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CNN Live Saturday
6 Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Host Dinner In Iowa
Aired November 15, 2003 - 18:16 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Iowa is hosting a Democratic feast. Six president nominees are getting ready to face-off at the annual Jefferson Jackson fundraising dinner.
In Louisiana, voters are craving a new governor for the first time in a 130 years it won't be a white man. CNN's Candy Crowley joins us live from DesMoines, Iowa with all of it. Candy, a virtual book (ph) of politics here.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SNR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is. A very big night in Iowa every year is the Jefferson Jackson Day dinner. It is the biggest fundraiser for Democratic party activists. They generally draw a huge crowd here. You can imagine what it is like with nine Democrats running and wanting to have the chance to run against president Bush. And we are about two moths away from those Iowa caucuses. Still in all, at the very beginning of this ticket sales were a little bit sluggish until they brought in one more Democrat, Hillary Clinton. All of a sudden, within 72 hours they had sold out. About 7,000 Democrats here today, signs all over the place. And people walking through the streets with signs of their candidate and with their candidate. The party says they will make history here tonight. The biggest amount of money they have ever raised at a Jefferson Jackson Day dinner.
It does not compare, however, to what you mentioned before, which is Louisiana, because no matter who wins down there tonight they will be writing one for the history books.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): To the beat of the story land stoppers of New Orleans, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is hosting a lady's lunch. She is a 60-year-old grandmother, a former stay-at-home mom of six who got elected as a state rep, served two terms as Lieutenant Governor.
KATHLEEN BABINEAUX BLANCO: It is our time ladies.
CROWLEY: She could become Louisiana's first woman governor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God bless you and thank you for coming tonight.
CROWLEY: The son of immigrants from India Bobby Jindal is a 32- yeard-old Rhodes Scholar. A technocrat who has held top government jobs but never run for office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Electing Bobby Jindal is an opportunity to turn away from the politics of old, to elect a problem solver, not a career politician.
CROWLEY: He could become the country's first Indian-American governor, the issue is jobs.
CROWLEY (on camera): Tell mw what you think the major policy different is between you and opponent?
BLANCO: I think that many of our policies look alike, but in essence, mine are going to actually be more workable. We have a different style.
CROWLEY (on camera): Tell me what you think is the major policy difference between you and your opponent?
JINDAL: Well, I think overall - overall, I think we have offered more details.
CROWLEY (voice-over): He is a conservative Republican who talks in bullet points.
JINDAL: I propose a 15-point plan.
CROWLEY: She is a moderate Democrat who talks in sentences.
BLANCO: He says he know all the answer. Well, I have to tell him, there is not one here among us who is smarter than all of us put together.
CROWLEY: With so little policy difference between them the advantage would be Blanco's in a state that is registered 57 percent Democrat, if it weren't for this.
WAYNE PARENT, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY: Bobby Jindal went after the African-American vote and got key endorsements for some key political groups. And the jewel in his crown and the strategy would be endorsements from the Democrat African-American mayor of New Orleans, which was quite a coup.
CROWLEY: She will still win the vast majority of minority Democratic votes. But he could siphon off enough to cobble together a Republican victory. In one way, it all misses the big picture. Twelve years ago, Louisiana's governor's race featured Edwin Edwards and Klu Klux member David Duke, both are now in the slammer. Figuratively and literally, the face of Louisiana is changing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: Just again, we are here in Iowa, but one more note about that Louisiana race, which we went to take a look at earlier this week Carol. And that is that national Democrats will be looking very closely at this race. You remember that Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, took over in California. He will be inaugurated next week. Just a couple of weeks ago, Republicans took over the governorships in both Kentucky and Mississippi. Democrats do not want to lose this particular race. Both parties had been in there in all fours. And what the Democrats really want to do is take it away from what is now a Republican governorship. He is term limited out . So a very big race gubernatorially down in Louisiana - Carol.
LIN: And we all have those election results as soon as they come in. Thanks very much, Candy. Candy Crowley in DesMoines, Iowa.
Well, Candy was just mentioning Governor-elect Schwarzenegger. Arnold Schwarzenegger officially becomes California's governor on Monday. CNN's Miguel Marquez looks at the preparations and the expectations.
