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John McCain Campaigns in Tennessee; Eye on Ohio
Aired November 03, 2008 - 11:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And here are the headlines from CNN on this Monday, November 3rd, the last full day of campaign 2008.
The presidential candidates, their running mates, their wives covering 16 states today, the big battleground states today. We focus on two that played pivotal roles in 2000, 2004. This hour, Florida and Ohio.
What women want out of this election. Is it any different than men? You will find out next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And heading for the finish line. Just one day left, and the presidential candidates are on the final leg of the marathon race.
For John McCain, it is a mad dash through seven states in 17 hours. He started with a rally in Tampa. From Florida, it is on to Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico and Nevada, then home to Arizona.
Barack Obama also started the day in Florida with a rally last hour in Jacksonville. From Florida, he is on to North Carolina and Virginia before heading home to Chicago.
John McCain, right now in Blountville, Tennessee. Let's listen in.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we're going to keep Virginia red!
Thank you.
I'd like to obviously say, first of all, please welcome the next first lady of the United States of America, my wife, Cindy McCain.
(APPLAUSE)
And I noticed that my dear friend Senator Bob Corker and Senator Fred Thompson, my old friend, and Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee are all here.
Thank you all.
I also brought several other friends. One of them, Governor Tom Ridge, former head of Homeland Security, an American hero.
(APPLAUSE) Senator Mel Martinez and his wife Kitty are here from Florida.
And, of course, a guy who showed great courage in coming across the aisle and supporting my candidacy, Senator Joe Lieberman, a great guy.
(APPLAUSE)
Senator Richard Burr and his wife Brooke are here also from the great state of North Carolina.
And so many others I'd like to say hello to, but one of my favorite Americans, and a great senator and a great man, Senator George Allen.
Thank you, George, for all you've done.
My friends, let's have some straight talk.
There's just one day left. We need to win Virginia on November 4th, and we've got to take this country in a new direction. And we will win!
(APPLAUSE)
Volunteer, knock on doors, get your neighbors to the polls. I need your vote!
We need to bring real change to Washington, and we have to fight for it. And we will fight for it with your help.
And I bring greetings from the governor of the great state of Alaska, Sarah Palin, my running mate!
(APPLAUSE)
She has ignited America! She's a great partner. And she will clean up the mess in Washington. And she's a real reformer.
By the way, I don't know if you saw "Saturday Night Live" when I was there.
(APPLAUSE)
I really believe that Sarah Palin and Tina Fey were separated at birth. I really do.
Anyway, my friends, this microphone is brought to you by the Democratic National Committee.
I'm so touched by this turnout. I'm so grateful for this expression of support.
I thank you. I thank you.
And there's Kelly, the nurse. And here's teachers. And here's Janet, the professor. And Rick, the preacher. Rick, the preacher.
Thank you, Rick.
They're all here. They're all here -- Army wives, Jack, the retired soldier. They're all here -- Coal miner's daughter.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
And again, I want to thank Jimmy Fortune, the greatest tenor voice in country music.
Thank you, Jimmy, for doing such a great job.
Now, my friends, I've been fighting for this country since I was 17 years old, and I have the scars to prove it. And if I'm elected president, I'll fight to shake up Washington! And we'll take America in a new direction!
(APPLAUSE)
We'll take America in a new direction from my first day in office until my last. I'm not afraid of the fight. I'm ready for it!
(APPLAUSE)
We're going cut taxes for working families. We'll cut business taxes to help create jobs. And we'll keep American businesses in America.
Senator Obama's massive new tax increase would kill jobs and make a bad economy worse. I'm not going to let that happen. We need pro- growth and pro-jobs economic policies, not pro-government spending programs paid for with higher taxes.
If I'm elected president, I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars of your money. Senator Obama will. I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you do.
(APPLAUSE)
And my friends, I promise you this, I will veto every pork barrel earmark bill that comes across my desk. You will know their names and I will make them famous.
It's got to stop. It's corruption, my friends.
My friend Tom Coburn of Oklahoma calls it the gateway drug, and it is. That's why we have former members of Congress residing in federal prison.
