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American Morning
Candidates Fight it Out in Battleground States; Job Cuts: Who's Next; Understanding the African-American Voting Block
Aired October 31, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It's 58 minutes after the hour. Breaking this morning. A major sign of progress in Iraq. October could be the first month that no U.S. service members were killed in combat in Baghdad. As of yesterday, the Pentagon reported that 13 U.S. troops were killed in combat and non-combat incidents in the rest of the country.
U.S. troops handed over another Iraqi province this week. That means 13 now under Iraqi control. Only Baghdad and four other volatile provinces remain under U.S. command.
And Barack Obama may be close to picking the man in charge of his White House, if he wins Tuesday. According to the Associated Press, the campaign approached Illinois Congressman Ron Emanuel about the chief of staff position. Emanuel was a senior adviser to President Clinton and the fourth ranking Democrat in the House. But one of his aides said he has not been contacted about any position.
A terror warning for 2009 marked urgent for the next president, and it's coming from the nation's top Intel official. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell says the U.S. is most vulnerable in a new president's first year. He cited the first attack on the World Trade Center shortly after Bill Clinton took office and the 9/11 attack which happened just eight months at a George W. Bush's first term.
ROBERTS: Well, four days now and counting, and the stakes could not be higher. Both candidates are hammering away in key swing states. John McCain is telling his supporters not to give up. And under the lights in Columbia, Missouri last night, Barack Obama told voters dig in and don't get cocky.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes anything. It's going to get nasty I'm sure in the next four days. They will throw everything at us like they've been doing, and we are going to have to work like our future depends on it in this last week. You know what? Because it does. And all those young people who are here tonight, I got to have every single one of you voting and you got to grab five more. All of you got to vote.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to win Ohio on November 4th and with your help we're going to win here, and we're going to bring real change to Washington. I need your energy. I need your enthusiasm.
And, my friends, I know history. I know the last time anyone was elected president of the United States without carrying the state of Ohio was John F. Kennedy. My friends, we're going to carry Ohio and we're going win the presidency, and we need you out there working every single moment for the next five days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You heard it. Ohio has been on the winning side of every election after 1960. It was the deciding state in 2004. In fact, President Bush believes it was just a little slice of southeastern Ohio that gave him back the White House.
The latest CNN/Time Opinion Research Corporation poll shows Obama with a four-point lead but it's still a virtual tie, way too lose to call. John McCain is putting on the full-court press for the working class there.
CNN's Ed Henry is covering battleground Ohio with the campaign trail and a few bumps along the way -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, McCain aides keep saying they're going to close strong, but a bus tour through this critical state started anything but.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): There's nothing subtle about the final few days for John McCain who began Thursday in the Ohio city of Defiance, as in let's defy the naysayers.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The pundits have written us off just like they've done several times before. We're a few points down, but we're coming back.
HENRY: But in a sign of just how difficult it will be for McCain to pull that off, a dreaded unscripted moment. Excitement had been building because McCain staff had told the senator and the press that Ohio's now famous "Joe the Plumber" was in the crowd.
MCCAIN: Joe is with us today. Joe, where are you? Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today?
Joe, I thought you were here today. All right. Well, you're all Joe the plumbers.
HENRY: Embarrassing after all the time McCain has spent building up Joe as a symbol of his appeal with middle class voters. A McCain aide claimed Joe decided not to come, and staff couldn't get word to the senator in time. But Joe told CNN that after the campaign initially invited him, nobody ever called back to confirm and he was not happy about being introduced at the event any way.
JOE WURZELBACHER, "JOE THE PLUMBER": Get involved in the government, that way we can hold our politicians accountable. HENRY: The McCain camp scrambled to get Joe to a second rally.
MCCAIN: "Joe the Plumber."
HENRY: But the damage was done. And McCain stumbled, mid-attack as he lashed out at Barack Obama's 30-minute television ad.
MCCAIN: He's measuring the drapes and he gave his first address to the nation before the election. We're a -- never mind.
HENRY: He recovered, however, to pounce on a comment by Obama who said if he loses, he'll be glad to work with a "President McCain."
MCCAIN: That sounds like a great idea to me. Let's help him make it happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Defiance is a part of Ohio that's been solidly Republican for years, so McCain was busy just trying to turn out voters who should already be with him. But today, he will finally turn his attention to independent voters by appearing at a rally in Columbus with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- John, Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Ed Henry, thanks so much.
Well, after a push through three battleground states yesterday, today Barack Obama returns to the state that actually gave his candidacy its kick start. That's Iowa. Remember the primaries there?
Well, our latest CNN poll of polls shows that the Democrat has a solid lead over John McCain in Iowa, 12 points -- in fact, 52 to 40 percent. Eight percent of people in the state still saying they're unsure.
