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Al Gore Says No for 2004
Aired December 16, 2002 - 13:06 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: From Trent Lott's growing troubles to Al Gore's surprise announcement that he won't run in 2004, it's a whirlwind within the White House.
Our senior White House correspondent John King, of course, is in the middle of it all.
John, let's start with Trent Lott, and see, what is the White House saying?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I can tell you, the White House is trying to be very careful, trying to stay out of the Lott controversy as much as it can. Early this morning, the president and his chief of staff issued a directive to senior White House aides that they did not want them talking about this story, and they certainly did not want what they saw over the weekend, speculation in the newspapers and other media reports including here on CNN from senior officials saying perhaps Senator Lott was losing his grip on power, perhaps the president wouldn't be too upset if that happened. Comments like that have angered the president. Mr. Bush making clear today that his aides are to stick to his statement, that is, to say what Senator Lott was offensive and wrong, but that the president does not believe Senator Lott should be forced to resign his position.
At the White House, though, they won't say much more, and that is adding to questions. Ari Fleischer just concluded his briefing, for example, and he will not say in the affirmative that the president believes Trent Lott should be the majority leader. He will not say in the affirmative that the president believes it will not hurt his efforts to reach out to African-Americans if Lott stays on. So the White House trying to stay to a very careful script here.
And behind the scenes we are told what the white house wants most is for Senate Republicans to decide this quickly. If they are going to keep Senator Lott, vote or make some affirmative statement that they plan to do so. If they plan to replace him, do that quickly as well. The White House is growing tired of this controversy, thinking it could be hurting not just Senator Lott, but the entire Republican Party.
PHILLIPS: John, moving on to Al Gore, I would assume political aides not happy about this. They probably wanted a rematch.
KING: Well, some did, and most certainly thought that Al Gore could not resist the temptation to run again, given the fact that he did win the popular vote in the 2000 election here in the Bush White House. They thought this president, with four years as president under his belt, would be in a much better, much stronger position to run against Al Gore. That will not happen here, of course. We asked Ari Fleischer if the president had any reaction, given that the campaign was so hard fought, given that he campaigned against former Vice President Gore and debated him. Ari Fleischer said no, the president had shared no such personal reaction, but in reacting, Ari Fleischer did manage to sneak in a shot at the other Democrats who would be president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: This is an internal matter for the Democratic Party. And somebody will emerge from the Democratic field, who will ultimately seek to raise taxes on the American people, but that's a decision that the Democrats will make as they select a nominee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Bush political aides certainly believed Al Gore was the frontrunner, and they believe they know so much about him, that if there had been a rematch, they believe it would have been less work, if you will, on the research front for the Bush team. They now will watch over the next several months as the Democrats fight to compete in a nomination process. White House aides saying it can't be clear to them who will emerge. Long way to go on that front.
PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, John King. Thanks, John.
So with Gore out of the picture in 2004, what does this mean for who will lead the Democratic Party's charge against the White House? Gore's last running mate, Joe Lieberman, had said he wouldn't run if Gore did, now Lieberman has some thinking to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I expected this decision by the former vice president to come in January, early January. So I'm going to take a few more weeks to do some final thinking. This is a big decision, has to come not just from my head, but from my heart and soul, and then to announce it early in January.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Let's talk to our senior political analyst Bill Schneider. He joins us now to talk more about this. Busy day for you, Bill.
Let's talk about Al Gore. What do you think? Is it lack of money, lack of desire? What do you think influenced Al Gore to make this decision?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, we can't be sure. It was obviously a very personal decision. He was leaving his options open by acting as if he were going to run. He said he still may produce a statement on the economy and on health care next month. He was going to give speeches on those topics.
Why did he decide not to run? It could very well be that he got messages from previous contributors and supporters, frankly, that they didn't want to hear from him again, that they thought he blew it in 2000, that they weren't eager to support him again, that it would take the Democratic Party back to 2000 instead of forward, and that's exactly what he said last night on CBS's "60 Minutes." He said this shouldn't be about the past, it should be about the future. And again, he didn't completely rule out running for president in 2008 or thereafter, he simply said he doesn't think it's likely.
PHILLIPS: All right, so he has this very strong relationship with Lieberman. Lieberman's the first one to come out, hold a live press conference, since we've been talking about this. Do you think these two might be planning something together?
SCHNEIDER: Gore and Lieberman? I don't think so.
PHILLIPS: Yes, maybe Gore's saying, I'll support you. I don't think I can win, but let's get you out there? Who knows.
