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CNN Live At Daybreak

Party Politics: Nine Democrats Lining up for Big Race

Aired July 28, 2003 - 06:51   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Something new for you this morning. Every Monday, we're going to party, as in "Party Politics" that is. It's a look at how politicians play the game.
Mark Plotkin, political commentator for WTOP Radio in Washington, live from Washington now to tell us the real deal.

Good morning -- Mark.

MARK PLOTKIN, WTOP RADIO: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, I saw the first campaign ad on television for the presidential election. So, I wonder if we could run down the Democratic candidates to get your take on how they're doing. So, I'll just run down the list now.

PLOTKIN: All right.

COSTELLO: OK. Carol Moseley Braun.

PLOTKIN: People don't know why she's running. A valiant try, but no money.

COSTELLO: Howard Dean.

PLOTKIN: Howard Dean is the talk of the town, great momentum, people are worried that he'll peak too early, maybe too left-wing.

COSTELLO: John Edwards.

PLOTKIN: John Edwards raises a lot of money. Some people think he's Clinton-like, hasn't gained traction in the important states.

COSTELLO: Richard Gephardt.

PLOTKIN: Maybe considered a tired face, didn't raise as much money as he was supposed to, won Iowa in 1988, is supposed to win somewhere else.

COSTELLO: Bob Graham.

PLOTKIN: Bob Graham may be the smartest of the whole bunch, the Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect. But the whole thing with Iraq and the intelligence community will help him.

COSTELLO: John Kerry. PLOTKIN: John Kerry is supposed to arrogant, aloof, diffident, Mark Russell's (ph) line, throw his hair into the ring, a rich wife, but I would think right now the favorite.

COSTELLO: Dennis Kucinich.

PLOTKIN: New-age, a vegetarian, considered maybe kooky, to the left of Dean, won't go anywhere.

COSTELLO: Joe Lieberman.

PLOTKIN: Best-known, Al Gore's running mate, nice man, too far to the right for the Democratic Party that participates in the primary and caucus process.

COSTELLO: Al Sharpton.

PLOTKIN: Most entertaining, makes Jesse Jackson -- much better than Jesse Jackson as a performer, having fun at it, but won't win.

COSTELLO: Man, you're painting a very grim picture for the Democrats.

Hey, what about Wesley Clark? A lot of people are talking about him.

PLOTKIN: I was going to mention Wesley Clark.

COSTELLO: Yes.

PLOTKIN: Sort of the ultimate credentials, a former general, just even has -- you know, everybody has a Jewish biological connection; he does, too. And I think he's waiting in the wings, wants to be drafted. The last person that was ever drafted was really in 1952, two people, Adlai Stevenson -- how is this for institutional memory -- and Dwight D. Eisenhower. But I think he's going to be waiting a long time.

And then, Joe Biden, who ran before and had to bow out a few terms ago, he might even be invited in.

COSTELLO: So, as I told you before, I saw the first TV ad for -- I think it was an anti-Lieberman ad to be exact. So, when does the political season really start? When will we see those TV ads in earnest?

PLOTKIN: I'm still...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

PLOTKIN: I am so glad you asked that, because there's a misconception. I read an absolutely totally uninformed story by "USA Today" that says that the primary season starts in Iowa with the Iowa caucuses. It doesn't. It starts right here in the District of Columbia. They changed the law. It's Tuesday, January 13. They don't select any delegates, but all of the candidates' names will be on the ballot. The idea is to get attention that we don't have voting rights here in the District of Columbia, and it's to get all nine candidates here and to talk about that issue.

So, whoever that "USA" reporter who wrote that article, it isn't Iowa. Iowa is six days later, and then there is New Hampshire. But it all starts right here in D.C., January 13.

COSTELLO: Yes, but do those early primaries mean anything anyway?

PLOTKIN: Well, yes, they really are going to finish by March 2. California, it's all over by then. There's a whole group of states. So, January 13 to March 2, the DNC wants the whole thing to be settled, so they can raise some money and have a nominee. And then the only suspense, well, who will they pick as vice president? But they want -- they don't want party dissention. They don't want party problems.

COSTELLO: Yes.

PLOTKIN: They don't want rife. They want a unanimous candidate. That's why they moved it up so early.

COSTELLO: Well, we shall say good luck to them.

PLOTKIN: OK.

COSTELLO: Mark Plotkin, many thanks. We'll see you next Monday.

PLOTKIN: I get to come back, OK.

COSTELLO: You do.

PLOTKIN: All right, thank you.

COSTELLO: Excellent job.

PLOTKIN: Thanks, Carol.

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 July 28, 2003 - 06:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Something new for you this morning. Every Monday, we're going to party, as in "Party Politics" that is. It's a look at how politicians play the game.
Mark Plotkin, political commentator for WTOP Radio in Washington, live from Washington now to tell us the real deal.

Good morning -- Mark.

MARK PLOTKIN, WTOP RADIO: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, I saw the first campaign ad on television for the presidential election. So, I wonder if we could run down the Democratic candidates to get your take on how they're doing. So, I'll just run down the list now.

PLOTKIN: All right.

COSTELLO: OK. Carol Moseley Braun.

PLOTKIN: People don't know why she's running. A valiant try, but no money.

COSTELLO: Howard Dean.

PLOTKIN: Howard Dean is the talk of the town, great momentum, people are worried that he'll peak too early, maybe too left-wing.

COSTELLO: John Edwards.

PLOTKIN: John Edwards raises a lot of money. Some people think he's Clinton-like, hasn't gained traction in the important states.

COSTELLO: Richard Gephardt.

PLOTKIN: Maybe considered a tired face, didn't raise as much money as he was supposed to, won Iowa in 1988, is supposed to win somewhere else.

COSTELLO: Bob Graham.

PLOTKIN: Bob Graham may be the smartest of the whole bunch, the Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect. But the whole thing with Iraq and the intelligence community will help him.

COSTELLO: John Kerry. PLOTKIN: John Kerry is supposed to arrogant, aloof, diffident, Mark Russell's (ph) line, throw his hair into the ring, a rich wife, but I would think right now the favorite.

COSTELLO: Dennis Kucinich.

PLOTKIN: New-age, a vegetarian, considered maybe kooky, to the left of Dean, won't go anywhere.

COSTELLO: Joe Lieberman.

PLOTKIN: Best-known, Al Gore's running mate, nice man, too far to the right for the Democratic Party that participates in the primary and caucus process.

COSTELLO: Al Sharpton.

PLOTKIN: Most entertaining, makes Jesse Jackson -- much better than Jesse Jackson as a performer, having fun at it, but won't win.

COSTELLO: Man, you're painting a very grim picture for the Democrats.

Hey, what about Wesley Clark? A lot of people are talking about him.

PLOTKIN: I was going to mention Wesley Clark.

COSTELLO: Yes.

PLOTKIN: Sort of the ultimate credentials, a former general, just even has -- you know, everybody has a Jewish biological connection; he does, too. And I think he's waiting in the wings, wants to be drafted. The last person that was ever drafted was really in 1952, two people, Adlai Stevenson -- how is this for institutional memory -- and Dwight D. Eisenhower. But I think he's going to be waiting a long time.

And then, Joe Biden, who ran before and had to bow out a few terms ago, he might even be invited in.

COSTELLO: So, as I told you before, I saw the first TV ad for -- I think it was an anti-Lieberman ad to be exact. So, when does the political season really start? When will we see those TV ads in earnest?

PLOTKIN: I'm still...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

PLOTKIN: I am so glad you asked that, because there's a misconception. I read an absolutely totally uninformed story by "USA Today" that says that the primary season starts in Iowa with the Iowa caucuses. It doesn't. It starts right here in the District of Columbia. They changed the law. It's Tuesday, January 13. They don't select any delegates, but all of the candidates' names will be on the ballot. The idea is to get attention that we don't have voting rights here in the District of Columbia, and it's to get all nine candidates here and to talk about that issue.

So, whoever that "USA" reporter who wrote that article, it isn't Iowa. Iowa is six days later, and then there is New Hampshire. But it all starts right here in D.C., January 13.

COSTELLO: Yes, but do those early primaries mean anything anyway?

PLOTKIN: Well, yes, they really are going to finish by March 2. California, it's all over by then. There's a whole group of states. So, January 13 to March 2, the DNC wants the whole thing to be settled, so they can raise some money and have a nominee. And then the only suspense, well, who will they pick as vice president? But they want -- they don't want party dissention. They don't want party problems.

COSTELLO: Yes.

PLOTKIN: They don't want rife. They want a unanimous candidate. That's why they moved it up so early.

COSTELLO: Well, we shall say good luck to them.

PLOTKIN: OK.

COSTELLO: Mark Plotkin, many thanks. We'll see you next Monday.

PLOTKIN: I get to come back, OK.

COSTELLO: You do.

PLOTKIN: All right, thank you.

COSTELLO: Excellent job.

PLOTKIN: Thanks, Carol.

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