Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Double-Digit Win for Gingrich; Joe Paterno in Serious Condition
Aired January 22, 2012 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's January 22nd, 2012.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Gary Tuchman.
Newt Gingrich is celebrating a big win in South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The biggest thing I take from the campaign in South Carolina is that it is very humbling and very sobering to have so many people who so deeply want their country to get back on the right track.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: And speaking of the right track, Mitt Romney is hoping to find it in Florida. We'll get voter reactions from the next big campaign contest about what happened in South Carolina.
And despite some media reports to the contrary, Joe Paterno is alive but in serious condition this morning. We'll get an update from State College, Pennsylvania.
(MUSIC)
TUCHMAN: We start with what was a runaway victory for Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. Look at these numbers. It was a double digit win, 12 percentage points for the former House speaker, easily beating Mitt Romney. Rick Santorum came in third place. Ron Paul in fourth.
Now, check out this CNN exit poll. There were many that thought Newt Gingrich's past would hurt him with women voters, especially after his second wife came out last week talking about Newt. But that wasn't the case in South Carolina.
Let's bring in CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser who's live in the state capital of South Carolina, Columbia.
Paul, what does the South Carolina vote tell us about the future of this race?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: It tells us, Gary, that this race is far from over. It's not going to be ending any time soon. This is not a sprint. It's probably going to be a marathon.
You know, our exit polls also indicate that a lot of people -- about two-thirds of the voters here -- made up their minds just in the last few days. A lot of people are also saying those two debates were pretty important to their vote.
Of those people, Romney was behind Gingrich by a two to one margin. Gary, that tells me that debates really matter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GINGRICH: Thank you to everyone in South Carolina who decided to be with us and change in Washington.
STEINHAUSER (voice-over): Another comeback for Newt Gingrich. Down in the polls just a week ago, the former House speaker stormed back to take South Carolina's crucial primary by double digits over Mitt Romney. Gingrich praised the former Massachusetts governor, but he also got in a dig.
GINGRICH: We don't have the kind of money at least one candidate has. But we do have ideas, and we do have people. And we proved here in South Carolina that people power with the right ideas beats big money. And with your help, we're going to prove it again in Florida.
STEINHAUSER: Well, with the expensive fight for Florida ahead, Gingrich put out an online plea for campaign cash.
For Romney, a setback.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We still got a long way to go and a lot of work to do, and tomorrow, we're going to move on to Florida.
STEINHAUSER: And a little taste of what we'll hear in Florida.
ROMNEY: President Obama has no experiences running a business, and no experience running a state. Our party can't be led to victory by someone who also has never run a business and never run a state.
STEINHAUSER: Rick Santorum finished third, but the former senator from Pennsylvania vowed to keep going.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me assure you, we will go to Florida, and then we're going to Arizona and Colorado and Maryland and everywhere else.
(CHEERS)
STEINHAUSER: Ron Paul came in last, but the Texas congressman was still encouraged. REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It looks like tonight, we will get four to five times more votes than we did four years ago.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STEINHAUSER: We're here on the campus of the University of South Carolina. I got the CNN Election Expressway behind me.
But, Gary, we're packing up, we're heading to Florida. We've got a CNN debate in Jacksonville Thursday night. This race far from over -- Gary.
TUCHMAN: Paul, Rick Santorum won the Iowa caucuses. Not exactly a landslide, but he did end up winning. Didn't do too well in New Hampshire, came in third place here in South Carolina.
What's he saying about this third place finish?
STEINHAUSER: Well, last night, he was very optimistic saying he was going to be moving on to Florida. His campaign is already up with ads there. They're also looking ahead to some of the contests after.
But remember, Santorum/Gingrich pretty much going after the same crowd, that conservative crowd. They're trying to be the conservative alternative to Romney. You know, sooner or later one of these two gentlemen is going to have to drop out of this race -- Gary.
TUCHMAN: Paul, you actually go on that bus driving on the bus to Florida?
STEINHAUSER: I am not, unfortunately. I've driven on it a lot. I've got to get back to D.C. for a day. Gary, I've got a 1-year-old daughter. I've got to get home for at least one day.
TUCHMAN: Paul, you've done a magnificent job this weekend. Thank you very much.
It's Paul Steinhauser, everybody, reporting from South Carolina.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
TUCHMAN: Now, let's take a moment to look ahead to the next contest, Florida. The Sunshine State primary is on January 31st, a week from this Tuesday.
In the latest CNN/ORC poll shows Mitt Romney with a large lead, by 24 percentage points. But remember, the poll was conducted before the South Carolina primary.
So, what did Florida voters think about last night's results?
Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Gary, we gathered all these voters here in Florida, all Republicans and all undecided when the night began. And look at this.