We're going to stop spending $233 million for a bridge in Alaska to nowhere. And we're going to stop spending $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana. I don't know if that was a criminal issue or a paternity issue, but it's going to stop when I'm president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
I'm not going to spend $750 billion of your money just to bail out the Wall Street bankers and brokers who got us into this mess, and Senator Obama will. I'm going to make sure we take care of the working people who were devastated by the excess greed and corruption of Wall Street and Washington.
I have a plan to fix our housing market, to get home values up and keep people in their homes. That's the American dream, and I'm going to protect it.
You've got to be able to stay in your homes. That's what started this mess, and we've got to stop the decline in home values.
You know, as we speak, the Democrats are talking about taxing everything in sight, including your 401(k) contributions. I'm going protect people's retirement, not tax it. I'm going to protect Social Security. I'm going to protect Medicare. And I'm not going to let this Congress tax away your retirement savings.
And don't let them scare you, my friends. We're going to protect Social Security and Medicare.
If I'm elected president -- when I'm elected president...
(APPLAUSE)
When I'm elected president, we're going to stop spending $700 billion to buy oil from countries that don't like us very much. We'll stop it. We'll invest in every energy alternative: wind, solar, tide, hybrid cars, safe nuclear power, and clean coal technology. Clean coal technology.
(APPLAUSE)
I don't have to tell you America sits on the world's largest reserves of coal. We will spend money, develop this clean coal technology, and we won't have to buy oil from foreign countries anymore that don't like us. And some of that money going to terrorist organizations.
(APPLAUSE)
It will create millions of jobs.
And by the way, there are some old Navy veterans here. By the way, thank you, our veterans.
Can you raise your hands? We want to thank you for your service. Thank you to our veterans. Thank you.
You know, we found out yesterday what Senator Obama really thinks about coal. In a new video talking about his policies on coal, he told -- guess who? -- the San Francisco newspaper -- and this is what he said, "If somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It's just that it will bankrupt them." Now, how out of touch is that? Now, I believe -- and you know, and you do, too -- that we need to control emissions. But I'm not going to let our coal industry go bankrupt. I'm not going to tell -- I'm not going to let coal workers lose their jobs. And I'm not going to let energy prices increase any more for our families.
When I'm elected president we'll lower the cost of energy, create millions of new jobs. And we will have environmentally safe offshore drilling. Senator Obama opposes offshore drilling. We'll drill offshore, and we'll drill now!
(APPLAUSE)
As somebody put it, "Drill, baby, drill."
You know, the last few weeks -- the last couple of weeks, as we've been closing the gap, my friends, and we've been moving up dramatically, a very interesting thing happened. Senator Obama told "Joe the Plumber" -- he told "Joe the Plumber" who was sitting in his -- standing in his driveway and didn't ask to be famous, he told -- and he certainly didn't want the attacks on him by the Obama campaign -- well, he told "Joe the Plumber" that he wants to "spread the wealth around."
Take money from one group of Americans and give it to another. That's not America. We've seen that movie before in other countries.
You know, Senator Obama's running to be redistributionist in chief. I'm running to be commander in chief.
(APPLAUSE)
Senator Obama's running to spread the wealth. I'm running to create more wealth.
(APPLAUSE)
Senator Obama's running to punish the successful. I'm running to make everyone successful in America.
(APPLAUSE)
And my friends, he's in the far left lane of American politics, and he's stuck there. And that's why he's the most liberal senator in the United States. Senate. He's even more than a guy from Vermont who used to call himself a socialist. Tax and spend. Tax and spend.
That's what they're all about, my friends. And this is the fundamental difference between Senator Obama and me.
We both disagree with President Bush on economic policy. The difference is that he thinks taxes have been too low, and I think that spending has been to high.
(APPLAUSE)
My friends, I'm not George Bush. If Senator Obama wanted to run against George Bush, he should have run four years ago.