Our Suzanne Malveaux is with the Obama campaign, joins us live from Des Moines today. What's he doing in Iowa?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, I think he's here really to thank the voters but, of course, they're still trying to work hard. And it's interesting because back when he was a little known senator when people didn't even really know how to pronounce his name, Barack Obama was here for a full year campaigning, shaking hands, essentially getting to know the people here. And a lot of folks you talked to, you ask them, why did you support this guy from the very beginning and they'll tell you, they say, well, we just really got to know him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): For Halloween and Camp Obama, no Sarah Palin or "Joe the Plumber" costumes. Just a few pumpkins picked up at a patch in Florida.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think you have to wait for Charlie Brown to find that one. MALVEAUX: A jet set day for Barack Obama that began in Sarasota, Florida, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 12 percent. But where more Democrats are going early to the polls, a chance for Obama to take this critical state that awarded George Bush the White House for eight years. Obama continued to link Bush and McCain blaming them for the economic crisis.
OBAMA: If you want to know where John McCain will drive this economy, just look in the rear view mirror. Because when it comes to our economic policies, John McCain has been right next to George Bush. He's been sitting there in the passenger seat ready to take over every step of the way.
MALVEAUX: A new TV ad is aimed at driving the point home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OBAMA CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL)
NARRATOR: We can't afford more of the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Next stop, Virginia, where Obama believes he could become the first Democratic candidate in more than four decades to capture the state.
OBAMA: Virginia, that's what hope is. That thing inside us that despite all evidence, insists that there are better days ahead.
MALVEAUX: Then a late night stop in Columbia, Missouri. Another traditionally red state that he's forcing John McCain to spend money in and compete.
OBAMA: Hello, Missouri.
MALVEAUX: Just over a week ago at a St. Louis, Missouri rally, Obama drew a record 100,000 strong crowd. Today he starts off where it all began, Iowa. The state that launched his presidential bid and gave skeptical voters some hope that his candidacy was possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And, Kiran, when we returned here in May after he clinched the Democratic nomination, I asked a lot of voters, not an official poll or anything, but essentially if their impressions of him have changed.
You have the controversy over the flag pin issue, Reverend Wright, the inflammatory remarks from his pastor. And a lot of people just said, no, that that was a caricature of Obama. That they really felt that they got to know Barack Obama in that full year before the first Iowa caucuses before everybody was paying attention to this race -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Very, very interesting. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you.
By the way, the last days of the race for the White House happening now and the best political team on television is all across the country in those key battleground states covering the candidates and all of the issues. And don't forget to catch Barack Obama's sit down in the sit room. The Democrat one-on-one with our Wolf Blitzer one last time before Election Day. It's tonight on "THE SITUATION ROOM" 6:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
ROBERTS: You know, we talk a lot about these battleground states. We talk about early voting as well. A quick reminder of where we are on the CNN magic wall electoral map.
Barack Obama with a projected 291 electoral votes, 21 over the line to win the White House. McCain with 163 but, again, those are just projections. That's to suggest that if the election were held today, that's the way that things might go, but certainly not for sure.
I want to take a look at early voting here in the Sunshine State, incredibly important state, Florida; 2.6 million people so far have cast their ballots. Looking at the breakdown here, so far, 45 percent of them have been Democrats; 39 percent have been Republicans. So Barack Obama bringing out some more supporters there in the Sunshine State than Senator John McCain.
Here in the Tar Heel State, North Carolina, which is in play this year -- extraordinary, first time really since 1976 -- 1.6 million people have cast their votes breaking so far 54-29 percent in favor of the Democrats. We've seen an awful lot of voting going on here in Charlotte, Greensboro, in the Raleigh area as well. So Barack Obama leading there in the state of North Carolina.
Let's head out a little bit further west to the state of Iowa here. Numbers are a little smaller; 370,000 people have voted so far there, breaking so far 49-29 in favor of the Democrats.
Go a little bit further west over here to Colorado, 815,000 people there. The Democrats just slightly ahead here. It shows how close this state could be, 39 for the Democrats, 37 for the Republicans. So that's another reason why the Mountain State is so, so close.
Over here in Nevada, we've got some details as well to tell you about. The metering that's been done here is in Washoe County and as well Clark County here, where Las Vegas is. So far, 53-30 for the Democrats.
Remind you, though, that as big as this state is, 90 percent of the population is in these two areas. Twelve percent of voters in the state of Nevada, by the way, are Hispanic. So they are the ones who could make the difference this year.
Let's check in as well in Georgia here. We don't have any numbers on exactly how many people have voted so far, but what we do know is that 35 percent of them thus far have been African-American and that turn out in early voting far ahead of where it was in 2004.
Now is that going to make a difference for Obama? Is this a suggestion to say hey, all these people have been coming out voting Democratic in the early voting, that's the way it's going to go on Election Day? Not necessarily so. The Democrats have a terrific get out the vote operation. They have been encouraging people to get out to these polls.
But according to John McCain's pollster, Bill McInturff, in the rural areas of America, real strongholds for Republican territory, there is an extremely intense desire to get out and vote. Those people likely would get out and vote on Election Day. So some people like Ed Rollins, CNN contributor, believe that things will start to even out on Election Day. That what we're seeing here on the early voting will not necessarily hold on Tuesday, November 4th, but certainly an interesting indication of the way that things are going, at least at this point -- Kiran.
