Here is the transcript from Zahn's interview with Dean tonight. I was glad to see him get his points made even if he had to keep talking. Her shallow nature showed all through the interview.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/15/pzn.01.htmlZAHN: Governor Dean, good to see you. Welcome.
HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: Thanks for having me on.
ZAHN: Our pleasure.
The polls would indicate that the American public overwhelmingly supports the idea of rebuilding New Orleans. The president expected to lay out a specific plan tonight. What kind of a bounce do you think he'll get in the polls?
DEAN: I can't say that. But I can tell you what had better be in the plan. First of all, FEMA needs to become an independent agency again, as it was under President Clinton.
Second of all, the bankruptcy bill needs to be put off. It takes effect in about a month. There are going to be hundreds of thousands of people from Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana who are going to be in hoc for the rest of their lives if that bankruptcy bill isn't put off. And that needs to be done. That needs to be put off for a year for everybody in America, or give a special exemption to people from those states.
Thirdly, we cannot pass an extension of the estate tax. Sooner or later people in this country are going to wake up and understand that if you have $750 billion around to give to 25,000 American families, you'd be better rebuilding New Orleans, rebuilding Mississippi, rebuilding Alabama and then having some left over to start paying down the deficit and start investing in American jobs again.
ZAHN: Governor, you've said the ugly truth that skin color, age and economics played a significant role and who survived and who did not. Are you suggesting that the president doesn't like black people?
DEAN: No. That's the Republican National Committee is trying to say that. Most of the controversial things I've supposedly said in the last year or so have been spin machined by the Republican National Committee who reworks them and sends them out to enterprising reporters hoping that one of them will pick it up.
ZAHN: Do you think the president looks at all Americans equally?
DEAN: I think this president -- I don't think this president is a racist. His policies have had the effect of harming some people more than others. For example, 80 percent of Americans, white, black or brown, have seen their income drop by $1,700 on average under this president. That hurts everybody.
Cutting Medicare, cutting Medicaid, trying to privatize Social Security, that disproportionately hurts people in the lower income brackets, white, black or brown because they rely on the programs.
ZAHN: So if you use your math, you're saying this president only cares about the 20 percent of Americans that are rich?
DEAN: If you look at his policies, that's true. The president has been good for the 20 percent of the people, one of which includes me, who are at the top and not so great for the 80 percent of the people who aren't at the top.
ZAHN: What about the folks in New Orleans? We know that three- quarters of the population was African-American, and by and large, poor.
DEAN: That's right. And you know, I've said before, we still have a race problem in this country. Most people don't want to know about that.
ZAHN: But isn't it true, governor, that the same people you're talking about New Orleans that are homeless today were poor under Bill Clinton's leadership? "
And her comment after the interview:
ZAHN: Well, that's one opinion. And probably a predictable one at that.
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