Live from Madison Square Garden in New York City, NBC News reports the 1980 Democratic National Convention.
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Now reporting from the NBC News Convention Center in Madison Square Garden, here are David Brinkley and John Chantelor.
And welcome to our coverage of the second session of the 1980 Democratic Party National Convention here in New York City.
For the last five hours, the hall has been half empty, but mainly the spectators stayed away.
Most of the delegates came to spend the day debating and voting on changes proposed for the party's platform.
They haven't got very far in that, and we'll get to that story in a minute.
Outside, staff representatives of Senator Kennedy have met with staff representatives of the President to talk about a possible meeting.
Senator Kennedy will be in the hall tonight. President Carter will be in New York City tomorrow. They may meet. We're not sure. David?
As you say, John, they've spent five hours discussing changes in the platform and installing a new or trying out a new system of voting by telephone.
And so far, because of inordinate delays in the slowness of the new system, it takes forever to vote by telephone.
They have only got two roll call votes, telephone roll call votes, and on one of them, a change in the national health plank.
Kennedy wanted a change to insist on a single comprehensive plan. The opponent said it would cost $65 billion.
He wanted that added to the platform. They voted by telephone. It took forever.
When they finally got to count, the Kennedy amendment lost, 1573 to 1349.
Now they have taken another vote and we are awaiting the results. I don't know. We'll have them shortly.
That is on an addition to the platform asked by Kennedy to demand that the government supply a job to every person who wants to work.
Carter's position is this is impossible and he is opposed to it.
Cannot make said. What was it?
I think that the proposal that Senator Kennedy's forces made that a job guaranteed for every American who wants to has just been passed by this convention.
You can see them all. That's a victory for Kennedy on the platform.
OK, so he lost one and won one. And this will continue. And in fact, now it'll be here tonight.
Now we will proceed.
That's the that's where the platform fight stands. John.
Well, unity is what you're hearing these days or the lack of it.
And we're going to ask some of our floor reporters to report on that first.
Garak Utley, John, down here in Ted Kennedy country, the Massachusetts delegation, where the seventy seven can be delegates are very happy that they got their minority report on jobs through.
They think that all goes well for the other debate later this evening on the big jobs program, which Kennedy is pushing.
But they're also talking about party unity from this fall.
And with Ted Atkins, who is the state chairman of the party in Massachusetts and co-chairman of the delegation, a lot of people here are sad, of course, Mr.
Atkins, because of Kennedy pulling his name out of nomination.
But looking ahead to the fall campaign, are you and your seventy seven Kennedy delegates in Massachusetts really going to be able to get behind a Carter Mondale ticket and work for them?
Massachusetts has always gotten behind the Democratic ticket.
We have the historically the best record of supporting Democratic nominees of any state in the country.
And we'll have it again this November.
Some of the White House people have been quoted as saying that they like to have Ted Kennedy's support, but his support is not as important as the support of the Kennedy people, like those in your delegation, that they will not just work in a pro forma fashion, but will work enthusiastically.
Can you and your Kennedy delegates work enthusiastically after these months and months of competition with Carter?
I think just a brief look at the Republican platform can give any Democrat a tremendous amount of enthusiasm about this Democratic platform and about our nominee.
Well, because of the job, the platform debate, which continues tonight, the key issue, the twelve billion dollars job creation program being proposed by the Kennedy people.
Do you think you're going to be able to push that through? Do you think you have enough muscle in this convention to do that?
It looks like it. That's an historic Democratic concern. The Democratic Party has always been the party of economic hope and opportunity.
Adoption of the jobs plank will keep us in that tradition, and I think there's tremendous support for that on the convention floor.
Thank you very much. Ted Atkins, Massachusetts delegation. Now over to Chris Wallace.
One of the other groups that the Carter administration is trying to get on board is women, and who have been somewhat dissatisfied at this convention.
And the specific issue involved in the platform is Minority Report Number Ten, which would prohibit giving party funds to any Democratic candidate of this role who opposes the ERA.
Presidential Assistant Ann Wexler has been working very hard to try to get the women on board, and I understand that today you came up with a sweet new.
Well, we feel it's important to help candidates get elected, especially those candidates who support the ERA, and we will make an effort in the debate on this Minority Report
to re-emphasize and rededicate ourselves to helping those people who support the ERA and not saying we're not going to help those who don't.
You still oppose that cutoff of funds for anti-ERA candidates?
We strongly oppose it, yes.
Why?
Because we think it's a manifestation of single-issue politics, and that's not what the Democratic Party is all about.
Well, is the compromise enough? Are you going to get the women activists on board?
I don't know. We haven't been ripping it very hard. We've announced our position and we've talked to a lot of people, but we've made it very clear that we don't want to split the women in this convention over any issue,
but especially not the issue of the ERA on which we're all united anyway.
A little while ago you told me you thought you were going to lose.
Well, I think we might.
Truth to tell, it doesn't really matter what happens at this convention. Aren't women stuck with the Democrats, given Ronald Reagan's position on ERA?
I hope women are enthusiastic about the Democrats, not stuck with them.
But you do believe that, that they really can't go to Reagan?
Well, I think it'd be very foolish. No woman who has been involved with the issues of women's rights over the last ten years would ever go with Ronald Reagan, I don't think.
