CBS Evening News open - 2000-08-15 (Democratic Convention)

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] of 30

[0:03] >> transfer of power. On nomination eve,

[0:06] President Clinton stops for a burger

[0:08] after passing the party leadership to Al

[0:11] Gore. Russia tries desperately to save a

[0:14] submarine crew before the air runs out.

[0:18] The Concord may have flown its last

[0:20] regularly scheduled airline passenger.

[0:22] And will Caroline Kennedy campaign for

[0:25] Gore? Tonight's convention closeup.

[0:34] This is the CBS Evening News

[0:37] with Dan Rather reporting from the

[0:39] Democratic National Convention in Los

[0:42] Angeles.

[0:44] Good evening. President Clinton set the

[0:46] stage here last night, then helped turn

[0:48] the spotlight today on Al Gore. They

[0:51] appeared together in the key

[0:52] battleground state of Michigan. This is

[0:55] part of this day's overall script and

[0:57] theme for the Democratic Convention

[0:59] television show. Passing the torch of

[1:01] party leadership from Clinton to Gore

[1:03] and invoking the Kennedy legacy and the

[1:06] party's record of helping lower and

[1:08] middle inome Americans. CBS's John

[1:10] Roberts covered the Clinton Gore mantle

[1:13] transfer in Michigan.

[1:16] >> In an event part handoff, part sendoff,

[1:19] the outgoing chief held a new party

[1:21] leader. He is the right person to be the

[1:24] first president of the 21st century. Al

[1:28] Gore.

[1:29] >> With an embrace designed to launch a

[1:31] presidency, Bill Clinton stepped to the

[1:33] sidelines as a charged up Al Gore took

[1:35] off his jacket, ready to work.

[1:37] >> America's done well. But I tell you, you

[1:40] ain't seen nothing yet.

[1:42] >> In the last 100 years, the torch has

[1:44] been passed from president to vice

[1:46] president only three times before, and

[1:48] never with such fanfare. Good luck and

[1:50] God bless you both.

[1:52] >> Even the great communicator simply said

[1:54] goodbye.

[1:55] >> Let me say this.

[1:57] >> But for his swan song, President Clinton

[1:59] chose a huge community rally in a

[2:01] critical battleground state. One last

[2:03] chance to play to the crowd as the

[2:05] nation's top Democrat.

[2:07] >> This is a Bill Clinton production, more

[2:10] for the sake uh of Bill Clinton's

[2:13] personal needs than for uh Al Gore's

[2:16] political needs. Even as he made a

[2:19] carefully choreographed exit from the

[2:21] stage, the president couldn't help but

[2:23] make news, heading straight to a

[2:24] McDonald's for the first time in years.

[2:27] >> I just couldn't resist.

[2:28] >> We're going to miss you.

[2:29] >> French fries and a chicken sandwich.

[2:31] >> Bill Clinton towers over every other

[2:33] political figure in Los Angeles now and

[2:36] nationally. And it's going to be very

[2:38] hard for the vice president to come out

[2:40] of the president's shadows.

[2:42] >> But Gore doesn't want the president to

[2:44] completely go away. He needs Mr.

[2:46] Clinton's help later on in this campaign

[2:48] to go after African-American and

[2:49] southern voters, both of whom are

[2:51] critical if the vice president hopes to

[2:53] win the White House. Dan John Roberts

[2:56] underscoring the delicate and sometimes

[2:58] difficult Democratic leadership switch.

[3:01] Gore must take the spotlight now and

[3:03] shine, especially in his acceptance

[3:05] speech here Thursday. He doesn't have to

[3:07] be as good as Clinton, but he has to be

[3:09] good. As CBS's Bob Schiffer reports from

[3:11] down there on the convention floor, that

[3:13] won't be easy in the afterlow of the

[3:15] president's performance last night. Bob,

[3:17] >> well, Dan, the talk of this convention

[3:19] today is the speech that Bill Clinton

[3:21] made here last night. Whatever you think

[3:23] of Bill Clinton or his politics, he is a

[3:25] master of the political speech and

[3:27] everyone agreed he was really on his

[3:30] game. Frankly, some didn't know what to

[3:32] expect when he entered backstage and his

[3:35] picture was flashed up on the big

[3:36] screens inside. It was like the

[3:39] contestants entering the arena for

[3:40] Monday Night Wrestling.