NBC TODAY Show Transcript

SHOW: TODAY (7:00 AM ET)
September 4, 2000, Monday
HEADLINE: VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE AND RUNNING MATE JOE LIEBERMAN TALK ABOUT THEIR LABOR DAY CAMPAIGN MARATHON AND WHY GEORGE W. BUSH'S DEBATES PROPOSAL WAS REJECTED
ANCHORS: MATT LAUER; ANN CURRY

BODY:

MATT LAUER, co-host: On CLOSE UP this morning, the presidential debates. On Sunday Republican George W. Bush agreed to three televised debates with Democrat Al Gore, only one of which is guaranteed to air live on all three major networks. It's a proposal Vice President Al Gore rejected immediately. This morning, the vice president and his running mate Senator Joe Lieberman are at a firehouse in West Tampa, Florida. They're in the midst of a 27-hour campaign marathon they're calling a "work-a-thon."

Gentlemen, good morning. Happy Labor Day.

Senator JOE LIEBERMAN: Good morning, Matt.

Vice President AL GORE: Good morning, Matt. Happy Labor Day to you and the crew.

LAUER: Thanks very much. I don't have to remind you you're not college kids anymore. You just pull an all-nighter. How are you holding up?

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Feels great. We just had more than a thousand people come out in the middle of the night here in Tampa. So the adrenaline surge is on.

Vice Pres. GORE: And—and we're not yet—we're not done yet, Matt. We're going from here on to Pittsburgh, and Joe is going to Detroit and Toledo. I'm going on to Louisville. It's around the clock and we're honoring working people and the families of this country on Labor Day. And, of course, this is the start of the traditional campaign season, and it's all about families that are paying the bills and working hard to meet the mortgage payments and car payments. And that's why we're out here asking for the privilege of leading this country to fight for the—the families of America.

LAUER: Is it fair, Mr. Gore, Mr. Vice President, to say this is a bit of a campaign stunt? And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with stunts. I'm the guy that flies around the world in May sweeps each year for this program...

Vice Pres. GORE: Right.

LAUER: ...but I mean, it is—it is a bit of a stunt.

Vice Pres. GORE: Hey, you know, Matt, come to think of it, we were joking this morning, when we—when we landed at 4:00 AM at Tampa, I was recalling that theme music from "Where in the world is Matt Lauer?"

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Right.

Vice Pres. GORE: ...and that guy with the deep base voice, you know, and I was thinking that we were going to come on the show. And we've been so many places, we're not really sure, but the people of Tampa have been great hosts here. And, you know, it is a symbolic way of making a point. And one of the points that we want to make with this work-a-thon is, as I said at the convention, I—I know if I'm entrusted with the presidency, I may not always be the most exciting politician, but I will work hard for the American people every day. I will never let you down. Joe and I are determined to make up for what we might lack in flash with—with hard work. And we're dedicated to the families of this country.

LAUER: Let—let me get into a subject that's obviously in all the papers this morning, been on the news coverage. That is, debates, Mr. Vice President. George W. Bush has said he'll take three, one on NBC's "Meet the Press" in prime time, one on "Larry King" and one of the commissioned debates. You say no to that. But I do want to remind you that back in July, you had already agreed to the "Meet the Press" debate with Tim Russert.

Vice Pres. AL GORE: Sure.

LAUER: Why—why now reject it?

Vice Pres. GORE: I—I still agree to it. But—but first, let's do the commissioned debates.

LAUER: But that wasn't a condition when you accepted in July.

Vice Pres. GORE: Well, back in March I—I suggested we—that we debate twice a week and get rid of all the TV commercials, but he's turned all that down. But he—and here's the point, Matt, this is not about what is best for George W. Bush or what is best for Al Gore. It's about what's best for the American people. And for quite a long time now, we have had this bipartisan national commission. Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan are the honorary co-chairs, and it's become an American tradition to get all the networks together and give all of the American people the right to see three 90-minute prime-time debates...

LAUER: Let me just interrupt...

Vice Pres. GORE: ...not on—not on one cable network, not on one broadcast network, but on all of the TV outlets. And...

LAUER: Let me interrupt for one second, just tell you...

Vice Pres. GORE: Sure.

LAUER: ...that NBC has said, and I'm sure you're aware of this now, NBC has said it will provide the...

Vice Pres. GORE: Yeah.

LAUER: ..."Meet the Press" prime-time debate to all cable and broadcast outlets.

Vice Pres. GORE: Well, sure, sure, and I'm sure ABC would—would provide Ted Koppel's "Nightline," a special edition, to its competitors also. And, look, I—I'm not opposed to that. I'm happy to accept it, provided that he will give the American people what the American people have a right to. And that is the traditional presidential commission debates that his father did, that Bob Dole did, that all candidates have done since 1988, because then all of the broadcast networks get together, and it's not a question of one network going up against some—some other network's prime-time, money-making show and you get a squabble between the candidates. You—you don't have one candidate trying to dictate something that is best for him. You get this bipartisan commission setting up something that's in the best interest of the American people.

LAUER: So just to wrap this up then...

Vice Pres. GORE: You know what this is, I think this is awful transparent.

