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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With Kellyanne Conway, Julian Epstein
Aired October 26, 2003 - 11:27 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The nine Democratic presidential candidates take to the stage for another televised debate tonight, this time in Detroit, Michigan. Will there be fireworks? Let's talk to our guests about it.
Kellyanne Conway is a republican strategist. Thanks for being here, Kellyanne. And Julian Epstein is a democratic strategist, who also worked for the House Judiciary Committee during the Clinton administration. Thanks so much for being here, as well, Julian. We appreciate time from both of you this morning -- this afternoon -- this morning. We're still in the morning hours. But tonight is what we're talking about, and that is where the debate will be happening. Want to ask you, how much do these debates do for the candidates? Kellyanne?
KELLYANNE CONWAY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: There must be some margin of diminishing returns at this point because there have been so many debates, and there are so many candidates participating in the debates, that the trick comes in trying to grab tomorrow's headlines and having that zingy-like sound bite that everybody's going to find memorable. And curiously, if not ironically, that usually falls to the third tier candidates, the Kuciniches, or the Moseley Brauns, or the Sharptons, to come up with and show they're still in the game. The other thing going on with these nine candidates is that none are able to break out of the pack because they're stuck fighting each other but at the same time keeping their eye on the ultimate brass ring beating George W. Bush. That's really tough to accomplish in a minute or two in a response.
COLLINS: Well, Kellyanne, let's talk about that. Julian, I'd actually like your comments on it. We have the latest poll number here. This is coming to us from "Newsweek." Between the different candidates it is showing that Howard Dean has got about 15 percent of the support, Clark has got 12 percent. Lieberman, 10 percent. We'll look at the graphic in just a moment. Eight percent goes to Kerry, Gephardt and Sharpton. Is this surprising to you, Howard Dean is now ahead of Wesley Clark?
JULIAN EPSTEIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No, he is the man to beat. I think the Clark campaign has not done particularly well in the last month, to my chagrin. But the biggest poll number out there that you didn't put up is the poll about President Bush's job approval ratings, which continue on a downward trend.
COLLINS: I would have to correct you on that.
CONWAY: That's not true, Julian.
EPSTEIN: Well, the polls...
COLLINS: Excuse me, Julian. Let's put the poll up. Four percent. This is handling of Iraq.
EPSTEIN: If we're looking at where we were a year ago, the president's approval rating was up around 70, 71 percent. So while it may have ticked up a couple of points, it is pretty low compared to where the administration has been. If you look at the polls on the public's confidence and how this administration has handled the economy and Iraq, all those numbers are not good. There is a general perception that the peace and prosperity of the Clinton years have gone to hell in a hand basket under the Bush years. And I think while there may be some elbowing of each other among the primary candidates, that you'll see tonight and the other debates, the key thing is that I think all of the arrows are headed at the Bush administration, and democrats smell blood in the water right now.
CONWAY: Well, two things, because all polls are not created equal. However, Julian cannot have his own interpretation of what the numbers really say. The fact is that this president is given high marks even on handling Iraq and the economy, although the percentage is not higher than the actual percentage of votes that he got in 2000. But number two...
EPSTEIN: Not true.
CONWAY: ... if Julian's assessment -- if Julian's assessment were correct, and this president was just failing to connect with the American people, why has not the Democratic Party coalesced around one candidate? Why is nobody surely breaking through and shining as the guy who can beat George W. Bush? If anything, that new poll proves that sort of smattering of support that five or six different people have shows the disarray that the Democratic Party faces.
And Julian, I give you tons of credit, because you invoked Bill Clinton's name and his economic legacy as it were much more often than these Democrats who are debating tonight.
EPSTEIN: Not true. Not true.
CONWAY: Why do they not talk about that?
EPSTEIN: You're wrong on all of those points.
CONWAY: Of course I am.
EPSTEIN: First of all, the polls all show, the polls all reflect...
CONWAY: Go George W.
EPSTEIN: ... a public disapproval of this administration's economic plan, which is the worst job creating administration since the Hoover administration -- it's -- going back to... CONWAY: People don't agree with you.
EPSTEIN: It's going back half a century. The polls show on the question of Iraq that the public believes that this administration does not have a plan. Democratic candidates I think continue to point out that if you want to live like a Republican, you ought to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate, because Democrats in the White House give you better economics.
COLLINS: All right, guys, unfortunately...
EPSTEIN: ... and I think the polls back that up pretty well.
COLLINS: ... that is the end of our time. I certainly appreciate both of you being with us today.
Julian Epstein, Democratic strategist, tough word for me today, coming to us today. We appreciate it very much. And Kellyanne Conway, a Republican strategist. Thanks, guys, appreciate it.
