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Will Tuesday Settle Presidential Nominations?; Presidential Candidates and Their Health Care Plans
Aired February 05, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming in and we've got them all for you here this Tuesday, February 5th, super Tuesday.
The amazing race. Twenty-four states. Millions of voters. An air of suspense. Will Tuesday settle the presidential nominations? The political contest by region, race, age and gender. Our guests and correspondents help us understand today's voters.
And the presidential candidates and their health care plans. What's their fix? Dr. Sanjay Gupta with the diagnosis.
It is super Tuesday in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Welcome to super Tuesday. The time for talking is over. Now it's up to you, the voters. Millions of you heading to the polls this morning. Here's a look at the landscape. Now this map shows the states in play today. Twenty-four in all plus American SAMOA.
Democrats competing in 22 states. Republicans have 21 contests. And here's what's at stake. For Democrats, more than 1600 delegates. The Republicans have 1,020 up for grabs. Republicans favor the winner-take-all system either at a district level or for a state as a whole. At least 12 states, including New York and California work that way.
But, the Democrats divide their delegates proportionately. That's why the Clinton/Obama fight is likely to still be a fight on Wednesday morning. And that's why you should count on the best political team on television. We have correspondents positioned in key states across the country covering all of the angles.
California offers a bonanza of delegates today. By far the biggest prize of the day.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is following the races from San Francisco.
Hey there, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Heidi. You know, 1 out of every 8 Americans lives in California. That gives you an idea of the sheer size of this primary. And the voters here are making their decisions based on health care, immigration and, most of all, the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice over): Eighty miles east of L.A., Betty Larkins is packing up after the bank foreclosed on her home.
BETTY LARKINS, DEMOCRAT: Some people were saying something about a recession might come. To me, we in one.
LAWRENCE: Betty beat cancer. But she's losing her home because she went broke paying hospital bills.
LARKINS: See I didn't even know what it cost for a mammogram until I didn't have insurance.
LAWRENCE: Based on their health care plans, she's narrowed it down to Obama and Clinton.
LARKINS: But I have to pray about it a lot before I make my decision.
LAWRENCE: Betty is just one member of the country's most diverse electorate. In California, it's super Tuesday's biggest prize.
(On camera) There are more people living in Los Angeles County than the entire state of Michigan. We wanted to hear from even more of California's nearly 16 million registered voters. And they're spread out all over the state.
(Voice over) Driving hundreds of miles to the more agricultural area around Fresno, we found problems for one frontrunner.
JOE MENDOZA, REPUBLICAN: McCain is wishy washy.
LAWRENCE: Joe Mendoza hasn't decided which other Republican he'll vote for.
MENDOZA: Immigration is a big factor with me right now. To see what they are going to do. This country can't keep on sending all our jobs out.
LAWRENCE: The next day, we're back on the road to the Bay Area where all that Clinton/Obama advertising has some new company.
For the first time, the GOP is awarding delegates to the winner in each congressional district. Some Republican candidates are campaigning in heavily Democratic areas like San Francisco because even a small number there could deliver a win.
UNIDENTIFIED REPUBLICAN: You feel like you're more part of the process.
LAWRENCE: This registered Republican is voting for Mitt Romney.
UNIDENTIFIED REPUBLICAN: I think Iraq is going to take care of itself with the surge. It's working. But I care about people who are going to actually create jobs, keep taxes down so that companies can grow. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Yes, think about California. It's about half of its voters may vote by absentee ballot. A lot of us who live here, our friends, our families, have already voted. With that in mind, two things to keep an eye on today. Barack Obama's late surge and Mitt Romney's conservative challenge to John McCain. How much impact will they really have on the vote total at the end of the day? Heidi?
COLLINS: Well, hopefully we'll know something by tomorrow morning.
CNN's Chris Lawrence live this morning from San Francisco, California. Thank you, Chris.
And now to West Virginia, a popular destination for Republicans today. Three of the candidates making their stops there.
CNN's Mary Snow is in Charleston this morning. So the Republicans do things differently in West Virginia, don't they, Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They do, Heidi. And, you know, the 18 delegates are at stake. This state will likely have the first results out of the country today. There is a convention right now. We're expecting to hear from Republican candidates Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul. Senator John McCain will not be here, but he has sent a representative to address the crowd here.