LAUER: All right, let me...

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Matt...

LAUER: ...just to wrap this up then, is this a firm no on the debates on—in, according to Governor Bush's schedule unless he accepts all three of the commission debates?

Vice Pres. GORE: Correct. Correct.

LAUER: All right.

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Those are the rules of the game, and he's in running the rules. I can tell you all night the workers we've been talking to, they don't want to debate about debates. They want us to debate the issues that matter to them. How do we keep the prosperity going, provide prescription drugs for the elderly, a patient bill of right, improve public education, protect the environment? That's what should happen. Governor Bush's position is a little like the team heading to the Super Bowl saying, 'No, I don't want to play in that city, I don't want to play at that time, I don't want that many people seeing the game, and I want different rules.' That's not right. The commission is the rule, and that's what we should follow, and then we can do all the other debates.

LAUER: Let me talk about another subject and, Senator Lieberman, I'll start with you. As you know, President Clinton on Friday announced that he's going to defer the decision on the national missile defense system to the next president. That could be the man standing right next to you. What's your gut reaction to that system? Do you think it can work?

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Yes, I think it can work and it will work. Obviously, there have been some technological problems, but there's been some progress made as well. The important thing that Al and I agree on and President Clinton does too, is that this is a potential threat and that we ought to invest the money to protect ourselves from that threat. That's key.

LAUER: So, Vice President Gore, you've been somewhat noncommittal on this system. When will you make a firm decision on whether there's a full go-ahead with it?

Vice Pres. GORE: Well, we have 16 more tests scheduled, Matt, and they will determine whether or not all the components of this system will work together. It's been described as an effort to hit a bullet with a bullet, and we have made some progress, as Joe said, but the last two tests for different reasons have been failures. And there are other risks associated with proceeding pell-mell toward the deployment of a system that might not work. We need to make sure that it will work and we need to use the time that the president's now given us in order to talk further with our allies, who have been opposed to it, with Russia and China in order to show them why it's a purely defensive system.

LAUER: Let me ask you this, if it does violate the ABM treaty with Russia, would that alone be a reason for you not to go ahead with it?

Vice Pres. GORE: No, no, it would not. Provided that—that this threat from a country like North Korea or Iran does emerge over the next five to seven years, and we have to secure our own national security with this defensive system against the limited attack. The mere fact that Russia opposed it would not dissuade me from approving it if it worked, if it met our other goals.

LAUER: Have you set aside money in a potential budget for it?

Vice Pres. GORE: Yes, sir.

LAUER: You talked about some of your plans during the convention. Can you afford to pay for the tens of billions of dollars it will cost?

Vice Pres. GORE: Yes, sir. And let me say that I'm glad you brought that up. Because this week, what we're kicking off with this Labor Day work-a-thon is a whole week focusing on the economy. And we will be putting out a detailed budget plan to show how all of the pieces fit together. We can't go back into the big deficits again, because that's—that's hurtful for the families of this country. If we—we have a prescription drug benefit also in the Medicare program that's paid for within a balanced budget. We set Medicare in a lockbox off budget...

LAUER: Right.

Vice Pres. GORE: ...to keep Social Security sacrosanct, off budget. And we don't give away the surplus and a big tax cut for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class that would put us back into deficits and—and stop the prosperity in progress.

LAUER: Senator Lieberman...

Vice Pres. GORE: We want to keep the prosperity going and invest in these wise goals.

LAUER: ...Senator Lieberman, let me end with you on the subject of religion and politics. You've heard an awful lot about it over the last week. Your good friend Bill Bennett, on one of the Sunday shows, said the following, 'As'—and he's talking about you mentioning religion on the campaign stump.

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Right.

LAUER: He said, quote, "As natural as that is to him, I think the political calculation is the most natural thing to the Gore campaign. I'm sure they're seeing how this is playing and they're saying, 'Stay at it, Joe.'"

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Well, I thank Bill Bennett, my friend, for his defense and we all agree that there is a constructive role for faith in American life. It helps unity and it helps give values at a time when folks are worried about values. Obviously, I mean this to be inclusive and tolerant and accepting the separating of church and state, but on the second point, I respectfully disagree. I—I spoke, what naturally came from my heart, and I think reflects the feeling of the great majority of the American people. And the man I'm lucky enough to run with shares those points of views...

Vice Pres. GORE: Mm-hmm, absolutely.

Sen. LIEBERMAN: ...and said to me, 'Joe, be yourself because that's why I chose you to be my running mate.' And that's what I'm going to continue to do.

LAUER: Let me make...

Vice Pres. GORE: He's right about—he's right about this, Matt, and I—I—I knew he was a man of faith when I picked him. I believe in what he is saying. We share a commitment to the separation of church and state. But what he is saying is right for this country. It's right for the American people. And you bet we're going to keep on saying it.

LAUER: All right, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Lieberman, thank you both, gentlemen.

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Thank you, Matt.

LAUER: Happy Labor Day.

Sen. LIEBERMAN: Happy Labor Day.

Vice Pres. GORE: You, too.

Copyright 2000 National Broadcasting Co. Inc. NBC News Transcripts.