Return to Transcripts main page
Campbell Brown
Battleground Blitz; Long Lines For Early Voting Continue; A Look at the Candidates' Iraq Policies; Interview with Bill Maher; Race: The Great Unknown; The Undecided Voter Factor
Aired October 31, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Halloween, and happy four days until the election, everybody.
We begin tonight with a frightening image, seriously. Take a look at this. Early voting lines around Atlanta today were two, four and at times even 10 hours long, pretty maddening. And, unfortunately, for the impatient among us, it's been the same in some of the other early voting states as well.
But don't let that dampen your enthusiasm. We are going to more on that in a minute. We also have plenty of Halloween treats from the campaign trail, although Barack Obama seems to be expecting some last- minute Republican tricks as well. He even went so far as to issue a warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Make no mistake. We will respond swiftly and forcefully with the truth to whatever falsehoods they throw our way in these last four days. The stakes are too high to do anything less.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: John McCain's behind in the polls and doesn't have time for trick or treating. He's telling Ohio voters his campaign isn't ready for the political graveyard. But who's that out in the crowd?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Could you raise the signs again? Doug the undertaker. Mary the business owner. Eric the lawyer.
Eric the lawyer? Wait.
(LAUGHTER)
MCCAIN: John the soccer dad. Doug the undertaker.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And there are more than just undertakers out there. The ghosts of campaigns past came out today in a big way. They're everywhere. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: There was a point in this election cycle where I was an opponent of John McCain's. Remember?
(LAUGHTER)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Political will is a renewable resource. Let's renew it by electing Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And what would Halloween be without some political mayhem? Call it the attack of the living surrogates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: But I want a really frightening costume. And I looked for a costume of George W. Bush.
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: Just a few minutes ago, I called home to my wife, because I'm not there, and, so, I said to her, what are you going to give out when kids knock on the door? She says, I'm going to each one of them a candy, and a cookie, some M&Ms, and an apple. And I say, well, typical liberal giveaway.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: It's Halloween, and everybody's a comedian.
We have got much more ahead.
But, first tonight, cutting through the bull.
I go back to that picture we showed you at the very top of the show. Here it is again. Take a look, swarms of people at polling places in Atlanta. Well, we thought it was there. It might be there in a minute. There you go -- waiting at times as long as eight to 10 hours, long lines also reported in Virginia, up to four-hour wait times down in Florida. Both Florida and North Carolina extended their hours to try to accommodate the crowds.
And this is just for early voting. It sort of makes you want to say, wow, do I really need this headache come Tuesday? Yes. Yes, you do.
A couple of points here. Number one: This isn't happening everywhere, and the lines in your neighborhood polling place might just be humming right along. Two, this is all the result of the fantastic re-engagement of the American people in our political process. Turnout is supposed to break records across the country. People are genuinely excited about exercising this right, in a way that haven't been in years. Don't give up or give in to that apathy now.
Three, so what if you have to wait a few hours? I was in Baghdad for the first Iraqi elections? Remember that? Bombs were going off and all those people were showing up to get their purple ink stain on their finger. I think we can all suck it up for a couple of hours, if we have to.
That said, it doesn't have to be this way. I don't blame state election officials for not be able to predict record-breaking turnout. All they had to base their planning on were the last few elections. And everybody out there was pretty ho-hum about voting then.
But, going forward, we should look at the bigger picture here. Early voting should be everywhere. Nevada lets you cast your ballot at the grocery store. And voting's been under way there for days now. It should be that easy in every state.
This is a huge moment for our country. Regardless of who you're supporting, this is a huge moment. Go get in line. You do not want to miss out.
Now to the very latest from the campaign trail. There are some reports tonight that Obama is already looking at picks for his Cabinet and White House staff, while the McCain campaign is predicting one of the greatest comebacks ever.
We have been following the candidates' comings and goings on our magic map. Take a look. Ed Henry is with John McCain in Columbus, Ohio, tonight. This is McCain's second straight day in Ohio. No Republican has ever won the White House without the Buckeye State.
Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley in Highland, Indiana, for us. Barack Obama campaigns there tonight, even though Indiana hasn't gone Democratic since Lyndon Johnson, 1964 -- a lot of trivia there for both of you. I hope you were taking notes. You probably already knew it.
Candy, let's start with you here.
Big crowd behind you tonight, I know a nighttime Obama rally about to start in an hour or so. We heard these reports that aides are scoping out Cabinet picks. Obama has to be careful. This is not the time to look cocky. And his message tonight is anything but, isn't it?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. His message tonight is pretty much taking paragraphs from so many of the speeches he has given before, his so-called closing argument.
And the fact of the matter is, you can't have a candidate up there claiming victory before voters have even gone -- most voters have gone to the polls, because Americans are pretty particular about being able to go and have their say before anyone claims victory.
