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Votes in Four Critical States Anxiously Awaited; Can McCain Clinch Republican Nomination?; Presidential Primaries: Who Will March Forth on March 5th?
Aired March 04, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: March 4 or else, that's pretty much the prospect for the four main candidates for president, as four states hold what could be decisive primaries.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: John McCain will almost surely march forth to the GOP nomination. After contests today in Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island, Barack Obama could wind up near unstoppable in the Democratic race, or he and Hillary Clinton could fight on to Pennsylvania more than a month from now.
LEMON: But there's a wild card in Ohio, Betty. It's the weather, heavy rain in the south, freezing rain and snow in the north. Will voters stay at home?
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN World Headquarters here in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: Good afternoon, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in today for Kyra Phillips.
And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, the races, the rallies, the results. The best political team to television has fanned out across the country and across the political landscape. CNN is, of course, your home for politics. We will cover all four these crucial contests all day and all night.
Let's start with the biggest prize, and that is Texas, and that's where we find CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. As a matter of fact, she is in Austin.
Hey, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, hey, Don.
This is where they are asking voters not to vote once, but twice. It's a very strange, surreal process, but ultimately when it's all said and done, the voters here are going to decide whether it's Barack Obama or Senator Hillary Clinton.
Both of the candidates very much campaigning until the very last minute to try to win over some of the undecideds, but also, more importantly, to bring out their supporters, because in this process, two-thirds of the delegates are awarded through the primary process, which happens during the day. But then the remaining third is awarded through the caucus process, which means the voters have to come back this evening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): It's the last stand, a Texas-sized showdown between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think there's going to be a tremendous turnout across Texas today. And I'm thrilled at, you know, what's happening here.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This has been an extraordinary election and continues to be. And we're working as hard as we can to try to do well.
MALVEAUX: Both candidates campaigned across Texas today, in a last-minute effort to motivate their supporters. Senator Clinton must break Barack Obama's winning streak of 11 straight victories to go on. Her campaign says Ohio and Texas will determine her future.
CLINTON: I mean, these are two really critical states. Obviously you don't get to the White House as a Democrat without winning Ohio, and we're going to put Texas in play.
MALVEAUX: In Texas, where 193 delegates are up for grabs, voters have to do what's fondly called the Texas two-step. Voters must first go to the polls to vote in the primary during the day. Then they're asked to come back later during the evening to vote again in an open caucus.
The candidates are counting on those they have been courting to come through, most notably, Hispanics for Clinton, African-Americans for Obama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And, Don, both of these campaigns, that of Barack Obama and Senator Clinton, already putting out memos and e-mails really trying to cast this as a success for their campaigns before the votes even come in.
We understand that there is going to be a celebration rally, that's what they're calling it, a celebration rally, in San Antonio, Texas, for Barack Obama. For Hillary Clinton, she will be in Columbus, Ohio -- Don.
LEMON: All right, thank you, Suzanne.
NGUYEN: Well, John McCain is looking to clinch the Republican nomination, but Mike Huckabee is hanging on and looking ahead, way ahead.
So let's get you straight to CNN's Mary Snow in Irving, Texas.
Yes, he's looking quite a ways quite ahead, Mary. MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he certainly is, Betty.
And both the Republican candidates were out, though, today, campaigning. And surely Senator John McCain is hoping that he can wrap everything up.
He was in Houston earlier today at a town hall meeting really taking on a number of questions and, as he said, looking ahead as he looks towards the general election repeatedly mentioning Democratic rivals Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. He is hoping that tonight he will secure the Republican nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Obviously, we're hopeful to do well enough here and in the other three states to be able to have sufficient number of delegates. As I have said, I have respected Governor Huckabee's remaining in the race. I hope that we will get enough delegates in the election today in those four states in order to have the 1,093 -- I believe it is -- delegates that are -- that are the requirement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now, Mike Huckabee is hoping that Senator John McCain won't get those delegates. He has been campaigning hard here in Texas. He believes he has a shot at staging an upset, despite the fact that he has been way behind in the polls, but he believes his conservative message will resonate with voters here.
