Q&A: ED RENDELL
Transcript: Gov. Ed Rendell On The Possibility Of A Clinton-Obama Or Obama-Clinton Ticket

© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, March 7, 2008

National Journal On Air with Linda Douglass
Ed Rendell

National Journal's Ronald Brownstein sat down with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell for the March 7 edition of "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation.


Q: Governor Rendell, welcome to "National Journal On Air." You turned a lot of heads this week on election night when you said that Michigan and Florida should be allowed to hold another election, in effect a do-over. What's the rationale for that?
Rendell: Well, first of all, I was speaking for myself, not the Clinton campaign. But I think that's the fair way to go. I mean, I think it's very tough to seat the delegates from Michigan and Florida based on the primaries. In Michigan, clearly, there was only one candidate's name on the ballot. And even in Florida, although everyone was on the ballot and had an equal opportunity, there was no campaign. However, 1.7 million Floridian Democrats went and voted, and it's pretty hard to totally disenfranchise them, particularly when in Florida moving up was not the choice of the Florida Democratic Party. That was the Republican governor and the Republicans of the legislature who did it. If we're going to go into the fall election, we're certainly going to need the all-out support of Florida Democrats and Michigan Democrats if we are going to have a chance to carry two states that are pivotal. I think it would be unfair to punish those individuals for actions that the leaders may have taken.
Q: Governor, you say that you were speaking for yourself and not for the campaign. Have they asked you since you raised this idea to stop talking about it?
Rendell: No, no, they haven't. But I think their position is that at least the Florida delegates ought to be seated because 1.7 million people voted and it was a fair contest. You know, nobody campaigned, but certainly the Florida Democrats got all of the national news coverage and heard all the speeches because of the incredible amount of national coverage on network TV and cable shows and radio shows like yours.
Q: This idea, though, would have the potential of extending the race at least until June. When would you like to see it?
Rendell: Puerto Rico votes June 7; I'd like to see one of the states vote June 14, and the other June 28. I think that would be fair. We'd be done by June. It used to be that that's when our nominees would be decided.
Q: Would extending the race that long benefit John McCain and the Republicans, who have finished their nomination fight this week?
Rendell: No, and I think John McCain answered that for us yesterday, Ron. You heard him complaining that he's going to have a hard time getting anybody to pay attention to him with the Obama-Clinton race going on. I think it's going to shorten the amount of time that John McCain's going to be able to make his case to the American people. And for those Democrats who say we'll be lobbing attacks at each other and that we'll bloody each other -- well let me tell you. The attacks that Senator Obama will launch at Senator Clinton, and Senator Clinton will launch at Senator Obama are going to be mild, they are going to be child's play, compared to what the 527s and the McCain campaign is going to do to whoever our winner is.
Q: Spoken like a true veteran of the streets of Philadelphia. Let's talk about Pennsylvania. I think of this as much closer to a "meat-and-potato state," the kind of state where Clinton has done well, than an upscale state, the kind that has been good for Obama -- more like an Ohio than, say, a New Hampshire and Vermont. Is that right? What does the Democratic primary electorate look like?
Rendell: I think that's basically true, Ron, except that, thank the Lord, we are doing very well economically. We have a projected half a billion dollar surplus at a time when most states are facing billion dollar-plus deficits. We have the highest number of jobs than any other time in the Commonwealth's history. But on the other hand, we've lost more jobs and had more workers funded for retraining by the Trade Adjustment Act than any other state in the union. So in great part, there are plenty of $50,000-and-under workers who are facing difficult times. Half a million people have lost health care coverage in the last six years. So a lot of it is like Ohio, but we've got some areas in the state that have done well, and some areas that are high-tech, and areas you can categorize as fertile ground for Obama.
Q: Both demographically and geographically, what does Senator Clinton have to do to win, and what would Senator Obama have to do to break though and take the state?
Rendell: Well, I think Senator Obama would have to do very, very well in southeast Pennsylvania. In the city of Philadelphia, where 55 percent of the electorate is African-American, he'll have to score big, and that might not be so easy to do, even though he's done very well, obviously, among African-American voters in most areas. Senator Clinton spent a tremendous amount of time in the Philadelphia area, and the Clinton administration was responsible for the turnaround of Philadelphia as much as anybody. More African-Americans and Latinos were lifted out of poverty during Bill Clinton's years as president than ever before, but that still is a good natural base for Senator Obama.

The Philadelphia suburbs have four vote-rich counties which are slightly Republican in registration but have a ton of Democrats, and they are the profile where Senator Obama has done very well in the past. But again, Senator Clinton spent a lot of time here during the eight years of the Clinton presidency and there is a reservoir of good feeling. But that is where Senator Obama has to do well. He has to hold his own and win the center of the state where it's a very Republican area, but where Democrats tend to be liberal. If you're a Democrat in Lancaster County, you tend to be progressive. So Senator Obama has to do very well there.

Q: And then where is her stronghold?
Rendell: Well, her strongholds will be, of course, northeast Pennsylvania, because that is where the Rodham family is from. And she, in part, grew up in the northeast section of the state, in the Scranton-Wilkesbury area. There's a tremendous amount of hometown pride in her and the Rodhams there. Southwest Pennsylvania, which is the second most populous area, is a very strong Clinton area. That's where you've got your majority blue-collar workers. It's where the Obama NAFTA fiasco is going to resonate most in any part of our state. And then the Northwest -- I think Senator Clinton will do very well. So Senator Clinton's job is to hold down the Obama vote in the Southeast and I'm hopeful she will, and I think she has a good opportunity to do it. Senator Obama has got to roll up big majorities in the southeast section of the state, and do well in the middle of the state and hold down Senator Clinton in the Southwest.
Q: Governor, you have a reputation as being a very practical politician. Given the stability of the support -- and you just cited some of the coalitions that both Obama and Clinton have attracted so far -- the likelihood is that with or without a revote, they are likely to finish very close to each other, both in the delegate count and in the cumulative popular vote. Each of them seems to have attracted exactly half the party. Given that, how do Democrats resolve this in a way that doesn't leave half of the party angry and disappointed?
Rendell: Well, it's not easy. In some ways, it's an embarrassment of riches. We have two great candidates, and two candidates who would be both terrific presidents and who would be terrific candidates in the fall. Someone is going to go away disappointed. I think it's going to be incumbent upon the loser, whoever that is, to give the message to his or her supporters -- hey, you can be disappointed, you can be ticked off. Take a week or ten days to vent, and then get back on board -- we have to win. I mean everyone talks about Senator Obama and young people and African-American voters being disappointed and sitting it out, and I hope they don't. If he loses, I hope and I believe he will be helpful in delivering the message to them. But I will tell you that there are a lot of women who would be very disappointed and who think Hillary Clinton has been treated unfairly in this campaign.
Q: Well, given what you just said, Governor, do you think it would make sense for the winner to offer the vice presidency to the loser, either way?
Rendell: I do -- and that doesn't mean the loser has to accept. But I think it's important that it be offered, and if the loser doesn't accept, I think the loser can say why. But no, I think that would be very, very important. You know, obviously, I'd love to see a Clinton/Obama ticket. But if Senator Obama won, I think his offering it to Senator Clinton would be a great gesture. I'm not sure she would take it, I'm not sure he would take it. But either way, I think that it would be good if the offer were made.
Q: Would you encourage either one to take it, if it was offered, if you were asked?
Rendell: Sure, sure. I mean, I think you've got to do it.
Q: Governor Ed Rendell, as always insightful and candid. Thanks for joining us on "National Journal On Air."
Rendell: Thanks, Ron, have a great afternoon.