(APPLAUSE)
If we're going to change Washington, we need a president who has actually fought for change and made it happen, even by taking on the leaders of his own party. The next president won't have time to learn how to change Washington or get used to the office. You know America faces many challenges here at home and many enemies abroad in this dangerous world.
Now, our old friend Senator Joe the Biden, the gift that keeps on giving, has warned us -- he said the other day -- he said, "Mark my words." He said Senator Obama would be tested with an international crisis within six months. And at the same time, Democrats in Congress are talking about deep defense cuts. We have troops fighting in two wars, and the Democrats' answer is to lower our defenses and put someone in office who our enemies will test?
I've been tested and I've passed that test. Senator Obama hasn't.
(APPLAUSE)
He's been wrong during this whole campaign in the short time he's been in office. He said he would sit down unconditionally with dictators.
When Russia invaded Georgia, Senator Obama said the invaded country should show restraint. I'm not making that up. He opposed the surge strategy that worked in Iraq and will work in Afghanistan.
When I'm president, we're going to win in Iraq, win in Afghanistan. And our troops will come home with victory and honor and not in defeat!
(APPLAUSE)
Now let me give you some straight talk about the election.
America faces a big choice, and there's one day left. The pundits have written us off just like they've done before, and been wrong before. And my opponent is measuring the drapes in the White House.
You know, they may not know it, but the Mac is back!
(APPLAUSE)
And we're going to win this election!
Now, could I give you just a little more straight talk in conclusion?
I know you're worried. I know you're worried. America's a great country, but we're in a moment of national crisis that will determine our future. And let me ask you, will we continue to lead the world's economies, or will we be overtaken? Will the world become safer or more dangerous? Will our military remain the strongest in the world? And will our children's and grandchildren's future be brighter than ours?
My friends, my answer to you is yes. Yes, we will lead! Yes, we will prosper! Yes, we will be safer! Yes, we will pass on to our children a stronger, better country! But we must be prepared to act swiftly, boldly, with courage and wisdom!
I am an American and I choose to fight!
Don't give up hope! Be strong! Have courage and fight!
Fight for a new direction for our country! Fight for what's right for America. Fight to clean up the mess of corruption, infighting and selfishness in Washington!
Fight to get our economy out of the ditch and back in the lead! Fight for the ideals and character of a free people!
Fight for our children's future! Fight for justice and opportunity for all!
Stand up! Stand up to defend our country from its enemies!
Stand up! Stand up! Stand up and fight!
(APPLAUSE)
America is worth fighting for! Nothing is inevitable here!
We never give up! We never quit! We never hide from history! We make history!
Now, let's go win this election and get our country going again!
Thank you and God bless you! Get out the vote! Let's win tomorrow, and let's...
Thank you and God bless you, Virginia and Tennessee. Thank you. God bless you.
HARRIS: There you have John McCain in Blountville, Tennessee.
You know, he referred to himself being in Virginia a couple of times in the top of the speech, and the reality is, if you take a look at this map, Blountville, Tennessee, is so close to see Virginia, you can see here, it is certainly a way for John McCain to speak to Tennessee and to the Commonwealth of Virginia as well.
There you can see, boy, that is close.
All right. John McCain, his next stop, Township, Pennsylvania, 1:45 Eastern Time this afternoon. The clock is ticking, and decision day draws near. Watch history unfold with the best political team on television on CNN's worldwide network tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the big day, and it is down to the battleground states. And CNN's got you covered on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The heat is on. Did you hear the crowd at that McCain rally just moments ago? It doesn't get any hotter than this.
The last day of campaigning. The last day of voting in some states, including battleground Ohio.
Our Mary Snow is on the scene in Columbus, the state's capital there.
Mary, where are you exactly? Are you at one of those early polling stations?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am, Tony.
We're here in Columbus, and we're at the center for the voters in Franklin Country. Also should point out that there are only one early voting center in the country, so that is one of the reasons why the lines have been so long, Tony.
Yesterday, I talked with someone who waited seven and a half hours to cast a ballot and was in pretty good spirits. This, as the intense fight goes to the finish.
