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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Terry McAuliffe
Aired February 22, 2003 - 08:14 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.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Most of the Democratic contenders are under one roof in Washington. They're at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting. The so-called strategy session wraps up today.
For more on the meeting and the challenges facing the Democratic Party ahead, we are joined by the person in charge of it all, the chairman of the Democratic Party, the voice of the Democratic Party, Terry McCauliffe.
Thanks for joining us on a Saturday morning.
TERRY MCAULIFFE, DNC CHAIRMAN: Jon, it's great to be with you.
KARL: Now, Mr. Chairman, you've been telling people that you're happy to see this field of presidential candidates on the Democratic side grow. You're at eight now. You could be at a baker's dozen by a month or so from now.
MCAULIFFE: Right.
KARL: You're not serious about that? It's not good for the Democrats to have so many voices out there with the president having one solid voice on the Republican side.
MCAULIFFE: Well, I believe Bob Gram is going to file papers on Tuesday, so I think we're up to nine. We may get to 10, 11. The more the merrier in the sense that, Jonathan, for the Democratic Party to have 10 great candidates spending all of 2003 putting our ideas, our proposals about the future of our country and delineating the differences between the Republicans and Democrats and the failures of this Bush administration is great.
Now, obviously the goal is going to be in early spring next year we need to all come together behind our nominee of our party. But in 200 when Bill Bradley challenged Al Gore, you know, he brought a lot of new people into the Democratic Party.
I think we can get 10 candidates out there bringing a lot of new people into the party, enthusiastic, and this is what we need. I have no illusions. I mean only four times have we knocked off an incumbent president. But listen, George Bush has given us a lot of material. He's been an absolute disaster on the domestic agenda in this country. But for our candidates to be spreading out across America, talking about what the Democratic Party stands for, is good.
KARL: OK, all right, a disaster with still sky high approval ratings, in most polls still over 60 percent.
Let's take a look at where your Democratic candidates are.
MCAULIFFE: OK.
KARL: Again, we've got eight now in the race. I think we have a poll here that we'll show. Joe Lieberman, probably due to his name recognition from running as the vice presidential candidate at the top with 16 percent. And all the way down to Dennis Kucinich with two percent. There doesn't seem to be a clear front runner, but look at this other poll we have here, which is about Hillary Clinton, seems to be the most popular Democrat among Democrats. She has a 72 percent favorability rating.
Have you talked to her? I mean any chance? I know she has said she will not run. Any chance she changes her mind?
MCAULIFFE: You know, that's just got to be driving the right- wingers crazy seeing that 72 percent approval rating. But she has such a high...
KARL: Well, the approval rating isn't that high among Republicans, I can promise you.
MCAULIFFE: Well, let me tell you, she has done a great job as senator from New York. You know, she's really been out fighting for our first responders, which George Bush will not fund, our police, our fire, our nurses, who need more money. She's been a leader out there to make sure that our troops at home have the necessary resources. But I feel very...
KARL: But is there a chance she'll run?
MCAULIFFE: No. I feel pretty confident that she is going to tend to her business in New York and the United States Senate. Listen, we have great candidates. This is a very early. This really is the kick off for the '04 presidential campaign.
KARL: OK, now...
MCAULIFFE: And it's going to, the numbers are going to change, as you know, Jonathan, as we go forward.
KARL: Right.
Now, the big issue out there right now, of course, is the impending war with Iraq. What is the Democratic position on the war with Iraq? I mean your candidates are all over the map on this. You're chairman of the party. What do Democrats say about war with Iraq?
MCAULIFFE: Well, and we have many candidates, we saw them yesterday, with many different views on the war on Iraq. The point I try to make to everybody, Jonathan, is when people go vote on November 2, 2004, we'll be dealing with the aftermath of whatever occurred in Iraq. If we go into Iraq, let me tell you, we stand firm. We have the greatest military in the world, our men and women who are in uniform who will be fighting, a hundred percent support. But by November 2 of next year, let's be honest, people are going to vote on George Bush on the total presidency, the disastrous domestic agenda, the eight and a half million people out of work, the 40 million people in America today that have no health insurance, the $7 trillion lost in the stock market.