We caught up with him earlier today. And he's still holding out hope that he will be a winner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We still are hoping for a Texas win here today. I know that a lot of people don't think that can happen, but we think in an election anything can happen. We have been actively campaigning the last several days vigorously in Texas. My opponent has been on vacation. I think Texans are going to pay attention to that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: But the obvious question is what happens if Huckabee does not do well here tonight and Senator McCain secures the nomination with the needed number of delegates?
The Huckabee camp is saying, don't expect an announcement tonight. Mike Huckabee says he plans to meet with his aides tomorrow, but, you know, I just talked with his campaign director, Ed Rollins, who says no decisions have been made. It's going to be Mike Huckabee's decision alone, but he also added, in his words, we're not going to run a fool's game -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Mary Snow joining us live -- thank you, Mary.
Let's head back over to the newsroom, T.J. Holmes working details of that a developing story. More information on Las Vegas?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Yes, we're back in Las Vegas and trying to get word. Is that right?
All right, we do have the word that this is the all-clear now, nonhazardous material found at this hotel room at the Excalibur. Of course, we had the ricin scare last week at a different hotel in Las Vegas. They just found white powder in a room.
A man woke up, just found this white powder on his sheets, brought in hazmat, Homeland Security. They checked it out, been checking it out for the past couple of hours now. And right now, we are just getting word and confirmation that in fact it is the all- clear. So, we just wanted to button this story up for you, all clear. You can go back to your chips now at the Excalibur. So, there you go.
LEMON: Go back, 21, blackjack, everything else that Vegas is for. OK, T.J., thank you.
HOLMES: All right, Don.
NGUYEN: Let's get back to our top story right now. Texas and Ohio are the two big delegate jackpots. But two other states are holding primaries today. Rhode Island and Vermont may be smaller, but they are still crucial, especially in the close Democratic race.
Polls close at 7:00 p.m. Eastern in Vermont and 9:00 p.m. Eastern in Rhode Island. So, who would best deal with a 3:00 a.m. phone call? John McCain says he's the one, not his Democratic rivals. And that tops our Political Ticker today.
The Republican presidential front-runner says he is most qualified to respond to a middle-of-the-night emergency as president. His comments followed dueling campaign ads from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both of which pose a middle-of-the-night crisis scenario.
And say what? Conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh is actually urging his Texas listeners to cross over and vote for Hillary Clinton. Limbaugh says big numbers for Clinton would help Republicans by keeping the Democratic race unsettled for weeks to come. And Limbaugh says -- quote -- "I want Hillary to stay in this. This is too good of a soap open.
And you know CNN's political team is always on the go. But this is ridiculous. The Clinton campaign -- take a look at this -- set up a media filing area in a men's locker room yesterday in Austin, Texas, yes, urinals and all, a wireless connection, a table, plenty of restroom stalls, urinals, you name it. I mean, what else do you need, right, Don?
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Maybe some hand sanitizer. I don't know.
LEMON: Why did you have to bring me in? I get into enough trouble on my own. Yes, I know. We saw those pictures earlier and we were like, oh, my gosh.
NGUYEN: That's why they are the best political team on television, because they can deal with anything.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
LEMON: What's a little snow when you're stomping for your candidate?
Well, I-Reporter Sherri Uhrick and some of her Columbus pals, they are certainly bundled up. I guess their favorite candidate is Mike Huckabee. They are hanging the sign. And they drum up votes for Mike Huckabee. She tells us people are honking and waving everywhere they go.
Sherri, by the way, is the one on the right -- hi, Sherri -- in the white cap. And, Sherri, thank you very much for that.
We certainly appreciate our I-Reporters, don't we?
Make sure you stay with CNN all day for coverage of high-stakes Democratic primaries in Ohio and Texas. And at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, results start rolling in to the best political team on television live in the CNN Election Center.