How many of you feel closer to making up your minds now?
Look at that. That's the prize that these candidates have been after.
I want to point out something that happened. When we had them do these dial tests where they told us minute by minute how they felt about the speeches of the candidates, one thing that was clear -- many people here are hungry for a positive message of hope, of things getting better. And Newt Gingrich tapped into that.
Watch.
GINGRICH: You sort of just now captured the heart of this campaign. The fact is, we want to run not a Republican campaign. We want to run an American campaign.
FOREMAN: What is it that you like about Newt Gingrich's message?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's two reasons. One is his debate performances over the last two debates where he was the first conservative candidate to really bring out the media bias over the last two campaigns.
The other was the speech he gave tonight. And he was the most eloquent I've ever heard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really liked that he kind of included the aspects of the other candidates' campaigns, you know, the positives of Ron Paul with his financial, Rick Santorum with family, and then the business savvy of Mitt Romney.
FOREMAN: Mitt Romney also seemed to hit on a key here. One of the strongest reactions from our group last night was when he defended his income and the idea that that's what America's about.
ROMNEY: Ours is the party of free enterprise and free markets and consumer choice.
(CHEERS)
ROMNEY: The Republican Party doesn't demonize prosperity, we celebrate success in our party.
FOREMAN: All in all, a fascinating evening seeing what the voters here in Florida think. And again, I want you to see those hands one more time, Gary.
How many of you are now closer to making up your minds?
That's what this contest is about now, Gary. And that's what it's going to be about as the campaigns steam into Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Everyone likes talking to tom because he's such a nice guy.
Remember, you can see all the candidates face off in Florida. They'll all be at the CNN debate this Thursday, Jacksonville, Florida. Watch it. Begins at 8:00 Eastern Time.
And coming up in less than an hour on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Candy will get Gingrich and Santorum's reactions to South Carolina and look ahead to Florida. Is there a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich? That and a whole lot more when "STATE OF THE UNION" airs 9:00 Eastern Time.
Well, it's now eight minutes past the hour. More severe weather could be on tap for parts of the country today.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf joins me now -- Reynolds.
(INAUDIBLE)
TUCHMAN: Reynolds microphone -- there we go.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: -- a chance of severe weather in part of the nation's heartland, especially along parts of the Gulf Coast into the Mid-Atlantic States.
Take a look at this video that we have. This is an iReport contribution sent in from a viewer in Sycamore, Illinois. The mess they have today, at least this was a couple days ago, now what they're going to be dealing with rain drops and warmer conditions. The snow has been long gone.
However, a bit farther to the north, the Overhead of Minnesota, snow back in business. Plus, we're going to see some heavy snowfall through parts of the Central Rockies, along the Sierra Nevada and again that chance of severe weather across parts of the nation's heartland.
More on that coming up in just a few moments.
TUCHMAN: Reynolds microphone wasn't working in the very beginning, but it came back.
WOLF: Strong.
TUCHMAN: He has a booming voice. But even with that booming voice, we couldn't hear him at the very beginning. But we did hear at the end.
Well, Joe Paterno is in serious condition. But his family says he's inspired by scenes like this. More on the legendary coach's condition just ahead. Plus, a look at the NFL playoffs. And a dolphin -- not a Miami Dolphin, a real dolphin -- who is picking the winners.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Joe Paterno's family says he's in serious condition. The legendary football coach remains hospitalized this morning. Several Web sites reported last night that the former Penn State football coach had actually died. It spread across social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. But he's alive in serious condition.
Joining me now is our national correspondent Susan Candiotti.
Susan, what's the reaction of the news of his condition there on the Penn State campus?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Gary.
You can imagine, people here love Joe Paterno. He's known as Joe Pa, a fatherly figure here -- known as the heart and soul of Penn State. And that is why dozens and dozens of people were here throughout the night setting up more or less a candle light vigil around the iconic statue of Joe Paterno. You can see it. He has his hand outstretched with a number one sign. And it's a tradition for people to come by and take hold of this hand as a show of support for him.
They were doing that again last night, also leaving behind flowers and candles, pulling for him to come through -- these conditions that are described as serious by the family. Certainly, the family is buoyed by the support and things like this that people here are sayiing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: You know, when you say Joe Paterno, what comes to mind?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just greatness and honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People think of him more as a coach. They think of him as a leader, and they think of him as devoted his life to the community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything that Joe stands for academically and everything off the football field and all the good things that he and Suzanne have done for this university and the library and everything else, it just means so much to me that I just felt compelled to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: In fact, Jay Paterno, one of the Joe Paterno's sons, drove by here last night and tweeted about it, telling people that he was thrilled with the support. Went back and told his father about it and said that the support was inspiring.
