Episode 461 BOB DOLE 1995 Clinton's Comeback (Part 3) The First Days on the Trail

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Transcript

SPEAKER_18 0:01

Well they have right now they're all my second choice. I'm gonna wait a while before I decide. I I really do think that Senator Dole's announcement today really defines the beginning of of the partisan and the bipartisan presidential race. I think both within the party and the Republican candidates running very hard against President Clinton.

SPEAKER_17 0:20

So which one would you prefer to to which one would have an easier time? That's a setup. You'll say either one would have an easy time.

SPEAKER_18 0:25

I really do think that that either one of them will have an easy time against President Clinton if he maintains his present course. I think there is a course that would make Clinton a tough candidate. And you know what?

SPEAKER_17 0:35

You know what? He's not interested in your advice on that subject. Thank goodness. From the left, I'm Mike Kentley. Good night for Crossfire.

SPEAKER_18 0:41

His problem. From the right, I'm John Sununu. Join us again tomorrow night for another edition of Cross.

SPEAKER_04 0:46

First, announcing his bid for the White House, then blazing a campaign trail. After Dole announced in his home state of Kansas, he launched a nine state tour. In this third presidential campaign, Dole stressed his experience as a war veteran, as party leader.

SPEAKER_20 1:01

Dole will be interviewed on CNN and be president, you need at least three things heart, votes, and money. So take a look at Bob Dole's first day of campaigning for the Republican nomination yesterday. It began in the heartland of America, Dole's home state of Kansas, where he talked about where he's come from and where he'd like to go, the hard stuff. Next, votes. So it was on to New Hampshire, where the candidate met some of the first Republicans who will be able to cast ballots in the primaries. Then last night, money, a big bucks fundraiser in that biggest of Bucks city, New York. See? Heart, votes, and money. Well, a candidate's agenda is never clearer than at the beginning of a campaign. The tests and mistakes and counterattacks are all ahead, which means that yesterday may be the easiest day Mr. Duell gets for some time.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Hi everybody here, welcome to this edition of Bob 1995. And this episode, you know, the first days of the campaign. And I I wanted to I hope you all want to pay attention to something because I hopefully that is did you hear the conventional wisdom in that opening segment? Crossfire with Governor Johnson and uh and and the and the other guy that was there for so long. Um Henry I think was his name. But uh here is Johnson Ew talking about. Uh it's gonna be easy to defeat Billy. And a little later here guy when they're doing the announcement for the uh Bondo's announcement. Is it gonna be Phil Graham and then possibly Governor Pete Wilson of California? None of that proved to be true by the time we get to Legend Day in 1990. I think that's a story that we're gonna tell you when it's come back. Because this has been seven months from April of '95 to December of '95. When Bill Clinton repositions himself from basically a sitting president who's about to get gunned down. He is they've lost control of Congress. He is terribly unpopular. He never got more than 42% of the vote when he won. And by the time we roll into January of 1996, he'll have a 20-point lead on Bob Dolder. And that lead until until about a week from two weeks from the election, the last couple weeks of campaign, it never changed. We had a very static uh number there. Um it tightened up a lot in those final two weeks. And as somebody who had a lot of hope of you know, I remember that. But in the end of the day, Bill Clinton changed his fortune in 1995. That's the story we're going to tell before we get into the 1996 election and what is really the last moment that our generation, this World War II generation that we have admired so much, took its last big moment of center stage in the in the political world with this election. This will be Bob Dole's run will be the end of a generation of Americans who dominated American history from the end of the Cold from the end of the World War II all the way through the Cold War. Um and that's where we'll begin as Bob Dole takes that last uh campaign. And it begins here in this episode, really, um, as he's on the flight heading to New Hampshire for a nine-state tour. And we're gonna let you hear the sights and the sounds of it right now.

SPEAKER_09 7:48

Your confidence can be made better. I have come to New Hampshire with a grateful heart to declare that I am a candidate for the presidency of the United States.

SPEAKER_10 10:20

I wanna do this, and I wanna be president so I can do this for America. And that's what this is all about. And I think that's very important. To reconnect our government lost them with the common sense values of our citizens, and to reassert American interests wherever and whenever they are challenged around the world. And that's what this election is all about.

SPEAKER_20 11:05

And the balloon companies are very happy indeed. That was rebuilt. Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole in the beginning.

SPEAKER_16 11:11

You're watching ABC's World News Now.

