ad info




CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 SPACE
 HEALTH
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 ARTS & STYLE
 NATURE
 IN-DEPTH
 ANALYSIS
 myCNN

 Headline News brief
 news quiz
 daily almanac

  MULTIMEDIA:
 video
 video archive
 audio
 multimedia showcase
 more services

  E-MAIL:
Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists.
Enter your address:
Or:
Get a free e-mail account

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 AsiaNow
 En Español
 Em Português
 Svenska
 Norge
 Danmark
 Italian

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 TIME INC. SITES:
 CNN NETWORKS:
Networks image
 more networks
 transcripts

 SITE INFO:
 help
 contents
 search
 ad info
 jobs

 WEB SERVICES:

  Transcripts

Morning News

Election 2000: GOP Presidential Candidates on Post-Debate Campaign Trail in South Carolina

Aired February 16, 2000 - 9:03 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And the candidates are back on the campaign trail this morning. Governor Bush is in Hilton Head, South Carolina while Senator McCain is in Newberry, South Carolina.

Our John King joins us from Newberry with the latest on this neck-and-neck Republican race.

John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning do you, Daryn.

Inside today, Senator -- go ahead.

KAGAN: You go ahead.

KING: OK. If you watch last night's debate, each candidate trying to make a case to the voters they think are critical to their chances here in South Carolina. Governor Bush, in that exchange we saw in Jon Karl's package, looking to appeal to South Carolina's core cultural conservative base. He believes that is the margin of victory for him here.

Senator McCain, on the other hand, looking to appeal to the veterans, to tap into South Carolina's deep military tradition. Both campaigns claiming victory, although in the McCain campaign, advisers do privately tell us they think Senator McCain has done much better in previous debates. Obviously, with three days left, the candidates campaigning hard for a contest that will determine whether Senator McCain keeps the momentum of New Hampshire going or whether Governor Bush can reestablish his claim to be the clear GOP front-runner -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So different constituencies, yet almost everybody likes to hear the idea of a tax cut. These candidates are proposing different types of tax cuts. What did they have to say in their differences last night, John?

KING: Well, the age-old rule in Republican politics used to be the candidate with the biggest tax cut wins. Senator McCain is challenging that. Governor Bush wants to cut taxes by nearly $500 billion over 10 years. He says the American people deserve the federal budget surplus back in their pockets. However, Senator McCain takes a very different approach, wants to cut taxes by only about half that much and dedicate 62 percent of the surplus to shoring up the Social Security program and paying down the national debt. So this policy difference between the two a test of where the Republican Party now stands on the issue of tax cuts -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A test that will be decided in the primary just days from now.

John King travelling with John McCain in Newberry, South Carolina.

Thanks, John.

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

  ArrowCLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S TOPICS AND GUESTS
ArrowCLICK HERE FOR CNN PROGRAM SCHEDULES
SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.