Return to Transcripts main page
Campbell Brown
Day Two of the Democratic National Convention; Mark Warner Speech
Aired August 26, 2008 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do you think about the final day, on Thursday, when he accepts the nomination?
There are going to be 75,000 people in INVESCO Field. That is probably going to be unimaginable, in looking at the conventions in the past.
CHARLES BARKLEY, NBA HALL-OF-FAMER: Well, as a black man, I wanted to be here. I've never been to a convention. I never thought I'd see a black man get this nomination in my lifetime. And I was excited when he got the nomination. But Thursday night is going to be one of the highlights of my entire life. And it's going to be great for America in the long run, because we need -- not only do we need to bridge the economic gap, we still have to bridge the racial gap.
MALVEAUX: All right.
Charles Barkley, thank you so much, from basketball superstar to potential governor of Alabama.
We'll have to wait and see.
BARKLEY: Great.
Thank you for having me.
MALVEAUX: Thanks again -- back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Among other things, Sir Charles is a great sports analyst for our sister network Turner Broadcasting, TNT. He does a great job with basketball, as all of us know.
We want to welcome back our viewers in the United States and around the world. We're here on the floor at the Democratic National Convention. We're the only cable news network that's broadcasting -- that's anchoring our coverage from the floor of this convention.
I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting Anderson Cooper is joining us -- welcome, Anderson, of course.
Good to have you for the balance of this long night.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We should also point out the importance of being on the floor. You really do get -- you know, a lot of the networks are up in sky boxes and stuff, kind of disassociated from what is happening on the floor. And being here amidst all these people, in the crush of the crowd, if you will, you really do get a sense not just of the politics that are going on, but of the atmospherics, of -- which is so much of the conventions, which folks at home often don't get a chance to really see.
BLITZER: And we're trying to make sure the people at home experience as much of this excitement as we're experiencing right here.
COOPER: Yes.
BLITZER: Unfortunately, there's not going to be a balloon drop this time in Denver...
COOPER: Well...
BLITZER: ...because we'll be outside in INVESCO Field on Thursday night.
COOPER: This is going to have its own -- its own sorts of excitement, no doubt about it.
BLITZER: Yes.
COOPER: But we've got big speeches coming up in this hour -- Bob Casey, Mark Warner. And then, of course, in the next hour, Hillary Clinton. Chelsea Clinton is going to be introducing her mother. Obviously, speeches we're going to be bring to you live that a lot of folks will be wanting to see.
Jessica Yellin is also right now on the floor.
I'm not exactly sure where she is -- Jessica, who's around you?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. I'm on the floor right under the Georgia delegation with Tawana Katyian (ph), who is a delegate from Texas.
I like your hat.
You made that yourself?
TAWANA KATYIAN: I did. I made it myself.
YELLIN: We were just talking about how people get excited about this.
Do you feel like it's kind of a party?
Why did you dress this way?
KATYIAN: It is so exciting. And it's festive, so I felt like we should be festive, as well. And as you can see, I'm representing the great State of Texas.
YELLIN: Now, Barack Obama, he had a bit of a hard time in Texas in the primary. Do you think he'll win in the general elections?
It's a tough state.
KATYIAN: I think he will win in the general election. We dealt with -- we had a split vote. We had Senator Clinton, of course. Of course...
YELLIN: Let me just...
KATYIAN: (INAUDIBLE).
YELLIN: Let me just ask you, are you excited about the Democratic Party?
Do you think it will unite?
KATYIAN: I am absolutely excited. And I know it will united, because we are compassionate people and we definitely do not want to continue the same Republican regime that we had for the last eight years.
YELLIN: All right. Well, that's the message Democratic Party leaders want coming out of here, Wolf.
They've got the delegates already hitting the right notes -- -- some of them, at least.
BLITZER: All right, Jessica.
Thanks very much.
And, Anderson, we've got a full complement of the best reporters, the best analysts. They're all watching what's going on.
Gloria Borger is here joining us, as she has every night; Paul Begala, our Democratic strategist; John King is going to be spending a lot of time at the magic map. We're going to be going through all these key states.
At the CNN Election Center, take a look at this, some of the best political team on television standing by with great analysis -- Jeff Toobin and Alex Castellanos, Carl Bernstein, David Gergen. Also here with us, our contributor Roland Martin is here upstairs at this convention. David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network is here. They're having a great time, as well.
Candy Crowley is down on the podium right now. I don't know if you can hear me, Candy, but set the scene for us a little bit what we can expect.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this hour, we're expecting to hear from the keynote speaker. We haven't heard much about him because so much of this night has been focused on Hillary Clinton and what she'll have to say. But Mark Warner fits into the Obama game plan very well because he was chosen -- not just because he's running for the U.S. Senate and they would like to give him a platform where he can be seen and perhaps push that candidacy along. He's likely to win there already. And it's not just because Barack Obama would like to win Virginia.
It's more than that. And, in fact, when they announced the keynote selection, I talked to a couple of sources over at the Obama campaign. And they said, listen, this is a guy who left office with almost 70 percent approval rating in a Republican state, Virginia. And he did it because he crossed party lines. He worked. He is our bipartisan message.
So, yes, it is about unity within the party tonight. But it's also about bipartisanship and getting things done.
And we sort of forget in this, you know, let's have some red meat, let's have -- you know, let's have them really beat up on John McCain, that's what the delegates want. And it is.
But part of the Obama message is we have to be a different sort of government. We have to change the way things are done in Washington. We have to be more bipartisan. And that's the message that Warner brings to the table tonight as the keynoter -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Candy.
Thanks very much.
And, Anderson, as you know, Virginia, as Candy just pointed out, a critical state. The Democrats -- Barack Obama thinks they actually have a shot of winning this state this time around.
COOPER: And Mark Warner certainly a very strong candidate there. But there has been some concern, Kathy Griffin, today, that we have been hearing about Mark Warner's speech.
What is the concern and how has his camp tried to alleviate it?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the traditional role of the keynoter is to peel the skin off the other candidate. And just to take it...
COOPER: Peel the skin off?
KING: Peel the skin off the other candidate...
COOPER: Wow! OK.
KING: And then think of ways to cause him harm.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: And Mark Warner has -- A, he has to win in a state where you can't be so openly partisan. He has to get a lot of conservative Democrats who vote for Republicans in every other election or in some elections. He has to get some Republicans votes, as well. And it's just not his style, either.
But -- so Hillary Clinton speaks on the same night. She's going to do the peeling tonight and go after John McCain pretty aggressively.
I think that we miss a point if we don't understand one of the things they're trying to do with Mark Warner. And Candy was just touching on it.
We talked about this earlier.
This is a pretty liberal Democratic ticket. They are left of center. The Republicans are going to say you cannot trust them with the economy -- they will raise your taxes, they will over regulate the economy.
Mark Warner is a guy who made millions -- tens of millions -- because he was on the early end of the cell phone industry. And Nextel was the company. He ended up selling the company that became Nextel. And he's going to say I understand the economy. George Bush has screwed it up. I don't think John McCain would make it any better. He would do the same thing. But you can trust the Democrats.
Mark Warner is a Bill Clinton DLC centrist kind of Democrat. And those voices, so far, frankly, are missing from this convention.
GLORIA BORGER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: But, you know, it may be the model of Barack Obama speech that he gave at John Kerry's convention. I don't think it's going to be peel the bark off instead of skin.
How about that one?
KING: It's not polite.
BORGER: That's a little more polite.
But I do think he's going to make differences on the economy. He's going to say, look, John McCain is four more years of the same. You don't want four more years of the same, because look at where we were in the '90s and look at where we are now.
COOPER: So drawing distinctions, not necessarily drawing blood.
BORGER: Distinctions, not blood, although maybe a little blood. We don't know yet. But I think distinctions would be a -- contrast would be the way to put it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
PAUL BEGALA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I sense a very -- a very gentle contrast, at best. Governor Warner's whole M.O. in Richmond, where he was a very successful governor, was bipartisanship. He left office the most popular governor in modern Virginia history, after raising taxes, with the help of the Republicans in the Virginia general assembly.
John pointed out his remarkable success as a businessman, as well.
I have said for some time now that I am a little concerned that a guy whose brand is so strongly bipartisan should not be cast in a role that is traditionally so very partisan.
I have to say, this party needs a partisan speech tonight.
COOPER: You're thinking of an Ann Richards saying George Bush was born with a...
BEGALA: Oh...
COOPER: ...with a silver foot (ph) in his mouth.
BEGALA: Ann Richards or also from my home state, from my home state, Barbara Jordan; Mario Cuomo; back before he went to the dark side, Zel Miller did that job in 1992 for the Democrats; he did it again for the Republicans, but, you know...
BORGER: Well, I mean...
BEGALA: Yes. And so I think that's more, frankly, what the party needs.
COOPER: But isn't there a difference between something that plays well in this hall and something that plays well in homes around the country?
And isn't a -- I mean there are those who would say a bipartisan message is something that will -- maybe doesn't play as well here. It doesn't get people out of their seats screaming. But it gets folks in their living rooms, in their bedrooms, where they're listening to this, kind of nodding their heads?
BORGER: That's what I would say. I would say you're looking for Independent voters.
BEGALA: Independent voters...
BORGER: And Independent voters...
BEGALA: Independent voters will be driven by a message that says don't have four more years of the same old thing. Independent voters more than base Democrats -- I think it's the reverse.
BORGER: You should do both.
BEGALA: I think base Democrats will be completely happy with peace, love and understanding, with the positive message of Barack. That's why he won among Democrats, because he had a remarkable positive message.
It's those Independent voters who need, I think, the Democrats to put Bush and McCain on trial. Independent voters strongly dislike the president. I was going to use a stronger word -- but Independent voters don't like this president at all. COOPER: I want to bring in David Gergen, who is also an observer of a lot of these speeches, has heard Mark Warner speak before -- David, is Paul right, that this may not be the right man for the message tonight?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: He may be right. But I think we have to wait and see how this plays out. A lot of it depends on what degree the Democrats have coordinated the speeches of Mark Warner and Hillary Clinton. They are going to be the two big hitters of tonight.
