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American Morning

'Had Enough'

Aired December 03, 2003 - 08:35   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.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: James Carville co-host of CNN's "Crossfire" is a strategist who helped Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992. Naturally, he'd like to see Democrats retake the White House. I think it's fair to say that. The outspoken Carville is famous nor not holding back his criticism of Republicans in the Bush administration, but he says his new book titled "Had Enough: A Handbook for Fighting Back," is about action, not about whining.
James Carville joins us now. He's not going to be whining at all.

JAMES CARVILLE, AUTHOR, "HAD ENOUGH": Good summary of it.

COOPER: It's interesting in the book you say the Democrats, you know, the party of rebuilding Europe, the party of Medicare, Social Security, really big ideas. Is the Democratic party today still a party of big ideas?

CARVILLE: I think it can be. It needs to be. We have 42 different things that Democrats can be for in the book. I think one of the things that you have to do, and as I point this out, it's better to light one candle than it is to curse the darkness. And we know that there's the darkness in Iraq, the lying, the lack of a plan, the United States diminished status around the world, the health care costs rising, the lobbyists going crazy.

What Democrats have to do is, we are half the country. It's a 50/50 country that's producing a 90-10 result in favor of the Republicans. It's time for Democrats to stop whining, stop complaining about the media, the talk show hosts or whatever it is, and get out there and put something forward.

COOPER: But you say the Democratic Party can be this party, should be this party, but are they this party? There a lot of people are saying they're too reactive. You talk in the book about the party should offer bold visionary solutions. Where are the bold, visionary solutions?

CARVILLE: I think that we're starting this process, we're in this presidential race. I think Congressman Gephardt -- no, I'm not, I want more. I sound like a Democrat that wants more out of the party, and that's why I wrote this book. I sound like a Democrat that's saying these Republicans don't even constitute half the country, they're running over everything, I've had enough of this, I want to fight back, and here are some things that we can do, here's some ideas that we can put forward to fight back. Am I satisfied with the way that the Democratic Party is presenting itself today? Hell, no. I'm not satisfied. That's why i've had enough. I talk about it in the book.

COOPER: You talk about a plan for fighting back, 10 rules for progressives to live by. Let's go through them. What are they?

CARVILLE: Well, let's go through it. Basically, stop apologizing for everything. You're part of the greatest political party. Every time you see a Democrat, oh, geez, well maybe, you know, blah, blah, blah. The second thing is, get out of this liberal stuff. I mean, the Democrats, when I see paying all attention to the interest groups in the Democratic Party and running from one interest group, concentrate on the big things, concentrate on America's status in the world, concentrate on health care costs, talk about doing something about this deficit, concentrate about bringing this country together, concentrate about fighting for these things. Those are the kinds of things that I talk to the Democrats about, the need to do these kinds of things. And these are the kinds of rules that I lay out. And one of the things I say is quit listening to what they say at all these cockamamie dinner parties.

COOPER: You also say people should stop saying well, you have a good point.

CARVILLE: If somebody says something stupid, then you have to say, you know, you don't have a good point. If you say, gee, we really didn't lie about -- of course you lied about going to this war. You said that you had a plan for post-Iraq. Of course he don't have a plan for post-Iraq. I'm not going to concede that you had a plan. You didn't have a plan. The 3rd Infantry Division reports they didn't have a plan.

COOPER: As you look at the candidates who are out there right now for the Democrats, who do you see coming to the top? And obviously not just polls, but who do you think long-term can actually make a difference?

CARVILLE: I really believe this, the one that picks this book up and gets out and starts talking about big things that really matter to people, talks about getting -- taking charge of this country, giving this country back to the people who pay for it, getting along with other people in the world, and it's the candidate that picks this book up, reads it, takes some of the lessons to heart in here. And right now, I think these candidates have spent way too much time in the morass of special interest groups condition within the Democratic Party, and not enough time challenging this administration on the really big things that it has messed up and profoundly.

COOPER: OK, I got to call on one thing in your book. You said you had enough of blowhards on cable TV. James, there's some people say nobody blows harder.

CARVILLE: I don't have enough of myself. You know, I can see where a lot of people may have had enough of me, too, but that's not the question. The question is, what are we going to do, what are Democrats going to do? What are people who really love this country going to do about taking it from the interest groups who have had 138 special interest tax breaks while Americans are dying in Iraq, while they're dying in Iraq. These people are running roughshod over the federal government.

COOPER: There's that and a lot more in the book. James Carville, thanks for joining us.