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 November 15, 2003 - 18:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Iowa is hosting a Democratic feast. Six president nominees are getting ready to face-off at the annual Jefferson Jackson fundraising dinner.
In Louisiana, voters are craving a new governor for the first time in a 130 years it won't be a white man. CNN's Candy Crowley joins us live from DesMoines, Iowa with all of it. Candy, a virtual book (ph) of politics here.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SNR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is. A very big night in Iowa every year is the Jefferson Jackson Day dinner. It is the biggest fundraiser for Democratic party activists. They generally draw a huge crowd here. You can imagine what it is like with nine Democrats running and wanting to have the chance to run against president Bush. And we are about two moths away from those Iowa caucuses. Still in all, at the very beginning of this ticket sales were a little bit sluggish until they brought in one more Democrat, Hillary Clinton. All of a sudden, within 72 hours they had sold out. About 7,000 Democrats here today, signs all over the place. And people walking through the streets with signs of their candidate and with their candidate. The party says they will make history here tonight. The biggest amount of money they have ever raised at a Jefferson Jackson Day dinner.
It does not compare, however, to what you mentioned before, which is Louisiana, because no matter who wins down there tonight they will be writing one for the history books.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): To the beat of the story land stoppers of New Orleans, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is hosting a lady's lunch. She is a 60-year-old grandmother, a former stay-at-home mom of six who got elected as a state rep, served two terms as Lieutenant Governor.
KATHLEEN BABINEAUX BLANCO: It is our time ladies.
CROWLEY: She could become Louisiana's first woman governor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God bless you and thank you for coming tonight.
CROWLEY: The son of immigrants from India Bobby Jindal is a 32- yeard-old Rhodes Scholar. A technocrat who has held top government jobs but never run for office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Electing Bobby Jindal is an opportunity to turn away from the politics of old, to elect a problem solver, not a career politician.
CROWLEY: He could become the country's first Indian-American governor, the issue is jobs.
CROWLEY (on camera): Tell mw what you think the major policy different is between you and opponent?
BLANCO: I think that many of our policies look alike, but in essence, mine are going to actually be more workable. We have a different style.
CROWLEY (on camera): Tell me what you think is the major policy difference between you and your opponent?
JINDAL: Well, I think overall - overall, I think we have offered more details.
CROWLEY (voice-over): He is a conservative Republican who talks in bullet points.
JINDAL: I propose a 15-point plan.
CROWLEY: She is a moderate Democrat who talks in sentences.
BLANCO: He says he know all the answer. Well, I have to tell him, there is not one here among us who is smarter than all of us put together.
CROWLEY: With so little policy difference between them the advantage would be Blanco's in a state that is registered 57 percent Democrat, if it weren't for this.
WAYNE PARENT, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY: Bobby Jindal went after the African-American vote and got key endorsements for some key political groups. And the jewel in his crown and the strategy would be endorsements from the Democrat African-American mayor of New Orleans, which was quite a coup.
CROWLEY: She will still win the vast majority of minority Democratic votes. But he could siphon off enough to cobble together a Republican victory. In one way, it all misses the big picture. Twelve years ago, Louisiana's governor's race featured Edwin Edwards and Klu Klux member David Duke, both are now in the slammer. Figuratively and literally, the face of Louisiana is changing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: Just again, we are here in Iowa, but one more note about that Louisiana race, which we went to take a look at earlier this week Carol. And that is that national Democrats will be looking very closely at this race. You remember that Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, took over in California. He will be inaugurated next week. Just a couple of weeks ago, Republicans took over the governorships in both Kentucky and Mississippi. Democrats do not want to lose this particular race. Both parties had been in there in all fours. And what the Democrats really want to do is take it away from what is now a Republican governorship. He is term limited out . So a very big race gubernatorially down in Louisiana - Carol.
LIN: And we all have those election results as soon as they come in. Thanks very much, Candy. Candy Crowley in DesMoines, Iowa.
Well, Candy was just mentioning Governor-elect Schwarzenegger. Arnold Schwarzenegger officially becomes California's governor on Monday. CNN's Miguel Marquez looks at the preparations and the expectations.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