NGUYEN: Take a look. They are mobilized. They are politically passionate, but will Latino voters end up being a swing vote in today's presidential primaries? We're going to take a closer look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: As you can see, we are hard at work here in the CNN NEWSROOM. It's 15 past the hour, and here are three of the stories that we're working on.
We just heard a short time ago from President Bush after he got off of the phone with Colombia's president. Mr. Bush says the U.S. fully supports Colombia in a standoff with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Chavez moved thousands of troops to the Colombian border after Colombia's cross-border raid into Ecuador.
And we are also hearing from federal agents investigating this apparent arson fire that gutted several expensive model homes north of Seattle. They're looking into whether a banner left near the site belongs to an ecoterrorist group.
And turning our eyes to Israel, Israeli forces are back in Gaza now, a day after pulling out following an offensive against Palestinian militants. The Israeli military says it is now targeting militants around the town of Khan Yunis. And witnesses say they believe troops killed a top Islamic Jihad member. We will follow this story. LEMON: They are mobilized. They are politically passionate, but will Latino voters end up being a swing vote in today's presidential primaries? We will take a closer look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The Latino vote is a key factor on this presidential primary day and in this presidential season.
CNN en Espanol CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez is in Austin, Texas. His colleague Ines Ferre is in Columbus, Ohio.
First to Juan Carlos, on the Democratic side. With the race so close, both Clinton and Obama really need the Latino vote. Who is winning there, Juan Carlos?
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hillary Clinton, as we have seen in Texas and other states, has an advantage over Barack Obama. Latinos say they know her, they know and her husband. And they like to go with people they know.
But the Obama campaign has made considerable inroads in Texas, heavily spending in advertising. And today going through polling places, we saw that people are divided. The older folks might be going towards Clinton, the younger folks towards Obama, but it's definitely going to be a decisive vote. It's going to be a decisive vote in the primaries here in Texas.
LEMON: All right, Juan Carlos Lopez in Austin -- thank you very much for that, Juan Carlos.
But, first, before I get away, I want to ask you about -- let me ask you about the Republicans. On the Republican side, is McCain energizing Latino voters?
LOPEZ: Well, at least -- John McCain, people remember his stance on immigration. It's changed for this campaign. He has a different message, but people remember what happened during the immigration reform debate in Congress. They knew that John McCain was part of it.
And he is the type of politician that Latinos like, so it's going to be a tough choice. If and when the election happens, it's going to be a tough choice for Latinos between John McCain and whoever the Democrat is.
LEMON: OK. I will let you go now. Juan Carlos, thank you very much for that.
Now let's go to Ines Ferre in downtown Columbus, right in the front of the Ohio Statehouse.
How are things looking where you are?
INES FERRE, CNN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's rainy here today in Columbus, Ohio. But, Don, you know, the Hispanic population in Ohio isn't, of course, as big as it is in Texas, but it is one that is growing and one that's really interested in politics. We have seen that over the past couple of days.
We have been in Cleveland. We have been here Columbus. We have spoken to a lot of Latinos about what the issues are for them. This morning, in fact, we spoke to some of the Latinos with respect to what was important for them. And the economy was very, very big. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, right now, I don't have health insurance, because I lost it when I lost my job in December, and, obviously, you know, work, because I don't -- I have got to support my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRE: Now, this is a very diverse community of Latinos in Ohio. In fact, yesterday, we met with 12 voters. Nine of them were Democrats, three of them Republicans, and some of the issues that were important to them were not only the economy, but also immigration, the war in Iraq, national security.
One of the interesting things was, amongst the Democrats, five of them were for Hillary. Four of them were for Obama. The Clinton -- one of the Clinton supporters said that he was -- really liked what Bill Clinton had done during his presidency, and he was associating Hillary with Bill Clinton.
One of the Obama supporters said that it was really hard for her to choose between two good candidates, but in the end she had to go with what he felt in her heart -- Don.
LEMON: OK. So, this roundtable you were a part of yesterday, let's see, Democrats, you said, mostly economy, Republicans, taxes, the main issue for them.
FERRE: Yes.
LEMON: Do Latino voters that you are speaking to there in Ohio, do they feel like their voices are being heard, as if the candidates are addressing what they want addressed?
