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'Meet the Press' transcript for May 11, 2008
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 Netcast May 11: Two former DNC Chairmen: Obama supporter Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Clinton campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe weigh in on Clinton's continuing candidacy and what it means for the Democratic Party. Plus, a political roundtable with Chris Cillizza, John Harwood, Michele Norris and Jerry Seib. |
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(Audiotape, Thursday)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY): There was just an AP article posted that found how Senator Obama's support among working--hardworking Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how the, you know, whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me. ... I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on.
(End audiotape)
MR. RUSSERT: Charlie Rangel, Harlem Democratic congressman...
MR. McAULIFFE: Mm-hmm. Yep.
MR. RUSSERT: ...supporter of Hillary Clinton, said this:
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: "I can't believe Senator Clinton would say anything that dumb."
Bob Herbert, columnist for The New York Times, wrote this: "He can't win! Don't you understand? He's black! He's black!
"The Clintons have been trying to embed that gruesomely destructive message in the brains of white voters and superdelegates for the longest time. It's a grotesque insult to African Americans, who've given so much support to both Bill and Hillary over the years.
"I don't know if Senator Obama can win the White House. No one knows. But to deliberately convey the idea that most white people--or most working-class white people--are unwilling to give an African American candidate a fair hearing in a presidential election is a slur against whites."
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah, I completely disagree. First of all, Tim, as you know, she was quoting an AP story. In fairness, she was quoting what had been written in the AP. Both candidates have put together terrific coalitions. What Hillary was talking about is the coalitions that she has been able to put together that has allowed her to win Texas and Ohio, a lot of working-class folks have come out. I'm not saying that Senator Obama can't win that at the end of the day. But, you know, we have been both proud of what we have brought to this table. As I say, 16.6 million vs. 16.7 million. It is very close. Both candidates have done a dramatic and have done a great job of bringing new people in, but it's close and we got to see where we go. But we are about to go on a stretch. We have TV up in Oregon and West Virginia and Kentucky. Our staffs are deployed to all the remaining six states. This has a ways to go, we got to play it out.
MR. RUSSERT: But when she uses a phrase, hardworking Americans, white Americans, Mayor Willie Brown, San Francisco...
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: ...said...
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: ...she's saying that white Americans are hardworking Americans. A lot of African-Americans took great offense at that.
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah. Well, and that's not what she meant. And she was quoting the AP story and could--literally, nobody has worked harder, as you know, than President Clinton...
MR. RUSSERT: Well, the AP story did not say white Americans were hardworking Americans. Those were her, her words.
MR. McAULIFFE: Well, she was, she was paraphrasing the AP story. And, Tim, listen, both Clintons have worked their whole life on civil rights issues; Hillary, her entire life, has been working on issues, on education, on health care. They both have been out there fighting hard. This is the end of a long campaign. It hasn't been, contrary to what a lot of people say, I don't think this has been an overly aggressive campaign, at the end, against each other. 1992, I think, was much worse. But listen, the stakes are huge. We have to win this election November 4th.
MR. RUSSERT: Many undeclared superdelegates are obviously listening to this discussion...
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah, sure.
MR. RUSSERT: ...and to the debate that's been going on. Here's a report from the New York Post: "Hillary Rodham Clinton played the race card as she dismissed Barack Obama as a candidate who can't win support from `white Americans.' ... The `white Americans' remark drew a swift rebuke from some superdelegates, and private dismay from several Democratic" party "officials who said they're concerned about reuniting the factionalized party. Muriel Offerman, a North Carolina superdelegate who has not disclosed her choice, said: `That should not have been said. I think it drives a wedge, a racial wedge, that's not what the Democratic Party's about.' ... Massachusetts [undeclared] superdelegate Debra Kozikowski said: `That's distressing. ... I'm not even sure how to respond to that. I'd like to think that it was not intended to be what it sounds" "but... it" "sounds like trying to split the country down the middle.'" Those are undeclared superdelegates responding to Hillary comments about race.