In fact, our CNN contributor Sarah Ganim reports that Joe Paterno is able to communicate. Certainly (AUDIO BREAK) the terrible scandal that has surrounded Penn State since last fall. Joe Paterno was fired from his position as head coach here, but people here continue to rally, many unhappy about how Penn State has treated him over how he handled allegations about children being sexually abused here, or at least one child, and what he did about that.
Joe Paterno himself last heard from fairly recently after an interview in the "Washington Post." His raspy voice was heard on some audiotape posted to their Web site where he talked about a feeling of possible inadequacy about how he handled the situation and wishing, perhaps, that things had turned out differently.
But certainly this day everyone here is rallying behind, fully behind Joe Paterno, praying for his recovery.
In fact, one of the signs here, Gary, says, "You are our hero" -- Gary.
TUCHMAN: Susan, do we have any idea, how serious, how dire his condition is right now?
CANDIOTTI: (AUDIO BREAK) because the family really is only putting out statements through a spokesperson. And we haven't heard any updates from him since last night.
TUCHMAN: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much for that report. We appreciate it.
Well, speaking of sports, it is a huge, huge day in the sports world.
HLN's sports anchor and reporter Carlos Diaz joins me now.
Carlos, it's nice to see you, first of all.
CARLOS DIAZ, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good to see you as well.
TUCHMAN: I understand we have some very unusual security arrangements for the playoffs today.
DIAZ: This is so because the San Francisco 49ers are playing in their first -- they're hosting their first NFC championship game in 14 years. So, you have a lot of San Francisco 49ers fans excited about being at Candlestick Park.
But they don't want this to happen at Candlestick, which happened in the preseason. Fans getting too excited, too fired up for their team. So, there's a lot of extra security in place today. There's a text messages service called Bad Fan.
The chief of security and the head of police in San Francisco says he just wants fans to have a good time at the game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF GREG SUHR, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE: We'll have officers on the route into and out of Candlestick on motorcycles, bicycles. The parking lot will be patrolled. We really, really want it to be safe. And we want the 9er fans to know that, you know, it's for everybody.
So, be as classy a fan as we are classy a team and a city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Basically, you know, you have a lot of fans, you know, wanting their team to win. And in fact, the San Francisco 49ers on their Web site, they have this big video called Rock the Stick -- meaning rock Candlestick Park. But it's that fine line of: come, support your team, do what you can, but know where you can draw the line.
And that's going to be a very, very touchy subject today because, as I said, the 9ers have not hosted an NFC championship game in 14 years. So, there's going to be a lot of emotions today at Candlestick Park.
TUCHMAN: On a lighter note, you did something that was so cool. You found these dolphins who have this unusual intelligence ability to predict winner of NFL playoff games.
DIAZ: Well, it's not difficult to be more intelligent than I am. It's not difficult at all.
TUCHMAN: I didn't say that.
DIAZ: These dolphins at the Georgia Aquarium are amazing. I had them pick the AFC and NFC championship games. Here's a portion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: Now time to pick the NFC championship game here at the Georgia Aquarium. I've got my friend Lily to help me.
Lily, is it going to be the San Francisco 49ers this weekend? No? They're not going to win?
What do you think about the New York Giants? Yes! Geez!
Apparently, she's a big Eli Manning fan. Lily went for the Giants. And then Shoka (ph), another dolphin, picked the Patriots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: So, our flippered friends at the Georgia Aquarium think it's going to be the Patriots and the Dolphins in the Super Bowl.
TUCHMAN: Not the dolphins. The Giants.
DIAZ: Excuse me -- yes. You would have the Patriots and the Giants. TUCHMAN: I would think the dolphins would pick the dolphins.
DIAZ: In all honesty, we had them pick the Super Bowl, the winner. And they went with the Dolphins, which is crazy.
So, you have the Giants and Patriots, you know, as the winners from the Georgia Aquarium. It was a really great shoot. And I do want to say that it took more than one take to do that. But it wasn't their fault, it was mine, all right?
So, they hit their mark every time. I flubbed up a few times
TUCHMAN: You're being very self-deprecating today, Carlos.
DIAZ: You can only make fun of yourself. But, no, it was a great shoot. I appreciate the dolphins' help.
TUCHMAN: And, by the way, if you're in Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium is the world's largest aquarium, great place to visit, right?
DIAZ: Yes. And it was really amazing to see them on cue every time. So, once again, Giants and Patriots, if you have complaints, don't hit us up. We didn't make those picks. All right. Blame the dolphins.
TUCHMAN: Always blame the dolphins. Much easier.
Carlos, thank you very much. That was great.
