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Interview With Jerry Springer

Aired July 11, 2003 - 14:43   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The best-known former mayor of Cincinnati is setting his sights on the U.S. Senate, no less. But he'll never be president. Not because of scenes like this, we'll explain that in a minute.
Over the years Jerry Springer has been a councilman, a mayor, an award-winning journalist and a poster boy for low-brow TV. And then he really sunk to become a TV anchor. If not for his London birthplace he may have had designs in the White House, instead he turned in the paperwork today for a 2004 Senate run. He's a Democrat incidentally and he's joining us live from New York City. Jerry, good to have you with us.

JERRY SPRINGER, WOULD-BE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM OHIO: Nice to be with you, thanks.

O'BRIEN: All right, got a good gig going. Why would you throw that in for the U.S. Senate?

SPRINGER: Well, political issues and public issues are really the one thing I've always been passionate about. Anyone who knows me knows that within five minutes I'm talking either sports or politics.

So even though I've made my living doing the show, that's my living, it's not my life. What I really care about these political issues. And if I can be helpful, I'll run. If I determine that can't be helpful, that I can't get through the clutter of the show, then I won't waste anyone's time.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the clutter of the show. That's obviously an issue you're dealing with head-on as you roll out these 30-minute campaign infomercials. You try to set it aside, but it's hard to set scenes like this aside, quite frankly.

SPRINGER: Yes, well, of course, it is and that's a what a campaign would be about. You know, it's a year ask a half campaign and during the course of the campaign, I would have to talk about issues that are important to people's lives.

Eventually, you will all, I assume stop running these shows, and then start asking me about the issues that relate to people's lives. And if I have good answers, people will support me. If I don't have good answers, then I will lose and that's the way it ought to be.

O'BRIEN: OK. Obviously there is a snicker factor though. You're confident you can get to that point where the subject is the issues not the brawls.

SPRINGER: In the end people care about their lives more than they care about television. Right now we have a downward spiraling economy, particularly in the state of Ohio. We have an education system that is in horrible shape. We have a huge deficit. I mean, there are great problems that -- many people going around without health insurance. I have some ideas about how we can deal with these issues.

As I said, if I really can touch people in a way that they're not being affected by politicians right now and that they like what I have to say, then I think they will support me. So, in the end, I'm going to be judged based on the merits of my ideas or my ideas and my confidence.

O'BRIEN: All right. You're a self-avowed populist. Do you consider yourself a liberal, as well?

SPRINGER: More liberal than conservative, but clearly a populist. I think the little guy gets a raw break right now with this government. I don't think there's any question about it. Whenever we're looking for a solution to problems, inevitably it's the wealthier people that get the big breaks and middle America doesn't.

The example I get, for example, if you wanted to juice up the economy, instead of giving people like me a tax break, why not relief on the payroll tax? Four out of five Americans pay more on the payroll tax than they do on their income tax.

So I say no one should have to pay the payroll tax on the first $10,000 to $20,000 a year they earn. They would spend every penny of that because need that money to live on and it would really juice up the economy because they would spend all that money.

And in order to recover that lost revenue, I say do away with the cap. Why should I stop paying the payroll tax once I earn $84,900 a year? It's that kind of inequity that means that the little guy is always getting the raw end of the stick.

O'BRIEN: All right, you've got name recognition. There's no question about that. And you have a good chance of reaching a demographic that probably are not necessarily the most affected voters out there.

I just want to read a quick quote to you. Jonah Goldberg in "The National Review" said that the new people you might bring to the polls would include "slack-jawed yokels, hicks, weirdoes, pervs and what- nots."

I'm not sure what a what-not is, but nevertheless, when you hear that kind of stuff, there's a little bit of arrogance in that comment.

SPRINGER: There's a lot of arrogance, isn't there? I mean that's the elitism. Honestly, that's the elitism which is affecting our government right now. In other words, regular people or people who just don't fit the wealthier, powerful, cluby types, all of a sudden they don't count. This government is so afraid of everyone coming out to vote.