CHETRY: It sure is. All right, John, thanks so much.
Well, you know, the polls are showing that they're breaking for Barack Obama in huge numbers, but is it more complex than that? Still ahead, we're going to take a look at a landmark study into African- American voters.
It's 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Beautiful. We certainly have some (INAUDIBLE) AMERICAN MORNING. One of our very own crew members, Brad Phelps (ph) actually carved that. No, that's not a real pumpkin. I'm not exactly sure what the material is, but he does this carving by hand, and that's a gorgeous one as well.
The first one was the New York skyline, and it said AMERICAN MORNING. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Uncle Fester. This is unbelievable.
That's our stage manager, Petey. I always knew he bore a striking resemblance to Uncle Fester but now it's been confirmed. Uncle Fester really is our stage manager.
How about it, Christine?
ROBERTS: So from Uncle Fester to thing. No.
(LAUGHTER)
Christine Romans here and, of course, a lot of people are going to be wondering if it's going to be trick or treat when it comes to the job market this year. And you're here to tell us about some of the -- calm down there, fellows.
CHETRY: I know they're still laughing but I realize this is a great idea. A back up career. So, for Brad, if it doesn't work out, he can carve pumpkins. And for Petey, he can be Uncle Fester impersonator.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. How many pieces does it take to screw in a light bulb? I'm not sure, but --
ROBERTS: Those are job sectors that definitely will be protected.
ROMANS: That's absolutely right. As you can tell, I'm here to talk about jobs a little bit for you, because the U.S. economy shrank last quarter. We have had a steady drumbeat of job cuts, 100 jobs, 200 jobs, 300 jobs. Also this week, we hear American Express cutting 7,000 jobs. Motorola cutting 3,000 jobs. The Whirlpool cutting 5,000 jobs.
Is your industry immune and is your job safe? Let's take a look at some of the places where a lot of analysts are expecting more job cuts as we go forward.
Housing/real estate already started there. They're expecting that to continue. Finance, just in New York City the comptroller is expecting 165,000 jobs to be lost just in New York and that's just -- those are finance jobs but also all the jobs that are attached to it.
Retail, media and publishing, autos, travel -- we've already had 760,000 jobs lost so far this year. We're expecting more jobs to be lost. Where is their job growth? Education and in health care. So keep that in mind. If you're looking for new jobs, there are some -- there are some training you can get in health care and those are some good paying jobs in that field.
Now what are the candidates saying about jobs and how they are going to attack this problem here in the near term? Let's start with Senator John McCain on wages and jobs.
He thinks that you got to empower the companies. That you can't be penalizing companies because it is the companies, especially small businesses that create jobs. He wants to keep corporate taxes low. He wants to keep the minimum wage at $7.25 an hour. He believes in the theory that when you raise the minimum wage you hurt small business and hurt job creation. He wants to consolidate unemployment programs and reform training programs for job seekers.
Senator Barack Obama wants to create two million jobs through infrastructure spending. He wants to raise the minimum wage further to $9.50 an hour and index it to inflation. He advocates stronger unionization, and he wants to extend and expand unemployment insurance.
Both of these gentlemen agree on a couple of things and one of those is to at least temporarily suspend taxes on jobless benefits. Both of them conceding that we're going to have more people filing for unemployment over the next year, so you shouldn't have to pay taxes on.
ROBERTS: All right.
ROMANS: So there's some agreement there.
ROBERTS: Christine, thanks for breaking that down for us. CHETRY: I thought of something. She could be Morticia Adams. She's always here bringing us bad news.
ROMANS: No. October -- October is almost over and I can't wait.
ROBERTS: So long as she doesn't speak French because that will drive me crazy.
Seventeen minutes after the hour.
CHETRY: Tales of obsession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's when I go swimming because if I have my face in the water, then I can't watch any news or check my e-mail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Political junkies looking for a fix. Will they go through withdrawal when all the votes are in?
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Halloween and "Thriller." They fit like a glove. One white glove maybe and what's become the Halloween time tradition. A bunch of ghouls tried to break the all-time "Thriller" record at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Times Square. They danced around a wax statue of Michael Jackson.
Organizers say more than 70 people showed up. Not nearly enough to beat it.
And what better time to show you one of YouTube's greatest hits all over again; 1,500 plus Filipino inmates made their own "Thriller" video. They all showed their Halloween spirit by wearing orange. The video posted two summers ago now have close to 19 million hits. In fact, people who work at the prison say that it's a great teambuilding exercise and it's actually lowered violence at the prison.
Well, our Reynolds Wolf is tracking the Halloween forecast for us if you're going to be out there trick or treating.
You know you love that video, Reynolds. You requested it.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And you mentioned, you know, that dancing to "Thriller" would lower violence. And why wouldn't it?
CHETRY: Exactly.