Well, in about one minute, we'll take a look at how today's weather could impact the games.
Plus, a Midwest snowstorm grounds hundreds of flights and many roads aren't much better. Find out if more bad weather is on tap today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Two games today, two NFL games. I'll be watching CNN on one television set, the NFC and the AFC playoffs on the other television set.
So, what we want to know about it weather wise is how will the weather be at both these stadiums today?
WOLF: Well, in both places, it's going to be interesting. You know, I got to tell you, Gary, between two of them, though, probably the game on the West Coast and California is going to be interesting. We're talking about a real mudder, because Candlestick Park, remember, is going to be right below sea level. It's very low. A lot of rain of expected, very muddy conditions.
But the Ravens and Patriots could be interesting, too. Kick of at 3:00 p.m. Temperature in 29 degrees or so. Wind northeast at five or 10 miles an hour.
I don't know who you like but the game itself, all going to be winners. It should be just fantastic.
But out to the West Coast, situation is going to be different. Giants and 49ers kick off at 6:30. Yes, we expect the rain. We also expect temperatures around 50 degrees, wind out of the south-southeast at 10 to 15 miles an hour.
Weather isn't much of a game around the country. We've got some video to share with you. First and foremost, let's go ahead and take the first pile-up that we have. This happened to be in Pennsylvania. Certainly not the first one we have.
But my gosh. What a mess it is nonetheless. A little icy glaze on the road.
We're expecting temperatures to warm up a little bit by the afternoon. So, the ice will be gone. But still, some treacherous conditions may remain on the roadways. Please be careful out there.
It was fun and games in parts of Massachusetts, three to five inches of snowfall meant a good opportunity for kids to get out and about and -- hey, even the dogs liked it, too. You've got to like that. We are a far cry from the dog days of summer.
Hey, another issue we're going to see today could be in terms of travel. In fact, you look at the back-ups that are expected today. All but a certainty we're going to have some back-ups in Denver where we could have some delays around an hour or so. Delays also in Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis.
San Francisco, low clouds and rain could be tough. If you're trying to get there in time for the game, you may have back-ups. And, you know, the same goes over in Oakland, on the other side of the bay, could be certainly rough there as well.
Meanwhile, what might get very interesting, is by this afternoon, we've got a potential for some severe weather in parts of the southern half and central half of the mid-Mississippi Valley. Severe storms by the late afternoon, even into the early evening hours.
Then, by tomorrow there's also going to be that chance of dealing with some tornadoes, some strong thunderstorms, flash flooding also from Cape Gerardo through Memphis. Even just south of St. Louis, we just keep that in mind. Into the Rockies, the situation is very different in terms of -- well, not rain but snow. Some places up to a foot with temperatures in Denver right on the front range, moving much warmer, 42 degrees, 32 in Billings, 40 in Salt Lake City, 31 in Minneapolis, 42 in Chicago, 52 in Atlanta, 36 in Washington, D.C.
That is a quick snapshot of your forecast. We've got a whole lot more coming up straight ahead.
Gary, let's send it right back to you.
TUCHMAN: Reynolds Wolf, thank you very much.
Next football forecast you'll be giving us two weeks from today. Super Bowl Sunday. So, stay tuned for that everybody. That's right.
Well, Mitt Romney did finish first in one thing in South Carolina last night. He spent the most money on commercials. So how do the candidates match up in Florida? I'll give you a hint. One person is running away with the title.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: The South Carolina primary is history. And Newt Gingrich is the clear winner. He scored a double digit victory in the primary, easily beating Mitt Romney who came in second.
Florida's next. And that's Romney territory so far. But this poll that you're seeing where he has 43 percent compared to Santorum's 19 percent could all change based on the South Carolina momentum.
Romney, though, has been spending big to move his message. How big?
Here's CNN's Erin Burnett.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: South Carolina all in, you saw the numbers. Mitt Romney by far spending the most money. This is Mitt Romney including all the super PAC spending on his behalf on television ads, $2.7 million.
Now, to buy 30 seconds of advertising in South Carolina is $300. It's a very different story when you look at the state of Florida.
Now, here are our four candidates. All of them as you have been saying going on to Florida.
Mitt Romney's campaign has already spent $2.4 million on television ads in Florida, and when you add in his super PAC, $4.9 million. That is more than he spent obviously in the entire state of South Carolina he's already spent in Florida. That's going to buy him a lot of ads.
Now, some of his ads are already playing in Florida. He's got an ad airing in Spanish to try to win over some Hispanic voters.
But the real question is you go to Newt.org tonight. I was there a couple minutes ago. Wolf, what does it say? We want $1 million money bomb -- using the Ron Paul term -- to try to get more money to buy advertising in the state of Florida.