So, they're very aware of that. And, certainly, Barack Obama has refused to answer questions about Cabinet. When a story came out that he's approached someone to be his chief of staff, he said, no, no, my chief of staff is David Plouffe, who is chief of staff in the campaign, the campaign manager.
So, he's being very careful. The message is about the economy, the economy, the economy, and why John McCain is just going to be a third term for George Bush. So, that remains steady, but, boy, this is a really confident campaign. I can tell you that.
BROWN: Well, I was going to ask you that, Candy.
Behind the scenes, is their mood sort of betraying a different feeling here? I mean, they obviously are looking at the polls, both the national polls and their own internal polling. Are they sort of quietly trying to restrain their exuberance?
CROWLEY: Well, I will tell you, it is getting a little difficult.
There was a conference call with David Plouffe, the campaign manager, today, where he said, listen, look at this early voting. They have these massive databases for voters. And he said, in the early voting states, and there are 34 of them and the District of Columbia, that they believe, looking at their data, that this is going heavily for Barack Obama.
And he said, even as we speak, the die is being cast. He said, McCain, in order to overcome this early voting, has got to overperform on Election Day. So, that's pretty close to very confident.
And I will tell you one other thing. They're so pushing the early voting that in the eight or nine states he's going to over the next several days, all but one of them have early voting. So, they're driving these people to the polls, so many of them new voters, they say, and sporadic voters.
And let me just tell you one last thing, and that is about the ad buys. They have put up ads in three new states, which they say is expanding the possibilities and their opportunities, Georgia, North Dakota and -- let me see -- now, I have almost forgotten the third one. Georgia, North Dakota and...
BROWN: Indiana?
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Arizona. Arizona.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: Arizona.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Arizona.
BROWN: OK, that's a big one. (CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Yes, which is -- absolutely, that's a big one. Sorry. It's a little sleep deprivation here.
But, yes, Arizona is huge. And they're up with a positive ad there about Barack Obama, I will say. But, you know, the Republicans have been watching those polls closing, but they still believe John McCain will pull it out.
BROWN: All right, Candy Crowley for us tonight -- Candy, I wish I could say go get some sleep, but I'm afraid, sweetheart, you're not going to get any until the end of next week.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Not quite yet.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: All right.
We will see you soon.
We are so close to Election Day that all the political stars past and present are campaigning now. Former Vice President Al Gore made his first campaign swing for Barack Obama today in Florida, of all places. Gore lost the state, of course, by 537 votes eight years ago. Today, he reminded crowds that elections count and that every vote matters.
Meanwhile, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also made his 2008 debut today. He's pumping up John McCain. They just wrapped up a big, noisy rally out in Columbus, Ohio.
Our Ed Henry, as you saw earlier, is there. Ed is with me now.
Ed, McCain bringing out the big guns tonight in Schwarzenegger, his one and only appearance on the presidential campaign trail this year.
Let's listen first to some of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHWARZENEGGER: I want to invite Senator Obama, because he needs to do something -- he needs to do something about those skinny legs.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHWARZENEGGER: We are going to make him do some squats.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHWARZENEGGER: And then we are going to give him some biceps curls to beef up those scrawny little arms. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SCHWARZENEGGER: But if we could only do about pointing some meat on his ideas.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right, Ed, there were some decent lines there. McCain really counting on Schwarzenegger to rally those key independent voters, because Schwarzenegger is viewed by many Republicans as fairly liberal.
You watched the rally. Did he make that case?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He certainly did.
I mean, I remember -- I have covered this race long enough to remember when John McCain was sort of anti-celebrity, making with that celebrity ad about Barack Obama. Now he is down. He desperately needs someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the few rock stars really left in the Republican Party right now, as they go through this sort of identity crisis, this brand crisis.
And the fact is that the pitches that he made, beyond that joke about biceps and doing squats, he was very hard on saying that Barack Obama was not experienced enough, saying point blank that John McCain spent more time in a prison camp than Barack Obama has spent in the U.S. Senate.
And he was also tough on the economy, saying: Look, I left Europe four decades ago to get away from socialism. Don't let it happen here in the United States.
And, so, there probably are some Republicans wondering tonight, why didn't John McCain roll out Arnold Schwarzenegger sooner? He made the case perhaps better than McCain has and brought a much larger crowd than we normally see for John McCain.
And, also, quite interesting, if you look back before the Republican Convention, John McCain had about a 13-point lead among independent voters over Barack Obama. He's now down by five points against Barack Obama. So, it's an 18-point swing against McCain. He could have used him sooner, Campbell.
BROWN: And, Ed, at this stage of the game, it is about one thing, get out the vote, rallying the faithful, making sure they turn out.
Just walk us through where McCain is planning to go and what they are trying to do this weekend to make sure that they have the turnout they need come Tuesday.
HENRY: He's going to come back here to Ohio. He's going to go back to Florida. He's also going to go to Virginia this weekend, all states that George W. Bush carried in 2004.