And this is very new and exciting to the people who are attending here. It's almost, as they describe it, going to be held kind of in a way of a caucus will. Votes being called a convention. And Mitt Romney is hoping to pick up the delegates here. He made a last-minute trip to California. As Chris just mentioned, California is not a winner-take-all state. He is hoping to really make a mark in California and by doing so, he is hoping to propel himself to be the alternative to Senator John McCain. And he has been touting his own conservative credentials. He was on CNN earlier this morning. Here's a little bit of what he's saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is conservative on a number of issues. The touchtone issues that he is best known for where his name is on the legislation, of course, where pieces of legislation, where he took a sharp left turn, got to work with the Democrats, walked across the aisle, if you will, didn't reach across the aisle, walked across, and I think put in places some legislation that's been very harmful to America and to our party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now while Mitt Romney is trying to really tackle Senator John McCain, he also has competition in southern states among conservative voters from Mike Huckabee. And Mike Huckabee also vying for the 18 delegates here. He has -- Mike Huckabee has been concentrating on southern states, hoping to stay competitive by appealing to conservative voters. He does well in states like, for instance, Georgia, that could put a dent in Mitt Romney's hopes here -- Heidi?
COLLINS: So I think we saw Mike Huckabee on some late night television last night, right? What is he doing in that realm?
SNOW: You know, it's funny because ahead of a number of races, particularly Iowa, we saw him on late-night TV. And he was actually on "The Conan O'Brien Show" last night. It was a taped message and kind of a take on who is to take credit for Mike Huckabee's surge. Had a couple of different guests in there weighing in. And ultimately, he was trying to make the case that America is responsible for his late surge. But kind of interesting how he is targeted on some of these shows ahead of big voting days.
COLLINS: Yes. So I got to tell you I did not see it because it was way past my bedtime but it was a serious message from the looks of his face. Interesting that he wouldn't make jokes on a, you know, funny show.
SNOW: Right. And, well, the thing is, too, you know, his budget has been very limited. He's trying to get his message out any way that he can to broad audiences. And that was one of the tactics that he's been using.
COLLINS: All right. Interesting. From Charleston, West Virginia, Mary Snow this morning.
Mary, thanks for that.
And super Tuesday could bring a clearer picture of the Republican race. That's if John McCain keeps up his momentum.
CNN's Dana Bash is following McCain's campaign. She is in Phoenix this morning. His home state at least there, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is his home state and this is where John McCain will end up eventually this evening for his election night party. But he's not going to be here for quite some time. He started out in a place, Heidi, you know, most people don't think of as the bastion of Republicanism, and that is in the heart of New York City. That is where John McCain began his campaign day on one of the biggest days for him and for all of these candidates of the election year.
The reason is because on super Tuesday, what McCain has been focused on is on the northeast, on states like New York especially, that have winner-take-all delegates. That's the system they have there in New York in particular as a very delegate rich state. So it is a bit odd that he is there, not just because you don't think of New York as a Republican state but also because he's actually doing quite well, if you look at the polls in all of those states.
Nevertheless, McCain decided to spend a good chunk of time there and this morning he had a big rally just in the heart of New York City in Rockefeller Plaza. And he spoke about the issue that he thinks is going to propel him to the nomination if he does, in fact, get it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I said the Rumsfeld strategy would fail, that we needed a new strategy, that we needed General Petraeus and his new strategy. And I said that we could win. And there were times when people said, no, we've got to get out. We've got to set timetables for withdrawal. You know what that means, my friends? That means surrender. And I can tell you right now that the two leading Democrats want to wave the white flag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: And there you heard John McCain pointing his aim at Democrats, not at his Republican rivals in this super Tuesday race today. But that belies what's going on behind the scenes, Heidi, and that is the McCain campaign -- you heard Mary talk about the fact that Mitt Romney is really trying to get after him as somebody who is not conservative enough to be the Republican nominee. The McCain campaign clearly is worried about that given the fact that they had one of the former Republican nominees for president, Bob Dole, write a letter to Rush Limbaugh who has been very, very vocally critical...
COLLINS: Yes.
BASH: ...of John McCain saying that he simply shouldn't be the Republican nominee. And there are also - they also got a new -- ad up on television on cable to respond to some of those charges from Mitt Romney. So you know that while he's talking about Democrats, they are still very, very worried about Republicans in today's voting.
COLLINS: Yes. That was a very interesting note from Senator Dole.
All right. CNN's Dana Bash for us this morning following the McCain trail.
Thanks so much, Dana.
