'Meet the Press' transcript for Sept. 14, 2008

MR. BROKAW:  Do you think that she can turn the tide for Senator Obama among Reagan Democrats?  And that's the critical test this time, especially with the appeal that Senator Palin has--excuse me--Governor Palin has demonstrated so far in that particular group, among white women and among males in states like Michigan and Ohio and the Rocky Mountain West?

SEN. SCHUMER:  Well, first, I think she will help turn the tide.  I think Barack Obama and Joe Biden's economic message will turn the tide the most. But let me say one thing about Governor Palin.  You know, there are so many questions she hasn't been asked.  And again, she has to be asked these questions.  You know, people say, "Well, some questions are unfair, maybe sexist." Yeah, there are certain questions that are.  If you say to Governor Palin, "How can you raise five kids and also be vice president," you wouldn't ask a man that question, you shouldn't ask her.  But she is campaigning on a basis of reform, a new broom that sweeps clean, and she talks the talk, but so far she hasn't walked the walk.  There was an article in today's newspaper that said that part of the Bush doctrine she evidently believes in is cronyism, because she filled the Alaska government with old pals.  It's a little reminiscent of "Brownie" and FEMA.

But there are three other questions I think she has to answer if she wants to be the reform candidate.  First, is she going to support Senator Stevens in this election campaign?  Senator Stevens is the king of earmarks, supposedly the McCalin--McCain-Palin team hates earmarks, and yet he's the king of earmarks.  He was indicted for involvement with lobbyists.  If it's politics as usual, she's supporting Stevens.  Is she a new broom that sweeps clean?

Second, there?s an investigation about abuse of power, that she wanted to fire a state trooper because he was in a bitter divorce with her sister.  And she has ordered all Alaska employees not to talk to this bipartisan investigation that was set up before she was vice president.  I want to ask Governor Palin, "Will you--if you're new politics, you should certainly let the employees in the state of Alaska talk to the investigators." Stonewalling is not new politics.

And finally, one more, Tom.  Will she release her tax returns?  Governor--I mean, Joe Biden has, Barack Obama has.  There are some questions there, because she was given per diem payments for staying at home, $17,000.  Are those on her tax returns?

MR. BROKAW:  Senator, let me...

SEN. SCHUMER:  How can you, how can you be reform and sweep clean?  You've got to walk--you can't just talk the talk.  You have to walk the walk, and as she has to answer these questions, not in set interviews, I don't think she's going to be quite as popular as she is today.

MR. BROKAW:  Let's talk about the McCain strategy against Senator Obama.  You said earlier that you thought that that celebrity attack ad was a powerful message...

SEN. SCHUMER:  Mm-hmm.

MR. BROKAW:  ...when he was compared to Britney Spears and...

SEN. SCHUMER:  Yes.

MR. BROKAW:  ...Paris Hilton...

SEN. SCHUMER:  Yes.

MR. BROKAW:  ...and that his response was insufficient.  We're going to share with you now one of the speeches that Senator Obama has made just this past Friday in New Hampshire and see if you think it's strong enough.

(Videotape)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL):  They will spend any amount of money and use any tactic out there in order to avoid talking about how we're going to move America into the future.

(End videotape)

MR. BROKAW:  Do you take back what you said earlier, that he...

SEN. SCHUMER:  Yeah.

MR. BROKAW:  ...was insufficient in his response?

SEN. SCHUMER:  Yes, I do.  Look, Barack Obama, to his credit, would like the campaign to just be on the big issues--issues like Iraq, issues like energy, issues like health care.  But, under Karl Rove's leadership, McCain is doing what Karl Rove does--small-bore, nasty, diversionary.  And I think they realized while the predominant way to win this election is still that higher ground, you have to answer.  We have in the DSCC, Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, which I chair, a 24-hour rule.  They hit you, you have to hit back with the same speed and velocity within 24 hours.  The Obama campaign is now doing that, and they will have a sword--the economic issues, where we are predominant--and a shield--answering back right away, not staying above the fray.  And that's how they're going to win the election.

MR. BROKAW:  Senator Schumer, we're told today by the Obama campaign that they raised $66 million last month.  That's a very impressive number.  He has set new records for raising money.  But at the same time, this is a man who said earlier in response to Senator McCain's invitation that, in fact, he would join him in public financing and not go to the private sector.  So don't you expect that the Republicans will make hay out of that in the coming days as well?