And if Hillary comes out swinging, as I imagine she will, especially about economics, then you can have Mark Warner play a somewhat different role.
I mean -- or If she's going to be much more bipartisan, then you do need some -- you do need to draw some sharp differences and you've really got to go at it.
Now, what I think we just saw with Charles Barkley was someone I thought gave one of the best testimonials for Barack Obama that we've seen at this convention. But he did it in a very quiet way. It was something that was effective because it was different in tone than what you hear on the podium.
So I think there are different ways you can get -- you know, there are different paths that lead to Rome. But you've still got to get to Rome.
And so I think we need to wait and see how the two of them fit together, Mark Warner and Hillary. And I think at the end of that we can then, perhaps, offer our own judgment -- the voters will have theirs -- about what we've seen tonight.
But I think it's a little too early to say. I do think that when they -- the Democrats come out of this -- out of tonight, there's got to be a battle cry. There has to be something they can walk out of here feeling let's march, let's go through the next two days, let's unite. And we have not heard that battle cry yet.
COOPER: Another important speech coming up, we're told in about seven minutes -- and we're going to bring it to you live -- is Bob Casey.
Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist, a CNN contributor, also political director of the HuffingtonPost.com -- Hilary, what is the importance of Bob Casey?
What is his role tonight?
HILARY ROSEN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, HUFFINGTONPOST.COM: Well, Senator Casey, you know, know has both a symbolic role and a specific role. He is, of course, the Senator from Pennsylvania who helped Barack Obama try and win Pennsylvania. He didn't succeed there. But he's essentially being rewarded tonight with this chief speaking slot. Pennsylvania is battleground -- you know, number one, two, three, four, five. Although I'm told by many people in the Obama campaign that we're underestimating the voter registration drives of the Obama campaign, we're going to safely win that as a Democrat and not have to spend as much torture time there as people are believing.
But Bob Casey is up there tonight for an important symbolic reason. Pennsylvania matters to Democrats. It's always been a stronghold. And we've got to win it to win this election.
BEGALA: Can I say he's a -- I worked for Bob's father and I worked for Bob. So he's a former client of mine and he showed me the speech.
And what he wants to do are two things. I think Hilary is right. He wants to make the blue collar economic case. Casey voters are overwhelmingly exactly the people Barack needs -- blue collar, working class voters in that state of Pennsylvania.
He's also going touch on the biggest issue on which he disagrees with Senator Obama...
COOPER: Which is abortion.
BEGALA: Which is abortion. And he will see this as -- and he does see it -- his invitation to speak here. Barack's reaching out to Senator Casey and to his voters as an example of Senator Obama's ability to find common ground.
COOPER: His father was not allowed to speak here for that very same reason in 19...
BEGALA: That's right. A bit of a mess.
COOPER: It's a bit of a mess?
BEGALA: He was a client of mine, too, and I loved him.
There were two things. He refused to endorse Bill Clinton and he wanted to give an entire speech abortion. And nobody wants a 30 minute speech about abortion at a Democratic convention. So it was actually a little more sophisticated than that.
COOPER: We're going to take a short break, Wolf. But that speech obviously going to be very important.
BLITZER: That myth has survived all of these years, Paul.
Thanks for clearing that up.
All right, we're going to take a quick break. Much more of our coverage coming up from the Democratic National Convention.
Bob Casey, the senator from Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state -- we'll hear his speech.
And then later, Hillary Clinton -- she's getting right now to address this group. Chelsea Clinton will be introducing her.
Stay with us.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to the Democratic National Convention.
We're here on the floor of the convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Anderson, we're getting ready to hear from Senator Bob Casey. We've been speaking about him.
Later, the former governor of Virginia, Mark Warner, is going to be delivering the keynote address. And then Chelsea Clinton will introduce Hillary Clinton. I guess that will be the moment that so many people here have been waiting for.
COOPER: There's no doubt about it. We've been talking about it for days now -- the role that Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, frankly, will be playing and are playing in this convention, among their supporters, among their detractors, as well.
We should also point out that anyone who wants to see all the speeches that are happening behind us as we're talking -- as all of our analysts are talking -- can go to CNNPolitics.com. All these speeches are being streamed live there. We're trying to bring you the most important speeches, the best speeches.
And we are going to be bringing you Bob Casey, who's coming up.
James Carville has just joined us.
What are you looking for Bob Casey?
What kind of speaker is he?
What is the message he's going to be trying to get across?
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, CLINTON SUPPORTER: He's going to be very direct. I worked for his father. I know the Caseys as well as I know anybody in the world. I managed his father's campaign in 1986 for the governor of Pennsylvania. Bob is -- Senator Casey is a dear friend of mine.
He's going to be very direct. He's going to be very focused on peoples' lives. He's going to be very focused on this economy. He's going to be focused on what's happened to people.