WOLF: I mean, what else could get you in a happy Halloweeny (ph) kind of mood than dancing to "Thriller." Hey, great weather we have out there today. It's going to be fantastic as you head off to work. For much of the eastern seaboard, it's going to be sunny, it's going to be beautiful.
High pressure is going to be your big feature. Not much in terms of precipitation, even when you get out to parts of say, the central and southern plains, in the portions of Arkansas from the higher elevations here. Fayetteville, look for a few scattered showers. Heavy rainfall possible for a good part of the northwest including northern California. Maybe even in Tahoe Valley you might have some scattered showers.
Now in terms of temperatures, very quickly, you're waking up in the northeast to, well, currently 43 degrees in New York, 35 in Boston, 39 Detroit, 59 in Kansas City and 61 in San Francisco. Later on today, those temperatures are going to boost up into the 90s in Phoenix. 92 the expected high. For Chicago, 67. Nashville, 72 and New York with 61.
And without further ado, the forecast for this evening looks fantastic for New York. Temperatures mainly in the 40s, 30s up in Maine. Cool conditions no question, but still very dry. Nice and dry for you in Chicago with highs, or rather low temperatures in the 40s and 50s.
As we make a way across the central plains, very dry conditions but still chances of scattered showers in San Francisco northward to Seattle.
That is a look at your trick or treat forecast. Let's send it back to you in the studio with the sounds of "Thriller."
CHETRY: Yes. You just can't beat it. Thanks. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, the World Series is over. Jack O'Lanterns are lit and it means that it's time to fall back again, setting your clocks an hour back before you go to bed Saturday night. You'll get an extra hour of sleep or an extra hour to decide who you're voting for. Fire departments also say it's a good time to change the batteries on your fire alarm.
In the political spotlight --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A person trying to register multiple times does not equal a person being able to vote multiple times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Massive voter turnout and the increased potential for fraud puts election officials under the microscope.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Barack Obama made history as the first black candidate to top a major party ticket for the presidency. And polls suggest that African-Americans will vote in record numbers this year and overwhelmingly for Barack Obama.
Alfred Liggins is the CEO of Radio One which helps survey more than 3,000 African-Americans between the ages of 13 and 74, to find out what issues matter most to them and how they feel about life in America.
And good morning. Great to see you this morning.
ALFRED C. LIGGINS III, CEO, RADIO ONE INC.: Good morning.
CHETRY: All right. So you did the survey? And what were you most surprised to find out?
LIGGINS: I think we were most surprised to find that, while African-Americans had many things that were in common that they were different in many ways. And, you know, for me particularly with the election, historically the Democrats have reached African-Americans through the church. And in our study we found out about only 10 to 11 percent of African-Americans really focused their viewpoints and their life on their church. We call that segment because there was a segmentation study faith fulfills.
And so the fact that the Democrats this year used a lot of online and non-traditional media assets to reach African-Americans and the rest of the electorate, it obviously was successful for them.
CHETRY: Do you find a difference especially in terms of ages, how young people view life in America and life as an African-American versus older?
LIGGINS: Yes. Actually young people are the most likely to think that there's too much focus put on oppression. And those people who lived through the civil rights movement are more likely to think that things...
CHETRY: There's not enough.
LIGGINS: ... that things aren't getting better for them.
CHETRY: Right.
LIGGINS: And young people, black young people in this country are very optimistic about the future.
CHETRY: It's also interesting that this was one area where they agree across the board, that people that you interviewed, 82 percent say their parents need to teach their children about injustice.
LIGGINS: Well, there's a difference between being too focused on oppression...
CHETRY: Right.
LIGGINS: ... and not actually acknowledging it at all. And young people do think it's important to acknowledge discrimination but not harp on it.
CHETRY: You are an Obama supporter.
LIGGINS: Yes.
CHETRY: And, of course, you're watching this, probably extremely closely.
LIGGINS: Fascinating.
CHETRY: Fascinating for many reasons, probably holding your breath. A lot of people I talked to say, you know, it's not over until it's over.
LIGGINS: Yes.
CHETRY: But if Barack Obama does win come Tuesday, how does that change race relations in our country?
LIGGINS: You know what? I think that Barack Obama's candidacy will give hope to the nation, but more importantly give hope to the rest of the world that America is a different place and that the attitude towards the rest of the world that Americans have will be changed. I think that the surveys that you see in Europe and across Asia of people and their attitudes towards Barack's candidacy is telling.
CHETRY: What about --
LIGGINS: And overwhelming support.
CHETRY: What about here in the U.S. and, you know, a central issue that we struggle with and have struggled with for most of our existence?
LIGGINS: Yes. I think clearly you're seeing that in the polls. I just had a conversation with a person who was a Gallup. And 20 years ago, 20 percent of Americans would have said that they would not vote for a black man. Ten years ago that number was 40 percent and today, it's 80 percent say, excuse me, it's 40 percent...
CHETRY: Would vote.
