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American Morning
Independent Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders Discusses Expected Party Switch of Jim Jeffords
Aired May 23, 2001 - 10:05 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now from the dangers of air travel to a different kind of flight risk on Capitol Hill: It's a political defection, one that is being dreaded by Republicans from Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. We're covering all angles of the impending announcement of Senator Jim Jeffords, which we expect, by the way, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
Let's go to our congressional correspondent Kate Snow. She is on Capitol Hill, where plenty of action is taking place today.
Kate, good morning.
KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator Jeffords isn't saying exactly what he has decided, but he has told our producer that he has made a decision, that his mind is made up. He is now talking about making an announcement publicly, in some form or fashion, at 2:00 this afternoon, not on the Senate floor, but in some sort of press gathering.
Sources tell CNN that what the senator has decided to do is leave the Republican Party, Democratic sources saying they believe that he will join as an independent, rather than joining the Democrats. He will be an independent, but he will vote along with the Democrats.
That's a key part of this, that he would vote for Senator Tom Daschle to run the Senate, to be the majority leader. That means that Democrats would effectively take control of the Senate. They would control the agenda and the committees.
Senator Jeffords is 67 years old. You see him leaving his house there, this morning. In 1975, he joined the House of Representatives. In 1988, he joined the Senate, from the state of Vermont. He's currently chairman of the Education Committee. That would probably change, given his announcement. He would probably be offered, we're told, the Environment Committee chairmanship as a sort of gift for changing over to an independent.
He is set to announce his decision later today. Again, we do think that he will decide to be an independent.
Joining me now is someone who already holds that title.
You are an Independent, Representative Bernie Sanders from Vermont, the same state as senator Jeffords. You've been an independent for quite some time, first as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, back in 1981. What's it like to be an independent from Vermont? Is it an easy thing to do?
REP. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: I think a very good thing to do, because it says that you have concerns about both major political parties, and you want to respond as strongly as you can to the own needs of your own people. It has worked well for me.
SNOW: How is Senator Jeffords' decision going to play at home? Have you already been able to talk to anyone back in Vermont?
SANDERS: The state of Vermont is one of the most progressive states in the country, and people there are not happy about Bush's proposal to give huge tax breaks to billionaires while inadequately funding education, health care, housing, and so forth and so on. There's also a lot of concern about Bush's environmental and energy proposals. I think to the degree that Senator Jeffords makes clear -- as he has -- that he is in disagreement with those proposals, it plays very well in the state of Vermont.
SNOW: You've known Senator Jeffords for, you told me, about 30 years now.
SANDERS: Yes.
SNOW: Is this a surprise?
SANDERS: I think for Senator Jeffords or anyone, when you're in a party for 30 years, and you grow up in the party, and you always function politically, it's a very, difficult political decision. But I think the senator has looked out at the political landscape, perhaps has seen the country go much further to the right than he is comfortable with, and is prepared to stand up for Vermont and America to do the right thing.
SNOW: Has Vermont seen this coming, do you think? Has he indicated all along that he might make this shift?
SANDERS: The extreme right wing in Vermont has never been particularly sympathetic to Senator Jeffords.
SNOW: Thank you, Representative Bernie Sanders, congressman from Vermont, also an independent. We appreciate you joining us.
We'll toss it back to you in Atlanta now.
KAGAN: Kate, a quick question for you, before we let you go. What does Senator Jeffords -- or what would he -- gain by going independent instead of just joining the Democratic Party outright?
SNOW: It's more symbolic than anything because it would show that he's not going all the way, he's an independent mind. As Representative Sanders just put it, it would sort of put him somewhere in the middle, as an independent thinker, a renegade, if you will, but it doesn't go all the way. But he would still vote, we expect, along with the Democrats in most cases, and particularly in the key decisions in terms of forming the Senate leadership, in figuring out whose going to control the Senate. We do expect, based on our sources, that he would support the Democrats in that effort.
KAGAN: Kate Snow, on Capitol Hill -- Kate, thank you.
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