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America Votes 2004: Southern Primaries

Aired February 10, 2004 - 11:04   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: But first, we want to focus back here on politics in this country. Democrats duking it out in the South today. Voters in Tennessee and Virginia are casting ballots in primary elections. Polls show Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is ahead in those two states and among Democrats nationwide.
Our national correspondent Bob Franken joins us. He is in Fairfax, Virginia, with the details.

Bob, good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

And the voters in Arlington, Virginia, not far from here, were greeted by one of the candidates today, John Edwards, who is really trying to make a statement in the South, after he made a statement in South Carolina. Greeted some of the voters at the polls in Arlington this morning. You can see the signs also greeting the voters there.

Greetings though they may be, John Edwards is not favored to win in Virginia, nor in Tennessee. That is an honor, according to the polls, that will go to John Kerry. John Kerry is out to prove that he, too, can win in the South, trying to create a national campaign. Kerry and Edwards -- or Edwards and Wes Clark were the ones trying to stop him in the South to lay claim to some legitimacy in the campaign.

Wes Clark is spending his day in Tennessee, the site of the other primary. He's from neighboring Arkansas. Clark is trying to rev up a campaign that is going to need some revving up. He's really running more against Edwards at this point. They're battling for runner up now since the polls show Kerry so far in the lead. They're trying to each identify themselves as the person who would run against John Kerry.

The man who is running for his life in the north is Howard Dean running in Wisconsin. He has changed his mind again. He is not going to be pulling out of the race no matter how poorly he might do in Wisconsin. Originally he had said -- that was yesterday, by the way -- he had said that he would pull out if he didn't do well in Wisconsin, until yesterday. And then he decided that he was going to stay and saying that his supporters had said no, no, you have to stay in to provide an alternative.

The question is how long will the Democratic Party allow other candidates to provide an alternative to John Kerry? First, John Kerry is going to have to prove tonight that the polls are correct and that he wins here. If that's the case, the bandwagon will continue. The next stop Wisconsin. Who knows we'll be in after that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: But looking at how these two states with primaries today fit into the big picture down the line, Tennessee and Virginia, neither state went democratic back in 2000 -- Bob.

FRANKEN: Well, you know it's interesting, as a matter of fact, the issue about southern states is the issue about the Republicans who really now control the South and the conventional wisdom that President Bush is going to be the person who controls the South. The Democrats are saying not necessarily so. And John Kerry is saying he can inspire the South, just as he has the north thus far in the primaries, and can wage a legitimate fight against President Bush.

But as you said, it's been Republican, quite the contradiction of the old traditions about the Dixiecrats. But the Republicans now pretty much control the South and the Democrats would like nothing better than to return to that old tradition of a Democratic South.

KAGAN: Bob Franken doing an every four-year tradition for him on the campaign trail. Thank you so much from Fairfax, Virginia.

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 February 10, 2004 - 11:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: But first, we want to focus back here on politics in this country. Democrats duking it out in the South today. Voters in Tennessee and Virginia are casting ballots in primary elections. Polls show Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is ahead in those two states and among Democrats nationwide.
Our national correspondent Bob Franken joins us. He is in Fairfax, Virginia, with the details.

Bob, good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

And the voters in Arlington, Virginia, not far from here, were greeted by one of the candidates today, John Edwards, who is really trying to make a statement in the South, after he made a statement in South Carolina. Greeted some of the voters at the polls in Arlington this morning. You can see the signs also greeting the voters there.

Greetings though they may be, John Edwards is not favored to win in Virginia, nor in Tennessee. That is an honor, according to the polls, that will go to John Kerry. John Kerry is out to prove that he, too, can win in the South, trying to create a national campaign. Kerry and Edwards -- or Edwards and Wes Clark were the ones trying to stop him in the South to lay claim to some legitimacy in the campaign.

Wes Clark is spending his day in Tennessee, the site of the other primary. He's from neighboring Arkansas. Clark is trying to rev up a campaign that is going to need some revving up. He's really running more against Edwards at this point. They're battling for runner up now since the polls show Kerry so far in the lead. They're trying to each identify themselves as the person who would run against John Kerry.

The man who is running for his life in the north is Howard Dean running in Wisconsin. He has changed his mind again. He is not going to be pulling out of the race no matter how poorly he might do in Wisconsin. Originally he had said -- that was yesterday, by the way -- he had said that he would pull out if he didn't do well in Wisconsin, until yesterday. And then he decided that he was going to stay and saying that his supporters had said no, no, you have to stay in to provide an alternative.

The question is how long will the Democratic Party allow other candidates to provide an alternative to John Kerry? First, John Kerry is going to have to prove tonight that the polls are correct and that he wins here. If that's the case, the bandwagon will continue. The next stop Wisconsin. Who knows we'll be in after that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: But looking at how these two states with primaries today fit into the big picture down the line, Tennessee and Virginia, neither state went democratic back in 2000 -- Bob.

FRANKEN: Well, you know it's interesting, as a matter of fact, the issue about southern states is the issue about the Republicans who really now control the South and the conventional wisdom that President Bush is going to be the person who controls the South. The Democrats are saying not necessarily so. And John Kerry is saying he can inspire the South, just as he has the north thus far in the primaries, and can wage a legitimate fight against President Bush.

But as you said, it's been Republican, quite the contradiction of the old traditions about the Dixiecrats. But the Republicans now pretty much control the South and the Democrats would like nothing better than to return to that old tradition of a Democratic South.

KAGAN: Bob Franken doing an every four-year tradition for him on the campaign trail. Thank you so much from Fairfax, Virginia.

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