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American Morning
Three Days Before Iowa Caucuses
Aired January 16, 2004 - 07:32 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: Let's get back to politics. Three days now before the Iowa caucuses. Four candidates now battling it out for every move in that state. Howard Dean, John Kerry, John Edwards and our next guest, Dick Gephardt, all locked in a virtual dead heat, according to the latest poll.
He won Iowa back in '88. Can he do it again on Monday?
Let's ask him about it.
Live in Fort Dodge, Iowa this morning.
Nice to see you, Congressman.
Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.
The tracking poll out today from Zogby now says John Kerry has a five point lead and we talk about these polls a lot. It's a tough system to predict in Iowa. Many times a high margin of error.
But why does it seem right now to you that this race is so close between four men?
REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: I always knew it would be, Bill. Iowans are tough judges. They look at all this. But I really think I'm going to win here because I've brought the right issues to the people in Iowa. People are very interested in my health care plan, which really helps middle class families more than the Bush tax cuts. And my agriculture ideas, my trade ideas of getting us fair trade deals, not bad trade deals. I'm the only candidate in this race who voted against both China and the NAFTA agreement and people are really listening to this.
So this is a tight race and I'm going to win it on Monday.
HEMMER: Let me go back to my question. Is it a suggestion here that Iowa is undecided at this point or is it a suggestion that the candidates are too vague and not clear enough to the voters there?
GEPHARDT: I think we all have a strong base of support. I think my base is the strongest. But there are still people making up their minds. There are 15, maybe even 20 percent of Iowa caucus goers who won't make up their mind until they actually walk into that caucus. So it's very hard to figure out at this point.
What we do know is it's a dead heat, it's a very close race. And, again, I think my message of middle class help for health care for every American, my earning plan to make us independent of Middle Eastern oil, my idea of an international minimum wage to try to get standards up in all these other countries is very attractive to Iowa voters.
HEMMER: Let me talk specifically about your campaign. Earlier in the week you left Iowa, what some considered to be a rather unusual time. You made a stop in New York, a few other fundraiser around the country. If you do not win on Monday night or place a very close second, how long before your money runs out?
GEPHARDT: Well, Bill, I'm running a national campaign. The reason that we took these trips was to sustain the momentum we're going to get here out in other states. I've been going to South Carolina, Oklahoma, North Dakota. I stopped in the State of Washington and did some big rallies this week.
I've got a campaign that's going to go all the way. And it's going to go all the way because I'm the best candidate to beat George Bush and I've got the ideas and the experience that people are looking for.
HEMMER: Also on your campaign this past week, you got a little negative. A lot of reports coming back to us here in New York City saying some of the candidates, including yourself, going directly after the Vermont governor, Howard Dean. History tells you, and you know the state as well as anyone, negative ads don't work in Iowa. If that's the case, why insist on going that route?
GEPHARDT: Well, I just disagree with Howard's position on Medicare. I don't agree that it's the worst program ever. I think it's the best program ever and I would never have agreed with the Republican proposals to cut and devastate Medicare by $270 billion, which he did in the mid-'90s when we were trying to fight back against the Republicans. They even shut the government down over that suggestion.
So I'm going to get out the differences, the legitimate differences I have with candidates, all the candidates, on the issues. I disagree with Howard on trade, and John Kerry and John Edwards. So these are important issues. I'm the only candidate who voted against the China agreement and NAFTA. So those are important differences that people want to know about out here and that's what you do in a campaign.
HEMMER: Let me try and squeeze in one more question here.
You talk about education and trade and health care as being the primary concerns that you believe that Iowans are concerned with today.
Where does the issue of Iraq fit into this campaign right now?
GEPHARDT: It's an important issue, but when I talk to voters out here, they are most interested in what's in front of them every day? Can they get health care for their family? Can they get a job and keep a good job? People are losing jobs out here. Iowa has lost 30,000 jobs since 1994, most of it to bad trade deals. And people are worried about that. They're worried about educating their children. They're worried about saving the family farm. And those are the issues people most want to know about.
They're interested in terrorism. They're interested in being secure. But they're most interested in what's in front of them every day.
HEMMER: Richard Gephardt live in Fort Dodge.
See you this weekend out there and thanks for your time today.
GEPHARDT: Thank you.
HEMMER: About 30 minutes away now, we'll hear from another Democrat in the thick of things right now.
Senator John Kerry will join us.
Again, the polling numbers from Zogby, the tracking poll says he's leaped yet again today. We'll see how far in a moment.
Also on Monday, join us here on AMERICAN MORNING, I'll be out in Des Moines. Complete coverage starting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time right here on CNN.
