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American Morning
Winter Storms Hit the Midwest; Examining the Role of Conservative Christians in Bush's Re-election
Aired December 23, 2004 - 09:30 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: Well, that's a fast-moving camera shot. As that truck makes its way down a snow-covered road in Louisville, Kentucky. That's coming to us from our affiliate...
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Looked like that camera was on ice.
O'BRIEN: Whoa, it really did, it kind of slid across to get the shot. Eight inches of snow there. Those poor folks digging out this morning for sure. Well, the snow may have stopped the Midwest, but the headaches certainly keep on coming. Still some terrible driving conditions. And it is not going to be pretty for those of us on the East Coast, either. We're going to get to the forecast in just a moment.
HEMMER: Also this hour our series "They've Got the Goods" continues today. And this morning we focus on the impact evangelical Christians had in 2004, helping the president get re-elected. We'll talk to James Dobson, the chairman of Focus on the Family, why he got involved this time around, but stayed on the sidelines in election year past. So we'll get to that in a moment as well.
O'BRIEN: All right, headlines first, though Carol Costello is in for us this morning. Hello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Good morning. Good morning to you.
Bernard Kerik, the former nominee to head Homeland Security, said he has become a distraction at work. As a result, Kerik announced yesterday he is resigning from consulting firms headed by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani says he did not ask Kerik for his resignation.
Hundreds of Iraqi refugees now heading back to the city of Falluja. They're passing through security checkpoints as they return today. Falluja was the scene of last month's U.S.-led campaign to retake the city from insurgents. Most of the residents fled just ahead of that operation.
And there is word this morning that former Connecticut governor John Rowland has decided to plead guilty to a charge stemming from a corruption investigation. Rowland resigned from his office this summer. He's since been indicted for running a criminal enterprise out of his governor's office. Sources say Rowland will make the guilty plea to an unspecified charge during a court appearance next hour. Can you say plea bargain? O'BRIEN: And this is the same guy whose wife made the big deal about blaming reporters for railroading her husband, and she did it in iambic pentameter and kind of took the blame for everybody but her husband, who I think you just said he's pleading guilty to a charge?
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK.
COSTELLO: There you go.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Carol. Appreciate it.
Well, the first big storm of the winter, a holiday treat for some folks, but a big headache for drivers, certainly. Up to 20 inches of snow and ice, slowing travel all through the nation's midsection. In Texas, snow continues to fall around the panhandle. At least one storm-related death is reported in the Lone Star state. The weather also being blamed for at least six other traffic deaths in four states.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In our week-long series, "They've Got the Goods," we're profiling people who have made 2004 a year to remember. This morning, James Dobson is founder of Focus on the Family. Some say President Bush has conservative Christians to thank for his second term in office. In part one of my interview I asked Dobson why 2004 was such a good year for the religious right.
JAMES DOBSON, CHAIRMAN, "FOCUS ON THE FAMILY": Well, I think it's a whole lot broader than religious right. That has become kind of a pejority term. But actually, I think the president owes a good part of his election not only to evangelicals, which is a better term, from my perspective, but from conservative Catholics, and from mainline Christians who happen to have had some of the same values. So I think it was broader than what you call religious right.
HEMMER: So you would accept some of the credit, then, for the re-election in 2004, then?
DOBSON: Well, we worked pretty hard at it. But I'm not, you know -- an awful lot of people that get the credit for this. There are people involved all over the country, there are people volunteering, people praying, people involved in various ways, and so, I think it would be very arrogant for anybody to start taking large chunks of credit here.
HEMMER: Let me try and go back to my first question here. Anti- gay marriage ballot measures passed in eleven states, all eleven that had them. 22 percent of voters in exit polling said moral values were their biggest concern in 2004. If you put that together, you consider it a pretty good year?
DOBSON: I do. And again, I would quibble with your terminology. Those elections were not anti-gay. They were pro-marriage. They were efforts to strengthen the institution of marriage. And I think maybe more than any other issue, other than the Supreme Court, that that determined the outcome. And it was a good year.