Democrats now on a home turf for super Tuesday. This morning, Hillary Clinton voted at a school in her home town of Chappaqua. Just before that, she spoke on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." Clinton questioned one plank of her opponent's health care plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's as though his literature is being written by the Republicans and the health insurance companies. You know, it's so ironic because he has a requirement for parents to buy health care for their children, which has to be enforced. And the idea that you would have parents going uninsured who are the mainstays of their families, while they are required to cover their children, makes absolutely no sense.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, let's break down what she really means by a mandate. What's meant by a mandate is the government is forcing people to buy health insurance and so she is suggesting a parent is not going to buy health insurance for themselves that they can afford it. Now my belief is that most parents will choose to get health care for themselves. And we make it affordable.
Here's the concern. If you haven't made it affordable, how are you going to enforce a mandate? If a mandate was the solution, we could try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody buy a house. The reason they don't have a house is they don't have the money. And so our focus has been on reducing cost, making it available. I am confident that if people have a chance to buy high- quality health care that is affordable, they will do so. And that's what our plan does and nobody disputes that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Barack Obama will follow the returns and make an appearance in Chicago this evening. Clinton makes the 30-mile trip from her home to New York City for an event tonight.
New York is critical for both parties with the second highest number of super Tuesday delegates at stake.
CNN's Allen Chernoff is in Harlem this morning.
Hi there, Allen.
ALLEN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. And let me tell you, this normally is Clinton country. Of course, the voters over here have elected Hillary Clinton twice to be in the Senate. And they really do love her. But a lot of people are just having an agonizing decision.
Let's talk to a few voters and see exactly what they went through in those polls this morning.
First of all, Margaret Segora(ph), what was it like for you being in there?
MARGARET SEGORA, NEW YORK VOTER: Standing there trying to make up my mind, fighting with myself. At the end, it was Hillary.
CHERNOFF: And why?
SEGORA: I like her issues. I think she would make a great president and I like her husband. And I think he would be a great help to her.
CHERNOFF: Now...
SEGORA: Hopefully, if she's elected, she will pick Obama as her vice president.
CHERNOFF: All right. Michael Jones(ph) joining us. Now you also were in there. You are a fan of Hillary Clinton as well?
MICHAEL JONES, NEW YORK VOTER: Yes, I am.
CHERNOFF: Why?
JONES: I had to struggle between the two candidates. I think both of them are very progressive. And I think this country needs change now to be heading in a direction that would be helpful to all the people.
CHERNOFF: So you voted for?
JONES: Obama. And the reason was -- Hillary I like. And I like her issues and I like Obama issues. I like Obama's a little more and I've thought about a black man being president or running for president for so many years that I guess now that the opportunity has presented itself, I would feel a little remiss on some level if I didn't vote for Obama. But it's not just about him being a black man. It's for me, the issues as well.
CHERNOFF: Michael Jones, thank you very much.
Now we're hearing quite a bit of that. People coming out of here telling me that they actually did vote for Obama and almost in the same breath saying, I love Hillary. So it is an agonizing decision for many people up here in Harlem.
Heidi, back to you.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Allen Chernoff from New York today. Thank you, Allen.
So want to talk about the weather a little bit because it could possibly affect voter turnout. Meteorologist Rob Marciano is joining us now live from the severe weather center. Are we having trouble in some of these states?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Comparing health care plans. Dr. Sanjay Gupta spells out the differences in what the candidates are offering coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The candidates had their say, now you get yours. Super Tuesday coverage all day, all night. CNN, your home for politics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: You are no doubt hearing a lot about the dueling health care plans offered by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. How do they differ?
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been taking a look. He's joining me now from the Atlanta diner which, I have to say, Sanja, I've never eaten there. Very interesting. But before we get started we do want to say for full disclosure, Sanjay worked in 1997 and '98 as a White House fellow, which is a non-partisan appointment. This was three to four years after Hillary Clinton's health care plan went down to defeat.
So Sanjay, the Democratic candidates' health care plans. Are the plans that different?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think they're re about 95 percent similar, first of all, to start, in terms of their goals. They both want to provide health care insurance for everybody. They both really want to focus on prevention, keeping it so that people don't get sick in the first place. And they both talk about funding their health care plans in similar ways.
What's different, and I think this is important, Heidi, is that in Senator Clinton's plan, they talk about this idea of requiring people to buy health care insurance that can afford it. And Barack Obama's plans - Senator Obama's plan says he would require it for children, but not for adults. He thinks lowering cost is more of the issue here. Lowering cost so that everyone can afford it.