SPEAKER_10 11:30

I have come home to Kansas with a grateful heart to declare that I am a candidate for the presidency of the United States.

SPEAKER_03 11:38

The ultimate Washington insider Bob Dole went home to Kansas to pick off his third try for the White House.

SPEAKER_15 11:44

I think this is his year. I think he's gonna make it.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

Dole is betting this try will be different than the others. Especially 1988, when he lost the New Hampshire primary to George Bush, garnering a reputation for being too thin-skinned to be presidential material.

SPEAKER_08 12:04

In every speech I give that deficit is public enemy number one, two, and three.

SPEAKER_03 12:09

But there are things Dole doesn't want the public to forget. He's a constant deficit hawk, yet now bends to the new Republican right calling for tax cuts. Consider the front runner Dole faces certain questions about his age. At 71, he's hoping he can use that as a positive, pointing to years of experience. And he must be concerned with the more conservative, well-funded, and well-organized Senator Phil Graham. With nine candidates expected, the Republican primary is already a crowded field, one in which Dole doesn't want to get lost in again. Admittedly, Dole prides himself as a problem solver, and he points to experience and his World War II service, which resulted in a disabled right arm to set him apart.

SPEAKER_09 12:50

There is another America waiting. An America strong again at heart and sure of mind. And I would like to lead us there to that other America.

SPEAKER_03 13:03

Joel hopes a strong showing here in New Hampshire will carry him through. And while polls show the Republicans generally view him favorably, Americans as a whole aren't sure. Regina Blakely, CBS News, Exeter, New Hampshire.

SPEAKER_21 13:18

Continue his 1996 GOP presidential campaign tour today with stops in Ohio, Iowa, and Colorado. Dole launched his campaign in Kansas Monday. 71-year-old is the senior candidate so far in the race and the only World War II veteran. This is Dole's third bid for the Republican nomination.

SPEAKER_23 13:37

Dole has officially started his presidential bid as the candidate's defeat in the Republican primaries. This is Dole's third try for the presidency. He crisscrossed the country yesterday announcing his candidacy in his home state of Kansas, then applying on to New Hampshire to campaign, and finally New York for a fundraiser, which by all accounts was pretty successful. Senator Dole is at the New York Sheraton Hotel this morning, and he joins us live. Good morning, Senator.

SPEAKER_10 14:02

Bob, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_23 14:03

Very well. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_10 14:04

I'm doing great. A little early, but we're doing fine.

SPEAKER_23 14:07

You have set yourself up for a pretty hard 18 months, how do you feel?

SPEAKER_10 14:12

I feel good about it. I think we've got it right on track. We're well organized. We've got a good team, and uh I feel relaxed about the race. I I think I know where I want to go, where I want to lead America. And so we're really excited. We had a great day yesterday.

SPEAKER_23 14:26

Let me ask you about that, Senator. Uh, what do you want for this country? Where do you want to go? Where do you want to lead America?

SPEAKER_10 14:32

What I want to do in three general areas is first of all to uh sort of reconnect uh the government with the American people, the average American out there, make it more friendly, user-friendly. Uh we want to rein in the government, make it more responsive, it's become too intrusive. And I think the third R is to sort of reassert America uh rightful role in the world, uh place the emphasis on United States policy. And these are the general areas. We're also gonna look at the taxes, look at the budget, uh, look at health care, look at a lot of different issues that we'll be fleshing out in the next several months.

SPEAKER_23 15:08

So rein in, reinvent, reassert the three R's.

SPEAKER_10 15:11

Rein in, reassert, and uh reconnect the three R's.

SPEAKER_23 15:15

All right. Uh before we move on to politics, let me ask you a question about uh today's news center. As you may know, uh one of our correspondents, Brent Sadler, has recently gotten access this morning to the two Americans held captive in a uh jail just outside Baghdad. Uh how do you feel about the Clifton administration's handling of uh this problem? They are refusing, apparently, to give an inch on anything, but are depending on back channel negotiations to try to free them out.

SPEAKER_10 15:45

I think that's the best route to go. I I'd support the president in this effort. I I know a lot of people that I do had a question yesterday in New Hampshire. Why don't we do something? Well, I think we're doing what we should do at this point, negotiation. I'm not certain what Saddam Hussein might do if we tried something else. Now we have to keep all of our options open. No doubt about that. We can't uh send any message of what we're gonna negotiate, negotiate only.

