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Sunday Morning News

Candidates Engage in Final Efforts to Sway New Hampshire Voters

Aired January 30, 2000 - 8:05 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we shift gears from sports to politics and the upcoming New Hampshire primary. CNN's Carol Lin joins us live from Manchester once again.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Kyra. Good morning from New Hampshire.

For all the candidates, it's business as usual in the mad dash to persuade undecided residents to vote for them.

We begin our coverage with CNN's Chris Black.

CHRIS BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

New Hampshire voters are being overwhelmed by endorsements and testimonials in the closing days of the campaign. Today, former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley got something a little unusual from the state's largest newspaper, the "New Hampshire Sunday News." The paper, better known by its old name, the "Manchester Union Leader," is calling this almost an endorsement because it says Democrats should vote for Bradley because Vice President Al Gore is dishonest.

The paper says, "The cancer of the Clinton presidency has mortally infected him and he is ethically damaged beyond repair." Now, the newspaper has officially endorsed Republican Steve Forbes and reaffirms that in a front page signed editorial, one more unexpected development in the closing days of this primary campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK (voice-over): Forty-eight hours to go and the Democratic presidential candidates are playing defense. New health questions for Bill Bradley, who concedes he may invoke the 25th Amendment and temporarily turn executive order to his vice president if doctors again need to treat his irregular heartbeat with a jolt of electricity.

ANITA DUNN, BRADLEY CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN: And I believe the way he would approach this would certainly be in wide consultation to figure out the most responsible way and certainly this is an option he would look at. BLACK: Vice President Al Gore is fending off attacks from both sides. Bradley is questioning Gore's truthfulness, charging Gore opposed legal abortion at the beginning of his Congressional career.

BILL BRADLEY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When somebody moves from an 84 percent pro-life position to a pro-choice position, I think that he has an obligation to tell the American people what was that journey that he took, what was that intellectual moral journey that he took to that position to determine what's right and what's wrong. And instead, he's denying it.

BLACK: And Republican candidate Gary Bauer is backing up Bradley.

GARY BAUER (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've got a letter in my files in Washington that Al Gore routinely sent out from his Senate office before he decided to run for higher office and there is no ands, ifs or buts about it. It was a pro-life letter.

BLACK: Senator John McCain invoked Gore's name to question George W. Bush's electability in November but also raised again Gore's role raising money for Democrats in 1996.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, when George Bush is in that debate and facing Al Gore, he'll have nothing to say. He'll have nothing to say because he's defending this system.

BLACK: Gore insists he obeyed campaign finance laws, though he admits...

AL GORE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made a mistake in the episode that you asked me about. I have learned from that mistake.

BLACK: And he defends his record on abortion rights.

GORE: I've always supported Roe v. Wade. I've always supported a woman's right to choose.

BLACK: On the Republican side, Texas Governor Bush is getting some help from his parents. The state's largest newspaper, the "New Hampshire Sunday News," prefers Republican conservatives but it gives Bradley, "almost an endorsement," saying Al Gore's dishonesty in this campaign makes him an unacceptable choice for Democratic leaning voters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK: Today is Super Bowl Sunday and the candidates have decided not to fight it. Most of the candidates will be attending Super Bowl parties today, making one final pass at New Hampshire primary voters.

Chris Black, CNN, reporting live from Manchester, New Hampshire.

LIN: A fifth episode of irregular heartbeat this past week did not require Bill Bradley to see a physician. In an interview with the "New York Times," Bradley's cardiologists say he is in excellent health.

Joining us, though, for some perspective on Bradley's condition, which is, in simple terms, an irregular heartbeat, is Dr. Jeff Borer. Dr. Borer is a leading heart expert and he joins us from New York.

Well, Dr. Borer, once again Bill Bradley's health is in the news. Quickly remind us, what are some of the symptoms of this irregular heartbeat?

DR. JEFF BORER, CARDIOLOGIST: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the heartbeat becomes irregular for a short time and then becomes regular again. There are usually no symptoms associated with it.

PHILLIPS: So why is it that Bill Bradley, according to the "New York Times," is being treated by no fewer than three doctors?

BORER: Atrial fibrillation, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in a person who has no structural heart disease, no blockages in the coronary arteries, no leaking heart valves, no muscle, no heart muscle problem is really more a nuisance than anything else. However, it's a nuisance you'd rather not have.