And Wexler, thanks very much on the issue of women, not of Tom Brokaw.
Mel Bellamy, president of the New York City Council, a Kennedy delegate from New York.
We were just listening to Anne Wexler from the White House saying that the president is opposed to the idea of tying Democratic candidates to a pro-ERA position.
You, on the other hand, feel that they ought to be.
Well, I think it'll make the Democratic Party's commitment to ERA stronger.
I think that can help the Democratic Party this fall. The Republicans have turned their back on ERA and women.
I think the Democrats can pick up some votes for a strong support for ERA.
What is it that President Carter will have to say here Thursday night to bring you into his campaign this fall, Ms. Bellamy?
Well, I'm particularly interested in his comments on the economy.
How is he prepared to begin to put dollars back into the economy to rebuild the cities of this country?
What will he do about the farms of this nation? What will we do about inflation?
There are no easy answers, no simple gimmickry like the Republicans.
But we've got to hear some policies and positions articulated by the president if we're going to support him.
Thank you very much, Carol Bellamy, president of the New York City Council.
John Pettit.
John Carlin, governor of Kansas, Democrat supporter of President Carter.
How difficult will it be for Carter to carry Kansas coming out of this convention?
Well, it's going to be very difficult.
Traditionally, especially in presidential elections, we vote Republican.
Not necessarily straight down the ticket, for sure, but you have to go back to 64, to the last election that a Democrat carried Kansas.
So I think it's going to be very difficult. I think it can be done because it has been done.
But you're taking home a very disunited delegation, Governor Carlin.
If we were going home tonight, I would agree with you.
I'm hopeful that in the next two or three days that we can do a lot to patch that up.
We have some delegates that feel very strongly about Senator Kennedy and about the platform issues that he's supported.
And I think with a few recent action right here, the adoption of one of the jobs minority reports is going to help considerably.
Not totally men fences, but take certainly a step forward so that when we leave here, we can be united.
I think I really think the delegates, when they step back and realize that although they lost in some cases, as far as Kennedy delegates, they're going to realize there's a choice.
And when they got to look at that choice, it's going to be to back the president.
Most people in Kansas now, were the election today would go for Reagan, though, would they not?
That's true. If the election were held today, and I would anticipate, it would probably stay that way.
I think Carter can improve himself in Kansas.
I think when the voters of Kansas more clearly understand the issues and the differences, it's going to tighten up.
Whether it'll come to the point where he can actually win, I don't know. It'll be difficult, very difficult.
Thank you very much.
David?
Today's word here is unity. How much more it is than a word, we don't know yet, but we will sometime find out.
There are a great many party officials on the floor, including one we have just heard, saying that the Democrats will have a terrible time winning in this state or that state.
The Kennedy group is swarming all over the Sheraton Center Hotel on Seventh Avenue here in New York.
We're going over there now to see what they are doing or trying to do to bring about the unity being discussed.
Steve Delaney. Steve?
Well, David, this is the Carter headquarters, and the feeling around here is that unity is a good idea, but as you suggested a moment ago, not much more than that right now,
in part because there are substantial differences remaining between the Kennedy and Carter supporters of one sort or another,
and in part because they've had several months of very intense and sometimes bitter political warfare, and the scars from that just don't heal within the span of a day.
What happened last night in the Carter camp's viewpoint was not so much peace in the party, although it was a step in that direction, as it was kind of a post-war truce and a rather uneasy one.
A lot of the Kennedy supporters don't like the president. A lot of the president supporters don't like the senator. They've got a long way to go before they can get things together.
There was a lot of talk earlier today and last night about reconciliation, about top-level meetings, about perhaps personal meetings between the two sides.
That hasn't happened yet. There's a price for that, and the Kennedy people are asking for some concessions on program ideas, on platform positions and general policies in the Carter administration that they just don't like.
They're not likely to get that because the president has the votes and the nomination almost in hand and doesn't feel that he has to give up too much to get support from Senator Kennedy.
Senator Kennedy would like to have concessions. They are not likely, and if unity depends on those concessions, then unity too is unlikely. And at the moment, frankly, there isn't any. Not now.
Back to John Chasler in the booth.
Yes, and we hear from our reporters on the floor that there are a number of people who are upset on the floor.
They say that the Carter people are pushing too hard for votes for their positions on the platform. We'll have more coverage of all this after this.
The American
Let's get this nation on its feet again.
Great American convention has great values on great looking casuals.
Metafield to the left and the right.
Outstanding buy the socks and back and back back.
That every man, woman and kid can stand on.
Probably.
Just a little squirt of back team soothing spray cleans all those little hurts without stinging and helps kill the germs to start the healing.
Back team helps the hurt start healing.
If you're worried about stains on your dentures, don't have the cherry pie.
Unless you have the cream denture cream and don't have the coffee.
Unless you have the cream denture cream denture cream denture toothpaste has a powerful anti stain formula that helps brush away tough stains, leaving your dentures feeling fresh and clean.
So don't have the berries unless you have the cream and I stain formula denture cream.
Now with a new improved flavor.
Now being discussed here in the convention hall is another minority plank offered to the Democratic platform.