This is going to be one of the kinds of speeches that a lot of people in this convention have been sort of waiting for. It's not going to -- he's not the most fiery orator. He's not the most eloquent orator. But he has a way and a simple way of really connecting with people, just like his father does. COOPER: Is this the kind of a speech -- you say a lot of people in this have been waiting for it.
Is this the kind of speech you have been waiting for?
CARVILLE: I guess (INAUDIBLE)...
COOPER: You certainly made a lot of headlines today by your comments last night...
CARVILLE: Right.
COOPER: ...some of your criticisms of the first several hours of last night's convention.
CARVILLE: Well, look, if I see something, I say it. I think I'm -- I'm anticipating to see very good speeches tonight. I think Senator Clinton is going to get us off -- set this table really good, as I said earlier. I think Senator Casey is going to be very, very eloquent and very direct with people.
But, you know, Governor Warner is a guy that knows a lot about what's going on. And I think he's going to give us a kind of forward looking party speech, too.
BORGER: One thing about Senator Casey. Think about Catholic voters. Think about the problems that Barack Obama has been having with Catholic voters. Having Senator Casey up there, who disagrees with Barack Obama on the issue of abortion, who will talk about it and talk about how they disagree, but how he respects Obama and the way he handles this issue. It's something that they hope Catholic voters will be listening to.
KING: There's three new battleground state polls out today by Quinnipiac -- Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And in all three of those states, Obama trails among Catholic voters -- who can be the swing voters -- often are the swing voters in competitive presidential elections.
CARVILLE: Yes. Also, too -- I mean, and I think he will speak to that. But, you know, Catholic voters live in the economy. Catholic voters live in -- they have kids in Iraq. They're paying gas prices. They have health care, too. And I think that the Caseys are not just Catholics, they are very, very devout Catholic families. And he knows how to speak that language. He'll be able to do that tonight.
Like I said, it's not going to be particularly eloquent, but it's going to be very direct and it's going to address what people are going through in these times.
COOPER: It's interesting, Jeff Toobin in New York, as we've been listening to some of these speeches and reading excerpt of some of the speeches to come tonight that we are going to be bringing to our viewers -- and, again, Bob Casey in just a few moments and then Mark Warner and then Hillary Clinton. They have been making a real effort to try to relate larger macro economic issues in very, very obvious -- very, I guess laymen's terms that really hit home.
Have they done that thus far?
And is that something that you see happening a lot tonight?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, "NEW YORKER" MAGAZINE COLUMNIST: Well, certainly they're trying. If I can steal -- I can't remember whether it was James who said this, but, you know, the Democratic Party is the party of 12-point plans and three point defeats. We are not -- it is not a party that excels in communicating well.
Think about the last few presidential candidates -- John Kerry, Al Gore. Bill Clinton was very successful. Michael Dukakis -- I mean they are not charismatic people who really connected with the American people.
That, presumably, is why this -- the next -- Barack Obama is going to be in front of 75,000 people because at INVESCO Field, because he is finally a candidate with charisma.
But what he's got to do -- what they've all got to do is connect it to real people.
COOPER: And Wolf, what we are seeing in this hall -- this hall is incredibly crowded at this point. And we're told even outside that there's a long line.
BLITZER: There are long lines, Anderson, with people who have passes -- people who have credentials to get in. And they're delayed right now. They want to get in here to hear Bob Casey. They want to hear Mark Warner. And they especially want to hear Hillary Clinton.
Joe Johns is out there watching what's going on.
What happened?
What's the problem -- Joe?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf. All kinds of passes. It's just a crush of people out here. It's been the story all week as, you know, the Secret Service trying to figure out how to handle all of these people through these few gates.
I talked to, in fact, a very nice couple from Washington, D.C. that had passes to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's box and cannot get through this line. There are some buses that have been pulling up now for some of the delegates, in fact, and taking them to another entrance to try to get them in.
So, it's pretty tough if you're in this line. I'm told it's been like about 45 minutes at its top. People are now counting and it's running about 20 minutes. Still quite slow, but hopefully time for that majority for people with passes to get in -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: I just want to let our viewers know, Joe, that you're on the phone with our viewers. But we're showing a picture of you from a shot from a camera that we have up on the roof at the CNN -- I guess it's the CNN Grill, where we ourselves are headquartered.
Quickly, while I have you, Joe. I just want to make sure that you were reporting earlier on that security -- that supposed plot against Barack Obama.
Is there anything to it?
Because I know there was a news conference just a couple or three hours ago -- the plot -- the alleged plot against Barack Obama.
JOHNS: The authorities say that there was no credible plot.
What is apparent is that there were three people, at least two of whom certainly talked about harming Senator Obama in some way. And that was information that was determined through contact between the U.S. Secret Service and a woman who told them and the Colorado State Police certain things about these gentlemen, who had said they wanted to harm Barack Obama.
They had rifles and a pickup truck. They had a bullet-proof vest. They had Walkie-Talkies. But the authorities say as far as they're concerned, this was not a credible threat. Therefore, these individuals have only been charged...
BLITZER: All right...
JOHNS: ...with (INAUDIBLE) charge and also with methamphetamine charges -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Joe.
