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Super Tuesday Showdown
Aired February 05, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Decision day across America, big states, small states and lots of states in between. Voters are making their voices heard on Super Tuesday, the biggest day of all in the presidential nominating process. The first polls close just four hours from now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Don Lemon will join me in just a few minutes.
Let's get back to the news room, Betty Nguyen with all the details on the winner of the GOP convention in West Virginia -- Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they have spoken and all 18 delegates from West Virginia will go to Mike Huckabee. But take a look at how all of this broke down when we look at all the contenders vying for that. Mike Huckabee won with 52 percent of the vote. But it's quite a fascinating look exactly how that came about. Romney, 47 percent. John McCain with one percent. And essentially this is what happened. There was a first round of voting and Mitt Romney was ahead. Then after that, things started to change.
So, here to help us understand exactly how all of that went down, senior political analyst Bill Schneider. He joins us live.
It's really quite remarkable and truly fascinating to see how all the bargaining and how this thing shifted, but explain it to us.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it was quite a political story. This is raw politics as it's really practiced. It's a convention, not a caucus, not a primary. About 1,200 delegates met in West Virginia and on the first round of balloting Romney came out ahead, Huckabee second, and McCain a distant third.
Convention delegates tend to be party activists, in the Republican case, conservative activists. They favored Romney and Huckabee over McCain. Then what happened in the second round was amazing. The McCain supporters, who were third in the first round, decided to throw their weight behind Mike Huckabee in order to stop Mitt Romney from winning this convention. And look at that. They did with a bare majority, 52 percent for Huckabee, which includes his initial support, plus the support of McCain voters, who wanted to beat Romney. They did. And, in the end, with that bare majority, Huckabee won 18 delegates, all 18 delegates. That's politics.
NGUYEN: Yes, it is, indeed. But, you know, when we talk about this, this is a GOP convention, as they call it. But it seemed kind of like it worked on the premise of a caucus.
SCHNEIDER: Well, it looked like the caucus because there was a lot of bargaining, a lot of negotiation. The difference, of course, is this was statewide. It had 1,200 delegates. It wasn't a neighborhood caucus. But it had the same kind of bargaining and deal- making and negotiation that you see in places like the Iowa caucuses, in this case on a bigger scale, because it determined how the entire delegation of West Virginia will vote at that Republican Convention, winner Mike Huckabee.
NGUYEN: Yes, he won. Interesting way that he won, though, quite fascinating.
Bill Schneider joining us live with the latest on that, and just to explain how it all played out.
Kyra, it is Election Day, Super Tuesday, for a lot of folks, these primaries under way. And I can only begin to imagine this is the beginning of it. There's a lot more to come.
PHILLIPS: No doubt. Thanks, Betty.
Well, you know it from watching. CNN's got the best political team on television and we have got reporters coast to coast on this Super Tuesday. They are at polling stations, campaign headquarters talking with the voters. You are going to want to stay with us all day and through night on the biggest day yet in the 2008 campaign.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is watching the voting in Los Angeles. Rusty Dornin in Marietta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, and Allan Chernoff is in Harlem, New York.
Thelma, a lot of eyes watching California this Super Tuesday. What's happening there?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Well, I'm here in the heart of East Los Angeles, the 32nd Congressional District, which is 63 percent Latino. And I can tell you that all day long we have seen a very steady stream of voters coming here to cast their vote at one of the two precincts right behind me.
Now, we have heard a lot said about the Latino vote, the impact of the Latino vote. We're talking about 13 million Latinos in the state of California, five million who are actually eligible to vote.
Joining me now is Arturo Vargas with NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.
Arturo, how significant are those numbers during this primary?
ARTURO VARGAS, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS: Those numbers are absolutely essential to making sure that Latinos have a vote in deciding both of the parties' candidates in this election. It's the first time that Latinos will be decisive in choosing both the Republican and the Democratic candidates.
GUTIERREZ: And a lot of this starts right here in California.