FERRE: With respect to some of the issues. Of course, one of the big ones is immigration. I mean, what they're really all expecting is for some type of immigration reform with the next presidency, and that -- and that is true for the Democrats, as well as for the Republicans.
LEMON: All right, Ines, thank you very much for that, joining us from Columbus, Ohio.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
LEMON: There's a lot riding on today's's four presidential primaries. We will check in with our political roundtable to see what they think is going to happen. And Democratic delegates, GOP delegates, pledged delegates, superdelegates, CNN can help you sort all of them out. And we have a bit of fun for you -- yes, fun -- in the process. And we will show you how you can do that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, four states, four candidates, but no foregone conclusions, especially in the Democratic presidential race. Hillary Clinton needs big wins to break Barack Obama's winning streak.
John McCain is looking to cement the Republican nomination, though Mike Huckabee's still hanging in.
The big prizes today, of course, Texas and Ohio. Many have lost their jobs, but blue-collar voters in Ohio have won the attention of the Clinton and Obama campaigns in a big way.
Our Tom Foreman looks at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLAYTON HADDEN, OHIO VOTER: This is the same route I used to come every morning.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clayton Hadden drove this road to work for 30 years until the factory that employed him closed two years ago. He's been jobless ever since, and he's not alone.
HADDEN: See quite a few for-sale signs going up around.
FOREMAN: Almost a quarter-million manufacturing jobs have left Ohio since 2000, and many workers wonder if anyone in Washington is paying attention.
HADDEN: In my opinion, they need to start taking care of the people that are working and providing and paying their taxes and -- and all that stuff, because, you know, the working class is what pays the bills for everybody.
FOREMAN: White working class men are the single biggest bloc of voters here -- 28 percent of the electorate. And they are suddenly, surprisingly, important. So both Democratic contenders are scrambling to scoop them up.
OBAMA: I think for so many people here in Ohio, the dream that so many generations fought for feels like it's slowly slipping away.
CLINTON: Does anybody really care about the hardworking people of Ohio?
UNIDENTIFIED SUPPORTERS: You do.
CLINTON: I do. That's exactly right. I do. FOREMAN: Clinton has won more working class white male voters, but Obama is chewing at her lead. And at the union hall, it is clear they are both running in a shadow.
(on camera): How many of you would have like John Edwards to be in this still?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to see him still be there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would, too.
FOREMAN (voice-over): John Edwards insisted that working class struggles -- jobs, the income gap -- should dominate this election. Now voters are deciding who can carry that flag.
GEORGE SHAFER, OHIO VOTER: I don't think my grandchildren will be able to live anywhere near like what I'm living. I really fear for that.
DANNY BRADFORD, OHIO VOTER: The middle class is now dropping into the lower class. I want to know what are they going to do to bring it all back?
FOREMAN: White working class men here know what it's like to lose -- jobs, savings, houses.
(on camera): Why should these candidates care about you?
HADDEN: We're the ones that do the voting. So we're the ones they need to speak to. We're the ones they need to help. And ultimately, it's us that they need to work for.
FOREMAN (voice-over): These voters know what it's like to feel powerless and they know, at least for this moment, power is in their hands.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Lima, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And, of course, that is a very interesting story to bring our panel in.
Joining us from Washington, Republican commentator and analyst Tara Wall.
And in New York -- New York, Carl, I got it right today.
CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You got it right.
LEMON: Carl Bernstein.
BERNSTEIN: Good to see you.
LEMON: Much has been made about NAFTA and working class folks here. Ohio, it's a big deal. Texas, not so much -- Carl.
BERNSTEIN: No, not as much. In Ohio, it's a very big deal. It's the rust belt. Factories have shut down. There are more workers who have lost their jobs. So employment is a huge subject.
What's so interesting about NAFTA is that Hillary Clinton has yet to tell her whole story about her feelings about NAFTA, because it's true that she's always been against NAFTA. But she won't say it out loud because she advised her husband that when he was president she thought it was a bad idea to go ahead with NAFTA, that it was a Republican plan to begin with, that it might hurt them in the '96 elections. But he didn't heed her counsel.