If the problem became prolonged, then there might be some additional concerns. But again, the likelihood of some major event in a person who has no structural heart disease and has atrial fibrillation is approximately the same as the risk for the general population. It really is not much more than a nuisance.

PHILLIPS: So again, why would Bill Bradley be treated by three doctors? Do you think it's a matter of just having different consultants on the subject?

BORER: Yes, I think that that's right. He has a primary cardiologist and the consultants that that cardiologist has called in are people who are experts in the area of heart rhythm and that's a routine procedure when a cardiologist sees somebody with a special problem.

PHILLIPS: OK, well Dr. Borer, Bill Bradley has described a procedure that he has had to go under at least three times called cardioversion. I don't have a lot of time with you, but essentially he had to go under anesthesia to shock his heart back into rhythm. Over time, though, will this affect his health?

BORER: It's highly unlikely that it would affect his health in any meaningful way.

PHILLIPS: All right, so you believe that this condition does not interfere with his ability to run for president?

BORER: No, I don't think that this should interfere at all.

PHILLIPS: All right, thank you very much, Dr. Borer. Well, Bill Bradley did get a nice pat on the back from an old friend. Bill Russell supports Bill Bradley's run for the presidency. He is a professional basketball Hall of Famer member and is regarded as perhaps the greatest offensive center in the history of basketball.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer talked with Russell last night from Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill Russell, thanks for joining us on CNN. I know you've been actively campaigning for Bill Bradley. Is there one single issue, one single reason why you think he would make a terrific president?

BILL RUSSELL, BRADLEY SUPPORTER: Well, I know that we're supposed to make these answers as brief as possible.

BLITZER: So give us one reason.

RUSSELL: He's a good person.

BLITZER: Well, there are a lot of good people out there. What makes him presidential timber, someone who can have his finger on the button?

RUSSELL: Well, first of all, we know, we all know he's very intelligent. He's a man of immense integrity and he has been a major league politician as well as a major league athlete. You know, being in the Senate is, that's a pretty unique group, and he was very effective and he realizes that the way to get things done for all people is to build consensus.

BLITZER: And he's done that, he did that in the Senate and he did that in the NBA. Is there any particular problem, on the other hand, that you have with Al Gore, why you perhaps don't think he's necessarily the right man for the job?

RUSSELL: No, I don't have any problem with Al Gore. I don't have a problem with any of the candidates. I am pulling for Bill Bradley because I think he's as good a man as there is for the job. I'm not going to dwell on the other guy's negatives because I don't know what they are. I don't know the people. I know Bill Bradley. I've known him for over 30 years. I know he's an effective politician, he's a man with vision, he has immense integrity and he wants to be the president for all the people, not one group or another group.

You know, I've heard people say that, for example, that he's very right, very big on civil rights. That's a percentage as a part of the population. He wants to be president for all the people. You know, when he talks about poor kids having a place to sleep at night, he's talking about the kids in Appalachia as well as the kids in the inner city. He's not just talking about one. He's talking about including as many people as possible in this prosperity we're enjoying now.

BLITZER: You know, a lot of the political pundits, Bill Russell, said that Bill Bradley made a huge mistake in not being more assertive, not fighting harder against Al Gore early on. This past week he's getting a lot tougher. He's getting a lot meaner. He's getting much more into this fight. Is that the Bill Bradley you knew on the basketball court?

RUSSELL: Well, I know he was very, very competitive. We used to do little numbers on him. But we did numbers on a lot of folks. But he was always competitive. He never gave up and he always knew where he was and what was going on and I think that same thing was true when he was in the Senate, that he knew, he had some ideas and he knew how to create situations so that he could be most effective.

BLITZER: All right, Bill Russell, one of the greatest basketball players ever supporting another great basketball player who wants to be president of the United States. Bill Russell, thanks so much for joining us on CNN.

RUSSELL: It's a real pleasure because I really think this guy could do a great job for all the citizens of America.

BLITZER: And I'm sure he's very grateful to you for your active campaigning and support. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: As for the citizens of New Hampshire, we're going to be talking to Kathy Sullivan -- she is the chairperson of the New Hampshire Democratic Party -- to talk about strategy, the candidates' health and their visions. But right now we're going to send you back to Miles in Atlanta.

O'BRIEN: All right, thanks very much Carol. We'll check in with you later.

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