VARGAS: It starts in California. California has an early primary this year. There are about three million Latinos who can vote today because they are registered. And they are going to make the difference statewide.
GUTIERREZ: Now, you said there is also a whole group of-brand new voters, those are coming of age and those who have recently become citizens.
VARGAS: Absolutely. Every month, 30,000 Latinos turn 18 years of age. Two years ago, we saw thousands, millions of Latinos youth marching in the streets, and their slogan was, today we march, tomorrow we vote. Tomorrow has arrived.
GUTIERREZ: And, Arturo, today, later today, we will see if they actually made a difference.
VARGAS: And I think they will. They will make a difference now and they are going to make a difference in November.
GUTIERREZ: All right. Thank you, Arturo Vargas.
And, Kyra, I might also add that we checked with the county register's office in Los Angeles County. We understand that things are moving smoothly, lots of people coming out to vote today. Again, record numbers expected out here -- back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Now, Thelma, I was expecting you to do that report in Spanish as well. I was expecting you to show off for us.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Our Thelma...
GUTIERREZ: (SPEAKING SPANISH)
PHILLIPS: Perfecto. Gracias, my dear amiga.
(LAUGHTER)
GUTIERREZ: All right.
Well, Georgia is home to the third biggest GOP delegate jackpot of Super Tuesday and that makes it a plum for Republican candidates.
CNN's Rusty Dornin at a polling station just north of Atlanta. She is not going to do it in Spanish, but she will give it to us in English.
Hey, Rusty.
(LAUGHTER) RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. Kyra.
And we are in the Republican bastion, we must say, here in Cobb County, which is north of Atlanta, a suburb. And for the Republicans here it's turning out to be a real battle for voters in Georgia. Of course, the conservative Christian vote is up at stake here. Mainly battling that out are Mike Huckabee, of course, and Mitt Romney. All three of the Republican candidates were in Georgia over the weekend stumping, and as were, of course, the Democrats, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Obama really energizing the black vote here in Georgia and also the Hispanics. Both Hillary Clinton and Obama vying for the old guard endorsements of the civil rights activists. And in Georgia it's an open primary, so people of any party can vote for anyone they want across party lines.
Also, we have one unique thing here, too, and that's for the very first time, people have to actually show a photo I.D. of themselves before they can vote, an official photo I.D. And, of course, it has been somewhat controversial. It hasn't been any problem here because most folks are showing up here driving their cars here, so they are able to show their driver's licenses.
But the people I talk to, the issues, they're similar, of course, the war, immigration. But for some folks it's whether their candidate is a man of faith -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK, Rusty Dornin there in Marietta, Georgia, thanks so much.
And New York is one heck of a prize, delegate wise. The primaries there are closed, meaning an independent has to register as a Democrat or a Republican to vote.
Allan Chernoff watching the voting in Harlem.
Hey, Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra.
And we're in the auditorium of the school named after the trailblazing African-American Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. And you can see over here we do have plenty of voting going on. And people here are having a very difficult time, some of them, deciding whether to vote for another African-American trailblazer or whether to vote for a trailblazing woman.
The decision between Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, it's a tough one. In fact, a number of people have told me today that they have actually made up their mind once they were in the voting booth itself. Consider, this is normally Clinton country. After all, voters here overwhelmingly have voted for Hillary Clinton twice to send her to the Senate. Bill Clinton has his office less than a mile from here. He's very popular in this area. And also, the establishment in Harlem, the Democratic establishment, led by Congressman Charles Rangel, has been behind Hillary Clinton. Nonetheless, Barack Obama has a real appeal to many folks here, not only younger people -- I have spoken with some people in their 70s and 80s who have gone for Obama. So, it is a real tough battle here in Harlem. However, also consider this is New York State. Hillary Clinton is the senator. And she does still lead. She did lead in the most recent polls. So, it's expected that she will take the state.
PHILLIPS: So what does it mean for Obama if Hillary wins New York?