SCHNEIDER: He's very friendly to Joe Lieberman. My guess is Gore will wait and see what happens as the field develops. We are beginning a stage that has become virtually an official part of the campaign. It's what we call the invisible primary. It starts now, today, with Al Gore's withdrawal, and then the field is wide open, and it lasts exactly one year, until the end of 2003. Who wins? Number one, the candidate who raises the most money. Number two, the candidate who moves to the position of front runner in the poles. Nine out of the 10 last contests, the candidates who have done that by the end of the invisible primary become the nominee, even before a single vote is cast in Iowa or New Hampshire.
So this is a crucial stage of the process. And with Al Gore's withdrawal, it is totally wide open.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk a little more about Lieberman. Name recognition, definitely. He's very well respected.
Now, it did come out the fact that he was a Jewish candidate when he was on the ticket with Al Gore. Is it a big deal when you're running for president. Is it something that you think will be talked about more?
SCHNEIDER: It will be talked about. Is it a big deal? We just don't know. We know when people are asked at the polls if they would support a Jewish candidate for president, they say, yes, of course, but then that's the right answer. You're not supposed to show yourself to be at all prejudiced or bigoted. The same thing would be true if a woman were to run for president -- of course I'd support a well-qualified woman, but would they really, in fact? It's impossible to tell.
We've had a couple of Jewish candidates for president. Arlen Specter ran briefly from Pennsylvania, Milton Shap (ph) a long time ago in the Democratic Party. They didn't get very far. We do know that when he ran for vice president on a ticket with Al Gore, the fact that he's an observant Jewish candidate didn't seem to make any difference. There was no evidence that we could find anywhere in polling, or even on the campaign trail of overt anti-Semitism. And I don't think anybody blames gore's loss in that election on Joe Lieberman.
But running for president, you're in a different league it's a race all by yourself. So the answer is, we don't know how much it will matter.
PHILLIPS: And, Bill, you mentioned woman. What do you think, Senator Hillary Clinton? Could this be a player here?
SCHNEIDER: She has said quite clearly she does not intend to run in 2004. She's made that promise to the voters of New York. Her office confirms that is still her intention. She does not expect to get into this race. She has no intention of running. I think we take her at her word. In the future, who knows. But one thing I can tell you is, she's the candidate that lot of Democrats would like to see in the White House, eventually, at some point. She's probably first in the their hearts. But a promise is a promise. She told the voters from New York she's not going to run in 2004.
PHILLIPS: Bill Schneider, thanks so much.
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 December 16, 2002 - 13:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: From Trent Lott's growing troubles to Al Gore's surprise announcement that he won't run in 2004, it's a whirlwind within the White House.
Our senior White House correspondent John King, of course, is in the middle of it all.
John, let's start with Trent Lott, and see, what is the White House saying?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I can tell you, the White House is trying to be very careful, trying to stay out of the Lott controversy as much as it can. Early this morning, the president and his chief of staff issued a directive to senior White House aides that they did not want them talking about this story, and they certainly did not want what they saw over the weekend, speculation in the newspapers and other media reports including here on CNN from senior officials saying perhaps Senator Lott was losing his grip on power, perhaps the president wouldn't be too upset if that happened. Comments like that have angered the president. Mr. Bush making clear today that his aides are to stick to his statement, that is, to say what Senator Lott was offensive and wrong, but that the president does not believe Senator Lott should be forced to resign his position.
At the White House, though, they won't say much more, and that is adding to questions. Ari Fleischer just concluded his briefing, for example, and he will not say in the affirmative that the president believes Trent Lott should be the majority leader. He will not say in the affirmative that the president believes it will not hurt his efforts to reach out to African-Americans if Lott stays on. So the White House trying to stay to a very careful script here.
And behind the scenes we are told what the white house wants most is for Senate Republicans to decide this quickly. If they are going to keep Senator Lott, vote or make some affirmative statement that they plan to do so. If they plan to replace him, do that quickly as well. The White House is growing tired of this controversy, thinking it could be hurting not just Senator Lott, but the entire Republican Party.
PHILLIPS: John, moving on to Al Gore, I would assume political aides not happy about this. They probably wanted a rematch.
KING: Well, some did, and most certainly thought that Al Gore could not resist the temptation to run again, given the fact that he did win the popular vote in the 2000 election here in the Bush White House. They thought this president, with four years as president under his belt, would be in a much better, much stronger position to run against Al Gore. That will not happen here, of course. We asked Ari Fleischer if the president had any reaction, given that the campaign was so hard fought, given that he campaigned against former Vice President Gore and debated him. Ari Fleischer said no, the president had shared no such personal reaction, but in reacting, Ari Fleischer did manage to sneak in a shot at the other Democrats who would be president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: This is an internal matter for the Democratic Party. And somebody will emerge from the Democratic field, who will ultimately seek to raise taxes on the American people, but that's a decision that the Democrats will make as they select a nominee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Bush political aides certainly believed Al Gore was the frontrunner, and they believe they know so much about him, that if there had been a rematch, they believe it would have been less work, if you will, on the research front for the Bush team. They now will watch over the next several months as the Democrats fight to compete in a nomination process. White House aides saying it can't be clear to them who will emerge. Long way to go on that front.
PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, John King. Thanks, John.
So with Gore out of the picture in 2004, what does this mean for who will lead the Democratic Party's charge against the White House? Gore's last running mate, Joe Lieberman, had said he wouldn't run if Gore did, now Lieberman has some thinking to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I expected this decision by the former vice president to come in January, early January. So I'm going to take a few more weeks to do some final thinking. This is a big decision, has to come not just from my head, but from my heart and soul, and then to announce it early in January.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Let's talk to our senior political analyst Bill Schneider. He joins us now to talk more about this. Busy day for you, Bill.
Let's talk about Al Gore. What do you think? Is it lack of money, lack of desire? What do you think influenced Al Gore to make this decision?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, we can't be sure. It was obviously a very personal decision. He was leaving his options open by acting as if he were going to run. He said he still may produce a statement on the economy and on health care next month. He was going to give speeches on those topics.
Why did he decide not to run? It could very well be that he got messages from previous contributors and supporters, frankly, that they didn't want to hear from him again, that they thought he blew it in 2000, that they weren't eager to support him again, that it would take the Democratic Party back to 2000 instead of forward, and that's exactly what he said last night on CBS's "60 Minutes." He said this shouldn't be about the past, it should be about the future. And again, he didn't completely rule out running for president in 2008 or thereafter, he simply said he doesn't think it's likely.
PHILLIPS: All right, so he has this very strong relationship with Lieberman. Lieberman's the first one to come out, hold a live press conference, since we've been talking about this. Do you think these two might be planning something together?
SCHNEIDER: Gore and Lieberman? I don't think so.
PHILLIPS: Yes, maybe Gore's saying, I'll support you. I don't think I can win, but let's get you out there? Who knows.
SCHNEIDER: He's very friendly to Joe Lieberman. My guess is Gore will wait and see what happens as the field develops. We are beginning a stage that has become virtually an official part of the campaign. It's what we call the invisible primary. It starts now, today, with Al Gore's withdrawal, and then the field is wide open, and it lasts exactly one year, until the end of 2003. Who wins? Number one, the candidate who raises the most money. Number two, the candidate who moves to the position of front runner in the poles. Nine out of the 10 last contests, the candidates who have done that by the end of the invisible primary become the nominee, even before a single vote is cast in Iowa or New Hampshire.
So this is a crucial stage of the process. And with Al Gore's withdrawal, it is totally wide open.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk a little more about Lieberman. Name recognition, definitely. He's very well respected.
Now, it did come out the fact that he was a Jewish candidate when he was on the ticket with Al Gore. Is it a big deal when you're running for president. Is it something that you think will be talked about more?
SCHNEIDER: It will be talked about. Is it a big deal? We just don't know. We know when people are asked at the polls if they would support a Jewish candidate for president, they say, yes, of course, but then that's the right answer. You're not supposed to show yourself to be at all prejudiced or bigoted. The same thing would be true if a woman were to run for president -- of course I'd support a well-qualified woman, but would they really, in fact? It's impossible to tell.
We've had a couple of Jewish candidates for president. Arlen Specter ran briefly from Pennsylvania, Milton Shap (ph) a long time ago in the Democratic Party. They didn't get very far. We do know that when he ran for vice president on a ticket with Al Gore, the fact that he's an observant Jewish candidate didn't seem to make any difference. There was no evidence that we could find anywhere in polling, or even on the campaign trail of overt anti-Semitism. And I don't think anybody blames gore's loss in that election on Joe Lieberman.
But running for president, you're in a different league it's a race all by yourself. So the answer is, we don't know how much it will matter.
PHILLIPS: And, Bill, you mentioned woman. What do you think, Senator Hillary Clinton? Could this be a player here?
SCHNEIDER: She has said quite clearly she does not intend to run in 2004. She's made that promise to the voters of New York. Her office confirms that is still her intention. She does not expect to get into this race. She has no intention of running. I think we take her at her word. In the future, who knows. But one thing I can tell you is, she's the candidate that lot of Democrats would like to see in the White House, eventually, at some point. She's probably first in the their hearts. But a promise is a promise. She told the voters from New York she's not going to run in 2004.
PHILLIPS: Bill Schneider, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
