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Some Want Mondale to Replace Wellstone on Ticket
Aired October 28, 2002 - 13:21 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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: An investigation underway in northeastern Minnesota, where Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife, daughter and five others died in a plane crash Friday. The focus is on bad weather and on the functioning of a navigation device. A private funeral service is being held today for him and his family. A public memorial service for all eight victims will be held tomorrow night at the University of Minnesota campus. And when the services are over, former Vice President Walter Mondale is expected to give an official answer to Minnesota Democrats.
With the election less than eight days away, some of them want Mondale to replace Wellstone on the tickets. The stakes are high in what could be a very tight race.
More from our senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
Bill, how are things shaping up for the rest of the week on this?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it looks like after the memorial service, we'll have a decision from Walter Mondale about whether he will assume the position on the ballot that Senator Paul Wellstone will not be able to assume, obviously, because he was tragically killed in the plane crash.
Organized labor urging has been urging Mondale to do it, the Democratic Party has been urging Mondale to do it, and Wellstone's family has been urging Mondale to it. The betting is, he'll do it.
SAVIDGE: Can you hear me, Bill? Do you hear me all right?:
SCHNEIDER: Now I can, yes.
SAVIDGE: My question, why Walter Mondale? Why him?
SCHNEIDER: Walter Mondale has something every politician needs desperately, which is name recognition and stature. Politicians spend a lot of money to get well-known around the state, he doesn't have to. He served the state for 12 years in the Senate, he was vice president of the United States under Jimmy Carter. And probably one other thing, he is well suited to carry on the Wellstone tradition. Wellstone was widely described as an unreconstructed liberal. If you're looking for an unreconstructed liberal, and Ted Kennedy does not live in Minnesota, then Walter Mondale is well qualified to take up that banner.
SAVIDGE: And we don't like to bring this up, obviously, in the light of tragedy, but would Mondale dramatically shift, perhaps, the outcome of this election?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it was a very close race. It could be still a close race, but I think the betting among political insiders is there is going to be a wave of grief in Minnesota, especially at the time of the memorial service tomorrow, that Minnesotans are shocked, and one of the ways they're going to display their solidarity with the Wellstone family to vote for Walter Mondale. This is what happened in Missouri two years ago when Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash, and people voted for him even though he was still on the ballot, and he was dead. There's going to be a lot of a sympathy for the Democrat in this case.
SAVIDGE: Bill Schneider, thanks very much. We'll be in touch with you.
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 October 28, 2002 - 13:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: An investigation underway in northeastern Minnesota, where Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife, daughter and five others died in a plane crash Friday. The focus is on bad weather and on the functioning of a navigation device. A private funeral service is being held today for him and his family. A public memorial service for all eight victims will be held tomorrow night at the University of Minnesota campus. And when the services are over, former Vice President Walter Mondale is expected to give an official answer to Minnesota Democrats.
With the election less than eight days away, some of them want Mondale to replace Wellstone on the tickets. The stakes are high in what could be a very tight race.
More from our senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
Bill, how are things shaping up for the rest of the week on this?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it looks like after the memorial service, we'll have a decision from Walter Mondale about whether he will assume the position on the ballot that Senator Paul Wellstone will not be able to assume, obviously, because he was tragically killed in the plane crash.
Organized labor urging has been urging Mondale to do it, the Democratic Party has been urging Mondale to do it, and Wellstone's family has been urging Mondale to it. The betting is, he'll do it.
SAVIDGE: Can you hear me, Bill? Do you hear me all right?:
SCHNEIDER: Now I can, yes.
SAVIDGE: My question, why Walter Mondale? Why him?
SCHNEIDER: Walter Mondale has something every politician needs desperately, which is name recognition and stature. Politicians spend a lot of money to get well-known around the state, he doesn't have to. He served the state for 12 years in the Senate, he was vice president of the United States under Jimmy Carter. And probably one other thing, he is well suited to carry on the Wellstone tradition. Wellstone was widely described as an unreconstructed liberal. If you're looking for an unreconstructed liberal, and Ted Kennedy does not live in Minnesota, then Walter Mondale is well qualified to take up that banner.
SAVIDGE: And we don't like to bring this up, obviously, in the light of tragedy, but would Mondale dramatically shift, perhaps, the outcome of this election?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it was a very close race. It could be still a close race, but I think the betting among political insiders is there is going to be a wave of grief in Minnesota, especially at the time of the memorial service tomorrow, that Minnesotans are shocked, and one of the ways they're going to display their solidarity with the Wellstone family to vote for Walter Mondale. This is what happened in Missouri two years ago when Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash, and people voted for him even though he was still on the ballot, and he was dead. There's going to be a lot of a sympathy for the Democrat in this case.
SAVIDGE: Bill Schneider, thanks very much. We'll be in touch with you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
