GABE PRESSMAN, Host: -- (Joined in progress) seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor. It's an uphill fight. In the last few days, three Democratic clubs in his own Southern Brooklyn District have endorsed two of his opponents: Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx Borough president. But Weiner's spokeswoman says his campaign isn't based on endorsements by fellow politicians but by actions.

Among his efforts in recent days, the congressman urged the financially hard-pressed Brooklyn Diocese to reconsider closing some Catholic schools. And he said that a new sports stadium should be built, not on the West Side of Manhattan but in Queens. He also strongly criticized President Bush for saying that Saudi Arabia was among our friends in the Middle East, denouncing the Saudis for providing financial support to Palestinian terrorists. And the congressman criticized the Bush budget for reducing federal funding for schools, beat cops, seniors, hospitals and housing in New York.

Announcer: From Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center, this is a presentation from News Channel 4, Gabe Pressman's NEWS FORUM. Now your host, senior correspondent Gabe Pressman.

PRESSMAN: And good morning, Congressman Weiner.

Representative ANTHONY D. WEINER (Democrat, New York): Good morning, Gabe.

PRESSMAN: And welcome.

Rep. WEINER: Thank you.

PRESSMAN: The West Side Stadium plan has had its ups and downs with the Madison Square Garden interests battling the Jets and Mayor Bloomberg. Where does it stand today, as you see it?

Rep. WEINER: Well, frankly, it's weighed down by the fact that it's a very bad judgment, and it's a judgment that was made largely in secret. Look, I believe that if we're going to take assets, like the West Side of Manhattan, particularly since it's an MTA asset, it's owned by us, those of us that pay the fares on the subways and buses, that we better make sure we get the absolute best value for that property. Is a $1.4 billion stadium where we, the taxpayers, are paying $600 million to develop it the best possible use of that site? I don't think so. And the Cablevision offer, whether it's serious or not, does highlight one thing. We should make sure that every interested party, who has a proposal to develop that site, agrees and, frankly, probably pays us for the rights to develop it, not the other way around.

PRESSMAN: Do you think that there's been secrecy in this whole preceding?

Rep. WEINER: Well, the process has been closed to the utmost. It basically comes down to a handful of independent or quasi-independent boards that are, you know, the MTA, the EDC. It's like an alphabet soup of government agencies, but it doesn't reflect any vote of any legislature. That should trouble all New Yorkers, especially when you realize it's a $1.4 billion investment. It's the largest, the most expensive stadium ever built in the United States. And I, frankly, think it shows the bad decisions that this administration has made.

PRESSMAN: Well, do you think it's going to go through?

Rep. WEINER: My view is that, eventually, it will not. I think that there are just so many problems that, eventually, the people of the city of New York will be so concerned about this, the wisdom of it, and people like Sheldon Silver, which hold an important vote on this, will ultimately say, `Look, if we want to build a stadium, this isn't the place to do it.' I propose, for example, building it at Willet's Point in Queens. The LIRR is there. The Grand Central is there. It already has parking. It's, frankly, near hotels. It's near the airports, which is why, as we know, the Jets are called the Jets. And for someone like me, who's a Jet fan, when someone says, `We're bring them home,' I think they mean bringing it to Queens. This way, we can get the jobs of building the stadium, help the outer boroughs, not just Manhattan, and build something much more prudent on the West Side of Manhattan.

PRESSMAN: But what about the economic good that the mayor has talked about coming to the city as a result of this? And what about the chance that we're going to lose the Olympics in 2012 if we don't build it?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I don't think there's any ticking clock that says we have to put a shovel in the ground before the decision is made. Frankly, we have never had an Olympic stadium built before the announcement was even made. I don't think it shows any great strength or weakness to our position to say, `Look, we're looking at a much better site.' And what more international place than Queens?

I don't think it does that. And as far as the economic benefits, look, anything we build on the West Side of Manhattan is gonna create jobs, gonna create activity. Hopefully, it'll create housing. The Willet's Point site, frankly, it might not be appropriate for housing to build it where the scrap metal yards are. If we build a stadium and expand Javits and extend the 7 line and develop the West Side of Manhattan, I see many more jobs, much more economic activity.

PRESSMAN: Do you think that there's a rush to judgment right now?

Rep. WEINER: I think that when you have secrecy like this, meaning, essentially, this is the mayor's plan negotiated with one developer, the New York Jets, they're now finally having to come to the MTA to negotiate what the air rights over the rail yards are worth. This is not a way to run a railroad, no pun intended. What we should be doing is opening up this process much more, having a vote of the Legislature, the City Council, the state Legislature about whether this should go forward.

