Show Transcript

Time	Speaker	Text
00:00:07	>>	THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
00:00:10	>>	LET ME ASK ABOUT THIS CONVENTION, AND DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE OBAMA-BIDEN TICKET. IN TERMS OF THE LOW JISTICS THIS WEEK, HOW DOES THAT ALL COMES COME TOGETHER?
00:00:22	>>	THE SMEDGE THAT WE -- MESSAGE THAT WE OUGHT TO SEND IS THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS NOW GOING TO BE A 50-STATE PARTY. WE THINK WE CAN WIN IN THE WEST. WE CERTAINLY THINK WE CAN WIN COLORADO, ARIZONA MAYBE EVEN YEAS. SO THAT'S PART OF OUR MESSAGE. BUT THE OVERALL MESSAGE IS BEING CRAFT BID THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN THAT THEY'RE P THE ONES WHO ARE ABOUT TO BE THE NOM KNEES. AND I THINK THE DESTIGS OF JOE BIDEN IS FANTASTIC. THERE ARE A LOT OF DELEGATES HERE. WE HAVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS THE WEEK BEFORE. AND THE BUZZ AMONG THE DELEGATES IS REALLY GOOD.
00:01:01	>>	DID YOU HAVE ANY ROLE IN THE PROCESS?
00:01:02	>>	NO. NOT IN SELECTING THE VITE VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE. NO.
00:01:10	>>	WHY FOUR DAYS OF A CONVENTION? DO THE PARTIES KNEES FOUR DAY SNS
00:01:16	>>	WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. THE MEDIA ALWAYS RIGHTS. BUT THE TRUTH IS THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE HERE. THIS IS A FOUR-DAY MEETING OF THE MOST ACTIVE DEMOCRATS HERE IN THE COUNTRY. SOME OF THOSE ARE MEDIA, BUT CERTAINLY WITH THE USES OF THE FIELD, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OVER A HUNDRED THUNDERSHOWER ACTIVISTS. IT'S A -- HUNDRED THOUSAND ACTIVISTS. A LOT OF SEMINARS ON HEALTH CARE AND OTHER OF THESE BIG ISSUES THAT HAVE FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE UNDER THE BUSH-MCCAIN APPROACH TO THINGS. SO THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO THIS. I KNOW THAT MEDIA MAKES IT INTO A BIG HYPE THING AND OF COURSE IT'S GREAT TO HAVE OUR CANDIDATES SHOWCASED BUT THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENE THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.
00:02:06	>>	DIRECTLY BEHIND YOU IS INVESSCO FIELD WHERE A PARTY NOMINEE WILL ACCEPT HIS NOMINATION IN AN OUTDOOR STADIUM. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
00:02:18	>>	THE OBAMA FOLKS DECIDED TO DO THAT. LTTEDS, WHEN I WAS FIRST PLANNING IT BEFORE WE HAD AN IDEA WHO THE NOMINEE WOULD BE, WE WANTED TO DO IT OUT. WE DIDN'T DARE FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT. WE SORT OF BANDND THE IDEA. IT TURNSES OUT, DENVER IS A GOOD PLACE TO DO THIS. YOU'VE GOT A GREAT FACILITY. YOU'VE GOT WEATHER THAT ALMOST ALWAYS COOPERATES AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. AND SO WHEN THE OBAMA FOLKS CALLED US AND SAID THEY TH IS WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO, WE WERE REALLY THRILLED. IT IS WELL WORTH IT. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL VENUE.
00:02:58	>>	ONE OF THE POINTS THAT HAS COME UP DURING THE SUMMER, THE AD THAT WAS PUT FORTH BY THE JOHN MCCAIN CAMPAIGN, THE SO-CALLED CELEBRITY AD. DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS THAT SENATOR OBAMA ACCEPTING THE NOMINATION WILL FEED INTO THAT REPUBLICAN ATTACK MACHINE?
00:03:14	>>	I THINK PEOPLE LIKE THEIR PRESIDENT TO BE WELL RESPECTED. BARACK OBAMA WENT TO EUROPE AND HAD 200,000 EUROPEANS WAVING THE AMERICAN FLAG. WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT FOR A LONG TIME. . WHAT IT THEY HAVE HUGE DEFICITS, THE CANNOT SEEM TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT. WE THINK THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A REAL STORY TO TELL IN THE WEST, A STORY OF INDIVIDUALISM, BUT OPPORTUNITY, FREEDOM, AND A STORY OF THE MIDDLE-CLASS AND A STRUGGLING PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT BENEFITED DURING THE BUSH-MCCAIN ECONOMIC POLICY. IT WAS IDEAL TO HAVE A CONVENTION IN A WESTERN STATE, THIS WAS THE CITY THAT WAS THE BIGGEST THE DID NOT PUT IN A BID, WE WERE DELIGHTED TO COME HERE.
00:07:05	>>	ESSEX, CONN. CALLER: I HAVE A COMMENT AND A QUESTION. MANY HILLARY SUPPORTERS ARE THREATENING TO UPSET THE CONVENTION. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS SHOW OF DIVISION WOULD PLAY INTO THE HANDS OF THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN. ALSO, ARE THERE NOT CAMPAIGN RULES THAT A CANDIDATE LIKE HILLARY CANNOT PUT OUR NAME ON THE ROLL CALL UNTIL SHE HAS PAID OFF FOR $20 MILLION CAMPAIGN DEBT.
