NBC Nightly News - 2004-10-19 - 1 of 2 (with campaign ads; starts at 3:00)

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Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] ing.

[0:01] >> George Bush's budget deficit will leave

[0:03] our children with debt for decades to

[0:05] come. The president's tax and economic

[0:07] plans have given us the largest budget

[0:09] deficit in American history. In just 3

[0:12] years, America has gone from a surplus

[0:15] to a $2.7 trillion deficit. And it's our

[0:19] children and grandchildren who will have

[0:20] to pay the bills. America and our

[0:23] children can't afford four more years.

[0:26] The Democratic National Committee is

[0:28] responsible for the content of this

[0:29] advertisement.

[0:30] >> When I was appointed the director of the

[0:32] Miami date Police Department, um the

[0:34] policy was that we would not investigate

[0:37] any cases of public corruption. And I

[0:39] changed the philosophy of the

[0:40] department.

[0:40] >> He has led a department of 5,000

[0:43] individuals through ethics and morals.

[0:45] >> He's not afraid. You know, you cross

[0:48] that line and you going to pay. We

[0:50] initiated over 900 investigations and

[0:52] made over 300 arrests in the arena of

[0:55] public corruption.

[0:56] >> To me, that is integrity to do what's

[0:58] necessary to get the job done.

[1:00] >> My wife Wendy was murdered by terrorists

[1:03] on September 11th.

[1:05] >> The Faulner's daughter Ashley closed up

[1:07] emotionally, but when President George

[1:10] W. Bush came to Lebanon, Ohio, she went

[1:12] to see him as she had with her mother

[1:14] four years before.

[1:15] >> He walked toward me and I said, "Mr.

[1:17] president. This young lady lost her

[1:20] mother in the World Trade Center.

[1:21] >> And he turned around and he came back

[1:24] and he said, "I know that's hard. Are

[1:26] you all right?"

[1:27] >> Our president took Ashley in his arms

[1:30] and just embraced Earth. And it was at

[1:33] that moment that we saw Ashley's eyes

[1:36] fill up with tears.

[1:37] >> He's the most powerful man in the world,

[1:39] and all he wants to do is make sure I'm

[1:41] safe, that I'm okay.

[1:43] >> What I saw was what I want to see.

[1:47] in the heart and in the soul of the man

[1:50] who sits in the highest elected office

[1:53] in our country. Progress for America

[1:56] voter fund is responsible for the

[1:58] content of this message.

[2:00] Seen this ad for Amendment Three. It's

[2:03] phony, deceptive, just like the

[2:05] arguments for Amendment Three. As the

[2:07] St. Petersburg Times disclosed, the

[2:09] sympathetic woman claiming to be hurt

[2:11] isn't really hurt, but is an actor.

[2:14] Bankrolled by the healthcare industry,

[2:16] Amendment Three gives special legal

[2:18] protection to the healthcare industry,

[2:20] even for medical errors that cause death

[2:21] or severe injury. It will make health

[2:24] care more dangerous. Don't be fooled by

[2:26] Amendment 3's deceptive ads. Vote no on

[2:30] three.

[2:30] >> Debbie Wasserman Schultz understands

[2:32] that when you call 911, you don't get

[2:34] the FBI, you reach the local sheriff and

[2:37] fire rescue. Debbie understands the

[2:39] battle against terrorism starts right

[2:41] here in our community with our

[2:42] firefighters and our deputies.

[2:44] >> Sending someone like Debbie to Congress

[2:46] means we're sending a person who will

[2:47] fight for the funds we need.

[2:49] >> First responders know that Debbie has

[2:50] always supported police and fire. She's

[2:52] a fighter. She understands our issues.

[2:54] She's on our side.

[2:56] >> This is Debbie Wasserman Schultz and I

[2:58] approve this message.

[3:04] Two weeks to go until election day. What

[3:06] our new poll says about the tight race

[3:08] as the candidates go at each other over

[3:10] terrorism and social security.

[3:14] >> Kidnapped in Iraq. A woman who has spent

[3:16] her life helping Iraqis. A chilling

[3:18] reminder that no one is immune from the

[3:20] wave of terror.

[3:23] Extreme weather. A small plane crashes

[3:25] and burns on an unusually stormy day

[3:27] across the south.

[3:30] And the home front, an Iraqi orphan, an

[3:33] American war hero on US soil for the

[3:35] first time to begin a new life in the

[3:37] heartland.