This was offered by a group called the Women's Coalition and is not a contest between Carter and Kennedy.
What it says is if passed, what it says is the Democratic Party shall withhold financial support and technical campaign assistance from candidates who do not support the ERA.
On the podium now discussing this is Eleanor Smiel, head of the National Organization for Women.
It cuts across pension plans and educational plans.
That's why we say it's time to take strong measures and to withhold support for those who say women are inferior.
And to stand strongly and united here today and to show this country that we mean what we say when we say we support the ERA.
To ratify it in the next 22 months.
That's all right. The final speaker speaking in favor of the minority report number 10 is a delegate from Virginia,
Sonia Johnson, who is the president of Mormon's ERA.
What more can I possibly add than that, than has been said about the Equal Rights Amendment.
I can say that I spent the first years of my life, the first half of my life deceived by rhetoric about women in my church.
How the male leaders loved us and honored us and regarded us as exalted, pure and better than they because they said so, I believed it.
It took me a very long time to realize what an enormous gulf there is between what leaders say and how they actually feel and behave.
When I was catapulted into politics, I found that things that are true in churches are true in political parties as well.
The rhetoric of the Republican Party about women is very noble. It would bring tears to the sentimental eye.
It's as familiar to me as if it came right out of the Mormon Church's public relations office.
I know what it means. And certainly no one can fault the Democratic Party's women's rights language.
Let us prove today that no one can fault the Democratic Party's women's rights actions.
Let us today do something for women. Let us not talk anymore about helping us.
We have fought and are fighting a long, long, hard, arduous battle.
It's been made harder than it needs to be because promises made to us have not been kept, not just by our enemies, but our friends have betrayed us.
Sonya Johnson, who was excommunicated from the Mormon Church last year, I believe it was, or this year, anyway, excommunicated for her support of the ERA.
Jessica Savage on the podium is going to tell us how the voting on the telephone system has been going. Jessica?
David, the voting system up here on the podium has not gone well at all.
This is what the Democrats call the new, improved voting system.
The delegation leaders on the floor call in the delegation vote total. There's some operators who are up here just behind the podium.
There's one operator, for say, with several states, and they take in the results, and those results are sent to a computer, and then they're tabulated.
That sounds simple, but there have been some problems today.
Number one, it takes a very, very long time for the delegations to bring in their alternates.
They're the ones who replace the ones who have maybe gone out to get something to eat or gone out for the day or done whatever.
Number two, this was designed to let the convention business here go on while the vote was being tallied.
However, if the chair decides the vote is so important that what was going on would interfere, then the chair could put it on hold for a while, and that's what happened today.
This afternoon there were two minority votes. The convention was in session for five hours this afternoon.
That means we're told an hour and 20 minutes or so per roll call vote. That's the new system.
How long was it under the old system? About an hour and 20 minutes, so really no time was saved.
This is Jessica Savage on the podium. John?
The average in 1976, Jessica, of a roll call vote was 52 minutes. Things are getting slower as we move into the future.
In five hours of meeting here in Madison Square Garden today, the Democrats spent two and a half hours counting, doing nothing, milling around on the floor while the delegations made up their mind.
Delegations such as Guam and Puerto Rico, very small delegations, took an hour to make up their mind.
It's truly a mess, but then at a Democratic convention, who's surprised? We'll be back with more of this convention after this.
Oh, hi, Betty.
Hi.
Want to borrow some crisps? They're right behind you. Pass me a box two, Marty called. He's bringing you some gifts.
Hey, try one.
Okay.
What do you think? Great, huh?
Mmm. These Triscuit wafers are really something. Like a whole snack menu in one box. I don't know about you, but I use Nabisco's Triscuits with anything, hot or cold. They're so firm and crunchy.
Oops, gotta go. He's on time for once. Don't forget your Triscuits.
Remember your Buffon hairdo and all that icky hairspray? Well, hairstyles changed a lot, but hairsprays didn't until today. Today there's the soft hairspray called Rave.
Look, spray Rave on one side, the old kind on the other. The old kind dries so stiff, the comb can barely get through. But you can comb through Rave without combing out the hole.
Rave Soft Hairspray, the flexible hole you can comb through, now in unscented too.
People sometimes miss a turn, or fail to lift their weight. They even lose their magic touch.
Billy, you take your vitamins today.
Reach up, call up and save their day.
Don't cry, honey, he'll come back.
Reach up to someone far away.
Annie, you look great!
How come the other scooped out?
Reach up, reach out and touch someone.
In the Carter Kennedy contention here today about minority planks in the platform, one earlier today was on the subject of a National Health Insurance Plan.
The platform calls for National Health Insurance, but it was not as specific as Kennedy wanted, and he asked to have added to it a minority plank, specifying that it all be done in one fell swoop, one bill, everything covered and so on.
People opposed to it said it would cost $65 billion. They voted on that this morning. Kennedy lost. The vote was 1573 to 1349.
Here's how some of it went, beginning with a supporter of Kennedy's point of view.
I will never forget being turned away from hospitals when I needed surgery because I couldn't pay for it.
I will never forget that my husband had to leave a job because the hospital would only admit me if I were eligible for public assistance.
My story is not unique. My accident is not unique.