00:07:35	>>	I THINK THERE ARE A FEW SUPPORTERS OF SENATOR CLINTON LIKE THAT, SHE HERSELF DOES NOT FEEL LIKE THAT, I THINK HER SUPPORTERS WILL RESPECT HER VIEW, WHICH IS THAT BARACK OBAMA SHOULD BE THE EX-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HAVE SEEN HER HELP TO FIGHT TO GET BARACK OBAMA AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. " WILL ALWAYS GET SOME DISGRUNTLED FOLK AND CABLE TELEVISION, REVIEW WILL ALWAYS GET SOME DISGRUNTLED FOLK ON CABLE TELEVISION, THAT IS WHAT THEY -- YOU WILL ALWAYS GET SOME DISGRUNTLED FOLKS ON CABLE TELEVISION, THAT IS WHAT THEY DO BEST. JOE BIDEN HAPPENS TO BE A GREAT ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN. HE WAS ONE OF THE BIG SPONSORS OF THE WOMEN -- HE WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO KEPT THE FAR RIGHT OFF OF THE COURT. I THINK THAT THERE IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF UNITY. THE VAST MAJORITY OF SENATOR CLINTON SUPPORTERS WILL BE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC, THEY WILL SEE THAT. THERE IS NO REASON FOR HIM TO CLINTON NOT TO HAVE HER NAME IN THE NOMINATION, SHE HAS EARNED -- THERE IS NO REASON FOR HILLARY CLINTON NOT TO HAVE HER NAME IN THE NOMINATION, SHE HAS EARNED THAT RIGHT. THERE'S NOTHING --
00:09:00	>>	I AM NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE THAT HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THIS THIS MORNING, THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT TO AIR AN AD IN COLORADO CALLED PASS OVER, IT WILL USE CLIPS OF SENATOR CLINTON ATTACKING OBAMA, SUGGESTING THAT OBAMA DID NOT WANT HER BECAUSE FOR HER SPEAKING THE TRUTH, THE TRUTH HURTS AND OBAMA DID NOT LIKE IT. YOUR REACTION?
00:09:25	>>	THE SADDEST THING ABOUT THIS RACE IS THE DETERIORATION OF JOHN MCCAIN AS A HUMAN BEING. BUT JOHN MCCAIN OF 2000 WOULD NOT VOTE FOR THE JOHN MCCAIN -- THE JOHN MCCAIN OF 2000 WOULD NOT VOTE FOR THE JOHN MCCAIN OF 2008. HE JUST COMPLAINS. I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT A POSITIVE CAMPAIGN. I THINK THAT BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN ARE A GREAT TEAM. THEY GOT OFF TO A GREAT START YESTERDAY. THEY COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER VERY WELL. THEY ARE OUTSIDERS WHO HAVE REALLY CHANGED WASHINGTON, YOU HAVE AN EXPERT ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS WHO WILL HELP US STEER OUR WASTED THESE INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED -- STEER OUR WAYS THROUGH THIS INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED SITUATION. JOHN MCCAIN IS THE CANDIDATE OF THE PAST, I WOULD HOPE THAT THOSE ADVERTISEMENTS ARE ALSO A PART OF THE PAST.
00:10:20	>>	WE WILL TAKE A CALL FROM SOMERVILLE, NEW JERSEY. CALLER: TO ME IS ON -- UNBELIEVABLE IN THIS COUNTRY, WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WE HAVE COVERING POLITICS, AND THE FACT THAT FROM A NON-ESOTERIC STANDPOINT IT IS CLEAR, REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT PARTIES HAVE BEEN BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY LOBBYISTS, CONGLOMERATE, GLOBAL INTERESTS, AND WE HAVE THE AUDACITY TO CONTINUALLY DISCUSSED POLICY AS IF SOMETHING HAPPENED GOOD IN THIS COUNTRY. IT IS AMAZING, THIS DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND REPUBLICAN PARTY, THERE ARE NO DIFFERENCES. THEY SUPPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, TOTALLY AGAINST THE BEST INTERESTS OF THIS COUNTRY. THEY SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIC -- THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SUPPORTS THE LEGALIZED KILLING OF THE UNBORN. VARIOUS ABERRANT LIFESTYLES AND CONFORMING TO THEM AS THE LEGITIMACY.
00:11:15	>>	BASED ON ALL THOSE POINTS, WHO WILL YOU VOTE FOR IN 2008? CALLER: IT HAS GOT TO THE POINT WHERE THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE IS SO UNINTELLIGENT IN THIS COUNTRY AS COMPARED TO LIKE THE EUROPEANS, THERE ARE OTHER CHOICES OUT THERE, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO BREAK OUT OF THE RANKS OF SUPPORTING THESE PARTIES AND IT IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME. WE GO THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS OF DISCUSSING THESE ISSUES IN DETAIL AND THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE PARTIES.
00:11:45	>>	THANK YOU FOR THE CALL.