[3:42] From NBC News world headquarters in New

[3:45] York, this is NBC Nightly News with Tom

[3:48] Brothal.

[3:50] >> Good evening. The phone banks are

[3:51] humming, the emails are flashing, the

[3:53] volunteers are going doortodoor, and the

[3:56] candidates are at full throttle as one

[3:58] of the most hotly contested presidential

[4:00] campaigns and modern times makes the

[4:02] turn for the final two weeks. We'll have

[4:04] the latest NBC News poll on the

[4:06] head-to-head matchup and also the perils

[4:08] and possibilities for both candidates.

[4:10] But we're going to begin tonight on the

[4:11] campaign trail where social security and

[4:14] other financial issues drove today's

[4:16] debate. NBC's David Gregory is with the

[4:18] Bush campaign tonight.

[4:22] The final sprint will feel like a

[4:23] marathon in Razor Close, Florida, where

[4:26] both candidates will keep showing up

[4:27] until election day. Today, the president

[4:30] accused John Kerry of using scare

[4:32] tactics to win over the state's seniors

[4:34] and younger voters alike.

[4:36] >> We will keep the promise of social

[4:38] security for our seniors.

[4:42] >> We will not have a draft. We will have

[4:45] an all volunteer army. on social

[4:47] security. The president defended his

[4:49] plan, which allows younger workers to

[4:52] set up an individual savings account by

[4:54] using a portion of their payroll tax.

[4:56] Senator Kerry claims the transition

[4:58] costs alone to a new system will

[5:00] endanger the retirement program, a

[5:02] charge the president dismissed.

[5:04] >> My opponent will say anything he thinks

[5:07] will benefit him politically at the

[5:10] time. With voting already underway in

[5:12] Florida, the Bush campaign is running

[5:14] hard here, trying to avoid a replay of

[5:16] the recount of 2000. But because the

[5:19] hurricanes cut campaigning short here

[5:21] last month, Bush aids can see they're

[5:23] trying to make up for lost time in this

[5:25] must-win state. Residents here are

[5:27] bombarded with political ads on

[5:29] television. This spot by the Bush

[5:31] campaign plays on voters fears of

[5:33] terrorism.

[5:34] >> John Ky and his liberal allies, are they

[5:37] a risk we can afford to take today? As

[5:39] for the electoral map, Bush advisers

[5:41] concede the president may lose New

[5:43] Hampshire. Two other Bush states,

[5:45] Colorado and Nevada, remain closer than

[5:48] expected, but they see opportunities in

[5:50] traditionally Democratic states,

[5:52] Pennsylvania, Iowa, Wisconsin, New

[5:55] Mexico. Mr. Bush will even travel to

[5:57] Minnesota this week. A senior Bush

[6:00] campaign official says between now and

[6:02] election day, the president will make

[6:03] twice as many stops in states Al Gore

[6:06] won in 2000 than in Bush states. The

[6:09] exception is Florida, where Bush aids

[6:11] admit there is a lot of work yet to do

[6:14] to keep it in Republican hands. David

[6:17] Gregory, NBC News, The Villages,

[6:19] Florida.

[6:20] For his part, Senator Kerry went after

[6:22] the traditional Democrat vote today with

[6:25] his social security themes and after the

[6:27] undecided voters on the economy. Here's

[6:30] NBC's Kelly O'Donnell.

[6:33] Today, before a Pennsylvania crowd

[6:35] chanting two more weeks,

[6:39] John Kerry in an appeal to the swing

[6:41] voter sought to define himself, not the

[6:44] president, as the more fiscally

[6:46] responsible. Give me that line item veto

[6:49] pen and I will cut the fat out of the

[6:52] budget.

[6:54] >> Tring Mr. Bush for tax cuts that Kerry

[6:57] claims favor the wealthy.

[6:58] >> He spent billions and billions

[7:00] >> and a record deficit. Kerry claims the

[7:03] president has levied a birth tax on

[7:05] future generations. His four-year

[7:08] spending spree on tax giveaways for

[7:10] millionaires has undermined the hopes of

[7:15] middle class families and it has put

[7:17] social security on a dangerous road.

[7:21] >> For a third straight day, Carrie pressed

[7:23] that reelecting the president puts

[7:25] retirement security at risk.

