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American Morning

Gore Says No for 2004

Aired December 16, 2002 - 09:15   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk more about Gore's decision now in the political firestorm engulfing Trent Lott as well.
Santa Barbara, tough place to go on Monday morning. Jeff Greenfield is up there.

How are you, Jeff?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Fine. I'm coming back to New York tonight. Don't be too jealous.

HEMMER: OK, I was going to say, tough medicine in Santa Barbara. Was the writing on the wall, and if so, where did Al Gore read it?

GREENFIELD: Look, I feel that you cannot ignore the human part of what Al Gore's decision was. We can all say, it was going to be a rocky road to the nomination, unlike the smooth path he had. George W. Bush is a very different person than he was in 2000, because of the events of 9/11. There was pushback, if you pardon the cliche, from Democrats who thought Gore blew it.

My feeling is also, what you showed us on "Saturday Night Live," that's when I turned to my wife and said, this is not the behavior of a man running, there is a certain liberation from a lifetime of political calculation that I'm betting gave Al Gore a sense, you know, I don't have to do this.

So when you add the political dimension, it was going to be a very tough fight, to the human dimension of a man who's been in politics, you know, almost all of his adult life, I don't think it's all that inexplicable.

HEMMER: Doug Hattaway was on with us about an hour and a half ago, he said the hot tub is the first indication that things were changing, and apparently, you know, based on what you're gauging as well, could be the same.

How does it shake up the field? We're 22 months away. Could be a whole Different world in 22 months from now, but what did you read today?

GREENFIELD: Right, well, first, let's do the obligatory morning line. You've got John Kerry of Massachusetts, who was off to a very strong start. You've got Joe Lieberman, the senator, who was Al Gore's runningmate in 2004. You've got the two Democratic leaders, of John Edwards in the Senate, Dick Gephardt of the House, John Edwards of North Carolina, young, energetic senator, and the one non- Washingtonian, outgoing Vermont Governor Howard Dean.

And you've got a kind of tradition, you know, Republicans being more organized, always have a front-runner, whether it's Reagan, or Bush, or Dole or young bush. Democrats often don't. They didn't have a front-runner in 1976 when Jimmy Carter emerged. They didn't have one in 1992 when Bill Bradley, and Mario Cuomo, and Dick Gephardt and Al Gore all decided not to run when the young Arkansas Democrat emerged from the pack named Clinton.

So in a sense, this levels the playing field in a way that Democrats have seen before, and if you're asking, who emerges now as the strongest, you know how I feel about predictions. I like predictions about as much as root canal, and I think they're useless at this far out.

Who would have said this far out in 1976 that Jimmy Carter was going to win? Who knew Gary Hart was going to self-destruct a year and a half before the 1988 election? Or as has been mentioned already this morning, that George Bush the father would sink from a 91 percent approval rating to suffer one of the worst general elections of any incumbent president.

HEMMER: Listen, almost out of time. Want to get Trent Lott quickly here. Senator Hagel with Paula earlier today, essentially suggesting the Republican senators have to get together and talk about this thing in D.C. Listen to what he had say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: We have to acknowledge the fact that this is a major issue. It's not going to go away. It cannot be deferred. Therefore, I think, that the Republican Senate Conference should get together as soon as we can, and either renew our confidence in Trent Lott's leadership, or find a new leader.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: How difficult, then, is it, Jeff, for the White House and Republicans in Congress to accept Trent Lott as majority leader come late January?

GREENFIELD: I think what you just heard, and I saw Paula's interview with Senator Hagel, boy, if that isn't handwriting on the wall, I don't know what is. You have the outgoing number two Republican Don Nickles just about saying, Trent, it's time to leave. Chuck was speaking lightly, but just the subext of that, us we've got to get a new leader.

And the key to this, Bill, is this is not coming from Democratic partisans, it's not coming from liberals, it's Republicans, and it's conservative opinion leaders who have been hammering Trent Lott for the last 10 days, and that's why I think his hold on the Senate majority leadership is very tenuous at best.

And the one thing he's gotten going for him, well, is he could always threaten, well, if you don't elect me as leader, I'll quite the Senate altogether -- Democratic Mississippi Governor Musgrove appoints a Democrat, and we're back to 50-50.

But, boy, I have rarely heard members of one party talk in this kind of language, more or less they do everything but sending smoke signals to Trent Lott, saying, please, go away.

HEMMER: Some would argue maybe Republicans are out in front of this issue, even prior to Democrats early last week about a week ago today.

Hey, Jeff, thanks. Jeff Greenfield in Santa Barbara, travel safe back to New York City, all right. We'll see you soon.

