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American Morning
"What I Don't Get"
Aired December 20, 2001 - 08:37 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.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN FINANCIAL ANCHOR: So, show me the money. It's all about the money today.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: What -- what are you all upset about this morning?
CAFFERTY: Well, I'm not upset about it. You know, they're going to adjourn Congress, they're all going to go home, and there is no stimulus package, and there's nothing to help the taxpayers who pay your salaries, in case you're interested. And, it's all about politics, as usual. The hell with the people, let's play politics. Republicans are trying to characterize Daschle as somebody who is playing partisan politics while we're in the midst of national emergency. There is some research that indicates the public ties the economic problems, in part, to the events of 9-1-1.
ZAHN: Sure.
CAFFERTY: The Democrats also said all the way along, I heard Charlie Rangel on the radio, Democratic Congressman from Harlem, talk about how the workers of this country who have lost their jobs have been held in such contempt by the Republicans during this whole attempted compromise on a stimulus package. The Republicans agreed to extending unemployment benefits. The Republicans agreed to some sort of health benefits. It wasn't what the Democrats wanted.
But, at the end of the day, the Democrats are going to choose to walk away and give the unemployed workers nothing. Nothing, as opposed to half a loaf, which was something that was available if they had gone ahead and approved this thing. It may backfire, and I say that because there is a Gallup poll out. Two things. The politicking has to do with off-year elections next year, supposedly.
ZAHN: Which has begun very early, haven't they?
CAFFERTY: Yeah, it's already started. And, of course, the Democrats are trying to box President Bush on some domestic issues because, on the war and stuff, his popularity numbers are through the roof. So, the only place they can attack him is on deficits, and spending, and domestic issues, education, stimulus package, et cetera.
ZAHN: Sure.
CAFFERTY: Gallup organization did a poll. If the election -- if the congressional elections were held right now, who would you vote for? In June, 49 percent answered they'd vote Democratic, and 45 percent answered they'd vote Republican. Today, 48 percent would vote Republican, and 43 percent would vote Democratic. The other question that was interesting, who do you blame for the recession? Do you blame President Bush, do you blame President Clinton -- some people suggested it started during the Clinton administration -- or do you blame Congress? 44 percent blame President Bush. 62 percent blame Percent Clinton. 75 percent blame the Congress of the United States for the recession. So, this could be a tactical error on the part of Mr. Daschle. We'll see.
ZAHN: Well, particularly if the polls showing at this juncture far in advance of upcoming elections.
CAFFERTY: Yeah. I mean, there's a long way to go, you know.
ZAHN: Some serious tea leaves to read there.
CAFFERTY: But the taxpayers get nothing. They get nothing. These guys are going to go home and have a nice Christmas dinner and leave the taxpayers with nothing. Thank you.
Barry Bonds, the home run king, has agreed not to go to arbitration. He's going to stay with the San Francisco Giants. At the end of the season, when setting the all-time record of 73, these were dramatic shots. Watch this. Crushed the ball. It's expected he'll get 20 million dollars for single year to play next year with the Giants, and the people in San Francisco got to be happy about that.
Katie Couric. $65 million to sign a four and a half year contract to host the Today Show. That brings her annual income to somewhere between $14 and 16 million. She makes for the highest paid newscaster on television. The Today Show, of course, earns a profit of $250 million a year, so they can well afford to spread 65 million for Katie out over four years.
But it's an interesting story. A good friend of mine that I worked with at WNBC here in New York back in the late '70's, he was assignment editor at Channel Four, went on to become the news director at the NBC owned station in Washington, D.C., and Katie Couric, at the time, was a local reporter there. And one day she went to him and said, you know, I'd like to do some anchoring, and he said, in effect, you ain't anchor material. Well, I don't know where he is now, but she's just signed on for 65 big ones.
ZAHN: And she can afford to take him to dinner, now, and drive him around a little.
CAFFERTY: However, don't get too comfortable, Ms. Couric. The woman on my left, hot on your heels. You better watch out. Paula Zahn is coming after you.
Finally, one thing. Kansas City, they have a secret Santa, and every year, they guy goes through the streets of Kansas City, Missouri -- he's a business man -- handing out $100 bills to disadvantaged, homeless people, or down on their luck. This year, he came to New York. And for the last two days, and he's here again today, he's going around Manhattan because New York City was hit so hard by the events of 9-1-1, and he's handing out money to people. $25,000 he'll give away here, and then he'll go back to Kansas City and hand out another 25,000 beginning, I think, tomorrow. Nobody knows who he is, but what a nice man.
ZAHN: Oh boy.
CAFFERTY: And that's my deal.
ZAHN: Good for him.
CAFFERTY: Yeah, that's good stuff.
ZAHN: Merry Christmas to that Secret Santa.
CAFFERTY: Absolutely.
ZAHN: All right. Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: My address is -- no.
ZAHN: Yeah. Really. You could just send everything to 5 Penn Plaza over here.
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