Let's take a look at the latest Poll of Polls. And you see Barack Obama maintaining a four-point lead over John McCain, 6 percent undecided. This, as the campaigns unleashed a massive get-out-the- vote effort, and the candidates are making their pitch to voters themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ohio, I have just two word for you: two days.
SNOW (voice-over): Barack Obama in Columbus trying to seal the deal in a state where he's held a slight lead. Hours later, Sarah Palin was in the same city, rallying Republicans in hopes of a late surge.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ohio, are you ready to make John McCain the next president of the United States?
(APPLAUSE)
SNOW: As the candidates made their final push, the decideds turned out in heavy numbers. Some people waited more than four hours in Columbus this weekend to cast early ballots. And for those who haven't voted...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This call was paid for by the Ohio Republican Party and authorized by McCain/Palin 2008.
Thank you.
That was an undecided.
SNOW: ... Republicans are hoping undecideds will turn the tide for them. They tout targeted calls like these that turned out voters that helped George Bush win in 2004.
In the final hours...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're looking towards our Republican voters who are going to get out and vote for McCain/Palin.
SNOW: And volunteers like these vets hit the pavement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember to encourage your friends.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. I'm a military girl. It's nice to have a guy in there that could take care of us.
SNOW: Not far away...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to get you out there on the streets as soon as possible.
SNOW: ... team Obama has prided itself on its ground organization that's blanketed the state.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know who you're going to support in the general election?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama? Great.
SNOW: Democrats reminds voters they came up short in 2004 by an average of nine votes per precinct. They're counting on young people and students like volunteer Jessica Fable (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like we're going to make the difference this time around.
SNOW: Ohio State political professor Paul Beck says don't underestimate the Republican push.
PAUL BECK, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, OHIO STATE UNIV.: It's very strong and it will be very effective, but my sense is the Democrats have not only caught up to them, they've actually surpassed them.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SNOW: And now the ground organizations are put to the test.
Tony, the Obama campaign has been touting the fact that it has nearly double the amount of offices statewide. And also, this past four days, for instance, says it has knocked on more than one million doors throughout the state.
Republicans have been keeping tightlipped about their numbers. More of an under-the-radar campaign on the ground, and say they'll be happy to share those details the morning after the election -- Tony.
HARRIS: I'm sure they will. Yes.
All right. Mary Snow in Columbus, Ohio, home of Ohio State University.
Mary, good to see you. Thank you.
Both candidates have shown a lot of energy on the campaign trail, but what would they do to solve our energy crisis once they're in office?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. The fight for Florida now taking a legal turn. A hearing today focused on complaints about a Republican mailing.
Our Sean Callebs has been following the proceedings in the state capital of Tallahassee.
Sean, good to see you. Fill us in on this story.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, really, Tony, it all surrounds allegations of perhaps voter suppression. Democrats joined a lawsuit by two individuals here in Florida. They were concerned that the GOP and RNC, the Republican National Committee, would be using a mailing that came out from John McCain, as well as foreclosures on homes, to challenge voters.
Now, the argument being, if the mailing came back or if homes were foreclosed on, then under Florida law, those people couldn't be able to vote unless they cast a provisional ballot because the law's very strict here. Your voting registration must match your address exactly. Well, the hearing was over before it even began.
The Democrats and Republicans approached the judge in this case, Kenney Davy, and said, look, we've worked this out. The GOP says it will not use this mailing, any foreclosures, for any kind of mass challenging of voters. So the judge says he's on standby. If this issue comes up tomorrow, they are prepared to handle it, Tony. But that -- end to that before it even began, which is good news for the voters here in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS, (voice over): Hundreds of thousands of absentee votes are in. And when you wonder down the long lines in Florida's early election, in many ways the faces are a pretty good indicator of the racial makeup of the state's electorate. Right now, the state's elections department says 12 percent of the voters are African- American, 13 percent Hispanic. And with the large turnout, Hispanics are a critical demographic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have your parents already voted?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CALLEBS: But they aren't their parents. Young and old, the face of Latino voters is changing. And this changing demographic could be a deciding factor for the battle for the state's 27 electoral delegates. For example, the traditionally, all important Cuban- American vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Cuban-American vote 12 years ago was 66 percent of the Hispanic vote in the state. It's now going to be 33, 34 percent of the overall vote in the state.
