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American Morning
Democrats Debate
Aired January 05, 2004 - 07:16 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Politics now. The first Democratic debate of the new year had a familiar ring to it.
As Candy Crowley reports this morning, Howard Dean, the front runner, was attacked early and often.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Howard Dean is a well-moneyed front-runner, sitting in the cat bird's seat with a big old target on his back.
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My question, not surprisingly, is to Howard Dean.
DENNIS KUCINICH (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My question to Dr. Dean.
CROWLEY: Given the chance to ask questions, the not-Deans were all over him from all over the place, grilling Dean on Saddam and his plan to repeal all tax cuts.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There was no middle- class tax cut. It was a Bush tax increase with tuitions, with property taxes, with health care premiums.
CROWLEY: They hit him on trade and why he seemed to doubt the guilt of public enemy No. 1.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Another example of that, when you were asked by the "Concord Monitor" about Osama bin Laden, you said we couldn't prejudge his guilt for September 11. What in the world were you thinking?
CROWLEY: They are searching for that sweet spot, a way to derail Dean without sending his supporters into orbit. Dean responded with a kind of cool dismissiveness that drives them nuts.
DEAN: What has happened to so many Democrats in Congress is they've been co-opted by the agenda of George Bush.
DICK GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I guess I've got a question for him. Is he saying that Tom Harken has never done anything good or Ted Kennedy or Bill Clinton?
CROWLEY: The most aggressive was Senator Joe Lieberman, who had the least to lose in the Hawkeye state. He's not competing in Iowa, but nobody said he couldn't offer an assist to those who are.
LIEBERMAN: One of the most troubling decisions that Howard has made in this campaign, although made before, is to close and seal his records, or most of them, when he was governor of Vermont.
CROWLEY: The good part about the cat-bird seat is you can be above it all.
DEAN: I'd like to find out who on this stage agrees that they will pledge to vigorously support the Democratic nominee.
Aired January 5, 2004 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Politics now. The first Democratic debate of the new year had a familiar ring to it.
As Candy Crowley reports this morning, Howard Dean, the front runner, was attacked early and often.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Howard Dean is a well-moneyed front-runner, sitting in the cat bird's seat with a big old target on his back.
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My question, not surprisingly, is to Howard Dean.
DENNIS KUCINICH (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My question to Dr. Dean.
CROWLEY: Given the chance to ask questions, the not-Deans were all over him from all over the place, grilling Dean on Saddam and his plan to repeal all tax cuts.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There was no middle- class tax cut. It was a Bush tax increase with tuitions, with property taxes, with health care premiums.
CROWLEY: They hit him on trade and why he seemed to doubt the guilt of public enemy No. 1.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Another example of that, when you were asked by the "Concord Monitor" about Osama bin Laden, you said we couldn't prejudge his guilt for September 11. What in the world were you thinking?
CROWLEY: They are searching for that sweet spot, a way to derail Dean without sending his supporters into orbit. Dean responded with a kind of cool dismissiveness that drives them nuts.
DEAN: What has happened to so many Democrats in Congress is they've been co-opted by the agenda of George Bush.
DICK GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I guess I've got a question for him. Is he saying that Tom Harken has never done anything good or Ted Kennedy or Bill Clinton?
CROWLEY: The most aggressive was Senator Joe Lieberman, who had the least to lose in the Hawkeye state. He's not competing in Iowa, but nobody said he couldn't offer an assist to those who are.
LIEBERMAN: One of the most troubling decisions that Howard has made in this campaign, although made before, is to close and seal his records, or most of them, when he was governor of Vermont.
CROWLEY: The good part about the cat-bird seat is you can be above it all.
DEAN: I'd like to find out who on this stage agrees that they will pledge to vigorously support the Democratic nominee.