PRESSMAN: Do you think the taxpayers are being fleeced?

Rep. WEINER: I think the taxpayers are being asked to spend money to subsidize the building of a facility on the West Side that has four-directional unobstructed views. Why we are paying anyone to develop that site is mind-boggling to me. I think people like Richard Ravitch have it exactly right. We could probably get as much as $900 million to a billion dollars revenue coming into the city to develop that site rather than us paying someone to develop it.

PRESSMAN: Do you agree with Ferrer, your opponent for the Democratic nomination for mayor--with Freddy Ferrer who says that there should be a referendum?

Rep. WEINER: No, I don't. I think the referendum on this and all plans in the city come the first Tuesday in November when we decide whether we want Mike Bloomberg to be the mayor anymore. I think that what we should is right now have the smart judgment to put the brakes on this, and I think the City Council, frankly, missed a golden opportunity to slow this thing down.

PRESSMAN: Will we lose the Olympics if it doesn't happen?

Rep. WEINER: I don't believe so. I don't believe so. I believe that we will have a facility to house the Olympics. I can't think of a better place to have the opening ceremonies for the Olympics than the beautiful Borough of Queens. The fact that the administration has been so dismissive of the idea, that `Why would you want to do anything in Queens?' shows they don't understand our city.

PRESSMAN: If the mayor loses on this issue, do you think it will affect his chances of re-election?

Rep. WEINER: I think already this has shown an error in judgment that is mind-boggling. I think that the mayor, frankly, when he closes his eyes and thinks of the city of New York, he thinks of the skyline of Manhattan. I think he needs to realize we're a five-borough city with a five-borough economy.

PRESSMAN: Will this hurt his chances?

Rep. WEINER: I believe it's already hurt the perception that he's a competent manager of the city. I bet you if Mike Bloomberg was still writing for Bloomberg LP and he asked some of his financial advisers, `Is this a good deal, the way it's on a financial house of cards, that we're borrowing money from government agencies, we're subsidizing air rights to the amount about $600 million?,' he'd say this is a bad deal. I think it shows that he's not a very competent manager and a competent administrator of our city budget.

PRESSMAN: The failure to get the endorsement of three clubs in your own district, that voted instead to endorse Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Fernando Ferrer, is that a big disappointment to you?

Rep. WEINER: Not really much of a surprise. I have to tell you, I have never been the darling of the organization. When I ran for City Council in 1991, I ran against the organization, I ran against some of these same clubs. When I was running for Congress in 1998, I ran against the organization of Brooklyn and Queens County. In fact, I've never run with the support of the county organizations.

PRESSMAN: Are you saying you're an ...(unintelligible) candidate?

Rep. WEINER: No, I think what I'm saying is that the message that I'm bringing about my vision for the city is not directed at other politicians, it's directed at the citizens of this city. And I respect my colleagues in government, but frankly, I've never been their cup of tea, and I've never run with their support, and I've never lost an election.

PRESSMAN: What about the money problem? Do you think that you're going to be able to raise enough money against Ferrer and Miller to win the primary and, ultimately, if you do win the primary, the hundred million dollars, allegedly, that the mayor is prepared to spend?

Rep. WEINER: Well, thanks to the Campaign Finance Act, something that I helped pass when I was in the City Council, we're all going to have the maximum amount permitted under the law for the primary. And in the general, nobody--and, frankly, I mean, literally, nobody--is going to be able to keep up with the amount of money that Mike Bloomberg will spend. But I think this is a classic case where the ideas and the candidate really do trump the money. I think that it doesn't matter how much Mayor Bloomberg spends, you're not gong to make the West Side stadium deal look good, you're not going to make the virtual chaos in the education system seem good. And it's a little bit too late for him to realize that we're a five-borough city, and the vision that I have of the city is economic development in all five boroughs. I think that trumps even the most aggressive ad campaign.

PRESSMAN: But hasn't the mayor done a lot for the economy of the city and for the fiscal stability of the city and the budget?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I got to tell you something. You know, the mayor, when he gave his State of the City address that you covered, it said, I think, `City of Opportunity' behind him. I don't think that for the 500,000 children that went hungry last year, it's considered a city of opportunity. I don't think for the fact that jobs are actually down in the outer boroughs since 2000. I don't like the idea that the mayor seems to think that everything's going along just fine when, in fact, we have real problems. Maybe that's why he and I disagree so vehemently about re-electing George Bush. He was his big supporter, raised money for him and voted for him. And I fought against it, because I knew it was bad for the city of New York.