But, right now, Mitt Romney is the only one with a television presence in that state.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: I'd like to remind you, you can see a lot more of Erin on "OUTFRONT" with Erin Burnett, that's her show. That's weeknights, 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Well, faith and politics, they go hand in hand in some places. But did that translate into votes in South Carolina? We'll tell you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Welcome back. It's 30 minutes past the hour.
And now it's time to check top stories.
In a stunning comeback, Newt Gingrich easily won South Carolina's primary with about 40 percent of the vote. He topped Mitt Romney's 28 percent second place finish; in third, Rick Santorum. Gingrich is now eyeing Florida's primary and he says he can win there, too.
Several Web sites erroneously reported last night the former Penn State Coach Joe Paterno had died are apologizing. Paterno is in serious condition at a Pennsylvania hospital. He's suffering from lung cancer and a broken pelvis.
An Italian crew has now resumed search and rescue efforts on the partially submerged Costa Concordia cruise ship. Divers had to stop overnight because the ship shifted again. The death toll is now at 12 and 20 people remain missing. It's sad. Crews are also preparing to offload 2,400 tons of fuel to prevent an environmental disaster.
Well, we've now had three different winners in the first three contests for the Republican nomination. Joining me now from Florida is Patricia Murphy. She's the founder and editor of "Citizen Jane Politics" and she's also a contributor to "The Daily Beast."
Patricia thanks for joining us. What's the first thought that comes to your mind when you look at these results in South Carolina?
PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER/EDITOR, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: The first thought you have is what a huge win for Newt Gingrich. Just a week ago, he was down about ten points in the poll. He won by 12 points, this huge 22-point swing. Nobody really expected him to win by that much. But he just kept getting stronger and stronger all week.
And the other thing you have to think about, especially if you're a Mitt Romney, is who it was who was voting for Newt Gingrich. People who said that the economy was most important to him voted for Newt Gingrich. People who said that electability was most important also voted for Newt Gingrich. Those were the people who Mitt Romney really thought he had in his back pocket. So he absolutely has to go back to the drawing board.
Newt Gingrich has dominated this state, won almost every county. It was just the most decisive win I think he could have put up.
TUCHMAN: And it really -- it really was something else and stunning because last weekend when we were talking, we would not have expected this. Especially by the huge amount that he won by.
I want you to listen to what -- something that Newt Gingrich said last night. What sounds kind about Rick Santorum -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Rick Santorum showed enormous courage in Iowa when he had no money, nobody covered him, and he just kept campaigning. And here's a guy who articulates the values of social conservatism, who articulates the importance of manufacturing and who may have been as right about the dangers of Iran as anybody in this country in the last ten years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: And Patricia, that sounds like to me that what Newt Gingrich would like most out of what he said is for Rick Santorum to say, you know what? I quit. And I'm endorsing you, Newt Gingrich. Thanks for saying such nice things about me. Is that why you think Newt Gingrich said what he said?
MURPHY: Yes exactly. Well Newt Gingrich, yes he was a lot less subtle last week when he said Rick Santorum needs to get out of this race. Last night he sure did change his tune.
I think not only is he trying to win over Rick Santorum, he is trying to win over those Evangelicals who did vote for Rick Santorum. He came in third last night, he posted a pretty good showing for himself.
Obviously, he won Iowa, he has a big following, he -- Newt Gingrich wants those Rick Santorum voters to start to think, am I really wasting my vote by voting for Rick Santorum or should I go behind a conservative like Gingrich? That is the message he's sending to those voters by -- by just putting his arms around Santorum last night and giving him the big hug.
TUCHMAN: Yes. That was a figurative putting his arms around him, that's for sure. So now for equal time --
(CROSSTALK)
MURPHY: Yes.
TUCHMAN: -- let's hear for a second, Patricia, from Rick Santorum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a long race. And this is one of the things that I think people have to understand. As a result of what happened here tonight, this race isn't going to be over next week or the week after. This race is going to be -- is going to be a long one and it's going to be the best thing that can happen for whoever the eventual Republican nominee is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: So Patricia, is it really going to be good for the eventual nominee like Santorum says?
MURPHY: Well you know, it really depends on who the nominee is going to be. The reason Rick Santorum believes that time is on his side is because he believes and it's something that a lot of Republicans believe but just aren't saying as clearly as Rick Santorum, he believes Newt Gingrich is going to have a meltdown. He believes that Newt Gingrich is going to implode.
The more time this goes on, Rick Santorum believes he can still be there he can still be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. But you know, you start to reach diminishing returns if you're in the Republican Party leadership, you want this to go on. You want your candidates to get stronger. You want them to hone their messages for the general election. But you don't want them to kill themselves or the party in the process.