LIGGINS: ... would vote for a black man. And today, 80 percent said they would vote for a black man. So I think that's evidence that the American electorate's mind is changing and becoming more inclusive and you probably see it with your kids if you have them. Today's kids, 15, 17, they really don't have the same racial judgments that people of my generation had. CHETRY: Very interesting. You know, some political analysts say that this huge support for Barack Obama among black voters could actually make gaining other support harder. In fact, Dana Milbank from the "Washington Post" talked to John Roberts in our last hour. Let's hear what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA MILBANK, "WASHINGTON POST": Some 98 percent of African- Americans are in his -- in his camp right now. So that's absolutely crucial for him. But if he's seen as going out there and campaigning for this, well, that could cost him on the other side of more conservative white voters. So it's really a balancing act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Do you see this as a potential problem for Barack Obama?
LIGGINS: You know what? I don't see Barack Obama being pigeon- holed as the black candidate. In fact, Barack's earliest supporters, many of them, were, you know, very well-heeled, mainstream Democrats that happened to be Caucasian. In fact, the black community was split early on between Hillary and Barack...
CHETRY: Right.
LIGGINS: ... and when they saw Barack making gains, like this guy can actually --
CHETRY: In Ohio, turned it around really.
LIGGINS: This guy can actually win...
CHETRY: Right.
LIGGINS: ... then, you know, made it OK for, you know, all black people to pile on because you didn't want to have a candidate that was just there because he was black. You want to have a candidate that you thought had a chance to win.
CHETRY: Well, this survey is very fascinating, as well. And I want to thank you for being with us.
Alfred Liggins, CEO of Radio One and chairman of TV One.
Thanks for being with us.
LIGGINS: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Also, you can see more results from Radio One's groundbreaking study. You can find this on blackamericastudy.com.
ROBERTS: 30 minutes past the hour. And here are this morning's top story. Gasoline down to $2.50 a gallon, according to AAA. That's a drop of four cents from yesterday. The cheapest has been in more than a year and a half now. The McCain volunteer who carved a backward B into her own face is out of jail, this morning. 20 year-old Ashley Todd was released because police felt that she was not a danger to herself, or anyone else. She was charged with filing a false report to police for claiming that she was robbed by a black man who cut her upon seeing her McCain bumper sticker.
Almost 4,000 dead people are on voter registration rolls in Ohio. That's according to a television station in Dayton. But, that's only one concern in that state. Leading to the threat of lawsuits even before election day. Our Mary Snow is tracking all of the potential voting problems in this key battleground state and she joins us this morning from Cleveland.
Good morning, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
And you know, some of those dead people are on the registration rolls here, in Cuyahoga County. The top election official says, yes she acknowledges they are still on the registration rolls. But she insists that there won't be voter fraud here. There's bean host of problems in the past and that's why this county is really being closely watched.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Turn out of early voters so far has been heavy. The hope is it will ease lines on November 4th. But election officials in Cleveland say, be prepared for long waiting times and even lawsuits. There is intense scrutiny on the voting progress and Republicans are airing these radio ads warning of potential fraud.
ANNOUNCER: Could Ohio's election be stolen?
SNOW: The ads cite the case of a Cleveland man who admitted registering to vote 73 times. The chief election official in Cleveland's county of Cuyahoga says, she's confident there are enough safety nets in place to prevent voter fraud.
KANE PLATTEN, DIR., CUYAHOGA CO. OHIO BOARD OF ELECTIONS: A person trying to register multiple times does not equal a person being able to vote multiple times.
SNOW: Cuyahoga is Ohio's largest county. Besides its size, the county is known for voting problems.
CANDICE HOKE, DIR., CENTER FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY: Unquestionably, Cuyahoga County had a black eye from 2004.
SNOW: Election law expert Candice Hoke cites poorly trained workers and accounts of misplaced ballots. Two election officials in Cuyahoga County pled no contest to a charge of negligent misconduct. She says the scrutiny has forced improvements and doesn't expect another black eye in 2008. But still, there are worries. HOKE: I'm more concerned about the technical systems, both at the voter registration level and at the voting machine level. Not having -- not performing at the level that is necessary for the high demands that we place on them.
SNOW: Voters in Cuyahoga are using paper ballots. The ballots are read by optical scanners and for the very first time, they'll scan by precinct. The new technology tops the list of challenges for the county's Board of Elections chief. And she's preparing for the what if's.
PLATTEN: We have zone stations throughout the county with additional supplies and devices. So, if something does happen in a location we can immediately go out and triage that situation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Also at the ready, what one polling watchdog calls election day SWAT teams, ready to respond in case of any potential problems. Now, one thing that is clearly expected -- legal challenges. And polling workers are being trained to expect that some polling stations are going have to remain open later than planned -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes. There are some people who are projecting there will be as many attorneys at those polling places as there will be poll workers.
SNOW: Yes, absolutely. There are small armies of attorneys ready to be deployed and certainly the campaigns have many attorneys watching this state very closely.
ROBERTS: Everybody's going to be watching very closely.
Mary, thanks so much for that.
