NJN News; Monday August 26, 1996 7:30 PM

Oh I'll tell you one second, cynic I'm trying to tell you. Major funding for NJN News is made possible by Grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, which believes that an informed citizen relieves to a healthy democracy. PSENG committed to serving customers, strengthening the business community, and investing in New Jersey's future. First Fidelity is now first union, serving the financial needs of individuals and businesses

from Connecticut to Florida. HIP Health Plan of New Jersey dedicated to providing quality health care to employees of large and small businesses, as well as individuals for two decades. And by Bell Atlantic, the heart of communication, in partnership with public television, serving to inform and lighten and educate the citizens of New Jersey. NJN News with Kent Manahan, Dick Forney with Business, and Jerry Henry with Sports. More than 120 new Jersey delegates are preparing to nominate Bill Clinton for President at the 42nd Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The convention credo is aptly called for more years. Good evening. Kent Manahan is in Chicago. I'm Kent St. John. The Democratic National Convention is officially underway tonight in Chicago.

The National Party chairman, Senator Chris Dodd, says this is the first time in 60 years. A sitting Democratic president hasn't been challenged in his own party. President Clinton meanwhile will receive the party nomination Wednesday night, and will accept it on Thursday. New Jersey is considered a critical swing state in the November election with 15 electoral votes. It's been a festive atmosphere today in Chicago. New Jersey's delegation features more than 120 delegates, half of those are women. U.S. Senate candidate Robert Torcelli is chairman of the Garden State Delegation. Kent Manahan is in Chicago with the latest. Kent? Well, the 42nd National Democratic Convention is often running in the windy city, Kent, and it's expected to be a big night ahead tonight. Among the speakers scheduled to address the delegates in this made for TV presentation, Edward James Almos and former Princeton resident Christopher Reeve. So to speak to the delegates tonight, gun control advocates Sarah Brady. You know, the theme that's been stressed here so far and is expected to exist throughout

the week is one of unity. Chicago, of course, is the place where the Democratic Party fell into disarray back in 1968, and it's been a long time to recover. That's why no one here is uttering a word of dissent. Michael Aaron sampled some of the reaction from the New Jersey delegation. Chicago is a much more peaceful city than it was on this date and day of the week 28 years ago. Instead of hippies in the street, there are yuppies on their way to work. New Jersey delegates and press are expecting the convention to be another scripted television show, like the Republican convention in San Diego, as the national journal put it, a cast of thousands, no plot. If that seems to be fine with the New Jerseyans, in fact, that's how they wanted. We saw a great show take place in San Diego. And that's what it was, a show without any substance whatsoever. We did the substantive piece for the last three years, Bill Clinton's policies, make a big difference in America.

There's nothing dramatic going to happen here except that he's gone to give his vision for the next four years. It may not be dramatic, but it's important for the country. Like their Republican counterparts two weeks ago, the Democrats just want to stay unified, have a good time, and build party spirit. We have to reelect Bill and take back the hill. Because the main thing now, of course, is to get a Democratic Congress. This morning, they heard from the president's economic advisor, Laura Tyson, who was born in Bayon, raised in Frankfurt, and touted her boss. He thinks America's brightest days are in front of us, not behind us. And they heard from HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, who urged them not to be complacent. We see, we may have a lead today. This is going to be a tough election. I want to say to you, we need to win New Jersey in 1996. We need to win New Jersey. Last night, the delegates attended a reception, thrown for party chairman Tom Burn, by a number of corporate supporters.

The mood among the delegation seemed very upbeat heading into the convention. There was a cake with the seal of New Jersey on it, and people posing for pictures of themselves with an image of the president that then get transferred to buttons. Brendan Burn called the convention basically a social event, but of course, the delegates know there is work to be done. I think that one of the things that we've got to do is that when Dole talks about a 15% tax cut, we've got to make America stop and think that they've already got a big tax cut out of Bill Clinton, in the sense that the economy is better, interest rates are down. The only thing that could divide them, it appears, is the welfare bill Clinton signed last week. Welfare has the potential here to be what abortion was in San Diego. I disagree with the president signing of that bill. And I hope, however, that he's right, that this experiment will succeed. However, I intend to keep him to his promise that if it doesn't work, that he will take corrective action. Former Governor Jim Floreo, who sidesteped our questions about his desire for a comeback,

thinks New Jersey has a message to deliver to America at this convention. You want the country to get a message from New Jersey that tax cutting doesn't really work. Well, I want the message to be out there that there's no free lunch. That when you go and in New Jersey's experience, cut income taxes, there are all the things that happen, like property tax increases, like school aid being reduced for one third of our highest performing districts. This is where the New Jersey delegation is staying. There are many personal agendas being pursued inside here this week, so I'm having to do with this year's elections, or next year's gubernatorial race, or even the U.S. Senate race in the year 2000. But most here also will tell you the immediate task at hand is to reelect Bill Clinton, and maybe even win back the Congress. We also must replace the speaker of the House by taking back the Congress of the United States. The other task here seems to be to try to attend as many receptions as possible. Congressman Rob Andrews hosted a Taste of Chicago Bash this afternoon at the Navy Pier.

