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American Morning

Is Wisconsin Primary Do or Die Test for Dean's Campaign?

Aired February 16, 2004 - 08:06   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Is the Wisconsin primary really the do or die test for Howard Dean's campaign?
Dean's campaign manager, Roy Neel, joins us this morning from Burlington, Vermont.

Mr. Neel, nice to see you.

Good morning.

ROY NEEL, DEAN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Many people are talking today about mixed messages coming from the campaign. You said the other day, "I wouldn't rule out any option right now."

Steve Grossman, who is the national campaign chairman, said that he's going to reach out to the Kerry campaign if, on Tuesday, Howard Dean hasn't won. And the candidate himself, Howard Dean, said, "We're not dropping out after Tuesday period."

Which one is it?

NEEL: Well, you know, Steve can say whatever he wishes. But I can tell you that Howard Dean is in this race to stay. He's determined to fight on after tomorrow night, whatever the results. This campaign is far from over. It's way too early to have a coronation for the front runner. Senator Kerry has done well, but he still is a long way away from the number of delegates necessary to wrap it up.

O'BRIEN: You have said also that you have some concern that "Prematurely" -- and I'm quoting here -- "Prematurely calling an end to this campaign will actually open the door for President Bush."

Explain what you mean by that.

NEEL: Well, this campaign primary among Democrats have been enormously productive and beneficial for the Democratic Party. Before Howard Dean got in this race, the Democratic Party had a favorability rating of 36 percent and now it's 68. So this has been a very positive campaign and there's no reason to just stop it right now, to stop the debate, to stop the discussion. It is a referendum on George Bush and the horrible mess that he's created for this country and every one of these candidates would do a better job.

It is way too early to call this primary over. Both Governor Dean and John Edwards are going to stay in this race, apparently. And we're going to have a fight to the finish.

O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at the full context of what the national campaign chairman, Steve Grossman, said. And he said, "I'm going to reach out to John Kerry unless he reaches out to me first. I'll make it clear that I'll do anything and everything I can do to help him become the next president and I'll do anything and everything I can do to build bridges with the Dean organization."

Are there bridges being built right now? Are you in any kind of negotiations with the Kerry campaign about the role, potentially, Howard Dean could have, depending on what happens on Tuesday?

NEEL: The only thing we're trying to do right now, Soledad, is win this Wisconsin primary tomorrow night. I don't know what various free agents are doing. But this campaign is going to go forward. And Governor Dean has been very clear that he's going to fight to keep this message alive and keep pushing away.

If, whoever is the eventual nominee, he will support him if it's not John -- if it's not Howard Dean. But this campaign goes forward.

O'BRIEN: The poll numbers don't have it going your way at all. In fact, they're not showing that. So I'm curious to know that, let's assume or let's just hypothetically say that Governor Dean does not win on Tuesday. Some people have suggested that he would turn that grassroots network into some sort of movement to expand the Democratic Party.

Do you envision that happening? Do you see that as something that Howard Dean would do? And what would his role be in that, hypothetically speaking, I'll grant you?

NEEL: Well, it's way too early to speculate. I am certain that Howard Dean is going to be a powerful force in this campaign for the rest of the year to defeat George Bush. That's the goal of every Democrat. That is why we have so much enthusiasm in this Democratic Party, why turnouts in every primary and caucus have been almost in record numbers.

So, I mean it's way too early to speculate what anyone's going to do once this campaign is over. The campaign doesn't really end until in November, until the Democrats rise up and run George Bush right out of the White House.

O'BRIEN: Is your expectation, then, that come Tuesday Howard Dean will still be in the race? Or, let's say, Wednesday morning? Or do you think that decisions will be made by then?

NEEL: Well, I think Governor Dean is going to keep on campaigning. I think that he'll step back tomorrow night after the Wisconsin primary and, you know, take a day off. I mean it's, they've been on the road a long time and he'll sit back and think of what -- about what his options are and where this campaign can do its best good and go forward.

O'BRIEN: Roy Neel is the Dean campaign manager. Thanks for being with us this morning, Mr. Neel.