People all over America, and I mean middle class people like myself, have mortgaged their futures, their children's futures, because they don't have adequate insurance.
I don't think that is right in America. I don't think we can wait much longer. Soon no one will be able to afford medical care.
This party has been committed to health care for all Americans. This party has been committed to controlling health care costs.
Those commitments are long overdue.
The president has proposed a major first step, which would provide over 14 million low income Americans with health care for the first time.
And it would strengthen the existing Medicare program and extend coverage to pregnant women and their children throughout the first year.
Now any major social program is not achieved overnight.
The very fact that a comprehensive national health insurance program has never gotten out of committee indicates that the comprehensive route will be a more difficult route to follow.
Addressing the program one step at a time not only increases the possibility of achieving our goal more realistically, but also will enable us to make certain that each chapter of that program will be carefully written, reviewed, and implemented.
Well, Senator Kennedy's forces lost on that one, but then when a vote was taken here on amending the platform to include a phrase saying that jobs should be guaranteed to all Americans who want and are able to work, the Kennedy forces won on that and the Carter forces lost.
We're going down for some reaction to that now. First, Chris Wallace.
Wendell and Cook is an Maryland delegate who was one of those who spoke against the Kennedy plan on national health insurance. Why did you oppose it?
I opposed the Minority Report Number Six for three reasons. The first reason was because it's inflationary. It would cost taxpayers approximately $65 billion.
Secondly, I opposed it because Democrats across this land could not run on that plank and win. And third, I opposed it because it would give the Republican Party an opportunity to checkmate us and indicate that we were being inflationary and irresponsible.
But you know in 1976, the Democratic Party platform supported comprehensive national health insurance. Aren't you breaking a promise to the American people?
No, we're not. The difference here is that the Minority Report indicated that they wanted a single comprehensive bill in a single bill. They wanted the plan to be incorporated in one unit. And that's impossible.
Presently we have four health bills before the 95th Congress, none of which has a bright future. We know that it took us 20 years to get Medicaid and Medicare.
And here we're going to stay on a single bill and jeopardize all of that which we have on the chance that we're going to get that bill enacted. That's impossible. It's unrealistic. It's not practical.
If we want to do something for poor people, then let's go about it in an appropriate fashion.
Thank you. Thanks very much. Now to Tom Brumkopf.
Laura Suerta, prominent leader of the United Farm Workers Union, a Kennedy delegate from California. You lost a national health insurance this morning.
Ms. Suerta, does that make you any less enthusiastic about the idea of unity coming out of this convention? Could you support Jimmy Carter?
At this point, no. The President has broken his promises before. And he broke a promise on national health insurance that he made to us four years ago.
Unless we see some dramatic demonstrations that he is going to actually support the democratic tradition, I don't see how we or the people that we represent can work for him.
But you're not inclined to go to Ronald Reagan, I wouldn't guess.
Ronald Reagan, we know him. We were under him for very long. But he ignored us. He didn't harass us. I think that was the difference. We will work for congressional candidates and for state candidates, but not for the President.
Unless he can really prove that he is willing to keep a social contract with the people.
Thank you very much. Laura Suerta of California, the United Farm Workers Union. Now here's Tom Pettit.
Fred Kroll, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania delegate for Kennedy, President of the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks.
Fred, why did you lose this? The Carter people were pouring it on. Is that your opinion?
On the health and welfare issue, the Carter people really put a lot of pressure on their delegates to go against the minority report.
I think it was a mistake on the Carter people. They're looking for unity and harmony to come out of this convention.
You know, Ted Kennedy and Ted Kennedy's forces are still a significant part of the Democratic Party.
And you know, who can be hurt by national health and welfare? What we're saying is somebody needs an operation, a major illness.
Why sell chances, have a raffle? All Americans should be entitled to the same type of health and welfare care.
And the Democratic Party of all parties should be the one sponsoring it. So it was a disappointment to us.
I'm sure it was for you and your forces. Thank you, Mr. Kroll. David?
Thank you. It is interesting to recall that President Harry Truman was advocating some kind of national health plan back in the 40s.
It's been discussed all these years, but other social programs in defense have taken up all the money. We'll be back in a moment.
America's chemical waste areas dumping grounds or burial grounds. Here are the shocking answers on Speak Up America.
Do blondes really have more fun? I've visited one lady who said blondes are not only beautiful, they're better.
And what kind of woman pays for sex? I go right to the source to hear some Hollywood gigolo's speak up.
This Friday on Speak Up America.
At McDonald's you expect quality and value. And now McDonald's has put quality and an extra value in a plain brown bag.
It's simple. McDonald's took its delicious double decker Big Mac sandwich and combined it with a generous large order of golden crisp french fries
and put it in a plain brown bag at a very special low price.
The Big Mac brown bag bargain. Quality and value. It's in the bag at Participating McDonald's.
Rural crime is increasing.
These burglars are about to discover that not all farms are easy targets.
More and more farmers are locking up their equipment and their gas pumps.
They're keeping watch dogs. And some have installed some very effective security lights.
Just because your farm is isolated doesn't mean it has to be vulnerable.
A few simple precautions and common sense can make rural crime more trouble than it's worth.
Special guests appearing with Johnny on the Tonight Show tonight include Sammy Davis Jr.