There's a 45th birthday party for Bob Torres-Sally tonight, and at the same time Chicago Bulls Coach Phil Jackson is throwing a party for Senator Bill Bradley at Michael Jordan's restaurant, and we'll have more on the significance of some of those parties as the week unfolds, Ken. So aside from the presidential race, one of the big topics of conversations out here in Chicago is who the Democrats will decide to run against Kristi Whitman next year, and of course a name that keeps coming up, Jim Floreo, and will he run again? Well, that's a good question, Ken and I. It is the biggest question being asked out here. Jim Floreo for months has been giving indications that he is thinking about a comeback, but every time reporters ask him about it, he refuses to address it head on. It was my experience with him a month ago, and again out here in Chicago. Governor, a number of would-be gubernatorial nominees for next year are hosting receptions and holding parties to get their name out this year. It's said that you could wipe any of them out of the race if you decide to enter the race.

What is your signal to them at this point in time? Well, again, I think we all would be doing is focusing on this year's election. I think it's almost a price to be paid for focusing on next year or the year after next that the people here who have come here and invested their time in their energy, the political activists, the people who really feel strongly about the Democratic Party, don't want to be thinking about things in the future. Unless we have President Clinton reelected, and I think almost as important as that, to make sure that he carries New Jersey, it's going to be a very difficult time. On the other hand, if President Clinton carries New Jersey, it will put sort of, it seems to me, particular emphasis on the fact that the people of our state have woken up to the false seduction that comes from promising people everything. And if that will, they will have made the determination that Senator Dole's sort of siren song about everything for nothing has some false notes in it, and I think that will be

a very important indicator as to what's going to happen next year. An indicator that could encourage you to consider running? Well, it will be an indicator that tells all of us that people have come to the realization that there is nothing for nothing, that if in fact you promise for the purposes of generating a little popularity, that you're going to go cut taxes, particularly for people at the top of the income level, you know, property taxes inevitably are going to go up. And property tax is really the problem in New Jersey, not any other tax. Property tax is literally driving people out of their homes. We have a mortgage foreclosure rate that is one of the highest we've ever had, and that's just not an accident. It's because property taxes are going through the roof. So we should not pop the gubernatorial question to you again until after the November election. We should not, but I suspect you will. What about your week out here, what are you personally doing and hoping to accomplish yourself out here?

Well, I'm going to be doing a little bit of television analyzing with a rival television station that's asked me in light of the fact that you rejected me categorically. That's because we thought maybe you were still alive candidate for office next year and didn't want to show partiality. As opposed to being a dead candidate for the, but I'm going to be doing a couple of things of F sort. And I'm going to be playing the role as a delegate trying to facilitate the education process. Now, some party leaders are saying openly they don't want Floreo to run for governor next year. As former Assembly Speaker Alan Carcher put it to me today, history will vindicate Jim Floreo. He does not need to seek vindication at next year's ballot box. Ken. Well, let's have some of our own experts. I'm going to call in here our pundits, Jim McQueenie and Roger Bodman. You know, they'll fly anywhere for party. We're in San Diego, now we're in Chicago, Jim start with you. Will Jim Floreo run again? Should he? I doubt it. He has every right to run, but he has no reason to run.

He distorts the Democratic primary. He's not going to win. His time has really passed and a whole crop of younger Democrats have come up who have done things separately like business, George Zoffinger, like law enforcement, Michael Murphy of Mars County. We have mayors. We have a lot of good people who can run that are younger, pretty much more in touch with what's going on. I don't think he'll run, but he has a potential distorting the primary for Democrats. What about some of these other people that are being talked about? What are you hearing about them here from the other side of the aisle in Chicago? Well, they're all out here. They're all holding parties. As Michael Aaron just mentioned, whether it's Congressman Andrews, who would totally be blown out if Jim Floreo chose to run because Floreo would come from the same area of the state, of course, just to represent the same congressional district, the first congressional district. Put the others. Michael Murphy, Senator James McGreevy, Senator Dick Cody, all of whom have put their toe in the gubernatorial waters. I think they're finding it a little chilly at this point in time, however. What do you think we can expect here as the weekend folds, Jim, in Chicago, and we keep hearing about 1968? Well, I think you saw, well, first of all, you see probably a convention that has not a lot going on.

I have to say that, but not a lot of trouble either. The last convention that was like this was actually in New Jersey, 1964 Atlantic City with Lyndon Johnson. It was basically an okay convention they got out of there, and we had a big victory in 1964. It was pretty much conflict free here right now compared to our time in San Diego with Rogers people. Speaking of San Diego, how about a comparison? It's just the first day, a couple of hours in. Well, you know, there was obviously a different situation. You have an incumbent president here and a incumbent vice president. You don't have the excitement of a new face like Jack Kent being brought into our ticket. So it's clearly different. These bodies, however, are no longer deliberative bodies. They are. These decisions are all pre-made, both the Democrats and Republicans, so it's business as usual to a degree. In the brief time we have left another scripted event made for TV. It's a made for TV event. All of these conventions have lately been designed for that. Democrats have no exception to what we saw with the Republicans out in San Diego. Just more of the same. It's more the same, but we do it better, right Roger? Last word. I would doubt that. We did a great job in San Diego. All right.

Gentlemen, Jim McQueenie, Roger, Biden, of course, he'll be joining us throughout the week as we follow this convention. And we'll bring you that information from Jim and Roger, Michael Aaron, and the rest of us here in Chicago throughout the week. We'll be joining you again at 11 o'clock live. For now, I'll send it back to our Trenton studio, and you can't. OK, we'll talk to you soon. Still ahead, Republican Senate candidate Dick Zimmer unveils his latest attack against his opponent. And why a quarter of a million New Jerseyans are being forced to boil their waters. All right. All right. You You

You You You

You You You

You You You

You You