00:11:48	>>	I WOULD DISAGREE. FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF MONEY, BARACK OBAMA TOLD US THE MINUTE THAT HE GOT IN, THERE WOULD BE NO MORE LOBBYISTS COMING INTO THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE, THAT IS A BIG DIFFERENCE. I FIND IT IRONIC THAT THE CALLER WOULD SIDE EUROPE, CONSIDERABLY MORE -- SITE EUROPE, CONSIDERABLY MORE LIBERAL ABOUT ISSUES THAT HE SEEMED TO TAKE ISSUE WITH. I CERTAINLY RESPECT EVERY AMERICAN'S POINT OF VIEW, BUT I THINK THAT ONE IS OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM.
00:12:28	>>	WE WILL GO TO RICHMOND, VA. CALLER: HELLO, MR. DEAN, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. I LIKE BARACK OBAMA, BUT MY BIGGEST OBJECTION IS THAT HE IS NOT LIBERAL ENOUGH. WE DO NOT NEED CHANGE, WE NEED A REVOLUTION, LITERALLY. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IS THAT THE CURRENT ECONOMY IS IN DEBT TO THE CHINESE. GOD FORBID THEY WILL STOP TRADING TO US, WHICH THEY NEVER WILL, WE ARE THEIR BIGGEST CUSTOMER, OUR MANUFACTURING BASE HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS SCARY. I AM NOT SURE THAT ANYONE CAN TURN THIS AROUND. HAVE YOU MAINTAIN YOUR OPTIMISM?
00:13:10	>>	I WILL TELL YOU WHAT. I AM ALMOST 60. MY FATHER ONCE TOLD ME, WHAT I WAS MUCH YOUNGER, THAT HE HAD AN ADVANTAGE OVER ME BECAUSE HE COULD LOOK BACKWARDS AND I COULD JUST LOOK FORWARD. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THIS COUNTRY, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WERE RARELY WRONG ABOUT THIS COUNTRY 40 YEARS AGO, THEY HAVE NOT ALL BEEN FIXED -- THAT WORKED REALLY WRONG ABOUT THIS COUNTRY 40 YEARS AGO, THEY HAVE ALL BEEN FIXED BUT MANY OF THEM HAVE. THE CALLER BEFORE YOU HAD DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED VIEWS ON THESE THINGS, THERE ARE LOTS OF AMERICANS WITH DIFFERENT VIEWS. CHANGE IS IMPORTANT. YOU MENTIONED TRADE ISSUES, BARACK OBAMA'S VIEWS ON TRADE ARE MORE AWFUL THAN THE LAST ADMINISTRATION. BUT THEY'RE ALL HAVE ALSO BEEN GOOD THINGS THAT THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN INTEGRATED INTO THE WORLD ECONOMY. THEIR GEOPOLITICAL BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE TO HAVE BECOME A PART OF THE WORLD SYSTEM. IT IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING TO FOCUS ON THE THINGS AHEAD OF US, SOMETIMES IT IS NOT A BAD THING TO LOOK BACK AND SEE HOW FAR WE'VE COME. FOUR YEARS AGO, THERE WERE AN AWFUL LOT OF FOLKS IN YOUR STATE WHO COULD NOT VOTE AND, IN FACT, A WHITE MAN AND A BLACK WOMAN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GET MARRIED IN VIRGINIA FOUR YEARS AGO. THINGS HAVE CHANGED A LOT, THE COUNTRY HAS BECOME MUCH MORE TOLERANT, ACCEPTING, INTEGRATED IN TERMS OF THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE, EXCEPT FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, THE STANDARD OF LIVING HAS GONE UP A LOT, THE LAST EIGHT YEARS HAVE BEEN AN ABERRATION BUT NOT BECAUSE THE COUNTRY IS A BAD COUNTRY BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD BAD LEADERSHIP. NOW WE WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE AND LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM IN BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN. A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A WORKING- CLASS KID WHO GREW UP, GOT A SCHOLARSHIP TO A GREAT UNIVERSITY, WORKED REALLY HARD, AND HAS REALLY MADE A GOOD, HE IS ONE OF THE LEAST WEALTHY MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE. HE WOULD TELL YOU WHAT A GREAT COUNTRY THIS IS.
00:15:26	>>	MEDIA IS ACCUSED OF SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON POLLS, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT A SURVEY OF ALL THE POLLS, THIS RACE IS CLOSER THAN MANY EXPECTED, WHY?
00:15:35	>>	BECAUSE FOLKS HAVE ALREADY DECIDED THEY DO NOT WANT TO VOTE REPUBLICAN, THEY HAVE GOT TO SPEND TIME GETTING TO KNOW BARACK OBAMA. THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT HIM VERY CAREFULLY, AT THE END OF THE DAY BARACK OBAMA WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, WE CANNOT GO BACK, WE CANNOT HAVE FOUR MORE YEARS OF GEORGE BUSH.
00:15:56	>>	OUR NEXT CALL COMES FROM EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.
00:15:59	>>	I HAVE A QUESTION -- I HAVE A QUESTION FOR HOWARD DEAN. YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO YOU HAD A GUY WHO COMMITTED WAR CRIMES IN VIETNAM, IT WAS OK FOR LYNDON JOHNSON TO DO THIS. BILL CLINTON HAD A WAR IN KOSOVO. YOU GUYS HAVE YOUR WAR CRIMES AS WELL.
00:16:21	>>	THANK YOU.