Thank you.
Here he is, the senator from Pennsylvania, Bob Casey.
We want to listen to his speech tonight. Pennsylvania is such an important battleground state. Here he is.
SEN. ROBERT CASEY (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I'm honored...
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: I'm honored to stand before you tonight as Governor Casey's son and a proud supporter of Barack Obama.
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: Pennsylvania is home to some of the hardest working, toughest, most decent people in America. And for eight years, the people of Pennsylvania have been hit hard by the Bush-Cheney economy -- an economy that favors the powerful and leaves everyone else to fend for themselves.
We've seen our jobs disappear overseas, our wages go down and the price we pay at the pump skyrocket to record highs.
We've been hit hard, but we're ready to fight back. And we're ready for a president who will fight for us. That's why I'm proud to support Barack Obama for president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: In a time of danger around the world and economic trouble here at home, I know that Barack Obama will lead us, heal us and help us rebuild the country we love. I know this because I know Barack Obama. I've seen how he inspires people, including my four daughters, to believe that the failures of the past will soon give way to the change we need.
I've seen his leadership up close, in the Senate, bridging part partisan divides and finding common ground. I've seen him carry those same skills off the floor of the Senate and into the cities and towns all across Pennsylvania.
I traveled with Barack by bus and train across our state, from Pittsburgh to Paoli, from Johnstown to Downingtown. He was equally at home talking football with Jerome Bettis and Frank O'Harris, as he was talking jobs with folks on the shop floor of the Erie Volt Company or talking sports at the bar at Sharkey's in Latrobe.
Everywhere Barack went, people who may have been asking who this guy was ended up seeing what I saw -- a husband, a father of two daughters, a man of deep faith. Everywhere we went, the people of Pennsylvania gave him the highest praise they gave anyone -- he's one of us.
And Pennsylvania -- Pennsylvania couldn't be prouder of our native son, Joe Biden from Scranton.
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: No one -- no one knows this better than Joe. And after eight years of a president who lets the oil companies and the Washington lobbyists call the shots, I say it's time we had a president and a vice president who really know us.
And tonight, we're joined by another great champion of working people, someone with whom I've worked on early childhood education, someone who conducted her campaign with rare grace under real pressure, a senator who has worked to bring our party and our country together, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: When she endorsed Barack, Senator Clinton called upon all of us to "do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States."
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: And traveling around Pennsylvania and looking around this room tonight, I have no doubt that that's exactly what we're going to do.
So let us work together with a leader who, as Lincoln said, appeals to the better angels of our nature.
Now Barack Obama and I have an honest agreement on the issue of abortion. But the fact that I'm speaking here is testament to Barack's ability to show respect for the views of people who may disagree with him. I know...
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: I know Barack Obama. And I believe that as president, he'll pursue the common good by seeking common ground rather than trying to divide us. Because we are strongest when we are together. And there has never been a time -- a more important time to devote ourselves to common purpose.
The people of Pennsylvania can't afford four more years of Bush- Cheney economics. And you know what, with John McCain, that's exactly what we get.
Now, John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush over 90 percent of the time. That's not a maverick, that's a sidekick.
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: The Bush/McCain Republicans inherited the strongest economy in history and drove it into a ditch. They cut taxes on the wealthiest of us and passed the pain to the least of us. They ran up the debt, gave huge subsidies to big oil companies and now they're asking for four more years.
How about four more months?
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: We can't afford -- we can't afford four more years of deficit and debt and drift and desperation. Not four more years, four more months. We can't afford...
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: Only four.
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: We can't afford another president who will veto children's health insurance for 10 million children or who will keep senior citizens from seeing the doctor they trust. Not four more years, four more months.
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: Only four.
(APPLAUSE)
CASEY: A long time ago -- a long time ago my father, Governor Casey, used to say this. He said the ultimate question for those in public office is this, a very simple question -- what did you do when you had the power?
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will use that power to help the folks on the shop floor of the Erie Boat Company, the guys at Sharkey's and the millions of Americans just like them, struggling but ready to fight back. We know they will because as Pennsylvanians know, Joe Biden is one of us and Barack Obama is one of us, too.
Thank you very much.
COOPER: Senator Robert Casey getting the crowd going with the chant of "just four more months." Also saying that based on John McCain's voting record, saying he's not a maverick, he's a side kick to President George W. Bush. We're going to take a short break. On the other side of this, former Governor Mark Warner will be speaking. He's currently running for Senate in Virginia. The keynote address coming up in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The keynote address from the former governor of Virginia, Mark Warner; he's running for the U.S. Senate for Virginia right now. This is a speech that will set the tone for these Democrats. We just heard from Bob Casey, the senator from Pennsylvania. Candy Crowley is up on the podium right now. Candy, I believe you have the senator with you.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator, thanks so much for joining us, first of all. A large difference between 1992, when your dad did not speak and now. What's the difference? What changed?
CASEY: I think what we're seeing tonight is Barack's ability to reach out to people who disagree with him. And I think he's shown that ability in the Senate. He's show that as a candidate. And I think he'll demonstrate that as president. We need a president who can bring people together instead of tearing people apart. He does it very well.
