CNBC "Squawk Box" - Transcript

Interview

CNBC "Squawk Box" - Transcript

MR. KERNEN: All right. In just a few hours, the floor of the Democratic National Convention will be full of delegates and when the roll call is announced, some of them will be voting for Senator Clinton. One of those delegates is Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, a superdelegate from California.

Good morning, congresswoman.

REP. SANCHEZ: Good morning.

MR. KERNEN: We've been saying -- you are a superdelegate, we think, but explain to us -- why cast a vote for Senator Clinton at this point? Senator Obama is going to be the nominee. Isn't it kind of beating a dead horse?

REP. SANCHEZ: No. This is not actually about Obama; it's about all the women across the nation who have waited for so many years. Today, you know, is the anniversary of the women's suffrage movement and I think it's incredibly important. It's important to me to be able to cast a vote for a very competent woman for the presidency because, you know, I believe, personally, unfortunately, that because Hillary did not get this nomination, that it may be a long time before I really see another woman at this level be able to break the barrier and to become a president.

So I want to make sure I cast my vote for her.

MR. KERNEN: Is making that symbolism evident to everyone? That's more important than electing your man, a Democrat, as president?

REP. SANCHEZ: Well, I think we will elect a Democrat for president. The convention is about coming together. It's about uniting. So one of the things that we need to do is to acknowledge the role that Hillary has played in this campaign. We need to acknowledge the role that women play for Democrats. Without the women's vote, there is no Democratic Party, and I think there are a lot of women out there who want to see Hillary's name be put up in nomination.

MR. FORBES: Congresswoman, couldn't her name be put in nomination and then she graciously gets up and says let's support the nominee? Because every time you get a close roll call at a convention, the won who wins ends up losing the election. Teddy Kennedy did that to Jimmy Carter in 1980; hurt him, Gary Hart with Mondale, Ronald Reagan in '76 with Gerald Ford. This is divisive stuff. Why not put the past behind, acknowledge what Senator Clinton did and to make it a festive support fest for Senator Obama?

REP. SANCHEZ: Well, I don't know how the whole thing will occur when the roll call is done. I do believe that Hillary has been incredibly gracious in this campaign, that she has gone out. She has asked her donors. She's pushed her donors. She's pushed her people. She's asked people to support she's campaigned for. Mr. Obama -- I think that she will continue to campaign.

I believe that she understands how important this election is for Democrats after having eight, what I consider some really bad years under George Bush. We need to get this country -- we're such in a hole here as a country that we need to start working together to get us out of this.

MR. FORBES: All the more reason to stop playing primary time and to support the nominee. Were you disappointed that Senator Obama did not pick somebody like Governor Sebelius of Kansas or some other woman like Senator Clinton on the ticket?

REP. SANCHEZ: No, absolutely not. First of all, come on, you know politics. It was never going to be either one of those two women and that's the point. The point is that this -- these people --

MR. FORBES: Senator Clinton was never considered by Senator Obama?

REP. SANCHEZ: I believe that she really was never considered for it, come on, it's politics. It's politics. He wouldn't do that. They won't do that. And I think those names were just placed there as placeholders, you know --

MR. FORBES: John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan picked their bitter opponents as vice presidential nominees.

REP. SANCHEZ: Well, and they did and guess what? They won.

MR. FORBES: They won.

REP. SANCHEZ: So I mean -- but that doesn't mean that the politics of today applies to whatever the situation was at that point.

MS. QUICK: What would make you happy this week? What's your goal walking out of this convention?

REP. SANCHEZ: Oh, I am happy. I am happy. I am happy. We're celebrating women here. Hillary, I think, is going to come in tonight. She's going to wow the crowd and then she knows it's her time to step off stage and that's what happens tonight. You know, we hold the roll call. We acknowledge her role. We select Senator Obama for our nominee. He brings the party together on Thursday night with a speech, and hopefully, hopefully, he gives some real indications to the American people because many are still asking what do you stand for? What are you going to do for us? And we get our marching orders to go out and campaign for the next two months and get a Democrat in the White House.

MR. FORBES: What does he need to say to get the support of women? You've seen the polls that one-fifth of Senator Clinton supporters are leaning very heavily towards John McCain. Why is that? And what does Senator Obama do to get these doubters back on board?

REP. SANCHEZ: Well, I think, first of all, I think that campaigns, the two campaigns, the staff between the campaigns have to just bury the hatchet and they have to move forward and they have to work more cohesively. I think we haven't seen that and I think people feel out of those camps, but that's a management thing. That's the nuts and bolts of politics for the American people.

I believe that Barack Obama will carry the banner of the Democrats. What does that mean? That the things that we stand for -- we stand for individual choice. We stand for a better opportunity, education. We stand for good jobs, good paying wages, good benefits. We stand for security. Will people have healthcare?

I believe he'll carry those. I believe that women want to see what program are you going to suggest we have for my family? How are you going to help me with long-term care of my parents when I'm trying to take care of my children or put them through college at the same time?

MR. FORBES: And how does Senator Obama --

REP. SANCHEZ: I just think women -- women need more details.

MR. FORBES: And how does Senator Obama overcome the fact that he has the thinnest resume of any modern presidential candidate? What does he have to do to get over that?

REP. SANCHEZ: Well, one of the great things that he did was he brought Joe Biden on as his vice president, you know, so I think that will really, really help with respect to the type of foreign policy that we need for this country, which is one of the areas where, of course, George Bush just has not done well in, and remember that when President Lincoln came to office as president, he actually had less experience than Senator Obama.

So sometimes you get a great president with very little experience. Sometimes you get a not so good president like President Bush didn't have a lot of experience, and you know what, it really showed in his administration.

MR. FORBES: Just for the record, Lincoln had much more experience, but we can discuss that another time.

REP. SANCHEZ: Sure we can.

MR. KERNEN: Congresswoman, we appreciate your time and I know you're going to back Senator Obama, but just simmering under that, can you at least concede that you think that you guys picked the wrong candidate? Would you at least concede that?

REP. SANCHEZ: I would concede that I would have loved to have seen Hillary be the one coming out of this convention and being my next president. No doubt about it, that's what I would have preferred.

MR. KERNEN: Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it. Representative Loretta Sanchez, appreciate your time today.

REP. SANCHEZ: Thank you.

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