CALLEBS: Here's why that change is so important. In 2000, Cuban- Americans voted as a GOP block and proved a vital asset to George Bush in the Florida recount. In 2004, Bush had 78 percent of the Cuban- American vote. But a new generation Cuban-American cares less and less about Fidel Castro and more and more about the economy, health care and Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's wonderful for our community not to be monolithic so that all parties want to talk about the issues that are important to us. And it's not just about freedom for Cuba. It's also domestic issues as well.
CALLEBS: And while Cuban clout may be diluted, Hispanics from other areas, like Puerto Rico and Central America, who tend to vote Democratic, are the fastest growing population in the state. Especially in the all important I-4 corridor. That's the central section of Florida stretching from Tampa to Daytona Beach. But how many will actually go to the polls on election day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know who's actually going to follow through with voting. And the groups that tend to be the most iffy in turnout tend to be younger voters and particularly those independent voters.
CALLEBS: It's clear the face of Florida has changed. What we don't know yet is how much of that change will be reflected in the results on Tuesday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And, boy, the state is really broken down, Tony, into three areas. Here in the upstate, very strong McCain supporters. Down in the southern part of the state, that's a heavily Democratic area. So really what people are focusing on to a huge degree is this I-4 corridor. So as if we didn't have enough to watch tomorrow night, this battleground state, this swing state is going to be all important once again.
Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, I can't wait. I can't wait to see what happens there in Florida.
All right, Sean Callebs for us in Tallahassee. Sean, thank you.
And while the candidates try to energize their supporters, energy continues to be a major issue on the campaign trail. The latest, a debate over cap and trade energy policy. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.
Hi, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Tony.
Well, you know what, throughout the weekend and also this morning, Governor Sarah Palin brought up an interview that Barack Obama gave in January to a newspaper in San Francisco.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He said that, sure, if the industry wants to build new coal fired power plants, then they can go ahead and try, he says, but they can do it only in a way that will bankrupt the coal industry. And he's comfortable letting that happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All right. Well, Palin says that that interview just surfaced. But the "San Francisco Chronicle" says the interview has been available on its web site since January. As for the charge itself, both Obama and McCain support what is called cap and trade. That's essentially a system designed to reduce global warming.
And the way it works is companies buy permits allowing them to emit carbon. Carbon, of course, is the byproduct of burning coal. The companies can buy, sell or trade those permits on the open market. But the government will begin to issue fewer and fewer credits, making it more expensive for the companies to pollute. That could force more innovation. And that's really, Tony, really similar to the process that was used to eliminate acid rain in the 1990s.
HARRIS: Yes. So, Poppy, both support cap and trade, but are there differences?
HARLOW: Yes. It's a matter of degree. That's where this all plays out. Obama says his cap and trade policy will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. McCain says his policy will reduce those emissions by 66 percent by 2050. Obama says his cap and trade program will be economy-wide. McCain says his will exempt small businesses.
So here's how it works, Tony. McCain's plan, like Obama's, would limit large energy companies ability to emit those greenhouse gases. But Palin is says Obama's plan goes too far. She says it would bankrupt the coal industry.
The reason you care about all of this and why you want those companies to survive is because right now coal is the source of most of the electricity in this country. Both candidates have said they support clean coal technology where they basically wipe out those pollutants. McCain says he'd spend $2 billion to advance that technology annually. Obama says what he would do is create a public- private partnership. He doesn't specify a dollar amount.
So just clarifying all of that for everyone out there. If you want to know where the candidates stand on energy, there's a great breakdown of it right on our site. That's CNNMoney.com. It's important going into tomorrow.
HARRIS: Absolutely. All right, Poppy, great to see you. Thank you.
HARLOW: You're welcome.
