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'Meet the Press' transcript for April 20, 2008
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 Netcast April 20: Two days before the Pa. presidential primary, we hosted an exclusive debate: Obama's Chief Strategist David Axelrod squared off against Clinton's new chief strategist Geoff Garin. Then, we had a political roundtable with David Brooks of the New York Times, E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post & Michele Norris of NPR. |
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MR. RUSSERT: Geoff Garin, your candidate, the latest Washington Post/ABC poll, is Hillary Clinton honest and trustworthy? And look at these numbers. Now, 39, yes; no, 58. It’s—that’s amongst Democrats. This is Obama, Clinton, 53/30, they think he’s more trustworthy. But Clinton has a 58 percent no, not trustworthy. Obviously the Bosnia sniper piece had a large part in framing that. But now there’s been a new issue, and that is a comment she made at a fundraiser about Democratic activists and MoveOn.org. This is what she said earlier this year.
(Audiotape)
SEN. CLINTON: We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn.org.org didn’t want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that’s what we’re dealing with. And they turn out in great numbers. And, you know, they, they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it’s primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don’t agree with them. They know I don’t agree with them, so they flood into these caucuses and dominate them and really intimidate people who actually show up to support me.
(End audiotape)
MR. RUSSERT: Last year, when she was seeking the endorsement of activists and MoveOn.org, her tone was remarkably different. Let’s watch.
(Audiotape)
SEN. CLINTON: You’ve been asking the tough questions. You’ve been refusing to back down when any of us who are in political leadership are not living up to the standards that we should set for ourselves. I think you have helped to change the face of American politics for the better, both online and in the corridors of power.
(End audiotape)
MR. RUSSERT: What changed?
MR. GARIN: Well, I don’t think anything changed. I don’t, I don’t really see a contradiction. The truth is that we agree with MoveOn on lots of issues, disagree with them on some. Move—one of them is they, they’ve endorsed Senator Obama, and their, their—they have been very effective in these caucuses for turning out...
MR. RUSSERT: Wait a minute. She said, “I don’t agree with them, and they don’t agree with me.”
MR. GARIN: They—on, on, on a particular set of foreign policy issues, Tim. It’s not about everything. We...
MR. RUSSERT: She also said that they, “They intimidated people who were showing up to support me.” When did MoveOn.org or liberal activists intimidate Clinton voters?
MR. GARIN: Tim, I, I don’t, I don’t want to—I, I don’t—I’m here for two weeks now, so this was—comment was made in, I believe, at the beginning of March. But, look, the truth is Senator Clinton, as she said in that other clip, respects the, the right of MoveOn to be involved in this process for—and respects the role that activists in our party. I think the, the larger point is that when you move from the caucuses to the primaries, where participation is much, much greater, she has done extremely well. We’re very proud that in four of the five events with the largest turnouts she’s won them and won them well. We hope to continue that in Pennsylvania. We’re not—look, we’re not, we’re not looking to pick a fight with MoveOn. They play an important role in the Democratic Party. I think she was making an observation about the caucus process. I think the primary process, you know, it, it—mathematically it’s hard to ignore the fact that there’s much greater participation in those. And when lots and lots of people vote, as we encourage them to do all the time, she does very, very well.
MR. RUSSERT: Before you both go, I know you’re raising lots of money and, and increasing Democratic ranks with new voters, but John McCain has had his nomination locked up for some time. He’s going to Appalachia, inner cities, he’s been to Europe, he’s united his party, he’s raising money. Has this protracted skirmishing between Obama and Clinton hurt the Democrats’ chances, come this fall, against John McCain, who’s had two months to pull his party together?
MR. AXELROD: Tim, I really think Democrats are going to be united in the fall. I think people understand that this is a really serious time for our country, between the war and the devastation in our economy, and that the decisions that are made in the next four years are going to shape not just the next decade, but the next century. And people want to move forward, they don’t want to go back. John McCain represents a continuation of the George Bush policies. He’s embraced his economic policies, he’s embraced his Iraq policies. I think Democrats are going to be united in the fall.
MR. RUSSERT: So you want to go all the way to the convention with this battle?
MR. AXELROD: I, I, I’m, I’m not looking to go all the way to the convention, but I don’t think we will. I think this will be settled long before the convention.
MR. GARIN: And let me add two quick points. First, I think this has been beneficial to the Democrats not just because people are excited, but Senator McCain—in getting a heck of a lot of attention, he did his bio tour, people were paying attention to us. But more—and—but I want to agree with what David said. It may be hard to tell, David’s one of my best, best friends in politics. Senator Obama is the nominee and he asks me to help, I’ll be there in a heart beat. And if Senator Clinton is the nominee and...
MR. AXELROD: We’ll be there. We’ll be there.
MR. GARIN: ...I know, I know that David will be there as well. So this will be a united party when this is all over.
MR. RUSSERT: Geoff Garin, David Axelrod, thanks very much.
MR. AXELROD: Thanks, Tim.
MR. GARIN: Thank you.
MR. RUSSERT: Coming next, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama—the race for the White House through the eyes of David Brooks of The New York Times, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post, Michele Norris of NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Our roundtable is next, right here, only on MEET THE PRESS.
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