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

Election 2000: Candidates Try Last-Ditch Sales Pitches in Third Debate

Aired October 18, 2000 - 9:08 a.m. ET

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

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Daryn, we mentioned it's a busy morning, continue to track the fallout. Now, from last night, the third and final presidential debate now over, the race for the White House nearing that finish line. In last night's sparring match, the candidates went at it over everything from the size of government to Social Security. A CNN-"USA Today" Gallup poll shows that 46 percent of debate watchers thought the vice president did a better job. Forty-four percent gave the nod to the Texas governor.

For a look back on last night, now, here's CNN's Jeanne Meserve from St. Louis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the get go, the debate was a scrappy set-to with Vice President Gore on the offensive, several times breaking the debate rules. The strategy for both men was to define themselves and paint his opponent in unflattering colors. Governor Bush portrayed the vice president as the quintessential big spender.

GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He proposed more than Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis combined, this is a big spender, he is, and he ought to be proud of it, it is part of his record.

MESERVE: Gore countered by pointing to Texas and his own efforts to shrink the federal government.

VICE PRES. AL GORE (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: During the last five years Texas' government has gone up in size. The federal government has gone down. Texas' government has gone up.

MESERVE: But when talking about spending on military readiness, Bush scored a gotcha.

GORE: The governor proposes $45 billion. I propose more than twice as much because I think it is needed.

BUSH: If this were a spending contest I would come in second.

MESERVE: Gore defined Bush as a captive of big business. GORE: If you want somebody who believes that we were better off eight years ago than we are now, and that we ought to go back to the kind of policies that we had back then, emphasizing tax cuts mainly for the wealthy, here is your man. If you want somebody who will fight for you and who will fight to have middle-class tax cuts, than I am your man. I want to be.

MESERVE: Bush's response, Gore will let government run your life.

BUSH: ... federal government is going to be one of the themes you hear tonight. I don't want the federal government making decisions on behalf of everybody.

MESERVE: Bush repeatedly complained about bickering and finger- pointing in Washington, saying he had created a different climate in Austin.

BUSH: You see, in order to get something done on behalf of the people, you have to put partisanship aside, and that's what we did in my state.

MESERVE: There were skirmishes on issues. Gore tried to pin Bush on his definition of Affirmative Action, and he asked how Bush could promise to divert Social Security funds for private investment accounts and simultaneously pledge not to cut benefits to seniors.

GORE: So this is the "Show Me" state, it reminds me of the line from the movie: "Show me the money." Which one of those promises will you keep and which will you break?

MESERVE: Bush turned the theme of broken promises back on Gore.

BUSH: You promised that Medicare would be reformed and that Social Security would be reformed. You promised a middle-class tax cut in 1992, it didn't happen. There's too much bitterness in Washington. There's too much wrangling, it's time to have a fresh start.

MESERVE: Wait a minute, said Gore, the record looks pretty good.

GORE: We have gone from the biggest deficits eight years ago to the biggest surpluses in history today. Instead of high unemployment, we now have the lowest African-American unemployment, the lowest Latino unemployment ever measured.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: The candidates now move on to the key battleground states. Laura Bush will be splitting off from husband, campaigning with several other women, including Cindy McCain, the wife of John McCain. They will be trying to convince those critical undecided female voters that, as the campaign says, the W in George W. stands for women.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, St. Louis, Missouri. HEMMER: All right, Jeanne, thank you.

We're not going to leave this topic.

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.