That's the problem for John McCain. He's playing on turf he should have already wrapped up, in sharp contrast to what Candy just said, where Barack Obama is going around to all these blue (sic) states. The only blue state, really, that -- that John McCain is really going to compete really hard in this weekend is Pennsylvania. He has got great hopes of carrying that. And that would be very big for him -- Campbell.
BROWN: And crucial, frankly.
Ed Henry for us tonight -- Ed, thanks much.
A few hours ago, Barack Obama sat down with our own Wolf Blitzer to talk about what might happen if he does win the White House. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You tell me which one of these five would be your top priority after you're inaugurated, on January 25, you are inaugurated: health care reform, energy independence, a new tax code, including tax cuts for the middle class, education spending, or comprehensive immigration reform.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well...
BLITZER: Top priorities.
OBAMA: Top priorities may not be any of those five.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, what is his top priority? He tells Wolf. Stay tuned. We are going to have it for you.
And then later, get ready to laugh, as Bill Maher picks out his highlight and lowlight of this year's election campaign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Check it out. What the heck was happening down in Georgia today, 10-hour waits to cast a ballot? Early voting there was supposed to end about an hour ago, but they're still letting people in who are already in line, so that they can get a chance to vote tonight.
And our Don Lemon is live from a polling place in Atlanta, where several hundred people even at this hour are still waiting. So, Don, what the heck was happening?
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Campbell, I --
BROWN: Was it just way more people than anybody expected?
LEMON: That is a good question, because a lot of people are asking that same question.
Yes, I would have to say it is way more people than people -- than election officials here expected. In some places, there were waits, lines of up to eight hours long at some polling places here in Georgia.
And this story, Campbell, just to tell you, is quickly turning into something that is far beyond just people waiting in line. I want to you show you this. This has gone now to our highest levels in government.
According to Congressman John Lewis, sent this letter to us just a short time ago, he is sending this to the attorney general of the United States, also to the Department of Justice. And they're urging, urging people, urging the government to extend the hours here, and to open polling places on Saturdays and Sunday.
And that could be happening now. I just want to show you real quick, these are the people, Campbell, in line behind me. They got in just before 7:00. That's just the line to the window in order to get up. And there are several more hundred more people inside still waiting to vote.
BROWN: And, Don, quickly, I know you have probably talked to lot of these people. Are they frustrated beyond belief? Are they packing it up and going home or waiting it out?
LEMON: They are frustrated beyond belief. A lot of people said that they were going to come back on Monday or try to take off work before, on Tuesday as well, in order to get to vote.
But some of these people, these are first-time voters that I just want to show you right here. When they came out of this place, they applauded, Campbell. They were screaming, saying, yay, we just voted.
Why are you guys so excited?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because there's a certain empowerment that we feel from voting that we didn't feel before we even came here.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
Four hours in line, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALES AND FEMALES: Five.
LEMON: Five.
Campbell, they're correcting me, five hours in line, first-time voters, but we're -- some people waited even longer than that today.
BROWN: Don, go buy those kids dinner, seriously.
LEMON: I am. I'm going to go buy them dinner.
BROWN: They deserve something. That is impressive. (LAUGHTER)
LEMON: They like that. You hear them laughing, Campbell.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: She wants me to buy you guys dinner. Do you agree?
UNIDENTIFIED MALES AND FEMALES: Yes.
LEMON: There you go.
BROWN: Yes. Send me the check, OK?
LEMON: All right.
BROWN: Don Lemon for us tonight -- Don, thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
LEMON: You're welcome.
BROWN: Now, if you have any problems or concerns about voting, we do have a hot line set up. You can call our voter hot line, 1-877- GOCNN08. 1-877-462-6608. So, let us know if you are having any problems.
So, we are down to the wire here, just about 100 hours to go, and even now we are still seeing some surprising shifts in the electoral map. Our latest CNN analysis shows yet another state that was once firmly in the McCain column now a tossup. We continue our battleground coverage.
We have got John King, chief national correspondent, back with us, as always, at the magic wall with the very latest.
And, John, a couple of changes tonight on the electoral map. Show us what happened.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let me give you a peek, Campbell.
The biggest change -- you just mentioned it -- is North Dakota. We had that one leaning red. Only three electoral votes, but that was part of McCain's math. It's not red anymore. It's not blue. It's yellow. That's a tossup state up there. And that's a big surprise.
Another thing that might shock some people, this is John McCain's home state of Arizona, still leaning red. But we had that state a deeper red. But now we're showing that just leaning red. That one is in play. And we're watching that as it plays out.