Charles Nelson Riley and Jim Fowler at 1130 right here on Channel 23.
Channel 23, KNDO Yakima.
NBC News continues to report the 1980 Democratic National Convention. Here is John Chancellor.
And we're five and a half hours into the second session of the Democratic Convention here on Tuesday in New York City.
The convention debating, sometimes very vigorously, additions to amendments to the party platform.
In two hours they will start one of the main shows of today when Senator Edward Kennedy's forces begin talking about
the economic changes they would like to see in the platform.
And the Senator himself will come into the hall and address the convention.
In the meantime we are sitting here in Madison Square Garden in the middle of New York
surrounded by 3,000 policemen, 50 policemen on horses and six dogs that are trained to sniff explosives.
So far with a force like that nothing much has happened but Emory King is keeping his eye on all this for us outside the hall. Emory?
And John, to say that the demonstrations that have taken place so far at the Democratic National Convention have been mild would be an understatement.
Nevertheless, demonstrations are scheduled every night of this convention along 8th Avenue here across from Madison Square Garden
at the foot of the stairs of the United States Post Office building for a stretch of two blocks.
The demonstration conducted here last night was sponsored by a coalition of gay rights and marijuana legalization organizations.
The demonstration itself was rather sparsely attended and later drowned out by a rock concert conducted from a flatbed truck at the corner of 8th and 33rd.
Even some of the protesters themselves seem to lose interest in what they were protesting about to go and listen to the music.
The crowd that you see gathered to my right here composed of about 150, perhaps 200 people are opposed to the use of nuclear power.
They just arrived here about 15 minutes ago from Central Park and they seem to be off to a better start than the people who were here last night.
The organizations have scheduled demonstrations for every night of the convention.
As I mentioned earlier, everyone from anti-draft people to animal lovers will be here in an effort to be seen and heard.
Most of the organizations, as is usually the case, say thousands will come here.
There have even been some threats of civil disobedience, but the New York City Police Department security detail is at least 3,000 strong outside the garden.
They've issued somewhat of a warning of their own, which is simply they are prepared to handle any situation that arises and will make arrests whenever necessary.
Nevertheless, there is no reason at this point to believe that things should get out of hand.
Now let's go over to Linda Ellaby.
Inside the garden at the delegate entrance, the security today has been, if not more relaxed, at least more efficient.
By that I mean things have tended to work the way they were intended.
Yesterday there were lines of delegates. There was confusion.
For example, we stood here and watched Hamilton-Jurden have to produce three extra pieces of identification to get in.
It was kind of funny and we would have showed it to you, except that security only let two members of our crew stand here and sadly neither one was the cameraman.
If the security seems tough, it is because there is a need for it to be so, and if it seems confusing, there is a need.
If you look behind me, I think you will see about 40 to 50 security people.
New York City Police Department, the Democrats, Madison Square Garden, Secret Service, and probably a few that I don't know what they're doing.
But so far at the delegates' entrance today there really are no major problems, except that once they did have a terrible time x-raying the chocolate milk.
And now to David Brinkley in the booth.
Where we have a little news, Linda.
Here on the floor, just this second, they have adopted an amendment to the Democratic platform saying,
The Democratic Party shall withhold financial support and technical campaign assistance from candidates who do not support the ERA.
I haven't got the vote yet, but in any case it has been adopted. It was a voice vote. It was added to the platform.
Now we're going out on our...
Bella Absurg, who is always out front in the women's movement, is on the floor, and Ken Bodie is talking with her. Ken?
No, she's addressing the convention.
The convention has gone on record as being prepared to take some meaningful action in support of ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Mrs. Absurg is pleased that the convention has adopted it.
The wording says, The Democratic Party shall withhold financial support and technical campaign assistance from candidates who do not support the ERA.
The White House, as we heard from Ann Wexler just a few minutes ago, is against that because they say that's single issue politics, and they didn't want it in the platform. They lost. David?
They lost. Ken Bodie is down at the Carter trailer, where they have, as I say, just suffered a defeat. Ken?
David, I'm just standing outside the Carter command post, where I spoke a moment ago to Ann Wexler about their strategy for the balance of these minority reports on the platform.
As you probably know, the Carter command post decided to call off the whips on the ERA position, on the ERA minority report, even though the president and the Carter campaign have opposed this all along.
They decided they would not enforce discipline on the floor. They would tell the delegates to vote their conscience.
They intend to do exactly the same thing on the next minority report, number 11, which is the minority report on reproductive rights.
What Ann Wexler said was, On ERA, we don't want the Democratic Party looking like it's fighting over ERA. We don't want Democratic women pitted against one another on that issue, nor on the issue of reproductive rights.
She added, however, that the president would not change his position on abortion, on federal funding for abortion. He personally opposes it, and even if this convention passes it, which they're very likely to do in a few minutes, as long as the Carter campaign will not whip on that issue either,
he will not change his position, and therefore, sometime, sometime between now and tomorrow night, when his name is placed in nomination,
the president of Carter will have to file with this convention something of a statement of his objections to the platform planks that are now being adopted on the floor.
He'll do that, says Ann Wexler, but he'll do it in very vague language. Now, you recall, that's the platform accountability plank that was passed a couple days ago by compromise between the Kennedy and Carter campaigns.
