CNN LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER:
Interview With Vanessa Kerry, Aired July 4, 2004
 

VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: You know, I honestly wish I knew. I spent 40 minutes at dinner with him last weekend trying to tweak it out of him. I was using all sorts of reasons. I was saying, "Dad, I'm your daughter. You have to tell me -- family." And he just laughed.

I have no idea. And I think the decision, whoever it is going to be is going to be somebody who is ready to be the next president of the United States. And, you know (UNINTELLIGIBLE) into office at any point and I think who is really going to be good for this country and is going to complement my dad well.

KING: Well, tell us about the process. You say you're at dinner with your dad trying to get information out of him and he won't share. Has he asked your advice? Has he asked at all what you think, who your favorite might be?

V. KERRY: One of my favorite qualities about my dad is that he does seek to see the spectrum of what people think and he listens to people and he listens to their opinions and their thoughts and their ideas. And I very much appreciate that about him.

And, you know, certainly a lot of names have been discussed at one point or another. And I think he's going through the process, as everybody does. And to be honest, I don't know what the full process is, but I have the utmost confidence in my dad that he is going to pick a wonderful vice president.

KING: As voters watch this, this is a big decision that any candidate for president has to make, any nominee for president has to make. And people watch this not only to see who he will pick but how he makes decisions. Because if your father is elected president, obviously he'll have to make many momentous decisions. Tell us about how he goes about big choices in life. Does he consult a lot of people? Does he then go off by himself? Does he keep things to himself? How does he go through this process?

V. KERRY: Everyone always looks for a magic formula, I think, to label somebody or get an idea. I've seen my dad make decisions in many ways. I think you have to think -- it depends on what the decision is, the timing of the decision.

But usually, what I've seen my dad do is he really listens to all the sides. He listens to the people who are pro, and he listens to the people who are against, and he takes everything into account, and then he does sort of go off and weigh them. And in the end, I think you've got to go with your gut. And I've seen my dad do that a number of times.

But you also have to be listening, and you have to be acknowledging, and you have to make sure that you have all the information that you need. And my father definitely does that. He is always well researched. And I really -- I am definitely grateful for that. And I think that when you look at a quality for the president of the United States, I think that is one of his strengths.

I think that his ability to see the complexity of issues, to not just see the black and white, and to be able to adapt to what's happening in this country and happening with times is an extraordinary quality and one that will make him an incredible president.

KING: He will be campaigning, I believe, marching in a parade today with one of the candidates, the governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack. Others mentioned, of course, include Senator John Edwards, Congressman Dick Gephardt, Senator Joe Biden, and a number of others are mentioned. Do you have a personal favorite, Vanessa?

V. KERRY: I am not even going to remotely step into that question. Thank you, though.

KING: Well, you've been campaigning across the country on your dad's behalf. Do you get any sense of perhaps what he needs? What might help the campaign?

V. KERRY: I think truthfully all those candidates have incredible strengths and all those candidates have been unbelievable public servants. And I think we'd be lucky to have any one of them serve.

KING: I'm going to try one more on this issue. And that is if he won't tell you who it is, has he told you or anyone in the campaign given you any firm hint of when it is?

V. KERRY: The only thing I can tell you is it's not today. That's about all I know. And maybe it is and I don't know. Things change so fast on the campaign. I honestly don't know. And it's been interesting trying to plan some of my life. sort of saying, well, am I okay to go do this now? You know, everything's been pretty cryptic around it. I think he wants to make sure he makes a very wise decision for this country. So we are all waiting.

KING: As we wait, your father's choice to share the Democratic ticket, we are also a little more than a week away, most likely, from a vote in the United States Senate on a proposed constitutional amendment that would outlaw gay marriages. That is an issue on which you have some disagreement with your dad. Can you tell us about that?

V. KERRY: Well, you know, I mean, I can tell you. I think it's a very difficult issue, and I want to -- the first thing I'd like to say about this issue is I want to make sure that this country stays very focused on the issues that, you know, are not the wedge issues but the issues that this country needs to be talking about now and today and, you know, going into November: things like the economy, lowering health care costs for all Americans, making sure that all Americans are insured, making sure that all American children are getting good educations from kindergarten on, making sure that this country is safer today, tomorrow, and that we have a better standing in the world.

And those are things that I know my father is talking about as we travel this country. We are on a bus tour right now celebrating the spirit of America. We're traveling to smaller towns, rural parts of the country, to make sure we're addressing the issues that are facing this area.

For example, over half the soldiers that have been killed in this war have come from places where populations are less than 20,000. We need to be talking about this and these are the issues that are the most important. And I think there are other issues that certainly we should be able to talk about, and we need a White House where we are allowed to engage in that debate.