HARRIS: Polls in the final push. What the numbers say about where the presidential candidates are campaigning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Campaign count down. Watching the clock and watching the polls. The latest numbers help explain where the candidates are campaigning in these final hours and why. Senior political analyst Bill Schneider live with us from New York with details.
Bill, good to see you.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you.
HARRIS: Hey, Bill, if you would, give us a look at the latest polling from I guess a couple of the battleground states. Interesting that Barack Obama is closing out his campaign in Indiana tomorrow.
SCHNEIDER: Indiana. Who would have thunk (ph) it. Indiana hasn't voted for a Democrat since 1964. But take a look at this. Wow, right down to the wire, McCain just one point ahead of Obama. If he can take that state away from the Republicans, it's going to be awfully tough for John McCain because there are several other former Bush states, Iowa and New Mexico, Virginia, that McCain is having a lot of trouble holding. If he can't hold those Bush states together, he's got a big problem. And I was going to say, the other state is Pennsylvania.
HARRIS: Is Pennsylvania. Yes, John McCain continues to pound away at Pennsylvania. He has another event there this afternoon, although the polling would indicate -- would make you -- lead you to wonder why.
SCHNEIDER: Well, here's why. I just mentioned that there are several states that Bush carried last time that McCain seems unlikely to carry, like Ohio, New Mexico, Virginia. Possibly Indiana. Well, he's got to make up for those lost electoral votes somewhere. The biggest single state where he believes he still has a chance, because it did not vote very strongly for Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, is Pennsylvania. He and Sarah Palin have paid a lot of attention to Pennsylvania. He'll be there tomorrow. He's got to carry Pennsylvania to make up for all the Bush electoral votes that he's likely to lose.
HARRIS: Hey, Bill, how is the latest polling on the question, the issue of experience? How is it cutting in this election this late hour?
SCHNEIDER: This -- that question has been central. Of course, McCain has emphasized his experience. Right now, you ask people, does McCain have the right experience, yes. Over three quarters says, yes he does. It's always been a problem for Obama. Obama is not quite -- not nearly as strong as McCain on the issue of experience, but he has made some headway. Right now, when asked, does he have the right experience, voters are about 50/50. They're not sure. About a month or two ago, they would have said no he doesn't. Now he's reached the point where voters are not sure that he has the right experience. But McCain, certainly he does.
HARRIS: And, Bill, maybe one more slide here. Americans desire for change. What's the polling on that?
SCHNEIDER: That's a big difference between the candidates. And this is one of the things that's putting Obama in the lead. Can Obama bring change? Change is the theme of his election. The answer is, by a pretty big margin there, almost 20 points, yes, he can. McCain, no he can't. Even though he's tried to run on the change issue, he says that he will bring change. He is not part of the Bush administration. And he's a different kind of Republican because he knows the voters want change. But McCain has just not made a convincing case to the voters that he is the candidate of change. Obama has.
HARRIS: Bill, I keep asking you this question. I'm going to ask you one more time. We're so close. What two states are you really watching tomorrow?
SCHNEIDER: Well, early on we'll be looking at Virginia and Pennsylvania, two early states. Those could be key indicators of what's likely to happen. If Obama carries Virginia, it means he's likely to have a very good night. If McCain carries Pennsylvania, that means the whole election is suddenly up in the air.
HARRIS: Wow. All right. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, from New York for us.
Bill, good to see you. Thank you.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
HARRIS: So what's the rush? Millions of Americans making early election choices. Long lines to show you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: One day before Election Day. Millions of you have already cast your ballots. Many standing in line for hours to do it. Our Jason Carroll reports.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-one states allow for some form of early voting and many have already blown past their 2004 totals last week. Pretty much wherever you look, the lines have been unbelievable.
This is what it looked like in North Carolina over the weekend. About 2.3 million people had cast a ballot by Friday. That's more than a third of all registered voters in the state.