So, what's happening down here in effect is that the Carter campaign wants unity, and they're willing to throw a few to the Kennedy people to get that unity. But one important point, they're not ready, at least they say so right now, to give up on the entire stimulus package, the economic stimulus package,
which is most important to the Kennedy campaign, which Senator Kennedy will speak on before this convention tonight, and which is most important also to beat for the Carter campaign.
Back to the booth, to David Brinkley. Thank you. Andrea Mitchell reports to us that Vice President Mondale has talked to Senator Kennedy and has arranged, I gather, to go and see him, but we don't know yet exactly when.
We'll try to get the details. NBC's John Ellis tells us that President Carter and Senator Kennedy have tentatively arranged a private meeting tomorrow at 2 o'clock in the president's suite.
Now, tonight the debate on the platform will center around issues involving national public economics. Mike Jensen, out on our front porch, has a report on what some of this is going to be about. Mike?
David, judging by some of the excitement that's going on on the floor now, we may have some very interesting moments on the floor with the economic debate.
It's pretty much of a foregone conclusion that no matter what economic clanks are adopted at this convention, President Carter will do pretty much what he wants if he is re-elected.
He's playing ball with the Kennedy people on some clanks because he wants Senator Kennedy's support in the election, not necessarily because he believes in those economic positions.
There are two Kennedy proposals that the president simply will not accept. He has been against them ever since he took office.
One of those is the $12 billion job program, and the other is wage and price controls. So that's where the battle line is drawn tonight.
The big question is why does anybody care about this anyway if the president isn't likely to pay attention to the economic platform that's accepted?
And the answer to that is that Senator Kennedy cares because this is really his last chance to put his stamp on this convention.
And a lot of the delegates care because they have hopes that perhaps the new Congress that's elected may pay some attention to the platform even if the president doesn't.
So there will be a lot of speeches tonight, including one by Senator Kennedy. There will be a vote by the delegates, and that will be interesting because that will give us some idea how much of the old economic liberalism is left in the Democratic Party.
John?
Thank you very much, Mike, and we're going down to the floor now. This has got some reaction to all of these, this economic talk that is going to seize this convention for a couple of hours tonight.
Down here in the Ohio delegation is Martin Hughes, the chairman of the delegation. He is also the international vice president of the Communication Workers of America and a strong and longtime Carter supporter.
Mr. Hughes, yesterday when we were talking last night, you were hoping there would be a compromise on the Kennedy jobs minority report. This morning we came into the convention hall, a letter has been distributed to all of the delegates, the labor people here on the stationary, the AFL-CIO, over the signature of Lane Kirkland, the president, telling people that the AFL-CIO will support the Kennedy minority report on job creation, the $3,000 program.
Now, do you think this means that Kennedy has the votes to pass it?
Well, I don't think it's necessarily a Kennedy-Carter issue. There are 170 organizations in the United States who have supported this position, and a roll call on this won't be until later this evening sometime. I'm still hopeful that something can be worked out in that regard. But I think it's long overdue, that there will be a job stimulus program.
Do you think this is an effort, though, to put pressure on Carter, to get him to move along to get a compromise with Kennedy?
I don't know whether there will be pressure or not, but I think if there would be a compromise, it certainly would unify this convention.
Thank you very much. Martin Hughes of the AFL-CIO, the Ohio delegation, now over to Chris Walz.
Ken Walz is a delegate from Washington and a member of the International Association of Machinists, and his union does not like Jimmy Carter's economic policies at all. Why not?
We don't feel that he's done anything to get new jobs in this country, and we're not going to support him.
Do you support this $12 billion program?
We also do.
There's some talk that you people are so upset with Carter's programs that you're going to walk out.
That's right.
You are?
Yes, we are. On Thursday we'll be walking out.
How many of you are there?
Right now, I don't know how many are going to be there, but I know all the machinists are going to be walking out.
Are you really willing to divide the Democratic Party that way? I mean, some people will say you're throwing the election to Ronald Reagan.
No, we're not. We're going to support the Democratic tickets throughout the country. We're going to support every Democrat there is.
We just feel that we can ask for Jimmy Carter, and we're not going to.
Ken Wall from Washington, thanks very much.
And Tom Hatton.
We're going to support the stuff we need.
Ray Magyaris, United Auto Workers, Carter Delegate, Wisconsin.
Ray, are these changes in the platform meeting with your approval? That is the guaranteed job, for one thing.
Jobs are very important to everybody in this party, everybody in this country, and I did vote for the guaranteed jobs, and most of our labor delegates here voted for them also.
So that does meet with my approval. I think it's absolutely necessary that we do that.
Now, the labor establishment, if you will, and the White House establishment, that is AFL-CIO, Labor Secretary Marshall, who was just here a minute ago, are saying,
vote no on the $12 billion stimulus plan. How are you going to vote on that?
We're going to vote for the $12 billion, and we think that's important. And the fact that the administration opposes that, you know, that doesn't hurt us, and we make up our own minds about that.
We can afford to have that kind of difference of opinion, so we'll be urging that program to be adopted.
Thanks very much, Ray Magyaris.
To Tom Brokaw.