The words are important here, Heidi, as you know. Here's specifically how they put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I want everybody to pay something according to their ability, and we'll make it affordable with health care tax credits. We'll limit the amount of a percentage of income that anybody has to pay as a premium. We won't require small business to do anything, but if small business wants to, they, too, can go into the congressional plan.
OBAMA: I am actually not interested in just capping premiums. I want to lower premiums by about an average of $2500 per family per year because people right now cannot afford it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Speaking of affording it, how much do these plans cost? Well, according to the Clinton camp, they say that her plan would cost about $110 billion. Obama's camp says about $50 billion to $60 billion.
Now a couple of important points here, Heidi. Independent economist Jonathan Guber, who in the past has advised the Clinton campaign, talked specifically about what he projects the cost to be. And he says Clinton's plan would actually cover everyone. Cost about $124 billion. Obama's plan would cover half of those that are currently uninsured and cost about $102 billion. So you can see differences in numbers here. Obviously, different models are going to give you different answers. One thing that's important to point out as things stand today, Heidi, and this is a good glimpse into the way we think about things, as things stand today, about 20 percent of those who are uninsured in America make more than $75,000 a year. So a lot of people choosing not to buy health care even though they can afford it, Heidi
COLLINS: Yes. It's a very interesting note. So I wonder then with both the Clinton and Obama plans, is there anybody out there who would want health care and just then wouldn't be able to get it?
GUPTA: They both say no. They both say that anybody that wants health care would be able to get it. What's sort of interesting is this idea that Senator Clinton again sort of requiring -- saying, first of all, look. There's a lot of people who are happy with their health care plans. They get to keep it. But for people who want health care who can't afford, we will subsidize it. If you can afford, you're going to have to buy it.
Senator Obama says let's focus instead on lowering the cost so it's just simply available to everyone. Some people may say that, look, that's just nuance language differences. But there are important policy differences in there as well, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Where does the money come from? I mean I remember when you did a really long series and a great explanation of the taxes and what ends up, you know, increasing in order to pay for that $110 billion, for example.
GUPTA: Yes, I mean, they both actually talk about funding it in similar ways. One is to basically roll back the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans. They've both talked about that very publicly. They think that's going to provide a lot of money to pay for this. But also this idea of creating this culture of prevention. We spend several hundred billion dollars a year in this country on preventable diseases. If we can sort of target those Americans before they ever get sick in the first place, eventually that should generate cash to be able to offset some of these costs.
But, Heidi, as you know, as well as anyone, I mean, look, this is campaign time right now. As far as actually getting elected and pushing this through Congress is a whole different story. So some of this might be moot. But at least that's what they're talking about right now.
COLLINS: Yes. And because it is campaign season, obviously, we want to make sure we get to the other side of the fence. What about the Republicans? What are their health care plans?
GUPTA: Well, you know, as much as universal is sort of the buzzword among the Democrats, free market is probably the buzzword among the Republicans. Really the line and this idea of free enterprise to stimulate the health insurance companies to be more competitive with one another. So for example, you live in Atlanta. You have a couple of provider choices. What if there were 20 choices instead? And instead of you trying to figure out which insurance company you were going to go to, they were sort of vying for your business. They really want Heidi Collins's business and that ultimately should bring down costs as they compete for that. That's sort of the tenet fundamentally of the Republican plans.
They also talk about things like tax incentives, for example, if you have a pre-existing condition. So if you have some sort of illness, it can be very expensive, as you know, to buy health care insurance. A tax incentive may defray some of those costs. But different sort of plans. They don't talk about universal health care the way Democrats do, Heidi.
COLLINS: No, they sure don't. Well, you know, we can talk about it all day, in fact, right here. It's certainly a top priority for many people in this election.
Appreciate it, Sanjay. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta from the Atlanta diner.
GUPTA: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Thanks, Sanjay.
So how you vote today could affect your wallet tomorrow. Top contenders and your money in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: All right. I want to show you some of this video coming in. You see New York Yankees' Roger Clemens, the pitcher there, coming into the courtroom on Capitol Hill today. He's going to be under oath to take up more of these accusations of steroid use.
