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CNN Live Today
Mondale Back on Campaign Trail
Aired October 31, 2002 - 11:06 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We move onto another hot political story, and that is the comeback candidate and the Republican rival squaring off in the Minnesota Senate race: former Vice President Walter Mondale back on the campaign trail today, 30 years after he was last elected to the Senate. On the ballot, he is replacing Senator Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash last week.
Our national correspondent Bob Franken joins us live from Minneapolis with the latest, the second round of the Senate campaign for Minnesota.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And it's 18 years since the last time he ran for office, unsuccessfully, as we recall, in 1984, when Ronald Reagan defeated him for the presidency.
But Walter Mondale has been drafted to take up the campaign that ended so tragically for Paul Wellstone. He held his first news conference today.
At the same time, the Republican candidate, Norm Coleman, is out very vigorously resuming his campaign after the moratorium that followed Wellstone's death.
Now as for the criticism from Mondale, that's been directed of Mondale, that he's a man of the past, he says, I see the future, how to do -- what to do with it. I don't apologize for my experience.
Let's have him elaborate a little bit more on the fact that he really thinks that his experience is not a negative, but a plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER MONDALE, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: I don't apologize for my experience. I think it's an asset. I think the very things that our country needs right now in that Senate are the things that my experience permits me to bring to bear.
Secondly, while dates may be different, the fundamental problems and the challenges for the American people remain the same. We've got a serious economy. We've got international security challenges, the other things I talked about, and that's this campaign is about.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FRANKEN: And the Republicans and the Republican candidate argue that Mondale is wrong but that, that the world has changed hugely since the last time that Mondale was involved in political campaigning. Well, maybe they'll get the chance to debate. Mondale has said he has authorized his representatives to negotiate with the Coleman people to try to come up with a debate, but of course, there is a campaign now that only has five days to go -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And it's a campaign that Norm Coleman would like it make up for some lost time. When would we hear from him?
FRANKEN: We're hearing from him. As a matter of fact, we heard him from an interview with CNN's Jon Karl yesterday, an extended interview, where he said that running against Walter Mondale is like running against Mount Rushmore. We're hearing from him. He has put out some campaign ads. Walter Mondale put together a couple of ads. You notice that they have a little way to go in as far as campaign paraphernalia is concern. These are the closest thing that you will get to a Mondale sign, which is the Wellstone sign. Nothing has been printed by the Mondale people yet, but they're working very hard on that.
As you pointed out, we can expect that Mondale is going to invoke the name of Paul Wellstone every chance he gets.
KAGAN: Bob Franken, in Minnesota. Thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 31, 2002 - 11:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We move onto another hot political story, and that is the comeback candidate and the Republican rival squaring off in the Minnesota Senate race: former Vice President Walter Mondale back on the campaign trail today, 30 years after he was last elected to the Senate. On the ballot, he is replacing Senator Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash last week.
Our national correspondent Bob Franken joins us live from Minneapolis with the latest, the second round of the Senate campaign for Minnesota.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And it's 18 years since the last time he ran for office, unsuccessfully, as we recall, in 1984, when Ronald Reagan defeated him for the presidency.
But Walter Mondale has been drafted to take up the campaign that ended so tragically for Paul Wellstone. He held his first news conference today.
At the same time, the Republican candidate, Norm Coleman, is out very vigorously resuming his campaign after the moratorium that followed Wellstone's death.
Now as for the criticism from Mondale, that's been directed of Mondale, that he's a man of the past, he says, I see the future, how to do -- what to do with it. I don't apologize for my experience.
Let's have him elaborate a little bit more on the fact that he really thinks that his experience is not a negative, but a plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER MONDALE, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: I don't apologize for my experience. I think it's an asset. I think the very things that our country needs right now in that Senate are the things that my experience permits me to bring to bear.
Secondly, while dates may be different, the fundamental problems and the challenges for the American people remain the same. We've got a serious economy. We've got international security challenges, the other things I talked about, and that's this campaign is about.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FRANKEN: And the Republicans and the Republican candidate argue that Mondale is wrong but that, that the world has changed hugely since the last time that Mondale was involved in political campaigning. Well, maybe they'll get the chance to debate. Mondale has said he has authorized his representatives to negotiate with the Coleman people to try to come up with a debate, but of course, there is a campaign now that only has five days to go -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And it's a campaign that Norm Coleman would like it make up for some lost time. When would we hear from him?
FRANKEN: We're hearing from him. As a matter of fact, we heard him from an interview with CNN's Jon Karl yesterday, an extended interview, where he said that running against Walter Mondale is like running against Mount Rushmore. We're hearing from him. He has put out some campaign ads. Walter Mondale put together a couple of ads. You notice that they have a little way to go in as far as campaign paraphernalia is concern. These are the closest thing that you will get to a Mondale sign, which is the Wellstone sign. Nothing has been printed by the Mondale people yet, but they're working very hard on that.
As you pointed out, we can expect that Mondale is going to invoke the name of Paul Wellstone every chance he gets.
KAGAN: Bob Franken, in Minnesota. Thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