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 January 16, 2004 - 07:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to politics. Three days now before the Iowa caucuses. Four candidates now battling it out for every move in that state. Howard Dean, John Kerry, John Edwards and our next guest, Dick Gephardt, all locked in a virtual dead heat, according to the latest poll.
He won Iowa back in '88. Can he do it again on Monday?
Let's ask him about it.
Live in Fort Dodge, Iowa this morning.
Nice to see you, Congressman.
Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.
The tracking poll out today from Zogby now says John Kerry has a five point lead and we talk about these polls a lot. It's a tough system to predict in Iowa. Many times a high margin of error.
But why does it seem right now to you that this race is so close between four men?
REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: I always knew it would be, Bill. Iowans are tough judges. They look at all this. But I really think I'm going to win here because I've brought the right issues to the people in Iowa. People are very interested in my health care plan, which really helps middle class families more than the Bush tax cuts. And my agriculture ideas, my trade ideas of getting us fair trade deals, not bad trade deals. I'm the only candidate in this race who voted against both China and the NAFTA agreement and people are really listening to this.
So this is a tight race and I'm going to win it on Monday.
HEMMER: Let me go back to my question. Is it a suggestion here that Iowa is undecided at this point or is it a suggestion that the candidates are too vague and not clear enough to the voters there?
GEPHARDT: I think we all have a strong base of support. I think my base is the strongest. But there are still people making up their minds. There are 15, maybe even 20 percent of Iowa caucus goers who won't make up their mind until they actually walk into that caucus. So it's very hard to figure out at this point.
What we do know is it's a dead heat, it's a very close race. And, again, I think my message of middle class help for health care for every American, my earning plan to make us independent of Middle Eastern oil, my idea of an international minimum wage to try to get standards up in all these other countries is very attractive to Iowa voters.
HEMMER: Let me talk specifically about your campaign. Earlier in the week you left Iowa, what some considered to be a rather unusual time. You made a stop in New York, a few other fundraiser around the country. If you do not win on Monday night or place a very close second, how long before your money runs out?
GEPHARDT: Well, Bill, I'm running a national campaign. The reason that we took these trips was to sustain the momentum we're going to get here out in other states. I've been going to South Carolina, Oklahoma, North Dakota. I stopped in the State of Washington and did some big rallies this week.
I've got a campaign that's going to go all the way. And it's going to go all the way because I'm the best candidate to beat George Bush and I've got the ideas and the experience that people are looking for.
HEMMER: Also on your campaign this past week, you got a little negative. A lot of reports coming back to us here in New York City saying some of the candidates, including yourself, going directly after the Vermont governor, Howard Dean. History tells you, and you know the state as well as anyone, negative ads don't work in Iowa. If that's the case, why insist on going that route?
GEPHARDT: Well, I just disagree with Howard's position on Medicare. I don't agree that it's the worst program ever. I think it's the best program ever and I would never have agreed with the Republican proposals to cut and devastate Medicare by $270 billion, which he did in the mid-'90s when we were trying to fight back against the Republicans. They even shut the government down over that suggestion.
So I'm going to get out the differences, the legitimate differences I have with candidates, all the candidates, on the issues. I disagree with Howard on trade, and John Kerry and John Edwards. So these are important issues. I'm the only candidate who voted against the China agreement and NAFTA. So those are important differences that people want to know about out here and that's what you do in a campaign.
HEMMER: Let me try and squeeze in one more question here.
You talk about education and trade and health care as being the primary concerns that you believe that Iowans are concerned with today.
Where does the issue of Iraq fit into this campaign right now?
GEPHARDT: It's an important issue, but when I talk to voters out here, they are most interested in what's in front of them every day? Can they get health care for their family? Can they get a job and keep a good job? People are losing jobs out here. Iowa has lost 30,000 jobs since 1994, most of it to bad trade deals. And people are worried about that. They're worried about educating their children. They're worried about saving the family farm. And those are the issues people most want to know about.
They're interested in terrorism. They're interested in being secure. But they're most interested in what's in front of them every day.
HEMMER: Richard Gephardt live in Fort Dodge.
See you this weekend out there and thanks for your time today.
GEPHARDT: Thank you.
HEMMER: About 30 minutes away now, we'll hear from another Democrat in the thick of things right now.
Senator John Kerry will join us.
Again, the polling numbers from Zogby, the tracking poll says he's leaped yet again today. We'll see how far in a moment.
Also on Monday, join us here on AMERICAN MORNING, I'll be out in Des Moines. Complete coverage starting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