With just four days now left until election, some voters are still checking their mail boxes for an absentee ballot. We're getting down to the wire here. Some who live away from home are actually flying back this weekend and voting in person rather than (AUDIO GAP) getting lost in the mail.
A federal appeals court has backed a ruling of a lower court and is ordering Michigan to add 5,500 people back to its voter rolls. The names were purged after election officials sent mail out to those voters and it was returned as undeliverable. The purgings were permitted under Michigan state law, but violate federal law.
The Department of Justice is announcing that it is sending 800 employees to 23 states on election day. Those workers will come from the department's Civil Rights Division and will have local authorities watch for any problems at the polling station on Tuesday.
And you've trusted CNN to bring you every twist and turn of the race for the White House. Now, in just four days, you can join the best political team on television as history is made. Tuesday, it's Election Night in America, beginning at 6:00 p.m., right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Tales of obsession.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's when I go swimming. Because if I have face in my water, then I can't watch any news or check my e-mail.
CHETRY: Political junkies looking for a fix. Will they go through withdrawal when all the votes are in?
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I-REPORTER JILL C., ATLANTA: I proclaim myself as a CNN election addict. I have TVs on throughout the house. They start in the morning, they go on through on the day. And they go off at night when I go to bed. We even have it in the car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: One of our enthusiastic CNN i-Reporters there. And like her, do you find yourself constantly watching election coverage, hanging on to every word from the candidates and pundits? Are you election obsessed? Do you think the magic wall is the best thing you've ever seen?
Well, our Miles O'Brien is here to tell you that you're not the only one who's feeling like that.
Good morning.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
You know, we've had big, high stakes, watershed elections before. But, never have we had so much access to so much information in real time. And it is the recipe for obsession.
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O'BRIEN (voice-over): It's like a two year-long reality show. Soon, we'll know the survivor. And while we may be over it, we really can't reach for the remote either.
DARYL LADEMAN, OBSESSION WITH ELECTION: I watch it like a Vegas bookie.
O'BRIEN: Daryl Lademan is a card carrying member of the election obsessed nation.
LADEMAN: I read all of the op-eds from both the right and left. And I watch all the battleground states polls.
O'BRIEN: Barb Dehn gives advice to the likes of Darly as the Nurse Barb web site.
BARB DEHN, NURSEBARB.COM: People want to have control over the uncontrollable.
O'BRIEN: The tidal wave of information is what sets this election apart.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You can look on the internet on various web sites and look for the latest poll results every hour if you want. You couldn't do that 20 or 30 years ago, or even four years ago.
O'BRIEN (on camera): And of course, four years ago we didn't have a magic wall. How did we live without it? And this time around, the information goes in both directions.
We asked our i-Reporters to send dispatches on their election obsession. Let's go to Colorado, Interstate 70, near the border there, Emily Richer.
EMILY RICHER, OBSESSED WITH ELECTION: I thought it was giving me a headache. But the truth is, now I'm having withdrawals. I might miss something.
O'BRIEN: Let's go to the other side of the country now. Virginia, Salem, Ralph Nester.
RALPH NESTER, OBSESSED WITH ELECTION: Stand in the middle of the woods, videotaping myself, hiding myself from my wife so she don't know I'm doing this. Yes, I'm pretty obsessed.
O'BRIEN: Back to the other side of the country, Utah. We heard from Christine Schnitzer, who does a lot of hiking and biking and yoga to relieve stress. But, she's been watching the polls all the while. I asked her if it ever gets to be too much.
CHRISTINE SCHNITZER, OBSESSED WITH ELECTION: That's when I go swimming because if I have my face in the water then I can watch any news or check my e-mail.
O'BRIEN: And now to Pewaukee, Wisconsin, where if you drive by the Harms household, there's no question they are election obsessed. That's what you'll see. And that got the gears turning for 14-year- old Chris.
Listen to him.
CHRIS HARMS, OBSESSED WITH ELECTION: I hope to run for president in 2036. I already have a Facebook group created for that and stuff.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): You heard it here first. In the meantime, what will we do on Wednesday?
LADEMAN: We got to go cold turkey.
O'BRIEN: I wonder what else is on TV.
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O'BRIEN: Well, of course, we will still be here. We still have the magic wall. And I've been cooking up some ways to use it to cover shuttle launches. OK. Maybe I'm the only one obsessed with that, I guess.
ROBERTS: No, not at all. I mean, this thing has got tremendous capabilities.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely. We just scratched the surface.
ROBERTS: And one of the capabilities is has too, is to figure out a 269-269 tie, which mean it wouldn't be over on Wednesday.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: We could ride this pony for a long time.
O'BRIEN: Yes, we could.
ROBERTS: But, Ralph Nester, there. He seems to be pretty obsessed.
O'BRIEN: Ralph Nester --
ROBERTS: Ralph, what are you doing out there in the woods?
O'BRIEN: We had to cut out the portion where you heard gun shots in the distance. It is hunting season. He said, maybe I shouldn't be here in the woods.
ROBERTS: Unbelievable. So, do we have an insatiable appetite for all of this information?
O'BRIEN: Yes, we do.
