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CNN's 'CROSSFIRE' Team Looks at Dirty Campaign Tricks

Aired November 05, 2002 - 14:40   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: How low can they go? Let's look now at dirty tricks of the campaign trails.
CNN's very own "CROSSFIRE" team joins me today right here in Atlanta, a couple men who are very adept, perhaps, at the political limbo, when it comes to that.

Well, let me talk to both of you, Tucker Carlson and James. I want to bring you in on this, because we are talking about this notice that has appeared in Maryland. And it's dirty tricks, right? And, James, it was discovered by Democrats, so immediately, I suspect that the Democrats might have had something to do with it.

JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Well, first of all, we had this. We had the situation in Florida with someone calling phone banks telling them not to vote. We had the situation in South Dakota where they were they were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) about Native American voters. What's happened here is very interesting. The drug companies, the oil companies, the insurance companies and everything according to the Washington Post are absolutely giddy at the Republicans taking the Congress over. They know that they stand to make not millions, but billions, maybe even trillions of dollars through legislation that the Republicans will pass. So I suspect that there's people out doing everything they can to stop people from voting so they can make more money.

And that's really what this election is about for these interest groups and Republicans. How can they make more money? How can they get on the federal sugar breast or whatever you want to call it, so they can make money. And that's what -- that what this kind of garbage is is them trying to stop people from voting so they can make more money. And they're giddy at the prospect of the lobbyists taking over the Congress. And that's what happened

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Wait, before you go into it, let's explain what this is. This is an urgent notice that came out, and it basically says, come out to vote on November 6, which is obviously not the right day. Before you come to vote make sure you pay your parking tickets, your motor vehicle tickets and your overdue rent and most important any warrants. What is that? Designed to scare people away.

TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Right. I mean, one of the reasons I think James put this together himself, one of the reasons the Democrats I think did put this out, four copies of it by the way, there are four copies of this actually found in Maryland. SAVIDGE: Plastered the town.

CARLSON: Yes, plastered the town. It's obviously an effort to get out the black vote which is key in Maryland. Everybody admits there's nothing wrong with that. It's key for Kathleen Kennedy's election to get out the black vote. And this is -- I think a sad example of the Democrats simply injecting racial politics in. I mean, there's no evidence this has dissuaded a single voter.

SAVIDGE: It is against the law, though.

CARLSON: And it ought to be.

CARVILLE: All right. You know what's happened here, and I'll say it again, is the drug companies, the oil companies, the insurance companies, certain interests, spending tens of millions of dollars on this. They dumped -- they gave a million dollars to the NRC. But that's what's at stake here. What this election is about in terms of the interest groups and the Republicans is how can we make more money? This is not about what you can do for our country.

And that's why you're seeing this kind of stuff. Of course, in what interest would it be for the Democrats to suppress Democrats from voting. I guess it would look bad.

CARLSON: Well, this doesn't suppress anybody. And I must say, James is right to some extent that interest groups are involved in this election on both sides, as they are in every election. The one thing both sides agree not to do is to play on racial fears during an election. That is the one thing...

CARVILLE: That's why they're trying to keep Native American voters from voting (UNINTELLIGIBLE). That's why they're calling into these black precincts, giving them the wrong election date, because they're not playing the race card, they just don't want black people and Native Americans (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to vote. But God forbid they should ever play the race card. They just don't want them to vote, that's all. They're not playing the race card, they're playing the race deck.

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: I don't think you actually believe it.

CARVILLE: They're playing the whole deck.

SAVIDGE: It's not just the companies that want to make more money, James. I mean, Americans in general would like...

(CROSSTALK)

CARVILLE: Sure, they would. Because they're making less money under this administration. Well, they're taking all the money and giving it to the interest groups. It would be nice if the people would make more money, but they're not. SAVIDGE: We said two of the most important people are actually not on the ballot this election. What in the world do you mean by that?

CARLSON: I'll tell you what we mean. We mean the current president who has actually done a great job getting out the vote for his party. I think the Republicans are going to lose fewer seats in the House than a first term president's party has ever lost in history. They may even gain seats, and that's largely thanks to President Bush.

Bill Clinton by contrast has not even been invited to Arkansas, his home state, to campaign for the Senate candidate there. He hasn't done any job at all getting out votes. The only candidates he's gone out for are Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in Maryland and the Democrat Carl McCall in New York, both of whom are going to lose.

CARVILLE: I would say that President Bush is a better campaigner, than President Clinton. Of course, Clinton actually ran the economy. President Clinton actually ran foreign policy. This guy doesn't have a job. He hasn't been done nothing for three weeks but go out and raise money and campaign. So I would concede to Tucker that by God, this is the most political fund-raising machine that has ever been in the presidency. But the question that Americans are going to ask is, what guy can actually do the job of being president? This guy hasn't got the foggiest idea. He's got an SEC chief that's embattled. He's got an economic chief that doesn't know whether go wind his butt or scratch his watch. He's got a foreign policy, trying to get everything they can from the U.N. They can't get anything done right now. So I would agree, there's no doubt about it President Bush is very good at flying around on Air Force One, going out and rallying Republicans to vote. So they can make more money.

CARLSON: But the difference is. people like him.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: We have to say that this is going to be continued. Tucker Carlson.

CARVILLE: All night, in fact.

SAVIDGE: James, thank you very much for joining us. You guys are going to be here all night and the folks will have their fill.