CHERNOFF: Hillary could win New York, but under the rules here, Obama certainly can take plenty of delegates, 281 delegates at stake here. And as you know, under the Democratic primary rules, it is split up by percentage. So, if Obama gets a good percentage, he can come away with a good number of delegates here in New York State -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Allan Chernoff there in Harlem -- thanks, Allan.
All right, our Don Lemon back from the Varsity gauging voters there.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, man.
PHILLIPS: Luckily, it's just down the street.
LEMON: Yes, just down the street. We have rushed back.
You know what, Kyra? That was the most interesting thing, getting out there and talking to those people, especially people like Irvin (ph). That is really what this election is all about. And it has gotten a lot of people talking, especially you heard Irvin saying young people.
He has never heard young people talk about this election before. You know, we go out, and everybody says, I don't want to talk, I don't want to talk. Well, this time, people were coming up to me saying, I want to talk.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Well, you had such a diversity, too.
LEMON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: You had Irvin, who African-American, he had worked there at the Varsity for 56 years.
LEMON: Fifty-six years.
PHILLIPS: You had U.S. military, members of the U.S. military. You had students. You had elderly. You had... (CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Everybody.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you had all age, race, everything.
LEMON: Every -- yes. And I didn't want to just...
PHILLIPS: And they all went voting.
LEMON: Absolutely. And we got there. I was like, I just don't want to sit in front of the camera. I want to get around and talk to these people and that's exactly what we did.
And we also, too, want to make sure if you are here in Georgia, I told about the new voting rules. You need the I.D. just to make sure. I said that you need that -- you have to have your voter I.D. You don't have to have it. But what I was trying to convey is that whatever information that you can take to the polls, take it, just in case you need it. Usually you need a government-issued I.D., a photo I.D., and something that shows you are you.
And if you don't have any of that information, you can still do a provisional ballot, bring it back in two days with the correct I.D.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Let's do it right, get it over with.
LEMON: Do it right the first time.
But, hey, listen, a lot of people are out there voting. And it's a beautiful day before. I had to take -- I had a thick sweater on today. I had to take it off. So, there's no excuse here in Georgia for not voting. But around the country, I am hearing Chad Myers just talk about the weather. It really hasn't good.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: We are going to hang with Irvin, though.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: We liked Irvin. He was pretty cool.
LEMON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: We have also been watching, of course, the Big Board at the New York Stock Exchange, right now, Dow Jones industrials down 328 points.
There's a growing number of top economists saying, hey, we are toppled or have already toppled into a recession. Susan Lisovicz has been talking about the controversy over that. Are we? Are we not? Well, we are watching the numbers and we're watching them drop. And they are dropping fast.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Look at that right next to me, that picture. What an awful decision to have to make. Desperate parents tossed their baby from the fourth floor of a burning building to rescuers down below. It happened in southwestern Germany.
And our Frederik Pleitgen is there with an update on this.
Just an amazing picture to see, Frederik. And what a terrible decision to have to make.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN BERLIN BUREAU CHIEF: Absolutely, Don.
Many here in Ludwigshafen, Germany, are calling what happened there a miracle amid that devastating blaze that killed nine people in that apartment building. The family was trapped inside that house. The staircase was on fire. It was an old wooden staircase. It had caught fire.
People say it was like a chimney. They so no other way out, apparently, than to throw that baby, drop that baby out of the fourth- story window. This was a 9-month-old infant named Olnor (ph). And it landed safely in the arms of a bystanding policeman.
Now, both the parents also survived the blaze. The mother is still in hospital. But what we are hearing from police, Don -- and this is something that is very good news -- is that the baby is well off. It's with its father right now -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Frederik Pleitgen, very sad. OK, thank you very much for that report.
PHILLIPS: It's great to hear that whole family survived.
LEMON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: That is -- you see that picture and you're wondering, did the parents get out as well? They all survived. Thank goodness.
Well, right now, at 3:15 Eastern time, here are some of the other stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
On Wall Street, it's anything but a Super Tuesday. Stocks are sinking after a weak service sector report. That report has some economists saying that the U.S. is in a recession.