HEMMER: In 2000, you did not actively support the president's campaign. Why did you consider it so critical in 2004 to be out there in front?
DOBSON: You know, I have never endorsed a presidential candidate until now. Because I was president of Focus on the Family, Focus on the Family's a nonprofit organization, and I didn't want to drag it into the political arena. I have now stepped down as president. I'm chairman of the board, but there's some distance there. And that allowed me personally to endorse the president. Focus on the Family is still a nonprofit organization, and it could not be actively involved in the elections, although those moral issues that you talk about were very, very important to us.
HEMMER: What kind of contact did you have with Karl Rove during the campaign?
DOBSON: Well, I wouldn't say that I was on the phone with him every day. And I have talked to him and to other people within the White House. But, we are not an operative for the Republican party or for the White House. We supported the things we supported because we believe in the moral values that were at stake. And also, because we're very concerned about John Kerry. So this was not an orchestrated thing. Our part in it was not orchestrated by the White House at all.
HEMMER: Give me a better sense of that. Did you approach Karl Rove, or did he approach you?
DOBSON: My conversations with Karl Rove were off the record, and I really wouldn't be willing to talk about that.
HEMMER: Would you tell me if you went to him or he went to you first?
DOBSON: No, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't be prepared to talk about that at all. I can just simply tell you that what we did was motivated by our own value system, our own concern, and you know, we have 250,000 letters and phone calls a month. I knew where the people are out there who draw strength and information from Focus on the Family. And so that's where our motivation came from.
HEMMER: You said this recently and I'll quote you on this, you said now, "This year I had to do everything I could to keep the loony left from capturing the United States Supreme Court and shaping its liberal decisions for the next 25 years." I don't know if you've answered that just yet, but if you haven't, why did you make that change for 2004?
DOBSON: I'm not sure what change you're talking about.
HEMMER: I don't know if you've answered that just yet, but if you haven't, why did you make that change for 2004? DOBSON: I'm not sure what change you're talking about. I have been concerned about the Supreme Court for a long time. So that's not a new perspective.
HEMMER: I guess the change I'm referring to is the low profile you took in 2000, and then the change you took for 2004.
DOBSON: Well, I -- no, I took a high profile on the Supreme Court a long time ago, but that's different than endorsing political candidates and especially presidential candidates. We were very, very concerned about the Supreme Court, and still are, because of the attack on religious liberty. I mean, this has been going on for 43 years now, going back to 1962, when the Supreme Court struck down the right to pray in schools, or have Bible reading in schools, or the Pledge of Allegiance in 2002, I think it was. You know, there's been this continuing attack on religious liberty.
And if John Kerry had had the opportunity over perhaps eight years to make as many as four or five Supreme Court appointees, that could have set in place a system of beliefs and values that would have stayed with us for maybe the rest of this century.
HEMMER: Listening to you, I get the sense of accomplishment from you. Is that a fair reading?
DOBSON: You know, that would be an arrogant reading. I really didn't go into this by trying to accomplish something personally. That's not what I'm all about at this stage of my life. You're looking at man who cares very, very deeply about the family, about children, about marriage, about unborn children, about taxes on the family, the marriage penalty tax, many of those kind of issues. And that's where I'm coming from; that's what motivated me. This was not an effort to try to, you know, aggrandize myself in any way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: In a moment, my conversation with James Dobson does not end there. If the president does not deliver for evangelicals, what are the consequences for the White House? Back with more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Back to my conversation now with James Dobson, talking about the political influence his and other conservative Christian groups will have in the next four years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: If the president does not follow the evangelical agenda is there a danger for him?
DOBSON: Well, I think there's a danger for any president who does not do what he promised to do during the election. And so I don't think evangelicals are asking much of President Bush that he hasn't already said that he wanted to do. So he will be accountable, not just to evangelicals, but to the people who voted for him across the country. In terms of his own...
HEMMER: I apologize.