Just yesterday, I believe it was, Andy Pettitte, his training partner, workout partner, did the same thing. He delivered some sworn testimony for about 2 1/2 hours or so. Now it is Roger Clemens's turn today again under oath. And we are hearing from his attorneys he will not be taking the Fifth Amendment. He will talk. He will answer those questions directly. So we will keep our eye on that for you. Again, Roger Clemens on Capitol Hill under oath today.
The candidates and your money. How do the lead contenders in today's super Tuesday contest shape up?
Well, Ali Velshi is minding your business for us this morning. Happy super Tuesday. Can we say that?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And to you. You know, this is a good opportunity if you haven't done so yet. The economy is such a big issue in this election. To take a look at what the candidates do, what they say they are going to do with respect to your money and taxes in particular.
Now I should tell you that on the issue of the tax cuts that came into play in 2001 and 2003 that are supposed to expire at the end of 2011, all of the major candidates agree that they want to keep those tax cuts in place for low and middle income Americans. It's when you get above the middle income area that it becomes a little dodger.
Let's start with Obama. He wants to repeal those tax cuts for people who earn more than $250,000 a year. That's commonly -- those are the people referred to as the top 1 percent of wage earners in America. He also wants no income tax for seniors earning less thn $50,000 and he wants a savings credit which basically matches 50 percent of the first $1,000 that's saved by families who earn less than $75,000.
Hillary Clinton agrees with Barack Obama. They want to repeal tax - she wants to repeal tax cuts for people earning more than $250,000. She also wants to reduce the value of some personal exemptions and some itemized deductions for high wage earners. Like that savings program that Barack Obama suggested, she wants to match 100 percent of the first $1,000 that's saved by families earning less than $60,000. And she suggests matching 50 percent of the first $1,000 saved by families who earn between $60,000 and $100,000.
Now, Heidi, over to the Republicans, Mitt Romney likes to trump at his business experience. He wants to keep the tax cuts in place for people earning $250,000 or more. That would have to be actually done because those tax cuts are going to expire. He wants to drop the taxes for the lowest income earners from 10 percent to 7.5 percent. That's for people earning less than $8,000 as a single person or $16,000 as a married couple. And he suggests no payroll or Social Security taxes for workers over the age of 65.
John McCain wants to keep tax cuts in place for people earning more than $250,000. He wants to repeal the amt or the alternative minimum tax which a lot of Americans are finding themselves paying. He also thinks there should be a 3/5 vote in congress to raise any taxes. This is interesting. He wants to ban internet and any new cell phone taxes. He says they'll start taxing text messages if you allow them to so he wants to do those sort of things. We've talked about Mike Huckabee's fair tax proposal which is a consumption tax as opposed to an income tax and Ron Paul's interesting proposals to do things like returning to the gold standard and a lot of unusual things. But of the four main candidates, Heidi, that's where they stand on tax issues.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. It's a lot to get through. A lot to keep straight certainly.
VELSHI: That's a good point. It is hard to get through this. CNNmoney.com really lays this out very well. Also you can link to the candidates' sites. They tend to talk about their tax issues pretty clearly. It's worth doing that.
COLLINS: Yes absolutely and certainly before you cast any votes so you are clear on this issue alone. All right. CNN's Ali Velshi Minding Your Business this morning. Thanks, Ali.
Let's go ahead and look at the opening bell for today, Super Tuesday, February 5th. A lot of happy people there. Guess who they are. New York Giant fans, you think? Ticker tape parade coming up later today. For now, I want to look at this live on the big board. The Dow Jones Industrial average is unfortunately down 120 points. Resting at 12508 yesterday down as well I think about 108 points. Yes, that is correct. We'll be watching the business headlines for you a little bit later on today.
Good morning once again, everybody on this Super Tuesday, 9:30 eastern time now and those polling places are open. Good job to those of you who have already voted. If you got your little pin, good for you. Millions more of you will do the same before closing time tonight of course. This is the closest we've ever seen to a national primary. 24 states in all. There's the map for you. Compared with just ten on Super Tuesday in 2004. At stake is the lion's share of delegates needed to win nominations for both republicans and democrats. The south set to play a critical role in today's contest in both parties. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for us this morning. Ed, good morning to you.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. The interesting thing about Super Tuesday is essentially this day started in the 1980s. And it was done as a way of increasing the influence and the voice of southern voters in this nominating process. So it's not a surprise to see there's going to be a big turnout down south.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn it up.
