‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Sept. 30, 2007

MR. SMILEY: And yet...

MR. BUCHANAN: And Rudy’s being killed with sanctuary city.

MR. SMILEY: And, and on the other hand—first of all, Obama, right quick, I think it’s a brilliant strategy, though. If you’re going to be tagged on inexperience, quote the guy who’s the husband of the all-but-certain next-to-be president of the United States. The, the Democrats really have some issues, Pat, to be certain. But I don’t, I don’t want...(unintelligible)...either, though. The Republicans have some clear issues here, back to the first part of our conversation. The Republican Party has to decide in this general election whether or not that old Southern strategy is going to work.

MR. BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.

MR. SMILEY: It’s worked well since Ronald Reagan, certainly, back in the ‘80s going to Philadelphia, Mississippi and announcing “I support states’ rights.” That Southern strategy’s worked well since then. But now, in the most multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic America ever, does that Southern strategy still work?

MR. BUCHANAN: All right, let me tell you...

MR. SMILEY: And I think that anybody—black, white, brown, male, female...

MR. BUCHANAN: Tavis...

MR. SMILEY: ...Republican or Democrat—can’t be elected if they think they can run that strategy, Pat.

MR. BUCHANAN: Tavis...

MR. SMILEY: Not anymore.

MR. BUCHANAN: Tavis, in Michigan, in the last election, affirmative action went down to defeat, 56 percent of the vote against affirmative action. The Republicans ran away from it. Ward Connerly has this issue, he’s putting it on the ballot in some nine states. Now, Republicans will run away from it, but this will bring out white voters and conservative voters and others, working class folks who voted for Reagan, all those folks. Look, I mean, I think that, that, that if Republicans stand with their traditional positions, you know, we’re for equality of opportunity, but we’re against forced equality of result, I think it’s a good issue.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask you about Iraq, because it was interesting, I thought, in this debate, the first question that I asked of the three front-runners and all the candidates: Will you pledge, by the end of your first term, January of 2013, all American troops will be out of Iraq? Clinton, Obama, Edwards all said, “I won’t make that commitment.”

MR. GREGORY: Right. They said you never know what we’re going to find. A, a really measured position for three candidates. Edward—Edwards, particularly, who was embracing the, the left wing of the party’s view that you have to end the war now, and the others even voting for cutting off funding. I think it’s a realization, though, that, that they’re going to take a more centrist position and say to the left wing of their party, “We’ve got to be pragmatic about this. We can’t lose the general election because of your feelings about the war.”

MR. BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.

MR. BALZ: I thought that was a very telling moment, Tim. And I thought, for those three candidates in particular, three who think, in their own mind, there is a way for them to be president, that they know that the complexity of what’s going to present them if they end up in the Oval Office is far different than the sound bites and the slogans in a Democratic primary contest. And they were reflecting that, I think, for the first time.

MR. BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.

MR. RUSSERT: I tried to get these candidates to take positions on Iraq, on Social Security, on the big issues.

MR. BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.

MR. RUSSERT: We talked about baseball. And I found this exchange particularly interesting. Let’s watch.

(Videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Clinton, what about a World Series Yankees and Cubs?

SEN. CLINTON: Well, you know, I’ve worried about that because I think, given the Cubs’ record, which of course I, I hope it happens, but it could very well be a sign of the coming apocalypse were that to ever occur. It would be so out of history that you’d have the Cubs vs. the Yankees, then I’d be really in trouble. But I...

MR. RUSSERT: But who would you be for?

SEN. CLINTON: Well, I would probably have to alternate sides.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Well, the Cubs are in the playoffs, David.

MR. GREGORY: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: Cubs, Yankees. You going to seat—sit behind each dugout?

MR. GREGORY: You can’t have it all. In the sports world, you can’t have it all.

MR. BUCHANAN: But, Tim...

MR. GREGORY: That reeks of calculation, which is a potential downside for her.

MR. BUCHANAN: The term “Nixonian” comes to mind on that response.

MR. RUSSERT: How so?

MR. BUCHANAN: In the good sense of the word.

MR. RUSSERT: How so, Pat?

MR. BUCHANAN: Well, I mean, which—“on the one hand, on the other.”

MR. SMILEY: That sounds like Romney is what it sounded like.

MR. RUSSERT: But, Dan Balz, it’s been tough getting these candidates to, to one, one, talk to the press and take real positions. They want to hide out in the Internet, they want to hide out on their blogs, they want to put out prefab commercials and brochures. But when you say to them, “Where are you on Social Security? How are you going to save that program? Where are you on Iraq? Where are you on immigration?” sometimes you get answers like that.

MR. BALZ: You know, it’s interesting. The, the Republicans have gotten a lot of criticism for not coming to Tavis’ debate the other night, and I think justifiably so, for all the reasons that have been discussed here this morning. But, as you point out, all of the candidates on all sides of this race are finding ways to avoid real interaction with the press.

MR. BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.

MR. BALZ: Senator Clinton has had one real press availability out on the campaign trail since she announced. Most of them—she did all the Sunday shows last week. She’s basically not doing any others. Obama is very much the same way. They’re all using friendly sources. As you say, they’re trying to get their message out through the Internet. The Republicans go on Sean Hannity all the time. They’re looking for ways to avoid tough follow-up questions.

MR. RUSSERT: More to come. They’re all invited here. We’ll be right back.

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT: That’s all for today. Be back next week. If it’s Sunday, it’s MEET THE PRESS. Three weeks ago, Kevin Everett from the Buffalo Bills, they thought he was paralyzed for life. Not so. He’s probably going to recover. Number 85, hang in there. Buffalobills.com, learn a lot more about spinal injuries and a tremendous recovery. See you next week.

MORE FROM MEET THE PRESS

Meet the Press Section Front

Sunday's Meet the Press guest list Nov. 22: Senate roundtable, Brinker, Snyderman Nov. 15: Clinton, Duncan, Gingrich, Sharpton Nov. 8: Casey, Barbour, Rendell, roundtable, Brokaw Nov. 1: Tim Geithner, David Plouffe, roundtable Oct. 25: Cornyn, Schumer, Burnett, Sorkin, roundtable Oct. 18: Jarrett, Dodd, Kyl, Shriver, Podesta Oct. 11: Levin, Graham, McCaffrey, Myers, roundtable Oct. 4: Ambassador Susan Rice, roundtable Sept. 27: Bill Clinton, Paterson, Kyl, Webb Meet the Press Section Front   Add Meet the Press headlines to your news reader: