This is a rush transcript from "Your World With Neil Cavuto," February 17, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: On the first anniversary of the stimulus, everyone is asking where the jobs are.
Instead of asking Washington, I think they should just ask Martha, as in Martha Stewart.
(LAUGHTER)
CAVUTO: Her company just keeps growing, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia posting a 20 percent surprising jump in quarterly sales, that stock spiking more than eight percent today. It has more than doubled over the past year.
Martha joins me now.
MARTHA STEWART, FOUNDER, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: Hi.
CAVUTO: Maybe you should just go to Washington and handle this mess.
STEWART: No, thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
STEWART: I still am building my company and growing it. And we're having a really good time doing it. And we are into all kinds of new things for the new year, too.
CAVUTO: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: We're going to get into some of the new things. But...
STEWART: Great.
CAVUTO: ... I know you can't into all the financial particulars at the company, but, generally, the trend has been your friend, and whether it's folks feeling more confident.
But, here, globally, there does seem to be a response, even publishing to a degree, while still down, up ticks in some key areas.
STEWART: Well, a little bit, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: What is going on here?
STEWART: Well, I think the consumer is still wanting to live well, wanting to feed its — feed the family, wanting to garden. They're doing all the things — they're — they're crafting like crazy. Our craft business is really doing extremely well. I mean...
CAVUTO: Why is that?
STEWART: Well, because people want to feel good.
I mean, it's very — it's a down world out there. The news every day is a little bit depressing. But, when you go home, you want to — it's not just being a couch potato. We're not couch potatoes any longer. I think people are real doers.
And they're fixing up their homes. They are buying paint. They're buying outdoor furniture. They are...
CAVUTO: But are they more optimistic than they're given credit for?
I always think that the media, maybe ourselves included, tend to create this grim image. And it may not be that bad.
STEWART: I don't know. I think — I think people are still wary. I think people are still feeling uncomfortable. They want to see some action, in terms of what the government is doing. They want to see some real steps forward.
But — but, at home, as I say, our business is really home-centric. Everything we do is home-centric. So, we are trying very hard to give our — our customers the kind of things that they really desire and need for everyday living.
CAVUTO: All right. Now, you're also part of this green push...
STEWART: Oh, I am. I am.
CAVUTO: ... these environmentally safe products. And you have got a lot...
STEWART: I'm very proud of this. This — we just — we just launched our clean products.
CAVUTO: I'm just so glad you brought products with you.
STEWART: Yes.
CAVUTO: That never happens.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: Yes. Well, we bought — brought just two examples of 10 products. These are efficacious green products. They have no...
CAVUTO: What makes them green?
STEWART: Well, they have no artificial scent. They have none of the bad sodium that are — that's found in a lot of irritating kinds of chemicals found in a lot of products, even some so-called green products. They leave no residues. They are not harmful to your children, to your pets, to your environment.
And we have, oh, all-purpose cleaner. It works really well. I tested all of these things really, really well before we even manufactured them. We have — of course, we have dish hand soap that works very well. Everybody loves it.
CAVUTO: So, these are sort of forward-looking products?
STEWART: Colorless, no artificial dyes.
CAVUTO: Right. I was worried about that.
STEWART: So, and these...
CAVUTO: Now...
STEWART: And, look, these labels pull off, and leave you a nice clean...
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: I beg you to stop. I beg you to stop.
All right, so, you're very good at this.
(LAUGHTER)
CAVUTO: No, you're very good at this.
Is it your sense, then, that, if the economy is indeed picking up — this is the one-year anniversary of the stimulus — I got to pick your brain on it. Do you think that had a lot to do with this?
STEWART: I think, without the stimulus, we would be in a lot worse shape.
CAVUTO: Really?
STEWART: I was listening to the pundits this morning. And — and, of course, they were saying, oh, it wasn't a big enough stimulus now.
But who knew? Who had ever done a stimulus before, right? When was the last time we did a stimulus package? So, I think...
CAVUTO: Because a lot of critics just said we threw money...
STEWART: Well, I think...
CAVUTO: ... and then kind of saw what stuck.
STEWART: I think our president has done as good a job as he could possibly have done.
CAVUTO: So, you really like him?
STEWART: Of course I like Obama.
CAVUTO: You think he's doing a good job?
STEWART: I think we — it's still too soon to — to criticize. It's just a time now to really take steps in the right direction.
CAVUTO: By the way, you don't like Sarah Palin, right?
STEWART: Don't talk about that.
CAVUTO: No. You don't.
STEWART: No, I have no opinion.
CAVUTO: Yes, you did.
STEWART: No, I don't.
(LAUGHTER)
CAVUTO: A few months ago, you were worried about her. You still worried?
STEWART: I — I don't want to talk about politics. I want to talk about our company.
CAVUTO: I know you do, but are you worried at all about Sarah?
STEWART: I'm not worried about government right now.
CAVUTO: OK.
So, you like the trend with the economy, with your company. You feel vindicated by all this? You have been through a rough patch.
STEWART: I feel good that things are on the right track, that our company is growing, that — that our partnerships are — are doing very well. We're – we're now in so many great retailers, over 5,000 retail outlets, including the Home Depot, including all of the Macy's, all of the Michaels stores.
CAVUTO: And now you're going to be on — your show is going to be on Hallmark, right?
STEWART: Yes.
CAVUTO: You're moving to that.
STEWART: Yes, we're moving, so that — out of syndication, into a cable environment, the Hallmark Channel, where our program will have a specific time...
CAVUTO: Yes.
STEWART: ... 10:00 a.m. every morning. And we're — and we're programming four-and-a-half-hours.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: Man, oh, man.
STEWART: Yes. So...
CAVUTO: Martha Stewart, the machine.
STEWART: ... you have to — you have to come and be a guest.
CAVUTO: She's a machine.
Thank you, Martha. Always very good seeing you.
STEWART: And you should be — you should be filibustering, because you talk so fast.
CAVUTO: I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: She comes on my show and lectures me.
(LAUGHTER)
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