ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Morning News

Democratic National Convention: Gore Departs for California

Aired August 16, 2000 - 10:52 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: Want to show you live pictures now from Romulus, Michigan, where Vice President Al Gore is getting ready to take his final leg of his trip to join the Democrats here in Los Angeles, California on his way to the convention, where he will give acceptance speech as this party's candidate for president. That will happen tomorrow night.

Leaving Michigan and heading to Burbank, California, an airport that is not too far, probably the closest airport to us here in downtown Los Angeles.

We have with us standing by our own Frank Buckley, who is standing by in Burbank.

Frank, what time do you expect the vice president, and have they come up with a big rally for him when he arrives?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, the vice president is expected to arrive here at about 12:10 local time. So that is just over four hours from now. And the rally. There will be a welcome rally here at the airport, the Burbank Airport, at one of the general aviation terminals.

They are just now preparing for that welcome rally, in fact we have just, within the last 15 or 20 minutes or so, started to see some of the Secret Service agents arriving, as well as some of the advance people for the Gore campaign.

So they are beginning the process of setting up for this welcome rally here.

After this welcome rally at the airport, they will eventually head downtown to downtown -- to the Staples Center area.

In between the, here and downtown, they will stop off also in Burbank at Warner Bros. Studio for a party, a meeting with the Connecticut and Tennessee delegations. So that will also be taking place this afternoon.

KAGAN: We don't expect the vice president to be here when his selection for his vice president speaks tonight, Joe Lieberman. Do we know where Al Gore will be watching the festivities tonight?

BUCKLEY: That we don't know because, as I say, the advance people haven't arrived yet, we have not been able to ask them exactly what his plans are during the day, but he will be, we know, at least in Southern California. We don't know where he will physically be during the speech though.

KAGAN: We do know he is arriving later today, about four hours from now, as you said, and his big night is tomorrow night with his acceptance speech, a lot of pressure. Some people saying that this is the biggest political speech that he will be giving of his entire career.

Al Gore getting on the plane in Detroit, Michigan and heading out to Southern California to join the Democratic National Convention.

And we move on now. I believe we have showbiz news. OK, we are going to stay with this.

Important for us to see the vice president get on the airplane.

Frank, anything you have to add?

BUCKLEY: Well, this evening Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut, the vice presidential nominee, will be speaking to the delegations -- to the delegates who are gathered at the Staples Center. And he will be talking about himself, telling his life story, how he came from working class roots, to become the vice presidential nominee.

He will also be talking about, he says, Vice President Gore. He was saying that he wants to introduce Vice President Gore to the American people. Of course, Gore has been attempting to do that, himself, for the past several months, but in Lieberman's view, and in the view of many other people, they don't know who Gore is yet. And Lieberman says that the people don't know the Gore that he knows, and so he is attempting to give his view of who Al Gore is, and hoping that that view of Al Gore will appeal to, of course, Democrats and other voters across the country.

So that's the kind of thing that we should expect to hear from Mr Lieberman tonight. Of course. tomorrow night, Al Gore will be doing his best to sell himself, and also trying to draw some sharp distinctions between what the Democrats offer and what the Republicans offer.

So these are really the two big nights. Monday, of course, was a big night as well with the president speaking, and yesterday, the president did the handing off of the political baton from himself to Vice President Gore. And now we should expect to not hear very much from President Clinton over the next several days because he will want as much of the media spotlight to shine on his vice president, and now the presidential candidate, Al Gore -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Frank, you mentioned that the vice president will be stopping by -- I think you said Warner Bros.?

BUCKLEY: That's right.

KAGAN: It has been interesting over the last few days to watch these two worlds come together, both Washington and Hollywood, especially for the Democratic Party, that is a relationship that has been very close over the years. Somewhat strained in some sectors, though, with the selection of Joe Lieberman as a vice presidential running mate for Al Gore because he has been critical of sex and violence in the media.

BUCKLEY: He has been. Joe Lieberman has been critical of Hollywood and has asked Hollywood to take more responsibility with regard to the images that it puts out. And there has been some sense, some speculation as to how much Hollywood would embrace Joe Lieberman.