Do you find a risk in there if he's going to alienate moderates, independents in order to keep, in the larger picture, the Republican Party strong across the board?
DOBSON: Well, I think as the president you have to decide what you stand for and then tell the people what you stand for, and then stay true to it after you are in office. And I believe President Bush will do that. If he alienates some, again, what you call moderates or liberals, then you're going to alienate somewhere, somebody all along the line.
HEMMER: Focus on the Family fought hard against the appointment of Arlen Specter to head the Senate Judiciary Committee. You lost that battle. But at one point, you said, and quoting now, "he will assume his new position on a short leash." Who's holding the leash? Is it you?
DOBSON: No, I think his own colleagues are holding the leash. It was pretty clear that they were not happy with what he did. And why would they be? I mean, the day after this enormous victory occurred, after President Bush had come to Pennsylvania more than 30 times to campaign for Senator Specter, he comes out there and tells the world that he is going to oppose the president on the issues, especially life, and judiciary, the issues that he ran on. I mean, that's breathtaking, and I've never seen a politician do anything quite like that in terms of timing. And so he alienated his Republican colleagues, and they're the ones that have put him on a short leash.
He has now written a statement that he is accountable to, and I think if he violates his own statement, which has been released to the public, I think he will be removed as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
HEMMER: You are going to have midterm elections in this country in 2006, another race for the White House in 2008. Do you believe politicians running for the White House from this point forward have to change their own focus in how they address evangelicals in America as a result of this past race?
DOBSON: Well, it depends on whether or not they want the support of evangelicals. I think this constituency is more sophisticated now than it was 10 years ago. They're more involved. Churches are more involved. More pastors were involved in getting their people registered to vote. And I think it behooves politicians to think about that. But what else is new? There are all kinds of constituencies out there, and politicians have to decide how to deal with them. This is just another one. It happens to be, I think, a very influential one at this stage in history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: One final segment to our series tomorrow, a political star born in 2004, Barack Obama, Democratic senator-elect out of the state of Illinois. We'll have that for you on Friday -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, should Santa think about moving his workshop from the North Pole to an airport near you? Andy's "Minding Your Business." Before the break, though, some holiday cheer from Rockapella. Enjoy.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Will the Dow hang onto its gains to close out the holiday week? Plus a place to go on Christmas day for that real last- minute gift. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Yes, you guys are pretty good.
O'BRIEN: We were singing in the break.
SERWER: They were singing. Bill and Soledad. A little duet, a Christmas duet.
(CROSSTALK)
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: It wasn't singing.
HEMMER: It wasn't?
SERWER: It was baying?
O'BRIEN: Because they want us to be in rockapella.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Right, there we go. All right, let's check out stock market this morning, see what the Dow is up to. Up 24, looks like we might get this Christmas rally right into Christmas, which is great news. Netflix suffering a little bit because Blockbuster's lowering prices. That stock's down about 1.5 percent. $11 stock was a $40 stock a year ago.
If you're like me, you haven't finished your Christmas shopping. Millions of people like me. And unusual place you might not think of to go for those last-minute gifts. How about the airport? No, it's not just for I love Arizona t-shirts and Pittsburgh shot glasses anymore.
HEMMER: Magnets?
SERWER: Yes, fridge magnets. They got all kinds of stuff. You can get high-end golf equipment, toys, jewelry, electronics, CDs, DVDs. And you just ask, flight attendants and pilots have been shopping there for years. Get this, the Pittsburgh airport, a Brooks Brothers, Victoria's Secret, the Gap, the Body Shop, L'Occitane for your Frenchie-fancy soaps. Fancy French soap. Land's End. So you can get a lot of stuff there on the way home.
HEMMER: I once bought a bathing suit at La Guardia.
SERWER: I want to see that.
O'BRIEN: Don't you have to go through security?
SERWER: Yes, I don't know what you do with the bag.
O'BRIEN: That could add a lot of time.
SERWER: Well, this is just for travelers. But they are suggesting some people actually go out there. I wouldn't do that. I mean, if it's on the way home, maybe.