Look at the map. Here's our bottom line. This is the most important thing right here, Barack Obama at 291. It takes 270 to win. John McCain has a long way to go. So, can he do it? Let's look at the rest of the tossup states. Just say hypothetically John McCain runs the board of the tossup states. That's Florida, 27, North Carolina, 15 electoral votes, Ohio, the big 20 there, Indiana next door, 11, Missouri out here, 11, and he keeps North Dakota, 11. Look what happens. He gets close, but Barack Obama is still the president of the United States, even if John McCain runs the map and wins all the tossup states.
So, what does he have to do? Well, Campbell, we have talked about this before. They're targeting Pennsylvania. Let's say part of an amazing McCain surge at the end even gets him Pennsylvania. Look at this. It's still not enough.
So, if John McCain has done all that, such a dramatic comeback, wins Pennsylvania, wins all the remaining tossup states, still needs to find two more electoral votes. Where does he get them? One place you will see John McCain in the final hours is Nevada. They think maybe the five out here. If he got them and everything else I just told you, he indeed would win the election.
Most think that will not happen, that that will stay blue. The other place, Campbell, you see John McCain on Sunday, right here, the state of New Hampshire. Remember, that's where he saved his campaign. If he can do everything else and get that, he does it, again, a very difficult scenario. But that's the map John McCain is looking at heading into the final hours.
BROWN: All right. John King for us tonight.
Just a reminder to everybody, CNN.com/map, you, too, can be John King.
As we saw a little earlier, John McCain drawing big crowds and generating lots of excitement in Ohio. Is it a last hurrah or a sign that things really are turning around? I will discuss it with some of the smartest political observers in the business.
And, later, I ask Bill Maher a shocking question. Check it out -- or not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: ... that shocked even Bill Maher.
(LAUGHTER)
BILL MAHER, HOST, "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": That's good, Campbell. Yes, it is hard to shock me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: We will stand up and fight and get us a better America. And we will get our economy out of the ditch. And, my friends, we will be proud of the strongest and best nation in the world. Now, let's get going again. Let's win this election for me and Senator (sic) Palin. And let's go and win victory, change Washington, and give our children a freer and more prosperous world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: John McCain sounding fired up today, down, but not out, both candidates rocketing into a full-on battleground blitz this final campaign weekend. Who's got the momentum in the last big push?
Let's bring back our political experts, CNN political analyst and radio talk show host Roland Martin, who is voting for Obama, Republican strategist Kevin Madden, who is a McCain supporter, and CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger, all with us tonight.
Welcome, everybody.
Kevin, John McCain traded up from Joe the plumber to Arnold the governor today, big rally, lots of enthusiasm. But is it enough? The map, the polls, you know, we know where things stand right now. What do they need to do in these final hours? What can they do?
KEVIN MADDEN, FORMER ROMNEY CAMPAIGN NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I hope it's enough. But, as we always learn, that hope is not a strategy in politics. So, in this 72 hours, the McCain campaign has to hammer home on that economic message.
I think we have seen a little bit of a movement in many of these state polls. We have seen a little bit of movement in some of the national tracking polls towards John McCain, because many of these undecideds are being turned off from Barack Obama because of his spread-the-wealth comments.
So, the McCain campaign has to seize on that in these last 72 hours. They have to make that case to those undecideds and those -- those soft Barack Obama supporters that -- that -- that John McCain's economic message, that his record of accomplishment, that his record of bipartisan appeal across the country is exactly where these voters are. And that's what he's going to do to get them back in the column in these last 72 hours.
BROWN: So, Gloria, do you agree with what Kevin is saying? Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager...
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: He's got to try.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: Yes. He sounded pretty optimistic on this conference call this morning saying. He said -- quote -- "We are witnessing, I believe, probably one of the greatest comebacks seen since John McCain won the primary."
Is it -- are there signs there that you're seeing?
BORGER: Well, I think you have to allow Rick Davis a certain amount of hyperbole, as the campaign manager.
BROWN: OK. Fair enough.
BORGER: I think Kevin would agree with that.
(LAUGHTER)
BORGER: And I think you are seeing some state polls tightening, as one would expect.
But John McCain is playing defense here. He's trying to defend all these red states, and Barack Obama is moving -- is moving into his territory. And, so, he's at a disadvantage. They know it. They're trying to get the momentum going for their side, but they understand, as McCain himself says, they're the underdog. And I don't think that's changed very much.
BROWN: Roland, let's say you're an Obama supporter -- because you are -- and you're sitting at home, and you see the polls showing he is increasingly ahead. You see the video of these endless lines of voters that we have been showing on the show tonight, and you think to yourself, you know, I have got a busy life. He's going to win anyway. I am just going to stay home.
How big of a problem do you think that could be for the campaign and that it may be becoming for the campaign?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all, it could be a problem.
And what you do is, you slap yourself and say, get your butt up and actually go vote. The reality is, you can't bank on anything happening just based upon those lines. Also, people are going to get out of line.