LEMON: Tara, do you believe that? Are you...
TARA WALL, REPUBLICAN COMMENTATOR/ANALYST: Well, I think -- I think certainly Senator Clinton has, by all means, flip-flopped on the issue of NAFTA. And I think Senator Obama is also starting to face some problems, obviously, with this memo that's out there, as it relates to NAFTA. And I think that, of course, this is an issue that certainly is very important to Ohio voters, particularly because, you know, jobs have been attributed to being lost at NAFTA.
LEMON: OK.
WALL: Twenty-three percent of the job losses, as was mentioned in the piece there. So I think that this is -- this is why you're starting to see this -- this tightening race between Senators Clinton and Obama in Ohio.
LEMON: OK.
WALL: They're going to have to fight long and hard for these white working class voters.
LEMON: All right, Tara and Carl, let's move on. Now let's talk about the polls of polls, because we do have polls on today.
WALL: Yes.
LEMON: Texas -- we're going to look at the Democrats right now. This is Ohio, actually -- the Ohio Democratic primary. Forty-nine percent for Clinton, 42 percent for Obama, nine percent undecided. We don't have it up there.
And then on the Texas side, 47 percent for Clinton. We've got 46 percent for Obama and then seven are unsure. That's for Texas. And then, of course, McCain, in both places ahead double digits.
So what do you make of this? Obviously, it's make or break. People say it's make or break for Hillary Clinton. She's saying she's not going to get out of it no matter what. She's just warming up.
WALL: I think she --
LEMON: Is it possible or likely that she could pull off a win today Tara?
BERNSTEIN: I think we --
WALL: I think you've got...
BERNSTEIN: Go ahead.
WALL: ... I think you've got two different dynamics working in each of those states. I mean I have family in Ohio. I was born in Ohio. I've also lived in Texas and voted in Texas. Texas is very conservative. They care about things like less government, low taxes. And that's why you see Obama with a slight lead there.
In Ohio, again, you have the working class white voters that tend toward Hillary Clinton. They're unionized. I think that the other dynamic that you have, as well, in Texas is among -- I believe it's among the only three states in the country that's minority -- their minority is larger than their majority.
LEMON: But Tara, and then --
WALL: So they are both working hard to reach out to minority voters there -- the Hispanic and the black community.
LEMON: But I want to ask this to Carl. I understand all of your analysis and what everyone's saying. I'm sure it's possible. But is it likely that she can pull off a big enough win here?
BERNSTEIN: I think you're asking -- WALL: The only way --
BERNSTEIN: Can I --
WALL: She can't...
LEMON: Go ahead, Carl.
WALL: ... She can't do it. She --
LEMON: Go ahead.
BERNSTEIN: I think you're asking the wrong question, with all due respect.
LEMON: That's OK. Go ahead. What question should I ask?
BERNSTEIN: Look, we know that this race is very close. And we're going to have to wait for the voters. We've only got a few hours to wait to see what the voters are going to tell us. What's important is the dynamic of the race has obviously changed. It's gotten much closer as Hillary Clinton's campaign has gone more and more negative.
When she has seen that she was facing a likely defeat in Texas and maybe even Ohio, the campaign made a decision to go very heavily negative. And as somebody in the Clinton campaign told me today, it just wasn't working before, so, yes, we did throw the kitchen sink at them. And they...
WALL: But also what you'll hear today...
LEMON: Guys --
WALL: ... from some of Senator Clinton's own folks and their own Democratic strategists is that...
LEMON: All right --
WALL: ... she, in fact -- she cannot lose either one of these states.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hey, Tara, I'm up against a --
WALL: It is imperative that she does so.
LEMON: -- I'm up against a tight time deadline here...
WALL: And the polls show that...
LEMON: ... so I won't be able to let you finish.
WALL: ... Obama is more likable.
LEMON: I've got to get to a break. So thank you both very much for joining us.