CAFFERTY: Nobody followed up. Why?
SERWER: What?
HEMMER: Oh, because I needed one.
CAFFERTY: Why?
HEMMER: Because I was going to the beach and I didn't have one and I had to buy one.
CAFFERTY: They probably sold one at the beach when you got there.
HEMMER: I was on stand by.
SERWER: I want to see it.
HEMMER: There's a Brooks Brothers at La Guardia and they had swimming trunks on sale.
SERWER: Oh, I do that all the time, Bill.
HEMMER: Wonderful. I'll show them to you sometime.
CAFFERTY: Please. I'd look forward to that. Here's the question of the day. There's this outfit called Genetic Savings and Clone, which is just the greatest name ever, out in California, that made this woman a cat out of her old dead cat. Got some DNA, cloned a new cat, charged her 50 grand for it. The question is where do you draw the line when it comes to cloning animals?
Don writes from Whitewater, Wisconsin: "Your stand for the animals is commendable. As I watched this morning, so did my cats, Edna and Gus. Both of them are thankful we saved their lives and didn't waste the money on clones. So that we're able now every month to adopt our daughter, support another child in Haiti and an orphanage some friends founded in Mexico where the aid is really needed."
Doug writes from Stony Creek, Ontario, "Jack, for just 50 grand, my wife can have Mr. Crinkles around forever, hissing at me, thinking my leg is a scratching post and hacking up a fur ball into my bran flakes." Merry Christmas, indeed. And for the last one, I really wish we had a studio orchestra, because you sort of need a drum roll. It's probably the most tasteless letter I've ever gotten. From Scott in Governor, New York: "As long as the Chinese buffets can keep their prices low, go for it.
SERWER: Oh.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: I'll explain it to you when we're off the air.
HEMMER: I got it.
Coming up on CNN, a little thread, needles and know-how making all the difference for some very special folks overseas. A holiday homefront with Daryn and Randi Kaye next hour. We're back in a moment here, AMERICAN MORNING, a final word. And a bit of a gift-giving celebration, too. Stay tuned. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired December 23, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, that's a fast-moving camera shot. As that truck makes its way down a snow-covered road in Louisville, Kentucky. That's coming to us from our affiliate...
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Looked like that camera was on ice.
O'BRIEN: Whoa, it really did, it kind of slid across to get the shot. Eight inches of snow there. Those poor folks digging out this morning for sure. Well, the snow may have stopped the Midwest, but the headaches certainly keep on coming. Still some terrible driving conditions. And it is not going to be pretty for those of us on the East Coast, either. We're going to get to the forecast in just a moment.
HEMMER: Also this hour our series "They've Got the Goods" continues today. And this morning we focus on the impact evangelical Christians had in 2004, helping the president get re-elected. We'll talk to James Dobson, the chairman of Focus on the Family, why he got involved this time around, but stayed on the sidelines in election year past. So we'll get to that in a moment as well.
O'BRIEN: All right, headlines first, though Carol Costello is in for us this morning. Hello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Good morning. Good morning to you.
Bernard Kerik, the former nominee to head Homeland Security, said he has become a distraction at work. As a result, Kerik announced yesterday he is resigning from consulting firms headed by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani says he did not ask Kerik for his resignation.
Hundreds of Iraqi refugees now heading back to the city of Falluja. They're passing through security checkpoints as they return today. Falluja was the scene of last month's U.S.-led campaign to retake the city from insurgents. Most of the residents fled just ahead of that operation.
And there is word this morning that former Connecticut governor John Rowland has decided to plead guilty to a charge stemming from a corruption investigation. Rowland resigned from his office this summer. He's since been indicted for running a criminal enterprise out of his governor's office. Sources say Rowland will make the guilty plea to an unspecified charge during a court appearance next hour. Can you say plea bargain? O'BRIEN: And this is the same guy whose wife made the big deal about blaming reporters for railroading her husband, and she did it in iambic pentameter and kind of took the blame for everybody but her husband, who I think you just said he's pleading guilty to a charge?