PRESSMAN: Should President George W. Bush be an issue in this mayoral election?

Rep. WEINER: Well, listen, I believe that we have to start fighting back against these Republicans, whether they be at City Hall or whether they be at Washington. The mayor can't stand up at the convention and say, `I support George Bush, 'cause he's been good for New York,' and not be held accountable for that statement. That's just wrong. He knows it's wrong. Well, perhaps he doesn't know it's wrong, but he's going to learn it the first Tuesday in November of 2005.

PRESSMAN: You intend to use Bush as an issue against Bloomberg?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I think it's not the only issue, but I think that we need to realize that part of the values of New York are recognizing that Bush cuts to education, Bush cuts to homeland security, Bush cuts to housing are bad for New York. And a candidate that stands up, raises money for that candidate, like Mike Bloomberg did, votes for that candidate, like Mike Bloomberg did, even throws a big convention party, like Mike Bloomberg did, is not doing New Yorkers any favors. We need a mayor who will fight for us, not be a lapdog for the president of the United States.

PRESSMAN: And you think that's what the current mayor is?

Rep. WEINER: I think the mayor of the city of New York has done great harm to his constituents by being such a strong supporter of the Republicans in Congress. And, frankly, the record shows it. We're getting hurt in just about every level of the budget. He raised so much money for the president of the United States and Republicans, and then the budget comes out which eviscerates New York programs. I think that's a record that he should be accountable for, and we're going to hold him to that.

PRESSMAN: We had a bitter primary in 2001, and that bitter primary that Democrats had probably helped Mike Bloomberg. I'd like to get your views on whether history is going to repeat itself after this.

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PRESSMAN: And we're back here with Anthony Weiner, the congressman from Brooklyn and Queens.

In 2001, there was a bitter run-off primary between Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer. Many believe that it paved the way for the election of a Republican, Michael Bloomberg. Is there a danger that the Democrats will engage in a mud-slinging run-off campaign--primary campaign and possibly a run-off?

Rep. WEINER: I have every reason to believe no. I've got great respect for the other candidates in the race. And, frankly, I see an example more like the 1998 Senate primary. You had a well-known candidate in Geraldine Ferraro; Mark Green, well-known; and a little-known congressman from Brooklyn and Queens named Chuck Schumer, who was running behind in the polls. They ran a vigorous primary.

PRESSMAN: And you worked for Schumer, didn't you?

Rep. WEINER: I did. I worked for him for six years, and before I was elected to the City Council, and I hold his seat today, and I'm proud to say he's one of my mentors and someone who I admire a great deal in political life. That primary, it wasn't bitter, it was substantive, and it elevated Schumer to the point where he beat Al D'Amato. I think we're going to have that kind of primary here that whoever emerges from the primary is going to be a stronger candidate because of the primary.

PRESSMAN: Hasn't the mayor done a lot to restore the city's fiscal stability?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I have to tell you something. It's hard to see that he has done that. I mean, we have a $1.7 billion tax increase. Now there's a $1.5 billion surplus, but so many of the structural problems remain the same. Debt is rising at a meteoric rate. We have so much of the budget that is being passed along from Washington and Albany that isn't being--he's not fighting back to help save those dollars. I'm not convinced, you know. And, frankly, I'm not sure that the money that's being raised and spent in education is being spent well. I think many New Yorkers would say that taxes are very high and that, frankly, they're not sure they're getting better service for it.

PRESSMAN: How is your vision for the future of the city different from your primary opponents--from Ferrer and Miller and Fields?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I think I come from a fundamentally different place from Mike Bloomberg and from my primary opponents. You know, I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, went to public schools. My mother's a public school teacher. My father was a neighborhood lawyer who literally hung a shingle outside our home. This is what has informed me--seven years in the City Council, fighting for the underdog; seven years or six year in Congress, you know, fighting essentially for the middle-class working communities of the outer boroughs. I just think I come at this from a different place.

PRESSMAN: So you're an outer-borough candidate?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I am, and that's who I am. I'm...

PRESSMAN: But Ferrer is, too. He's from the Bronx.

Rep. WEINER: And he sure is. More importantly, I'm an outer-borough person. I mean, this is who I am. I'm not fancy. I'm not--I didn't come from a fancy upbringing. And I think that the values I bring as a working-class family guy from the outer boroughs is going to inform my decisions when I become mayor.

PRESSMAN: So you feel that Giff Miller represents the elitists of Manhattan or what?

