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American Morning

Talk with John Edwards' Press Secretary

Aired February 11, 2004 - 08:02   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. Democratic presidential front runner John Kerry says he's looking forward to campaigning in Wisconsin ahead of that primary next Tuesday, but not before a couple days of rest. Kerry won 2-0 yesterday. He won in Virginia, 52 percent of the vote there, well ahead of Senator John Edwards, who comes from the state to the south, North Carolina, only receiving 27 percent, and Wesley Clark picked up nine percent.
Clark officially dropped out of the race later today -- he made an announcement through his spokesperson last night.

Kerry also won in Tennessee, 41 percent there. Edwards got 26 percent and Clark at 23 percent. Kerry says wins prove that mainstream values are more important than boundaries or birthplace.

Here's the senator last evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Once again the message rings out loud and clear. Americans are voting for change, east and west, north and now in the South.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Tennessee. Thank you, Virginia. Thank you, Wisconsin for welcoming me tonight. And thank all of you, all of you, the voters who voted today in the election, for saying to the country that we're going to have a campaign and an election, not a coronation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Senator Edwards also saying his second place finish yesterday turns the race now into a two man contest.

With more from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to talk about that campaign, the press secretary for Senator Edwards, Jennifer Palmieri with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Nice to see you, Jennifer.

Good morning to you.

JENNIFER PALMIERI, JOHN EDWARDS' PRESS SECRETARY: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: If your candidate cannot win in the neighboring State of Virginia, knowing he's from the State of North Carolina, where can he win at this point in the race?

PALMIERI: Well, first of all, I want to answer Soledad's question that she started, if there's a candidate left that's got fight enough in him to take on John Kerry. And John Edwards certainly has that fight in him. And John Edwards proved last week that he can beat John Kerry in South Carolina, that he can beat John Kerry in Oklahoma. But I think that this is a, this, we're in a very long process and what -- actually at this point in the process there is, even as, even after next week in Wisconsin, less than 25 percent of the delegates will have been selected.

So we're actually at the very beginning of a long primary process. And it's a war of attrition. And what we have winnowed it down to at this point is we're at the point now where we have two, you know, three candidates, with Howard Dean still in the race. But it's basically a two person race with down to Kerry and Edwards.

And I think Wisconsin is going to be a very important battleground. We'll have, with the three people, with the three folks left. And then we get on to the Super Tuesday states, which is going to be fought on a large -- we have a two week break, which I think will be good for us, because it will slow down Senator Kerry's momentum a little bit, give the whole nation a chance to tune in, because even though all of us have been so very focused on this race, most of the country hasn't. And a chance for everyone to see Senator Edwards' message.

And what we have seen is that the more daylight Senator Edwards' message gets, the more daylight his campaign gets and his very positive, uplifting message of change and the fresh, new ideas that he brings to the table, the better he does. So...

HEMMER: Yes, Jennifer...

PALMIERI: Senator Edwards is, I mean, Senator -- excuse me -- Senator Kerry is clearly the front runner and Senator Edwards is clearly the underdog. That's the position he has been in this entire campaign. That is the position he has been in his entire life. It's not anything new.

HEMMER: Let me take my partner, Soledad, off the hot seat for a second here and talk about Donna Brazile, former Democratic strategist for Al Gore going back four years in 2000. She says pretty matter of factly that the odds are against him enormously.

How do you respond to that?

PALMIERI: The odds have always been against him enormously. I mean I love Donna. Donna has been saying that about John Edwards from the beginning of this campaign, as most pundits have been saying about John Edwards from the beginning of this campaign. But Donna doesn't get to decide and pundits don't get to decide, the voters get to decide.

HEMMER: Let...

PALMIERI: And people had written John Edwards off before Iowa and look what happened.

HEMMER: Let's talk about the comments that Howard Dean made last night then. Squarely pointing at John Kerry, he said a number of things. He says he's not a real Democrat. He wants rhetoric as opposed to results. He talks about him being in the Senate forever, taking special interests' money.

Is John Edwards willing to go to these lengths and these accusations in the way that Howard Dean has?