[7:27] >> My fellow Americans, on November 2nd,

[7:30] Social Security is on the ballot. Kerry

[7:33] claims the president plans to privatize

[7:35] part of the system. A move Kerry says

[7:38] would jeopardize benefits while boosting

[7:40] profits for financial institutions. The

[7:43] Bush campaign calls that stunningly

[7:45] inaccurate and downplays its impact on

[7:48] the race. Kerry advisers say the

[7:50] undecided voters they seek are naturally

[7:53] reluctant to fire an incumbent

[7:54] president. to reach them. Aids say

[7:57] Carrie needs to demonstrate that he is

[7:59] an alternative they can be comfortable

[8:00] with on both the economy and national

[8:03] security. Today, K's ad makers rolled

[8:06] out two new spots to hit the president

[8:08] on Iraq.

[8:09] >> Over 1,000 US soldiers killed. And for

[8:11] the first time, a Cary ad features a

[8:14] September 11th widow.

[8:16] >> We learned the truth. We are no safer

[8:18] today. Whether on emotion or the facts

[8:21] and figures, Carrie is trying to steer

[8:23] voter dissatisfaction with the president

[8:25] into a reason to choose him. Kelly

[8:28] O'Donnell, NBC News, Wilsberry,

[8:30] Pennsylvania.

[8:32] >> And tonight with two weeks to go, we're

[8:33] out with our latest NBC News Wall Street

[8:35] Journal poll. It continues to show a

[8:37] very tight race. It's what's inside that

[8:39] poll that is so interesting. I'm joined

[8:41] now by our Washington bureau chief and

[8:43] moderator of Meet the Press, Tim

[8:44] Russard. Tim, let's begin with that big

[8:46] question. Right track, wrong track? The

[8:48] incumbent's favorite question, Tom. They

[8:50] always like to see 50% right track. It's

[8:52] only 39. Wrong track 48. A warning sign

[8:55] for George Bush.

[8:57] >> And what about the election,

[8:59] >> Tom? This country is taking this

[9:01] election very seriously. Look at this.

[9:04] In 2004, three out of four Americans

[9:07] think this election makes a difference.

[9:09] Compare that with 1996. Only 40% thought

[9:12] it was significant election.

[9:14] >> And what has affected them? What about

[9:16] the debates? The debates were very good

[9:18] news for John Kerry. He was behind

[9:20] before them. But look at this. One out

[9:23] of every three Americans say they are

[9:24] more likely to support John Ky because

[9:26] of his debate performance. Winning the

[9:28] debates does not mean winning the

[9:29] election, but it gave John Kerry a new

[9:32] political lease on life.

[9:33] >> Do we have a better sense of uh why

[9:34] these voters are voting for these

[9:36] various candidates?

[9:37] >> We do. Look at the Kerry vote, Tom.

[9:39] There's some people obviously like John

[9:41] Ky support his positions, but nearly

[9:43] half are voting for John Ky because

[9:46] they're against George Bush. With George

[9:48] Bush, it's the exact opposite. Almost

[9:52] three and four voters are saying they

[9:54] are for George Bush. Period. Only 16%

[9:57] are voting for Bush because they don't

[9:58] like John Kerry.

[10:00] >> And how's the war in Iraq cutting as we

[10:01] go into the final two weeks? Tim,

[10:03] >> this is hopeful news for George Bush.

[10:05] When we asked whether people thought

[10:07] there'd be a su successful conclusion,

[10:09] 46% now say they are more confident

[10:12] there will be less 41. But that's up

[10:15] nine points in just a month. George Bush

[10:17] has basically convinced the American

[10:19] people somewhat that things in Iraq are

[10:21] going better than they were just 30 days

[10:23] ago.

[10:24] >> And finally, let's talk about the horse

[10:26] race, the matchup between the two

[10:27] candidates. And we have to throw Ralph

[10:29] Nater into all that as well, Tim.

[10:30] >> We sure do. Two weeks from tonight, Tom,

[10:32] we'll know, we think, who will be the

[10:34] next president of the United States.

[10:35] Look at this. George Bush 48, John Kerry

[10:40] 48, Ralph Nater one. What a horse race.

[10:45] >> Uh Tim, uh as we look at the electoral

[10:48] map, the battleground states remain

[10:49] pretty much the same.

[10:50] >> Still nine understated undecided states,

[10:53] Tom. And it looks like it's gonna come

[10:55] down once again to Pennsylvania, Ohio,

[10:58] and our old friend, Florida. Florida.

[11:00] Florida. And based on the people that

[11:02] I'm talking to in both parties, the

[11:03] great unknown this time is what appears

[11:06] to be a very large pool of new voters

[11:08] registering for the first time. Who are

[11:10] they? And how will they break? Are they

[11:12] young people? If so, will they be

[11:14] disproportionately for John Kerry? Those

[11:16] new voters could skew all these polls

[11:19] and make it for a very long election

[11:21] night.

