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CNN Saturday Morning News
Intense Final Weekend Before New Hampshire Primary
Aired January 24, 2004 - 07:00 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.
JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the campaigning is not frantic, but it is intense on this final weekend before the New Hampshire primary.
Our Bob Franken reports from Manchester on where the Democrats are doing and where they are. Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
I thought it was kind of frantic, actually.
It is certainly -- it is intense. And the truth of the matter is, is that one of the candidates is just sort of smoothly moving along, while the others are out there spinning around, trying to get traction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): It's hard telling if that mild debate made any difference whatsoever for Howard Dean or any of the candidates, or whether the new Dean campaign is having any effect, or what it means.
Dean was still being his provocative self, suggesting, for instance, that the Federal Reserve chairman should go.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Alan Greenspan has become too political.
FRANKEN: Dean is trying to recapture the magic and recapture the lead from John Kerry, but he was also looking over his shoulder at Wesley Clark to make sure Clark didn't quietly overtake him.
Down below, Joe Lieberman.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Independents are going to vote. They're going to play a critical role here.
FRANKEN: Lieberman and John Edwards are hoping that those independent voters don't embarrass them.
The other candidates are watching enviously as John Kerry glides along at the top of the heap.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to shake the hand of the next president.
KERRY: Thank you, sir. I appreciate that very, very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Well, it should be noted that the leader right now was just a couple of weeks ago down and nearly out. This is a very volatile campaign, Jason.
CARROLL: Yes, but Bob, it still seems as if Kerry is still riding that wave. So is there anything that any of these candidates can do to catch him?
FRANKEN: Well, certainly they're agonizing over that. One of the things they can hope for is that Kerry makes some sort of mistake. That's really the easiest way to see someone knocked off the top.
Kerry's campaign is full of professionals, people who've done this before. And really, they're really just -- that's their main advice to him, don't make any mistakes.
CARROLL: And what about Dean? It seems as if he didn't make any mistakes during the last debate, but he may not have (UNINTELLIGIBLE) made up any ground either. Where does he stand at this point?
FRANKEN: Desperately trying to change his image, trying to convince people that that was an aberration, the thing that we all remember, and hoping against hope that that doesn't become the last thing that's remembered about him in this campaign.
CARROLL: All right, Bob Franken, thanks so very much for that.
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 24, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the campaigning is not frantic, but it is intense on this final weekend before the New Hampshire primary.
Our Bob Franken reports from Manchester on where the Democrats are doing and where they are. Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
I thought it was kind of frantic, actually.
It is certainly -- it is intense. And the truth of the matter is, is that one of the candidates is just sort of smoothly moving along, while the others are out there spinning around, trying to get traction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): It's hard telling if that mild debate made any difference whatsoever for Howard Dean or any of the candidates, or whether the new Dean campaign is having any effect, or what it means.
Dean was still being his provocative self, suggesting, for instance, that the Federal Reserve chairman should go.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Alan Greenspan has become too political.
FRANKEN: Dean is trying to recapture the magic and recapture the lead from John Kerry, but he was also looking over his shoulder at Wesley Clark to make sure Clark didn't quietly overtake him.
Down below, Joe Lieberman.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Independents are going to vote. They're going to play a critical role here.
FRANKEN: Lieberman and John Edwards are hoping that those independent voters don't embarrass them.
The other candidates are watching enviously as John Kerry glides along at the top of the heap.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to shake the hand of the next president.
KERRY: Thank you, sir. I appreciate that very, very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Well, it should be noted that the leader right now was just a couple of weeks ago down and nearly out. This is a very volatile campaign, Jason.
CARROLL: Yes, but Bob, it still seems as if Kerry is still riding that wave. So is there anything that any of these candidates can do to catch him?
FRANKEN: Well, certainly they're agonizing over that. One of the things they can hope for is that Kerry makes some sort of mistake. That's really the easiest way to see someone knocked off the top.
Kerry's campaign is full of professionals, people who've done this before. And really, they're really just -- that's their main advice to him, don't make any mistakes.
CARROLL: And what about Dean? It seems as if he didn't make any mistakes during the last debate, but he may not have (UNINTELLIGIBLE) made up any ground either. Where does he stand at this point?
FRANKEN: Desperately trying to change his image, trying to convince people that that was an aberration, the thing that we all remember, and hoping against hope that that doesn't become the last thing that's remembered about him in this campaign.
CARROLL: All right, Bob Franken, thanks so very much for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