PALMIERI: John Edwards doesn't think you need to go to -- John Edwards doesn't think this race is about John Kerry or any of the other candidates. And, you know, he just has a very different view about how you run campaigns. I mean he thinks that, you know, a lot of other candidates think that you win races by talking about the differences between other candidates. John Edwards thinks you win races by talking to voters about them and how you understand their lives and what you want to do for them. And it's somewhat unorthodox in politics. I don't know, you know, it shouldn't be, but he thinks that voters don't want to hear about -- voters don't want to hear candidates talk about each other. They want to hear what you're going to do for them. And I don't expect to ever hear that kind of talk coming from Senator Edwards.

HEMMER: Let me try another way, then. If the Democratic leadership came to your campaign and said listen, we have to coalesce right now. We're looking at a White House that's got $200 million they can spend on this, starting at any point in this campaign. Would Senator Edwards say OK, in the interests of the party, I withdraw?

PALMIERI: I don't think it's up to the Democratic leadership. It's up to the voters. And they haven't, the, you know, like I said at the beginning, less than 25 percent of the delegates have even had the opportunity to vote in this process. You know, endorsements have meant very little in this process. You know, party leadership has meant very little in this process. And what has mattered is what the voters have had to say, and they've had some very surprising things to say. They have...

HEMMER: And most of what they've said have put your guy in second place or third place, with the exception of South Carolina.

PALMIERI: Most of, but like I said, Bill, less than 25 percent of them have even had the chance to see the candidates at this point. If this were a baseball game, it would be the top of the third inning and, you know, and the reality is we have a very long way to go and Senator Edwards is so excited to be in Wisconsin and he's got a very full schedule planned for today and for the rest of the week.

HEMMER: Jennifer, thank you.

PALMIERI: And we're getting ready to go.

HEMMER: Thank you and good luck in Wisconsin.

PALMIERI: OK, thank you very much, Bill. HEMMER: We're out of time.

Nice to talk to you.

PALMIERI: OK, you, too.

HEMMER: Jennifer Palmieri there in Milwaukee.

PALMIERI: Thank you.

HEMMER: All right.

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 11, 2004 - 08:02   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. Democratic presidential front runner John Kerry says he's looking forward to campaigning in Wisconsin ahead of that primary next Tuesday, but not before a couple days of rest. Kerry won 2-0 yesterday. He won in Virginia, 52 percent of the vote there, well ahead of Senator John Edwards, who comes from the state to the south, North Carolina, only receiving 27 percent, and Wesley Clark picked up nine percent.
Clark officially dropped out of the race later today -- he made an announcement through his spokesperson last night.

Kerry also won in Tennessee, 41 percent there. Edwards got 26 percent and Clark at 23 percent. Kerry says wins prove that mainstream values are more important than boundaries or birthplace.

Here's the senator last evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Once again the message rings out loud and clear. Americans are voting for change, east and west, north and now in the South.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Tennessee. Thank you, Virginia. Thank you, Wisconsin for welcoming me tonight. And thank all of you, all of you, the voters who voted today in the election, for saying to the country that we're going to have a campaign and an election, not a coronation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Senator Edwards also saying his second place finish yesterday turns the race now into a two man contest.

With more from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to talk about that campaign, the press secretary for Senator Edwards, Jennifer Palmieri with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Nice to see you, Jennifer.

Good morning to you.

JENNIFER PALMIERI, JOHN EDWARDS' PRESS SECRETARY: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: If your candidate cannot win in the neighboring State of Virginia, knowing he's from the State of North Carolina, where can he win at this point in the race?

PALMIERI: Well, first of all, I want to answer Soledad's question that she started, if there's a candidate left that's got fight enough in him to take on John Kerry. And John Edwards certainly has that fight in him. And John Edwards proved last week that he can beat John Kerry in South Carolina, that he can beat John Kerry in Oklahoma. But I think that this is a, this, we're in a very long process and what -- actually at this point in the process there is, even as, even after next week in Wisconsin, less than 25 percent of the delegates will have been selected.