And, again, to reiterate with my father on this issue, what is very important is that he listens to all sides, and I think that we need to be careful that we aren't just using the constitution for political means. That is an age-old document, and we need to make sure we are respecting it.

KING: But he supports civil unions. So he will vote against this constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriages, I assume. But he supports civil unions. You believe he should support the marriages. Is that right?

V. KERRY: I think this is a bit of a generational issue. If you were to poll generations and you see what younger people are talking about, younger people are much more open to gay marriage than I think some of the sort of older generation, my father's generation.

What we need to make sure that we're really clear on about my dad's position, though, is that he feels, you know, it's very important that there are completely equal rights under law: equal adoption rights, equal inheritance rights, equal hospital visitation rights, and that we make sure that we are respecting the ability -- we're not discriminating against one population against another.

And I can tell you through a number of my gay friends that in the end what really matters is that we get equal rights. And this is a process. This country is a political process. And this subject is going to continue to be discussed over and over. And I think that my father has certainly been very vocal and straightforward on his position. And I think the fundamental point in his position is that there are equal rights under law, and that's where he stands.

KING: It is remarkable for all this campaigning, the millions and millions spent on advertising. If you look at the polling, many Americans still say they don't know much about your dad. Obviously, he's coming out of the Senate. This is his first foray into the national political stage.

Tell us something that perhaps nobody knows as yet. I was noticing even as he prepares for his acceptance speech at the convention, he writes it out longhand. Here in the 21st century, laptops and wireless communications, he's writing things out longhand. Tell us something about your dad and why is that? Can we buy him a computer?

V. KERRY: Dad's a bit of a poet, if you will, and I think he's -- I don't know if he's shared any of his poetry. Some of it is actually quite good, and some of it we won't comment on.

But to be fair, I think it's just part of the process. I mean, it's interesting. I actually write out my papers and my outlines longhand, still, too, and then will ultimately go to a computer. I think everybody just has a study habit, and for him it's just part of the writing process.

And trust me, he is very computer literate. I was traveling for a while, and he managed to -- he kept in excellent touch with me by e- mail all the time, probably more so than a child would like. Every time you go you're thinking, "Oh, man, another five-page letter from dad."

But you know, I think this country's just getting to learn -- or is just learning who dad is. He's the challenger. And there's been a lot of press and things that have been happening in the past, whether it is, as you know, the prison scandal or he's been going into whatever is happening in Hollywood or whatever is distracting this country.

We need to -- you know, we are just coming into the convention, and we are just coming into the beginning of this country getting to know my dad. They are really going to love what they see. He is a man of integrity, a man of good ideas, and who is really doing this for the better of -- you know, betterment of this country.

And I think, you know, I saw him back in Iowa. An 8-year-old boy stayed up till 10:00 at night to see us at this one location. And you know, he just asked a very simple question, which is the crux of what all this is. And he said, "Why do you want to be president of the United States?" And dad answered -- took a breath, and said, "Because I want to make sure that we leave this country and world a better place for you and your friends." And that's what this is all about. And he is not seeing that happen now, and he'd like to be part of making sure we change that.

KING: I want to close with a question about your role in this campaign. You're on leave from Harvard Medical School to campaign for your dad. If you look at the studies, by the tens of millions, you're a voting bloc. Single women, are not voting. Young single women are not voting. Why do you think that is, and what can you do about it?

V. KERRY: Well, you're right, actually. There are tens of millions of young single women, and there are lots of other young people, young men as well, who are not voting. There are millions of Americans who are not engaged in this process. And I think that my goal, my brother's goal, my sister's goal in being involved in this is to try to at least really address some of that youth vote.

More young people voted in '92 for Clinton than we saw since Kennedy, and that was a huge part of the reason he was elected. That kind of turnout again could make a huge difference.

And I think the big thing is that people have felt the political process hasn't reflected them, that there hasn't been a candidate in office who has -- I mean, I think Clinton did a good job to do this, but recently, anyway, there hasn't been a candidate that necessarily is addressing their needs. The cost of college today, the burdening cost of health care, starting a new family, trying to start a small business, and these are issues that we're all facing. They're incredibly important. And my dad has been going around trying to talk about these issues and how they impact young people and sort of the rising generation of Americans. And if I can do anything to be a part of that, I would love to be. And so, my family and I are all dedicated to being a part of this campaign, being an extra set of eyes and ears for dad. And hopefully being able to pass his message on.

KING: Well, we thank you for taking a break from campaigning in Iowa to join us on LATE EDITION. And if you can pry that name of the running mate out of your father any time today, give us a shout. Vanessa Kerry, thank you very much.

V. KERRY: Thank you very much.

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