WALL: Sure. Thank you.
LEMON: I wish you could have gotten it in. And I wish we had Donna here to comment on our neckties. We're wearing the same tie again, Carl. Thank you very much.
WALL: Thank you.
LEMON: Stay with CNN all day for coverage of the high stakes Democratic primaries in Ohio and Texas. And at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, results start rolling into the best political team on television live in the CNN Election Center.
NGUYEN: And, Don, before we go to that break, we do have some developing news to tell you about. T.J. Holmes is working this story out of the CNN NEWSROOM.
What do you know -- T.J. ?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're just keeping an eye on something right now. We're waiting for pictures to come in, which will certainly help us tell this story a lot better, which is of a building collapse in New York. Happening right now at 124th and Park. A five story building collapsed. We understand it's an apartment building. The word we get right now is that it was vacant. So we don't know right now of any injuries. No reason to believe that people are in there.
But, again, we're awaiting pictures to come in of this scene. But a building collapse -- a five story apartment building that we do believe was vacant at the time but has collapsed. It has disrupted some of the Metro North, the tracks there going into East Harlem. It has disrupted some of that transit right now that we know of.
But the issue is a five story apartment building collapsed. We're waiting on the pictures to come in and also a lot more details. Hopefully, no one was inside. But we understand it was vacant. We just wanted to let you know, Betty, that we are on top of this story. So when we get more, we will pass that along to you.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. Thank you, T.J.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: Democratic delegates, GOP delegates, pledged delegates, super-delegates -- well, CNN can help you sort all of this out and have a bit of fun at it. Yes, we're going to have some fun with the process. We're going to show you how.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Delegating the delegates -- yes, it can be complicated, tricky and really downright messy. But, get this, you can do it yourself, courtesy of CNN.com. Our Internet correspondent, Abbi Tatton, shows us how to make it all happen.
Hey, there Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Hi, Betty.
Now, this is going to let you ask basically what if -- what if Barack Obama continues his winning streak tonight? Or what if Hillary Clinton pulls out big wins?
This is the delegate counter which we've just added to CNNPolitics.com. And it's going to take you through state by state and let you imagine the scenarios and allocate the delegates yourself based on what you think is going to happen.
Let's start with the basics here, where we are right now in terms of the delegates. Barack Obama leading by 109 by CNN's count. And here on the delegate counter game is state by state everyone that has yet to vote.
So, look, I'm allocating here wins for Clinton in Texas and wins for Clinton in Ohio. You can do any scenario you like. And the delegate counter is going to go up or down based on what your scenarios that you're imaging. And bottom line, what you're going to see from this, Betty, is that how difficult it is for these Democratic candidates to reach that magic number of 2,025 delegates that would put them over the edge and clinch this nomination.
Matched, of course, down here, where the super-delegates come in -- 363 of those that have still not announced their support. We've also got the Republican side, of course. It's a very different story there. John McCain is within sight there of clinching the nomination -- getting that magic number need to win 1,091 tonight. And you can imagine, again, on the Republican side, the different scenarios state by state.
Because of the way the delegates are allocated on the Republican side, it's easier to ratchet up the delegates, to rack up the delegates quicker. And you can imagine it all here CNNPolitics.com, which is where we're going to be watching later on -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, Abbi, that's one of many things at CNNPolitics.com. What else is on that site?
TATTON: Stand by Well, we've got the Election Center, which you can watch at home on the air tonight from 7:00 p.m. But you're also going to be watching along here.
This is where the results are going to be coming in county by county for those states -- the four states that are going to be voting tonight -- starting with Vermont. Their first poll closing time, that's at 7:00 p.m.. This is where it's going to be populated with the live results from 7:00 p.m. onward -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Abbi Tatton joining us live. Thank you.
And, of course, go to CNNPolitics.com for all the latest information. You know, the stakes couldn't be any higher on the Democratic side in primaries. And you can track the results as on come in, minute by minute, state by state. Again, CNNPolitics.com, plus analysis from the best political team on television. All of that and more, CNNPolitics.com.