00:16:23	>>	I DO NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, COMMITTING WAR CRIMES.
00:16:31	>>	HE REFERENCED WORLD WAR ROMONE AND THE WAR IN KOSOVO.
00:16:39	>>	IN KOSOVO, THAT WAS EXTRAORDINARY, IT STOPPED GENOCIDE. IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE ARMED FORCES TO STOP GENOCIDE, I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS A SINGLE AMERICAN CASUALTY. LOOK, YOU CANNOT RUN AWAY FROM USING FORCE. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO USE FORCE. WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS TELL THE TRUTH TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BEFORE YOU COMMIT OUR BRAVE ARMED FORCES TO COMBAT. GEORGE BUSH DID NOT DO THAT. I THINK THAT BILL CLINTON DID DO THAT WHEN HE SENT FOLKS INTO KOSOVO, IT HAS MADE EUROPE A SAFER PLACE TODAY AS A RESULT OF THAT, SAVING THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF LIVES. I AM SURE THAT WE CAN DISAGREE ABOUT THIS. BUT PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE ACCUSED -- WAR IS AN UGLY BUSINESS, WE DO NOT WANT A WARTIME CONGRESS EVER, AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IS IRRESPONSIBLE ALLEGATION ON ANY OF THESE PRESIDENTS, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN. I THINK THAT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO USE ARMED FORCES, I SUPPORTIVE OF BILL CLINTON DID IN KOSOVO BECAUSE HE -- I SUPPORTED WHAT BILL CLINTON DID IN KOSOVO BECAUSE HE SAVED MILLIONS OF LIVES IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE, ONE OF THE MOST UNSTABLE PARTS OF THE WORLD FOR A LONG TIME.
00:17:57	>>	BACK TO THE CONVENTION, WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?
00:18:00	>>	DO HOPE THAT EVERYTHING GOES RELATIVELY ORDERLY. HONESTLY, THE CONVENTION HAS BEEN PRETTY WELL SETTLED. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING OUT HERE FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, A HARD- WORKING TEAM FROM DENVER AND HERE IN COLORADO, I HAVE INSPECTED MOST OF WHAT IS GOING ON HERE, IT IS EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE -- EXTRAORDINARY. THESE PEOPLE FROM COMCAST TO GET ALL OF THESE WIRING, YOU WILL SPEND A LOT OF TIME LOOKING THROUGH THEIR THIS WEEK, IT HAS BEEN A GREAT EFFORT WITH THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM COLORADO AND ALL OF THE COUNTRY. BY WORK IS TO START -- MY WORK IS TO START THE CONVENTION OFF AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO THE CHAIRS, SPEAKER PELOSI, GOV. SIBELIUS, AND OF COURSE THE OBAMA PEOPLE HAVE THE CONTROL OF THE PROGRAM. THAT WILL RUN WELL.
00:18:58	>>	IN 2004, CRITICS SAID THAT JOHN KERRY DID NOT DO ENOUGH TO GO AFTER PRESIDENT BUSH. WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN TRYING TO SELL THE OBAMA MESSAGE AND TRYING TO TALK ABOUT JOHN MCCAIN?
00:19:11	>>	YOU WILL SEE A MORE POSITIVE CONVENTION. YOU WANT A CONTRAST, JOHN MCCAIN IS FOUR MORE YEARS OF GEORGE BUSH, SENATOR OBAMA IS A MORE FORWARD-LOOKING VIEW. THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONVENTION IS NOT TO GIVE PEOPLE A REASON TO VOTE AGAINST JOHN MCCAIN, THEY HAVE ALREADY DECIDED THAT FOR THE MOST PART. THEY DO NOT WANT TO VOTE FOR HIM. NOW THE REASON WE ARE GOING TO BE HERE AND WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO FOR THE NEXT 10 WEEKS TO SHOW PEOPLE WHY THEY SHOULD VOTE FOR SENATOR OBAMA AND SENATOR JOE BIDEN, I AM SURE THERE WILL BE SOME THINGS -- MOSTLY OUR FOCUS WILL BE ON WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN THIS COUNTRY TO HAVE A REAL CHANGE.
00:20:03	>>	WE WILL GO NEXT TO IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. GOOD MORNING. CALLER: HELLO. DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRESENT HOPE AND CHANGE. BARACK OBAMA REPRESENT HOPE IN AMERICAN DREAM. I AM FROM SUDAN. I LOST BOY IN [INAUDIBLE] I WANTED SO BAD TO COME TO THE CONVENTION AND THE PART OF THE CONVENTION, THIS IS MY HOPE, TO COME TO CONVENTION. I THINK THAT OBAMA IS A LOST BOY LIKE ME. HE LOST HIS FATHER. I GREW UP IN A REFUGEE CAMP. WHEN I SEE OBAMA I SEE MYSELF IN HIM. WHEN I SEE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, I SEE MYSELF IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
00:21:00	>>	CALLER, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE U.S.? CALLER: SEVEN YEARS NOW.