The head of the national intelligence is worried about al Qaeda in Iraq. Michael McConnell told senators today the terrorists may be looking to mount attacks in other countries, including the U.S.
And pitching great Roger Clemens spent five hours on Capitol Hill speaking under oath to congressional lawyers investigating steroids and baseball. He said he told them what he has said before, and that he's never used steroids.
LEMON: OK, Mitt Romney says the GOP race is between himself and John McCain. So, where does that leave Mike Huckabee? We will take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
LEMON: It was a giant party in New York City, as the city, of course, celebrates a Super Bowl upset, thousands of fans, maybe a few people who just didn't want to go to work today, filling the streets of Manhattan for the Giants' victory parade.
New York, as you may have heard, put an end to the New England Patriots' undefeated season 17-14. It's the Giants' first championship -- get this -- 17 years.
All right, Kyra, you got your Mardi Gras beads?
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: The sparkle of sequins, the clicking of beads, it's got to mean Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Parades kicked off on an unusually hot and muggy Fat Tuesday morning and will -- those parties, they will go to this afternoon, probably late into the night.
Of course, after that, things have been known to get a little less family-friendly, especially down in the French Quarter. Not clear yet whether they are back to pre-Katrina numbers, but crowds are pretty healthy this year. And the good news, hotels say they are more than 90 percent full.
PHILLIPS: Well, California dreaming -- for the front-runners, the long shot and every candidate in between, a lot of hopes are riding on the nation's most populous state. We are going to find out what the voters are saying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Meteorologist Chad Myers, you called it just moments ago. And then now you have trouble in the Deep South.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, there's going to be a lot of trouble tonight, Don. There may be 100 tornado warnings. There's no way for everybody to keep up with every one of them.
You need to keep a radio on in your house. If you don't have a weather radio, today would be a good day to have one. If you have a -- don't have a weather radio, keep a radio on. Keep watching CNN, whatever you can do. I will be for here as much as we can for you.
But there will be so many tornado warnings, we are not going to be able to get them all on the air. Jackson, Lincoln, Ouachita and Union Parish for Louisiana, this is the first tornado warning of the day so far. There may be 100, like I said. And there will be many of them on the ground.
This storm is just to the northwest there of Monroe and then just to the south about Downsville, Farmersville, in that area there. If you see a storm in your area today, anywhere across the Southern Plains, we are talking tornadoes, severe hail. Already had a bunch of hail go through Dallas a little bit ago.
If you are in a zone anywhere from Oklahoma through Texas, all the way up to just about central and middle Illinois and then down into the Deep South, if you see a storm coming today, get inside. Get the pets inside. Get the children inside, because it may contain a tornado.
This will be one of the top three, maybe five days for severe weather for the entire year of 2008. That's how severe today will be -- Don?
LEMON: All right. Chad Myers, thank you. Good advice.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, there's Mike Huckabee, winner of the first batch of delegates on this Super Tuesday. Huckabee got all 18 delegates this afternoon, as he beat out Mitt Romney at West Virginia's GOP convention. Huckabee is hoping to rack up more as the day goes on.
Dan Lothian joins us now from Little Rock, Arkansas. Huckabee will be there later today -- hey, Dan.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello.
He will be here later today. And, as you mentioned, he did pick up those 18 delegates. And it happened, that win, in the second round. In the first round of voting there, they did not have a divisive winner. He had come in second place behind Mitt Romney. When they voted again in the second round, he was able to win.
I had a chance to talk to his spokesperson, who gave me this reaction to that win in West Virginia, saying, "Mike Huckabee is the best communicator in the party in the country. If people get to know him, they will vote for him, just as they did in West Virginia."
Now Governor Huckabee has been not really getting all of the attention that the frontrunners have been getting, but he's been fighting. He feels good about his place in this campaign.. And right now he says he's fighting to keep this from becoming a two man race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Other candidates have had bigger budgets. But you know what?