And we're going to need that kind of president when you think about the problems we're confronting today in the economy and foreign affairs and so many other challenges.
CROWLEY: You are Roman Catholic, a very important voting bloc in Pennsylvania. You supported Barack Obama. He did lose Pennsylvania. What does he have to do to win the Catholic vote and to win that working class vote? Because it's a struggle for him.
CASEY: Right, I don't think it's much different that what he needs to do and has done, already, I think with so many other voters, which is to tell his story as often as he can. We've got to try to tell it for him. This is a man of tremendous strength and integrity, a husband, a father of two daughters, a man of deep faith. That's part of the story. People don't vote for a composite of policy papers and positions. They vote for a human being, a leader who can bring us together. I think the more he tells that story about who he is and where he comes from, as well as his solutions for the country, I think he'll do just fine.
I'm not sure there's a Catholic vote. I dispute that assumption or that premise. I think Catholic voters are as diverse as any other group of voters. I think the approach he's taking is the right approach. We're going to be working. Pennsylvania's a tough state to win.
CROWLEY: Absolutely. And is it all summed up in what you said in your speech in that last little bit that caught my attention, that Joe Biden is one of us and Barack Obama's one of us too? Is the barrier that people don't quite see Barack Obama as one of us?
CASEY: Well, part of it is that Senator Obama, I think, is so new to the American political scene. And he's made such tremendous strides so quickly. I think it does take time. I think there's an awful lot of people who are just beginning to tune into this election from Labor Day to Election Day. One of our obligations, I think, in helping him is to let people know the real Barack Obama. Michelle Obama, last night, when she was talking about him as a father driving home from the hospital with their new baby, I was emotionally moved by that as father of daughters.
More people need to hear about the person as much as the candidate and the policies.
CROWLEY: Senator Casey, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it. Back to you Anderson and Wolf.
COOPER: Candy, thanks very much. James Carville was listening into Bob Casey's speech with a smile on his face. Why a smile?
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Because it just reminds me what a stunningly simple business that I used to be in. And by speaking directly, drawing contrast, defining the race, going on the attack, to me this is exactly what this convention needs. And I have been waiting for this speech and waiting for this speech and I got it. I do detect the hand of our colleague and my best friend, Paul Begala, in this. He and the Senator Casey are very close.
I thought this was a great speech. I thought this is just what we need. This is just the way we need to talk to people. And if you notice, he went after Bush, Cheney and McCain very, very effectively. And we need to give the same speech in a different way over and over again in this convention.
COOPER: Do you think people around the country buy that connection?
CARVILLE: How could they not buy it? He said I agree with President Bush on every big issue. He votes with him 90 percent of the time. I have no idea on any big issue that faces this country where they really disagree on. They have to buy it. It's a simple, provable fact. And we have to make it over and over.
BORGER: The Bush-Cheney economy, and that's what Democrats have got to do.
KING: Right. Absolutely. The reason McCain is so competitive in this race is in enough places, in the right constituencies, he has defined himself as a different style of Republican. People do view him as different from Bush, which is why the challenge James laid out is so important for the Democrats here. If John McCain were 100 percent associated with President Bush, he would not be in a dead heat with Barack Obama right now. I can guarantee you that.
CARVILLE: It's only 95.
COOPER: Is that a line you're going to be hearing more of, that John McCain is not a maverick, he's a side kick?
CARVILLE: More analogies like that draw it in. And you're going to see -- I wanted to hear more and more of that in this convention. I want it to be relentless in this. I hope we hear it between now and as we leave Thursday night.
BORGER: You know, it's the McSame attack that we have heard over and over again, that John McCain is John McSame. But yet again, you also have to say Barack Obama's OK. Change is not that risky and Barack Obama is not a risk.
COOPER: In terms of what we're about to hear right now. There's a musical interlude, but any moment now, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner is expected to take this stage for the keynote address. John King, the importance of it, the significance of it, what do you think he is going to say?
KING: Well, I think it's important -- for the Democrats, it's important that he continue the contrast. James just spoke about it. I don't think he's going to do it in a harsh way. It's not his style. But to continue the litany. Repetition is one of the most necessary tools of politics. If you find something that works, just keep saying it and saying it and saying it. And because his standing as a businessman and as governor of a traditional Republican state in presidential politics, he has a platform to make a case that you can trust the Democrats on the economy.
I think, again, because this ticket is left of center on tax and spending issues, that is an important mission for the Democrats to make out of this convention. You want change, you can trust us with the economy.
CARVILLE: How could a Democrat possibly be more liberal on spending than a Republican? I have no idea. Would somebody please explain to me the record of fiscal responsibility under the Democratic administration as opposed to a Republican administration?
KING: I'm making more of an historical point that that is an argument that's worked against the Democrats. James is making an interesting rebuttal.
CARVILLE: I agree. We need to remind people. I agree, but we need to remind you, there's not a colorful case that the Republicans have made that they're more fiscally responsible than Democrats. There's not a colorful case, not an iota of a case that you can make that they're better on the economy.