GREENFIELD: OK, buddy.

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 December 16, 2002 - 09:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk more about Gore's decision now in the political firestorm engulfing Trent Lott as well.
Santa Barbara, tough place to go on Monday morning. Jeff Greenfield is up there.

How are you, Jeff?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Fine. I'm coming back to New York tonight. Don't be too jealous.

HEMMER: OK, I was going to say, tough medicine in Santa Barbara. Was the writing on the wall, and if so, where did Al Gore read it?

GREENFIELD: Look, I feel that you cannot ignore the human part of what Al Gore's decision was. We can all say, it was going to be a rocky road to the nomination, unlike the smooth path he had. George W. Bush is a very different person than he was in 2000, because of the events of 9/11. There was pushback, if you pardon the cliche, from Democrats who thought Gore blew it.

My feeling is also, what you showed us on "Saturday Night Live," that's when I turned to my wife and said, this is not the behavior of a man running, there is a certain liberation from a lifetime of political calculation that I'm betting gave Al Gore a sense, you know, I don't have to do this.

So when you add the political dimension, it was going to be a very tough fight, to the human dimension of a man who's been in politics, you know, almost all of his adult life, I don't think it's all that inexplicable.

HEMMER: Doug Hattaway was on with us about an hour and a half ago, he said the hot tub is the first indication that things were changing, and apparently, you know, based on what you're gauging as well, could be the same.

How does it shake up the field? We're 22 months away. Could be a whole Different world in 22 months from now, but what did you read today?

GREENFIELD: Right, well, first, let's do the obligatory morning line. You've got John Kerry of Massachusetts, who was off to a very strong start. You've got Joe Lieberman, the senator, who was Al Gore's runningmate in 2004. You've got the two Democratic leaders, of John Edwards in the Senate, Dick Gephardt of the House, John Edwards of North Carolina, young, energetic senator, and the one non- Washingtonian, outgoing Vermont Governor Howard Dean.

And you've got a kind of tradition, you know, Republicans being more organized, always have a front-runner, whether it's Reagan, or Bush, or Dole or young bush. Democrats often don't. They didn't have a front-runner in 1976 when Jimmy Carter emerged. They didn't have one in 1992 when Bill Bradley, and Mario Cuomo, and Dick Gephardt and Al Gore all decided not to run when the young Arkansas Democrat emerged from the pack named Clinton.

So in a sense, this levels the playing field in a way that Democrats have seen before, and if you're asking, who emerges now as the strongest, you know how I feel about predictions. I like predictions about as much as root canal, and I think they're useless at this far out.

Who would have said this far out in 1976 that Jimmy Carter was going to win? Who knew Gary Hart was going to self-destruct a year and a half before the 1988 election? Or as has been mentioned already this morning, that George Bush the father would sink from a 91 percent approval rating to suffer one of the worst general elections of any incumbent president.

HEMMER: Listen, almost out of time. Want to get Trent Lott quickly here. Senator Hagel with Paula earlier today, essentially suggesting the Republican senators have to get together and talk about this thing in D.C. Listen to what he had say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: We have to acknowledge the fact that this is a major issue. It's not going to go away. It cannot be deferred. Therefore, I think, that the Republican Senate Conference should get together as soon as we can, and either renew our confidence in Trent Lott's leadership, or find a new leader.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: How difficult, then, is it, Jeff, for the White House and Republicans in Congress to accept Trent Lott as majority leader come late January?

GREENFIELD: I think what you just heard, and I saw Paula's interview with Senator Hagel, boy, if that isn't handwriting on the wall, I don't know what is. You have the outgoing number two Republican Don Nickles just about saying, Trent, it's time to leave. Chuck was speaking lightly, but just the subext of that, us we've got to get a new leader.

And the key to this, Bill, is this is not coming from Democratic partisans, it's not coming from liberals, it's Republicans, and it's conservative opinion leaders who have been hammering Trent Lott for the last 10 days, and that's why I think his hold on the Senate majority leadership is very tenuous at best.

And the one thing he's gotten going for him, well, is he could always threaten, well, if you don't elect me as leader, I'll quite the Senate altogether -- Democratic Mississippi Governor Musgrove appoints a Democrat, and we're back to 50-50.

But, boy, I have rarely heard members of one party talk in this kind of language, more or less they do everything but sending smoke signals to Trent Lott, saying, please, go away.

HEMMER: Some would argue maybe Republicans are out in front of this issue, even prior to Democrats early last week about a week ago today.

Hey, Jeff, thanks. Jeff Greenfield in Santa Barbara, travel safe back to New York City, all right. We'll see you soon.

GREENFIELD: OK, buddy.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com