SPEAKER_23 16:10

Okay, back to politics. Right. The uh White House, uh, as you know now is occupied by a Vietnam war protester. You, on the other hand, were almost killed fighting for your country. Right. The question is how do you feel the younger voters, uh, and I I mean to include from baby boomers on, will relate to you come election day?

SPEAKER_10 16:29

Well, I I think so far the polling information says they relate very well. I'm not gonna make my record an issue in World War II. Uh it is a different generation, but uh I really believe uh a lot of people in the 40, 45, 48 uh range uh are looking for strong leadership, uh somebody with stability, somebody with experience, somebody who's been tested in many ways. So I feel pretty good about it. We've had a lot of good responses from the 40 to 50 age group.

SPEAKER_23 16:58

We understand you've met with General Cole and Paul. Talk about the vice presidency.

SPEAKER_10 17:02

Well, we didn't talk about that. We talked about politics generally, and uh General Powell's a great American, a good friend of mine. He's offered to help me on some of the defense matters. If I need any help, I'm free to call him. But uh, we didn't get into specifics. I think right now he's getting ready for a big, big book. It's gonna be a great book. And I don't know what his plans are politically, but I hope uh, of course, he's a Republican. That's the bottom line.

SPEAKER_23 17:27

Tell me if this is a problem, Senator. The lead story in last night's Atlanta Journal, hours after you had declared your candidacy, headlined, Can Dole erase the doubt? Known compromiser is facing questions within his own party. Known compromiser, I thought.

SPEAKER_10 17:42

Well, you know, my view is I don't think I think it's leadership. I mean, if you've got a problem out there and you can solve 90% of it uh by making modifications, or you can solve none of it by being hard-nosed about it. I think most Americans want are looking at results, uh, not uh how far out somebody can position themselves on the in the political uh along the political spectrum. Bob Dole is a conservative who gets things done. I think that's what the American people want.

SPEAKER_23 18:10

Well, speaking of getting things done now, how do you go about competing with Phil Graham, who has no leadership role in the site? Right. He does not have to wheel a deal to get a bill through. He can instead uh step up to the cameras and hold your feet to the fire for uh uh failing to do this or or for taking that position or for compromising.

SPEAKER_10 18:28

Well, I think uh in that case, uh Senator Graham, also Senator Luger, Senator Specter, they're all good friends of mine. They have an advantage. They're not in the leadership. Uh they're pretty much free agents, they can take any position. And if I don't reach that position and say, well, Bob Dill didn't quite major up. But again, uh, you know, the there I'm not gonna get in a quarrel with Phil Graham, uh at least at this point. But uh my view is that it's uh leadership, you pay a price for leadership. You always pay a price, whether it's in war, whether it's in the legislature, whether it's in Congress, whether it's in business, labor, whatever. And I'm prepared to pay that price. I think the American people want us to do certain things. They're not so interested in how far to the right or how far to the left we may be.

SPEAKER_23 19:09

I have a two-part question. Can a Republican win his party's nomination today without strong support from the Christian rights? And secondly, can you win that support away from people like Buchanan and Grant?

SPEAKER_10 19:21

Uh, well, our our you know, our theme is going to be to appeal to all Americans, certainly the Christian coalition, everybody else. My view is I'm a good Republican. We're looking for good Republicans, independents, and Democrats to join us. Uh, we don't have a litmus test. And the polls show that I do very well with the coalition members, and many of them are in positions of leadership in our campaign. They're good people, they believe in fundamental values as I do. And we're gonna reach out to everybody in America in this campaign.

SPEAKER_23 19:48

I'd like to talk for just a second, Senator, about the new Bob Dole. We are no longer hearing you described as the Prince of Darkness or Darth Vader. Not that anyone's calling you a teddy bear all of a sudden, but we seem to have seen a transformation. Would you agree with that?

SPEAKER_10 20:03

Well, I don't really agree with that. I mean, whatever people want to call it, but I I think I've been a pretty good person all my life, and uh, I've always tried to help other people, and uh, but you know, Bob, politics, uh, like the media, is very competitive business. And you don't elect nonpartisan leaders. George Mitchell and I used to talk about in the Senate. We, you know, we're sort of hard-nosed from time to time, but we have to be, whether we're Democrats or Republicans in position of leadership. But that doesn't uh define what kind of a person Bob Dole would be. I'm a very I I think I'm a good person. I'm not perfect, but uh I'm working on it.