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK.
COSTELLO: There you go.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Carol. Appreciate it.
Well, the first big storm of the winter, a holiday treat for some folks, but a big headache for drivers, certainly. Up to 20 inches of snow and ice, slowing travel all through the nation's midsection. In Texas, snow continues to fall around the panhandle. At least one storm-related death is reported in the Lone Star state. The weather also being blamed for at least six other traffic deaths in four states.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In our week-long series, "They've Got the Goods," we're profiling people who have made 2004 a year to remember. This morning, James Dobson is founder of Focus on the Family. Some say President Bush has conservative Christians to thank for his second term in office. In part one of my interview I asked Dobson why 2004 was such a good year for the religious right.
JAMES DOBSON, CHAIRMAN, "FOCUS ON THE FAMILY": Well, I think it's a whole lot broader than religious right. That has become kind of a pejority term. But actually, I think the president owes a good part of his election not only to evangelicals, which is a better term, from my perspective, but from conservative Catholics, and from mainline Christians who happen to have had some of the same values. So I think it was broader than what you call religious right.
HEMMER: So you would accept some of the credit, then, for the re-election in 2004, then?
DOBSON: Well, we worked pretty hard at it. But I'm not, you know -- an awful lot of people that get the credit for this. There are people involved all over the country, there are people volunteering, people praying, people involved in various ways, and so, I think it would be very arrogant for anybody to start taking large chunks of credit here.
HEMMER: Let me try and go back to my first question here. Anti- gay marriage ballot measures passed in eleven states, all eleven that had them. 22 percent of voters in exit polling said moral values were their biggest concern in 2004. If you put that together, you consider it a pretty good year?
DOBSON: I do. And again, I would quibble with your terminology. Those elections were not anti-gay. They were pro-marriage. They were efforts to strengthen the institution of marriage. And I think maybe more than any other issue, other than the Supreme Court, that that determined the outcome. And it was a good year.
HEMMER: In 2000, you did not actively support the president's campaign. Why did you consider it so critical in 2004 to be out there in front?
DOBSON: You know, I have never endorsed a presidential candidate until now. Because I was president of Focus on the Family, Focus on the Family's a nonprofit organization, and I didn't want to drag it into the political arena. I have now stepped down as president. I'm chairman of the board, but there's some distance there. And that allowed me personally to endorse the president. Focus on the Family is still a nonprofit organization, and it could not be actively involved in the elections, although those moral issues that you talk about were very, very important to us.
HEMMER: What kind of contact did you have with Karl Rove during the campaign?
DOBSON: Well, I wouldn't say that I was on the phone with him every day. And I have talked to him and to other people within the White House. But, we are not an operative for the Republican party or for the White House. We supported the things we supported because we believe in the moral values that were at stake. And also, because we're very concerned about John Kerry. So this was not an orchestrated thing. Our part in it was not orchestrated by the White House at all.
HEMMER: Give me a better sense of that. Did you approach Karl Rove, or did he approach you?
DOBSON: My conversations with Karl Rove were off the record, and I really wouldn't be willing to talk about that.
HEMMER: Would you tell me if you went to him or he went to you first?
DOBSON: No, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't be prepared to talk about that at all. I can just simply tell you that what we did was motivated by our own value system, our own concern, and you know, we have 250,000 letters and phone calls a month. I knew where the people are out there who draw strength and information from Focus on the Family. And so that's where our motivation came from.
HEMMER: You said this recently and I'll quote you on this, you said now, "This year I had to do everything I could to keep the loony left from capturing the United States Supreme Court and shaping its liberal decisions for the next 25 years." I don't know if you've answered that just yet, but if you haven't, why did you make that change for 2004?
DOBSON: I'm not sure what change you're talking about.
HEMMER: I don't know if you've answered that just yet, but if you haven't, why did you make that change for 2004? DOBSON: I'm not sure what change you're talking about. I have been concerned about the Supreme Court for a long time. So that's not a new perspective.