I'm almost tied in delegates with those who have spent 10, 15, 20 times what I have and it kind of tells me something -- that it may that it's time for the people to elect a president, and not just the national media and the pundits to pick our president for us.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: Huckabee, of course, returned here, to the State of Arkansas, early this afternoon. And about 10 minutes ago, he did cast his vote. Again, his campaign telling me that they feel good about their campaign, that they're still getting some good crowds out there, some energized supporters. And, of course, they're hoping that all of that will translate into votes tonight -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dan Lothian. Thanks so much.
And Huckabee, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney were all in West Virginia today, trying to snag that first batch of delegates -- the ones that Huckabee won.
John McCain was not there. He was in New York earlier today and will stop in San Diego before he heads home to Arizona tonight. McCain and Romney both looking for last minute support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've pursued different courses. For some reason I don't quite understand, Senator McCain stayed in Massachusetts for a day-and-a-half. And I was in Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Minnesota, California. I think by virtue of going to California, he's changed his schedule. I don't know if it was always in the plan. But my guess is it was a late decision to run out to California. Had he not had the run up to California, he might have been here.
But, you know, we've been fighting for delegates and we've not been letting any moss grow under our feet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(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 was 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)
PHILLIPS: One thousand twenty GOP delegates are at stake on this Super Tuesday.
LEMON: Well, California -- it's the biggest prize of all today for Democrats and Republicans.
And our Richard Quest joins us now from a polling place in Fullerton -- Richard Quest are you there, sir?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, I'm here. I'm here.
LEMON: OK. Then we'll present...
QUEST: I'm catching the mood of the voters -- the...
LEMON: I couldn't hear you earlier, Richard.
QUEST: What?
LEMON: I heard you had something snarky to say about what I was wearing and I couldn't hear you earlier because I was actually busy working.
QUEST: No, no, no, no. I didn't have anything snarky to say about that fine maroon pink polo thingie you had on.
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: I just hope you gave it back to the jumble sale, where you've obviously picked it up from.
LEMON: Oh, OK, Richard...
QUEST: Listen, Don, you can't...
LEMON: I'm not going to say anything about your attire today.
QUEST: I'm just pleased you found the suit. Listen, Don, you can't do this job without actually getting out and about and meeting the people. I may be in Orange County, one of the most conservative parts of California, but I really needed to get to grips.
And where better in the Golden State than to be told to spend a day on the beach?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (voice-over): There are worse assignments than spending the day at Huntington Beach -- miles of white sand and rolling waves. No wonder they call this place Surf City, USA.
(on camera): What the surfers want is the perfect wave. But what do they want today from the perfect candidate? All the surfers are out in the water. How can I ask them about politics?
Boys, come on in. How is the surf this morning?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very good.
QUEST: How often do you go surfing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day when I can.
QUEST: Nice work if you can get it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. I recommend it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest issue would probably be the economy and national security kind of up there at the same.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Immigration.
QUEST: Um-hmm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my biggest issue.
QUEST: Why is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we have to do something about closing the borders down because we're paying for people -- I mean they're contributing to our society, but they're not helping with taxes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have any issues.
QUEST: You're surfing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, exactly.
QUEST (voice-over): What a shame. The peace and quiet of the beach is about to be disturbed by me.
(on camera): And which one do you like the look of this time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, Hillary Clinton. But I don't think that she'll win.
QUEST: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think we're ready for a female president yet.
QUEST (voice-over): I could only be a spectator for so long. Like politics, eventually you've got to get your hands dirty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very good. One, two, three.
QUEST (on camera): Is it going to be a good election?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It should be excellent. Everybody is going to be voting.
QUEST: Will you be following Super Tuesday closely?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably not.
QUEST: Why not?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I think, it doesn't matter who wins, it all ends up the same. I'm still running on the beach.
QUEST (voice-over): Whatever the political opinion, there does appear to be agreement, on this beach at least, that this election is the most exciting in memory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's delightful. We have a woman running. We have an African-American running. We have a Mormon gentleman running. And we've got a preacher running. This is astronomically interesting stuff, I think. It's happening at a time in our lives when people wouldn't have believed it. My father would never have believed that this would ever happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep surfing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: And that, of course, was the view from the beach. This is more conservative Orange County.