SPEAKER_23 20:38

Are you driven?

SPEAKER_10 20:39

Uh driven in the sense that uh I think I'm uh I think I've got a uh a a goal, not for Bob Dole, but for lead leadership in America. I'm driven to that extent, but I'm also I've got a lot of stamina, I'm very competitive. Uh my view is that uh this could be the right this could is the time and uh we feel good about it.

SPEAKER_23 21:01

As a person looks over your position on the issues, they seem to be pretty generally in line with those espoused by most of the candidates running for the uh Republican nomination. What distinguishes you from the rest of the fact?

SPEAKER_10 21:14

I I think you're right. I think there are a lot of similarities in all these good Republican friends of mine who are running. And what distinguishes Bob Dole is leadership having been tested and tested and tested in many ways, and I I I think generally I've produced, again, I'm not I never got a hundred in school, I finally don't get a hundred in Congress. But I've been there and I've been on the firing line in the legislative battles. I've worked with presidents, Democrats, and Republicans. I know how Congress works, and I know the American people want results. They want less government, they want to rein in the government, as I said earlier, and I think they want somebody there who understands what it's all about so they know precisely how to rein it in.

SPEAKER_23 21:54

You are headed off for America's heartland for the rest of the day.

SPEAKER_10 22:00

Colorado, then tomorrow we'll have a little invasion into Texas and then go on to Florida, and then wind it up Thursday in North and South Carolina and back in my hometown of Russell, Kansas on Friday and Saturday.

SPEAKER_23 22:11

Senator Bob Dole, thank you for talking with us this morning.

SPEAKER_10 22:13

Thank you very much, Bob.

SPEAKER_23 22:15

These program notes from early edition, California Republican House Member Robert Dornan is to announce his presidential bid on Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern. CNN plans live coverage of that. And we will have a live interview with Doran Friday morning at he pays a street price.

SPEAKER_10 22:30

Steve Price when the entertainment industry poisons the minds of our young people. Your sons and your daughters, your grandsons, granddaughters. We must hold Hollywood accountable for putting profit ahead of common decency. There's got to be a limit.

SPEAKER_05 22:58

Bernie?

SPEAKER_00 22:59

In those early days of the campaign in 1995, Bob Dole went to Hollywood and took them on. Uh criticizing them for the uh the the the violence and the sex and the foul language that was in so much of the entertainment that that they were putting out. And I think he was right about that. And you can look at today's lack of standards. I mean, I I I I I'm just uh mind-boggled uh at the language and uh the technical stuff that is on regular basic cable television today. That was unheard of in the 1990s. And and but you can see it happening, you can see it becoming and uh Bob Dole was trying to say to these folks you're you're gonna destroy American society by doing what you're doing, and uh and took them on. And they were not happy about it. And uh and but but the American public was listening. And it was a brilliant move on his part because Dole was to some extent not seen as a a very far-right conservative or a valued conservative by a lot of the folks. That was that was where he was struggling to uh to pull the base down. But you know, he had such a huge lead because everybody respected Bob Dole. And so you he had that advantage. And uh and so he went in there and took him on and talked about this, and uh and that helped win over some of these folks that may have been leaning toward Phil Graham or Alan Keynes and and uh uh uh Pat Buchanan. Um this is in these early stages of 1995.

SPEAKER_05 24:48

You might say President Clinton has made no secret of his Hollywood connection being seen with a number of luminaries from the entertainment industry. On the other hand, as we just heard a moment ago, Bob Dole today called for putting the heat on the entertainment industry and shaming Hollywood into toning down sex and violence in its production. But some producers say Dole's picture is too general and too harsh.

SPEAKER_06 25:14

There's another segment which I think constitutes a majority that's trying to do uh good entertainment that is challenging or is at least uh life-affirming. And I'm unfortunately I hate to hear that nobody is singled out for the good work they're doing. Only an entire lump is made of of a an evil group in Hollywood.

SPEAKER_05 25:40

Joining us now to talk about Hollywood, family values, and presidential politics. Gary Bauer of the Conservative think tank and lobbying group, the family reform spot for himself in the hearts of uh conservative Republicans, especially those in the Christian conservative movement, by taking positions like the one he's taking today.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Judy, I I think this is really a central political question. I know you all have dealt with it a lot. I I believe this whole so-called pro-family uh traditional values vote is up for Graham's. I don't believe Phil Graham has it. I don't think Bob Dole has it. Uh, these are voters that might have liked a Bill Bennett in the race or may have gone with the Dan Quayle or some of the other candidates. Many of them are attracted to Pat Buchanan and now to Alan Keyes. I think they're going to be a significant force in Republican politics and in national politics, and as of now, nobody has them.