So time can be the best thing they've got going for them and eventually the worst thing they've got going for them.
TUCHMAN: So how much do you think that Mitt Romney is scrambling right now? I know that he and his people really expected to win in South Carolina and in a best case scenario hoped the race would be over. I mean, is he scrambling?
MURPHY: He -- he is scrambling. And you can see it. You can see it really in the last two days before the election. He started to take a much tougher tone with Newt Gingrich. He had been pretty hands off with Newt Gingrich. But people in South Carolina are saying you need to go on the offense. You need to start attacking Gingrich. He has vulnerabilities. Why aren't you going after them?
And he really started to do that in the last couple of days. And people -- you know, the conventional wisdom is that Florida looks really good for Mitt Romney because he has so much money and that Nevada looks really good for him because there's a large Mormon population there.
But look at what those states did in 2010? They picked Republican nominees, somebody like Marco Rubio, who are way outside of the establishment. They were Tea Party candidates. So you have to be worried if you're Mitt Romney going into these next places. He's strong on paper. He's got a lot of money. But he's looking at a very unsettled Republican base that wants a lot of change and they've met Mitt Romney before and rejected him once before.
So I think he's absolutely scrambling. He needs to tighten it up and needs to get a lot more focused on his issues, more focused on his tax answers going into the debate, which he's got another debate tomorrow night. We know that he needs to put up a great performance.
TUCHMAN: And Patricia, speaking of Florida, I said at the beginning that you were in Florida. And I -- I believe that you're still in South Carolina, correct?
MURPHY: I believe I'm still in South Carolina. I'm starting to lose track. (CROSSTALK)
TUCHMAN: Yes unless -- yes and unless Florida is the next South Carolina. And that would be a big story that we will certainly cover on CNN. And since we haven't, you are in Columbia, South Carolina, which is the state's capital. So I really want to get my geography very accurate.
MURPHY: Yes, I am.
TUCHMAN: I really enjoyed talking to you today, Patricia. Thank you so much for your analysis and expertise.
MURPHY: Thanks, Gary.
TUCHMAN: Yes that's great.
Well, coming up in about 23 minutes, the top of the hour on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Candy will get Gingrich and Santorum's reactions to South Carolina. And looking ahead to that state that is next South Carolina -- I'm just kidding, Florida.
Is there a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich? That and a whole lot more coming up with "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy airs at 9:00 Eastern Time.
I want to show you one of our exit polls from last night's South Carolina primary. It's so interesting. These are voters who said that the religious beliefs of the candidates matter a great deal. You can see that the two men battling for the Christian conservative vote came out as the favorites among those voters and not so much for Mitt Romney. He surely wants that vote, but its Gingrich and Santorum who've campaigned most for that vote.
We open our mikes to hear what those voters were saying about faith and politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a Christian. And I think that our government was founded on Christian values. I mean, my preacher said to pray for Obama. I've prayed for the government. And I -- I have a hard time praying for you, because you're not a Christian. It's apparent in everything you do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I believe in God very much. And I believe that's what our country's lacking to start off with. I pray for the right leadership. I pray that we keep -- quit borrowing so much money and start paying our debts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most important issue is what America does with God. We may fix the economy in the short term, but unless America turns back to God, our economy repairs will be wasted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think faith and politics is something that used to be huge, but it's just not anymore. Some schools are taking the Pledge of Allegiance out, not praying stuff like that, taking the word "God" out from the pledge. I think that religion should be a big thing, but it's just not anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A person's faith or belief in a God or divine entity is not a big issue for me from the standpoint of who I would support. I think they all need to try to compromise a little better.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Faith is an important part of my life, but when voting it's not something that I necessarily focus on as the primary reason for voting for a candidate. I kind of lean more towards moderate candidates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Well, joining me now and that's fascinating is CNN.com video producer Jarrett Bellini. He sets up the mike and he puts together these great pieces for us.
Jarrett, were those responses typical for the people you saw there in that part of South Carolina?
JARRETT BELLINI, VIDEO PRODUCER, CNN.COM: It was typical for the people at least in that restaurant. I don't think that they necessarily speak for everybody in the town. But at this restaurant Charlie's sort of an upscale restaurant for Lancaster. And I don't know that, you know, everybody's hurting there. But jobs wasn't the only thing on their minds. Faith and social issues were important to many of the people that we spoke to at Charlie's.
TUCHMAN: I mean, tell us more about that town.
BELLINI: Ok this town used to have one of the world's largest cotton mills. This is cotton town.
TUCHMAN: Wow.