00:21:06	>>	THIS IS A GREAT CALL. THIS IS WHY AMERICA IS A GREAT COUNTRY. IF YOU LOOK BACK OVER AMERICA, ROUGHLY 200 YEARS BEFORE THAT, THIS IS A COUNTRY THAT WAS PRINCIPALLY FOUNDED BY FOLKS WHO CAME FROM SOMEPLACE ELSE. THEY HAVE BEEN COMING FOR 200 YEARS. THIS GENTLEMAN WAS A REFUGEE FROM A TRAGEDY IN SUDAN. HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE LOST BOYS. THEY LITERALLY WALK HUNDREDS OF MILES AND MORE OR FRIEND BY GENOCIDE IN DARFUR. IT WAS SOUTHERN SUDAN BEFORE THAT CIVIL WAR WAS SEVEN -- SETTLED. IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE TO THE IRISH, THE JEWISH, THE LITHUANIANS, THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE COUNTRY. IF PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO LOOK HARD, WE WORK HARD, THEY CAN PROSPER AND THEIR KIDS CAN PROSPER, MANY OF US HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. IT IS NOT JUST BARACK OBAMA, IT IS JOHN F. KENNEDY, THE GRANDSON OF IRISH IMMIGRANTS. IT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO GEORGE WASHINGTON, WHO WAS THE GRANDSON OF ENGLISH IMMIGRANTS. IT WAS A GREAT COUNTRY AND IS A GREAT COUNTRY, AND A GREAT STORY FROM A CALLER FROM ATLANTA.
00:22:39	>>	THE LAST TIME, IRONICALLY, WE HAD TWO SITTING U.S. SANDERS, SOME AMERICANS DID NOT VOTE FOR JOHN KENNEDY BECAUSE HE WAS IRISH ARE CATHOLIC, WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DO NOT VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA BECAUSE HE IS AFRICAN-AMERICAN?
00:23:00	>>	THIS IS A NEW DAY. IN THE 1960'S THERE WAS A COUNTY IN ALABAMA THAT HAD SIGNS AND BILLBOARDS SAYING THAT BLACK PEOPLE WERE NOT WELCOME AFTER DARK, ONLY THEY DID NOT SAY BLACK PEOPLE. TODAY, THIS 96% WHITE COUNTY IS REPRESENTED BY AN AFRICAN- AMERICAN. THINGS HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY IN THIS COUNTRY. THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT RACISM IS DEAD OR THAT ETHNICITY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE, BUT THIS IS A NEW GENERATION AND WE HAVE ALL BENEFITED. IN THE NORTH AS WELL AS THE SOUTH, THERE ARE PLENTY OF RACISTS IN THE NORTH AS WELL. THERE ARE -- THIS IS A DIFFERENT COUNTRY TODAY. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE FOLKS WHO DO THINGS THE OLD WAY, BUT THIS IS A NEW COUNTRY AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW DIRECTION. I THINK THAT RACE WILL PLAY A VERY SMALL ROLE IN THIS ELECTION.
00:23:57	>>	BY THE WAY, PERSONALLY, WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONVENTION? WHAT YEAR?
00:24:02	>>	1980, I WAS A BIG FAN OF JIMMY CARTER.
00:24:07	>>	THAT WAS IN NEW YORK AT THAT TIME. BUFFALO, NEW YORK. GO AHEAD. CALLER: I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS. I DO NOT THINK THAT OBAMA CAN WIN IN OF #, THE WAY THAT THE ELECTION -- IN NOVEMBER, THE WAY THAT THE ELECTION WAS CONDUCTED. PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS, WOMEN, PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT PARTICIPATE, MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE WILL BE VOTING. IF YOU LOOK IN TALK -- TEXAS, THAT PRIMARY DID NOT EXCLUDE PEOPLE AND IT WAS WON BY HILLARY. THERE WILL BE A SURPRISE IN A MEMBER, YOU WILL BE SURPRISED HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT WILL NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA.
00:24:52	>>	WHEN YOU SAY EXCLUDE, HOW SO? CALLER: EXCLUDE? WOMEN CAME HOME FROM WORK, THEY HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THE FAMILY. PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS CANNOT COMMIT THAT MUCH TIME TO A CAUCUS. PEOPLE WITH JOBS THAT DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO ATTEND, THEY ARE EXCLUDED.
00:25:12	>>	THANK YOU FOR THE CALL, LET'S GET A RESPONSE.
00:25:16	>>	IN PART I AGREE, IN PART I DISAGREE. IN DEFENSE OF THE SYSTEM, WE HAVE 35 MILLION PEOPLE VOTING IN -- FAR MORE THAN EVER IN A PRIMARY PROCESS IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA. I THINK THAT THIS IS THE MOST OPEN PROCESS WE HAVE EVER HAD IN AMERICA, INCLUDING A COUPLE OF MILLION OF REPUBLICANS WHO CHANGE THEIR REGISTRATION BECAUSE THEY WERE UPSET WITH THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNTRY. HOWEVER, THE CALLER HAS SOME GOOD POINTS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY, ONE OF THE POINTS OF THE FINISH YESTERDAY WAS THE RULES COMMITTEE ADOPTED RULES TO FIX SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THE CALLER WAS TALKING ABOUT. SO THE THE NEXT TIME, IN 2012, IT WILL ALLOW SOME OF THE PROBLEMS TO BE FIXED. WHEN YOU HAVE 35 MILLION PEOPLE DOING CAUCUSES AND PRIMARIES, SETTING A HUGE RECORD, IT WAS A OPEN PROCESS.