SPEAKER_05 26:32

So even though he's taking the position like the one today where he's shame uh you know, calling on the people to shame Hollywood and so forth, you're saying even that's not enough? Well, Judy, he's calling on prayer in the prayer in the public schools?

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Right. These are good first steps, but I I think the bar in some ways has been raised that folks want more than rhetoric. Uh Senator Dole, after all, is head of the Republicans in the Senate, and he has the ability to move a legislative agenda in a number of areas. And I think people will be looking for to see if he does that anymore.

SPEAKER_05 27:00

Bob Shear, what about from an overall political?

SPEAKER_19 27:13

I think the shame is on those parents who allow their children to watch violent and exploitive movies. They're the ones paying for the tickets, they're the ones that allow the TV to be turned on. And the basic responsibility for raising children has to be, as the Republicans have told us, with the family, with parents, and not scapegoat people in Hollywood for making programs, which evidently an important part of the public wants to see.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Judy, the problem with that, of course, is that the family is broken down in our culture. A lot of children are coming home to empty houses. There are no fathers in those homes, mothers driven into the workforce, et cetera. Again, I would call on Hollywood, and I think this is what Bob Dole did, to not just read us their constitutional rights every time this issue comes up, but to show a sense of being good citizens. And I'd love to see the president, who has many friends in Hollywood, call these folks into the Oval Office and see if they can be part of a great enterprise of helping us create a good generation, a functioning generation of young Americans instead of serving up the crap, quite frankly, that we so often see on our TV screen.

SPEAKER_05 28:15

Well, Bob Bob Shear, the president what, had dinner at Steven Spielberg's home the other night. He was out in Hollywood, but we didn't hear him say anything about the entertainment industry, as he did on a previous visit.

SPEAKER_19 28:25

Well, what's the crime that Steven Spielberg has committed? He's made some of the most important movies ever made in this industry, and he had the courage to make a movie about the Holocaust, which the old Hollywood ignored and probably could have prevented a lot of bloodshed if they called attention to these kind of problems decades ago. So why should he berate Steven Spielberg for turning out fine movies? I don't think there's any use in scapegoating. I mean, this would be like my saying, why don't the Republicans denounce Arnold Schwarzenegger for making horribly violent movies? You know, I'd rather keep the politicians out of this. Yes, I think we can make better movies. I think we should have better television programming, and but I think the main pressure has to come from the public saying it wants better programming, and not from politicians using this in a shameful way to escape people. And by the way, I raise this question of gun control. We have too many guns out there. Why does the same Bob Dole now oppose the ban on assault weapons, which is certainly a major cause of violence, not Hollywood movies?

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Giddy, Mr. Shearer apparently believes that what's shameful is not the movies that exploit women, but politicians who bring to our attention that such movies exist. It's bringing the world to bring guns to bring guns to our community. And I believe that the marketplace will send a message to Hollywood that most people aren't going to buy this stuff anymore.

SPEAKER_05 29:40

All right. Gary Bauer here in Washington, Bob Schear out in Los Angeles. Thank you both for being with us on Inside Politics. We will be right back.

SPEAKER_07 29:54

Private citizen George Bush is in Virginia. He opened a visitor center in Yorktown today and he dabbled in state politics last night. Bush endorsed his old friend, Senator John Warner, who is up for re-election next year.

SPEAKER_11 30:07

He is a sound and a sensible, uh, conscientious conservative voice in the United States Senate, and he must be re-elected, in my view.

SPEAKER_07 30:18

Mr. Bush's view is not shared by some Virginia Republicans. They say they are still furious with Warner for not supporting Republican Oliver North in the U.S. Senate race last year. Some of them ticketed yesterday's fundraiser where the former president's vote. Up next on inside politics, it's his own backyard, so to speak, but does that guarantee Bob Dole will do well in Iowa? A veteran campaign watcher will size up the political landscape there. In 1992, the importance of Iowa's first in the nation presidential caucuses was deflated because Home State Senator Tom Hopkin was in the Democratic race, and President Bush was essentially unchallenged. Will the Hawkeye State regain its clout in 96? And how will next door neighbor Bob Dole perform there politically? Joining us, David Broder, syndicated columnist with the Washington Post. David, is Iowa dolls to lose?