The total picture, domestic and foreign. So to take a snapshot today, what I ultimately worry about is making sure that we win the White House in 2004, it'll be the aftermath, not...
KARL: Well, let me try to get at this just one more time.
MCAULIFFE: OK.
KARL: You have some very clear positions. You have people like Dennis Kucinich, Howard Dean, that care very much against the direction the administration is going with the war with Iraq. Then you have people like Joe Lieberman, who sometimes sound more hawkish than the White House on this.
Where do you think the party stands?
MCAULIFFE: Listen, Jonathan, I am not going to step in front of our candidates. That's what we have a Democratic primary process for. People are going to lay their views out. Our Democratic folks all across the country are going to start to go to the primaries early next year. They're going to make a decision of who our nominee will be.
It is the party's job, it is my responsibility to make sure that we have the mechanics, the tools necessary to get our message out, to build the grassroots up around the country.
I'm going to leave the message to our candidates. We will have a messenger, I think, by March or April of next year. We will have seven months to unify our party, to bring people together and to go after George Bush and expose all the faults that this administration has had with all the jobs, the economy and all of the problems that are facing America today because of this administration.
He inherited the largest budget surplus from Bill Clinton and he turned it into the largest deficit in the history of our country. That's what people, Jonathan, are going to focus on.
KARL: All right, Terry McCauliffe, the always energetic chairman of the Democratic Party.
MCAULIFFE: You bet. Thanks, Jonathan.
KARL: Thanks a lot for joining us.
MCAULIFFE: Great to be with you.
Come on over today.
KARL: Absolutely.
All right, and we need to say that we also invited the chairman of the Republican Party, Mark Racicot, but he was unavailable this weekend. I'm sure we'll be hearing from Chairman Racicot again in the near future.
Thank you very much and we're going to take a quick break.
We'll be right back.
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 22, 2003 - 08:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Most of the Democratic contenders are under one roof in Washington. They're at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting. The so-called strategy session wraps up today.
For more on the meeting and the challenges facing the Democratic Party ahead, we are joined by the person in charge of it all, the chairman of the Democratic Party, the voice of the Democratic Party, Terry McCauliffe.
Thanks for joining us on a Saturday morning.
TERRY MCAULIFFE, DNC CHAIRMAN: Jon, it's great to be with you.
KARL: Now, Mr. Chairman, you've been telling people that you're happy to see this field of presidential candidates on the Democratic side grow. You're at eight now. You could be at a baker's dozen by a month or so from now.
MCAULIFFE: Right.
KARL: You're not serious about that? It's not good for the Democrats to have so many voices out there with the president having one solid voice on the Republican side.
MCAULIFFE: Well, I believe Bob Gram is going to file papers on Tuesday, so I think we're up to nine. We may get to 10, 11. The more the merrier in the sense that, Jonathan, for the Democratic Party to have 10 great candidates spending all of 2003 putting our ideas, our proposals about the future of our country and delineating the differences between the Republicans and Democrats and the failures of this Bush administration is great.
Now, obviously the goal is going to be in early spring next year we need to all come together behind our nominee of our party. But in 200 when Bill Bradley challenged Al Gore, you know, he brought a lot of new people into the Democratic Party.
I think we can get 10 candidates out there bringing a lot of new people into the party, enthusiastic, and this is what we need. I have no illusions. I mean only four times have we knocked off an incumbent president. But listen, George Bush has given us a lot of material. He's been an absolute disaster on the domestic agenda in this country. But for our candidates to be spreading out across America, talking about what the Democratic Party stands for, is good.
KARL: OK, all right, a disaster with still sky high approval ratings, in most polls still over 60 percent.
Let's take a look at where your Democratic candidates are.
MCAULIFFE: OK.
