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Checking with Pennsylvania Voters About the Primary
Aired April 20, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, HOST: As our nation talks an awful lot about immigration, I want to tell you something about this audience. You know, we were talking earlier about where a lot of us come from and in my particular situation I am an immigrant. As we got into this contentious debate about immigration, great arguments made on both sides especially about the arguments about the right to secure our own border.
But then it gets into an argument about language, for example, and you have to have this language and not that language and if you speak that language I'm going to be mad at you. I asked my parents if they would sit down and talk to me and they came up to have dinner with my family. This is recently, around the holidays. Here's what I got out of that. I'm wondering what you do and what our panel has to say.
Go ahead, Rog, roll it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (on camera): Savannah. Hey, nice catch.
(Voice over): What could be more American than tossing around a football? Shooting pool or preparing a Thanksgiving meal?
Three generations here in the U.S. and my family is now as American as...
(On camera): Arroz.
(Voice over): Well, OK. It's not apple pie.
(On camera): How do you say beans?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arroz.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frijoles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frijoles.
SANCHEZ (Voice over): My parents left Cuba during the revolution, fleeing poverty and the fear of communism. They came to the U.S. and settled in Miami.
(On camera): You've got to work in the hotels in Miami Beach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Spanish)
SANCHEZ: (On camera): So you would work one, two, three jobs all in one day. Not a lot of time to learn how to speak English.
(Voice over): As a child of immigrants I'm in the middle. To my parents, I speak Spanish. My wife, I speak English.
(On camera): So honey, tell them what we've got for dinner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have the prime rib, turkey.
SANCHEZ: Now that's not very Cuban, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's not even American. But then (INAUDIBLE).
SANCHEZ (voice over): Then there's my kids. For them it's really confusing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did she say?
SANCHEZ (voice over): And Spanish...
(On camera): You (INAUDIBLE) do a nice job with the fire.
(Voice over): ...doesn't come too easy.
In our household, dinner begins with grace. Sometimes in two languages.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for this bountiful meal.
SANCHEZ (on camera): Do you remember your first Thanksgiving in the United States?
(Voice over): The immigrant experience is passed down by stories.
(On camera): Dad's car broke down on the highway on his way home from work. There were seven of us in a two-bedroom apartment on 29th Street with one bathroom.
(Voice over): For my kids it's tough to get. They are proud of their Cuban heritage, and of the sacrifices their grandparents made.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know my grandparents (INAUDIBLE) came here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really just putty those that have to go through all those hardships like they did.
SANCHEZ (on camera): Was there a sacrifice? I'll bet it's hard for you to get that? Is it? Do you get it? What did they go through?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cuba.
SANCHEZ: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fidel Castro.
SANCHEZ: Fidel Castro. You got it. So they had to leave everything behind, right? Start over. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are poor.
SANCHEZ: And they had to work hard so that me and my brothers could go to school. So that we can...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They put their children before them.
SANCHEZ: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: They put themselves before themselves.
Here's a toast to three generations of our family in the United States. To when my mom and dad came to this country and look at us now, huh? Cheers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: My mom calls my children her little gringo grandchildren. I've gotten more e-mails and more reaction from that story from people saying, you know what? Sometimes it's good to see something like that because it reminds us of our own roots in this country, of our own immigrant experiences.
Boy, we're going to be rocking tonight. Stay with us. We're going to continue and there's more from here. We're going to be right back.
And here we go, everybody. Welcome back. We're in Philadelphia. We're at the University of Pennsylvania. We are proud to say, as close to an Ivy League school as many of can possibly get, as difficult it is for admissions in a place like this. We can introduce you to an upcoming full hour live at CNN.
This coverage that we've been putting together and we're starting it now, it's the run-up to the Pennsylvania Democratic primary. We are live in Pennsylvania because the voters are going to be going to the polls in less than, what, 48 hours now, much less, actually, both veterans and first-timers. Something called the league of first-time voters are going to be sharing with you, exploring the unlikelihood that Pennsylvania has come to figure so prominently in this election of the Democratic nominee all of the sudden, and the people here know that and they're extremely excited about it.