SPEAKER_24 31:25

I mean, he won the race there in 1988. He'll be against that standard. From all indications, he was lined up virtually the entire political establishment of Iowa. What we don't know is how much the grassroots of that party have shifted. At the local level, the Christian conservatives have become much more influential. I think that's probably why we're hearing Bob Dole talking about some of the issues that he was talking about today.

SPEAKER_07 31:51

Well, we we know that organization is crucial in in McCawkin State. Will the top-tier candidates spend the time and the money to get properly organized to oppose Dole?

SPEAKER_24 32:03

Uh all of them who are in the race at this point are saying that they will make that that effort. I think sometime later this fall they will probably have to make a realistic appraisal as to whether they can cut into the Dole base there. And there'll be a contest in any case to see who can finish second.

SPEAKER_07 32:22

Let's go quickly live to Iowa and call in David Yepsen, the political reporter for the Des Moines Register. David, James, thanks for joining us. What are your impressions of Bob Dole's rhetoric in your state?

SPEAKER_25 32:34

Well, I thought it was heavily oriented towards values, and I think that was a real appeal to the Christian activists who are dominating the Republican Party here. It's a good speech, it was well received, and uh you can see by the crowd behind us the large crowd, and you see the sign, Bernie. It's uh one of us, and that's the core of his message here.

SPEAKER_07 32:53

Last quick question, quick response, David. Same question that I put to Broder here. Is Iowa dolls to lose? Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_25 33:01

This is a fight for second place.

SPEAKER_07 33:03

Okay, thanks very much. Good to see you. We'll have you again on Inside Politics when we have more time.

SPEAKER_24 33:09

David Broder, who's who's closest to uh Bob Dole right now in terms of competition? Uh, probably Phil Graham in terms of organization and financial support, and Lamar Alexander has been putting together a pretty good organization. The others are really just beginning to get into the field.

SPEAKER_07 33:25

David Broder, Washington Post, thanks very much.

SPEAKER_24 33:28

Judy?

SPEAKER_05 33:29

Too short. Too short. Pungent. Punge it's right. That's all for this edition of Inside Politics. Tomorrow we will talk with yet another.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

So that's Bob Dole's first few days on the trail. He he does nine states and he goes out of California and takes on Hollywood. Uh and he gets a lot of mileage out of all that. And as we if we are at this beginning stage in 1995, Bob Dole actually looks like a female. He's got a got a pretty good grip on the Republican Party. You just heard the first for the first time the name Lamar Alexander, and that's gonna be a big thing as this uh uh election starts to unfold. He emerges as the person in the in the same lane as Bob Dole, who um who I think uh I know I was more scared of him than anyone else. Uh and and I really like Lamar Alexander a lot. He he became a senator and and just had a great career, but he um uh he was a formidable figure in here in a way that I know that Pat Buchanan was making this strong run, but I always knew that Buchanan's appeal had a a feeling to it. Uh Alexander in this particular race to make up was the one I worried the most about. And Phil Brown, who was the big heavyweight in all this, uh as you'll see it that didn't go uh that that way. Um there is another candidate in this race, of course, and that is on the other side of the ball, uh uh Bill Clinton. And he is gonna manage to do something that no Democrat had been able to pull off since Franklin Roosevelt, and that is there were no Democratic challengers in this primary. Lyndon Johnson had had uh Eugene McCarthy and then Robert Kennedy after he withdrew and her Hubert Humphrey ran. But they challenged uh that combination challenged him in uh in in in New Hampshire and then in March before he pulled out of the race. Uh then you fast forward to Jimmy Carter, he's up for for uh re-election, and Ted Kennedy challenges him. In our back catalog, you can go back to that. Uh we got a lot of coverage of that 1980 convention in several different versions. Gerald Ford's story and Ronald and Jimmy Carter's story and George Bush's story. But that race against Ted Kennedy uh really crippled Jimmy Carter going into it. So the the Democratic uh uh party had had a real tough time from uh FDR on, uh you know, really with LBJ, that these re-elections uh um you would have challengers. And so he didn't have one, and that was a big deal for him. Uh and the first step towards his comeback. Here's an interview with him and the same week as as Bob Dole is starting to grab some of this uh uh spotlight. This was his week because of his announcement, uh Bill Clinton will sit down with CNN and it is a very interesting interview where he touches on a lot of the economic issues that he's working on and what his administration is focusing on.

