AMY ROBACH, co-host:
At the age of 32,
Walter Mondale
became the youngest attorney general in
Minnesota history
, beginning a life of public service. He went on to serve in the
US Senate
and as vice president under
President Jimmy Carter
, and now he
is opening up about it all in his new book, "The Good Fight:
A Life
in
Liberal Politics
." Mr. Vice President, good morning. Nice to have you here.
Former Vice President WALTER MONDALE:
Thank you. Glad to be here.
ROBACH:
I have to ask, as you sat down to write your memoirs, what lessons from your political career did you deliberately put into the book as it relates to today's environment? Because there are some very eerily similar things going on today...
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Yeah.
ROBACH:
...that were going on during your
vice presidency
.
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Yeah, and a lot of the issues -- I was surprised by that, as I wrote about events that I'd been involved -- how many of them, maybe with some difference, but apply today. I've got a chapter in there about the rules fight to try to make the
Senate
operable so they can get things done. It's the same issue they've got today. And in my closing chapter, I talk about the incivility and paralysis that we had. We didn't have as much of it in those days, but it's...
ROBACH:
Mm-hmm.
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
...we dealt with it.
ROBACH:
And a lot has been compared to
President Jimmy Carter
's presidency to
President Obama
's.
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Right.
ROBACH:
And in fact, in a recent interview...
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Yeah.
ROBACH:
...you said that when faced with a bad economy and bad poll numbers that President Carter should have gone out in front of the people, in front of the public more. And in fact, you told the
New Yorker
you see a similar problem with
Obama
. You say, quote, "I think he needs to get rid of those teleprompters and connect. He's smart as hell, he can do it."
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Yeah.
ROBACH:
That's your advice to
President Obama
.
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Yeah -- well, that's the way it came out. I -- what I said was that I thought
Carter
should have gotten out earlier. We had the hostage crisis with our people being taken hostage in
Iran
, and the president was working in the
White House
and at some point I told him, I said, 'Mr. President, you've got to get out across
America
making your point.' It's a little bit different issue in terms of my suggestions for
Obama
, but those idiot boards that they read are distracting, I believe. And he is really good, smart as he can be. He needs to talk right into that camera and talk to people because people are hurting. You got to identify it.
ROBACH:
And the elections are coming up. In fact, in recalling...
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
That is true.
ROBACH:
...your own run against
Ronald Reagan
back in
1984
...
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Yeah, yeah.
ROBACH:
...you wrote, "
Reagan
was selling morning
America
. I was selling a root canal."
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
I was.
ROBACH:
What did you mean by that? And do you think that
President Obama
and
Democrats
are facing a similar situation come November?
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Well, You know, I'm the old grind. I was talking about the problems we had and how we had to find answers.
ROBACH:
Higher taxes, less spending.
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Yeah, yeah. And old
Reagan
was up there talking about morning in
America
and how nice it was to be in that town and so on.
That's right
. You know, I don't think a president -- I think
President Obama
, as he is, has got to talk about real problems. That's not what I meant to say, but I think he's
got to find a way
of having people feel him and knowing that he cares, that it's -- he can do that, but he has to do that.
ROBACH:
Talk a little bit about how you and
Jimmy Carter
changed the role of vice president. It had lasting effects.
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Until
Carter
and I went in the
White House
, the vice president was what they call standby equipment. Really just waited there unless the president died or something. Few things: You go to funerals; that was a big thing. But we did what we call executivize the vice president. I went into the
West Wing
, I worked with the president around the clock for four solid years. That's a new pattern that I think has really been good.
ROBACH:
Mm-hmm.
Vice Pres. MONDALE:
Every later vice president has done it.
Joe Biden
's doing a great job of it now.
ROBACH:
Well, we certainly appreciate it. It was a -- it's fantastic read. The book is "The Good Fight."
Walter Mondale
, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
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