Also taking advantage of CNN's conversations with black America to gain insight into this uniquely and historic race-influenced political situation that we find ourselves in.
Final few hours, though, pushing across the state of Pennsylvania for both Democratic candidates and we've been following -- our cameras have been all over the state. Here's the map as we've been following it. It shows the stops today from road-weary senators, Clinton and Obama. Senator Barack Obama appeared before supporters in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was also in Bethlehem and he was also in Scranton -- Scranton, the home of the ancestors of Hillary Clinton, is that a fair...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many, many, many years ago. SANCHEZ: Many, many years ago. OK. Senator Hillary Clinton, for her part, speaking today in Bethlehem. She was also in Abington and Johnstown and she was also in --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Penn State.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Penn State.
SANCHEZ: Penn State University. Thank you very much.
Clinton hits Obama on health care today. Now, he's saying that he's been misrepresenting her health care plan or that she has. Obama is accusing Clinton, the campaign, of manufacturing fake controversies. Sharply negative campaigning continuing on both sides as we count down to the crucial Pennsylvania primaries. Both sides launching waves of really toughly-worded mailers and matching attack ads as well.
And there continues to be a lot of talk about the controversial ABC debate this week. Did you catch that debate? It was the last one before the Pennsylvania primary. Today George Stephanopoulos, one of the debate moderators, ran a clip of Senator Obama complaining about the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Last night Senator Clinton and I had our 21st debate of the year and you know, you've just got kind of let it -- you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Now, that is what he said but some people would think that may not be fair. It made him seem like he really didn't have an argument, that he was just upset about something in the debate. Well, what was that something? We want to run a clip now, to be fair, about what Senator Obama's main complaint really was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Last night I think we set a new record because it took us 45 minutes before we even started talking about a single issue that matter to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right. You might say it's fair criticism, but it makes sense. These guys at ABC are going defend their debate and they did. He had a panel with him and every one of them stuck by George Stephanopoulos.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COKIE ROBERTS, ABC NEWS: The truth is that candidates are going get these kinds of questions and if he doesn't think -- you know, I mean I know you and Charlie have taken some heat, but the fact is that, you know, these are the kinds of questions that will come up in a general election.
SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS: Hey, George, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: Exactly. Right. (INAUDIBLE)
DONALDSON: The Obama supporters, a lot of them feel there's an entitlement there, at least when I talk to them. It's not as if, well, I hope he wins and we'll work very hard and all of that, you know, then I'll consider it when it get bad. It's if he doesn't win, he'll -- it's cheat. There's unfair about this, guys, grow up. This is politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Guys, grow up. It's politics.
I want to take it to our panel now and let me start with this question. If you're going to allow, in this case, someone who's criticizing you or taking a shot at you, don't you have to let them take the shot? Don't you have to let them -- put them on the air and say what they were angry about?
RENEE AMOORE, PA. REPUBLICAN STATE CMTE.: It's the whole thing. You have to put the whole thing on, not just sound bites. The media is showing the -- first sound bites of this one.
SANCHEZ: It doesn't?
LARRY CEISLER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I would say, guys, grow up, it's entertainment. I was there.
SANCHEZ: Really?
CEISLER: I was in that debate.
SANCHEZ: And?
CEISLER: And I thought that they started the debate right because they had to get people to stay with them. I mean, when Charlie Gibson went to the stuff about capital gains I was in the third row. I was about to fall asleep. So I think that it's entertainment on the debate side. And also...
SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE).
CEISLER: But listen, but I think also Stephanopoulos should have shown the whole clip...
AMOORE: The whole clip.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
CEISLER: And they could have had that debate there because, you know what? That's entertainment, too.
SANCHEZ: It seems to me like somebody who's never watched this and only watches news on Sunday morning said that as if, what was this about? Why was Barack Obama angry, right? Dick?
DICK POLMAN, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Well, yes. I mean, let's remember that -- I actually defend -- I mean I don't like the way they went about doing it.
SANCHEZ: Right.
