Schieffer not ready to elect voting system

Bob Schieffer thinks America’s system is broken.

The mediator of CBS’s “Face the Nation”… Bob Schieffer thinks America’s system is broken.

The mediator of CBS’s “Face the Nation” spoke Monday night at the Carnegie Music Hall, endorsing his newest novel and criticizing the American Electoral College system.

But Schieffer told his audience that the decisive outcome of the 2004 presidential election was important for the country and its morale. Had Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, won the state of Ohio, he would have gained the presidency despite trailing President George W. Bush by 3 million popular votes, Schieffer said.

“This outcome would have created four years of total gridlock,” he said, adding that it would have been difficult for Kerry to govern with such an outcome.

Using his experience as a reporter in Vietnam, as a Washington correspondent and as a news broadcaster, Schieffer has drawn his views from the ups and downs of America’s political history.

“It is time we graduated from the Electoral College,” he said.

As a former supporter of the system, Schieffer believes the country is fit for a change. Whether the modification should be as radical as a direct popular vote or not, he believes the country needs a change that would “put the fun and excitement back into politics.”

Schieffer went on to say that it “seems out of whack” that presidential candidates concentrate their campaigning in swing states, where support remains up for grabs.

“The presidential candidates visited cities in some states that even senators don’t go to,” he said, including Pennsylvania in this category.

In 1948, a 10-year-old Schieffer had his first encounter with a future American president. When Lyndon Johnson was elected to the Senate for Texas that year, he visited Schieffer’s local playground via helicopter.

Schieffer described the moment as exhilarating and memorable for a young boy, saying, “I can remember every single detail of that day, yet I can’t remember any of the commercials we saw in November.”

“Those commercials sum up everything that is wrong in politics,” Schieffer said.

He explained his point by comparing the campaign consultants who run presidential elections today with campaign managers of the past. Supporting a losing candidate in the past, Schieffer said, meant that campaigner was out of a job. Today, “at the end of the campaign, they simply collect their money and move on,” he said.

Throughout his career, Schieffer has interviewed countless political figures. He told the audience that he conducts interviews to find honest answers, which he said are hard to find today because of the constant advice politicians receive from their media coaches.

“Sometimes you just want to jump across the table and slap them,” he said.

Schieffer deems politicians as successful when they are able to master the media outlets of their own time. He says President Franklin Roosevelt found his success on the radio, and President John F. Kennedy found his on television.

Schieffer has witnessed such politicians first-hand during his time moderating “Face the Nation,” which is in its 50th year. He gave a brief synopsis of the program’s past, noting that its first guest was Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis.

His new book, which claims the same title as the news program he has moderated since 1991, holds a sentimental value to Schieffer.

“I sort of feel that I have been made the curator of a national treasure, and I take that very seriously,” he said.

Schieffer continued, offering his thoughts about this year’s presidential election outcome. First, he warned Bush against overstating his reelection.

Addressing the recent intelligence bill, which will restructure the nation’s intelligence systems, he said, “I am glad it has been worked out. It is crucial for any president to get off on a flying start.”

Anticipating the impending question-and-answer period from the audience, Schieffer gave his thoughts on the situation in Iraq.

“When we went into Iraq, I stated publicly that this was the right decision,” he said. He explained that he saw Saddam Hussein as a threat, and that if the intelligence regarding his possession of nuclear weapons had been correct, “Bush would have won the Nobel Peace Prize.”

He now sees Bush’s legacy as depending heavily on the outcome in Iraq.

“If this is a worldwide war against terrorism, we have to make it a worldwide effort and bring other civilized countries into this effort,” Schieffer said.

He related this back to his experiences reporting in Vietnam, saying that to find success, Americans need to let Iraqis win the war for themselves through the support of an international effort.

Schieffer concluded that unity was necessary not only internationally, but also within the country.

“History has always looked kindly on those who look to bring the country together. No party — Democrat or Republican — can do it alone,” he said.