BRADLEY vs. GORE

	March 1, 2000
	Now the Democratic candidates, and to Gwen Ifill.

GWEN IFILL: The Democrats meet tonight at a debate in Los Angeles. Joining us now to take a look at the state of that race: Eric Hauser, the press secretary for the Bill Bradley campaign; and Kiki Moore, a political consultant allied with Al Gore. Eric Hauser, Bill Bradley joked after the last time he lost the campaign when the Republicans were surging maybe he ought to rob a bank to get some attention. So the Boston Globe's lead story this morning was "Maybe he should have robbed a bank after all." ERIC HAUSE: Well, I don't think we need to rob a bank. I think that we're going to have a great debate tonight. I think it will focus on where Bill Bradley wants to take the country and differences between that and Al Gore's vision. I think we've got a much better vision, a much better record, and on an issue that's clearly a lot of attention to campaign finance reform and cleaning up Washington, there is no doubt at all who is much better on that issue than Bill Bradley versus Al Gore. GWEN IFILL: Eric Hauser, every time that Bill Bradley has gone up against Al Gore in a head-to-head voting match, meeting the voters, he has lost. He is also lagging in polls in California, Missouri, Maryland, New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania, all voting next week. What does he do to recoup at this stage? ERIC HAUSER, Bradley Press Secretary: Well, I think what we do - we start - is have a great debate tonight - I think we will. We're up with some very interesting new television ads tomorrow. We're taking the red eye back to New York to, you know, demonstrate how committed we are to fighting for this election on March 7 and beyond. We'll get into New York, get home, and have a great weekend. We know it's uphill - we know we have got a fight but, believe me, we're going to fight it 25 hours a day until March 7. I think we'll do well. GWEN IFILL: Kiki Moore, what is it that Al Gore has to do tonight on that debate stage in Los Angeles? KIKI MOORE, Gore Political Consultant: Stay focused on the election at hand and continue talking about the issues that are important to him and the issues that clearly Democrats have heard and helped him win in these early primaries and caucus states: Health care, what we're going to do to bring revolutionary change about in education, continuing the economic prosperity. Those are the issues and that's the message that Al Gore has carried from the first day of his campaign through all of the states heading into March 7. I think the tone of tonight will really be driven by what Senator Bradley chooses to do -- if he chooses to continue and move forward and having a real debate about issues like those that are important and not get into the personal attacks that we saw happen at the Apollo Theater in New York last week. GWEN IFILL: Would Al Gore at this stage of the campaign just prefer not to mention Bill Bradley's name at all? KIKI MOORE: Al Gore prefers to focus on his message and his campaign. You know, there are a lot of states out; we've got 15 states next Tuesday, a whole bundle a week after that and nothing is over until it's every over, Gwen, and so the way you do it is get up every day like Al Gore does, gets out on the road, talks with voters about messages that are important, about issues that are important to them and listens to what they have to say and you get up and you do it again and again, and you stay focused on your own race. That's what it's about. GWEN IFILL: Eric Hauser, let's talk about the 15 states next Tuesday. Bill Bradley has said that March 7 will be his takeoff day. Did you ever still think you'd be saying that March 7 would be the takeoff when you were doing so well in New Hampshire? ERIC HAUSER: Oh, we're -- we thought that from the very beginning. March 7 is the national primary. We knew that's when we had to win primaries. We knew we had do well that day. We think we will. It is interesting to hear Kiki talk. It's as though there are two different campaigns -- the one she describes and the one we've seen for the last five months where the Vice President has had such trouble with the truth. And over a period of time, we've seen that his campaign is based on attacking and distorting and then filling in the blanks. And the blanks as they've been filled in actually, if Kiki wants to have a debate about the issues, you know, we're always eager for that because Bradley's health care plan is better, he spends more money on education. The Vice President decided to put more money into defense than education. I don't hear many Democrats saying let's go do that, let's build more missiles than train teachers. I think we're going to have that debate tonight on what Bill Bradley wants to do at a moment of incredible