Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Bush Hosts Fund-Raiser Cookout

Aired August 10, 2003 - 08:07   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: Let's talk some Texas style politics right now. Let's go live to Crawford, where President Bush hosted a home -- a down-home cookout, I should say. Dana Bash is live there, and there's a lot of talk about raising more campaign money. And those who do it can become a pioneer or a ranger, right?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And both of those pioneers and rangers were here in Crawford. It was high roller day here in Crawford. The president had some donor maintenance to do.

He hosted about 350 people who flew in really from all over the country. It was a chance for the president to say thank you. And the event was next door to the president's Prairie Chapel Ranch. It was at the Broken Spoke (ph) Ranch. And the people who were there attending had a hearty meal: barbecue ribs, sausage, chicken fried steak and much, much more.

And as you mentioned, Carol, these were really the people who have raised the most money so far and intend to raise the most money for the president for his reelection bed, so-called pioneers who intend to raise about $100,000. And even rangers, who intend to raise $200,000.

Now no media were allowed inside the event. There you see that's about as close as we could get. But the press was invited to an event that was not too far away. That was hosted by some advocacy groups who were complaining about the president's fund-raising prowess, saying that it is obscene, and announced that they are going to start a Web site to track the president's fund-raising. And they were upset, they said, that this event was closed.

Now the Bush campaign, for their part, they say that everything that they do in terms of fund-raising is transparent. They have a Web site where they list all of the donors, including pioneers and rangers. And Carol, the president is going to leave Crawford for the first time in more than a week tomorrow, and he's going to Denver, where he will have one of six fund-raisers this month. Before that, he's going to Arizona, though, to tour some fire damage there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Just wondering how much he'll raise. He's already raised, what, the most in history? So it should be interesting.

BASH: Right. And they expect him to raise almost $200,000 by the end of the primary season. COSTELLO: Wow. Dana Bash, live from Crawford Texas.

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 August 10, 2003 - 08:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk some Texas style politics right now. Let's go live to Crawford, where President Bush hosted a home -- a down-home cookout, I should say. Dana Bash is live there, and there's a lot of talk about raising more campaign money. And those who do it can become a pioneer or a ranger, right?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And both of those pioneers and rangers were here in Crawford. It was high roller day here in Crawford. The president had some donor maintenance to do.

He hosted about 350 people who flew in really from all over the country. It was a chance for the president to say thank you. And the event was next door to the president's Prairie Chapel Ranch. It was at the Broken Spoke (ph) Ranch. And the people who were there attending had a hearty meal: barbecue ribs, sausage, chicken fried steak and much, much more.

And as you mentioned, Carol, these were really the people who have raised the most money so far and intend to raise the most money for the president for his reelection bed, so-called pioneers who intend to raise about $100,000. And even rangers, who intend to raise $200,000.

Now no media were allowed inside the event. There you see that's about as close as we could get. But the press was invited to an event that was not too far away. That was hosted by some advocacy groups who were complaining about the president's fund-raising prowess, saying that it is obscene, and announced that they are going to start a Web site to track the president's fund-raising. And they were upset, they said, that this event was closed.

Now the Bush campaign, for their part, they say that everything that they do in terms of fund-raising is transparent. They have a Web site where they list all of the donors, including pioneers and rangers. And Carol, the president is going to leave Crawford for the first time in more than a week tomorrow, and he's going to Denver, where he will have one of six fund-raisers this month. Before that, he's going to Arizona, though, to tour some fire damage there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Just wondering how much he'll raise. He's already raised, what, the most in history? So it should be interesting.

BASH: Right. And they expect him to raise almost $200,000 by the end of the primary season. COSTELLO: Wow. Dana Bash, live from Crawford Texas.

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