Campbell, you talked about four and five hours. I remind, folks that, when Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa, there were people who stood in line for two days. In fact, one 90-year-old woman died standing in line. So, I know we sit here and we complain about...
BROWN: I know. But let's reality-check, Roland. What does the campaign do about that?
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: What the campaign does is, they tell people to suck it up, stand in line. You stand there. You make history and do whatever you can. They have been encouraging folks to take Tuesday off, also to drive other folks to the polls.
Look, I have talked to different people on various radio stations and people like who are with churches saying, what should we do? I'm like, look, go make some sandwiches. Pass some water out.
The reality is, we have never witnessed what we have seen thus far in terms of early voting. And what happens on Tuesday, we will have never seen. People must have patience. That's going to be the most important thing. Obama is right to say every vote counts.
And, Campbell, understand, 28 Electoral College votes were decided by 60,000 votes or less in 2004.
BROWN: Right.
BORGER: David Plouffe today on a conference call made the point that a third of all voters may have well voted by Election Day and that it's -- so, it's no coincidence that Barack Obama is spending a lot of time these last days going to those states, as Candy pointed out earlier, that have early voting, because he is getting out there and saying, OK, go to the polls now, if you can.
BROWN: Kevin, what do you think? Is this going to be an issue, do you think?
MADDEN: Well, look, I think that American democracy is strong enough that, if people are going to wait for three hours, four hours sometimes, to get into the most popular restaurant and the most popular club in town, I think they are going to do so in order to vote.
And I'm very impressed actually with the level of access that many of these states and many of these jurisdictions have provided with early voting. It's a new phenomenon. I expect that what we will see probably in the next cycle is that more and more states start to look at early voting.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: A lot of them have been weak, Campbell, because they have not had enough polling stations.
BROWN: Yes.
MARTIN: And, like you said, with Nevada, it is great. You can sign up in the mall and the grocery store. That's good.
BROWN: But that's not -- that's not everywhere. It would be nice if we could see that happening everywhere.
MARTIN: It should be, absolutely.
BROWN: OK, guys, stick around. We have got a lot more to talk about.
Do you want to know what's on Barack Obama's to-do list? If he wins, he has got five top priorities and he's sharing them with our Wolf Blitzer. The interview and the five points coming up next.
Later, funny and fuming, Bill Maher stops by tonight to talk about the election.
We will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: In just four days, it will all be over. We hope. And America will have a brand new president-elect. We think.
But here's one thing we know for sure. Whoever wins will have a heaping plate of problems to solve. Our Wolf Blitzer sat down with Barack Obama today and asked him what challenges he would tackle right off the bat if he wins on Tuesday. Here is part of their one-on-one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about if you're elected president, you have to make major decisions, and you have to make them right away.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right.
BLITZER: Priorities are going to be critical.
BLITZER: I'm going to give you five issues. You tell me which one of these five would be your top priority after you're inaugurated on January 25th, if you're inaugurated: health care reform, energy independence, a new tax code, including tax cuts for the middle class, education spending, or comprehensive immigration reform.
OBAMA: Well --
BLITZER: Top priorities.
OBAMA: Top priorities may not be any of those five. It may be continuing to stabilize the financial system. We don't know yet what's going to happen in January. And none of this can be accomplished if we continue to see a potential meltdown in the banking system or the financial system. So that's priority number one, making sure that the plumbing works in our capitalist system.
Priority number two of the list that you have listed -- have put forward, I think, has to be energy independence. We have to seize this moment because it's not just an energy independence issue. It's also a national security issue, and it's a jobs issue. And we can create five million new green energy jobs with a serious program.
Priority number three would be health care reform. I think the time is right to do it.
Priority number four is making sure that we have tax cuts for the middle class and part of a broader tax reform effort.
Priority number five, I think, would be -- would be making sure that we have an education system that works for all children.
One thing I want to make a point of, though, that the tax cut that I talked about may be part of my priority number one, because I think that's going to be part of stabilizing the economy as a whole. I think we are going to need a second stimulus. One of my commitments is to make sure that that stimulus includes a tax cut for 95 percent of working Americans. That may be the first bill that I introduce.
BLITZER: We have one more question from a viewer, Derek Noiner (ph) of Saint Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you have pledged to have a bipartisan administration. But I was wondering, does that include John McCain? After this very vicious campaign, can you consider him a friend, an ally in the Senate, or would you even consider him for a position in your administration?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Well, I'll tell you what. I would certainly consider any position for John McCain where I thought he was going to be the best person for our country. He and I have had a tough fight, but I think that I certainly have respect for him. I've said that before.
He is a leader in his party, the leader of his party right now. I think that he has a history of wanting to work together on some things that I care about, like comprehensive immigration reform, and making sure that we are dealing with critical issues like global warming. And so, I hope that we can forge a strong relationship to get some things done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Senator Barack Obama going one-on-one there with Wolf Blitzer.