BELLINI: And the mill is now in Brazil. The jobs are gone. And they are really hurting there. We were on Main Street on a Friday afternoon. And I looked left and I looked right, and it's empty. The one -- the guy who owned the restaurant actually said that the place closes down at 9:00. There's nothing happening in this town.
So you can feel there's a little bit of desperation and there's no life.
TUCHMAN: Is there a difference between the younger people and the older people?
BELLINI: You know I was actually surprised. There wasn't that much of a difference. And the people that we spoke to, faith was important to everybody. I spoke to a youth pastor who was about my age. And he echoed a lot of what the older residents were saying. God is important. Faith is important.
But I also don't want people to think that, you know, they're -- that they're -- they're not forgiving of other people and that they're very hard on their stances. Because they were forgiving of other people and they were accepting.
(CROSSTALK)
TUCHMAN: And that's an important part of their faith that's for sure.
BELLINI: And it is an important part of their faith.
TUCHMAN: Yes.
BELLINI: And I would also encourage viewers to go to CNN.com and check out that article that Moni Basu (ph) wrote about the town because it gives a much deeper understanding of the people who live there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: That's Jarrett Bellini from CNN.com.
So how did the people of Lancaster County vote? You may be curious. But it's not a big surprise. They went for Newt Gingrich, 43 percent; Santorum, 23 percent; Mitt Romney, 22 percent. So basically a 2 to 1 margin Newt Gingrich won that county.
For more on issues of faith, go to our belief blog at CNN.com/belief. You can also share your thoughts.
After Newt Gingrich's big win in South Carolina, Mitt Romney is likely rethinking his campaign strategy. Our Candy Crowley dives right into that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: The GOP candidates are gearing up for the next big face-off which will be in Florida. That primary is a week from this Tuesday, January 31st. First they'll all be at the CNN debate in Jacksonville, Florida this Thursday night. You can watch it live right here on CNN beginning at 8:00 Eastern time.
"STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley is coming up at the top of the program. Newt Gingrich is on the program today. After Gingrich's big win in South Carolina you can bet Mitt Romney is rethinking his strategy. Instead of focusing on President Obama Romney must win his party's nomination first, of course. Here's how Candy broke it down last night at Romney's headquarters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": So they have sort of a two-pronged approach here as they move into Florida. And that was pretty evident when Mitt Romney came out here to thank the people of South Carolina. Take a listen.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In recent weeks, the choice within our party has also come into stark focus. President Obama has no experience running a business and no experience running a state. Our party can't be led to victory by someone who also has never run a business and never run a state.
CROWLEY: So, obviously, probably with a name attached, you are going to see Mitt Romney going after Newt Gingrich. It's what you do when someone -- you know, to try to kind of slow that momentum.
They went for a quick change of scenery here even before Mitt Romney came out here tonight to say thank you. His supporters here were shouting, Florida, Florida. They do have high hopes in the campaign for the outcome in Florida. They keep talking about this is going to be a big week. Mitt Romney will come out in advance of the President's State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
Tuesday morning Mitt Romney will give what was billed to me as a major speech on the economy and differentiating himself not just from the President, but from Newt Gingrich as well. He will give a similar speech the next day after the President's State of the Union address.
They point out that Mitt Romney has lots of resources. That means money. That he has a lot of staff on the ground. And he has the wherewithal to go the long haul. So you are going to see him playing the kind of hardball that he started to play here tonight. And you will also hear them talk a lot about how they are going to be in state after state after state collecting delegates. Because, after all, we tend to forget as we think, oh, maybe it's going to be wrapped up in South Carolina or maybe it'll wrap up in Florida. This is, after all, a state by state battle for delegates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Delegates are the name of the game. We told you Candy will have Newt Gingrich today; also Rick Santorum. She'll get their reaction to South Carolina and look ahead to Florida. "STATE OF THE UNION" airs at the top of the hour 12 minutes from now.
President Obama thrills the crowd at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City. I
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AT THE APOLLO THEATER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Now somebody else is speaking out about the president's musical skills. And says it could help him win the election in November. Find out who -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: While the Republican presidential hopefuls were on the trail in South Carolina this past week, President Barack Obama was at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem for a fundraising event. And the commander-in-chief became the crooner in chief. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And then to know that Reverend Al Green was here. (SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Civil rights activist Al Sharpton is a big fan of the President's singing. He says it humanizes Mr. Obama to voters. And he had some advice about Newt Gingrich, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I thought the President has skills. He showed real skills. He sung an almost perfect falsetto. The fact that he was able to do it and no one say stick to your day job means he's a winner. But I got a little recommendation for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?