POLMAN: Stephanopoulos. But I would defend the right to ask what are often like -- which I thought a lot of them were sort of like, maybe even stupidly provocative questions, but I'll defend the right to do that because I think actually a lot of times candidates have to prove that they can handle these kinds of questions.
I mean I remember 1988 debate when Bernard Shaw on CNN and Michael Dukakis, what would happen if your wife, Kitty Dukakis, was raped and murdered, what -- how would feel, you know, how would you handle that?
SANCHEZ: And there was a lot of hear over that.
POLMAN: And in the end, and he gave this incredibly sort of cool, dispassionate, you know, almost ACLU kind of response in a way.
SANCHEZ: And it said a lot about them.
POLMAN: And it's -- because people thought...
SANCHEZ: Yes.
POLMAN: ...but this guy just does not have the visceral connection.
SANCHEZ: But let me ask you a question.
POLMAN: And I thought that was character reveal.
SANCHEZ: There's this symbiotic relationship between us in the news media and the politicians at this point. Maybe more heated now than ever before. So things like this are going to happen. It can happen at my own network. It happened at theirs. Shouldn't they have been more transparent this morning in explaining exactly what it was the person is criticizing you for even to the point of going above and beyond?
CEISLER: No, there's no doubt, because I think that that's what people turned into that show for this morning because they knew the criticism of the debate and they wanted to see how Stephanopoulos and ABC were going to handle it.
AMOORE: But now, they didn't see the whole thing. That wasn't fair.
SANCHEZ: Right. No, no.
(CROSSTALK) CEISLER: I agree with you there.
AMOORE: Exactly. (INAUDIBLE)...
SANCHEZ: They had three panelists basically saying, no, George, you're a great guy, and the Obama people are dead wrong.
AMOORE: Exactly. It's confusing.
CEISLER: It's the same as the military analyst.
AMOORE: That's exactly. That's true.
CEISLER: It's the same thing. You know, they were in the in-house spokesmen who were working off the talking points.
SANCHEZ: All right.
AMOORE: And again...
POLMAN: One other problem -- I'm sorry.
AMOORE: That's OK.
POLMAN: One other problem is that Stephanopoulos, I think the fact that he used to work for the Clintons...
AMOORE: Exactly.
POLMAN: ...I thought in some ways -- I mean I defend the right to ask the questions but unfortunately it kind of opens itself up to people saying, well, you know, he worked with the Clintons, no wonder he was more...
AMOORE: And he came across very mild.
POLMAN: ...you know, tougher on Obama.
AMOORE: He came across very mild.
SANCHEZ: You think he came across mild?
AMOORE: He came across very mild.
CEISLER: You know, as far as I'm -- the opening question was a bitter question. OK? Obama should have been practising that for days and you know what? He mussed it. I don't know whether he lost his train of thought.
AMOORE: He probably had been practicing but he's not (INAUDIBLE) to that question. He's not...
SANCHEZ: But he's not good -- you know, he's great with audiences. He's obviously a very eloquent man and he does that have -- boy, I'm going to use that word again, I've been getting a lot of heat for it -- he does have that (INAUDIBLE) that Bill Clinton had for example. AMOORE: OK. Wow.
SANCHEZ: But do you think...
AMOORE: Very elitist.
SANCHEZ: Did you just say I was elitist?
AMOORE: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Go ahead.
SANCHEZ: Do you think in this case that he's not as good when he's asked to put questions together in a stringent, more strict format?
CEISLER: Rick, he didn't have it that night. I mean he lost his train of thought on the first question and it was downhill from there, but he just does not do well in those debates, and I think what Hillary Clinton was trying to say is, hey, look, he's going to have to go up against John McCain, if he's the nominee. If he can't handle me, how's he going to handle McCain?
SANCHEZ: Well, if he has the bitter thing and it's...
(APPLAUSE)
SANCHEZ: If he has the bitter thing and he also had a situation with this debate, why are the polls showing that he's tightening things with Hillary Clinton? Are the polls wrong?
CEISLER: No.