Appreciate it.

NEEL: Thank you, Soledad.

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 16, 2004 - 08:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Is the Wisconsin primary really the do or die test for Howard Dean's campaign?
Dean's campaign manager, Roy Neel, joins us this morning from Burlington, Vermont.

Mr. Neel, nice to see you.

Good morning.

ROY NEEL, DEAN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Many people are talking today about mixed messages coming from the campaign. You said the other day, "I wouldn't rule out any option right now."

Steve Grossman, who is the national campaign chairman, said that he's going to reach out to the Kerry campaign if, on Tuesday, Howard Dean hasn't won. And the candidate himself, Howard Dean, said, "We're not dropping out after Tuesday period."

Which one is it?

NEEL: Well, you know, Steve can say whatever he wishes. But I can tell you that Howard Dean is in this race to stay. He's determined to fight on after tomorrow night, whatever the results. This campaign is far from over. It's way too early to have a coronation for the front runner. Senator Kerry has done well, but he still is a long way away from the number of delegates necessary to wrap it up.

O'BRIEN: You have said also that you have some concern that "Prematurely" -- and I'm quoting here -- "Prematurely calling an end to this campaign will actually open the door for President Bush."

Explain what you mean by that.

NEEL: Well, this campaign primary among Democrats have been enormously productive and beneficial for the Democratic Party. Before Howard Dean got in this race, the Democratic Party had a favorability rating of 36 percent and now it's 68. So this has been a very positive campaign and there's no reason to just stop it right now, to stop the debate, to stop the discussion. It is a referendum on George Bush and the horrible mess that he's created for this country and every one of these candidates would do a better job.

It is way too early to call this primary over. Both Governor Dean and John Edwards are going to stay in this race, apparently. And we're going to have a fight to the finish.

O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at the full context of what the national campaign chairman, Steve Grossman, said. And he said, "I'm going to reach out to John Kerry unless he reaches out to me first. I'll make it clear that I'll do anything and everything I can do to help him become the next president and I'll do anything and everything I can do to build bridges with the Dean organization."

Are there bridges being built right now? Are you in any kind of negotiations with the Kerry campaign about the role, potentially, Howard Dean could have, depending on what happens on Tuesday?

NEEL: The only thing we're trying to do right now, Soledad, is win this Wisconsin primary tomorrow night. I don't know what various free agents are doing. But this campaign is going to go forward. And Governor Dean has been very clear that he's going to fight to keep this message alive and keep pushing away.

If, whoever is the eventual nominee, he will support him if it's not John -- if it's not Howard Dean. But this campaign goes forward.

O'BRIEN: The poll numbers don't have it going your way at all. In fact, they're not showing that. So I'm curious to know that, let's assume or let's just hypothetically say that Governor Dean does not win on Tuesday. Some people have suggested that he would turn that grassroots network into some sort of movement to expand the Democratic Party.

Do you envision that happening? Do you see that as something that Howard Dean would do? And what would his role be in that, hypothetically speaking, I'll grant you?

NEEL: Well, it's way too early to speculate. I am certain that Howard Dean is going to be a powerful force in this campaign for the rest of the year to defeat George Bush. That's the goal of every Democrat. That is why we have so much enthusiasm in this Democratic Party, why turnouts in every primary and caucus have been almost in record numbers.

So, I mean it's way too early to speculate what anyone's going to do once this campaign is over. The campaign doesn't really end until in November, until the Democrats rise up and run George Bush right out of the White House.

O'BRIEN: Is your expectation, then, that come Tuesday Howard Dean will still be in the race? Or, let's say, Wednesday morning? Or do you think that decisions will be made by then?

NEEL: Well, I think Governor Dean is going to keep on campaigning. I think that he'll step back tomorrow night after the Wisconsin primary and, you know, take a day off. I mean it's, they've been on the road a long time and he'll sit back and think of what -- about what his options are and where this campaign can do its best good and go forward.

O'BRIEN: Roy Neel is the Dean campaign manager. Thanks for being with us this morning, Mr. Neel.

Appreciate it.

NEEL: Thank you, Soledad.

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