Now, Don and Kyra, I found something that I think you should know about. In the sample ballot of the County of Orange County, California for the American Independent Party, who are also having their primary today, I have found a candidate. I don't know what his policies are. I don't know what he stands for. I don't even know what he looks like. But his name is Mad Max. And with a name like that, he must be worth a second look.
LEMON: OK. Richard Quest. We'll take your word for it. All right. Thank you, sir.
PHILLIPS: Richard is Mad Max.
LEMON: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Delegates choose nominees.
LEMON: Mad.
PHILLIPS: There you go -- he's just mad period -- more or less according to the popular vote in the primaries. But Democrats have a wild card -- or maybe a trump card. It's an elite group of delegates who can side with whomever they wish and who don't have to make up their minds until the very last minute.
CNN's Brian Todd explains the super-delegates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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 Obama's campaign.
TOM DASCHLE, OBAMA NATIONAL CO-CHAIRMAN: What you've got do is one-on-one talk to these people, call them, call them frequently, have the candidate call them and 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're 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.
(on camera): 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've got to figure that right at the end, they're 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.
TODD: If the Democratic nomination comes down to the super- delegate vote for the first time in decades, it's unclear who's got the edge. Hillary Clinton had an early lead in the super-delegate count -- an equation that could easily change.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And you can be the first to know the Super Tuesday results. Just sign up for CNN breaking e-mail alerts. You'll know when we know right here at CNN's Election Headquarters. Just sign up now at CNN.com.
LEMON: The buzz is going full force. Find out what the bloggers are saying about Super Tuesday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It looks like we've got a tornado warning in Louisiana and Arkansas -- Chad Myers, what's going on?
MYERS: Yes, we're going to get a number of them. It's going to be so hard to keep up with them, Kyra. We'll probably have more than a hundred warnings today -- maybe as many as three dozen tornadoes literally on the ground.
If you see a storm headed your way, take cover. Don't wait for a warning. They will come down fast and furious. These storms are moving at 50 miles per hour.
Now we're into Northwestern Morehouse Parish and also into the Ashley County area of Arkansas. That's the storm way down here, between Shreveport and Jackson.
I can get a little bit closer here. And here is the storm here. There's Bastrop. Now, this storm here, it's -- it's about 25 miles southwest of Beekman. So you know right now this is not the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from there. As this moves up into Arkansas, we're going to get into some more populated areas. We're also going to get into many, many more tornado warnings tonight.
A couple more things to worry about. A big time snow event for Nebraska, Iowa. Milwaukee will have 14 inches of snow on the ground by morning. That will put a damper in your drive for tomorrow, for sure.
But if you live in this pink zone, in this red zone, and you see a storm coming at you, get inside and pretend that there's a tornado warning out already. All of these storms have the potential to spin, which means all of these storms have the potential to have a tornado on them and inside them. Sometimes they'll be so full of rain, you won't be able to see the tornado. So don't go out there and try to take a picture of it. Get inside and stay safe -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Chad.
LEMON: Super Tuesday is a political blogger's dream. There is a ton of buzz and it's happening online.
Earlier in the NEWSROOM, I talked with Roy Sekoff, founding editor of The Huffington Post, and Matt Lewis from Townhall.com.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT LEWIS, TOWNHALL.COM: The big story right now on the conservative blogs, aside from West Virginia, is that earlier today, Rush Limbaugh read a letter that Bob Dole sent him -- former Senator Bob Dole -- sent him establishing John McCain's bona fides as a conservative.
Now, conservative bloggers have attacked this, because, number one, Bob Dole wasn't a trusted conservative to begin with. Number two, he lost his election. And so that's something that's being debated.
LEMON: And you know what?
