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American Morning

Interview with Dick Gephardt

Aired January 19, 2004 - 07:14   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: Welcome back to Des Moines, Iowa, as our coverage continues here today. Here is the cover of the "Des Moines Register." It says today, "Your Turn" in the bold headline in Des Moines. The caucuses arrive later this evening.
The caucus is basically small political meetings. They will be held in almost 2,000 locations throughout the entire state. Out of all of that, one candidate will get a massive boost ahead of next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

A poll out over the weekend in this same paper gives an indication of just how close things are: John Kerry at 26 percent, John Edwards at 23, Howard Dean at 20 percent, and Dick Gephardt at 18 percent -- statistically a dead heat.

The Missouri congressman, Dick Gephardt, won back here in 1988. He is now my guest live in Des Moines.

Nice to see you.

REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good to be here.

HEMMER: I've seen a lot of you over the past several days. If you do not win tonight, what does that mean for your campaign?

GEPHARDT: Well, we're going to win, and we're going to do well. We're going to be in a good position to come out of here, go to New Hampshire, go to the other early states. We're running ads in a lot of the other early states. We're going to win this thing.

HEMMER: You say do well. That means No. 1, is what you're saying. You will finish first.

GEPHARDT: I'm going to finish first. That's where we're going to finish.

HEMMER: OK. If that is not the outcome tonight, how does that impact you going forward?

GEPHARDT: I just -- I think I'm going to win. I really feel confident about it. We've got the biggest army on the ground. We've got the best turnout mechanism. And we've connected with voters out here. People are ready to go today. I was all over the state yesterday. We've got lots of excitement.

HEMMER: I want to get your reaction to this: The "Des Moines Register" says there is a certain "been there, done that" feel to your campaign. How do you respond?

GEPHARDT: Well, I don't think that's the way the Iowa voters feel about it. I think they see in me real hope that I have the experience and the ability to get the things done that I'm talking about.

You know, it's hard to get everybody covered with health care in this country. It's hard to change our trade and jobs policy. And I think voters out here see in me someone that could actually do these things. People come up to me all the time and say, "You give me hope. I believe you can do this."

HEMMER: You used that word "experience," as you do at almost every stump speech. What do you say to those who say with that word, "experience," they say you already had your chance -- maybe it was 1988, perhaps it was during the 1990s, but not now in 2004?

GEPHARDT: I think people in the time we're in are going to want somebody with real experience -- someone who has been there and done the things that need to be done. We're in a world of terrorism. We've got lots of domestic problems. People want somebody with steady hands, reliability, that can get the job done.

HEMMER: During this campaign -- and you've spent a lot of time in this state, close to 80 days I believe going back over the past several months. At one point the ads went negative. You've pulled back from that over the weekend. Iowans traditionally do not like negative advertising. Did that hurt you?

GEPHARDT: Well, Howard Dean ran a negative ad earlier in the fall. We didn't answer. It knocked us down in the polls. We kept positive. We kept on going. And we were moving back up, and he hit us with another negative ad, so we had to answer. We couldn't just sit here and take it. I wish that hadn't happened, but it did. And now, we're back to the positive message. I think we're going to get the result we're looking for tonight.

HEMMER: What do you believe what is at work here in Iowa today? What explains this four-way statistical dead heat? And what does it say about the state of the Democratic Party?

GEPHARDT: I think we've got good candidates, and I think Iowans have had a tough time choosing between all of us. And a lot of people haven't chosen yet. Something like half the voters are still saying they may go to a different candidate by the time they get in that caucus.

So, I think there's a lot of interest in this campaign. I think you're going to see a big turnout. We're bringing a lot of new voters, who have never been to a caucus, to this caucus. And that, to me, gives me real reason to believe we can defeat George Bush.

HEMMER: Let me try it a different way. You mentioned the president there. Is this caucus more about who is the best candidate for the party or who is the best candidate to beat George Bush? A fine distinction, but, I think an important one. GEPHARDT: I think it differs with voters. Some voters really just want to know who would be the best president, who could get the job done the best. I think others want to know who can best beat George Bush. I obviously think I qualify on both grounds.

HEMMER: But do you believe one is more important than the other for caucus-goers tonight?

GEPHARDT: People want to win against George Bush, and they are looking at that electoral map and who can win in the Midwest, which is where you've got to beat George Bush.

HEMMER: But with that answer, 77 percent of recent polling of Democrats only say they want a stronger leader than the option right now. Two-thirds say President Bush cannot be beaten. How do you react to that?

GEPHARDT: Well, the conventional wisdom in the country is that his poll numbers are high. He's an incumbent president. But a few months back he was very vulnerable.

I think when all is said and done people are going to believe he has not done the job on the economy. He has not done the job on foreign and defense policy. He's not dealing with the root causes of terrorism. He's not leading the world together to do that. And I think voters are going to vote him out and vote in a Democratic candidate.

HEMMER: Just to follow that up. And quickly back to these numbers. What does it say right now about the party...

GEPHARDT: I think it's...

HEMMER: ... and what your own people and your own supporters are looking for?

GEPHARDT: I just think Democrats, like everybody, are subject to what's conventional wisdom. We're poll-driven today. You know, we've got a daily poll. And so, people begin to get their perception by what that poll says. But I have never seen the fervor among Democrats to defeat an incumbent officeholder like I see today.

HEMMER: Enjoy your last day here in Iowa, OK?

GEPHARDT: Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: Dick Gephardt, nice to see you.