prosperity. Take the country forward in ways we've never dreamed possible before. California is a tremendous place to do that given its history as a trendsetter. GWEN IFILL: Let's let Kiki Moore respond. KIKI MOORE: I hope that Eric's tone tonight, Gwen, is not the kind of tone that Senator Bradley is going to strike because, you know, in the end our party has to come together. We have got a big fight on our hands because regardless which Republican, John McCain or George Bush, gets the nomination, we have got two candidates who are going to do everything they can to put a woman's choice at risk, to hurt the environment, to participate in a risky tax scheme that puts this economic prosperity at risk. We have a chance tonight as Democrats, Al Gore and Bill Bradley, to have a substantive discussion on how to move the causes forward, how we talk about realistic approaches that are really going to help the families in this country, and that's what Al Gore is going to focus on, so I really hope that Eric's tone isn't really what Senator Bradley plans to strike out on tonight. ERIC HAUSER: It's not a matter... Kiki, as it's often been, it's a matter of fact and positions. KIKI MOORE: That's right, Eric. ERIC HAUSER: We'll have a debate on the facts and the positions. And, you know, we look forward in the summer to the Vice President's support for our candidacy against the eventual Republican nominee. But I think we're essentially saying the same things. And I think a healthy debate on critical issues is very valuable. I think we'll have that tonight. I think it will be very good. GWEN IFILL: Eric Hauser, let's go back a couple of days. Your candidate decided to spend almost a week in Washington State much to the chagrin of his supporters in other states and lost by a big margin. Was that a bad decision in retrospect? ERIC HAUSER: No, I don't think so. I think that we are a little disappointed. We had hoped to do a little better, but I think we had some incredible enthusiasm in Washington State. We had crowds over 3,000 and 4,000. There is no question that we closed the gap. In Washington State there are a lot of absentee ballots cast days and weeks ahead of time. In Seattle and in King County yesterday when votes were actually cast at the ballot box, it ended up about even for those votes. We know we made up a lot of ground in Washington State. We also know the Gore campaign put an enormous amount of resources into Washington State. They were up with advertising they hadn't planned on. The Vice President came for extra time. The governor supporting the Vice President, it is all the levers of entrenched power which is fine. It's what you would expect in a competing... In a hard competition. But we will come out of Washington State, I think today with, you know, a great debate and some very good new ads. GWEN IFILL: But Eric Hauser, I have to ask you this. Are you measuring this campaign in weeks or months? ERIC HAUSER: Are we measuring it? We're measuring it in terms of wining on March 7 and going from this…. how well we have to do… GWEN IFILL: If you don't win March 7, do you go from there? ERIC HAUSER: Well, we're planning on doing well March 7. We're not speculating beyond that. You know, we think we're in great shape to have a great last week. It is uphill - we know that - but we also know what is in place to make it work and we think we've got a great chance to make that happen. GWEN IFILL: Kiki Moore, this is a bigger fight than the sitting vice president expected to have at this point in the primary campaign. Has he been bloodied in any way that will make him a worse candidate should he win the nomination against the Republicans in the fall? KIKI MOORE: I think Al Gore said it best, which was thank you to Bill Bradley for making him a better, stronger candidate. A vigorous debate is a healthy thing for a candidate. Al Gore has gotten his message more finely tuned, had a much better and healthier conversation with voters across the country. That's why his focus this week and next week going into Super Tuesday and Titanic Tuesday, as they refer to it, is really about the people that he is fighting for in California, New York, Ohio - all those states who have yet to hear from the candidates and are just beginning to get that opportunity. That's what campaigning is about. Campaigning isn't an issue of did you toss away resources? It's an opportunity to go have these conversations and in the long run, a primary fight has made Al Gore a better candidate. GWEN IFILL: Is Al Gore the symbol of entrenched power as Bill Bradley says? KIKI MOORE: I think that the voters who are bringing Al Gore back for win after win are saying this is the man who is actually the fighter for us. GWEN IFILL: Eric Hauser in Los Angeles, Kiki Moore here in Washington, thank you both very much.