LEMON: The builder says the luxury homes that went up in flames yesterday in Washington State showcased environmentally friendly building products. The Feds suspect a radical environmental group of torching them. They're investigating the arson as domestic terrorism.
Agents say a banner with ELF or ELF spray painted on it mocked the builders claims and may implicate the Earth Liberation Front, though that's far from clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GOMEZ, FBI ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE: The Earth Liberation Front is an organization without organization. There's no leaders. There's no hierarchy. There's no membership list. There's no place you can go to sign up. These actions are actions of individuals or individual groups throughout the country and, in fact, throughout the world.
So if you take down one conspiracy, one group, there's always the possibility that similarly motivated people will get together and try to commit another action in support of the movement.
QUESTION: Could you clarify... (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A $100,000 reward is being offered by the local builders association for information in this case.
NGUYEN: Well, there's an important recall to tell you about for parents with young children in car safety seats. Combi USA is voluntarily recalling some 67,000 seats. Tests show the base of the seat could separate if the vehicle is in a front end collision.
Now, the recall includes Centre, Centre ARB and Shuttle rear- facing infant restraints. They were produced between October 2005 and last December. And parents can get the affected model numbers and a retrofit repair kit for the seats by going to the company's Web site at combi-intl.com or all you have to order is just call them, 1-800- 543-7734.
LEMON: When the phone rings at 3:00 a.m. at the White House, who really answers?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the White House operators.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So even in the middle of the night, you guys answer the phones?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Answering the phone...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Leave it to Jeanne.
Hillary Clinton's campaign commercial gets plenty of call back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, so in our wired world, even a serious campaign ad quickly gets a campaign response.
Who else to tell us about it than Jeanne Moos?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS: Not since this...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 10:00 p.m. Do you know where your children are?
MOOS: ... Have kiddies and time combined to result in so much parody. All Barack Obama has to do is make like he's picking up a phone.
OBAMA: To answer that phone call at 3:00 in the morning. MOOS: And his audience snickers. What started as a very serious Hillary Clinton campaign commercial...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 3:00 a.m. And your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing.
MOOS: ... has launched a torrent of YouTube parodies. And most answer this question with anything but Hillary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you want answering the phone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ghost busters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you want answering the phone?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jack Bauer for president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you want answering the phone?
MCCAIN: That old Beach Boys song Bomb Iran -- bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
MOOS: They make fun of how Hillary stumbled over the name of Russia's new president.
CLINTON: Med ve -- Meda...
TIM RUSSERT, MSNBC ANCHOR: Medvedev.
CLINTON: Medvedev. Whatever.
MOOS: They make fun of how put together Hillary looks answering the phone in the wee hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wears pant suits at 3:00 a.m.
MOOS: And, of course, they make fun of Bill.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No Bill's not here. Like I said, it's 3:00 in the morning.
MOOS: Sure, Obama gets a jab -- harkening back to his kids saying he's all snory in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama doesn't hear the phone. Barack Obama snores too loud.
MOOS: But as usual, the Clintons take the brunt of the parodies.
Just for the record, we called the White House switchboard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The White House.
MOOS (on camera): Hi, there. I wonder, if I called the White House at 3:00 in the morning, who would answer the phone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the White House operators.
MOOS: So even in the middle of the night, you guys answer the phone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma'am.
(voice-over): One of the most professional parodies is by a comedy group.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A phone rings in the White House. We're being attacked by terrorists, by rogue nations or a faceless (INAUDIBLE)...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dad! Oh, what the...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, you know what? Get out!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out now!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kids never hear me. I don't socialize (INAUDIBLE)...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out now!
MOOS: Don't be afraid of their narrators anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daddy, why do narrator people keep coming in my room and scaring the crap out of me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's election season, son.
MOOS: The parodies seem to favor cheesy red hot lines, though Hillary herself answers a white phone. Candidates generally must approve their own message. The parody 3:00 a.m. Call -- just leave one.
