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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Gideon Yago
Aired February 21, 2004 - 09:18 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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, no matter who is the -- in the presidential race, each of the candidates is sure to be courting one important voting block, young voters.
Here to tell us more about that sought-after bunch is Gideon Yago. He is covering the campaign as a news correspondent for MTV, joins us from New York City.
Good morning to you, Gideon.
GIDEON YAGO, MTV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin, how are you doing?
SAVIDGE: Very good, thanks. How do the young voters shape up, say, in 2004 versus the influence they may have had in 2000?
YAGO: Well, I don't think they had very much influence in 2000 because I don't think very many of them went out to the polls. But anecdotally, I'll tell you, based on the coverage we've been seeing and based on the polling data that we've been doing at MTV, this election is a major issue for young voters and first-time voters out there.
SAVIDGE: What do they think of the incumbent, President Bush?
YAGO: Well, they do view him as a strong commander in chief. You have to really look at things in terms of 9/11. That was a political awakening for many young voters. And they do give the president high marks for leading the country in the wake of that.
But we find that they really are voting based on issues, not based on candidates or based on party lines. And their concerns...
SAVIDGE: What are the issues? What do they see?
YAGO: They're most concerned about who is going to help them get a job and crack into a job market, who is going to help them pay for college and not have to lose an arm and a leg to do that, and who is going to lead them in the war. You have to remember that the military is the number one employer of young people 25 and under.
SAVIDGE: Well, and also, obviously, for many of them, there is the very strong chance they could serve in the military voluntarily. Does that weigh into their decision-making on the war or the potential of it? YAGO: Well, it's not even the potential. It's the actuality that they are serving. We found that one in five of our audience at MTV says that they know or are related to somebody that's serving in the military. And when you think about it, the majority of the people that are making good on the politicians' promises and policies, over in Afghanistan and in Iraq, are young.
So obviously they have a much more direct stake in those policies and will probably vote accordingly.
SAVIDGE: Now, you know, we had the big flap on the military question of, where was President Bush during the Vietnam War, and, of course, Kerry, where he served. Does that resonate at all with young people? I mean, that's ancient history to them, isn't it?
YAGO: No, it's not, because I think a lot of young voters are only getting a handle on who these candidates are by looking at their lives as young men. They don't, I think, see a lot of a relationship with an old guy in a suit in, you know, either the Senate or the White House. But if they see a young man that they can identify with, and his experiences and how they reflect their own experiences, that is a point of common ground.
SAVIDGE: All right, 10 seconds. Dean voters, where are they going to go? Who are they going to?
YAGO: I think most likely they're going to go behind whoever the Democratic nominee is. I think, you know, the one thing that nobody talks about in terms of the Dean support is that that other candidate running for the Democratic nomination is Anybody But Bush. And, you know, Dean said the key goal for his campaign is to displace Bush from the White House.
And I think a lot of his young voters are going to follow that lead.
SAVIDGE: All right. We'll see how it shakes out. Thank you very much, Gideon Yago...
YAGO: Thank you very much, Martin.
SAVIDGE: ... with MTV. We look forward to talking to you again.
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 21, 2004 - 09:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, no matter who is the -- in the presidential race, each of the candidates is sure to be courting one important voting block, young voters.
Here to tell us more about that sought-after bunch is Gideon Yago. He is covering the campaign as a news correspondent for MTV, joins us from New York City.
Good morning to you, Gideon.
GIDEON YAGO, MTV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin, how are you doing?
SAVIDGE: Very good, thanks. How do the young voters shape up, say, in 2004 versus the influence they may have had in 2000?
YAGO: Well, I don't think they had very much influence in 2000 because I don't think very many of them went out to the polls. But anecdotally, I'll tell you, based on the coverage we've been seeing and based on the polling data that we've been doing at MTV, this election is a major issue for young voters and first-time voters out there.
SAVIDGE: What do they think of the incumbent, President Bush?
YAGO: Well, they do view him as a strong commander in chief. You have to really look at things in terms of 9/11. That was a political awakening for many young voters. And they do give the president high marks for leading the country in the wake of that.
But we find that they really are voting based on issues, not based on candidates or based on party lines. And their concerns...
SAVIDGE: What are the issues? What do they see?
YAGO: They're most concerned about who is going to help them get a job and crack into a job market, who is going to help them pay for college and not have to lose an arm and a leg to do that, and who is going to lead them in the war. You have to remember that the military is the number one employer of young people 25 and under.
SAVIDGE: Well, and also, obviously, for many of them, there is the very strong chance they could serve in the military voluntarily. Does that weigh into their decision-making on the war or the potential of it? YAGO: Well, it's not even the potential. It's the actuality that they are serving. We found that one in five of our audience at MTV says that they know or are related to somebody that's serving in the military. And when you think about it, the majority of the people that are making good on the politicians' promises and policies, over in Afghanistan and in Iraq, are young.
So obviously they have a much more direct stake in those policies and will probably vote accordingly.
SAVIDGE: Now, you know, we had the big flap on the military question of, where was President Bush during the Vietnam War, and, of course, Kerry, where he served. Does that resonate at all with young people? I mean, that's ancient history to them, isn't it?
YAGO: No, it's not, because I think a lot of young voters are only getting a handle on who these candidates are by looking at their lives as young men. They don't, I think, see a lot of a relationship with an old guy in a suit in, you know, either the Senate or the White House. But if they see a young man that they can identify with, and his experiences and how they reflect their own experiences, that is a point of common ground.
SAVIDGE: All right, 10 seconds. Dean voters, where are they going to go? Who are they going to?
YAGO: I think most likely they're going to go behind whoever the Democratic nominee is. I think, you know, the one thing that nobody talks about in terms of the Dean support is that that other candidate running for the Democratic nomination is Anybody But Bush. And, you know, Dean said the key goal for his campaign is to displace Bush from the White House.
And I think a lot of his young voters are going to follow that lead.
SAVIDGE: All right. We'll see how it shakes out. Thank you very much, Gideon Yago...
YAGO: Thank you very much, Martin.
SAVIDGE: ... with MTV. We look forward to talking to you again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