You know, I think -- I've talked to some psychologists, a little arm chair psychology, here. And basically what it is is, this is big high stakes. We're interested, of course. We also feel a little bit our of -- you know, it's not in our control. And the more information you can gather the more sense of control you can get. So there's the arm chair psychology. Once you start down the path though, it's hard to stop.
ROBERTS: It's just -- yes, it's a slippery slope, isn't it? The more your get, the more you want.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
ROBERTS: A little information is dangerous things in the wrong hands.
O'BRIEN: It is.
ROBERTS: Miles, great piece. Thanks so much for that.
42 minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Oops, he did it again.
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hey, folks. How you guys doing? Thanks for being here. That's really nice of you. Thank you.
Um, that's what you call getting off message.
ROBERTS: Joe Biden, unscripted and only four days to go. Is the campaign keeping him on a short leash?
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. A beautiful shot this morning, of our nation's capital. It's about 38 degrees right now, shaping up to be 63 and sunny. A beautiful, beautiful autumn day in Washington, D.C.
Well, the 2008 presidential election isn't quite history yet. But it will certainly be one for the history books. Our Frank Sesno looks back at the most memorable moments of the campaign.
See, I don't even know how you picked because there were so many.
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: It's sort of a blur, isn't it?
Well, here we are sort of in the final days, you know, thinking about all the speeches and interviews and debates and all the rest. And the bottom line I think is this. It has been a campaign of contrasts from start to finish.
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SESNO (voice-over): Images from the campaign. They tell the story of trial by fire and two candidates who've blown hot and cold. It began in Iowa, where a young, black senator who sought change and hope found both in an overwhelmingly white state.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have done what the cynics said we couldn't do.
SESNO: John McCain waited until the next stop, New Hampshire.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tonight, we sure showed them what a come back looks like.
SESNO: The primary season was a blur, from stump speeches to YouTube debates. Sometimes nasty, sometimes destructive.
ANNOUNCER: It's 3:00 a.m., and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?
VOICE OF SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message.
OBAMA: You're likable enough, Hillary Clinton.
CLINTON: Thank you so much.
SESNO: He won, but she talked about breaking through.
CLINTON: We weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time. Thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it.
SESNO: But when there were two, the contrast couldn't have been sharper. McCain built his campaign on experience, national security, his own heroic biography.
MCCAIN: And I will not be a president that needs to be tested.
SESNO: Obama's constant refrain was change.
OBAMA: The American people can't take four more years of these failed economic policies.
SESNO: Along the way, he was judged by the company he kept. Jeremiah Wright, more of all, who he finally cut loose. McCain was judged too, but harder to cut the connection to the president who'd endorsed him.
MCCAIN: If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.
SESNO: Everything changed when the crisis hit. Foreclosures, bankruptcies, market meltdowns.
OBAMA: The result is the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.
SESNO: And McCain uttered the words that would haunt him most.
MCCAIN: People are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong.
SESNO: Their choices for running mates, a further study in contrast. He stayed inside Washington, sought age and experience, a safe choice.
He went for the long ball, the game changer. It was controversial, at times harsh. GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those that are concerned about the health care reform that is needed help shore up our economy. Helping the -- it's got to be all about job creation.
SESNO: So, here they are. Nearly two years of campaigning, down to a matter of days. And the images now, a kaleidoscope of experience and history.
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SESNO: And yes, history, Kiran, you know, is very interesting. The vote that is being cast by people who are voting early, who will go on Tuesday, is this sort of combination of impressions and images and recollections, wrapped in this fundamental debate over judgment versus experience. But these are images obviously, we're not going to forget for a very long time as this historic campaign becomes a historic election and perhaps presidency.
CHETRY: And a lot of other firsts, right? Most expensive campaign in our history?
SESNO: Yes. Maybe $2 billion. And if there isn't a call for something to be done about that after this all is over, then we all got find new work.
CHETRY: Yes, exactly. Or, they could make the argument that they pumped up the economy for the past 16 months of all this campaigning --
SESNO: Yes. Right. Their own political stimulus plan.
CHETRY: Exactly. Wow, some good stuff. I forgot a couple of those. And thanks for bringing it back to us.
Great piece, Frank. Good to see you, thanks.
SESNO: Thanks. Good to see you, Kiran.
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ROBERTS: Sarah Palin; scapegoat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That just begs the question, who chose this person? Well, it was John McCain, wasn't it?
ROBERTS: If Tuesday becomes lose day, does Sarah Palin take the fall?
Plus, John Stewart, senior black correspondent, live with his take on the race. Is he kidding?
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
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BIDEN: Now, look folks, hey, I didn't see the band up here. Hey, folks, how you guys doing? Thanks for being here. That's really nice of you. Thank you. That's what you call getting off message. But I tell you, you guys look good.
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ROBERTS: Is vice presidential candidate Joe Biden been getting too off message, too often. In an article in this week's "TIME" magazine, national political correspondent Karen Tumulty, writes about the Obama's campaign's efforts to muzzle Biden on the trail. And Karen joins me now from Washington.
