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American Morning

America Votes 2004: Youth Appeal

Aired November 05, 2003 - 07:05   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Last night here on CNN, the Democratic pack for president faced off yet again; this time in Boston in "America Rocks the Vote." With the election now just a year away, how did they do before the younger voters?
Candy Crowley was in Boston for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No apologies for saying he also wants to be the candidate of guys with Confederate flags on their pickups, but Howard Dean said he was happy to explain.

HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Martin Luther King said that it was his dream that the sons of slaveholders and the sons of slaves sit down around a table and make common good.

CROWLEY: It was like somebody lit a match to kerosene.

REV. AL SHARPTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, Martin Luther King said "Come to the table of brotherhood." You can't bring a Confederate flag to the table of brotherhood.

CROWLEY: While Al Sharpton took on Dean from the perspective of an African American, North Carolina's John Edwards criticized the Vermont governor for being condescending to White Southerners.

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because let me tell you the last thing we need in the South is somebody like you coming down and telling us what we need to do. That's the last thing in the world we need in the South.

DEAN: I'm not going to take a backseat to anybody in terms of fighting bigotry.

CROWLEY: He may have held his own, but there is no way around this central truth: Having to explain your position on the Confederate flag is not a debate-plus. Say this for a young audience, 30 and under. They seemed to energize a field grown tired of these 90-minute jousts for air time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're the manager of the Boston Red Sox.

CROWLEY: The questions ranged from funny and off-beat to serious and standard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What specific actions would you take to ensure that these soldiers receive the benefits that they deserve?

CROWLEY: Weirdest answer: John Kerry explaining why he hunts.

JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, it's a tough economy now, and it's amazing what you have to go to, to put food on the table. I mean, no, look, I've been a hunter all my life, but I make a point of eating what I kill.

CROWLEY: Weirdest question: Who would you most like to party with? Oh, wait, maybe those were the weirdest answers.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope my wife understand this: I'd like to party with the young lady who asked that question.

SHARPTON: I hope mine understands it. I'd -- probably the best person in this campaign to party with, Mrs. Kerry. I'm sorry.

KERRY: I was going to choose Carol Moseley Braun, but now I'm going to have to choose you so I can keep an eye on my wife.

CROWLEY: It was, as advertised, not your father's debate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Consensus reviews from the media, who have seen more than one of these sorts of forums, while maybe no news was broken this certainly was the most entertaining and free-wheeling of the many we've seen before -- Bill.

HEMMER: And I think we agree with that for 90 minutes. Howard Dean may make news again today, Candy. What's this idea about polling his supporters by way of online voting as to whether or not he should accept or reject federal money for the primary season? What gives there?

CROWLEY: Well, you know, it's an interesting way to go about it. I think we have long felt that Howard Dean probably will reject public financing. What happens here is that if you accept public financing, you also accept limits on spending, which, if you're up against a president with a whole lot of money, you might not want to do.

So, we sort of thought Howard Dean, who has no problem raising money, could get above the threshold that would allow him to say no, I don't want matching federal funds. Having said that, basically his group of supporters would tend to be those who believe in public financing. So, it seems to me that this is a bit of cover. You look, and say, well, you know, my supporters said that I should do this and they agree that we should go ahead and do it.

So, it will be interesting to see. Obviously, he has done very well at reaching out to the people who are supporting him and explaining where he is on things. And they've been very good at responding. So, I think we're looking for a little bit of cover. I think the bets have always been that he probably would forego the public financing so that he could raise unlimited funds. HEMMER: The hand of PR reaching in again somewhere in there, I think. Candy, thanks. Candy Crowley from Boston.

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 November 5, 2003 - 07:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Last night here on CNN, the Democratic pack for president faced off yet again; this time in Boston in "America Rocks the Vote." With the election now just a year away, how did they do before the younger voters?
Candy Crowley was in Boston for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No apologies for saying he also wants to be the candidate of guys with Confederate flags on their pickups, but Howard Dean said he was happy to explain.

HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Martin Luther King said that it was his dream that the sons of slaveholders and the sons of slaves sit down around a table and make common good.

CROWLEY: It was like somebody lit a match to kerosene.

REV. AL SHARPTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, Martin Luther King said "Come to the table of brotherhood." You can't bring a Confederate flag to the table of brotherhood.

CROWLEY: While Al Sharpton took on Dean from the perspective of an African American, North Carolina's John Edwards criticized the Vermont governor for being condescending to White Southerners.

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because let me tell you the last thing we need in the South is somebody like you coming down and telling us what we need to do. That's the last thing in the world we need in the South.

DEAN: I'm not going to take a backseat to anybody in terms of fighting bigotry.

CROWLEY: He may have held his own, but there is no way around this central truth: Having to explain your position on the Confederate flag is not a debate-plus. Say this for a young audience, 30 and under. They seemed to energize a field grown tired of these 90-minute jousts for air time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're the manager of the Boston Red Sox.

CROWLEY: The questions ranged from funny and off-beat to serious and standard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What specific actions would you take to ensure that these soldiers receive the benefits that they deserve?

CROWLEY: Weirdest answer: John Kerry explaining why he hunts.

JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, it's a tough economy now, and it's amazing what you have to go to, to put food on the table. I mean, no, look, I've been a hunter all my life, but I make a point of eating what I kill.

CROWLEY: Weirdest question: Who would you most like to party with? Oh, wait, maybe those were the weirdest answers.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope my wife understand this: I'd like to party with the young lady who asked that question.

SHARPTON: I hope mine understands it. I'd -- probably the best person in this campaign to party with, Mrs. Kerry. I'm sorry.

KERRY: I was going to choose Carol Moseley Braun, but now I'm going to have to choose you so I can keep an eye on my wife.

CROWLEY: It was, as advertised, not your father's debate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Consensus reviews from the media, who have seen more than one of these sorts of forums, while maybe no news was broken this certainly was the most entertaining and free-wheeling of the many we've seen before -- Bill.

HEMMER: And I think we agree with that for 90 minutes. Howard Dean may make news again today, Candy. What's this idea about polling his supporters by way of online voting as to whether or not he should accept or reject federal money for the primary season? What gives there?

CROWLEY: Well, you know, it's an interesting way to go about it. I think we have long felt that Howard Dean probably will reject public financing. What happens here is that if you accept public financing, you also accept limits on spending, which, if you're up against a president with a whole lot of money, you might not want to do.

So, we sort of thought Howard Dean, who has no problem raising money, could get above the threshold that would allow him to say no, I don't want matching federal funds. Having said that, basically his group of supporters would tend to be those who believe in public financing. So, it seems to me that this is a bit of cover. You look, and say, well, you know, my supporters said that I should do this and they agree that we should go ahead and do it.

So, it will be interesting to see. Obviously, he has done very well at reaching out to the people who are supporting him and explaining where he is on things. And they've been very good at responding. So, I think we're looking for a little bit of cover. I think the bets have always been that he probably would forego the public financing so that he could raise unlimited funds. HEMMER: The hand of PR reaching in again somewhere in there, I think. Candy, thanks. Candy Crowley from Boston.

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