AMOORE: I don't think the polls wrong. I think people...
SANCHEZ: Shouldn't he be down by bigger points?
AMOORE: I think the Pennsylvanians are very honest about who are they going to vote for. They're not going lie about that. But I think what's happened in this that people just hear Obama talking about change, change, change, and what's coming across is there's no substance about the change, but people want a change, because they just don't like the Bush administration. That's what it's about.
SANCHEZ: Yes, yes, yes. The question is yes, what kind of change. All right. We're going to live it there. We're going to come back to you guys. Thanks for tonight.
Why are we here in Pennsylvania? What's the big deal about this particular state all of a sudden? Many people around the country are watching this, maybe asking. Well, nobody breaks it down like our own John King when it comes to explaining who's voting for whom and where the demographic, geographic kind of thing that John does. He does this with each candidate and he talks tonight about what these candidates need to do to get a win.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the things that makes Pennsylvania so fascinating, not only in this Democratic primary, but as we look for lessons heading forward to the November battleground, not only in Pennsylvania, but across the country, is the diversity of this large state.
Historic here in Philadelphia. It is an eastern city, a large African-American population, much more like New York than say Pittsburgh to the west. Philadelphia is the critical city in Pennsylvania because of the population and because of the Democratic turnout inside the city. Pittsburgh out here in the West, once the capital of steel, the gateway to the Midwest. Pittsburgh much more a Midwestern city is as Philadelphia is an eastern city.
Still a critical battleground for the Democrats here, an area where they must run up big numbers in the general election.
Then you get into the central part of the state, which is fascinating. This area here from Lancaster all of the way out here is what locals called the tee. They come up through the central part of the start. They go across to the New York border. This is the -- culturally conservative, agricultural area, rural area, a much more Republican, almost like a southern vote in its voting patterns.
We can show you what we mean by that by going back to 2000. You see the results in 2000, Al Gore is blue. He wins in the blue color quarters in the east and the west and the heartland, the middle of the state overwhelmingly for George W. Bush, not enough for Bush to carry the state. He lost it both in 2000 here and again in 2004, but you see where the culturally conservative voters are in the middle of the state, you see where the blue color Democratic turnout is in the east of the state.
This is worth remembering as we head forward to November. If John McCain is going to make this a red state come November, he not only has to do what George W. Bush did out here in the middle part, but he has to do better than George W. Bush over here in the east especially in the suburban color just around Philadelphia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You guys want to know what the weather is going to be like on Tuesday when you have to go vote? You want to know? You need to know that, right? And ot could have political implications as well.
Let's go to Jacqui Jeras. She's standing by for us. She's going to tell us what you can expect on Tuesday when you get up real early in the morning when you go vote for your candidate.
Jacqui, what you got?
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Music to some of the people of Pennsylvania.
Thanks so much, Jackie. Let me ask you, guys, real quick, who is favored by a rainy day or who gets hurt?
CEISLER: To me it doesn't matter. People are coming out in this election.
SANCHEZ: Pennsylvanians are going to vote.
AMOORE: It's the first time. It's the first time.
CEISLER: And Pennsylvanians come out.
AMOORE: Usually sometimes it affects the minority vote, but people will come out because of what Larry said earlier, it's the first time...
SANCHEZ: You don't think African-Americans will stay in?
AMOORE: No, they'll come out because this is important for them...
SANCHEZ: OK.
AMOORE: ...especially for Obama.
POLMAN: It's a transformative race that trumps meteorology.
SANCHEZ: Wind, rain, snow, no matter what, they're going to vote.
POLMAN: (INAUDIBLE) snow.
SANCHEZ: Interesting. That's a -- heck of a thing to say about the people of Pennsylvania.
AMOORE: We vote.
SANCHEZ: Coming up, take a listen to this by the way. I want you to hear this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB JOHNSON, BET FOUNDER: She was talking about the numerical fact of the demographics of the core Democratic Party. Not that he wouldn't get it if -- not that he didn't deserve them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Bob Johnson. He founded BET. He says what Geraldine Ferraro said about Obama's blackness is right on, and he's defending it. Don Lemon has the latest in this controversial statement.
