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American Morning

Dem Candidates

Aired February 19, 2003 - 09:18   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The already crowded field of Democratic presidential hopefuls is growing. Congressman Dick Gephardt makes his candidacy official today. Former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley-Braun says she intends to run, too. And Ohio Congress Dennis Kucinich is throwing his hat into the ring. Here to handicap the field, senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.
Let's start with Gephardt. Good morning. We're very jealous you're out in Santa Barbara.

It would seem as the former leader of his party in the House, he is clearly a first-tier candidate.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Yes, and what's interesting is that his entry has been greeted with a certain degree of skepticism, as well.

As you mentioned, leader in the House for eight years. He has very strong ties to organized labor. He's been with them on their free trade versus fair trade fights. He won the Iowa caucuses, the first in the nation test back in 1988, before running out of money.

But the skepticism has about three issues to it. First, four- straight elections, Democrats have failed to regain the House with Gephardt leading them. That's not what is supposed to happen if you're trying to show that you have political clout.

Second, having won in Iowa in 1988, the mysteries "they" who handicap these things have put the bar fairly high for Gephardt.

Because the next tests in New Hampshire and South Carolina have hometown favorites. That is John Edwards in South Carolina. He's a neighbor. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman are neighbors to New Hampshire. So if Gephardt doesn't win Iowa, his viability's going to be questioned, I think.

And third, Gephardt holds a less liberal position on abortion than most of the other Democrats. At one point, in fact, he was clearly pro-life or anti-choice, depending on how you like that phrase. And in the Democratic Party, the base tends to be uncompromisingly pro-choice, just as the base in the Republican Party tends to be very pro-life.

So he enters this race with some question marks.

ZAHN: Let's look at some of the other candidates, yes, Carol Moseley- Braun, Dennis Kucinich, Reverend Sharpton. GREENFIELD: Yes, and we haven't even talked about Wesley Clark. They may have to run these things in heats. But what's interesting about these other entries, these so-called second-tier candidates, is they all come from the left. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean thought he was going to have that field to himself. Now, you've got Dennis Kucinich, the former mayor of Ohio, Carol Moseley-Braun, the former senator from Illinois, all suggesting that they are going to run to the party's hardcore left. which in the early states, in Iowa and New Hampshire, are very key.

Al Sharpton looking at what Jesse Jackson did in 1988. Jackson got seven million votes, won a spate of primaries and caucuses. South Carolina's electorate, that is the Democratic Party electorate, is 40 percent black. The other thing, is they all come with a certain amount of baggage. Al Sharpton was found to have libeled local prosecutors some years ago with that incendiary charge about rape. He has been fined for tax evasion. And indeed, there are people who suspect that Carol Moseley-Braun's job in this race is to drain votes from Al Sharpton so that he doesn't become too polarizing a figure as Democrats try to stake out a more centrist position for the fall.

Carol Moseley-Braun, I mentioned, her one term in Illinois as a senator, was ended because of controversies over campaign finance and ethics.

And Dennis Kucinich, who was you youngest big city mayor ever 20 years ago in Cleveland, was practically ridden out of town on a rail when the finances were blooey.

So all of these candidates have baggage, and if you like your irony with your morning coffee, Paula, and, viewers, you might think about this, one of the consequences of all these liberal left candidates in the Democratic field may be to make it more possible for a more centrist candidate to define himself as not one of them, the way Bill Clinton moved to the center in 1992 by going after rap singer Sister Souljah, suggesting I'm not hostage to the party's wing. It may be that these candidates are going to give people like Joe Lieberman, and maybe even Dick Gephardt, a chance to say, no, I'm more in the middle than they are.

It's going to be interesting to watch all these people -- Paula.

ZAHN: Same thoughts to savor my morning coffee with.

Cheers, Jeff. Thank you. Enjoy your time in California.

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 February 19, 2003 - 09:18   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The already crowded field of Democratic presidential hopefuls is growing. Congressman Dick Gephardt makes his candidacy official today. Former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley-Braun says she intends to run, too. And Ohio Congress Dennis Kucinich is throwing his hat into the ring. Here to handicap the field, senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.
Let's start with Gephardt. Good morning. We're very jealous you're out in Santa Barbara.

It would seem as the former leader of his party in the House, he is clearly a first-tier candidate.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Yes, and what's interesting is that his entry has been greeted with a certain degree of skepticism, as well.

As you mentioned, leader in the House for eight years. He has very strong ties to organized labor. He's been with them on their free trade versus fair trade fights. He won the Iowa caucuses, the first in the nation test back in 1988, before running out of money.

But the skepticism has about three issues to it. First, four- straight elections, Democrats have failed to regain the House with Gephardt leading them. That's not what is supposed to happen if you're trying to show that you have political clout.

Second, having won in Iowa in 1988, the mysteries "they" who handicap these things have put the bar fairly high for Gephardt.

Because the next tests in New Hampshire and South Carolina have hometown favorites. That is John Edwards in South Carolina. He's a neighbor. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman are neighbors to New Hampshire. So if Gephardt doesn't win Iowa, his viability's going to be questioned, I think.

And third, Gephardt holds a less liberal position on abortion than most of the other Democrats. At one point, in fact, he was clearly pro-life or anti-choice, depending on how you like that phrase. And in the Democratic Party, the base tends to be uncompromisingly pro-choice, just as the base in the Republican Party tends to be very pro-life.

So he enters this race with some question marks.

ZAHN: Let's look at some of the other candidates, yes, Carol Moseley- Braun, Dennis Kucinich, Reverend Sharpton. GREENFIELD: Yes, and we haven't even talked about Wesley Clark. They may have to run these things in heats. But what's interesting about these other entries, these so-called second-tier candidates, is they all come from the left. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean thought he was going to have that field to himself. Now, you've got Dennis Kucinich, the former mayor of Ohio, Carol Moseley-Braun, the former senator from Illinois, all suggesting that they are going to run to the party's hardcore left. which in the early states, in Iowa and New Hampshire, are very key.

Al Sharpton looking at what Jesse Jackson did in 1988. Jackson got seven million votes, won a spate of primaries and caucuses. South Carolina's electorate, that is the Democratic Party electorate, is 40 percent black. The other thing, is they all come with a certain amount of baggage. Al Sharpton was found to have libeled local prosecutors some years ago with that incendiary charge about rape. He has been fined for tax evasion. And indeed, there are people who suspect that Carol Moseley-Braun's job in this race is to drain votes from Al Sharpton so that he doesn't become too polarizing a figure as Democrats try to stake out a more centrist position for the fall.

Carol Moseley-Braun, I mentioned, her one term in Illinois as a senator, was ended because of controversies over campaign finance and ethics.

And Dennis Kucinich, who was you youngest big city mayor ever 20 years ago in Cleveland, was practically ridden out of town on a rail when the finances were blooey.

So all of these candidates have baggage, and if you like your irony with your morning coffee, Paula, and, viewers, you might think about this, one of the consequences of all these liberal left candidates in the Democratic field may be to make it more possible for a more centrist candidate to define himself as not one of them, the way Bill Clinton moved to the center in 1992 by going after rap singer Sister Souljah, suggesting I'm not hostage to the party's wing. It may be that these candidates are going to give people like Joe Lieberman, and maybe even Dick Gephardt, a chance to say, no, I'm more in the middle than they are.

It's going to be interesting to watch all these people -- Paula.

ZAHN: Same thoughts to savor my morning coffee with.

Cheers, Jeff. Thank you. Enjoy your time in California.

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