Karen, it's so amazing to see the change. Biden was so free- wheeling in the early going then, I guess to borrow a golf analogy, the wheels started to come off. And now you say in your article that traveling with him is like, quote, "reporting on a politician packaged in shrink wrap." You know, Dana Milbank was saying, it's like taking a proud lion into captivity.
I mean, just how different is it?
KAREN TUMULTY, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, it's particularly different for those of us who have watched Joe Biden over this 35-year career of his in the Senate, you know, where he has always been the -- just about the most media friendly politician in Washington. He's never seen a lens, or a microphone, or a notebook that doesn't attract him.
But, when you cover him now, particularly if you are with the National Press Corps, the traveling press corp, you cover him from a distance. You can see the speech, but he comes nowhere near his reporters. In fact, he hasn't answered a question, had a news conference with this traveling press corps since early September.
ROBERTS: That's pretty incredible. Yes, you go on to say in your article, you say, quote, "The exposure hound," -- is what you called him in the article -- "Who in recent years appeared more often than any other guest on the Sunday talk shows is a virtual stranger to the small band of reporters on his plane, less accessible than even Sarah Palin is to her traveling pack of bloodhounds."
Really? Less accessible than Sarah Palin?
TUMULTY: Oh, absolutely. She has been taking questions from the reporters who with her. Now of course, Joe Biden is out there speaking on the stump you know, several times a day. But, another thing that's very interesting -- he does it even in very small crowds. They've always got that teleprompted up in front of him, jsut to make sure that he's right on message.
ROBERTS: So, what was the straw that broke the camel's back then? Or, at least, what was the gaffe that brought out the shrink wrap? Was it when he said to that group at the fundraiser that Obama would be tested in the first six months of his presidency?
TUMULTY: Well, I think that certainly served to tighten the leash. But, I think that from the very beginning, this Obama campaign is one that runs on discipline and Joe Biden is somebody who traditionally has not. So, it was a case of an irresistible object meeting an immovable object meaning an irresistible force.
ROBERTS: An irresistible force. Right, yes.
You know, it's said that the first thing that you've got to do -- the absolute top most job as vice presidential candidate running mate is do no harm. I mean, he gave the McCain campaign a big talking point with the idea of Obama would be tested.
But, Senator Obama did it himself. I mean, he stepped in it when he used the word spreading the wealth when he was talking to Joe the Plumber in Ohio.
TUMULTY: Yes, that's right. And you know, while Joe Biden has sort of run off of the rails here and there, overall, he's actually been an asset to this ticket.
He really connects well with working class white voters in areas where Obama himself has had some difficulties. And if you look at the polls, his approval rating is quite high, and almost twice as high as Sarah Palin's. So, he's out there working sort of you know, diligently and low key. But he's actually helping this ticket I think, quite a bit in places like Pennsylvania.
ROBERTS: And just back to the words. Again, you called him the exposure hound. Here's a guy who's been the Senate for almost 35, 36 years. He was the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he's been the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Tremendous amount of experience.
If Barack Obama wins the White House beginning on January 20th, what kind of vice president do you think Joe Biden would be with all of this experience? He might have more experience then people in the president's cabinet?
TUMULTY: Well, you know, talking to people near him, since of course they didn't let me talk to him. What you hear is that he is not going to be probably, the kind of vice president Al Gore was. You know, specializing here and there. He's going to sort of play an all- purpose senior adviser, troubleshooter kind of role for Barack Obama, if they are elected.
ROBERTS: All right. So, I mean, but because of his experience, could he potentially step on toes? Like the attorney general's toes, secretary of state's toes, that sort of thing, if he was to be too out there?
TUMULTY: Well, that is absolutely what they have to be careful of. And I think that they have made the decision that he is not going to specialize in these areas where he has specialized in the Senate -- foreign policy and judiciary issues for that very reason. That they don't want him sort of invading the space of the cabinet secretary.
ROBERTS: Karen, it's a great article. A little bit cheeky. But, I've been out there on the trail. I know how you feel.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
TUMULTY: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Take care.
CHETRY: 57 minutes after the hour, a look at the stories making news on this Halloween morning.
Some early holiday presents from the major airlines. Carriers saying that they are slashing fares for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Farecompare says the big sale started Tuesday night by Northwest Airlines, with competitors quickly following suit.
Embattled Republican Senator Ted Stevens is responding from calls from John McCain and Sarah Palin to step aside. A federal court convicted Stevens Monday, of covering up more than $250,000 worth of free gifts and home repairs. Stevens though, stays defiant, saying that he is filing an appeal and he doesn't blame his fellow Republicans for distancing themselves.
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SEN. TED STEVENS (R), ALASKA: I have not been convicted of anything. I would tell them that I understand that they make statements to turn the heat of the campaign. And probably they've been a little misinformed by their staff. But I wouldn't hold it against them. I understand what they're doing. They're trying to get elected. I just have to say, John and Sarah, I understand you.
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