Also, I spent the month traveling the country including big parts of Pennsylvania talking to first-time voters, newly pumped up, energized people.
Up next hear what they have to say immigration, the economy, the war and Osama bin Laden. Stay with us. We're live from the University of Pennsylvania.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (on camera): Sam Donaldson at one point said "Look, Barack Obama supporters, get over it." Do you think Sam Donaldson is right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
SANCHEZ: No?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I think you're running for president of the United States, you've got to be up to the challenge and be able to address the questions as they happen.
SANCHEZ: So you think he should have been able to handle them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Yes, we got the chants in the background. We got the folks here cheering. We are at the University of Pennsylvania, never to be confused with Penn State, by the way. People here will really come after you if you do that.
Talk -- a conversation with black America now, something we at CNN have been focusing on. Bob Johnson is the founder of Black Entertainment Television, the founder, by the way. He's supporting Hillary Clinton ardently and he is getting a lot of heat from people inside the African-American community, who say, look, it's not that you're supporting her. It's perfectly fine you do that, some are saying it's just too much. It's almost like you're over the top. In some cases, some have said to me he almost sounds mean.
Don Lemon sat down and talked to him at the CNN center. He's joining us now to bring us up to date.
What does he say when he hears these comments? And I guarantee you he's heard plenty.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's hears a lot of if as our -- have a lot of people who -- a lot of African-Americans, Rick, as you know, who support Hillary Clinton, they get the brunt of it. People -- some people saying they're betraying their race. Why do we care what Bob Johnson has to say? Well, he started Black Entertainment, multibillionaire, sold it for $3 billion and worth much more than that today.
But it was a surprise to some that he was supporting Hillary Clinton and not Barack Obama. And by the way, I got to tell you this, Rick. He said when Barack Obama came to Washington early on, he held one of the very first fundraisers for Barack Obama and supporters of them early on, but he does not believe that Barack Obama can win the White House in November. And we'll talk about that.
But one thing that got him into trouble early on, one was the comment he made about Barack Obama and a Hillary Clinton stump a couple of months back about what he was doing when he was out in the community, you know, referring to his drug use that he's written about, Barack Obama, that he's already written about, and then another one just the other day about Geraldine Ferraro. He said Geraldine Ferraro was right, basically, when she said this, "If Obama was a white man he would not be in this position and if he was a woman he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is and the country is caught up in the concept."
Is the country caught up in the concept? I talked to Bob Johnson about that and about a couple of other things about black people being so passionate about this election and why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (on camera): But more passionate this time, it appears, African-Americans are now that there is a black candidate in the race.
JOHNSON: Oh that's just natural that African-Americans see a chance for a black person to have the most important job in the world. There's no doubt that they would be proud and passionate. I think where they go overboard when they close their mind to responsible criticism, and they should be asking is, can he win in November or do we care whether he can win in November? We just want to see him nominated for the presidency.
LEMON: And you don't he can win in November?
JOHNSON: don't think Barack Obama can beat John McCain in November, no.
LEMON: So Geraldine Ferraro, you said, what she said you believe to be accurate.
JOHNSON: She was talking about the numerical fact of the demographics of the core Democratic Party, not that he wouldn't get it if -- not that he didn't deserve them.
LEMON: So why didn't it come out that bay? Why were people offended by it?
JOHNSON: Because Geraldine Ferraro is white. This is a hair-trigger kind of election and some black folks do get mad at that and I think it's just because they are so proud of Barack Obama that they lose sight of the fact that this is an election, we're in a free democracy where people are entitled to their opinion.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And then after that interview, he said, "You know, Don, I want to clarify," Rick. He said, "I want to clarify -- I don't think that -- I think," he said, "I think Hillary Clinton is the best person to go up against John McCain in November, not that Barack Obama can't win." He doubts that he can win, but he says Hillary Clinton, best person to go up against John McCain and the Republicans in November.
SANCHEZ: I'll tell you it's a bold stand.
LEMON: Yes.