00:26:19	>>	I REALIZE THAT IT STILL NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE AND REPUBLICANS, DO YOU THINK IN 2012, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND IOWA WAS TO BE FIRST?
00:26:30	>>	AND KNOWS, I WILL FOCUS ON GETTING -- WILL STILL BE FIRST?
00:26:37	>>	WHO KNOWS, I AM POSING ON BARACK OBAMA RIGHT NOW. CALLER: GOOD MORNING, GOVERNOR DEAN. NICE TO CHAT WITH YOU ON A SUNDAY MORNING. FIRST OF OFF, I WAS A BIG SUPPORTER OF YOURS IN 2004. THE TWO THINGS I HAVE OF A CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, AND I HOPE YOU TAKE IT AND USE IT WISELY, NUMBER ONE YOU SEEM IN THE PARTY TO HAVE BEEN ABSENT DURING THE TIME THAT SENATOR CLINTON WAS RUNNING AND MSNBC, NBC, CNN HAMMERED ON HER AND HAMMERED ON HER, SHE COULD DO NO RIGHT AND HE COULD DO NO WRONG. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SAT THERE AND DID NOTHING TO HELP THAT WOMAN, YOU JUST LEFT HER OUT THERE HANGING. THE SECOND QUESTION WOULD BE TO YOU, SIR, I HAVE BEEN ASKING SINCE PHILADELPHIA AND IOWA, AT WHAT POINT DID THE CLINTONS BECOME BIGOTS AND RACISTS? I HAVE BEEN ASKING THAT QUESTION.
00:27:51	>>	THANK YOU.
00:27:53	>>	LET'S TAKE THE SECOND ONE, OBVIOUSLY THE CLINTONS ARE NOT RACIST. I SUPPOSE THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THAT IS INFLAMMATORY AND OBVIOUSLY NOT TRUE. SECONDLY, THE TRUTH IS THERE ARE SOME THINGS I COULD HAVE SAID DURING THE CAMPAIGN. SEXIST REMARKS AND THAT SENATOR CLINTON AND THAT MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA, I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING, BUT THE BEATING UP ON SENATOR CLINTON -- THERE WAS PLENTY OF BEATING UP ON SENATOR OBAMA AS WELL BY MAJOR NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, ESPECIALLY TODAY. MY JOB WAS TO BE THE REFEREE, THE REFEREE DOES NOT STEP IN IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY DO NOT PROVIDE A BUFFER BETWEEN THE NEWS MEDIA AND A CANDIDATE. IN MY VIEW, BOTH CANDIDATES GOT PUMMELED. MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN 2004 SAID TO ME THAT WHAT THE NEWS MEDIA LIKES TO BE IS PAUL THE FRONT RUNNER, WHOEVER THEY HAPPEN TO BE -- PUMMEL THE FRONT RUNNER, WHOEVER THEY HAPPEN TO BE, FREE MERCILESSLY. SOME OF THE REMARKS THAT BECAME SEXIST, RATHER THAN JUST IN THAT POLICY, I LOOK BACK ON THAT AND I THINK PROBABLY I WOULD PERHAPS LIKE TO HAVE SAID SOMETHING. A CALL TO ACCOUNT FOR SOME OF THE BOBBING HEADS, MOSTLY ON CABLE TELEVISION.
00:29:14	>>	I WOULD ASK YOU ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS, THE CALLER ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT HE SUPPORTED YOU IN 2004, WHEN I WRITE THE HISTORY BOOKS ON PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS, THEY REFER TO WHAT YOU DID ABOUT RAISING MONEY ON THE INTERNET AND HUDDY OBAMA CAMPAIGN HAS TAKEN IT ANOTHER STEP. CAN YOU -- AND THE INTERNET AND WHAT THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN HAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER STEP. CAN YOU ELABORATE?
00:29:41	>>	IT WAS NOT THE RAISING MONEY, THAT WAS NOT GROUNDBREAKING, BUT IT WAS GREAT. VERY FEW POLITICIANS UNDERSTAND THIS TO THIS DAY, ALTHOUGH SENATOR OBAMA DOES UNDERSTAND, WHICH IS WHY I THINK HE HAS BEEN SAYS TUSSLE. THE KEY TO THE INTERNET IS THAT IT IS A REAL COMMUNITY, IS NOT JUST AN ATM MACHINE. THEY FUNCTION AS A COMMUNITY. YOU HAVE GOT TO TREAT THE PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET AS A COMMUNITY AND THE SIN AS VOSTOK AT THEM. THAT IS WHAT BARACK OBAMA HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO -- AND LISTEN AS WELL AS TALK AT THEM. THAT IS WHAT BARACK OBAMA HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO. THERE IS THE KARL ROVE SCHOOL, DIVIDE AND CONQUER, MAKE PEOPLE MAD AT A PARTICULAR GROUP, MEMBERS OF MINORITY GROUPS, MAKE THEM MAD, BUT THAT IS TERRIBLE FOR AMERICA. WHAT BARACK OBAMA HAS DONE, PEOPLE WANT TO BE A FAMILY AGAIN. PEOPLE DID NOT GIVE GOOD ABOUT THE DIRECTION THE FACT -- DIRECTION THE COUNTRY IS GOING, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMY AND BECAUSE OF IRAQ, IT IS BECAUSE PEOPLE DID NOT FEEL LIKE A COMMUNITY. BARACK OBAMA IS ABOUT COMMUNITY. THE YOUNGER GENERATION SPORTS COMMUNITY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE YOUNGER GENERATION, THERE ARE -- THE YOUNGER GENERATION SUPPORTS COMMUNITY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE YOUNGER GENERATION, THEY ARE VERY MULTI- CULTURAL. THAT IS THE GENIUS OF THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN. FRANKLY, IF WE CONTRIBUTED ANYTHING, IT WAS NOT THAT WE WERE SUCH GREAT FUND-RAISERS ON THE INTERNET, THAT JUST ADDRESSED THE MEDIA. THE REAL CHANGE WAS LOOKING AT THE INTERNET AS A GROUP OF HUMAN BEINGS -- THAT JUST IMPRESSED THE MEDIA. THE REAL CHANGE WAS LOOKING AT THE INTERNET AS A GROUP OF HUMAN BEINGS.