And the same scene in Florida. As of Friday, more than 3 million have voted. In one case, the line formed hours before the polls were even set to open. One voter called into the CNN voter hotline after being in line for three hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CESAR JIMENEZ, FLORIDA VOTER: It seems crazy that we're having to wait four -- three, four hours to get to do this voting process. Something's got to change. This is crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Yes, it seems that patience with some is wearing a little bit thin, but the voters just keep on coming. Late last night we got a report from Franklin County, Ohio. The cut off lines there at 5:00 when the polls officially closed, but the lines were already so long that it took until 11:00 to get everyone inside to vote. And all the CNN count shows more than 23 million people had voted in 25 states.
And a little bit of interesting information. Some of those numbers, not all the states report party affiliation. But of those that do, as you can see there, 58 percent of early voters have been registered Democrats, while 42 percent have been Republicans.
And one more final note. That voter who called into the hotline from Florida. We called him back later in the day. He got to the polls around 9:00 in the morning. He voted at about 2:00. So a five hour wait for him.
HARRIS: Wow. Jason Carroll in New York for us.
What women want. Female voters weigh in on the candidates and the issues important to them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: What women want. Female voters talk about the issues important to them and which candidate deals best with those issues. This story now from CNN's Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Six women, all voters in Florida, a critical swing state, all moms, all consumed with fears about the economy. Could their families lose their homes, their jobs, their futures?
ARIS CANCEL, UNDECIDED FLORIDA VOTER: Either we put gas in the car or we eat. So I choose to eat before we put the gas.
KAYE: Aris Cancel, the only undecided of the bunch, stopped driving her kids to school to save gas. Now they bike there. Christine Forte, a Republican recovering from cancer, is voting for John McCain. She has doubts about Barack Obama's health care plan.
CHRISTINE FORTE, VOTING FOR MCCAIN: It scares me with the universal health care that the medical field being just completely overwhelmed with people waiting to get care that they need.
KAYE: Suzette Boyette, a nurse practitioner, will vote for Obama. She says universal care is exactly what we need.
SUZETTE BOYETTE, VOTING FOR OBAMA: When you see a client sitting there on a bed, laying there on a bed in pain, one that has insurance, one that does not, you know, it's a no-brainer.
KAYE: These women are also split on which candidate can fix our financial mess and on who has a better tax plan. Republican entrepreneur Noelle Goldman.
You're worried about taxes going up on your small business?
NOELLE GOLDMAN, VOTING FOR MCCAIN: Absolutely. I won't be able to stay in business. It's going to be very difficult.
KAYE: That's just one reason Noelle is voting for McCain.
GOLDMAN: I am voting for Sarah Palin and the hero she's running with. I don't want anything to happen to John McCain, but it thrills me to hear that she's a heartbeat away from the presidency.
KAYE: On Palin, no surprise, all had strong feelings.
Has she be treated unfairly?
FORTE: I think that distracting from the focus on her good points by things like wardrobe and unnecessary negatives are -- have been sincerest.
CANCEL: They don't do that with the men. They don't talk about like how -- you know, what Armani or whatever he's wearing. But they talk about her dress. I mean, it's like, they're dumbing her down.
KAYE: Anna Elias supports Obama. With her strong Christian values, she sees Palin differently.
ANNE ELIAS, OBAMA SUPPORTER: What I see in Sarah Palin is almost using sexism the other way . . .
KAYE: To her advantage.
ELIAS: Well, to the party's advantage.
GOLDMAN: (INAUDIBLE) dress this way in Alaska.
ELIAS: Even at the convention, at the Republican convention, there were signs about the hottie from Alaska. And those were the pro-Palin people. It should just not be an issue at all.
GOLDMAN: Do you believe she should wear a gray flannel suit so she looks just like the men? I mean she's a woman. She's in good shape. And she shouldn't deny who she is.
ELIAS: It's not about (INAUDIBLE). Absolutely not.
GOLDMAN: She shouldn't cover up who she is.
KAYE: And then, of course, there is Joe the plumber.
Is anyone tired of hearing about Joe the plumber?
CANCEL: Yes.
KAYE: All of you. Well, Republicans and Democrats.