Because let me tell you, if everyone came out and vote, do you think for one second we'd still have 41 million people without health insurance? If everyone came out and vote, do you think we have underfunded schools? No.

The truth of the matter is the power establishment doesn't want those people to vote. It doesn't want middle America to. Because as long as most people don't vote then the people in power will continue to stay in power. Their interests will continue to be represented. Someone has to speak for just regular ordinary Americans who don't, perhaps, speak the king's English, who aren't rich, who aren't powerful. Let's have somebody fight for them. Maybe I can be that person. If I can, I'll run.

O'BRIEN: You come from a state that has a deep vein of conservative -- conservatism that is running right now. Will that brand of populism that you just laid out for us, will that play in Dayton or Cincinnati?

SPRINGER: Absolutely, and I'll tell you why. Because economically there is no reason why the state of Ohio votes the way it does right now.

The truth is, there are 2.5 million Ohioans who occasionally vote. Most of the time they don't because they don't relate to any politician, whether it's Democrat, Republican, they think it's all bull. They don't think politicians relate to their lives.

Maybe it's because of the crazy show, maybe it's because they just know me as a celebrity, whatever. but maybe I can talk with them because they have a connection to me. If I can bring them to the polls, all of a sudden their interests will be represented. You couple that with the regular Democratic vote, that's the way a Democratic can win in the state of Ohio.

O'BRIEN: All right, will you vow right now, first of all, that if you get into a debate with George Voinovich there, that you don't get in a brawl?

SPRINGER: You know what I have to figure out is whether going to the Senate from my show is a step up or down. I'm kidding.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jerry Springer. Thank you very much. We wish you well. You're definitely going to run, right?

SPRINGER: I have to make up my mind in ten days and I haven't yet made up my mind, but I'd like to.

O'BRIEN: Come on. Do it right her, right now. Come on.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Announce it. Announce it. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. O'BRIEN: Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. Come on.

SPRINGER: Oh, guys. You're bringing tears to my eyes when I hear that "Jerry, Jerry."

Thanks, guys. Bye.

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 July 11, 2003 - 14:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The best-known former mayor of Cincinnati is setting his sights on the U.S. Senate, no less. But he'll never be president. Not because of scenes like this, we'll explain that in a minute.
Over the years Jerry Springer has been a councilman, a mayor, an award-winning journalist and a poster boy for low-brow TV. And then he really sunk to become a TV anchor. If not for his London birthplace he may have had designs in the White House, instead he turned in the paperwork today for a 2004 Senate run. He's a Democrat incidentally and he's joining us live from New York City. Jerry, good to have you with us.

JERRY SPRINGER, WOULD-BE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM OHIO: Nice to be with you, thanks.

O'BRIEN: All right, got a good gig going. Why would you throw that in for the U.S. Senate?

SPRINGER: Well, political issues and public issues are really the one thing I've always been passionate about. Anyone who knows me knows that within five minutes I'm talking either sports or politics.

So even though I've made my living doing the show, that's my living, it's not my life. What I really care about these political issues. And if I can be helpful, I'll run. If I determine that can't be helpful, that I can't get through the clutter of the show, then I won't waste anyone's time.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the clutter of the show. That's obviously an issue you're dealing with head-on as you roll out these 30-minute campaign infomercials. You try to set it aside, but it's hard to set scenes like this aside, quite frankly.

SPRINGER: Yes, well, of course, it is and that's a what a campaign would be about. You know, it's a year ask a half campaign and during the course of the campaign, I would have to talk about issues that are important to people's lives.

Eventually, you will all, I assume stop running these shows, and then start asking me about the issues that relate to people's lives. And if I have good answers, people will support me. If I don't have good answers, then I will lose and that's the way it ought to be.

O'BRIEN: OK. Obviously there is a snicker factor though. You're confident you can get to that point where the subject is the issues not the brawls.

SPRINGER: In the end people care about their lives more than they care about television. Right now we have a downward spiraling economy, particularly in the state of Ohio. We have an education system that is in horrible shape. We have a huge deficit. I mean, there are great problems that -- many people going around without health insurance. I have some ideas about how we can deal with these issues.