SEN. SCHUMER:  You know, I'd say two things here.  First, Obama's contributions, more than anyone else, come in the $10s and $25 from average citizens.  This is...

MR. BROKAW:  But a lot of them come from big friends of yours on Wall Street and New York, and people have big chunks of money...

SEN. SCHUMER:  But, but the percentage of average voters sending in money is, is remarkably high, higher than it's been in any campaign.

But second, I'd say this, Tom, money is not going to decide this campaign What's going to decide this campaign, predominantly, are the big issues and who represents change.  Both candidates agree change is the election issue. I'd bet my money on Obama-Biden as the change candidates, not McCain-Palin-Bush.

MR. BROKAW:  All right, thanks very much, Senator Schumer of New York.  We have to leave it right there.

And for the McCain campaign now, we're joined by New York--in New York by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is out on Long Island at a hotel, even though he looks like he's in a permanent MEET THE PRESS set there.

Mr. Mayor, thank you very much for being with us.  Listen, the ads are getting...

FMR. MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI (R-NY):  Nice to be with you, Tom.

MR. BROKAW:  ...a lot of attention these days.  We want to share with our viewers and with you something that Senator McCain said about the tone of this campaign back on April 4th, and then go from there.  Here's what the senator had to say at that time.

(Videotape, April 14, 2008)

SEN. JOHN McCAIN:  This will be a respectful campaign.  Americans want a respectful campaign.

They're tired of the attacks.  They're tired of the impugning people's character and integrity.  They want a respectful campaign, and, and I, and I'm am of the firm belief that they'll get it, and they can get it if the American people demand it and reject a lot of this negative stuff that goes on.

(End videotape)

MR. BROKAW:  And yet, Mr. Mayor, this is an ad that the McCain campaign ran attacking Senator Obama for what they called his principal piece of legislation when he was an Illinois state senator, sex education for kindergartners.

(Videotape of political ad)

Narrator:  Obama's one accomplishment?  Legislation to teach comprehensive sex education to kindergartners.  Learning about sex before learning to read? Barack Obama, wrong on education, wrong for your family.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN:  I'm John McCain, and I approved this message.

(End videotape)

MR. BROKAW:  Any number of publications have looked at that ad, and here's what The Washington Post had to say:  "The McCain ad is wrong when it claims--in a voice dripping with sarcasm--that Obama's `one accomplishment' in the education field was a sex education bill for kindergartners.  While it is true that Obama supported the bill, he was not one of the sponsors.  As far as kindergartners were concerned, the principal purpose of the bill was to make them aware of the risk of inappropriate touching and sexual predators." Given all the major issues that are before us today, wasn't that ad and its misrepresentation inappropriate on the part of the McCain campaign, Mr. Mayor?

MAYOR GIULIANI:  Tom, I, I think the only thing wrong about that ad is it lists it as an accomplishment of Senator Obama.  In fact, the bill--Senate bill, I think it's 99, didn't pass.  I read the bill last night.  The bill does say K through 12, and it goes beyond just what Senator Obama is saying now.  It also talks about HIV-AIDS education for children K through 12.  And when Senator Obama defended himself on this--Hillary Clinton attacked him on this, not just Senator McCain.  I don't see The Washington Post pointing that out.  But when he defended himself against Hillary Clinton's attack on this, he said the purpose of this was HIV-AIDS education.  So the reality is, look, everybody has their own biases and prejudices in how they view these ads.

But I, I agree that the campaign has gotten too negative on both sides--Senator Obama; on our side.  I think the, the main reason for that is that Senator Obama has refused to debate in these town hall meetings every week with Senator McCain.  I think if they--if the two of them were out there--we saw that the other night in Harlem.  If the two of them are out there answering questions, a lot of these ads are going to get done that way, they're going to be able to confront each other with these things.  Senator Obama can explain his views on sex education and just what he was doing with that.  Senator McCain can either back off it or agree with it.  But I, I, I can't understand why Senator Obama--now, now the--what--I understand what Senator Obama was way ahead that he didn't want to engage with Senator McCain in these town hall meetings.  But now everyone says they're even, you know, neck and neck.  I think it'd be terrific if they'd spend the next what, what is it, six weeks going to town hall meetings just answering questions from regular, you know, regular citizens.

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