00:31:35	>>	MEANWHILE, WE WILL CONNECT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, THROUGH THE PHONE. MISSOURI, GO AHEAD PLEASE. CALLER: MR. DEAN, HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?
00:31:44	>>	GOOD. CALLER: ARE YOU HAVING A GOVERNMENT APPROVED DAY?
00:31:49	>>	I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THAT. [LAUGHTER] CALLER: YOU BROUGHT UP THE LIBERTARIAN ANKLE EARLIER, I SUBMIT TO YOUR -- I SUBMIT THAT NEITHER YOUR PARTY NOR THE REPUBLICANS, EXCEPT FOR RON PAUL, KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. WE WERE TOLD THAT THAT WHICH GOVERNS LEAST GOVERNS BEST. WHEN YOU HAVE THE TAX-CUTTING REPUBLICANS AND THE TAX SPENDING DEMOCRATS, HOW YOU PUT THAT PHILOSOPHY WITH THE IDEA THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL OF YOUR NEEDS.
00:32:30	>>	THANK YOU.
00:32:33	>>	I THINK THAT THERE'S A BALANCE SOMEWHERE, I THINK THAT THE DEMOCRATS IN THE PAST IN THE 15 YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN CLOSER TO THE BALANCE THAN REPUBLICANS. THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN THE ONLY PARTY TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, FIRST OF ALL. DEMOCRATS ALSO BELIEVE THAT INDIVIDUALS WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE PERSONAL DECISIONS FOR THEIR OWN LIVES. REPUBLICANS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT. THIRD, TOO MUCH LIBERTARIANISM IS NOT GOOD. WE HAVE A HUGE FINANCIAL CRISIS BECAUSE GEORGE BUSH DID NOT THINK THAT TOO MUCH REGULATION SHOULD BE APPLIED TO THE BANKING SYSTEM, SO THEY DID THINGS THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE. NOW, ORDINARY MIDDLE-CLASS PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR THAT. IN SOME CASES, BANKS ARE GOING BROKE. THEY EITHER CANNOT GET MORTGAGES OR THEY CANNOT PAY MORTGAGES. WHILE WE WANT INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM IN THIS COUNTRY, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ALSO WANT GOVERNMENT TO BE THEIR ADVOCATE. THE GOVERNMENT HAS NOT BEEN THERE ADVOCATE DURING THE BUSH BECAME ECONOMIC PHILOSOPHY, THEY HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THE BIG GUYS, EXXON MOBIL, HUGE MONEY-CENTER BANKS, THEY HAVE FORGOT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT PROTECT ORDINARY AMERICANS AND HAVE RULES IN THE SYSTEM. THERE HAVE TO BE OF RULES BY CAPITALISM OF WORK FOR EVERYBODY. IT IS A GREAT SYSTEM WHEN IT WORKS FOR EVERYONE, I ASKED AN AUTOWORKER, THOSE JOBS ARE IN MORE AND MORE TROUBLE NOW BECAUSE REPUBLICANS DID NOT THINK THAT CAPITALISM NEEDS TO WORK FOR ANYONE EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WRITE CHECKS FROM A PARTY, AND I DID NOTHING THAT IS A GOOD IDEA.
00:34:14	>>	WE HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE CALL, MARLBOROUGH, MASS., YOUR NEXT.
00:34:22	>>	FISA POUR BARACK OBAMA, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. WHAT I REALLY THINK IS IMPORTANT TO THE NEXT PRESIDENT TAKE IN ADDRESSING THE SITUATIONS THAT HAVE PLAGUED THIS COUNTRY, IT IS CORRUPTION IN GOVERNMENT. IT SEEMS LIKE THE VOTES OF CONGRESS JUST GO TO THE MOST POWERFUL LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON, AND THAT YOU KEEP THE NEEDS OF THIS COUNTRY HAVE NOT BEEN MET IN A LONG TIME, SPECIFICALLY THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.
00:34:58	>>	I WILL STOP YOU THERE BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING FEEDBACK, MR. CHAIRMAN?
00:35:04	>>	ONE OF THE BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SENATOR MCCAIN AND SENATOR OBAMA IS THAT SENATOR MCCAIN'S CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN RUN BY LOBBYISTS. SENATOR OBAMA HAS NOT TAKEN ANY MONEY FROM LOBBYISTS, HE HAS NOT ALLOWED THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION TO TAKE MONEY FROM LOBBYISTS, IT IS CLEAR, IF YOUR WORD ABOUT CORRUPTION IN GOVERNMENT, SENATOR MCCAIN HAS A DIFFERENT VIEW OF SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY THAN SENATOR OBAMA, HE DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE ANY. HE KNOWS THAT IF YOU START TAKING IT, YOU COULD GET INFLUENCE, THERE IS A CLEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SENATOR OBAMA AND SENATOR MCCAIN AND THE ISSUE OF CORRUPTION.
00:35:44	>>	IF ASKED, WOULD YOU SERVE IN OBAMA ADMINISTRATION?
00:35:47	>>	I DO NOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION. THAT IS A BRIDGE ACROSS LATER, RIGHT NOW WE ARE WORRYING ABOUT OBAMA-BIDEN WINNING IN NOVEMBER.
00:35:59	>>	I WANT TO ASK YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PEPSI CENTER AND THE PODIUM AND THE STAGE, WHAT LED INTO THIS DESIGN?
00:36:09	>>	WE HAVE A WONDERFUL GUY WITH A GREAT TEAM, RICKEY KIRSCHNER, HE IS A PROFESSIONAL, HE HAS STAGED SUPER BOWLS. WHAT HE DID THIS TIME, I LOVE. HE HAS MADE, IN MY VIEW, THE PEPSI CENTER MUCH MORE INTIMATE. IF YOU REMEMBER PREVIOUS CONVENTIONS, IT WAS MORE OF A SPACE OF HEIGHT BETWEEN THE SPEAKERS AND THE DELEGATES, THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA. THE PODIUM IS LOWER, THE WOOD PANEL, THERE IS MORE OF A SENSE OF INTIMACY. SPEAKERS ARE LITERALLY MUCH CLOSER. I LOVE THIS SET UP. I THINK THAT THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB. I AM DELIGHTED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
00:36:57	>>	IF I COULD, I WOULD LIKE TO GO THROUGH EACH NIGHT AND HAVE YOU BRIEFLY HIGHLIGHT WHAT HE WILL EXPECT TO SEE. THE CONVENTION BEGINS AT 5:00 EASTERN ON MONDAY, C-SPAN WILL HAVE COVERAGE OF THE PROCEEDINGS, SPEAKERS INCLUDE MICHELLE OBAMA, NANCY PELOSI, JIMMY CARTER, AND A TRIBUTE TO SENATOR TED KENNEDY.
00:37:20	>>	I DID NOT PUT THE PROGRAM TOGETHER, THAT IS ALWAYS THE PREROGATIVE OF THE NOMINEE. I CANNOT COMMENT IN GREAT DETAIL ABOUT THE PROGRAM, BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE VERY, VERY EXCITING SPEAKERS. I THINK THAT HE LEFT OFF SENATOR CLINTON AND PRESIDENT CLINTON, WHO WILL ALSO BE SPEAKING. OF COURSE, VICE-PRESIDENT TO BEAT JOE BIDEN AS WELL.
00:37:48	>>	ON TUESDAY, SENATOR CLINTON AND MARK WARNER. WEDNESDAY, JOE BIDEN AND JOHN KERRY, ALONG WITH BILL CLINTON. THURSDAY, PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE, BARACK OBAMA.
00:38:01	>>	IT SHOULD BE TERRIFIC. THERE WILL BE OTHER WONDERFUL FOLKS, MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TERRIFIC GOVERNORS, MAYORS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SENATOR OBAMA HAS DONE THAT I LIKE A LOT, HE HAS CUT BACK ON THE NUMBER OF POLITICIANS SPEAKING. THERE WILL BE A FAIR NUMBER OF ORDINARY AMERICANS TELLING THEIR STORIES ON THE STAGE. SINCE YOU ARE COVERING GAVEL-TO- GAVEL, YOU HAVE ALL OF THAT ON C-SPAN, OTHER NETWORKS WILL JUST CUT IN FOR THE BIG POLITICAL NAMES. IT WILL BE WONDERFUL TO HEAR THE STORIES OF IRAQ WAR VETERANS AND THEIR SPOUSES WHO HAD TO STAY HOME AND MANAGE A LOT THEMSELVES WHILE THEIR LOVED ONES INTERACT. SOME OF THE ORDINARY PEOPLE IN AMERICA -- .
00:38:59	>>	DOES ANYTHING WERE YOU THE MOST THIS WEEK?
00:39:02	>>	YOU ARE ALWAYS WORRIED, BUT WE ARE PRETTY WELL BUT AND DOWN. WE ARE AS PREPARED AS WE CAN BE FOR ANY EVENTUALITY. FACTS IF IT RAINS ON THURSDAY?
00:39:12	>>	WE DO NOT HAVE A BACKUP PLAN -- IF IT RAINS ON THURSDAY TO ALLOW WE DO NOT HAVE A BACKUP PLAN FOR THAT. I WOULD TELL YOU WHAT, THE WOMAN RUNNING THE CONVENTION HAPPENS TO BE A PENTECOSTAL MINISTER, SO WE THINK WE HAVE AN IN WITH THE WEATHER.

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