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American Morning

Democratic Party Looking to 2004 to Stage Political Comeback

Aired January 20, 2003 - 08:08   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk a little politics now. The Democratic Party is looking to 2004 to stage a political comeback. And they're getting advice from an unlikely source.
Tucker Carlson, who occupies the conservative seat as the host of "Crossfire" here on CNN, weighed in with some advice for, of all people, the Democrats, in this weekend's "New York Times" magazine.

He joins us live to discuss the strategy.

Why did you feel the need to offer advice to the Democrats?

TUCKER CARLSON, "CROSSFIRE" CO-HOST: I want to help, Carol.

COSTELLO: You want to help?

CARLSON: No, because, look, it takes two sides. It takes two sides to have an argument and if one side is completely lame, it's like arguing with a drunk guy, you know? It's no fun.

COSTELLO: But you'd be out of a job...

CARLSON: That's exactly right.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

CARLSON: The country deserves two vigorous parties and it only has one at the moment.

COSTELLO: Before we get into it, I have to ask you about Gary Hart, because we reported this morning that he's seriously thinking about jumping into the presidential race.

CARLSON: Well, this is all part of the grand '70s strategy that the Democratic Party is pulling off. I mean Walter Mondale, you'll remember, ran for Senate in Minnesota.

COSTELLO: Frank Lautenberg.

CARLSON: Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey. See, you're onto it.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

CARLSON: You get the strategy. So, yes, I find it endlessly amusing.

COSTELLO: Do you think people will really forget about the whole monkey business, Donna Rice scandal?

CARLSON: Absolutely not.

COSTELLO: I don't think so either.

OK, let's get to the article now. You say the Democrats have to do two things. What are they?

CARLSON: Well, I think they have to stop counting on the economy to help them win in 2004. Look, if we're in a recession in 2004, they could win on it. But if we're not, what do they do then? And I think the Democratic Party needs desperately to come up with a foreign policy, a credible response to threats from abroad. People say in every poll taken that terrorism is their main concern.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But isn't that one of the problems they have, they all signed off on the resolution to let George Bush do what he needed to do to deal with Iraq and now they're kind of trapped with that, aren't they?

CARLSON: Well, they're sort of trapped with it. I mean they could go farther than that. I mean they can sort of go to the right of Bush. I think that would be a clever thing to do.

COSTELLO: And hasn't John Kerry sort of done that?

CARLSON: Well, he certainly has. I mean John Kerry was the first Democratic candidate I'm aware of to criticize the war in Afghanistan from the right. He started saying very early look, we should have committed more troops in Tora Bora. We should have taken greater risks. I mean you rarely hear Democrats say that. That is the tact to take, out flank Bush to his right. And I think it would work.

COSTELLO: So is John Kerry THE candidate -- Jack's laughing over there -- John Kerry -- stop it. Is John Kerry THE candidate with clarity?

CARLSON: He is, no, there are a number of candidates who can articulate a message pretty clearly.

COSTELLO: Who?

CARLSON: John Edwards among them. But I think he's the one candidate so far who combines clarity with a certain potential credibility, anyway. You look at John Kerry and you don't immediately start giggling. You say, you know, this man looks like someone who might be president. He's sort of a serious person. I mean I'm just struck by the lack of seriousness among Democrats generally now. I mean ask a Democrat, well, what exactly is your plan for fixing the economy or how should the United States respond to threats from abroad, and you're likely to get several paragraphs that add up to air. And that's bad.

COSTELLO: Well, but it's interesting, too, because President Bush's approval ratings are slipping. CARLSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: And probably it's because of the economy. Our 401Ks are shrinking and, you know, people are being laid off. So why can't the Democrats come out with a message about the economy that will ring a bell with the American public?

CARLSON: Well, they might be able to. I mean...

COSTELLO: What should they say?

CARLSON: Well, that's a good question. I mean they can stay -- I mean, look...

COSTELLO: Give us an idea, Tucker.

CARLSON: At this point, the best Democrats can do is back up and sort of -- about the economy -- and say whatever it is that President Bush is doing hasn't worked. And that actually was the message they came to the midterm elections espousing, and it didn't get them very far. I mean you really do need an alternative story line. You need another way of explaining what ought to be done, and they haven't come up with it yet.