And when we come back, my one-on-one with one of the most provocative minds around in politics, in comedy. Bill Maher with us tonight.
So where some political ghouls, ghosts, goblins and princesses, a Halloween "Bull's-Eye" still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Way back when this election was a lot about Iraq, you remember that? Yes, the economy has pretty much overwhelmed all other issues, all talk about other issues. But we have still obviously got thousands of troops there, still an incredibly dangerous world. So tonight, we put the candidates' Iraq policies to our "No Bull Test" final exam, and here for us is Tom Foreman.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, McCain came to this race with security and military matters as his strong suit. And he is still hitting Obama on that front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My opponent is working out the details with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid of their plans to raise your taxes, increase spending and concede defeat in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Many Republicans see it that way but in terms of Obama's stated goal, that is false. Obama says he wants Iraqis to step up their own security efforts so American troops can safely withdraw as soon as possible. Obama counters that Republicans have not done enough to secure this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large and plotting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Al-Qaeda is still around, but his statement is somewhat misleading because it discounts the effectiveness of international anti-terrorism efforts since 9/11. McCain says President Bush deserves credit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not an accident that the United States of America has not been attacked since 9/11.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: That's true. We have not been attacked but why is the subject of debate. Some foreign affairs analysts believe better security has really worked. Others say yes, but the war in Iraq has fueled anti-American sentiment among extremists. And Obama says that makes another battlefront terribly important.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Make no mistake, we're confronting an urgent crisis in Afghanistan and we have to act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: True. Military leaders have been saying for sometime that Afghanistan needs more support, and both Obama and McCain are on board with that plan. So read their plans on their Web sites. Get the details before you let either man secure your vote -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Tom Foreman tonight with our "No Bull Test."
And stand by, everybody. Moments away now from Bill Maher. But first, David Mattingly with us for tonight's "Briefing" -- David. DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, military sources and intelligence leaders tell CNN two suspected U.S. missile strikes killed 28 people in Pakistan today. The attacks hit two villages near the Afghan border where military leaders say Islamic rebels were hiding. One al-Qaeda member reportedly was killed.
Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, radio host and activist, died today at his Chicago home. For 75 years, Terkel told the stories of working class people and fought for their interests. The "Chicago Tribune" reports Terkel fell recently and never recovered. He was 96 years old.
And fans showered the Philadelphia Phillies with brotherly love today. They earned it along with tons of confetti. Today's World Series victory parade attracted hundreds of thousands of people. The Phillies beat Tampa Bay this week to win their first championship in 28 years -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right. David Mattingly for us, and happy folks there. Appreciate it, David.
Coming up next, one of the most astute and funny observers of the political scene, Bill Maher, says it takes a lot to shock him. One thing about this year's campaign did.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: For all the political junkies, "Real Time with Bill Maher" is pretty much mandatory viewing. It airs live on Friday nights at 11:00 Eastern on our sister network, HBO. Bill Maher took time out from his preparations a little bit ago to spend some time with us. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Bill Maher. Bill, welcome. Good to see you.
BILL MAHER, "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": Good to see you, Campbell.
BROWN: Bill, your very own words, you call yourself a crazy liberal. So go out on a limb for me here. We got four days before the election. Your prediction, who's going to win this thing?
MAHER: A crazy liberal, huh? Well, I mean, come on. I think it's pretty much in the bag for Obama. But of course, we thought that about Kerry and Gore. And the race is tightening.
But this one looks pretty much like a lock because I think when historians look back, they'll say, you know, with the economy in the shape that it was in, there was no way that the person from the incumbent party was going to pull this out, even against the first African-American candidate.
BROWN: Well, let me start with the positive, if we can. Was there for you a highlight of this campaign, a moment that defined it for you, that was really meaningful for you?
MAHER: To me, the highlight would have been Obama's speech on race because that was always the elephant in the room. He tried to avoid the topic. And then the Reverend Wright thing reared its ugly head and he had to say something. And I thought he rose to that occasion in a way that I've never seen a politician do. I mean, it was a high hurdle. And I thought he cleared it magnificently.
And he didn't throw Reverend Wright under the bus. He did eventually after Reverend Wright came back and proved himself to be very unhelpful. But in that first speech, he said, I can no longer disassociate myself from him than anyone else can of somebody who's been a mentor and so forth. I thought it was -- I thought it was beautiful. It was a speech that I think -- I think will be remembered in American history.
BROWN: All right. On the flip side of that, give me your low lights of this campaign. I mean, was there anything that happened that shocked even Bill Maher?
MAHER: That's good, Campbell. Yes, it is hard to shock me but I would say that this last week, I mean, you know, I guess I always had it in the back of my head that McCain would start, you know, throwing everything at us, cups (ph), the kitchen sink, but socialism and communism? I mean, it's so last millennium.