So we're actually at the very beginning of a long primary process. And it's a war of attrition. And what we have winnowed it down to at this point is we're at the point now where we have two, you know, three candidates, with Howard Dean still in the race. But it's basically a two person race with down to Kerry and Edwards.

And I think Wisconsin is going to be a very important battleground. We'll have, with the three people, with the three folks left. And then we get on to the Super Tuesday states, which is going to be fought on a large -- we have a two week break, which I think will be good for us, because it will slow down Senator Kerry's momentum a little bit, give the whole nation a chance to tune in, because even though all of us have been so very focused on this race, most of the country hasn't. And a chance for everyone to see Senator Edwards' message.

And what we have seen is that the more daylight Senator Edwards' message gets, the more daylight his campaign gets and his very positive, uplifting message of change and the fresh, new ideas that he brings to the table, the better he does. So...

HEMMER: Yes, Jennifer...

PALMIERI: Senator Edwards is, I mean, Senator -- excuse me -- Senator Kerry is clearly the front runner and Senator Edwards is clearly the underdog. That's the position he has been in this entire campaign. That is the position he has been in his entire life. It's not anything new.

HEMMER: Let me take my partner, Soledad, off the hot seat for a second here and talk about Donna Brazile, former Democratic strategist for Al Gore going back four years in 2000. She says pretty matter of factly that the odds are against him enormously.

How do you respond to that?

PALMIERI: The odds have always been against him enormously. I mean I love Donna. Donna has been saying that about John Edwards from the beginning of this campaign, as most pundits have been saying about John Edwards from the beginning of this campaign. But Donna doesn't get to decide and pundits don't get to decide, the voters get to decide.

HEMMER: Let...

PALMIERI: And people had written John Edwards off before Iowa and look what happened.

HEMMER: Let's talk about the comments that Howard Dean made last night then. Squarely pointing at John Kerry, he said a number of things. He says he's not a real Democrat. He wants rhetoric as opposed to results. He talks about him being in the Senate forever, taking special interests' money.

Is John Edwards willing to go to these lengths and these accusations in the way that Howard Dean has?

PALMIERI: John Edwards doesn't think you need to go to -- John Edwards doesn't think this race is about John Kerry or any of the other candidates. And, you know, he just has a very different view about how you run campaigns. I mean he thinks that, you know, a lot of other candidates think that you win races by talking about the differences between other candidates. John Edwards thinks you win races by talking to voters about them and how you understand their lives and what you want to do for them. And it's somewhat unorthodox in politics. I don't know, you know, it shouldn't be, but he thinks that voters don't want to hear about -- voters don't want to hear candidates talk about each other. They want to hear what you're going to do for them. And I don't expect to ever hear that kind of talk coming from Senator Edwards.

HEMMER: Let me try another way, then. If the Democratic leadership came to your campaign and said listen, we have to coalesce right now. We're looking at a White House that's got $200 million they can spend on this, starting at any point in this campaign. Would Senator Edwards say OK, in the interests of the party, I withdraw?

PALMIERI: I don't think it's up to the Democratic leadership. It's up to the voters. And they haven't, the, you know, like I said at the beginning, less than 25 percent of the delegates have even had the opportunity to vote in this process. You know, endorsements have meant very little in this process. You know, party leadership has meant very little in this process. And what has mattered is what the voters have had to say, and they've had some very surprising things to say. They have...

HEMMER: And most of what they've said have put your guy in second place or third place, with the exception of South Carolina.

PALMIERI: Most of, but like I said, Bill, less than 25 percent of them have even had the chance to see the candidates at this point. If this were a baseball game, it would be the top of the third inning and, you know, and the reality is we have a very long way to go and Senator Edwards is so excited to be in Wisconsin and he's got a very full schedule planned for today and for the rest of the week.

HEMMER: Jennifer, thank you.

PALMIERI: And we're getting ready to go.

HEMMER: Thank you and good luck in Wisconsin.

PALMIERI: OK, thank you very much, Bill. HEMMER: We're out of time.

Nice to talk to you.

PALMIERI: OK, you, too.

HEMMER: Jennifer Palmieri there in Milwaukee.

PALMIERI: Thank you.

HEMMER: All right.

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