GEPHARDT: Thank you.

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 19, 2004 - 07:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to Des Moines, Iowa, as our coverage continues here today. Here is the cover of the "Des Moines Register." It says today, "Your Turn" in the bold headline in Des Moines. The caucuses arrive later this evening.
The caucus is basically small political meetings. They will be held in almost 2,000 locations throughout the entire state. Out of all of that, one candidate will get a massive boost ahead of next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

A poll out over the weekend in this same paper gives an indication of just how close things are: John Kerry at 26 percent, John Edwards at 23, Howard Dean at 20 percent, and Dick Gephardt at 18 percent -- statistically a dead heat.

The Missouri congressman, Dick Gephardt, won back here in 1988. He is now my guest live in Des Moines.

Nice to see you.

REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good to be here.

HEMMER: I've seen a lot of you over the past several days. If you do not win tonight, what does that mean for your campaign?

GEPHARDT: Well, we're going to win, and we're going to do well. We're going to be in a good position to come out of here, go to New Hampshire, go to the other early states. We're running ads in a lot of the other early states. We're going to win this thing.

HEMMER: You say do well. That means No. 1, is what you're saying. You will finish first.

GEPHARDT: I'm going to finish first. That's where we're going to finish.

HEMMER: OK. If that is not the outcome tonight, how does that impact you going forward?

GEPHARDT: I just -- I think I'm going to win. I really feel confident about it. We've got the biggest army on the ground. We've got the best turnout mechanism. And we've connected with voters out here. People are ready to go today. I was all over the state yesterday. We've got lots of excitement.

HEMMER: I want to get your reaction to this: The "Des Moines Register" says there is a certain "been there, done that" feel to your campaign. How do you respond?

GEPHARDT: Well, I don't think that's the way the Iowa voters feel about it. I think they see in me real hope that I have the experience and the ability to get the things done that I'm talking about.

You know, it's hard to get everybody covered with health care in this country. It's hard to change our trade and jobs policy. And I think voters out here see in me someone that could actually do these things. People come up to me all the time and say, "You give me hope. I believe you can do this."

HEMMER: You used that word "experience," as you do at almost every stump speech. What do you say to those who say with that word, "experience," they say you already had your chance -- maybe it was 1988, perhaps it was during the 1990s, but not now in 2004?

GEPHARDT: I think people in the time we're in are going to want somebody with real experience -- someone who has been there and done the things that need to be done. We're in a world of terrorism. We've got lots of domestic problems. People want somebody with steady hands, reliability, that can get the job done.

HEMMER: During this campaign -- and you've spent a lot of time in this state, close to 80 days I believe going back over the past several months. At one point the ads went negative. You've pulled back from that over the weekend. Iowans traditionally do not like negative advertising. Did that hurt you?

GEPHARDT: Well, Howard Dean ran a negative ad earlier in the fall. We didn't answer. It knocked us down in the polls. We kept positive. We kept on going. And we were moving back up, and he hit us with another negative ad, so we had to answer. We couldn't just sit here and take it. I wish that hadn't happened, but it did. And now, we're back to the positive message. I think we're going to get the result we're looking for tonight.

HEMMER: What do you believe what is at work here in Iowa today? What explains this four-way statistical dead heat? And what does it say about the state of the Democratic Party?

GEPHARDT: I think we've got good candidates, and I think Iowans have had a tough time choosing between all of us. And a lot of people haven't chosen yet. Something like half the voters are still saying they may go to a different candidate by the time they get in that caucus.

So, I think there's a lot of interest in this campaign. I think you're going to see a big turnout. We're bringing a lot of new voters, who have never been to a caucus, to this caucus. And that, to me, gives me real reason to believe we can defeat George Bush.

HEMMER: Let me try it a different way. You mentioned the president there. Is this caucus more about who is the best candidate for the party or who is the best candidate to beat George Bush? A fine distinction, but, I think an important one. GEPHARDT: I think it differs with voters. Some voters really just want to know who would be the best president, who could get the job done the best. I think others want to know who can best beat George Bush. I obviously think I qualify on both grounds.

HEMMER: But do you believe one is more important than the other for caucus-goers tonight?

GEPHARDT: People want to win against George Bush, and they are looking at that electoral map and who can win in the Midwest, which is where you've got to beat George Bush.

HEMMER: But with that answer, 77 percent of recent polling of Democrats only say they want a stronger leader than the option right now. Two-thirds say President Bush cannot be beaten. How do you react to that?

GEPHARDT: Well, the conventional wisdom in the country is that his poll numbers are high. He's an incumbent president. But a few months back he was very vulnerable.

I think when all is said and done people are going to believe he has not done the job on the economy. He has not done the job on foreign and defense policy. He's not dealing with the root causes of terrorism. He's not leading the world together to do that. And I think voters are going to vote him out and vote in a Democratic candidate.

HEMMER: Just to follow that up. And quickly back to these numbers. What does it say right now about the party...

GEPHARDT: I think it's...

HEMMER: ... and what your own people and your own supporters are looking for?

GEPHARDT: I just think Democrats, like everybody, are subject to what's conventional wisdom. We're poll-driven today. You know, we've got a daily poll. And so, people begin to get their perception by what that poll says. But I have never seen the fervor among Democrats to defeat an incumbent officeholder like I see today.

HEMMER: Enjoy your last day here in Iowa, OK?

GEPHARDT: Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: Dick Gephardt, nice to see you.

GEPHARDT: Thank you.

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