We know last night Lieberman attended a party at the home of a Hollywood producer. There is some effort underway to sort of bridge that potential divide between Hollywood and Senator Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman also working to clear up any misunderstanding between the African-American community and Joe Lieberman. Yesterday he meet with the Democratic Black Caucus, you might recall, and attempted to clear up what he felt were misunderstandings about his position on Affirmative Action. Lieberman saying that he also stood for Affirmative Action; he does stand for Affirmative Action; and he always will stand for Affirmative Action.

So there is a great deal of effort underway here to make sure that the image that this Democrats want to get out is getting out, and that they -- that the voters receive the impression that they want them to receive about exactly who they are.

KAGAN: And apparently that meeting with the Black Caucus -- between the Black Caucus and Senator Lieberman went very well. Because, for instance, before that Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an influential figure here from Southern California, said that she was going to hold out to decide whether she would support this ticket. But after hearing Senator Lieberman address the group yesterday, she said that this ticket will have her full-fledged support.

Let's bring in our Kate Snow, who is also with us here in Southern California.

Kate, we are standing by waiting for the vice president to get on to the plane.

What do you know about Senator Lieberman's schedule for today?

KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator Lieberman will be meeting up with Al Gore, once Al Gore arrives here at the Burbank Airport. They are going to be having a rally a little later on this afternoon.

He is also meeting -- You mentioned that he met yesterday with the African-American Caucus. He is also going to be meeting with some other groups today, groups of delegates ere.

He also met yesterday, by the way, with the American Indian Caucus. More meetings like that with key delegate groups scheduled for today. This afternoon both Gore and Lieberman will attend that party that you mentioned at the lot with the Tennessee and Connecticut delegations. And of course, he is practicing, his wife saying that he is working on last minute revisions to his big address tonight.

KAGAN: And we'll not only hear from Joe Lieberman, we will head from his wife Hadassah tonight as well; right, Kate?

SNOW: Right.

KAGAN: Do we have any inside information on what she might have to say or what we expect the senator to say in his speech tonight?

SNOW: We expect the senator to take the opportunity to lay out his career, to tell Americans who he is, what he is all about. A lot of Americans don't know much about him, They don't now much about his wife.

Both of them will certainly try to introduce themselves to the American public. This, of course, the largest audience that Joe Lieberman has ever had in his political career, the national audience and the delegates here at the Staples Center.

He said he see it as an excitingly opportunity, he sees it as a chance to tell the American people what he stand for, what his values are, to talk about his experiences. Those values and family experiences are something that Mrs. Lieberman mentioned in an interview this morning on CNN as well, she talking about the importance to them of their family; I imagine she will probably address that tonight as well.

KAGAN: Last night was what some are referring to as the liberal night here in the Los Angeles. We heard from Senator Ted Kennedy, from his niece Caroline Kennedy, from the Reverend Jessie Jackson. The presentation, then, of Senator Lieberman tonight.

Kate, this is moving the party, then, from the left more towards the center or to the right for the Democrats?

SNOW: Back towards the center. Al Gore and Joe Lieberman considered New Democrats, considered to be more like Clinton Democrats. A little bit more towards the center. Last night was all about rallying the troops, trying to ignite the liberal base, making sure the liberals are still on board as well.

They brought out Bill Bradley, who had appealed to many of those liberal voters earlier on when he was running. He gave a very moving speech last night, some saying one of his best speeches ever, and that if he had given that kind of performance during the earlier months of this campaign, perhaps he would have done a little bit better in the primaries.

Also last night we heard from Jesse Jackson, Reverend Jesse Jackson firing up the delegates here, and really talking about some of his liberal ideas.

And the Kennedys, whose came out last night. Four members of the Kennedy clan speaking here to the delegates.

All of this in an effort to get the excitement built for tonight for Joe Lieberman, and then again for tomorrow night for Al Gore, when he speaks to the delegates -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kate Snow here with us in downtown Los Angeles, as we see the Gores wave good-bye to the folks in Detroit, Michigan. About four hours from now, they too will be here in Southern California. The vice president will address the convention tomorrow night.

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

 Search   


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