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American Morning
Wisconsin Primary Today
Aired February 17, 2004 - 07:04 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's start with politics this morning and today's critical primary in Wisconsin. John Kerry appears ready to take another big step toward that Democratic nomination, but will this be the swan song for Howard Dean?
Bob Franken live this morning for us in Milwaukee.
Bob -- good morning there.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And there are going to be a large number of voters if the projections are correct. They're expecting a very large turnout. And why not? This has got more plots and subplots than a Harlequin novel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): For Howard Dean, the job is to campaign hard, as the saying goes, like there's no tomorrow, when many of his top advisers were saying that after the Wisconsin primary there may not be. In fact, Dean has had to say good-bye to one of those top advisors, the national campaign chairman, Steve Grossman, who has left the campaign for the greener political pastures in the land of Kerry.
No hard feelings, says Dean.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I consider him to be a friend. I consider him to have worked very, very hard for this campaign, including at times when we were not on the map.
FRANKEN: John Kerry is mapping his strategy for a presumed general election race against President Bush, who is just back from a NASCAR race.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we don't need a president who just says, gentlemen, start your engines. We need a president who says, America, let's start our economy and put people back to work.
FRANKEN: John Edwards makes it clear every chance he gets that no matter how he finishes in Wisconsin he has not reached the finish line.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think as the race is narrowing to two people, it will be clear what the differences are between us. I will myself point out substantive policy differences. (END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: So, if everybody means what he says, John Kerry and John Edwards will be going neck and neck planning strategies now for their campaigns. Meanwhile, Howard Dean is struggling to stop his campaign from disintegrating -- Bill.
HEMMER: Bob Franken, thanks -- live in Milwaukee.
Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, is with us from D.C. this morning.
Bill -- good morning to you. Nice to have you back here.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: What are you looking for today in Wisconsin?
SCHNEIDER: Well, we're looking to see how Howard Dean does more than anything else. Will he win? I mean, he says that's what he needs to go on. Will he come in a strong second, or will he fall to third place behind John Edwards, who has got the endorsement of some influential newspapers there?
I think it's up to the voters to determine the fate of the Dean campaign, and Wisconsin is a state that's always full of surprises. They like underdogs and outsiders in Wisconsin. That's why Dean put his bets on Wisconsin, because they have a history of voting for outsiders.
And just to show in another wildcard, this is an open primary. Anyone can vote. Independents and Republicans can vote. So, they could really stir things up, up there.
HEMMER: Well, let me ask you a question that might come down as a coin flip. Who is this more important for today? Is it Howard Dean or John Edwards?
SCHNEIDER: Oh, I think I'll go with Howard Dean, because he's the one who said -- perhaps unwisely -- that if he doesn't make it in Wisconsin, he doesn't know that he could go on. Then he took that back, and it's been back and forth, and he's been losing people. So, he seems to have placed all of his bets on Wisconsin, and then hedged a little bit. I think very we're looking very much to see whether he stays in the race.
John Edwards has always said I'm going to stay in this race no matter what. He's waiting to get John Kerry man-to-man in a two-man race.
HEMMER: There is a report out today, Ron Brownstein, a colleague of ours, in the "L.A. Times" suggesting that a longer nomination battle is actually better for the Democratic Party. The suggestion is there that it keeps energy up. It keeps interest up. Do you subscribe to that theory? SCHNEIDER: Well, I think there's a good argument to be made for that -- mainly that week after week, if there really is a contest, John Kerry, as long as he keeps winning, he looks stronger every week. He looks like a winner every week, and he stays in the news. If there are no more contests, if it looks like it's a done deal, it's going to be hard to see how Kerry continues to make news.
But the main thing is that they focus their attention on Bush rather than on each other. If the candidates remaining in the race start tearing each other apart that could be bad news for the Democrats.
HEMMER: One more point, and let's make this before we go here. You consistently say that outsiders are out this year. They're not trendy. They're not in fashion in Washington. Explain that for us. Why?
SCHNEIDER: Yes. There are some years, like 1992, when voters are fed with everything in Washington, and they just want to clean house. They want someone like Ross Perot, someone entirely outside of politics. Some candidates have placed their bet on that outcome this year. That includes Howard Dean, who always advertises himself as an outsider. Wesley Clark. John Edwards has only had four years of experience in Washington. That was a bad bet.
Why isn't it working? Because Democrats want someone who can stand up to President Bush, who has knowledgeability (ph), who has experience, and says I can keep the country safe. An insider seems to be the main claim to the nomination. It doesn't look like there's a big market for outsiders this year.
HEMMER: Thanks, Bill. Well talk again later. Bill Schneider from D.C. this morning, our senior political analyst.