Rep. WEINER: Well, look. I don't--frankly, I don't see this as a race between me and any of the other candidates. This is about my vision for the city of New York, and my vision is that we are often forgotten in places like Brooklyn and Queens and Staten Island and the Bronx. I mean, I think--as I said earlier, I think that Mike Bloomberg's vision of the city is entirely investing in one neighborhood, the far West Side, $1.4 billion, while the shopping strips of Brooklyn and Queens and the outer boroughs get ignored. I think that has to change. I think we've almost gotten used to the idea that it's a Manhattan-centric, developer-driven economy in this city. Frankly, that is going to change when we focus on working families in the outer boroughs who really are the bread and butter of New York.

PRESSMAN: And when Mike Bloomberg says in his State of the City address, "There is a spirit, a confidence"--I'm quoting him--"an expectation for the future that is new and exciting," you don't agree?

Rep. WEINER: Well, here's--I would describe it slightly differently. I would say we're a group of grateful citizens here in New York. We're grateful, after September 11th, for every day we--we're grateful for our neighbors and our friends and the great city that we live in. But we're unsatisfied, as well. And what I'm concerned about is that the mayor's speech seemed to be all about patting himself on the back for how great we're doing. He didn't mention hunger in this city even once. Five hundred thousand children last year went to a soup kitchen, turned to the city or a food pantry for food, 500,000. You know, I mention hunger in every speech I give, because I talk about problems that can be solved and problems that are being ignored by this mayor.

PRESSMAN: You'll remember the Homeland Security task force in the Congress, appointed after 9/11, and a report has just disclosed that there were dozens of intelligence reports that warned about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, some discussing airline hijackings and suicide operations. What's your reaction to that? What happened? Who hid this?

Rep. WEINER: Well, the 9-11 Commission report started to turn over some of these stones. A remarkable example of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing and fingers on the right hand not knowing what each other were doing either. Listen, there has to be some accountability here. Hopefully, now that we've created a Department of Homeland Security, hopefully, now that we've created an independent office of intelligence-gathering, some of this will change. But I think there are many questions that the administration has to answer. How vigorous a warning did you need to start to realize this was serious? As we learned during the hearings on the 9-11 Commission, there was even a memo, `Bin Laden pledges to strike, using airplanes.' I think we really have to recognize that too many of these messages weren't received by the people at the top.

PRESSMAN: The Times' Winnie Hu reported recently that Gifford Miller was considering a strategy of finding fault with some of his opponents, for example, with Ferrer for not sticking around in government after 9/11, and for you for being ineffectual as far as accomplishments in Congress. How do you feel about such a strategy?

Rep. WEINER: Well, the speaker has backed away from that memo that was leaked by his campaign. Look, I won't be surprised that if someone takes a shot at me during this campaign. I think that I am seen as someone who is going to do very well here. But I'm not going let that bother me. You know, I'm--you know, as I said, I was born in Brooklyn. I live in Queens. I know a little bit about something, that sometimes you need to fight for what you believe in. But I think that Mr. Miller or any candidate who thinks that the path to victory in New York is to hit the other guys rather than to show their own vision is going to be surprised to learn that--I think most voters are more concerned about what we have to say, and what I have to say is gonna talk about this as a five-borough economy, education reform that works, investing our economic development dollars in a sound way, not the West Side Stadium. And we'll also talk about the idea that we need someone who knows how to fight in Albany and Washington for what New Yorkers need.

PRESSMAN: As far as the primary is concerned, would you favor that the Democratic candidates in that primary, the contenders like yourself, sign a non-aggression pact?

Rep. WEINER: Oh, listen, we're Democrats. We're going to have disagreements, but we're a big tent. And, frankly, the other folks in this race are very good people, and any one of them would be a better mayor than Mayor Bloomberg. There are going to be times that we're going to have different views.

PRESSMAN: How do you analyze them--Virginia Fields, for instance?

Rep. WEINER: She's terrific. I served with her in the City Council. She was one of the people that, when elected to borough president, I knew she was going to be a star, and she has turned out to be that.

PRESSMAN: And Ferrer?

Rep. WEINER: Don't know him as well. I mean, he is someone that has become a leader of our party in the city, and he's certainly someone that is not to be trifled with in this election. He's a very strong candidate.

PRESSMAN: Do you agree with him that it's still a city that's divided in terms of haves and have-nots?

