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Jeb Bush Leads Reno in Fla.; Presidents and Baseball Have a Close Relationship

Aired April 01, 2002 - 16:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: And among the headlines in today's campaign news daily: A new poll shows Florida Governor Jeb Bush is holding his lead over his potential opponents, including Janet Reno. A survey of registered voters finds Bush leads Reno 54 percent to 37 percent in a head-to-head match-up.

In the Democratic primary race, the poll shows Reno with 48 percent, Bill McBride with 18 percent, and two other candidates trailing in single digits.

Democrats running for Massachusetts governor get a chance to air their differences later tonight. The five major candidates will square off in a debate just a few hours from now. It will be broadcast by radio statewide.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is headed west to lend a hand to California Governor Gray Davis. Senator Clinton will be in San Francisco Thursday to help launch a women for Davis group. She will also attend several fundraisers to help the Davis re-election campaign.

Well, from presidential politics to America's pastimes: Jeff Greenfield shares his thoughts on the new baseball season and why presidents can't resist a visit to the ballpark.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOODRUFF: Major league baseball games are underway around the country this afternoon. A sign that summer is not far away. And historically a good place to catch sight of an American president.

Our Jeff Greenfield has more in today's bite of the apple.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Judy, as the baseball season opened today, the nation's capital was not be part of the celebration. It has not had a major league team for 30 years, a lot of people think it didn't have a major league team when the Washington Senators did play there. But American presidents have had a very long link to America's pastime, in fact and in fiction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Millions of Americans learned that Abe Lincoln, on his death bead, summoned General Abner Doublai (ph) to his side, and whispered don't let baseball die; great story, never happened. What is true is that President William Howard Taft was first chief executive to throw out the first ball of the baseball season. And it may be true that when he left game in the seventh inning and fans stood out of respect, or to see him, or see a round 300 pound president, "The Seventh Inning Stretch" was born.

That first ball tradition was followed by every president since. Excepting only Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter. And for last three Republicans the ties to baseball are especially strong.

Ronald Reagan's very first show business job was in Des Moines, Iowa where he re-created Chicago cubs baseball games complete with sound effects.

And Reagan played the great pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, who was himself named for a president in "The Winning Team." Reagan used a line from that movie, "honey I forgot to duck when he was shot."

The first George Bush was a star player for the Yale baseball team. And George W. Bush came to prominence in Texas as the principal owner of the Texas Rangers. He often says the biggest mistake he ever made in his life was trading away slugger Sammy Sosa. And Bush's appearance at Yankee stadium in last year's World Series was a powerful post-September 11 moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now Judy, I have my own presidential baseball moment. This is true. Back in 1994, during the baseball strike, I suggested to President Clinton, tongue in cheek, that he invoke the Taft-Hartley law to end the strike, since the absence of baseball was clearly a national emergency. He looked at me as if I had lost my mind. All I can say is, maybe if he'd listened, the Democrats would not have lost both houses of the Congress that November. We take baseball very seriously -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: Yes. What if, Jeff?

GREENFIELD: You never know.

WOODRUFF: What if he had done that? Jeff Greenfield, thanks very much.

GREENFIELD: OK.

WOODRUFF: Coming up, the federal government is kicking around an idea that could stop many of those annoying phone calls that many Americans get. But tele-marketers are asking, is it legal? The story when we return.

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