LAVANDERA: Presidential candidates pour on the southern charm like thick gravy on biscuits.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not often that a razorback comes to Tuscaloosa and has a good time.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One of my sons attended Vanderbilt University. And he married a beautiful, beautiful young lady from Cookeville. And I am so -- and I am so proud of that as well. So, as you can see, I am pulling out all the stops here today.
LAVANDERA: But in the south, candidates know it takes a spiritual connection, too.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know most folks were already in church today. So I don't want to give a whole other sermon. And I won't pass the collection plate.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every day I strive to act on the lessons of my faith, to reach that higher place.
LAVANDERA: Across the Super Tuesday southern states of Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama, both Obama and Clinton democrats are embracing the most popular theme on the campaign trail ...
RENETA WHITE, VOTER: I feel like there's a lot of change that needs to happen as, you know, for the whole country, not just for the south.
LAVANDERA: And some republican-leaning voters remain undecided.
BOBBY DIXON, VOTER: John McCain kind of -- I leaning towards him on account of his military service. But -- and I like some of the policies that he's put forth, but Huckabee right now, I'm leaning kind of heavy toward him.
LAVANDERA: Emory University Professor Merle Black studies the mind-set of southern voters and on Super Tuesday, he sees division on the democratic side.
MERLE BLACK, POLITICAL ANALYST: I think we're going to see a split here. The Deep South is probably going to go for Obama. The upper south will probably go for Hillary Clinton.
LAVANDERA: And on the republican side, he says McCain is in the driver's seat.
BLACK: McCain probably will lead the field but I think Huckabee could be competitive here. The big question mark is how well Mitt Romney would run in Georgia and Alabama and Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: And, you know, there's one voter in the south that I think a lot of people are paying attention to or would like to know how on the democratic side. That's former vice president Al Gore who, of course is from Tennessee. We reached out to his people yesterday. We were told he has already voted. Voted early. We pressed a little more to find out who he may have voted for and didn't have any luck. They are saying as a private citizen, he's keeping that a secret. Gave it the old college try, though.
COLLINS: Good for you. All right. CNN's Ed Lavandera for us in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Thank you, Ed.
Super delegates, they could be the key to the democratic nomination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right at the end, they are going to make a decision, in part, based on electability. Based on the candidate they think that can unite the party and beat the republicans.
COLLINS: Political royalty becoming kingmakers?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They moved the primary up to move up on the political influence ladder. So how are New Jersey voters responding to being part of Super Tuesday? Our Jason Carroll is at a polling station in Ft. Lee this morning. Hi there, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Heidi. This is your old stomping ground of New Jersey. And the voters here are responding well to having the primary moved up. We're here in Ft. Lee at a fire station which is now a polling place. We've got the volunteers like Eleanor here who are greeting voters as they come in. This race here on the democratic side, Heidi, too close to call. Senator Barack Obama campaigned in East Rutherford yesterday where he was joined by Senator Edward Kennedy. That is the second major rally that he has held in northern New Jersey just this month. Senator Clinton supporters say, look, we've got a slight lead here in the state but even so, they dispatched Chelsea Clinton out to the state to do a little campaigning.
Let's switch over to the republican side. That's where Senator John McCain has a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney in this state. Even so, McCain did a little campaigning in Trenton, in a Trenton suburb yesterday. Romney doing a little bit of last-minute campaigning by sending his son out to New Jersey to do a little campaigning here in the state.
As you said, New Jersey did move its primary up so it can try to have a little more influence on choosing a presidential nominee. We spoke to some voters this morning about how that's impacting them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of sad when, you know, years past you feel like your vote doesn't count.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's a different year than usual. There are a lot of choices. And it seems that it would really make a difference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of issues domestically that we have to take care of. So with that, I think it makes it more important. More important than ever.
CARROLL: And we did have an opportunity to take somewhat of an informal poll of voters as they were coming out. We asked them about the top two issues that were affecting them. Number one, the economy. Number two they told us, the need for change. Heidi?
COLLINS: And the property taxes in Jersey, right?
CARROLL: I'm sure they want hose to come down. You know what it's like in New Jersey.
COLLINS: I bet. CNN's Jason Carroll in Ft. Lee, New Jersey.
They could be the tiebreaker. Powerful politicians may decide a too close to call nomination. CNN's Brian Todd has that story.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exhausting themselves, pushing for every vote, every delegate. But in the end, their race could be so close that super delegate votes may be more crucial. Who in the world are super delegates? When democratic voters go to the polls, they'll select standard delegates committed to either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Super delegates are different, an elite and influential group often with more name recognition allowed to vote just because of who they are.