HEMMER: I guess the change I'm referring to is the low profile you took in 2000, and then the change you took for 2004.
DOBSON: Well, I -- no, I took a high profile on the Supreme Court a long time ago, but that's different than endorsing political candidates and especially presidential candidates. We were very, very concerned about the Supreme Court, and still are, because of the attack on religious liberty. I mean, this has been going on for 43 years now, going back to 1962, when the Supreme Court struck down the right to pray in schools, or have Bible reading in schools, or the Pledge of Allegiance in 2002, I think it was. You know, there's been this continuing attack on religious liberty.
And if John Kerry had had the opportunity over perhaps eight years to make as many as four or five Supreme Court appointees, that could have set in place a system of beliefs and values that would have stayed with us for maybe the rest of this century.
HEMMER: Listening to you, I get the sense of accomplishment from you. Is that a fair reading?
DOBSON: You know, that would be an arrogant reading. I really didn't go into this by trying to accomplish something personally. That's not what I'm all about at this stage of my life. You're looking at man who cares very, very deeply about the family, about children, about marriage, about unborn children, about taxes on the family, the marriage penalty tax, many of those kind of issues. And that's where I'm coming from; that's what motivated me. This was not an effort to try to, you know, aggrandize myself in any way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: In a moment, my conversation with James Dobson does not end there. If the president does not deliver for evangelicals, what are the consequences for the White House? Back with more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Back to my conversation now with James Dobson, talking about the political influence his and other conservative Christian groups will have in the next four years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: If the president does not follow the evangelical agenda is there a danger for him?
DOBSON: Well, I think there's a danger for any president who does not do what he promised to do during the election. And so I don't think evangelicals are asking much of President Bush that he hasn't already said that he wanted to do. So he will be accountable, not just to evangelicals, but to the people who voted for him across the country. In terms of his own...
HEMMER: I apologize.
Do you find a risk in there if he's going to alienate moderates, independents in order to keep, in the larger picture, the Republican Party strong across the board?
DOBSON: Well, I think as the president you have to decide what you stand for and then tell the people what you stand for, and then stay true to it after you are in office. And I believe President Bush will do that. If he alienates some, again, what you call moderates or liberals, then you're going to alienate somewhere, somebody all along the line.
HEMMER: Focus on the Family fought hard against the appointment of Arlen Specter to head the Senate Judiciary Committee. You lost that battle. But at one point, you said, and quoting now, "he will assume his new position on a short leash." Who's holding the leash? Is it you?
DOBSON: No, I think his own colleagues are holding the leash. It was pretty clear that they were not happy with what he did. And why would they be? I mean, the day after this enormous victory occurred, after President Bush had come to Pennsylvania more than 30 times to campaign for Senator Specter, he comes out there and tells the world that he is going to oppose the president on the issues, especially life, and judiciary, the issues that he ran on. I mean, that's breathtaking, and I've never seen a politician do anything quite like that in terms of timing. And so he alienated his Republican colleagues, and they're the ones that have put him on a short leash.
He has now written a statement that he is accountable to, and I think if he violates his own statement, which has been released to the public, I think he will be removed as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
HEMMER: You are going to have midterm elections in this country in 2006, another race for the White House in 2008. Do you believe politicians running for the White House from this point forward have to change their own focus in how they address evangelicals in America as a result of this past race?
DOBSON: Well, it depends on whether or not they want the support of evangelicals. I think this constituency is more sophisticated now than it was 10 years ago. They're more involved. Churches are more involved. More pastors were involved in getting their people registered to vote. And I think it behooves politicians to think about that. But what else is new? There are all kinds of constituencies out there, and politicians have to decide how to deal with them. This is just another one. It happens to be, I think, a very influential one at this stage in history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: One final segment to our series tomorrow, a political star born in 2004, Barack Obama, Democratic senator-elect out of the state of Illinois. We'll have that for you on Friday -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, should Santa think about moving his workshop from the North Pole to an airport near you? Andy's "Minding Your Business." Before the break, though, some holiday cheer from Rockapella. Enjoy.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Will the Dow hang onto its gains to close out the holiday week? Plus a place to go on Christmas day for that real last- minute gift. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Yes, you guys are pretty good.