MR. McAULIFFE: And you know what? I can put up 30, 40 more superdelegates who will say, you know, talk about what the Clintons have done on the race issue. First of all, I hate that even race is even in the--we should not have it. We shouldn't have race, we shouldn't have gender. We ought to talk about who can do the best job uniting this country, moving us forward, dealing with health care, getting our troops out of Iraq fast and safe, creating jobs, dealing with the mortgage crisis. That's what this campaign has been about, in fairness. We had 23 total debates through the process, a lot of issues being discussed and let's make sure we stay back focused on the issues. I promise you, Tim, this party will be unified.
I will give a shout out to George Bush. He's probably been the greatest unifying force in the history of the Democratic Party. We are going to come together. We have three weeks to go. Bill Clinton didn't win the nomination till June of 1992. As soon as this process is over--and I've said this for a while, I believe in June sometime, Florida and Michigan get resolved, June 3rd vote is done, within a week, two, three weeks, the superdelegates are going to move very quickly. We will be together as a party. But as I say, seven million Democrats have yet to vote. Let them vote. Hundreds of delegates to be chosen. At the end of the day, who is it you best think can win the White House and win--help us win the down ballot of elections? Today, the data will all show Hillary Clinton. She beat Senator Obama in the latest poll the Associated Press by five points. She wins it. People like her fight, they like that she's out there.
MR. RUSSERT: She beat Senator McCain.
MR. McAULIFFE: You--she beat Senator McCain.
MR. RUSSERT: But not Senator Obama. In the head-to-head Gallup, Obama's ahead.
MR. McAULIFFE: Well, I'm now talking general election, who is the best to win...
MR. RUSSERT: Right.
MR. McAULIFFE: ...us for the general.
MR. RUSSERT: But you said, you said Clinton beats Obama, but it's--you meant Clinton beats McCain.
MR. McAULIFFE: Clinton beats McCain.
MR. RUSSERT: Yeah.
MR. McAULIFFE: But I'll show you polls in the upcoming things that she beats Senator Obama...
MR. RUSSERT: So, but, but if you, do you, do you believe...
MR. McAULIFFE: ...in West Virginia and Kentucky.
MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe if Senator Obama's the nominee that those white ethic blue-collar voters will come back and support him?
MR. McAULIFFE: Yes. Sure. If he's the nominee. We're not there yet. But if he happened to be the nominee, we'll all be unified, Tim. This will all come together. It will be exciting, everybody will be out working. Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, everybody. We'll all be over there to help Senator Obama.
MR. RUSSERT: And the black voters who've been supporting Obama 92-to-eight...
MR. McAULIFFE: Sure.
MR. RUSSERT: ...will come back and support Hillary Clinton?
MR. McAULIFFE: Absolutely. We will be together. This is--we're in a primary, we're both trying to win the nomination. But it's not impossible for Hillary Clinton to win. A lot of people have said that. Big Russ, if he were sitting here today, nothing's impossible. Jack McAuliffe, if he were with us today, they both--they're probably both in heaven right now, Tim, probably having a scotch, looking down and saying, you know what, this fight goes on. It's good for the Democratic Party. Millions of people coming out to vote. It's exciting.
MR. RUSSERT: Well, Big Russ is in the Barcalounger still watching this.
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: God bless him. Let me show you what Bill Clinton said in West Virginia. Here he goes.
(Videotape, May 8, 2008)
FMR. PRES. BILL CLINTON: Don't believe all this stuff you read in the press. She can still win this thing if you vote for her big enough. They're going to have to resolve Michigan and Florida, and when they do, she can win the popular vote and all this raining on her parade is designed to discourage people from voting here.
(End videotape)
MR. RUSSERT: President Clinton, again, talking about Michigan and Florida.
MR. McAULIFFE: Yep.
MR. RUSSERT: Back in February, Howard Wolfson, the communications director for the--Hillary Clinton, had several phone calls and he always said the same thing. Here it was: "Neither of the candidates will get to the number needed to secure the nomination - 2,025 - without the support of superdelegates." Two thousand twenty-five.
MR. McAULIFFE: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: Clinton campaign said it, the Obama campaign said it. Suddenly this week we had a new number. "It becomes clearer and clearer that 2,025 is not the operative number. ... The number is not 2,025. It's 2209." Suddenly, including Michigan and Florida.
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