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American Morning

A Lot of Former Clinton Staffers Running for Political Office

Aired January 10, 2002 - 08:20   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 ANCHOR: Speculation is there might have been something in the White House water. A lot of former Clinton staffers are running for political office. The list keeps getting longer. Robert Reich is the former labor secretary. He's the latest to enter the fray. He announced yesterday that he's candidate for the office of governor of the State of Massachusetts. Candidate Reich joins us this morning from Boston. Nice to have you with us.

ROBERT REICH, FORMER LABOR SECRETARY: Well good to see you Jack.

CAFFERTY: The analysts say you've never held an elective office.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Your competitors for the nomination have got a head start and the war chest is not exactly overflowing with cash. Why are you doing this?

REICH: Well I'm doing it - it may sound a little hokey (ph), but after September 11th a lot of people and myself included began asking ourselves what we can do - what we can do to help. Here in Massachusetts the economy is not good. The gap between the have mores (ph) and the have lessees (ph) is widening. We don't have much leadership here. In fact, there's a vacuum of leadership at the top. About one out of three of our workers is not prepared for the jobs of the future.

In fact today I'm going to go up to Lawrence (ph), Massachusetts; I'm going to be talking to business leaders about their problems of getting the skilled workers they need. There is a lot to be done Jack. I just didn't want to stand on the sidelines any longer. I felt that I wanted to get into the fray (ph).

CAFFERTY: Well I got to ask you one question for all us political junkies in the audience and I include myself, whose President Clinton going to support in this thing and I ask that in the context of the following: the - one of the candidates for democratic nomination is competing against you is a fellow named Steve Grossman (ph), the former chairman of both the State National Democratic Committee, raised a ton of money for former President Clinton. You went to Oxford with the man. You're a close friend of his. Who's he going to support and does it matter?

REICH: I have no idea at all. I'm going to be campaigning on my own. I'm going to be making my presentation to the people of Massachusetts talking about ideas; talking about issues that are of importance to them. You are right when you initially said I don't have very much money; I don't have a big war chest. All I have is my record as secretary of labor, working for very hard for the bend (ph). The working women and the working men of America hopefully the people of Massachusetts would like to see me bring those same values and principles to the State House here as their governor.

CAFFERTY: Let me - let me read you something that you said about the current holder of the office - quote - "we have someone in the governor's office who's an embarrassment. She has no vision or direction. She's not carrying the state. She has no agenda for where she wants to take the state. There's no imagination there.

These are not kind words.

REICH: Boy pretty harsh words. But you know I - it's not just her - her two immediate predecessors and they're not - none of them are bad people. Look everybody in politics, I think to my mind, has a lot of guts being in politics, but there's been no leadership here at all. One predecessor tried to leave office before - did leave office before the end of his term, tried to go to Mexico. The immediate predecessor went to Canada - I don't know what's so wrong with being governor of Massachusetts and none of them have provided the kind of leadership that we need up here and this is a state that has had a tradition of extraordinarily strong leaders, going all the way back to John Adams.

You know when I was 14 years old, John F. Kennedy came to Massachusetts; he inspired me and a whole generation of young people and asked what we could do for our country, and we've had very strong politicians. I don't know why we've had such weak governors of the last decade.

CAFFERTY: Well perhaps you'll be successful in this quest. Massachusetts, as you've suggested, has a long history of great political stories and political history and we'll be watching your quest for the governorship closely and we'll talk to you as the race goes along. Thank you for being with us here this morning.

REICH: Thanks so much.

CAFFERTY: All right sir. Robert Reich, candidate for governor of Massachusetts, former secretary of labor under the Clinton administration during his first term - Paula.

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