CHRISTOPHER ARTERTON, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Public office holders, senators, members of congress. TODD: And former members as well as former presidents, vice presidents. Bill Clinton is a super delegate. So is Tom Daschle. But the former senate majority leader is also now courting them as co- chairman of Senator Obama's campaign.
TOM DASHCLE, OBAMA NATIONAL CO-CHAIRMAN: What you have to one on one talk to these people, have the candidate call them, do as much as possible to try to influence their judgment.
TODD: Unlike standard delegates selected in a primary who in most states have to be committed to a candidate based on that primary's vote, super delegates have free range.
ARTERTON: Those people can go and vote at the convention and they are not bound by the state party results.
TODD: Meaning even if they say they'll commit to a candidate, they can change their minds at the last minute and support someone else. Analysts say the democratic race could be so close heading into the convention that super delegates with about 20 percent of the total delegate count could put one candidate over the top.
STUART ROTHENBERG, ROTHENBERG POLITICAL REPORT: You have to figure that right at the end, they are going to make a decision, in part, based on electability, based on the candidate they think can unite the party and beat the republicans.
TODD: If the democratic nomination comes down to the super delegate vote for the 1st time in decades, it's unclear who has the edge. Hillary Clinton had an early lead in the super delegate count, an equation that could easily change. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
COLLINS: Quick reminder now, today at noon eastern, an "American Votes" special on CNN and CNN.com. Join CNN's Campbell Brown and the best political team on television as they look at the issues influencing Super Tuesday voters. Noon eastern today live on CNN and CNN.com.
If you are heading out to the polls today, there's a chance you'll run into severe weather, depending on where you are, of course. Meteorologist Rob Marciano joining us now live to show us some of those pictures. Swirly map.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're going to break it down from the swirly mess. I want to give you an idea of the expanse this storm, back through the Rockies stretching all the way to the Great Lakes and the northeast. This is a big one. It's got some punch to it as well. Keep an eye on the right-hand side of your screen. Some of the states voting today. We'll give you the radar and the forecast for those states in particular.
17 the current temperature right now in Denver. And it's 70 in Dallas. You see that cold air mix with the warm air, that's when you get problems and some energy. And we also have upper level dynamics. So because of that, you know, we've upgraded. Our storms prediction center has upgraded the area in through parts of Arkansas for a widespread severe weather outbreak. We could very well see long- lasting violent tornadoes break out through here later on this afternoon. They may issue a tornado watch. They've been threatening to issue one here. So we'll see if that pans out. Arkansas one of the states.
Behind this system, places like Kansas and Oklahoma, they are seeing rain eventually changing to snow. Eastern parts of Colorado seeing snow begin to pull out of that state and stretching across parts of the Midwest. This is -- look at Kansas City right here. Heavy thunderstorms about to roll through there. That is some potent stuff. Maybe some hail in there also. This snow will stretch all the way to Chicago. So a bit of a mess yesterday in Chicago. Now you'll see snow. If you are traveling that way, certainly a bit of a headache through O'Hare or Midway. And Illinois, one of the states voting also.
Strong line of thunderstorms coming through the plains last night. Now heading across the Ohio River valley and stretching into the northeast. The thruway from Hudson to New York. Some of that increasing in intensity. New York seeing some heavy rain.
A quick touch on Hawaii. They aren't voting today, but 46 inches of rainfall the last three days. And that again, try to pronounce that. Hilo, I can pronounce that. Two feet of rain the last few days, flooding happening in that. Alaska, they are voting today. I think they are having caucuses, Heidi. This time of year, the weather is not always great in Alaska, but they are used to it. Hopefully they'll brave the elements.
COLLINS: Hopefully. Hawaii does sound better there.
MARCIANO: Once we get the rain out of there.
COLLINS: All right. Rob, thank you.
So do you still have last-minute questions about the candidates? Not sure where to go to vote today? Our Veronica De La Cruz has the most up-to-the-minute Super Tuesday information online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon eastern. You can take us with you anywhere on your iPod. The CNN NEWSROOM pod cast is available 24/7 right on your iPod.
Still not quite sure who you are going to vote for today or maybe you have your candidate but don't know where your polling place is? Veronica De La Cruz is here to help. She's got some great online resources. So, Veronica, where do we start with all of this?