You know, at least when Bush ran, he tried to scare us with an "ism" of the 21st century. Terrorism. But to bring up this '50s inophobia (ph) about he's a socialist, he's a communist.
I mean, here Barack Obama mumbles something to a plumber a few weeks ago about spreading the wealth, and the Republicans are like, oh, good, we finally got something we can make up out of old cloth and scare people with that might work. But I never thought it would be socialism. It's just so stupid. It's so stupid it just might work.
BROWN: All right, Bill Maher. Bill, we'll be watching tonight. Of course, we watch you every Friday night. Good to see you here in person. Appreciate it.
MAHER: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And the next "Real Time with Bill Maher" tonight live at 11:00 Eastern on HBO. He's also performing out in Vegas at the Orleans Hotel in November.
Coming up next, polls may be in Obama's favor but could racism show up on Tuesday? You've heard about the Bradley effect, the facts and the fears on this. The reality check just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We've been looking into the great unknowns hanging over this election. Unanswered questions that could make a big difference. Tonight, our spotlight on the very biggest issue looming over this whole thing -- race. Can we believe the polls? Or will some white voters who say they're voting for Barack Obama do something very different in the privacy of the voting booth? Tough questions. Chief national correspondent John King went looking for answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 1982, Tom Bradley versus George Deukmejian in the race for California governor. Late public polls showed the African-American mayor of Los Angeles running ahead.
TOM BRADLEY, FORMER MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES: Hello. How are you? Good to see you.
KING: But he lost. There was immediate talk of the Bradley effect. White voters telling pollsters they plan to vote for a black candidate but then doing just the opposite.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One factor that could have dashed Bradley's bid to become the first elected black governor is racial discrimination.
KING: Twenty-six years later, it is again a question. Are polls showing Barack Obama ahead reliable, or is there a Bradley effect that will show up on Election Day?
STEVE MERKSAMER, FORMER DEUKMEJIAN AIDE: It doesn't make me mad, it doesn't make me upset. It makes me think why?
KING: Steve Merksamer was a top Deukmejian aide in '82, and still has the tracking poll charts showing a dead heat the night before the election. The term Bradley effect he insists is a myth.
MERKSAMER: The public polls were just off. There's no such thing at least as it relates to Tom Bradley and Governor George Duekmejian.
KING: Fast forward to 1990. Another test in North Carolina. Democrat Harvey Gantt versus conservative icon Senator Jesse Helms. Again, the African-American led in late polls but lost on Election Day.
But Mel Watt, now a congressman but back then Gantt's campaign manager, says there is no evidence white voters lied about supporting Gantt.
REP. MEL WATT (D), 1990 GANTT CAMPAIGN MANAGER: The last poll we did Harvey got 47.5 percent of the vote and on election night, we got 47.6 percent of the vote.
KING: The undecided vote though broke overwhelmingly against Gantt and in that Watt sees potential trouble for Obama now.
WATT: I think the people who are misleading themselves and looking for none racial rationales to do what they're inclined to do because of racial attitudes are the people who are saying that they are undecided.
KING: So maybe there is no Bradley effect but veteran Democratic pollster Peter Hart says it is naive to discount race.
PETER HART, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: When you get states like West Virginia and states like Kentucky, states like Tennessee, voting overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton, you have to be able to say, there is something more than the issues. And I think race played a factor in the primary.
KING: He suspects it will again on Tuesday but sees other factors balancing those who won't vote for Obama because of his race.
HART: I think there's always a potential of maybe one to three percent of the people. But offsetting this are the number of African- Americans that are going to turn out that we probably have underrepresented in the polls and the number of young people who turn out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And among the places to watch for this alleged Bradley effect or possible race-based voting, battleground states like Pennsylvania, like Ohio, those blue collar communities where Hillary Clinton did so well back in the primaries. Campbell, we will continue to watch that in the final days.
And if you're wondering why I'm up here on the Larry King set, Larry has the night off tonight. We're going to discuss this issue. Race in the campaign, the latest polls.
Barack Obama is live in Indiana tonight. We have a fantastic panel. More on the issue you're discussing tonight, Campbell, at the top of the hour.
BROWN: All right. John, we'll see you shortly.
When we come back, we know they're out there. The still undecideds. What on earth is taking them so long to make up their minds? That is next.
And then, we're going to tell you how Halloween predicts who is going to win on Tuesday. I kid you not. These people have a good track record.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We are down to the wire. Most voters have picked their man and most can't stop talking about it either. But out there somewhere in America, there are still a chunk of particularly choosy holdouts, those undecided voters who will swing this whole thing. Do they really exist?
Roland Martin, back with me, Kevin Madden, and also joining us now, CNN senior political analyst Jeffrey Toobin. So, Roland, new "AP"/Yahoo news poll found that with just four days to go there are still voters, they do exist, who are undecided. Take a look. I think we've got the numbers here.
