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American Morning

Dean & Religion

Aired December 29, 2003 - 08:34   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: Presidential candidate Howard Dean has said the race for the White House should stay away from the issues of guns, God and gays, and instead focus on jobs, health care and foreign policy. Over the weekend, though, his message shifted somewhat, with Dean saying, I'm quoting now, "I'm pretty religious, I pray everyday, but I'm from New England, so I just keep it to myself. I think religion is important, and spiritual values are very important, which is what this election is really about," unquote.
Dean telling voters he's going to start talking more openly about religion when his campaign turns to the south very soon. Why is Dean now more focused on religion? Hastings Wyman is the editor and publisher of "The Southern Political Report." He's our guest now in D.C.

Nice to see you. Good morning to you.

HASTINGS WYMAN, "THE SOUTHERN POLITICAL REPORT": Thank you.

HEMMER: What do we know about voters' interest in this topic? Why do they care about religion in a candidate?

WYMAN: Well, in the South, the region is significantly more religious than the rest of the country. And a number of political figures in the past have found it advantageous to blend their religious background and their politics. Jimmy Carter certainly comes to mind. But even now, you find Joe Lieberman, Richard Gephardt and the others, John Edwards, talking about religion when they campaign in South Carolina and other Southern states.

HEMMER: Tell me this, what do you know about Governor Dean's religion?

WYMAN: Not a lot. He grew up in the Episcopal Church and switched to the Congregationalist Church. But I think religion is a personal matter, and it's kind of hard for someone else to pass judgment on someone else's religion and their degree of commitment. I certainly wouldn't want to try to do that.

HEMMER: You mentioned Congregationalist, Protestant denominations, self-governing church. How is that defined for those not familiar with it?

WYMAN: Right. It's very much in the Protestant tradition. It may be similar to Presbyterian, similar to Baptists, not very much like in terms of the religious ceremonies, not very much like Episcopalian or Catholic. But in the beliefs are very similar, but the practice of it is different.

HEMMER: You mentioned this in your first answer, do you believe people in the South truly covet religion more so than other regions in the country? Is that painting with a really broad brush?

WYMAN: It is a broad brush, but there's some evidence for it. Polls have shown church attendance in the South is greater than in the rest of the country. It's one of the few things that unite the black and white population. They're both very religious in the South, join churches, stay active in church. Church and state and church and politics don't get mixed up a whole lot. But it's not unusual for a candidate to bring his religious commitment, his or her religious commitment into the political arena.

HEMMER: If you'll bear with me, want to shift our focus quickly here in this last question and answer. Howard Dean over the weekend made an indication that Terry McAuliffe, the head of the DNC, is not doing enough to keep the other Democratic candidates from blasting him. How do you think that will shakedown from within the Democratic hierarchy?

WYMAN: I doubt that it will go over too well. I doubt that McAuliffe sees that as his role.

HEMMER: Does Governor Dean have a point or not?

WYMAN: He does. There's no question by aiming their fire at him, if he gets the nomination, there's a whole bunch of sound bites available to the Republican National Committee. So Dean's certainly got a point. But I suppose McAuliffe would say it's not his job at this point to take sides among the Democratic contenders.

HEMMER: Well, they're coming your way. Iowa, New Hampshire, and then for the South. Thank you, nice to chat with you, Hastings Wyman.

WYMAN: Thank you.

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 December 29, 2003 - 08:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Presidential candidate Howard Dean has said the race for the White House should stay away from the issues of guns, God and gays, and instead focus on jobs, health care and foreign policy. Over the weekend, though, his message shifted somewhat, with Dean saying, I'm quoting now, "I'm pretty religious, I pray everyday, but I'm from New England, so I just keep it to myself. I think religion is important, and spiritual values are very important, which is what this election is really about," unquote.
Dean telling voters he's going to start talking more openly about religion when his campaign turns to the south very soon. Why is Dean now more focused on religion? Hastings Wyman is the editor and publisher of "The Southern Political Report." He's our guest now in D.C.

Nice to see you. Good morning to you.

HASTINGS WYMAN, "THE SOUTHERN POLITICAL REPORT": Thank you.

HEMMER: What do we know about voters' interest in this topic? Why do they care about religion in a candidate?

WYMAN: Well, in the South, the region is significantly more religious than the rest of the country. And a number of political figures in the past have found it advantageous to blend their religious background and their politics. Jimmy Carter certainly comes to mind. But even now, you find Joe Lieberman, Richard Gephardt and the others, John Edwards, talking about religion when they campaign in South Carolina and other Southern states.

HEMMER: Tell me this, what do you know about Governor Dean's religion?

WYMAN: Not a lot. He grew up in the Episcopal Church and switched to the Congregationalist Church. But I think religion is a personal matter, and it's kind of hard for someone else to pass judgment on someone else's religion and their degree of commitment. I certainly wouldn't want to try to do that.

HEMMER: You mentioned Congregationalist, Protestant denominations, self-governing church. How is that defined for those not familiar with it?

WYMAN: Right. It's very much in the Protestant tradition. It may be similar to Presbyterian, similar to Baptists, not very much like in terms of the religious ceremonies, not very much like Episcopalian or Catholic. But in the beliefs are very similar, but the practice of it is different.

HEMMER: You mentioned this in your first answer, do you believe people in the South truly covet religion more so than other regions in the country? Is that painting with a really broad brush?

WYMAN: It is a broad brush, but there's some evidence for it. Polls have shown church attendance in the South is greater than in the rest of the country. It's one of the few things that unite the black and white population. They're both very religious in the South, join churches, stay active in church. Church and state and church and politics don't get mixed up a whole lot. But it's not unusual for a candidate to bring his religious commitment, his or her religious commitment into the political arena.

HEMMER: If you'll bear with me, want to shift our focus quickly here in this last question and answer. Howard Dean over the weekend made an indication that Terry McAuliffe, the head of the DNC, is not doing enough to keep the other Democratic candidates from blasting him. How do you think that will shakedown from within the Democratic hierarchy?

WYMAN: I doubt that it will go over too well. I doubt that McAuliffe sees that as his role.

HEMMER: Does Governor Dean have a point or not?

WYMAN: He does. There's no question by aiming their fire at him, if he gets the nomination, there's a whole bunch of sound bites available to the Republican National Committee. So Dean's certainly got a point. But I suppose McAuliffe would say it's not his job at this point to take sides among the Democratic contenders.

HEMMER: Well, they're coming your way. Iowa, New Hampshire, and then for the South. Thank you, nice to chat with you, Hastings Wyman.

WYMAN: Thank you.

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