SPEAKER_13 36:29

No more new taxes. Are you prepared to accept that pledge in New Hampshire as well that you will not go forward with any new taxes?

SPEAKER_14 36:37

As a matter of principle, I think it's wrong for a president to do that. But look at our record. I told the American people exactly what I would do. I said the first time when I go in, I'm gonna ask the wealthiest Americans to pay more, not because I'm for class warfare, but because they can afford to. We'll cut spending, raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, and bring the deficit down. We did that. Now, what else do we do? We cut taxes on 15 million families with incomes of $25,000 a year or less, an average of $1,000 a year. We made 90% of the small businesses eligible for a tax cut. We established a capital gains tax for investments long-term in new businesses. We just I just signed a bill passed by this Congress, which I tried to pass last time, which provides a tax cut for self-employed people for the cost of their health insurance. I have proposed a middle class tax cut in connection with continued deficit reduction and tied to education. That is my record. I'm not out there raising taxes. I'm trying to lower the deficit and lower taxes. That is my record. That is my program for this Congress. That is the future. But on principle, I think a president runs the risk of breeding cynicism uh to sign that kind of pledge when you have no idea what will come forward.

SPEAKER_05 37:51

You are the first president in something like I think it's 140 years, to go this far in his presidency without a single veto. Now you've made some threats, and you specifically made some at the end of last week, but you know, House Majority Leader Dick Army is is out there is just flatly saying that he thinks you're going to sign any tax cut bill, any tax bill that they send you. In other words, they're not taking you seriously.

SPEAKER_14 38:15

Keep in mind, why didn't I I didn't have to veto anything in the last two years? Because it was only the third Congress since World War II. Only the third Congress since World War II when the president passed more than 80% of its programs in the Congress. If they send me bad bad bills, I'll be happy to veto them. I think that the untold story of the last two years is how much we got done. I had no occasion to veto a bill. I have no doubt that I will have occasions to veto bills now.

SPEAKER_05 38:43

But just quickly, Mr. President, again, maybe we're talking perceptions again, but the perception is that you are a president who will bend, who will not stick with what you originally said you were for. Hence you've got people out there like Arthur Schwarzenegger saying he thinks you're an accommodator.

SPEAKER_14 38:59

I mean, well, let me ask all those people then, if that's so true, why did I break the back of trickle-down economics? Why did I break the back of 12 years of Democratic and Republican irresponsibility in Washington to reduce the deficit three years in a row for the first time since Mr. Truman was president? If that's so true, why were we able to pass an AFTA which was deader than a doornail when I took office? If that's so true, why did we pass the crime bill with the assault weapons ban in it, which had been dead for six years? Why did we pass the Brady bill, dead for seven years? Why did we pass family leave for working families dead for six years? Because we got things done out of conviction and hard work. Sometimes it's more important what you do than what you don't do. Now vetoes make a big splash. If they just simply send me some bad bills, I'll be more than happy to veto them. I did not run for office to sign a pact of vetoes or to worry about my perception. I ran for office to turn this country around.

SPEAKER_05 39:57

And some of your political aides talk about you as the 43% president referring to the percentage of the vote you got in 92. Is it the operating assumption around here and with you that there will be a third candidate in the general election, that there'll be a Democrat, you a Republican, and someone else?

SPEAKER_14 40:14

I have no earthly idea. And you know, let me just say how I'm doing this. I I sometimes you talk to people who work around here about this stuff more than I do. I try to minimize that kind of speculation. We have no control over that. Which I am adhering to, which is that I would do the very best I could to do exactly what I thought was right. That I would not worry about the monthly fluctuation in the polls, that I would, if anything, uh worry about it even less than I had in the two previous years when I had taken a lot of unfortunate positions. And I'm going to do more than what I did down in Dallas on Friday, where I just took an outline of the positions that I feel and I just get up there and say what I think and let the American people digest it and deal with it the best way they can.

SPEAKER_05 41:04

So you mean while all this there's all this wild political speculation out there about what's going to go on, you're you you're able to ignore that? Is that what you think?

SPEAKER_14 41:12

I don't think about it much. I I you know, I of course I don't ignore it, but I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it. I have I have the one thing I think every president owes the American people is to focus on what the American people need to do what he thinks is right and best, and um and to realize that you waste a huge amount of energy focusing on things over which you have no control.

