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February 2, 2004 And Senator John Kerry joins me tonight. Welcome, sir. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you? ZAHN: I'm fine, thanks. How does it feel to be the perceived front-runner at this stage? KERRY: Well, I just keep plugging along, Paula. I'm not paying attention to labels or polls. I'm just out there campaigning hard and asking votes to support me, because I think I'm the strongest candidate to beat George Bush. And I think I have the experience to make America safer and stronger and be fiscally responsible. ZAHN: At this stage, do you believe any of the other Democratic candidates can beat you? KERRY: Oh, that's not for me to judge. This is up to voters. And I have too much respect for the voting process. I'm just going to be out there campaigning hard. I'm in Arizona now. I was in New Mexico earlier. I was North Dakota yesterday, Oklahoma. I'm just trying to appeal to the voters of our country to change the direction of our nation, to put people back to work, to be fiscally responsible. We need health care that's affordable for all Americans. I have a plan to do that. It's not a big-government plan, but it's a sensible way of using the private-sector incentives to make it happen. We can do these things if we're responsible about it. But we have to roll back George Bush's irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and invest in education and health care to do it. ZAHN: I know you don't want to buy into the perception that you're front-runner, but, of course, you no doubt have seen the "TIME" magazine cover saying, what kind of president would Mr. Kerry be? But if you end up doing as well as you're expected to do tomorrow, what would be wrong with telling some of your fellow candidates later on in the week that it's time for them to drop out, so you can have a more united Democratic approach to the general election? KERRY: Paula, that's not for me to make any judgment about at all, and it's certainly not for me to talk to them about. I'm campaigning for the nomination. I'm focused on the voters. And I've got to keep my eye on the ball. That's what I did in Iowa. That's what I did in New Hampshire. And that's what I'm going to do every step of the way here. And the key here is appealing in these next hours to voters who haven't made up their mind to make it clear that I can beat George Bush, that I can take our country in a commonsense, mainstream-American-values direction that is fiscally responsible, puts people back to work, and fights against powerful interests that are walking away with the store right now. And that's what we need, someone who's going to fight for people to be able to take home a little more pay and get ahead a little bit more easily. ZAHN: We have seen faint outlines of how you are going to be attacked, whether it's questions about fund-raising for your campaign or fund-raising in past campaigns. Where do you think President Bush, if you end up being the nominee, will attack you? KERRY: I don't know. And that's for them to decide. They're obviously throwing labels around right now. And that's because they don't want to talk about the real issues that face our country. The country wants leadership, not labels. The American people are tired of politics as usual. They want real conversation about the direction of our country. ZAHN: Well, let's, speaking of the president, talk a little bit about the controversy surrounding him right now. Do you believe he was AWOL during his National Guard experience? KERRY: Paula, I don't have the facts. I really don't. I don't have the answer to that question. But it is a question that's been raised and that ought to be answered. But I don't have the facts. ZAHN: Well, here are the facts according to "The Boston Globe," your hometown newspaper, that the official record shows that Bush's service included no evidence of any service between May 1972 and October 1, 1973, the official date of his discharge. Does that trouble you, if it's true? And do you believe that to be true? KERRY: Well, if it's true, it's a legitimate question. But I don't know whether it's true and I don't know the answer to that. And, obviously, it ought to be answered. The person who can answer it is the military and George Bush. ZAHN: What would you do about the federal budget deficit? Are you going to cut federal spending, or what are you going to do? KERRY: Well, I am going to cut some federal spending, yes. I'm going to close some loopholes that are just horrendous that reward companies for taking jobs overseas. I'm also going to roll back George Bush's tax cut for the wealthiest Americans, because we can't afford it. It's not fiscally responsible. I will pledge to cut the deficit in half in my first four years. But I will do it in a way that allows us to grow our economy, to invest in jobs, education, health care, and do the things we need to do to raise the quality of life in America. ZAHN: Will you raise taxes? KERRY: Not on -- not on the middle class, absolutely, no, not at all. And I will not raise income tax rates above where they were when Bill Clinton left office. I don't want to do that. But I will roll back George Bush's tax cut for people earning more than $200,000 a year. ZAHN: Let's talk about South Carolina for a moment. How do you think you're going to do there? Are you going to beat John Edwards? KERRY: I don't know. I don't have any idea, because the voters are going to make that decision for us. But we're campaigning hard. I'm proud to have the support of Senator Fritz Hollings, who served seven terms in the Senate. I'm proud to have Congressman Jim Clyburn and Representative James Smith, the minority leader of the House. And I think we've built a strong organization. And I hope we're going to do well there. What's important is, you have to run nationally, Paula. You can't just cherry-pick one state here or one state there and pretend that you're really running for president of the United States. I think you have to run everywhere, and you have to run as well as you can. ZAHN: There is a perception that you and John Edwards have been more civil to each other lately out there on the campaign trail. Is that a sign that, if you get the nomination, a Kerry-Edwards ticket is likely? KERRY: I have great respect for John Edwards. He's a very competent individual. And he's been a very capable candidate through the course of this race. And, you know, it's not for me to think ahead about any kind of ticket. I'm trying to win the nomination right now. ZAHN: Senator John Kerry, thanks for your time tonight. KERRY: Thanks. |
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