Bobby Crimm, Speaker of the House of Representatives in Michigan, a big and important industrial state, a Kennedy delegate here.
Apparently, President Carter is going to hold the line on this $12 billion jobs program that comes before this convention tonight.
That is, he thinks it's too detailed and too expensive. Will that make you less enthusiastic about supporting President Carter this fall?
It makes it a little more difficult, of course, because it's so important to us in Michigan, leading the nation in unemployment.
We must reach out for jobs, however and wherever we can get them. The government has an employer of last resort, even.
We will support Carter in Michigan. This delegation will, because I think principally the alternative being Reagan and the policies that he espouses.
It will make it a little more difficult if we don't get the jobs plank in the platform, going back to Michigan with a 15 percent unemployment rate.
Speaker Bobby Crimm of the Michigan House of Representatives. And now, David Brinkley, the booth.
In the platform vote so far, Carter has won one and lost two. We'll be back in a moment.
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Today and tonight are the platform, and the Carter forces are not doing as well as they might have hoped. Out on our front porch, John Chancellor is talking with Stuart Eisenstadt of the White House staff who has been involved in their platform thinking. John?
Stuart Eisenstadt is the President's assistant for domestic affairs and policy and has been deeply involved in the negotiations on compromises on the platform. The Convention has gone against your view and the President's view in advocating that party funds should be kept back from any candidate who supports ERA. What's your reaction to that, Mr. Eisenstadt?
Well, our concern with it did not have to do with support for the ERA. The President's a very strong supporter of it. The majority language indeed indicated that no Convention or major party activity should occur in a non-ERA state. We were simply concerned that this would be a divisive issue and that an otherwise qualified candidate would not qualify for campaign assistance from the Democratic Party. We hope that it will not be a divisive issue.
One of our reporters, Ken Bodie, reported that the White House pulled its whips back, in other words did not really lean on its supporters on that one. Is that an indication of a change in the Carter position on the Convention floor?
No, I don't think so. We've made it clear, our position on each of these issues. We tried to get the delegates to support our positions. We recognize many of these issues are very contentious and they're going to be very closely divided. But we have tried to win on those minority reports still remaining. As you're aware, we've compromised most of the outstanding disputes.
But have you heard that you were less willing to enforce discipline on your delegates on that particular one?
Not until you just mentioned it to me.
Well, it has to be true. We've reported it. Let me ask you one broader question. In reading the various proposals that are made by the Carter side and by the Kennedy side, it just seems to me that there is a lot of room for compromise on these things. A word here, a phrase there, would you tell me about that?
There is a lot of room for compromise. That's why during the drafting process for this platform, almost all of the issues were compromised. Only 18 were left. And as a result of more recent compromises, only nine were left. Even those could be compromised, I think, by and large, if there were a will on both sides.
And is there a willingness on your side to go and compromise that with changes here and there?
The President obviously wants to maintain his own policies, and we don't want to shift those policies, and an incumbent President can't shift those policies just to get a few votes here and there for a platform. However, within those policies, we would like to see as much of a compromise as possible so that we have as few divisive issues outstanding as possible.
Finally, in a word, are you more willing to compromise than they are?
Well, we had indicated after the Senator's announcement last night that we would like to sit down and talk about the remaining nine outstanding Kennedy minority planks. They indicated that they wanted to take those to the floor and not compromise them. We understand their position, and we'll simply have to do the best under those circumstances.
Stuart Eisenstadt, thank you very, very much.
Thank you.
David. John, I want to repeat a little news I gave a minute ago. It is from NBC's John Ellis, who tells us he has learned that President Carter and Senator Kennedy tentatively are scheduled to meet privately tomorrow, two in the afternoon, in the President's suite.
Now, during this convention, as during the Republican in Detroit, we have invited members, officials of the opposing party to watch and listen and to give us whatever comments they care to make. Now we're going to hear from them, and they're with Bill Monroe in Washington. Bill?
Thank you, David. With me, the chairman of the Republican Party, Bill Brock, and Senator John Warner of Virginia. Chairman Brock, when parties argue, they talk about the vitality they're displaying. When they don't argue, they talk about the unity they're displaying. What would be your comment on whether the Democrats are engaging in good politics in terms of what we're seeing this afternoon?
I think it's disastrous. They're not talking about unity. They're talking about how to exclude people from their process. The argument that they should not go to any state that hadn't ratified ERA as an attack upon those states, their argument that they shouldn't support any Democrat who didn't agree with the party position on that one issue is a litmus test kind of politics. What you're seeing is a breakup of the old coalition. I think it's a very sad thing.
Are you seeing a lot of good news for Republicans and the Democratic carryings on this afternoon, Senator Warner?
I see regrettable news for America as a whole. I know as an elected United States Senator, I wouldn't want anybody pointing their finger at me a single issue and say, either you do this or we're not going to support you.
Let's talk about the jobs program. It's key to America that we have jobs, but there's a clear distinction between Governor Reagan's approach, namely jobs in the private sector, lasting jobs, one you can count on for several years, and the public jobs, this giveaway program.
That's dependent on the will of the Congress each year to appropriate the money. I wouldn't want a youngster of mine to take a job dependent on the will of the Congress year after year.
