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American Morning

Strom Thurmond Will be in Record Books

Aired June 27, 2003 - 09:04   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jon Karl, Strom Thurmond -- Jon Karl, go.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've got it, Miles.

Well, Strom Thurmond will certainly be in the record books, not only as the longest serving senator in American history, the oldest person to serve in the United States Senate. As you mentioned, the person that gave the longest speech in the history of the U.S. Senate. He's also somebody who just last week became a grandfather for the first time at age 100. So he must be close to the oldest person ever to become a first time grandfather.

The news of Strom Thurmond's death hit the Senate, hit Capitol Hill at almost 11 o'clock last night. Both the House and the Senate were involved in sometimes heated debate on Medicare. They stopped that late night debate for a moment of silence and then members of both political parties from across the political spectrum came out to remember Strom Thurmond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: He was, in many respects, a legend. Many of us had the good fortune to serve with him as a United States senator. He was a governor, a presidential candidate, a soldier, a father, a citizen.

SEN. ERNEST F. HOLLINGS (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: I can say just a living legend of South Carolina now has been terminated.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It was a century ago when Mark Twain was alive and Teddy Roosevelt was president and James Strom Thurmond was born in South Carolina, and at that time began a life really unmatched in public service.

REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: With the death of Strom Thurmond, South Carolina has lost its greatest statesman of the 20th century.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: Now, you may wonder why so many members of both political parties could come out and praise Strom Thurmond last night not long after Trent Lott praised Strom Thurmond on his 100th birthday last December and got in trouble, so much trouble that he was forced out of his leadership position. And the answer is that Trent Lott back in December of last year praised Strom Thurmond's campaign for president back in 1948.

Back then, Strom Thurmond was a staunch segregationist, ran for president as a segregationist. Trent Lott suggested that America would have been better off if Strom Thurmond had been elected president. What these people were talking about last night was a changed Strom Thurmond, somebody that through the course of his political career gave up his segregationist views and became someone to actually embrace many aspects of the civil rights movement -- back to you.

O'BRIEN: So you have to be careful which Strom Thurmond you praise, I guess.

Now, if you think about Strom Thurmond, if it weren't for him and his defection to the Republican Party, you probably wouldn't have seen the rise of the Republican Party in the South as quickly, would you have, Jonathan?

KARL: He is the father of the Southern Republican Party, not just in South Carolina, but throughout the South. He's actually the author of the 1956 Southern Manifesto that really set the stage. You know, he was first elected as a Democrat and then switched parties, largely with -- disagreeing with his party over the question of civil rights.

In 1964, he went and endorsed Barry Goldwater. That began what would later become the Southern strategy for the Republicans. And, yes, it really, not only was it the rise of the Republicans in the South, but because of the South, it was the rise of the Republicans nationally. He ultimately helped get Richard Nixon elected in 1968.

O'BRIEN: It's a realignment that still holds, if not grows.

Thank you very much, Jonathan Karl.

We appreciate that.

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 June 27, 2003 - 09:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jon Karl, Strom Thurmond -- Jon Karl, go.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've got it, Miles.

Well, Strom Thurmond will certainly be in the record books, not only as the longest serving senator in American history, the oldest person to serve in the United States Senate. As you mentioned, the person that gave the longest speech in the history of the U.S. Senate. He's also somebody who just last week became a grandfather for the first time at age 100. So he must be close to the oldest person ever to become a first time grandfather.

The news of Strom Thurmond's death hit the Senate, hit Capitol Hill at almost 11 o'clock last night. Both the House and the Senate were involved in sometimes heated debate on Medicare. They stopped that late night debate for a moment of silence and then members of both political parties from across the political spectrum came out to remember Strom Thurmond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: He was, in many respects, a legend. Many of us had the good fortune to serve with him as a United States senator. He was a governor, a presidential candidate, a soldier, a father, a citizen.

SEN. ERNEST F. HOLLINGS (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: I can say just a living legend of South Carolina now has been terminated.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It was a century ago when Mark Twain was alive and Teddy Roosevelt was president and James Strom Thurmond was born in South Carolina, and at that time began a life really unmatched in public service.

REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: With the death of Strom Thurmond, South Carolina has lost its greatest statesman of the 20th century.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: Now, you may wonder why so many members of both political parties could come out and praise Strom Thurmond last night not long after Trent Lott praised Strom Thurmond on his 100th birthday last December and got in trouble, so much trouble that he was forced out of his leadership position. And the answer is that Trent Lott back in December of last year praised Strom Thurmond's campaign for president back in 1948.

Back then, Strom Thurmond was a staunch segregationist, ran for president as a segregationist. Trent Lott suggested that America would have been better off if Strom Thurmond had been elected president. What these people were talking about last night was a changed Strom Thurmond, somebody that through the course of his political career gave up his segregationist views and became someone to actually embrace many aspects of the civil rights movement -- back to you.

O'BRIEN: So you have to be careful which Strom Thurmond you praise, I guess.

Now, if you think about Strom Thurmond, if it weren't for him and his defection to the Republican Party, you probably wouldn't have seen the rise of the Republican Party in the South as quickly, would you have, Jonathan?

KARL: He is the father of the Southern Republican Party, not just in South Carolina, but throughout the South. He's actually the author of the 1956 Southern Manifesto that really set the stage. You know, he was first elected as a Democrat and then switched parties, largely with -- disagreeing with his party over the question of civil rights.

In 1964, he went and endorsed Barry Goldwater. That began what would later become the Southern strategy for the Republicans. And, yes, it really, not only was it the rise of the Republicans in the South, but because of the South, it was the rise of the Republicans nationally. He ultimately helped get Richard Nixon elected in 1968.

O'BRIEN: It's a realignment that still holds, if not grows.

Thank you very much, Jonathan Karl.

We appreciate that.

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