win the election, I can get a lot of Asian-Americans, African-Americans, and independent voters that could help the Republicans hold the seat. WHITFIELD: What are some of the issues that you've been basing your campaign on? KATHURIA: You know, I think the first thing is we have to base it on the economy. Small businesses account for the majority of new job growth, and we've helped create a lot of small businesses. The war on terror is really important. Being a doctor, I understand the importance of biological and chemical warfare. And what people don't realize, one of the largest private security companies in the U.S. that guards BWI Airport, NASA, the missile defense, is owned by Sikh Dharma. So, we've been protecting America's vital interest or over a decade. Space and satellite-based reconnaissance is going to be very important in the war on terror. And I was involved in helping build MIR Corp. which sent the first space tourist to space. We're going to focus on social security reform. Right now you're only getting 1.3 percent rate of return. Create a personal retirement account so you can get a 5 percent rate of return... WHITFIELD: And... KATHURIA: ... and we're going to -- I'm sorry. Go ahead, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Well, let me interrupt for a moment (UNINTELLIGIBLE), because we're running out of time. But, you know, you talked about space, and here you've tackled cyberspace, you even have ambitions of outer space. How do you get beyond the notion that some people say, well, this is just another rich guy who is, you know, trying to make a stand for some self-serving ambitions? KATHURIA: You know, I think if you look at our candidacy, this is probably a very hard race to run in. I tell the American people, only in America would they allow a person as distinguished-looking as me rise and become a leader. I tell them don't let the beard and turban fool you, I've been in America for eight months. I'm doing this to give back to the American people what this great country has given back to us and our family. So it's nothing self-serving. It's much easier to run your own businesses, you know, being involved in politics. So I think we have a really good chance of winning the seat and we can really contribute our experience in job creation, in health care, and really helping grow and expand the Republican Party. And I think it's going to be very important to presidential Bush in their national agenda. WHITFIELD: All right. Chirinjeev Kathuria, thanks so much for joining us, and good luck to you in your Senate race. KATHURIA: Thanks, Fredricka, for having me. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS
OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Copyright
©The Sikh Sentinel 2003 |