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We start with our own web page. Everything you need to know before you go. CNNpolitics.com, that will be your one-stop resource today before you head out to the polls. Looking at the main page right here, it's going to give you all of the latest political news down the right side of the page. Also a link to our Super Tuesday guide which is going to give you information, Heidi, and it's going to be broken down on a state by state basis. If you are still undecided and need some last- minute information on the candidates, head down the page to election center 2008. Click on the tap marked candidates.
Let's say that you want more information on John McCain. Click on his picture. That will give you comprehensive information. His total delegate count there stands at 97. He needs 1,191 for his party's nomination. Also shows you all the states he's won so far and all the video related to Senator McCain and all the transcripts from his speeches. If it's issues you are concerned with and you want to know more about, let's say, the issue of abortion, head back to election center and click on the tap marked issues and click on abortion, for example. If you want to find where Hillary Clinton stands, then you go ahead and find her. She's right there on the page. There's also going to be a video link of her on the campaign trail speaking on the issue of abortion and it will give you a closer look at her voting record. Lots of good information online at our own website, CNNpolitics.com.
COLLINS: And what a website it is. What if you know who you want to vote for but you aren't sure where you are supposed to vote? I imagine there's online help for that, too?
DE LA CRUZ: Absolutely. It's a good thing you asked. Polling places actually can change at the last minute. Definitely check before you head out the door today. A couple of good websites we found today; newvotersproject.org. Click on the link to your state. Plug in the address you registered to vote with. That will map out your polling station for you. Other useful sites if you are looking for answers to questions you might have like what you can bring with you to the polls, what time they open and close. You can also check out vote411.org; also, declareyourself.com, newvotersproject.org. We just looked at that website. Finally, got to take you back to the best website. If you want instant results from Super Tuesday, sign up right now on the CNNpolitics.com page. The main page will give you the alert sent right to your inbox. Fill out all your information right there. Click the submit button. And you'll get the breaking news e-mail alerts. All the results. All the breaking political news. That's going to be delivered to your inbox. I'm wondering if you can also get the CNN NEWSROOM podcast as well.
COLLINS: Oh, I bet you can because it's a good one.
DE LA CRUZ: It is.
COLLINS: All right, Veronica De La Cruz, thanks so much, Veronica.
Certainly one of the oddest 911 calls we've ever heard.
JENNIFER HASSEMAN, MOTHER: He tried to get into the washer. He got stuck. I cannot get him out. My husband even tried to tear apart the washer. He is stuck. We cannot get him out no matter what we try.
COLLINS: Yikes. Mom gets a new washer. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: If you have a little boy, you know they get into everything. Well, this little chap got stuck in the washing machine and it took extreme measures to get him out. Here's Denise Zarrella with Cleveland affiliate WOIO.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENISE ZARRELLA, WOIO: 4-year-old Donovan Hasseman is all smiles today, getting a ride in a real fire truck, bonding with the Dover emergency workers who got him out of a tight squeeze in this washer. Mom had to call 911.
HASSEMAN: He tried to get into the washer and he got stuck. I cannot get him out. My husband even tried to tear apart the washer. He is stuck. We cannot get him out no matter what we try.
ZARRELLA: Donovan was in there good.
HASSEMAN: This leg was the one that was bent like this. This one was straight around the agitator.
He kept telling, mommy, don't leave me.
ZARRELLA: The only way to get Donovan out was to tear the washer apart. So you see this broken plastic here, these jagged edges. That's why the firefighters used the Jaws of Life to get little Donovan out.
CAPT. BROOKS ROSS, DOVER FIRE DEPARTMENT: They had to physically cut the washing drum away and then they were able to snap the agitator off and pull him out. They need a new washing machine at that house.
ZARRELLA: Now a local celebrity, Donovan is just fine.
HASSEMAN: He just had a couple of scrapes on his back, but other than that, he's fine. He's back to being a normal 4-year-old.
ZARRELLA: A 4-year-old with a new teddy bear given to him by rescue workers. The bear's name? Agitator. What does Donovan have to say about all of this?
DONOVAN HASSEMAN: Thank you.
ZARRELLA: Thank you to the firefighters who got him unstuck. In Dover, Denise Zarrella.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: A full plate on Super Tuesday. Millions of you heading to the polls. We'll tell you what to expect.
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COLLINS: Welcome to Super Tuesday. Polls are opening in California right now. Voters there's joining millions of you making your voices heard.
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