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CNN Sunday Morning
Bush Back in White House
Aired January 04, 2004 - 08:00 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.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is back in the White House after his holiday break. The new year brings with it, as you know, his bid for a second term. With his poll numbers up again, Mr. Bush is off to raise more campaign money. White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us live from Washington with more on that. More money, Dana, gosh, I thought he had how many millions already?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think about $120 million in the bank, maybe a little bit more. We'll find out for sure this week. But he is going to three states this week to raise even more money. And this is just for the primary season alone.
And Andrea, as you mentioned, he is starting the year on pretty solid ground in terms of how Americans think he is doing, how he's doing his job. Fifty-four percent in the latest CNN/"Time" poll say that they approve of his handling of the country or they approve of his job as president. But there is one new poll number that could cause some concern over at Bush/Cheney headquarters, and that is 57 percent say that they think Mr. Bush is of touch with problems faced like with by people like you. And it just so happens the president is going to spend some time traveling this week as well to talk about an issue that matters very much to Americans, and that is education.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): President Bush back at the White House this new year, a year he will spend fighting to stay another four. Bush aides hope to keep their incumbent above the political fray as long as possible, so they won't call it campaigning, but this week he'll be doing exactly that. Traveling to key battleground states, Missouri and Tennessee, to defend what advisers consider a top domestic accomplishment, education reform.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will no longer accept or excuse schools that do not effectively teach the basics.
BASH: This week marks the second anniversary that Mr. Bush, alongside Democrat Ted Kennedy, signed the sweeping No Child Left Behind Act, aimed at raising achievement by penalizing schools that don't perform. But Democrats in Congress now complain the White House is not spending what it takes to support the new mandates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last year it was left underfunded by more than $8 billion. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No Child Left Behind was a disaster, because as a governor I understood what it meant for local school systems.
BASH: And Democrats on the campaign trail are trying to appeal to frustration among some school administrators who call the reforms "bureaucratic" and "ineffective."
Republicans are pleased that the president is identified with a traditionally Democratic issue, and here's why -- the 2000 census showed one out of every four Americans is enrolled in some kind of school. And as CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken last month shows after fighting terrorism, Americans call education their top domestic priority.
DAVID WINSTON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Education is not an issue, it's a value. It's fundamentally different from other issues in that respect. It's the hopes and aspirations for our children, the future of the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And Republicans and Democrats alike also see education as crucial because of who it matters to most, and that is key swing voters like married women with children, Hispanics and other ethnic groups -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: Dana, just going back to your earlier point, you said that the president already has about $120 million in the bank. He's running unopposed. Why does the White House and the president's advisers feel it is important for the president to continue to build up the piggy bank?
BASH: Well, they've got it in the bank, as you said. The third quarter of last year, just to give you an example of how much they really have, their spending rate was only 17 percent, so they are definitely collecting this money. They've not run any advertisement, which in many cases takes up the bulk of that money. But they say that they want it in the bank because they feel that once the Democratic primary candidate is chosen, then it is going to be a tough race and they want to have this so that they can basically have the arsenal to fight against that candidate.
And that money has to be spent, Andrea, by the Republican convention, which is in September. So he could have up to $200 million that he is going to spend by September of this year.
KOPPEL: My goodness. OK. Dana Bash, joining us from the White House. Thanks, Dana.
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 January 4, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is back in the White House after his holiday break. The new year brings with it, as you know, his bid for a second term. With his poll numbers up again, Mr. Bush is off to raise more campaign money. White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us live from Washington with more on that. More money, Dana, gosh, I thought he had how many millions already?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think about $120 million in the bank, maybe a little bit more. We'll find out for sure this week. But he is going to three states this week to raise even more money. And this is just for the primary season alone.
And Andrea, as you mentioned, he is starting the year on pretty solid ground in terms of how Americans think he is doing, how he's doing his job. Fifty-four percent in the latest CNN/"Time" poll say that they approve of his handling of the country or they approve of his job as president. But there is one new poll number that could cause some concern over at Bush/Cheney headquarters, and that is 57 percent say that they think Mr. Bush is of touch with problems faced like with by people like you. And it just so happens the president is going to spend some time traveling this week as well to talk about an issue that matters very much to Americans, and that is education.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): President Bush back at the White House this new year, a year he will spend fighting to stay another four. Bush aides hope to keep their incumbent above the political fray as long as possible, so they won't call it campaigning, but this week he'll be doing exactly that. Traveling to key battleground states, Missouri and Tennessee, to defend what advisers consider a top domestic accomplishment, education reform.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will no longer accept or excuse schools that do not effectively teach the basics.
BASH: This week marks the second anniversary that Mr. Bush, alongside Democrat Ted Kennedy, signed the sweeping No Child Left Behind Act, aimed at raising achievement by penalizing schools that don't perform. But Democrats in Congress now complain the White House is not spending what it takes to support the new mandates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last year it was left underfunded by more than $8 billion. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No Child Left Behind was a disaster, because as a governor I understood what it meant for local school systems.
BASH: And Democrats on the campaign trail are trying to appeal to frustration among some school administrators who call the reforms "bureaucratic" and "ineffective."
Republicans are pleased that the president is identified with a traditionally Democratic issue, and here's why -- the 2000 census showed one out of every four Americans is enrolled in some kind of school. And as CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken last month shows after fighting terrorism, Americans call education their top domestic priority.
DAVID WINSTON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Education is not an issue, it's a value. It's fundamentally different from other issues in that respect. It's the hopes and aspirations for our children, the future of the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And Republicans and Democrats alike also see education as crucial because of who it matters to most, and that is key swing voters like married women with children, Hispanics and other ethnic groups -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: Dana, just going back to your earlier point, you said that the president already has about $120 million in the bank. He's running unopposed. Why does the White House and the president's advisers feel it is important for the president to continue to build up the piggy bank?
BASH: Well, they've got it in the bank, as you said. The third quarter of last year, just to give you an example of how much they really have, their spending rate was only 17 percent, so they are definitely collecting this money. They've not run any advertisement, which in many cases takes up the bulk of that money. But they say that they want it in the bank because they feel that once the Democratic primary candidate is chosen, then it is going to be a tough race and they want to have this so that they can basically have the arsenal to fight against that candidate.
And that money has to be spent, Andrea, by the Republican convention, which is in September. So he could have up to $200 million that he is going to spend by September of this year.
KOPPEL: My goodness. OK. Dana Bash, joining us from the White House. Thanks, Dana.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