CLINTON: I'm Hillary Clinton. Please leave your message.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: And leave to it Jeanne to call at 3:00 a.m. in the morning.
LEMON: That's great. And to figure it out. That doesn't mean a head of state would get that.
NGUYEN: Well, I think if it was important enough, they would. It would be transferred.
LEMON: They would get the operator.
NGUYEN: Right.
LEMON: They wouldn't have Hillary's personal cell phone number.
NGUYEN: They would actually call the red phone probably.
All right, time now to check in and see what is hot at CNN.com. Caught on a police car's dash came -- look at this. A driver sideswiped an officer who had just pulled over another driver Sagamore Hills, Ohio. The officer is OK. But look at that video. The man behind the wheel is charged with drunken driving. Boy, that was close.
Well, one minute it is there. Look at this video. OK, you see it, right? The next it's gone. We're talking about an SUV that was just swallowed by a giant sinkhole. Workers on Chicago's West side are left to patch things up.
And one guy in Australia obviously showed off in front of the wrong crowd. Here's what he was doing. He was interrupting a cricket match, which you simply do not do. So one of the players brought him down and took him out.
You can link to all of these top 10 lists from our front page -- that's what you get for not wearing clothes, guys.
LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) hard, too.
NGUYEN: Put some clothes on. What's he doing in the middle of that game? All right, you can go to all of this at the front page of CNN.com.
LEMON: Well, he has been flirting with it for years. Now, apparently, he means it. Green Bay Packers' quarterback Brett Favre is expected to announce he's retiring in a news conference this afternoon.
At 38, Favre has played in the NFL for 17 years and won three most valuable player awards. Packers' general manager Ted Thompson says the team owes Favre a tremendous debt of gratitude.
NGUYEN: Look at that.
LEMON: Yes. That's a long-time. I actually thought -- now, I'm not making judgments -- I thought he was older. I thought he was older.
NGUYEN: Well, he is retiring today and so we're watching for that.
LEMON: Yes.
NGUYEN: Time now, though, to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
LEMON: He's standing by to tell us what's coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at the top of the hour -- Wolf. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I think he's a young guy. He shouldn't retire. Reconsider, Brett.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: We need you.
NGUYEN: Please.
BLITZER: We need you in Green Bay, at least for another year. That's just me, though.
LEMON: All right.
BLITZER: We have a lot coming up at the top of the hour on this huge election day.
A major decision unfolding. Four states are holding primary contests and the outcome could decide at least one nominee. We're going to have complete coverage from across the country, plus the latest exit poll results. Stand by for that.
The big focus is on the Democratic contest. What happens after tonight? We're going to hear from Obama supporter, the former presidential candidate, John Kerry.
And the perform storm, as some are, calling it, could be brewing for the Democrats. If the race keeps ongoing and going and going, will it damage the party?
You're going to find out when I speak with the chairman of the DNC, Howard Dean. He's standing by live.
All that, guys, and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Anything else you want to say to Brett Favre?
BLITZER: Don't go. Stay another year.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Please.
BLITZER: Green Bay needs you. Please, that's right.
LEMON: All right, thanks, Wolf.
NGUYEN: Thank you.
Well, the closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street, that is straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Americans spent some $26 billion on gift cards during the last holiday season. But using them can be difficult when a retailer files for bankruptcy. Case in point, The Sharper Image. Right now, their gift cards -- worthless.
Hopefully, you don't have one. But if you do, too bad. The company stopped accepting them last month, at least temporarily. The chain is trying, though, to reorganize under Chapter 11. So don't hoard those cards. Either retail bankruptcies are expected to skyrocket this year.
LEMON: Is there anything good about what's going on as far as the economy?
NGUYEN: Well, I kind of keep those cards until I find something and so I have stacks of them. Maybe I need to just go buy something and get them off my hands.
LEMON: Yes, because they lose value.
NGUYEN: Right.
LEMON: Susan has done many a story on how they lose value -- right, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, that they might reduce the value of the card...
NGUYEN: Over time.
LISOVICZ: ... or it expires completely. So use the card.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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