I'm glad -- I'm glad you brought that up, Matt because I mean, even -- I just got this in. Focus on the Family, James Dobson, also quoting today -- and I think you're reporting this on your blog. He said, "Should Senator McCain become the nominee, I believe this general election" -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- will offer the worst choices for president in my life.
He's not going to vote?
LEWIS: That's...
LEMON: And he carries a lot of weight.
LEWIS: He does. He does. There's -- millions of Americans listen to Dr. Dobson every day on the radio. And he said this on Laura Ingram's radio show today, which is sort of showing how talk radio and conservative blogs are really, really important this cycle.
But you're right. And that sort of goes hand-in-hand with what Ann Coulter said last week. In fact, Ann Coulter went so far as to say that Hillary Clinton would be better than John McCain.
LEMON: Yes.
LEWIS: I personally don't agree, but that's what she said.
LEMON: So the Democrats seem -- for the most part, seem to like both choices. And the Republicans, they either love the guy they're with or hate the other guy.
What do you say about that, Roy?
ROY SEKOFF, FOUNDING EDITOR, HUFFINGTON POST: Well, that's -- you're exactly right, Don. That's the most interesting thing that's happening. I mean, you know, there's, of course, some tensions. This is a very hard-fought campaign among the Democrats, between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But it's more like a family squabble.
The Republicans are like the Hatfields and the McCoys. I mean they are going at it tooth and nail. You know, we have McCain and Romney going at each other, demanding that each other apologize.
On Matt's site, at Townhall, my favorite thing of the day was an op-ed from Chuck Norris, who was complaining that Mitt Romney was trying to buy the election. And he complained that it was the campaign finance reform laws that was the problem. So, I'm not sure if he was thinking that if he had the ability, he could give all of his residuals from lone wolf McCain to Mike Huckabee so he could fight the fight.
LEMON: And Roy...
SEKOFF: I mean it's unbelievable.
LEMON: And Roy, real quick -- real quick, the vitriol seems to be, I mean, in high gear on the blogs, because people are saying, you know, if my candidate isn't picked, I'm going to switch sides or I'm not going to vote at all. I mean what's going on here?
SEKOFF: I think, actually, that, you know, on the Democratic side, I think people -- when they have had the exit polls, people are very happy with their second choice. I mean the people who want Obama, really Obama...
LEWIS: Right.
SEKOFF: ...but they'd be happy to vote for Hillary. And the people backing Hillary, they're passionate about it, but they can get behind Hillary. Whereas I think the people who are supporting McCain would rather die than vote for Mitt Romney, as you hear, Ann Coulter with her...
LEMON: Yes.
SEKOFF: ...with her, you know, her Molotov cocktail -- I'd rather vote for Hillary.
That's amazing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: On our Web site, well, you can track all the Super Tuesday results as they come in, minute by minute, state by state, all day and, of course, all night. Plus, analysis from the best political team on television. That's at CNNPolitics.com.
PHILLIPS: Hillary Clinton going for the pantsuit vote and pantsuit jokes. Jeanne Moos has tailor-made commentary straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, we have been watching this all day. Not a good day on Wall Street. And the closing bell is, well, about 10 minutes away -- nine minutes away. The Dow down 346 points. We've been seeing it jump from just in the last minute or so, 346 to 350. There it is -- 353.
So Susan Lisovicz and the closing bell in just a bit, to tell us about this rocky day on Wall Street.
PHILLIPS: Well, with years of political experience under her belt, Hillary Clinton is quite accustomed to people searching for skeletons in her closet. But our Jeanne Moos would rather scrutinize Clinton's wardrobe, among other things.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gee, no one applauded me when I voted today. But when you're Hillary Clinton, everyone's watching your every move.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Hillary Clinton is at home for supper -- supper -- Super Tuesday, that would be. MOOS: Poll workers seemed super interested.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's good to sleep in your own bed.
H. CLINTON: It was so great.
MOOS: One guy even ventured a joke.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to confirm, you're a Democrat, right?