Rep. WEINER: I don't. I think that the things that unify us are transcendent over things that might divide us. I think we're unified by the idea that in all five boroughs that we think the schools need to work better. I think we're unified by the idea that there's a great working middle class in this city, that hangs on by a thread sometimes 'cause of the high cost of housing, of health care. And I think we're unified by the idea that, `You know what? We need a mayor who's going to fight for all five boroughs, not someone who's just going to cater to one developer on the far West Side who wants to build a fancy stadium. So I guess I fundamentally disagree with him, but he's certainly--you know, he has a message here, and the voters are going to have to decide.

PRESSMAN: What about Gifford Miller?

Rep. WEINER: I like him. He and I served together also in the City Council. He's very talented, and I think there'll be a place for him in my administration.

PRESSMAN: Really?

Rep. WEINER: I think so.

PRESSMAN: What job do you think you'll offer him?

Rep. WEINER: No, I'm just joking. We have to have the election first. But he's a very talented guy, and I take him very seriously in this race.

PRESSMAN: Let's talk about some more personal things after this message.

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PRESSMAN: And we're back here with Anthony Weiner, the congressman from Brooklyn and Queens, who is running for the Democratic nomination for mayor.

I understand that in a recent meeting, you were heckled by your own mother?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I learned in the campaign, you can manage your staff, and you can manage your message, but don't try managing your mother. Now my mother, who was there at an education speech, 33-year-retired teacher who, frankly, has been so great; has made me everything I am. So at one point in the speech, she corrected me, as she's been doing all my life, and she has every right to do it.

PRESSMAN: I don't know the circumstances. What was the correction?

Rep. WEINER: We were--I was talking about how so much of our school system has gone away from the things that make the school experience full: music, art, languages, guidance counselors, after-school programs. And I pointed out how when my mother when to school, they had a wide panoply of languages you can take, and now it's virtually impossible to find anyone to teach you anything but Spanish. My mother pointed out there's still one school that you can get Latin in, and I duly noted it, and I've corrected my speeches ever since. But she is--listen, she's part of the inspiration for this campaign. I listen to her talk about how they've taken the fun out of teaching, how they've taken the creativity out of it, and how they're driving great teachers like her out of the system. It's one of the reasons that I'm looking at running for mayor.

PRESSMAN: Did you say to yourself, silently, `Don't I have enough (unintelligible), my mother has to heckle me?'

Rep. WEINER: Can I tell you something, my mother has to go an awful long way before she starts to be a liability on the campaign. She's what's great about this campaign. I would literally not be here without her. And the input that she gives me on substance, you know, like I said, you know, you can try to write briefing memos for the candidate. Don't try managing the candidate's mother.

PRESSMAN: Where did you grow up?

Rep. WEINER: I grew up in Park Slope, went to PS 39, Junior High School 51, then I went to Brooklyn Technical High School and then went to college upstate New York at a state school.

PRESSMAN: Who would you say had the greatest influence on you outside of your mother in your early years?

Rep. WEINER: Well, it'd probably be my father's mother, my Grandma Jean, not a woman of education, not a woman who did fancy things. But she instilled in me this sense that, you know, that we all do our part and pull together. We're not an individual family. We're part of a larger community. Never heard her complain a day in her life. She was a cashier at Gimbel's for years and years. And she showed this sense that I've never lost, that, you know, our foremost responsibility is to leave a better community for our children. She and my grandfather did it for my father. My parents have done it for me. And one of the reasons why I want to serve this city is that I think we need to make sure we do it for our kids.

PRESSMAN: Now you're Jewish, and yet you've taken the leadership role--or tried to take a leadership role in doing something about the parochial Catholic schools that are cutting back, actually closing down.

Rep. WEINER: Right.

PRESSMAN: Do you think you can do anything? You're a congressman. What can you do?

Rep. WEINER: Well, I'm sure going to try. You know, if GE announced they were going to leave the city of New York, we would move Heaven and Earth to make sure we did everything possible to get them to stay. This is 26 schools. This is thousands of students, hundreds of teachers. But more importantly, these are the bedrock institutions of so many communities in Brooklyn and Queens. I think we at least have to try. We at least have to try to get the city to see if this city can help with some private fund-raising. We have to get the federal government to get some faith-based initiative money perhaps. We have to do--see if the archdiocese can maybe give us a little time to try to put together a plan. This is not just a function of the private schools, let's remember. The public schools in these areas are bursting at the seams. If they're going to get hundreds and hundreds of new students, we're all gonna suffer.

PRESSMAN: Thank you very much, Congressman Weiner, for joining us this morning. I'm Gabe Pressman. Have a good day.