CARVILLE: Thank you, Anderson.

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 3, 2003 - 08:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: James Carville co-host of CNN's "Crossfire" is a strategist who helped Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992. Naturally, he'd like to see Democrats retake the White House. I think it's fair to say that. The outspoken Carville is famous nor not holding back his criticism of Republicans in the Bush administration, but he says his new book titled "Had Enough: A Handbook for Fighting Back," is about action, not about whining.
James Carville joins us now. He's not going to be whining at all.

JAMES CARVILLE, AUTHOR, "HAD ENOUGH": Good summary of it.

COOPER: It's interesting in the book you say the Democrats, you know, the party of rebuilding Europe, the party of Medicare, Social Security, really big ideas. Is the Democratic party today still a party of big ideas?

CARVILLE: I think it can be. It needs to be. We have 42 different things that Democrats can be for in the book. I think one of the things that you have to do, and as I point this out, it's better to light one candle than it is to curse the darkness. And we know that there's the darkness in Iraq, the lying, the lack of a plan, the United States diminished status around the world, the health care costs rising, the lobbyists going crazy.

What Democrats have to do is, we are half the country. It's a 50/50 country that's producing a 90-10 result in favor of the Republicans. It's time for Democrats to stop whining, stop complaining about the media, the talk show hosts or whatever it is, and get out there and put something forward.

COOPER: But you say the Democratic Party can be this party, should be this party, but are they this party? There a lot of people are saying they're too reactive. You talk in the book about the party should offer bold visionary solutions. Where are the bold, visionary solutions?

CARVILLE: I think that we're starting this process, we're in this presidential race. I think Congressman Gephardt -- no, I'm not, I want more. I sound like a Democrat that wants more out of the party, and that's why I wrote this book. I sound like a Democrat that's saying these Republicans don't even constitute half the country, they're running over everything, I've had enough of this, I want to fight back, and here are some things that we can do, here's some ideas that we can put forward to fight back. Am I satisfied with the way that the Democratic Party is presenting itself today? Hell, no. I'm not satisfied. That's why i've had enough. I talk about it in the book.

COOPER: You talk about a plan for fighting back, 10 rules for progressives to live by. Let's go through them. What are they?

CARVILLE: Well, let's go through it. Basically, stop apologizing for everything. You're part of the greatest political party. Every time you see a Democrat, oh, geez, well maybe, you know, blah, blah, blah. The second thing is, get out of this liberal stuff. I mean, the Democrats, when I see paying all attention to the interest groups in the Democratic Party and running from one interest group, concentrate on the big things, concentrate on America's status in the world, concentrate on health care costs, talk about doing something about this deficit, concentrate about bringing this country together, concentrate about fighting for these things. Those are the kinds of things that I talk to the Democrats about, the need to do these kinds of things. And these are the kinds of rules that I lay out. And one of the things I say is quit listening to what they say at all these cockamamie dinner parties.

COOPER: You also say people should stop saying well, you have a good point.

CARVILLE: If somebody says something stupid, then you have to say, you know, you don't have a good point. If you say, gee, we really didn't lie about -- of course you lied about going to this war. You said that you had a plan for post-Iraq. Of course he don't have a plan for post-Iraq. I'm not going to concede that you had a plan. You didn't have a plan. The 3rd Infantry Division reports they didn't have a plan.

COOPER: As you look at the candidates who are out there right now for the Democrats, who do you see coming to the top? And obviously not just polls, but who do you think long-term can actually make a difference?

CARVILLE: I really believe this, the one that picks this book up and gets out and starts talking about big things that really matter to people, talks about getting -- taking charge of this country, giving this country back to the people who pay for it, getting along with other people in the world, and it's the candidate that picks this book up, reads it, takes some of the lessons to heart in here. And right now, I think these candidates have spent way too much time in the morass of special interest groups condition within the Democratic Party, and not enough time challenging this administration on the really big things that it has messed up and profoundly.

COOPER: OK, I got to call on one thing in your book. You said you had enough of blowhards on cable TV. James, there's some people say nobody blows harder.

CARVILLE: I don't have enough of myself. You know, I can see where a lot of people may have had enough of me, too, but that's not the question. The question is, what are we going to do, what are Democrats going to do? What are people who really love this country going to do about taking it from the interest groups who have had 138 special interest tax breaks while Americans are dying in Iraq, while they're dying in Iraq. These people are running roughshod over the federal government.

COOPER: There's that and a lot more in the book. James Carville, thanks for joining us.

CARVILLE: Thank you, Anderson.

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