Rev. Jesse Jackson Speaking on the 2004 Presidential Election

CNN American Morning Interview 20oct04

"I am convinced, as I just left Florida, that the black vote is going to be not only a bigger vote than ever before, it is the swing vote."

Aired October 20, 2004 - 09:31 ET

cut to Rev. Jackson portion. . .

HEMMER: Orelon, thanks.

Back here in Chicago, now, Illinois native Reverend Jesse Jackson my guest now to talk about campaign 2004.

Good morning to you.

REV. JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Morning to you.

HEMMER: A respected survey was done — respected in the African- American community — Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, found the percentage of African-Americans voting for President Bush in this campaign — it's doubled at this point, according to the polling numbers from 2000: 18 percent this year compared to nine percent of 2000.

Do you believe these numbers? And if so, why the gravitational pull?

JACKSON: At this stage, they had 74 percent for Gore, and he ended at 90 percent.

Those numbers will not stand, because blacks will ultimately vote our interests. Our interest is in raising minimum wage. Our interest is in overtime pay for overtime work. Our interest is in affirmative action. Our interest is in ending the war in Iraq.

So, those numbers will not stand.

HEMMER: So, you're saying that even though the president's communicating to this group of people now, it won't hold up in 13 days?

JACKSON: He's not really communicating.

I mean, he put a picture of Dr. King up in the White House one day, and the next they sent a lawyer to kill affirmative action in the Supreme Court. Laid a wreath at Dr. King's grave site one day, and the next day sent to the court a judge from Mississippi who is against our interests.

And so, when the symbols are over and the substance comes in, those numbers will not stand. HEMMER: Let me go back to the survey, though.

John Kerry now getting 69 percent of support from African- Americans compared to Al Gore, as we mentioned, of 90 percent back in 2000. I know you don't agree with these numbers here, but there's an article again today that says, yes, that John Kerry is not talking to African-Americans in this campaign. How does he change that?

JACKSON: The infrastructure came on late, as a matter of fact.

But as he reaches more and more to things as basic as Supreme Court justices, because that will determine minimum wage law for the next 50 years, reaches out and supports affirmative action, which is a big deal for women and people of color, supports minimum wage as he supports overtime pay for overtime work.

Indeed, the war in Iraq is a big deal in black America. After all, no child from Congress is in that war. No rich person's child is there. The black, the brown, the poor are fighting that war. So, the impact of that war on death, destruction and the economy is a big deal.

I am convinced, as I just left Florida, that the black vote is going to be not only a bigger vote than ever before, it is the swing vote. That's why there's always attention on the black vote, because how that vote goes will determine the winner or the loser; '92 and '96, both Dole and Bush got more black votes than Clinton — more white votes than Clinton. Clinton got more white, black, and brown, and he won. In '92 and year 2000, Bush won by 547 — a million black votes were disenfranchised.

So, our vote, in fact, is a swing vote.

HEMMER: And you mentioned Florida there — also Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan very critical, as well.

JACKSON: Very critical states.

HEMMER: Listen to the comments from Dick Cheney given yesterday about his daughter going back to the debates here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD B. CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think what it showed clearly was this whole thing was calculated. I mean, if you've got your campaign manager out there immediately after he has said it during the course of the final debate, and then Mary Beth Cahill was on the tube saying, "Mary's fair game," that says to me they made a conscious decision that this was something they wanted to do and that it was part of a political strategy. I think that's what we found offensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Trying to get back to these polling numbers and trying to indicate what they tell us... 

JACKSON: But you know, Dick Cheney can't have it both ways. At a prayer breakfast, Alan Simpson commended Dick Cheney for standing by his lesbian daughter, who was the liaison for gays and lesbians with Coors Beer Company.

So, they can't on the one day be so kind of anti-gay bashing and act as if there is some reticence about affirming who their daughter is. I thought that Kerry was being generous; he was not being hostile and mean. He said nothing different than what Alan Simpson had said and what Cheney — Democrats did not "out her," quote, unquote. Her father discussed who his daughter was and why he loved her.

HEMMER: Thank you, Reverend Jesse Jackson. Thanks for making time for us today.

JACKSON: Thank you.

cut. . .

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source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/20/ltm.03.html 28oct04