SHARPTON: If Newt Gingrich wins, he needs to get Gladys Knight to teach him -- to come out at the first debate with Gingrich and sing "Midnight Train to Georgia" to Newt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Maybe bring The Pips along with Gladys Knight. And yes, Al Green was in the audience for President Obama's tuneful tribute to him. He reportedly says the President nailed it. And that his singing was terrific; high praise from a man who sang "Let's Stay Together".
Inside the numbers game in South Carolina. What groups really pushed Newt Gingrich to his big win? We'll find out next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: It's time to check top stories. Former Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno is in serious condition at a Pennsylvania hospital. He's been suffering from lung cancer, and a family spokesman says he's had further health complications in recent days.
Several Web sites that erroneously reported last night that Paterno had died are apologizing.
Divers are resuming their search for survivors of the cruise ship right off Italy's coast although hopes are fading of finding anyone still alive.
They halted their search overnight because the partially submerged Costa Concordia shifted again. There are 12 people confirmed dead; 20 still remain missing.
After making a stunning comeback in South Carolina, Newt Gingrich is setting his sights on the Sunshine State of Florida and says he thinks he can win there, too. The Republican presidential hopeful easily topped Mitt Romney in South Carolina's primary. The winner of the South Carolina primary has gone on to win the Republican nomination in every election since 1980.
So what fueled Newt Gingrich's strong showing in South Carolina? There were actually many factors across a wide range of voters. Our Wolf Blitzer and John King break down the exit poll.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": We're studying all these numbers, John. And we're learning a lot about what happened in South Carolina and what it means down the road.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We're trying to look at the South Carolina exit polls and the results and project forward. What does Newt Gingrich have to gain? What should he be focusing on? Mostly what does Mitt Romney have to worry about?
Here's a few things: When Gingrich is winning so big, you know he's winning across. But look at this, huge support among tea party. There's a lot of Tea Party in Florida. Governor Romney needs to fix this number. You have Gingrich 45 to 25 among the Tea Party; has to close that gap. That's one lesson there. Evangelical Christians not as big a factor: 64 percent in South Carolina -- that would be a much smaller number in Florida. We have to (INAUDIBLE) in the panhandle those voters matter. 44 percent for Gingrich; 22 percent for Romney; he would like to improve that number in Florida if he wants to be competitive.
Wolf, here's what I think are the biggest game changers tonight; reinforced not just by South Carolina results. You can say this is a more conservative electorate. Gingrich won big so discount the numbers.
But if you listen to those Independent voters -- the undecided voters, excuse me, with Tom Foreman, who has the right experience? 49 percent of South Carolina voters said Newt Gingrich has the right experience. Mitt Romney has been saying you want a governor, not a guy who's been in congress. You want someone with business experience, not somebody who spent their life in Washington.
Well, Newt Gingrich has convinced at least South Carolina Republicans he has the right experience to be president by a commanding margin over Mitt Romney. This is a challenge going on into Florida; this is a big gap, a 14-point gap there. These are the only two candidates. If you see Santorum and Congressman Paul, these are the only two candidates that a large number of Republicans think.
This has been an entire underpinning of the Romney campaign. You might not like me, you might not love me, you might not get passionate about me, but I can beat Barack Obama. If this psychology of the race that Newt Gingrich can beat Barack Obama and that Newt Gingrich has a right experience, if that carries over into Florida, Mitt Romney has a problem. BLITZER: And those electability questions, Mitt Romney did so much better in Iowa. In New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich did really well in south Carolina and that's going to be key presumably in Florida in ten days.
KING: He has to change that and change it fast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Wolf and John, thank you very much.
Well, meteorologist Reynolds Wolf joins us now for our last look at the morning's weather. How is it looking for the football games? How is it looking for the rest of the weekend?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, All things considered football games might be a little damp, especially on the West Coast. The big trouble we're going to have is the game we're going to see weather-wise across parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley and into the Deep South. We have a moderate risk for severe thunderstorms and with that there's a chance you might have a few isolated tornadoes especially this afternoon, late tonight and into tomorrow morning.
This could be a primary concern places like Jackson, Mississippi into spots like Memphis. Maybe even Little Rock before the day is out. And a lot of this will be driving towards the east; so certainly a big area of concern for us.
Very quickly what we can expect as you mentioned; some scattered showers along parts of the Deep South. Of course, we have the severe weather threat. Also look for some snow developing in the Western Great Lakes; partly cloudy to mostly cloudy into the northeast and scattered showers for the big game tonight -- two big games. The one on the west coast could be very, very damp to say the very least.
So Gary, looking at a mud bowl, so to speak, for the 49ers and giants. Should be fun.
TUCHMAN: Reynolds, very nice working with you this weekend.
WOLF: Back at you, man.
TUCHMAN: Ok. And thank you very much for watching, everybody. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley starts right now.
