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Moseley-Braun Campaign

Aired September 22, 2003 - 13:34   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: When former Senator Carol Moseley- Braun lost her seat in 1998, she swore to never seek public office again. Well, never say never. The Democrat formally launched her campaign for a 2004 presidential bid today from Howard University in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL MOSELEY-BRAUN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am running for the Democratic nomination because I believe this party ought to stand for inclusion, hope and new ways to resolve old problems. I am fighting for the nomination, because I am determined to move our party in the direction of our nation's most noble ideals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley with me now out of Washington.

Candy, why?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends on who you talk to. Certainly she's been criticized for this run, because she is severely underfunded, and that's a mild understatement. She's in the lower tier, along with Al Sharpton, for money raised. She barely appears in the polls. This is the longest of long shots, if not a no-shot.

A number of reasons critics have put out there. First of all, she had a sort of messy ending to her Senate career. Is this sort of a redemption tour? Al Sharpton's in the race. Did Democrats go to her and say, you know, get in the race to divide up the black vote so as not to make Al Sharpton a kingmaker.

Moseley-Braun says no to all of those, and I think we've got a hint of what she's going for. She told a story today at her announcement about her 9-year-old niece who was showing her the social studies book she had, and she was showing all of the presidents, and she said, you know, but Auntie Carol -- according to Moseley-Braun -- but Auntie Carol, these are all men and Moseley-Braun said I'm running so that my niece and your brothers and sisters and your boys and girls know that everyone can make a contribution. I think that this is one of those campaigns that's worthy just for its existence.

O'BRIEN: Now, do you think it's possible she could be positioning herself to be considered for a vice presidential slot? CROWLEY: Well, there's an awful lot of baggage, albeit unfair baggage in the main with Carol Moseley-Braun. I should think that would be other candidates. She couldn't get re-elected in Illinois when she ran for re-election, so it's tough to think of her as a vice presidential candidate, although you started with never say every never, so.

O'BRIEN: We better stick to that one.

What about the fund-raising? How is that going so far for her?

CROWLEY: Not great. She was, you know, like a $125,000 range after the second quarter, and that's when dean was at $7.5 million, but she's running a shoestring campaign. I mean, she doesn't go that often into Iowa Or into New Hampshire. She shows up for the debates and makes her presence known there. So she has no paid staff. She had to lay some off. So this is tough. This is tough to run on a shoestring campaign. But with so many debates, you can still do it. She's not the only one without money.

O'BRIEN: And finally, just for those who are interested in political trivia, she is not the first African-American woman to run for president, right?

CROWLEY: She's not. Shirley Chisholm, 1972, was the first. And there have not been a woman running for president as a serious candidate since the late '80s and Pat Schroeder. So it's been a while, and insofar -- you know, we were at Howard University, which is a traditionally black college, and there were young women around her asking her questions, and you can see that there is value in these role models.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Candy Crowley, thanks very 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 September 22, 2003 - 13:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: When former Senator Carol Moseley- Braun lost her seat in 1998, she swore to never seek public office again. Well, never say never. The Democrat formally launched her campaign for a 2004 presidential bid today from Howard University in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL MOSELEY-BRAUN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am running for the Democratic nomination because I believe this party ought to stand for inclusion, hope and new ways to resolve old problems. I am fighting for the nomination, because I am determined to move our party in the direction of our nation's most noble ideals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley with me now out of Washington.

Candy, why?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends on who you talk to. Certainly she's been criticized for this run, because she is severely underfunded, and that's a mild understatement. She's in the lower tier, along with Al Sharpton, for money raised. She barely appears in the polls. This is the longest of long shots, if not a no-shot.

A number of reasons critics have put out there. First of all, she had a sort of messy ending to her Senate career. Is this sort of a redemption tour? Al Sharpton's in the race. Did Democrats go to her and say, you know, get in the race to divide up the black vote so as not to make Al Sharpton a kingmaker.

Moseley-Braun says no to all of those, and I think we've got a hint of what she's going for. She told a story today at her announcement about her 9-year-old niece who was showing her the social studies book she had, and she was showing all of the presidents, and she said, you know, but Auntie Carol -- according to Moseley-Braun -- but Auntie Carol, these are all men and Moseley-Braun said I'm running so that my niece and your brothers and sisters and your boys and girls know that everyone can make a contribution. I think that this is one of those campaigns that's worthy just for its existence.

O'BRIEN: Now, do you think it's possible she could be positioning herself to be considered for a vice presidential slot? CROWLEY: Well, there's an awful lot of baggage, albeit unfair baggage in the main with Carol Moseley-Braun. I should think that would be other candidates. She couldn't get re-elected in Illinois when she ran for re-election, so it's tough to think of her as a vice presidential candidate, although you started with never say every never, so.

O'BRIEN: We better stick to that one.

What about the fund-raising? How is that going so far for her?

CROWLEY: Not great. She was, you know, like a $125,000 range after the second quarter, and that's when dean was at $7.5 million, but she's running a shoestring campaign. I mean, she doesn't go that often into Iowa Or into New Hampshire. She shows up for the debates and makes her presence known there. So she has no paid staff. She had to lay some off. So this is tough. This is tough to run on a shoestring campaign. But with so many debates, you can still do it. She's not the only one without money.

O'BRIEN: And finally, just for those who are interested in political trivia, she is not the first African-American woman to run for president, right?

CROWLEY: She's not. Shirley Chisholm, 1972, was the first. And there have not been a woman running for president as a serious candidate since the late '80s and Pat Schroeder. So it's been a while, and insofar -- you know, we were at Howard University, which is a traditionally black college, and there were young women around her asking her questions, and you can see that there is value in these role models.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Candy Crowley, thanks very 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