ELIAS: He's supposed to represent everybody. He's supposed to represent every Joe the plumber of every walk of life, of every political persuasion and he's run up the Republican flag pole like they own what's good for Joe the plumber.
KAYE: Kim Negel (ph), a personal trainer and mother of three, says she's voting for McCain, in part because she believes Obama really does want to spread the wealth, just like he told Joe the plumber.
KIM NEGEL, VOTING FOR MCCAIN: What really scares me about him is he's leaning us toward a socialist republic. That's what I'm worried about. I'm worried about us becoming socialist, rather than democracy.
KAYE: Even after our chat, the one undecided woman in the group was still undecided. She said she just doesn't have enough specifics from the candidates to pick one. Something I hear over and over on the campaign trail. She hopes to decide within the next 24 hours.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Orlando, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Live picture now, Jefferson City, Missouri. Sarah Palin, the Republican VP candidate, set to begin a rally there in Jefferson City. When that rally begins, we will take you there live in just a couple of minutes right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: John McCain's weekend appearance on "Saturday Night Live," a ratings winner. But he didn't draw as many viewers as Sarah Palin did two weeks earlier. "Saturday Night Live" has been sticking it to presidential politicians for three decades.
CNN's Alina Cho, now, talks with the man who started it all.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony.
I know that you know that Chevy Chase is one of "SNL"'s originals. He was the first person to do a presidential parody on "SNL." The first person to say, "live from New York, it's Saturday night." So what does he think about Tina Fey's impersonation of Sarah Palin? Well, we sat down with him recently to get his take on the comedy show he helped create. One that's making light of the very serious business of politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good evening, my fellow Americans.
CHO, (voice over): John McCain, trailing in the polls and the race for money.
MCCAIN: We, however, can only afford QVC.
TINA FEY, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": These campaigns sure are expensive.
MCCAIN: They sure are.
CHO: So the real McCain, and the fake Palin, are hawking housewares.
FEY: And who wouldn't want the complete set of limited edition Joe action figures. There's Joe the plumber, Joe six-pack and, my personal favorite, Joe Biden.
CHO: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin is pure ambition.
FEY: OK. Listen up, everybody, I'm going rogue right now. So keep your voices down. Available now, we've got a bunch of these Palin in 2012 t-shirts.
CHEVY CHASE, ORIGINAL "SNL" CAST MEMBER: Tina, who's not an impressionist per say, just happen to fit in -- right in there.
CHO: Chevy Chase is speaking from experience. Some believe his portrayal of Gerald Ford as a bumbling buffoon cost Ford the election in 1976.
CHASE: They wanted Carter in and I wanted him out and I figured, look, we're reaching millions of people.
CHO: Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that in the back of your mind you were thinking, hey, I want Carter . . .
CHASE: Oh, yes.
CHO: And I'm going to make him look bad.
CHASE: Oh, yes.
CHO: Wow.
CHASE: What do you think they're doing now. I mean you think they were just doing this because Sarah's funny.
LORNE MICHAELS, "SNL" EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: We're not partisan. We're, you know, and we're not putting on anything that we don't believe is funny.
CHO: And it is funny.
GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here's a shout out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School . . .
FEY: Who were so helpful to me in my debate prep.
CHO: Joking aside, Chase believes "SNL" affects the race because of the show's reach and the Internet.
CHASE: My face, your face, the FaceBook, MySpace and your space, my . . .
CHO: Millions of eyeballs watching this. Palin as punch line.
FEY: And I can see Russia from my house.
CHASE: How might it hurt her? Check in tomorrow.
CHO: And on this election eve, "SNL" will take one last shot at the candidates in a two hour special. It will air tonight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And we have learned that Sarah Palin will be part of the show again. But this time, Tony, it's not live. She taped something earlier for the show. And in case you're wondering, Saturday's show with John McCain, was the most highly rated "SNL" in nearly 11 years. The only show this season that had more viewers, Tony, the one where McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin was a live, special guest -- Tony.
HARRIS: Outstanding. All right, Alina. Thank you very much.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with this lady, Kyra Phillips.
Have a great show, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes.