COSTELLO: OK, let's...

CARLSON: But really foreign policy is what they need to figure out.

COSTELLO: OK, let's head in a different direction. You talked about the Democrats getting serious, but you also say that they should get a sense of humor.

CARLSON: Well, of course. I mean this is the job, this is the job of the minority party is to tweak and torment those in power. And the Democratic Party used to be filled with kind of funny people. And it's very much now sort of the sit up straight young man, eat your vegetables, put out that cigarette and knock that smirk off your face party. It's the scowling party, the party of no fun. And voters just don't like that.

COSTELLO: I'm trying to think back to who was fun. Come on, Jack, help me out.

CAFFERTY: Well, Clinton...

COSTELLO: Clinton playing the saxophone.

CAFFERTY: If you didn't get any yucks watching Bill Clinton for eight years, you don't have a sense of humor.

CARLSON: Well, I think you may be, I think you may be onto something.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

CARLSON: I mean there was, yes, there was this kind of...

COSTELLO: There was the cool factor, wasn't there?

CARLSON: I could never quite see that, but Clinton was amusing in so many ways.

COSTELLO: Well, during the campaign, before he was president, you know, they did the Fleetwood Mac and they were running out of the buses and they were kind of cool. And he...

CAFFERTY: Boxers or briefs? I mean if that isn't, you know, that's presidential material, right? Yes.

CARLSON: Yes, you needed a certain ironic distance to see the humor in the boxers and briefs thing. But, no, the Democrats really need to take advantage of their opportunity that they have now, which is to say they're not actually in power, and use it to lighten up.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Are there any Democrats left who aren't running?

CARLSON: I don't know. Now that Senator Gramm apparently is hopping in...

COSTELLO: Tom Daschle.

CARLSON: Tom Daschle...

COSTELLO: Tom Daschle.

CARLSON: That's exactly right. There are a lot who won't be running, apparently.

COSTELLO: That's right.

CARLSON: So...

CAFFERTY: A lot of yucks there, actually.

COSTELLO: Yes, yes.

We have to wrap things up.

And good luck on your new career as a Democratic strategist.

CARLSON: Well, thank you, Carol.

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




Comeback>


Aired January 20, 2003 - 08:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk a little politics now. The Democratic Party is looking to 2004 to stage a political comeback. And they're getting advice from an unlikely source.
Tucker Carlson, who occupies the conservative seat as the host of "Crossfire" here on CNN, weighed in with some advice for, of all people, the Democrats, in this weekend's "New York Times" magazine.

He joins us live to discuss the strategy.

Why did you feel the need to offer advice to the Democrats?

TUCKER CARLSON, "CROSSFIRE" CO-HOST: I want to help, Carol.

COSTELLO: You want to help?

CARLSON: No, because, look, it takes two sides. It takes two sides to have an argument and if one side is completely lame, it's like arguing with a drunk guy, you know? It's no fun.

COSTELLO: But you'd be out of a job...

CARLSON: That's exactly right.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

CARLSON: The country deserves two vigorous parties and it only has one at the moment.

COSTELLO: Before we get into it, I have to ask you about Gary Hart, because we reported this morning that he's seriously thinking about jumping into the presidential race.

CARLSON: Well, this is all part of the grand '70s strategy that the Democratic Party is pulling off. I mean Walter Mondale, you'll remember, ran for Senate in Minnesota.

COSTELLO: Frank Lautenberg.

CARLSON: Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey. See, you're onto it.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

CARLSON: You get the strategy. So, yes, I find it endlessly amusing.

COSTELLO: Do you think people will really forget about the whole monkey business, Donna Rice scandal?

CARLSON: Absolutely not.

COSTELLO: I don't think so either.

OK, let's get to the article now. You say the Democrats have to do two things. What are they?

CARLSON: Well, I think they have to stop counting on the economy to help them win in 2004. Look, if we're in a recession in 2004, they could win on it. But if we're not, what do they do then? And I think the Democratic Party needs desperately to come up with a foreign policy, a credible response to threats from abroad. People say in every poll taken that terrorism is their main concern.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But isn't that one of the problems they have, they all signed off on the resolution to let George Bush do what he needed to do to deal with Iraq and now they're kind of trapped with that, aren't they?

