Fmr. Sen. Jean Carnahan on Campaign 2006; Won't Renounce Iraq War Vote

Former Sen. Jean Carnahan was in Springfield this past week for the first time in six months to rally Greene County Democrats.

We spoke with the woman who lost to Sen. Talent in 2002 about the minimum wage, her vote for the Iraq war and whether she thinks some male voters still have problem voting for a woman.


Below are excerpts:

Catanese - What's it like debating Senator Talent? What are his strengths and weaknesses?
Carnahan- Certainly being in the Senate you have an advantage because you know what is going on.

Catanese - Is he a good debater?
Carnahan - I don't know if I'm a good one to judge the debate. The only debate I ever engaged in, in my life were the ones I engaged in in the Senate, but I don't know how I'd rank that.

Catanese - Do you fear that Republicans will once again successfully use moral and values issues against Democratic candidates this year?
Carnahan - Minimum wage is a moral issue. Any time you have a group of people who haven't had a raise in 9 to 10 years and you have the members of Congress who've gotten their raise every year for 9 years, you have CEOs of big oil companies who are getting double the salary they did, making millions of dollars, it is immoral that we do not have a raise in the minimum wage. And we're going to get that in November. I hope people go out and vote for it because it's a moral issue.

Catanese - Why should government have anything to do with setting wages?
Carnahan - Well, at times you have to set limits, a limit under which you will not go. And certainly we don't want people just to pay people, just to pay wages of people that are just immoral to work for. So you have to set a minimum wage that people are willing to work for.

Catanese - If you set a minimum wage, why not use the same philosophy and set a maximum wage? Say, hey, you can only make x-amount a year.
Carnahan - Well, I don't think we have that. We let people make the kind of money they are capable of making, but you shouldn't be able to hire people simply because they are at your mercy.

Catanese - Do you now believe your vote authorizing the war in Iraq was a mistake?
Carnahan - At the time, we were dealing with the best information we had. I voted for the war in Iraq. I was given certain information that made me believe that was the thing to do at the time. I think those who voted for it used that information, believing it was correct information. Now we know it was not. That's why I feel we were led into war under false pretenses. And perhaps there were other ways we could've handled it, but at the time, those of us in the Senate that made that vote, did so based on the information we had.

Catanese - So you wouldn't vote for the war, knowing what you know now?
Carnahan - Well, anytime you make a vote, you do it based on information you had, you make the best judgment you can at the time. You have to evaluate each of these decisions as they come up at the time and make the best decision you can.

Catanese - What's the Democratic party's position on Iraq right now?
Carnahan - Well, I think there's probably some split in the party. I think there's some split across the country. The Iraq war has divided our country and what we need now is real leadership. We need to send people to go after the terrorists, figure out the best way to do that, and realize perhaps the way we're doing it now may not be the best way.

Catanese - Do you think Claire McCaskill has been clear and Democrats have been clear about their position on Iraq, or do they need to me more clear in order for voters to trust them?
Carnahan - Of course, we all need to be clear in what we say. She needs to be clear. He needs to be clear. Everybody running for office needs to be. Keep in mind, Senator Talent voted 94% of the time with the President. We don't need a rubber stamp there.

Catanese - Has she (McCaskill) sought any advice from you?
Carnahan - Not really. I think she's running her campaign very well herself.

Catanese - You think it will be a close race?
Carnahan - Of course, it's Missouri. But I think Claire has the higher moral ground on things like the minimum wage and stem cells.

Catanese - Do you think there's an issue of her (McCaskill) running as a woman?
Carnahan - Of course not, no.
Catanese - Even in this part of the state, a woman Democrat?
Carnahan - No, no.
Catanese - Some people won't hold that against her?
Carnahan - No, that's an issue of the past.
Catanese - You don't think any good old boys out in the Ozarks may have a problem?
Carnahan - I don't feel they do. I really don't. I think that's a false issue.
Catanese - But the polls reveal a strong gender gap.
Carnahan - I think we've really gotten beyond that in most places. Of course some people feel that way. But I think we've moved beyond that.

Catanese - What do you think about the voter I.D. court ruling?
Carnahan - Well, you know it was going to be a voter suppression law, something to prevent the elderly, disabled, minorities from voting because they had to go through a number of hijinks just to get an I.D. And so now this means people will be able to vote. They'll be fully enfranchised, they'll be able to vote regardless if they are registered voters, they'll be able to vote.

Catanese - Do you think it will help Democratic turnout?
Carnahan - Well, potentially, but I don't know if I agree totally with that.