As I said, if I really can touch people in a way that they're not being affected by politicians right now and that they like what I have to say, then I think they will support me. So, in the end, I'm going to be judged based on the merits of my ideas or my ideas and my confidence.

O'BRIEN: All right. You're a self-avowed populist. Do you consider yourself a liberal, as well?

SPRINGER: More liberal than conservative, but clearly a populist. I think the little guy gets a raw break right now with this government. I don't think there's any question about it. Whenever we're looking for a solution to problems, inevitably it's the wealthier people that get the big breaks and middle America doesn't.

The example I get, for example, if you wanted to juice up the economy, instead of giving people like me a tax break, why not relief on the payroll tax? Four out of five Americans pay more on the payroll tax than they do on their income tax.

So I say no one should have to pay the payroll tax on the first $10,000 to $20,000 a year they earn. They would spend every penny of that because need that money to live on and it would really juice up the economy because they would spend all that money.

And in order to recover that lost revenue, I say do away with the cap. Why should I stop paying the payroll tax once I earn $84,900 a year? It's that kind of inequity that means that the little guy is always getting the raw end of the stick.

O'BRIEN: All right, you've got name recognition. There's no question about that. And you have a good chance of reaching a demographic that probably are not necessarily the most affected voters out there.

I just want to read a quick quote to you. Jonah Goldberg in "The National Review" said that the new people you might bring to the polls would include "slack-jawed yokels, hicks, weirdoes, pervs and what- nots."

I'm not sure what a what-not is, but nevertheless, when you hear that kind of stuff, there's a little bit of arrogance in that comment.

SPRINGER: There's a lot of arrogance, isn't there? I mean that's the elitism. Honestly, that's the elitism which is affecting our government right now. In other words, regular people or people who just don't fit the wealthier, powerful, cluby types, all of a sudden they don't count. This government is so afraid of everyone coming out to vote.

Because let me tell you, if everyone came out and vote, do you think for one second we'd still have 41 million people without health insurance? If everyone came out and vote, do you think we have underfunded schools? No.

The truth of the matter is the power establishment doesn't want those people to vote. It doesn't want middle America to. Because as long as most people don't vote then the people in power will continue to stay in power. Their interests will continue to be represented. Someone has to speak for just regular ordinary Americans who don't, perhaps, speak the king's English, who aren't rich, who aren't powerful. Let's have somebody fight for them. Maybe I can be that person. If I can, I'll run.

O'BRIEN: You come from a state that has a deep vein of conservative -- conservatism that is running right now. Will that brand of populism that you just laid out for us, will that play in Dayton or Cincinnati?

SPRINGER: Absolutely, and I'll tell you why. Because economically there is no reason why the state of Ohio votes the way it does right now.

The truth is, there are 2.5 million Ohioans who occasionally vote. Most of the time they don't because they don't relate to any politician, whether it's Democrat, Republican, they think it's all bull. They don't think politicians relate to their lives.

Maybe it's because of the crazy show, maybe it's because they just know me as a celebrity, whatever. but maybe I can talk with them because they have a connection to me. If I can bring them to the polls, all of a sudden their interests will be represented. You couple that with the regular Democratic vote, that's the way a Democratic can win in the state of Ohio.

O'BRIEN: All right, will you vow right now, first of all, that if you get into a debate with George Voinovich there, that you don't get in a brawl?

SPRINGER: You know what I have to figure out is whether going to the Senate from my show is a step up or down. I'm kidding.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jerry Springer. Thank you very much. We wish you well. You're definitely going to run, right?

SPRINGER: I have to make up my mind in ten days and I haven't yet made up my mind, but I'd like to.

O'BRIEN: Come on. Do it right her, right now. Come on.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Announce it. Announce it. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. O'BRIEN: Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. Come on.

SPRINGER: Oh, guys. You're bringing tears to my eyes when I hear that "Jerry, Jerry."

Thanks, guys. Bye.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com