CARLSON: Well, they're sort of trapped with it. I mean they could go farther than that. I mean they can sort of go to the right of Bush. I think that would be a clever thing to do.

COSTELLO: And hasn't John Kerry sort of done that?

CARLSON: Well, he certainly has. I mean John Kerry was the first Democratic candidate I'm aware of to criticize the war in Afghanistan from the right. He started saying very early look, we should have committed more troops in Tora Bora. We should have taken greater risks. I mean you rarely hear Democrats say that. That is the tact to take, out flank Bush to his right. And I think it would work.

COSTELLO: So is John Kerry THE candidate -- Jack's laughing over there -- John Kerry -- stop it. Is John Kerry THE candidate with clarity?

CARLSON: He is, no, there are a number of candidates who can articulate a message pretty clearly.

COSTELLO: Who?

CARLSON: John Edwards among them. But I think he's the one candidate so far who combines clarity with a certain potential credibility, anyway. You look at John Kerry and you don't immediately start giggling. You say, you know, this man looks like someone who might be president. He's sort of a serious person. I mean I'm just struck by the lack of seriousness among Democrats generally now. I mean ask a Democrat, well, what exactly is your plan for fixing the economy or how should the United States respond to threats from abroad, and you're likely to get several paragraphs that add up to air. And that's bad.

COSTELLO: Well, but it's interesting, too, because President Bush's approval ratings are slipping. CARLSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: And probably it's because of the economy. Our 401Ks are shrinking and, you know, people are being laid off. So why can't the Democrats come out with a message about the economy that will ring a bell with the American public?

CARLSON: Well, they might be able to. I mean...

COSTELLO: What should they say?

CARLSON: Well, that's a good question. I mean they can stay -- I mean, look...

COSTELLO: Give us an idea, Tucker.

CARLSON: At this point, the best Democrats can do is back up and sort of -- about the economy -- and say whatever it is that President Bush is doing hasn't worked. And that actually was the message they came to the midterm elections espousing, and it didn't get them very far. I mean you really do need an alternative story line. You need another way of explaining what ought to be done, and they haven't come up with it yet.

COSTELLO: OK, let's...

CARLSON: But really foreign policy is what they need to figure out.

COSTELLO: OK, let's head in a different direction. You talked about the Democrats getting serious, but you also say that they should get a sense of humor.

CARLSON: Well, of course. I mean this is the job, this is the job of the minority party is to tweak and torment those in power. And the Democratic Party used to be filled with kind of funny people. And it's very much now sort of the sit up straight young man, eat your vegetables, put out that cigarette and knock that smirk off your face party. It's the scowling party, the party of no fun. And voters just don't like that.

COSTELLO: I'm trying to think back to who was fun. Come on, Jack, help me out.

CAFFERTY: Well, Clinton...

COSTELLO: Clinton playing the saxophone.

CAFFERTY: If you didn't get any yucks watching Bill Clinton for eight years, you don't have a sense of humor.

CARLSON: Well, I think you may be, I think you may be onto something.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

CARLSON: I mean there was, yes, there was this kind of...

COSTELLO: There was the cool factor, wasn't there?

CARLSON: I could never quite see that, but Clinton was amusing in so many ways.

COSTELLO: Well, during the campaign, before he was president, you know, they did the Fleetwood Mac and they were running out of the buses and they were kind of cool. And he...

CAFFERTY: Boxers or briefs? I mean if that isn't, you know, that's presidential material, right? Yes.

CARLSON: Yes, you needed a certain ironic distance to see the humor in the boxers and briefs thing. But, no, the Democrats really need to take advantage of their opportunity that they have now, which is to say they're not actually in power, and use it to lighten up.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Are there any Democrats left who aren't running?

CARLSON: I don't know. Now that Senator Gramm apparently is hopping in...

COSTELLO: Tom Daschle.

CARLSON: Tom Daschle...

COSTELLO: Tom Daschle.

CARLSON: That's exactly right. There are a lot who won't be running, apparently.

COSTELLO: That's right.

CARLSON: So...

CAFFERTY: A lot of yucks there, actually.

COSTELLO: Yes, yes.

We have to wrap things up.

And good luck on your new career as a Democratic strategist.

CARLSON: Well, thank you, Carol.

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




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