You gentlemen are critical of the Democrats passing this plank saying they're not going to give any official party help to candidates who are anti-ERA. Are the two of you happy with your own party's platform on the ERA turning against the ERA for the first time in decades in terms of the Republican platform when polls show the ERA is quite popular?
Bill, we didn't turn against ERA. We didn't turn against equal rights at all. We simply changed the stance of the party in the sense that there was no explicit endorsement of a particular tactic to achieve equal rights.
You said equal rights was not important enough to put in the Constitution.
No, no, no. We didn't. We said that equal rights was a fundamental cause and an absolute total commitment of the Republican party, but there are good people on both sides and they have a right to choose the best tactic of achieving equal rights.
Many of us have supported the Equal Rights Amendment. We simply are not going to exclude the opportunity for any candidate to choose the best route to do what is fundamentally important and that is to give women a full right of participation in this country.
It's a very different approach from the litmus test kind of disavowal of their own party members that the Democrats have done.
Thank you very much, Chairman Brock and Senator Warner. Now back to Madison Square Garden.
Well, here's where we stand in New York City as of this hour. NBC News reported that the president was scheduled to meet in his suite at the Sheraton Center with Senator Kennedy tomorrow at two o'clock in the afternoon.
The Kennedy people have called us to say they have no information to support that story.
On the floor here as they are trying to amend and alter the platform, Senator Kennedy won a vote which would add to the platform a promise to guarantee jobs to any American able to hold one.
Senator Kennedy lost on his proposal that a national health insurance program be made part of the platform, that recommendation.
And we'll be having more, a lot of it on economics. Now down to the floor for some previews and reactions to all this.
Yes, as a matter of fact, John, this is Tom Brokaw down in the West Virginia and California delegation.
I just had a Kennedy person come up to me and say that he didn't think that that meeting would take place tomorrow.
He heard that the Senator was going to hang tough. It seems to me that that's the story.
This repair job that they were talking about last night is by no means complete.
A lot to be done still on the platform, which is important to Democrats, especially the Kennedy delegates.
And a lot will depend on what President Carter has to say here Thursday night on whether he can heal the wounds that clearly still exist on this floor.
So we have a continuing story.
This is Chris Wallace, and I guess I'd really second Tom Brokaw's motion.
It strikes me that for all the euphoria in the Carter camp yesterday about their easy victory over Ted Kennedy, they still have a lot of problems in this party.
And just in this hour, hold on, apparently we have some news from Judy Woodruff off the floor. Let's go to her right away.
Is there a meeting planned between the President and Senator Kennedy?
We're talking with Press Secretary Jody Powell about a meeting tomorrow.
I don't know about the meeting between the President and Senator Kennedy at this point.
Not that I know of, no.
Have they talked?
It's just whoever gave you that gave you a bum steer.
Have they talked at all, Jody?
Not since, no, not since they spoke yesterday evening.
Will the Vice President be meeting with the Senator tomorrow?
It's your bad story. You try to salvage it. Don't ask me to do it for you.
Are there staff meetings between the Carter and Kennedy?
No, we've been in touch with them off and on throughout the beginning of the convention, but nothing substantive at this point on platform issues and that sort of thing.
And is the meeting at all scheduled with Kirk Hall, Kirk, and Hamilton or anything like that?
I wouldn't be surprised if either Mr. Moe or Mr. Jerton and Mr. Kirk got together at some point later on today or tomorrow.
What would the purpose of that meeting be?
Well, I suppose to discuss matters of mutual interest.
For example?
Well, hopefully winning the election in the fall.
Has the time been set and a place?
Not that I know of, no.
Do you think it's logical that the President, once he gets here, might want to meet with the Senator tomorrow?
Oh, I just don't know about that. I think that's something we'll have to deal with as things go on today and tomorrow.
Jody, what are the Carter people doing to stroke or win over the Kennedy delegates who remain unconvinced?
Well, that is a process which is usually not accomplished in a night or even in a week, and there's no magic solution to it.
You just talk with people. You have people that support the President who have the respect of those who may be undecided at this point.
Talk with them. It takes a while to do it, but I think in the end, most good Democrats will act like good Democrats.
How big a blow will it be if you lose this Minority Report Number 3 tonight?
Well, the President's position on the economy is quite clear.
It's been established for the past several weeks that an economic renewal plan is in the works to be announced within the next few weeks.
So that process is underway. We'll take into consideration certainly the ideas and views in a general sense expressed by all segments of the Democratic Party.
But in the end, a President has to make in that Oval Office decisions based upon weighing as carefully as he can the mix of national and international pressures
and balancing concerns at home and abroad. You really can't write detailed economic policy at a convention.
I don't think anybody here really thinks that a convention should do that.
I think there are people that want to express, in at least a symbolic fashion, their concern, a concern which is felt on the part of the administration about the economy.
Thank you. We've been talking with Presidential Press Secretary Jody Powell, who says that there are no plans now for the President to meet with Senator Kennedy tomorrow,
although he said those could change. And now back to the anchor booth.
Thank you, Judy. We'll be here tonight for the session in full, including the Kennedy speech to the convention,
and our coverage will begin with the NBC Nightly News at 6.30 Eastern Time.
In the meantime, we thank you for being with us, and we'll see you shortly.
Thank you.