Fourteen percent of the voters still can't make up their minds? I mean, who are these people? And at the end of the day, where do you think they're going to turn?
ROLAND MARTIN, OBAMA SUPPORTER: I mean, look, I mean, we saw this in the primaries where there were people who decided the last moment. Keep in mind, in New Hampshire, when everybody kept saying the polls were wrong, in fact they weren't wrong because Obama got was he was supposed to and was that he was supposed to. Clinton, her people broke late. People showed up late.
And so, look, there are people who are still grappling with this whole issue. I'm not surprised by that. I think it's going to simply come down to gut. And that is, who do they think can affect their pocketbook.
BROWN: What do you think? Are these people going to turn out? I mean, especially now that we're seeing these lines, these early voting lines.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, "THE NEW YORKER": This late, the pattern is when there's not an incumbent, they tend to break pretty evenly to both sides. When there's an incumbent, the usual rule is that the undecided break against the incumbent. But without an actual incumbent even though McCain represents the incumbent party, I don't think you're going to see them dramatically shift one way or another.
BROWN: Kevin, what do you think? Is there an opportunity here?
KEVIN MADDEN, MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Well, you know what, I'm kind of undecided on the undecided voters of where they're going to go.
(LAUGHTER)
Look, I think -- I think that many of these voters I think many of them may have been turned off by the entire process and may not even vote. And that there are some people who may have parked themselves in undecided who have decided to vote against the candidate but are not telling pollsters. And I think the ones that are going to vote against the candidate are going to vote against the one with less experience, the one who's newer on the scene and that's Barack Obama. And that is where John McCain has his opportunity on the economic message again.
MARTIN: Campbell, to be honest, they got until Tuesday. There's nothing that says you have to decide early who you're voting for. Some folks want to wait until the last moment.
TOOBIN: But you know, here we have an election where the candidates differ on so many profound issues. How can you really be undecided at this point? Have you not made up your mind about how you believe the war in Iraq, the economy, abortion -- I mean, they disagree about everything. You know? Why can't you make up your mind? It's just bizarre.
MARTIN: But, Jeff, it's there. It's because if you're Republican, you're looking at George W. Bush. You might believe in certain things but you know what, you said the economy. You may be a person who says, you know what, I like Obama but I prefer national security. Those are substantial issues that people have to make a decision on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
BROWN: And the simple fact, I don't know, let me throw this out there, that emotion has become -- I mean, look at the passions playing out on both sides.
TOOBIN: Very true.
BROWN: You know, you got this person in California who is hanging this effigy of, you know, Sarah Palin, on one side. You got people doing, you know, ridiculously extremist things on the opposite side as well, that anybody who is trying to look at the issues, isn't it at times maybe getting lost in the process a little bit?
TOOBIN: Certainly, this is the most exciting and emotional presidential election of my lifetime and I think that has to be one reason why it's hard for -- why people should have made up their minds by now I think. But hey, look, you know, people get to decide and do whatever they want.
BROWN: OK, guys. We will see what happens if those undecideds actually finally do make up their mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just vote.
TOOBIN: I already voted. I voted absentee.
BROWN: You're done. OK, see.
TOOBIN: I'm all done.
BROWN: OK. You guys will be checking it out on Tuesday. Roland, Kevin, Jeff, everybody, thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
BROWN: Coming up, how Halloween could predict the winner in the election.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Yes. They actually played "Thriller" for Sarah Palin's entrance in York, Pennsylvania, today. And as you can see, she brought along a little trick or treater.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Up here with us, we have Piper Palin in her Halloween costume. She brought a little bit of Alaska with her today. On Halloween, she decided she wanted to be a snow princess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And Barack Obama flew home to take his daughters trick or treating. He didn't seem too happy I guess about all the company they had. The ghoulish reporters who follow him everywhere.
Maybe tonight's "Bull's-Eye" will cheer him up. As we all know, Halloween masks of candidates' faces sell very big in election years. Well, for more than a decade, a giant costume retailer called the Spirit of Halloween has been keeping track of the best sellers and guess what? When it comes to predicting elections, Halloween revelers have hit the "Bull's-Eye" year after year. Check it out.
In 1996, Bill Clinton masks outsold Bob Dole. In 2000, George W. Bush outsold Al Gore. And in 2004, the president did it again beating back the fearsome John Kerry mask. This year, Obama masks are outselling John McCain masks two to one. Will the Merry Pranksters hit the "Bull's-Eye" for the fourth time in a row?
Well, we should note here Sarah Palin masks are also a big hit this year and when we checked, there didn't seem to be a lot of demand for Joe Biden masks. Sorry, senator. So we shall see what happens here. But happy Halloween to everybody.
Before we go, check out this amazing pumpkins Obama-McCain carved by Hugh McMann. He's got a workspace in New York's Chelsea Market, and you can see more of his work there. Check it out.
Larry King right now.