COOPER: After this speech, we'll probably have a chance to go to Ed Rollins, maybe Alex Costellanos to get their answer. I'm sure they would like to weigh in on that one.
Again, we are anticipating Mark Warner coming out on this stage. What do we know about the relationship between Mark Warner and Barack Obama? Actually, he's being introduced now. Let's listen in.
FMR GOV. MARK WARNER (D-VA): Thank you. Are you ready?
(APPLAUSE)
Hello, Virginia.
(APPLAUSE)
My fellow Democrats -- my fellow Democrats -- my fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, the most important contest of our generation has begun, not the campaign for the presidency, not the campaign for Congress, but the race for the future.
And I believe from the bottom of my heart, with the right vision and the right leadership, and the energy and creativity of the American people, there is no nation that we can't out-hustle and out- compete. And no American need be left out or left behind.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, the race for the future is on, and it won't be won if only some Americans are in the running. And it won't be won with yesterday's ideas and yesterday's divisions. And it won't be won with a president who's stuck in the past.
(APPLAUSE)
We need a president who understands the world today, the future we seek, and the change we need. We need Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, I have -- I have a unique perspective on this race for the future. Like many of you, I'm the first in my family to graduate from college. It was made possible by supportive parents, great public schools, and, since my folks didn't have the resources, thank goodness for the student loan program.
(APPLAUSE)
After I graduated law school, you know, it didn't take me long to realize that America really wouldn't miss me as a lawyer, so I started a business. My first company failed in six weeks. My next one was much more successful; it failed in six months.
And then a buddy of mine told me about this brand-new idea, this thing called car telephones, cell phones. I always remember friends of mine telling me, "Warner, you're crazy. Go get a real job. Nobody's ever going to want a phone in their car."
(LAUGHTER)
But I saw a different future. And with luck and a lot of hard work, I got in on the ground floor of the cell phone industry.
There's only one country in the world where I could have received that education, where I could have been given not just one chance, or two, but three, and where I could have succeeded. And that's this country, the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
At our best, at our best, it's not your lineage or last name that matters. It's not where you come from that counts; it's where you want to go.
In America, everyone should get a fair shot. Barack Obama understands this, because he's lived it. And Barack Obama is running to restore that fair shot for every American.
(APPLAUSE)
But when we look around, we see that, for far too many Americans, that fair shot is becoming more of a long shot. How many kids have the grades to go to college, but not the money? How many families always thought their home would be their safest investment? How many of our soldiers come back from their second or third tour of duty wondering if the education and health care benefits they were promised would actually be there?
Two wars, a warming -- a warming planet, an energy policy that basically says, "Let's go borrow money from China so we can buy oil from countries that don't like us," how many people look at these things and wonder, what's the future hold for them, their children, their family, their country? How many?
In George Bush and John McCain's America, far too many.
(APPLAUSE)
Let's be fair. Some of these changes were inevitable. But all of them are more severe, more immediate, and more threatening because of the misguided policies and outdated thinking of this administration.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, folks always ask me, "What's my biggest criticism of President Bush?" Now, I'm sure you've got your own, but here's mine.
It's not just the policy differences. It's the fact that this president never tapped into our greatest resource: the character and resolve of the American people.
(APPLAUSE)
He never really asked us to step up. Think about it. If after September 11th there had been a call from the president to get ourselves off foreign oil, so we would no longer be funding the very terrorists who'd just attacked us, every American would have said, "How can I do my part?"
(APPLAUSE)
This administration -- this administration failed to believe in what we can achieve as a nation when all of us work together.
John McCain promises more of the same, a plan that would explode the deficit and leave that to our kids, no real strategy to invest in our crumbling infrastructure, and he would continue spending $10 billion a month in Iraq.
I don't know about you, but that's just not right. That's four more years that we just can't afford.
(APPLAUSE)
Barack Obama -- Barack Obama -- Barack Obama has a different vision and a different plan. Right now, at this critical moment in our history, we have one shot to get it right. And the status quo just won't cut it.
Now, let me tell you, if you think you've seen dramatic changes in the world and technology in the last 10 years, you ain't seen nothing yet. The race is on. And if you watched the Olympics, then you know China's going for the gold.
You know, America has never been afraid of the future, and we shouldn't start now.
(APPLAUSE)
If we choose the right path, if we choose the right path, every one of these challenges is also an opportunity.
Look at energy. If we actually got ourselves off foreign oil, we can start to make our country safer, we'll start to solve global warming, and with the right policies, within 24 months, we'll be building 100-mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrid vehicles right here, with American technology and American workers. (APPLAUSE)
Look at health care.
WARNER: If we bring down costs and actually cover everyone, not only will America be healthier; we'll be more competitive in the global economy.
Just think about this. In four months, in just four months, we will have an administration that actually believes in science.
(APPLAUSE)
And we can again lead the world in live-saving and life-changing cures.