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 17, 2004 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's start with politics this morning and today's critical primary in Wisconsin. John Kerry appears ready to take another big step toward that Democratic nomination, but will this be the swan song for Howard Dean?
Bob Franken live this morning for us in Milwaukee.
Bob -- good morning there.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And there are going to be a large number of voters if the projections are correct. They're expecting a very large turnout. And why not? This has got more plots and subplots than a Harlequin novel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): For Howard Dean, the job is to campaign hard, as the saying goes, like there's no tomorrow, when many of his top advisers were saying that after the Wisconsin primary there may not be. In fact, Dean has had to say good-bye to one of those top advisors, the national campaign chairman, Steve Grossman, who has left the campaign for the greener political pastures in the land of Kerry.
No hard feelings, says Dean.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I consider him to be a friend. I consider him to have worked very, very hard for this campaign, including at times when we were not on the map.
FRANKEN: John Kerry is mapping his strategy for a presumed general election race against President Bush, who is just back from a NASCAR race.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we don't need a president who just says, gentlemen, start your engines. We need a president who says, America, let's start our economy and put people back to work.
FRANKEN: John Edwards makes it clear every chance he gets that no matter how he finishes in Wisconsin he has not reached the finish line.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think as the race is narrowing to two people, it will be clear what the differences are between us. I will myself point out substantive policy differences. (END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: So, if everybody means what he says, John Kerry and John Edwards will be going neck and neck planning strategies now for their campaigns. Meanwhile, Howard Dean is struggling to stop his campaign from disintegrating -- Bill.
HEMMER: Bob Franken, thanks -- live in Milwaukee.
Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, is with us from D.C. this morning.
Bill -- good morning to you. Nice to have you back here.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: What are you looking for today in Wisconsin?
SCHNEIDER: Well, we're looking to see how Howard Dean does more than anything else. Will he win? I mean, he says that's what he needs to go on. Will he come in a strong second, or will he fall to third place behind John Edwards, who has got the endorsement of some influential newspapers there?
I think it's up to the voters to determine the fate of the Dean campaign, and Wisconsin is a state that's always full of surprises. They like underdogs and outsiders in Wisconsin. That's why Dean put his bets on Wisconsin, because they have a history of voting for outsiders.
And just to show in another wildcard, this is an open primary. Anyone can vote. Independents and Republicans can vote. So, they could really stir things up, up there.
HEMMER: Well, let me ask you a question that might come down as a coin flip. Who is this more important for today? Is it Howard Dean or John Edwards?
SCHNEIDER: Oh, I think I'll go with Howard Dean, because he's the one who said -- perhaps unwisely -- that if he doesn't make it in Wisconsin, he doesn't know that he could go on. Then he took that back, and it's been back and forth, and he's been losing people. So, he seems to have placed all of his bets on Wisconsin, and then hedged a little bit. I think very we're looking very much to see whether he stays in the race.
John Edwards has always said I'm going to stay in this race no matter what. He's waiting to get John Kerry man-to-man in a two-man race.
HEMMER: There is a report out today, Ron Brownstein, a colleague of ours, in the "L.A. Times" suggesting that a longer nomination battle is actually better for the Democratic Party. The suggestion is there that it keeps energy up. It keeps interest up. Do you subscribe to that theory? SCHNEIDER: Well, I think there's a good argument to be made for that -- mainly that week after week, if there really is a contest, John Kerry, as long as he keeps winning, he looks stronger every week. He looks like a winner every week, and he stays in the news. If there are no more contests, if it looks like it's a done deal, it's going to be hard to see how Kerry continues to make news.
But the main thing is that they focus their attention on Bush rather than on each other. If the candidates remaining in the race start tearing each other apart that could be bad news for the Democrats.
HEMMER: One more point, and let's make this before we go here. You consistently say that outsiders are out this year. They're not trendy. They're not in fashion in Washington. Explain that for us. Why?
SCHNEIDER: Yes. There are some years, like 1992, when voters are fed with everything in Washington, and they just want to clean house. They want someone like Ross Perot, someone entirely outside of politics. Some candidates have placed their bet on that outcome this year. That includes Howard Dean, who always advertises himself as an outsider. Wesley Clark. John Edwards has only had four years of experience in Washington. That was a bad bet.
Why isn't it working? Because Democrats want someone who can stand up to President Bush, who has knowledgeability (ph), who has experience, and says I can keep the country safe. An insider seems to be the main claim to the nomination. It doesn't look like there's a big market for outsiders this year.
HEMMER: Thanks, Bill. Well talk again later. Bill Schneider from D.C. this morning, our senior political analyst.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