SPEAKER_05 41:33

Well, let me ask you about something over which you may have some control, and that is these defections of Democrats to the Republican Party. We had Congressman Deal, Senator Shelby, Senator Campbell. Just looking at the South alone, the the trend is all in the Republican direction. Are we now in a situation where you've got uh an all solid Republican South where we used to have a solid Democratic South? And is there anything you can do to stop that?

SPEAKER_14 41:57

First of all, we have to get down there and make our case uh at election time. You know, when I spoke to the Florida legislature, for example, I noticed uh after it was over, a lot of the Florida Democrats came up to me and said there were Florida Republicans who said they agreed with what I said. They they there were they did not know what the position of the administration was, and they felt reassured by it. Uh the South cares about education, the South cares about welfare reform, the South cares about a strong stance against crime. The South has done very, very well economically under our policies. Changing trickle-down economics, not going back to tax and spend, but working on the invest and growth strategy that I ran for president on.

SPEAKER_05 42:37

But they're voting for Republicans.

SPEAKER_14 42:39

They are. But I think they'll be fair enough when there's an honest debate.

SPEAKER_00 42:44

So you can hear Bill Clinton, he is reaching out to the South and uh trying to figure out a way to break into what has been a solid Republican firewall there across the South. Uh and as we draw this uh nine state first uh week to a conclusion, uh uh two things. Uh we're gonna hear a little bit about this uh in this next segment uh that was on the Capitol Gang. They're talking about uh the fact that Bob Dole looked really tired by the time this was over. And uh you you heard one of in in our last season, you heard uh one of his aides talk about uh that Dole could get really tired. That did he struggle a little bit because you know Bob Dole really recovering from uh a pretty pretty bad injury in World War II. Uh he had one kidney and uh and uh uh the loss of of uh you know his his right arm and uh thing in his other arm. And there were a lot of of heavy weights that he was carrying it from his war injuries. And uh and as this race began to take off, that's 71 years old, uh he looked tired. And uh and they're gonna talk a little bit about that. Briefly here on this segment. And then we're going to go to Columbia, South Carolina. And this is a dear near and dear uh story that I thought I did not get. You know, I've been going through all my archival footage that I had on all these videos that I had. And this was here, and I was so thrilled because this is where I got to meet Bob Dole. The picture that is on our uh art for this show is from this event when he came with Senator Thurman uh and spoke at a Veterans Memorial in Columbia, South Carolina. And I went down to see him. I found out he was coming, and I went down there, and this was where I got to meet him, and that's where that picture was taken. Uh, that is that adorns this uh show uh about Bob Dole. So with that, we're gonna head to Col first to CNN to hear a little bit about Dole's health going into this after this first week, and then we'll go to Columbia and WIS.

SPEAKER_15 45:03

Very interesting. What his schedule is, right? If you think he looked a little peaked, perhaps, by the time he got to New Hampshire this week, so did some of his aides. In fact, there's talk inside the Dole campaign. They have to cut down the schedule.

SPEAKER_16 45:30

Dole already has the support of many veterans here, a World War II veteran himself, many likes of 71-year-old Senator George Lee's background and his stand on the issues.

SPEAKER_10 45:39

Facts for facts, which I had military service. I think it's important to sort of made a profound difference in my life.

SPEAKER_16 45:45

Dole is also coming up strong with support from popular political figures. Senator Strom Thurman introduced him, and former Governor Carroll Campbell has all but endorsed Dole. Dole leads the pack of Republicans running for president.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

So at this point, Bob Dole is your clear front runner on the Republican side. He's got, you know, Phil Brown very well organized and real financed chasing on his heels. Pat Buchanan appealing to this uh other element in the party that is uh opposed to the free trade and and that kind of thing that that that's been such a big part of Republican philosophy for a long time. That's but Pat Buchanan is uh ahead of his time, and Donald Trump grabbed a lot of that platform from him uh in in later years. But uh at this point, uh you know, Bob Dole is um sitting in the catbird seat, it appears, and uh his campaign is coming together, he's covering all this ground. Bill Clinton, of course, does the interviews talking about the economy, trying to push how his policies are helping, and that's the status quo of April of 1995. But on April 19th, it will all dramatically change, and the moment that Bill Clinton finds his place in history uh will be right there. This is where the beginnings of his turning everything around will happen, and it will happen because of a deadly horrible event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.