Thank 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 November 5, 2002 - 14:40   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: How low can they go? Let's look now at dirty tricks of the campaign trails.
CNN's very own "CROSSFIRE" team joins me today right here in Atlanta, a couple men who are very adept, perhaps, at the political limbo, when it comes to that.

Well, let me talk to both of you, Tucker Carlson and James. I want to bring you in on this, because we are talking about this notice that has appeared in Maryland. And it's dirty tricks, right? And, James, it was discovered by Democrats, so immediately, I suspect that the Democrats might have had something to do with it.

JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Well, first of all, we had this. We had the situation in Florida with someone calling phone banks telling them not to vote. We had the situation in South Dakota where they were they were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) about Native American voters. What's happened here is very interesting. The drug companies, the oil companies, the insurance companies and everything according to the Washington Post are absolutely giddy at the Republicans taking the Congress over. They know that they stand to make not millions, but billions, maybe even trillions of dollars through legislation that the Republicans will pass. So I suspect that there's people out doing everything they can to stop people from voting so they can make more money.

And that's really what this election is about for these interest groups and Republicans. How can they make more money? How can they get on the federal sugar breast or whatever you want to call it, so they can make money. And that's what -- that what this kind of garbage is is them trying to stop people from voting so they can make more money. And they're giddy at the prospect of the lobbyists taking over the Congress. And that's what happened

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Wait, before you go into it, let's explain what this is. This is an urgent notice that came out, and it basically says, come out to vote on November 6, which is obviously not the right day. Before you come to vote make sure you pay your parking tickets, your motor vehicle tickets and your overdue rent and most important any warrants. What is that? Designed to scare people away.

TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Right. I mean, one of the reasons I think James put this together himself, one of the reasons the Democrats I think did put this out, four copies of it by the way, there are four copies of this actually found in Maryland. SAVIDGE: Plastered the town.

CARLSON: Yes, plastered the town. It's obviously an effort to get out the black vote which is key in Maryland. Everybody admits there's nothing wrong with that. It's key for Kathleen Kennedy's election to get out the black vote. And this is -- I think a sad example of the Democrats simply injecting racial politics in. I mean, there's no evidence this has dissuaded a single voter.

SAVIDGE: It is against the law, though.

CARLSON: And it ought to be.

CARVILLE: All right. You know what's happened here, and I'll say it again, is the drug companies, the oil companies, the insurance companies, certain interests, spending tens of millions of dollars on this. They dumped -- they gave a million dollars to the NRC. But that's what's at stake here. What this election is about in terms of the interest groups and the Republicans is how can we make more money? This is not about what you can do for our country.

And that's why you're seeing this kind of stuff. Of course, in what interest would it be for the Democrats to suppress Democrats from voting. I guess it would look bad.

CARLSON: Well, this doesn't suppress anybody. And I must say, James is right to some extent that interest groups are involved in this election on both sides, as they are in every election. The one thing both sides agree not to do is to play on racial fears during an election. That is the one thing...

CARVILLE: That's why they're trying to keep Native American voters from voting (UNINTELLIGIBLE). That's why they're calling into these black precincts, giving them the wrong election date, because they're not playing the race card, they just don't want black people and Native Americans (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to vote. But God forbid they should ever play the race card. They just don't want them to vote, that's all. They're not playing the race card, they're playing the race deck.

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: I don't think you actually believe it.

CARVILLE: They're playing the whole deck.

SAVIDGE: It's not just the companies that want to make more money, James. I mean, Americans in general would like...

(CROSSTALK)

CARVILLE: Sure, they would. Because they're making less money under this administration. Well, they're taking all the money and giving it to the interest groups. It would be nice if the people would make more money, but they're not. SAVIDGE: We said two of the most important people are actually not on the ballot this election. What in the world do you mean by that?

CARLSON: I'll tell you what we mean. We mean the current president who has actually done a great job getting out the vote for his party. I think the Republicans are going to lose fewer seats in the House than a first term president's party has ever lost in history. They may even gain seats, and that's largely thanks to President Bush.

Bill Clinton by contrast has not even been invited to Arkansas, his home state, to campaign for the Senate candidate there. He hasn't done any job at all getting out votes. The only candidates he's gone out for are Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in Maryland and the Democrat Carl McCall in New York, both of whom are going to lose.

CARVILLE: I would say that President Bush is a better campaigner, than President Clinton. Of course, Clinton actually ran the economy. President Clinton actually ran foreign policy. This guy doesn't have a job. He hasn't been done nothing for three weeks but go out and raise money and campaign. So I would concede to Tucker that by God, this is the most political fund-raising machine that has ever been in the presidency. But the question that Americans are going to ask is, what guy can actually do the job of being president? This guy hasn't got the foggiest idea. He's got an SEC chief that's embattled. He's got an economic chief that doesn't know whether go wind his butt or scratch his watch. He's got a foreign policy, trying to get everything they can from the U.N. They can't get anything done right now. So I would agree, there's no doubt about it President Bush is very good at flying around on Air Force One, going out and rallying Republicans to vote. So they can make more money.

CARLSON: But the difference is. people like him.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: We have to say that this is going to be continued. Tucker Carlson.

CARVILLE: All night, in fact.

SAVIDGE: James, thank you very much for joining us. You guys are going to be here all night and the folks will have their fill.

Thank 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