[11:21] >> All right, thanks very much NBC's Tim

[11:23] Russ, moderator of Meet the Press and

[11:24] our Washington bureau chief.

[11:26] >> And one more note about voting tonight.

[11:28] Missouri state officials said today that

[11:30] a record number of people are registered

[11:32] to vote this year, 4.2 million, which

[11:35] presents a small problem because

[11:36] statewide there are less than 4.3

[11:39] million people eligible to vote. That

[11:42] would mean a 98% registration rate. The

[11:45] Secretary of State's office says the

[11:47] voter roles are quote somewhat inflated.

[11:50] They say most of the duplications are

[11:52] inadvertent, they believe, and they're

[11:53] not worried about people voting more

[11:55] than once. Even as voters in our poll

[11:58] expressed more confidence that the war

[12:00] in Iraq will come to a successful end,

[12:02] there was a new reminder today that no

[12:04] one is immune from the wave of terror

[12:06] that is making it so hard right now to

[12:08] win the peace in that country. A woman

[12:10] who has spent much of her life helping

[12:12] Iraqis and who holds Iraqi citizenship

[12:15] herself by virtue of a marriage is the

[12:18] latest kidnap victim. NBC's Jim Meda has

[12:21] her story tonight.

[12:23] Margaret Hassan, the director of Care

[12:25] International in Iraq, doing her job,

[12:28] assessing how to salvage a Baghdad

[12:30] hospital destroyed in a bomb blast.

[12:32] >> We do also hospitals.

[12:33] >> A British professional in her 60s with

[12:35] an Iraqi husband, children, and

[12:37] passport. Hassan has for three decades

[12:40] dedicated her life to helping Iraqis.

[12:42] >> Well, thank you for what you do. But

[12:44] this was Margaret Hassan today as she

[12:46] appeared on Al Jazzer TV anxious just

[12:48] hours after being kidnapped by an

[12:50] unnamed but armed Iraqi group. Hassan,

[12:53] who refused to use armed guards, was

[12:55] taken on her way to work. Her husband,

[12:57] Tasine

[13:00] was followed by two cars, one in front

[13:02] and one in the rear. He says she is the

[13:05] sixth woman taken hostage by

[13:06] increasingly emboldened kidnappers.

[13:09] Needless to say, we're doing what we can

[13:11] to secure her release.

[13:12] >> In today's Iraq, the head of an

[13:14] international humanitarian aid

[13:16] organization is a soft target.

[13:18] >> That multinational organization could

[13:20] represent a very large potential purse.

[13:23] Uh either in political leverage or in

[13:26] financial recompense. Less than two

[13:29] weeks after Britain Ken Biggley's brutal

[13:31] beheading, Hassan's kidnapping is a new

[13:33] blow to Prime Minister Tony Blair and

[13:35] his government's controversial pro-war

[13:37] policy in Iraq.

[13:38] >> And I think it shows you the type of

[13:39] people we're up against.

[13:40] >> Blair's options are limited. He can

[13:42] neither cave into demands nor pay a

[13:44] ransom.

[13:45] >> It is a stalemate scenario where they

[13:47] cannot be seen to concede.

[13:49] >> So tonight, a western woman who inspired

[13:51] Iraqis with her caring is another victim

[13:54] in a spate of kidnappings that seems

[13:56] unstoppable. Jim, NBC News, Baghdad.

[14:00] >> And there are chilling new pictures

[14:02] tonight from a security camera of the

[14:04] terror bombings at the Spanish train

[14:06] station just over 7 months ago. Here is

[14:09] a train platform in Madrid. The video

[14:11] begins after one bomb has already

[14:14] exploded.

[14:16] There is another explosion. And then

[14:18] about 5 seconds later, this

[14:23] the bombings killed 191 people. Those

[14:26] are security cameras.

[14:28] Up next, NBC News in depth. Tonight, our

[14:30] special election year series, divided we

[14:33] stand. The war in Iraq. Veterans with

[14:36] family members in uniform deeply

[14:38] divided. Later, bad weather around the

[14:41] country, flooding, winds, and

[14:42] record-breaking tornadoes.

[14:47] >> We try to do a lot of things before we

[14:49] succeed.

[14:52] That's why we keep trying. Maybe all the

[14:55] times