EPSTEIN: Thanks for having us.
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 October 26, 2003 - 11:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The nine Democratic presidential candidates take to the stage for another televised debate tonight, this time in Detroit, Michigan. Will there be fireworks? Let's talk to our guests about it.
Kellyanne Conway is a republican strategist. Thanks for being here, Kellyanne. And Julian Epstein is a democratic strategist, who also worked for the House Judiciary Committee during the Clinton administration. Thanks so much for being here, as well, Julian. We appreciate time from both of you this morning -- this afternoon -- this morning. We're still in the morning hours. But tonight is what we're talking about, and that is where the debate will be happening. Want to ask you, how much do these debates do for the candidates? Kellyanne?
KELLYANNE CONWAY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: There must be some margin of diminishing returns at this point because there have been so many debates, and there are so many candidates participating in the debates, that the trick comes in trying to grab tomorrow's headlines and having that zingy-like sound bite that everybody's going to find memorable. And curiously, if not ironically, that usually falls to the third tier candidates, the Kuciniches, or the Moseley Brauns, or the Sharptons, to come up with and show they're still in the game. The other thing going on with these nine candidates is that none are able to break out of the pack because they're stuck fighting each other but at the same time keeping their eye on the ultimate brass ring beating George W. Bush. That's really tough to accomplish in a minute or two in a response.
COLLINS: Well, Kellyanne, let's talk about that. Julian, I'd actually like your comments on it. We have the latest poll number here. This is coming to us from "Newsweek." Between the different candidates it is showing that Howard Dean has got about 15 percent of the support, Clark has got 12 percent. Lieberman, 10 percent. We'll look at the graphic in just a moment. Eight percent goes to Kerry, Gephardt and Sharpton. Is this surprising to you, Howard Dean is now ahead of Wesley Clark?
JULIAN EPSTEIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No, he is the man to beat. I think the Clark campaign has not done particularly well in the last month, to my chagrin. But the biggest poll number out there that you didn't put up is the poll about President Bush's job approval ratings, which continue on a downward trend.
COLLINS: I would have to correct you on that.
CONWAY: That's not true, Julian.
EPSTEIN: Well, the polls...
COLLINS: Excuse me, Julian. Let's put the poll up. Four percent. This is handling of Iraq.
EPSTEIN: If we're looking at where we were a year ago, the president's approval rating was up around 70, 71 percent. So while it may have ticked up a couple of points, it is pretty low compared to where the administration has been. If you look at the polls on the public's confidence and how this administration has handled the economy and Iraq, all those numbers are not good. There is a general perception that the peace and prosperity of the Clinton years have gone to hell in a hand basket under the Bush years. And I think while there may be some elbowing of each other among the primary candidates, that you'll see tonight and the other debates, the key thing is that I think all of the arrows are headed at the Bush administration, and democrats smell blood in the water right now.
CONWAY: Well, two things, because all polls are not created equal. However, Julian cannot have his own interpretation of what the numbers really say. The fact is that this president is given high marks even on handling Iraq and the economy, although the percentage is not higher than the actual percentage of votes that he got in 2000. But number two...
EPSTEIN: Not true.
CONWAY: ... if Julian's assessment -- if Julian's assessment were correct, and this president was just failing to connect with the American people, why has not the Democratic Party coalesced around one candidate? Why is nobody surely breaking through and shining as the guy who can beat George W. Bush? If anything, that new poll proves that sort of smattering of support that five or six different people have shows the disarray that the Democratic Party faces.
And Julian, I give you tons of credit, because you invoked Bill Clinton's name and his economic legacy as it were much more often than these Democrats who are debating tonight.
EPSTEIN: Not true. Not true.
CONWAY: Why do they not talk about that?
EPSTEIN: You're wrong on all of those points.
CONWAY: Of course I am.
EPSTEIN: First of all, the polls all show, the polls all reflect...
CONWAY: Go George W.
EPSTEIN: ... a public disapproval of this administration's economic plan, which is the worst job creating administration since the Hoover administration -- it's -- going back to... CONWAY: People don't agree with you.
EPSTEIN: It's going back half a century. The polls show on the question of Iraq that the public believes that this administration does not have a plan. Democratic candidates I think continue to point out that if you want to live like a Republican, you ought to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate, because Democrats in the White House give you better economics.
COLLINS: All right, guys, unfortunately...
EPSTEIN: ... and I think the polls back that up pretty well.
COLLINS: ... that is the end of our time. I certainly appreciate both of you being with us today.
Julian Epstein, Democratic strategist, tough word for me today, coming to us today. We appreciate it very much. And Kellyanne Conway, a Republican strategist. Thanks, guys, appreciate it.
EPSTEIN: Thanks for having us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