H. CLINTON: I am. I am. True blue.
MOOS: But when he tried the same joke on Bill Clinton...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I just want to confirm that you are a Democrat.
MOOS: It fell flat. And speaking of jokes, Letterman was focusing on Bill's potential role in the White House.
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: If she's elected, you know, is he going to be in there, you know, going through stuff?
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: You know, here, here.
H. CLINTON: In my White House, we will know who wears the pantsuits.
LETTERMAN: Hell, yes!
MOOS: Like a good pantsuit, that joke is going to get a lot of wear.
H. CLINTON: And I don't think there will be any doubt who will wear the pantsuit in the White House.
MOOS: Hillary uses pantsuit jokes as armor.
H. CLINTON: This pantsuit is asbestos tonight.
MOOS: But pantsuits cut both ways -- serving as fodder for comedians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But answer this question, Senator Obama -- can you do it all while looking fabulous in a pantsuit?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton -- pantsuited up and ready to go.
MOOS: Back at the voting booth, wearing a pantsuit, it took Hillary a mere nine seconds to vote for herself. Talk about wearing the pants. Watch Chelsea nudge her dad past the press.
B. CLINTON: Who knows what's...
MOOS: After all, this is Hillary's day to say yet again.
H. CLINTON: I'm ready on day one.
MOOS: At least her pantsuit is.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, it's time now to see what's clicking at CNN.com -- some of our most watched videos.
A door slams open at closing time. Robbers shoot at a store clerk -- and it's all caught on tape. The clerk is going to be OK. But the bad guys, well, they left empty-handed.
Painful details and photos revealed as Bobby Cutts' murder trial gets underway. The former police officer is accused of strangling his girlfriend, Jessie Davis, who was pregnant with his child.
And Texas police travel to Philadelphia to take custody of a man accused of stomping his 3-month old baby to death. The boy's body was found on a roadside in Galveston. Police say the dad has confessed.
A link to all of these top stories, the top 10 list, right on your -- on the front page of CNN.com.
PHILLIPS: A quick check of the big board there at the New York Stock Exchange. Still, the Dow Jones Industrials taking a slump there -- 357 points.
We're going to check in with Susan Lisovicz right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Oh, boy. How would you like to see this in your house? A New Hampshire man says this SUV landed about five feet from him while he was changing clothes. He says it took him several minutes to find his pants. Gasps in the NEWSROOM.
The driver says she lost control while trying to miss a deer. Oh, dear. She had her three children with her and none was badly hurt. Everybody is going to be OK.
So he had to find his pants to run outside.
PHILLIPS: The poor guy. I think he needs to organize his house a little more.
LEMON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: All right, it's time to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
LEMON: Wolf Blitzer standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" standing by to tell us what's going on at the top of the hour -- hello, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Lots going on today, guys.
On this Super Tuesday, about half the country heads to the polls today in the biggest day of this presidential race so far.
Coming up, what to watch for as the early results start rolling in.
Plus, some long lines and voting machine glitches already at the polls today. But will it delay the final results tonight?
And he won the first state of the day -- that would be West Virginia. Now Republican Mike Huckabee joins us live in "THE SITUATION ROOM" for a one-on-one interview.
All that and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM". Guys -- back to you.
LEMON: Wolf, we know you're like the Energizer Bunny, but I mean this is it. Are you ready? Are you pumped? Well-rested?
BLITZER: This is huge. This is huge and we're ready. I'm rested. I exercised. I ate properly. I'm ready to go.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Ah!
PHILLIPS: He meditated.
LEMON: And he...
PHILLIPS: He met with his guru.
LEMON: Prayed, everything.
BLITZER: No meditation. No meditation.
LEMON: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.
LEMON: Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at this.
Man, not such a good trading day -- Susan. It's still down, huh?
LISOVICZ: Well, you know, we had a lot of applause at the open. It was a celebratory mood at the opening bell because the owners of the New York Giants, the Super Bowl champions, rang the opening bell. And there was, of course, a ticker tape parade that followed right outside the door, up the Canyon of Heroes.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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