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CNN Live At Daybreak

Talk of CNN: Look at Georgia Senate Race

Aired November 05, 2002 - 06:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: What a surprising turn of events in the Georgia U.S. Senate race. When it started, few people gave challenger Saxby Chambliss a chance against incumbent Max Cleland. But the president and the Republicans spent a lot of time and a lot of money in the Peat State and now the race, a tossup.
Let's get some reaction now from radio hosts of "The Bert Show" on Q100 right here in Atlanta.

Good morning, Bert and Lindsay.

How are you?

BERT WEISS, Q100 RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Good morning.

And Melissa and Jeff are here, also.

How are you this morning?

CALLAWAY: Doing well, wondering not only how this race is going to turn out, but how the new voting machines are going to work.

WEISS: Well, you know what I found out yesterday was that we actually in Georgia had a higher error rate in voting in the year 2000 than Florida did.

CALLAWAY: Well, I don't have any information on that, but I do know that it's going to be a little tense for some people who have never used these machines before. I know there's going to be a lot of polling officials there to help them out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

JEFF DAULER: Yes, they have tons and tons of people around just to make sure there's no confusion at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, because every registered voter received a pamphlet in the mail last week explaining how to use the touch screens. And, of course, they're telling people that these will be just as easy to use as ATM machines, so it's not a big deal. But they do have people at every polling area just in case the machines break down, any electronic problems and if the voters have a problem using them.

CALLAWAY: Right. You know, it was easy to understand that, but we just don't know how many people actually opened it up and read it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

WEISS: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

WEISS: That's right.

CALLAWAY: All right, let's get to the race, quickly, interesting, between Chambliss and Cleland. What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that, again, there have been so many television commercials -- Max Cleland and Saxby Chambliss have probably cut three or four versions of their commercials as time has gone on. It's almost like a soap opera. And they, you know, of course, have accused the other one of being the evil candidate and they're the good candidate. But I think also President Bush coming to visit us three or four times to give Saxby Chambliss some votes I think really is what pushed this to be a dead heat.

CALLAWAY: Yes, and it's interesting the way all this came about anyway, because of the redistricting sort of pushed a candidate into this race that maybe wasn't even thinking about running for Senate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. I think that Saxby Chambliss, again, he is, he was in the House of Representatives...

CALLAWAY: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he's come up and so I think he has a following with that and he's really given Max Cleland a run for his money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CALLAWAY: Well, you guys have a great day. Have you voted yet? Are you going to get out and vote this morning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll vote later on today. We're a little busy until ten o'clock, but after that we'll be there.

CALLAWAY: I didn't know if maybe you had voted with absentee ballot.

All right, you guys have a great day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, you, too. Bye-bye.

CALLAWAY: Bye-bye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 5, 2002 - 06:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: What a surprising turn of events in the Georgia U.S. Senate race. When it started, few people gave challenger Saxby Chambliss a chance against incumbent Max Cleland. But the president and the Republicans spent a lot of time and a lot of money in the Peat State and now the race, a tossup.
Let's get some reaction now from radio hosts of "The Bert Show" on Q100 right here in Atlanta.

Good morning, Bert and Lindsay.

How are you?

BERT WEISS, Q100 RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Good morning.

And Melissa and Jeff are here, also.

How are you this morning?

CALLAWAY: Doing well, wondering not only how this race is going to turn out, but how the new voting machines are going to work.

WEISS: Well, you know what I found out yesterday was that we actually in Georgia had a higher error rate in voting in the year 2000 than Florida did.

CALLAWAY: Well, I don't have any information on that, but I do know that it's going to be a little tense for some people who have never used these machines before. I know there's going to be a lot of polling officials there to help them out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

JEFF DAULER: Yes, they have tons and tons of people around just to make sure there's no confusion at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, because every registered voter received a pamphlet in the mail last week explaining how to use the touch screens. And, of course, they're telling people that these will be just as easy to use as ATM machines, so it's not a big deal. But they do have people at every polling area just in case the machines break down, any electronic problems and if the voters have a problem using them.

CALLAWAY: Right. You know, it was easy to understand that, but we just don't know how many people actually opened it up and read it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

WEISS: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

WEISS: That's right.

CALLAWAY: All right, let's get to the race, quickly, interesting, between Chambliss and Cleland. What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that, again, there have been so many television commercials -- Max Cleland and Saxby Chambliss have probably cut three or four versions of their commercials as time has gone on. It's almost like a soap opera. And they, you know, of course, have accused the other one of being the evil candidate and they're the good candidate. But I think also President Bush coming to visit us three or four times to give Saxby Chambliss some votes I think really is what pushed this to be a dead heat.

CALLAWAY: Yes, and it's interesting the way all this came about anyway, because of the redistricting sort of pushed a candidate into this race that maybe wasn't even thinking about running for Senate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. I think that Saxby Chambliss, again, he is, he was in the House of Representatives...

CALLAWAY: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he's come up and so I think he has a following with that and he's really given Max Cleland a run for his money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CALLAWAY: Well, you guys have a great day. Have you voted yet? Are you going to get out and vote this morning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll vote later on today. We're a little busy until ten o'clock, but after that we'll be there.

CALLAWAY: I didn't know if maybe you had voted with absentee ballot.

All right, you guys have a great day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, you, too. Bye-bye.

CALLAWAY: Bye-bye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com