Think about education. If we recruit a new army of teachers and actually give our schools the resources to meet our highest standards, not only will every child in America be given that fair shot, but the American economy will be given a shot in the arm. And whether they want to be an engineer or an electrician, every kid will be trained for the jobs of the 21st century.
(APPLAUSE)
Or look at America's standing in the world. If we rebuild our military and rebuild our alliances, we can rally the world to defeat terrorism and restore America's leadership.
Now, which candidate -- which candidate understands these opportunities? And which candidate -- which candidate knows that we don't have another four years to waste? Barack Obama.
But Barack Obama also knows this, as well. We need leaders who see our common ground as sacred ground. We need leaders who will appeal to us not as Republicans or Democrats, but first and foremost as Americans.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, I spent 20 years in business. And if you ran a company whose only strategy was to tear down the competition, it wouldn't last very long. So why is this wisdom so hard to find in Washington?
I know we're at the Democratic convention, but if an idea works, it really doesn't matter whether it's got a "D" or an "R" next to it, because this election...
(APPLAUSE)
... this election is not about liberal versus conservative. It's not about left versus right. It's about the future versus the past.
(APPLAUSE)
In this election, at this moment, at this moment in our history, we know what the problems are. We know at this critical juncture we only have one shot to get it right. And we know that these new times demand new thinking.
We believe in success. We believe that everyone should have an opportunity to get ahead. And with that success comes a responsibility to make sure that others can follow.
I think we're blessed to be Americans. But with that blessing -- with that blessing comes an obligation to our neighbors and to our common good.
So you give every child the tools they need to succeed. That means quality schools, access to health care, safe neighborhoods, not just because it's the right thing to do -- of course it is -- but because, if those kids do better, we all do better.
And it doesn't really matter. You can be soft-hearted or hard- headed. Both are going to lead you to the same place: We're all in this together.
That's what this party believes. That's what this nation believes. That's what Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe.
(APPLAUSE)
And we can do it. We can do it. Sure, we can.
When I became governor, when I became governor, this is what Virginia faced: a massive budget shortfall; an economy that wasn't moving; gridlock in the capital. Now, does that sound familiar?
So what did we do? Working together, a Democratic governor with a 2-to-1 Republican legislature, and a whole lot of good folks who didn't see themselves as Democrats or Republicans, but as Virginians, we closed the budget gap, and Virginia was named the best-managed state in the nation.
(APPLAUSE)
We made record investments -- we made record investments in education and job training. We got 98 percent of our -- all of our eligible kids enrolled in our children's health care program.
We delivered broadband to the most remote areas of our state, because, in this global economy, if you can send a job to Bangalore, India, you sure as heck can send one to Danville, Virginia, and Flint, Michigan, and Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Peoria, Illinois.
(APPLAUSE)
Because in the global economy, you shouldn't have to leave your hometown to find a world-class job.
Let me tell you -- let me tell you about a place called Lebanon -- Lebanon, Virginia. Lebanon is in the coalfields of southwest Virginia. And you know what? That whole town, the population of the whole town could fit right here on the convention floor.
Lebanon is like a lot of small towns in America. It's seen the industries that sustained it downsized, outsourced, or shut down.
Now, some folks look at towns like Lebanon and say, "Tough luck. In the global economy, you've lost." But we believed that we couldn't and shouldn't give up on our small towns and expect the rest of our state to prosper.
And that's what brought me, towards the end of my term, to the high school gym in Lebanon to announce that we were going to bring over 300 high-tech jobs, jobs that paid twice the county average.
One student told a reporter from the Washington Post that before this he always thought that he'd have to move away to raise his family and find a good job.
Now, I just heard from this young man, Michael Kisor. Today he's a junior at Virginia Tech. His older brother -- his older brother just moved back home to Lebanon because there was an information technology job open for him that was just too good to pass up.
That's a story worth re-writing all across America.
(APPLAUSE)
With the right leadership, we can once again achieve a standard of living that is improved and not diminished in each generation. We can once again make America a beacon for science, and technology, and discovery.
Ladies and gentlemen, we know how to do it. The American people are ready. And Barack Obama and Joe Biden will get it done.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, as governor of Virginia, as governor of Virginia, it was humbling to occupy a position that was once held by Thomas Jefferson, almost as daunting as delivering the keynote address four years after Barack Obama...
(LAUGHTER)
... or speaking before Hillary Clinton.
Towards the end of his life, Thomas Jefferson, the founder of our party, wrote one of his frequent letters to his old rival, John Adams. He complained about the aches of getting old, but what was on his mind was, what would life be like for the next generation of Americans?
As Jefferson was ready to go to sleep, he closed his letter by writing, "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."
Jefferson got it right at the dawn of the 19th century, and it's our challenge to get it right at the dawn of the 21st. (APPLAUSE)
This race is all about the future. And that's why we must elect Barack Obama as our next president...
(APPLAUSE)
... because the race for the future -- the race for the future will be won when old partisanship gives way to new ideas, when we put solutions over stalemate, and when hope replaces fear.
Tonight, looking out at all of you, and with a deep faith in the character and resolve of the American people, I am more confident than ever that we will win that race and make that future ours.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