O'BRIEN: We were singing in the break.
SERWER: They were singing. Bill and Soledad. A little duet, a Christmas duet.
(CROSSTALK)
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: It wasn't singing.
HEMMER: It wasn't?
SERWER: It was baying?
O'BRIEN: Because they want us to be in rockapella.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Right, there we go. All right, let's check out stock market this morning, see what the Dow is up to. Up 24, looks like we might get this Christmas rally right into Christmas, which is great news. Netflix suffering a little bit because Blockbuster's lowering prices. That stock's down about 1.5 percent. $11 stock was a $40 stock a year ago.
If you're like me, you haven't finished your Christmas shopping. Millions of people like me. And unusual place you might not think of to go for those last-minute gifts. How about the airport? No, it's not just for I love Arizona t-shirts and Pittsburgh shot glasses anymore.
HEMMER: Magnets?
SERWER: Yes, fridge magnets. They got all kinds of stuff. You can get high-end golf equipment, toys, jewelry, electronics, CDs, DVDs. And you just ask, flight attendants and pilots have been shopping there for years. Get this, the Pittsburgh airport, a Brooks Brothers, Victoria's Secret, the Gap, the Body Shop, L'Occitane for your Frenchie-fancy soaps. Fancy French soap. Land's End. So you can get a lot of stuff there on the way home.
HEMMER: I once bought a bathing suit at La Guardia.
SERWER: I want to see that.
O'BRIEN: Don't you have to go through security?
SERWER: Yes, I don't know what you do with the bag.
O'BRIEN: That could add a lot of time.
SERWER: Well, this is just for travelers. But they are suggesting some people actually go out there. I wouldn't do that. I mean, if it's on the way home, maybe.
CAFFERTY: Nobody followed up. Why?
SERWER: What?
HEMMER: Oh, because I needed one.
CAFFERTY: Why?
HEMMER: Because I was going to the beach and I didn't have one and I had to buy one.
CAFFERTY: They probably sold one at the beach when you got there.
HEMMER: I was on stand by.
SERWER: I want to see it.
HEMMER: There's a Brooks Brothers at La Guardia and they had swimming trunks on sale.
SERWER: Oh, I do that all the time, Bill.
HEMMER: Wonderful. I'll show them to you sometime.
CAFFERTY: Please. I'd look forward to that. Here's the question of the day. There's this outfit called Genetic Savings and Clone, which is just the greatest name ever, out in California, that made this woman a cat out of her old dead cat. Got some DNA, cloned a new cat, charged her 50 grand for it. The question is where do you draw the line when it comes to cloning animals?
Don writes from Whitewater, Wisconsin: "Your stand for the animals is commendable. As I watched this morning, so did my cats, Edna and Gus. Both of them are thankful we saved their lives and didn't waste the money on clones. So that we're able now every month to adopt our daughter, support another child in Haiti and an orphanage some friends founded in Mexico where the aid is really needed."
Doug writes from Stony Creek, Ontario, "Jack, for just 50 grand, my wife can have Mr. Crinkles around forever, hissing at me, thinking my leg is a scratching post and hacking up a fur ball into my bran flakes." Merry Christmas, indeed. And for the last one, I really wish we had a studio orchestra, because you sort of need a drum roll. It's probably the most tasteless letter I've ever gotten. From Scott in Governor, New York: "As long as the Chinese buffets can keep their prices low, go for it.
SERWER: Oh.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: I'll explain it to you when we're off the air.
HEMMER: I got it.
Coming up on CNN, a little thread, needles and know-how making all the difference for some very special folks overseas. A holiday homefront with Daryn and Randi Kaye next hour. We're back in a moment here, AMERICAN MORNING, a final word. And a bit of a gift-giving celebration, too. Stay tuned. Back after this.
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