KARL: Again, we've got eight now in the race. I think we have a poll here that we'll show. Joe Lieberman, probably due to his name recognition from running as the vice presidential candidate at the top with 16 percent. And all the way down to Dennis Kucinich with two percent. There doesn't seem to be a clear front runner, but look at this other poll we have here, which is about Hillary Clinton, seems to be the most popular Democrat among Democrats. She has a 72 percent favorability rating.
Have you talked to her? I mean any chance? I know she has said she will not run. Any chance she changes her mind?
MCAULIFFE: You know, that's just got to be driving the right- wingers crazy seeing that 72 percent approval rating. But she has such a high...
KARL: Well, the approval rating isn't that high among Republicans, I can promise you.
MCAULIFFE: Well, let me tell you, she has done a great job as senator from New York. You know, she's really been out fighting for our first responders, which George Bush will not fund, our police, our fire, our nurses, who need more money. She's been a leader out there to make sure that our troops at home have the necessary resources. But I feel very...
KARL: But is there a chance she'll run?
MCAULIFFE: No. I feel pretty confident that she is going to tend to her business in New York and the United States Senate. Listen, we have great candidates. This is a very early. This really is the kick off for the '04 presidential campaign.
KARL: OK, now...
MCAULIFFE: And it's going to, the numbers are going to change, as you know, Jonathan, as we go forward.
KARL: Right.
Now, the big issue out there right now, of course, is the impending war with Iraq. What is the Democratic position on the war with Iraq? I mean your candidates are all over the map on this. You're chairman of the party. What do Democrats say about war with Iraq?
MCAULIFFE: Well, and we have many candidates, we saw them yesterday, with many different views on the war on Iraq. The point I try to make to everybody, Jonathan, is when people go vote on November 2, 2004, we'll be dealing with the aftermath of whatever occurred in Iraq. If we go into Iraq, let me tell you, we stand firm. We have the greatest military in the world, our men and women who are in uniform who will be fighting, a hundred percent support. But by November 2 of next year, let's be honest, people are going to vote on George Bush on the total presidency, the disastrous domestic agenda, the eight and a half million people out of work, the 40 million people in America today that have no health insurance, the $7 trillion lost in the stock market.
The total picture, domestic and foreign. So to take a snapshot today, what I ultimately worry about is making sure that we win the White House in 2004, it'll be the aftermath, not...
KARL: Well, let me try to get at this just one more time.
MCAULIFFE: OK.
KARL: You have some very clear positions. You have people like Dennis Kucinich, Howard Dean, that care very much against the direction the administration is going with the war with Iraq. Then you have people like Joe Lieberman, who sometimes sound more hawkish than the White House on this.
Where do you think the party stands?
MCAULIFFE: Listen, Jonathan, I am not going to step in front of our candidates. That's what we have a Democratic primary process for. People are going to lay their views out. Our Democratic folks all across the country are going to start to go to the primaries early next year. They're going to make a decision of who our nominee will be.
It is the party's job, it is my responsibility to make sure that we have the mechanics, the tools necessary to get our message out, to build the grassroots up around the country.
I'm going to leave the message to our candidates. We will have a messenger, I think, by March or April of next year. We will have seven months to unify our party, to bring people together and to go after George Bush and expose all the faults that this administration has had with all the jobs, the economy and all of the problems that are facing America today because of this administration.
He inherited the largest budget surplus from Bill Clinton and he turned it into the largest deficit in the history of our country. That's what people, Jonathan, are going to focus on.
KARL: All right, Terry McCauliffe, the always energetic chairman of the Democratic Party.
MCAULIFFE: You bet. Thanks, Jonathan.
KARL: Thanks a lot for joining us.
MCAULIFFE: Great to be with you.
Come on over today.
KARL: Absolutely.
All right, and we need to say that we also invited the chairman of the Republican Party, Mark Racicot, but he was unavailable this weekend. I'm sure we'll be hearing from Chairman Racicot again in the near future.
Thank you very much and we're going to take a quick break.
We'll be right back.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