SANCHEZ: It's a bold stand that he's taken. A lot of people have been shaking their heads about it, but you know what? This is America. You choose your own candidate. You don't let anybody else choose them for you.
Don, thanks so much for being with us.
LEMON: All right. Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: You know what we're going do? We're -- I'm going to introduce you to something that's brand new. It's called the league of first-time voters. I have been spending the last month going all over the United States in particular here in Pittsburgh -- I mean in Pennsylvania, Philly, I should say, but I was thinking about Scranton because I found different groups of people in Scranton. I also went to Penn State. I also went to Detroit where I talked to Muslims. I talked to women who were ardently for Barack Obama and others who were ardently for Hillary Clinton.
Here now this new group of people in this country who are so pumped, so juiced, they are newly energized and we call them the league of first-time voters. Here's a taste.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (on camera): Raise your hand if you're going to vote. For the first time maybe in a while?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First time ever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ever.
SANCHEZ: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are people that I've met that are totally not into politics whatsoever, and just because of that they're fired up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're excited about what's going. Like this is really happening.
SANCHEZ: Are you excited about voting this year? You've got everything filed and you're ready to go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I know for elections is well, I'm going vote for the least of the two evils and I fell like, especially with the Democratic campaign this year, that's not how it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an election where we face several challenges and there are several issues that, I think, are equally important.
SANCHEZ: Should we have gone to Iraq in the first place?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
SANCHEZ: Period?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saddam Hussein is a brutal dictator, killing thousands of his own people. He used weapons of mass destruction against his own people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are getting the wrong image and connecting the wrong people in thinking that terrorism from the 9/11 attacks is linked to Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think if the U.S. was really concerned about fostering a stable democracy in -- Iraq it would look to the kind of indigenous forces that are really in favor of democracy. I mean it's framed as something that's like a foreign imposition and some people see it as almost like new imperialism or something like that. Then I think it's just really counterproductive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Barack Obama were to become president and we were to pull out all our troops immediately, we'd leave it in chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But maybe it's our influence there that's causing them do anything wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe it's a bad situation there right now, but it's the kind of bad situation that is long term and you really have to wait until years after Bush's presidency to see the effects of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I made a mistake, I should have fixed the problem. I don't try to just walk away and pretend it's not going to be -- not be a problem anymore.
SANCHEZ: If John McCain said if we had to be there for a hundred years, we should be there. Do you agree?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He didn't say that Americans are going to be there for 100 years, fighting and fighting and fighting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to have a presence there until it's done, but I think it's really hard to ask Americans to keep giving lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And every missile that we drop that lands on an innocent and kills more people just creates more cycle of terrorism.
SANCHEZ: Do you think our policy in Iraq and our policy throughout the Middle East has actually helped Osama bin Laden?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We've given him what he wanted? Is that what you think?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives him more people to sympathize with his cause.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's the diplomacy? Where's creative thinking? The alternative solutions?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to make the diplomats more important than the military.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to talk to the people regardless of whether or not we like them. How else do you fix the issues that you have between countries if the leaders won't even talk to each other?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once you get to know people it's hard to have animosity for each other.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it is very naive to think that you can somehow negotiate with an organization or leader that wants to see your destruction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have we been doing to help our world and our actions internationally? Is our foreign policy helping others or are we just helping ourselves?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking with a new leadership with new direction. We need a leadership that will work to enhance and restore the American image abroad especially in the Muslim world.
SANCHEZ: You guys would like to see Hillary Clinton win, if for no other reason to say we have arrived, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Yes and no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes and no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm voting for Hillary Clinton, but not just because we're of the same sex.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a great club, but it's not the reason that driving me to her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's gutsy and gets up and keeps rolling. That's the kind of president I want.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When people talk about empowering women, what else could be more empowering than seeing a -- like a woman, a figure to kind of follow in the footsteps of? You know when these men say speeches and they say, you know, in the words of Kennedy, in the words of blah, blah, blah, I like to say, in the words of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
SANCHEZ: He's black. That's got to mean something to you. Does it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, of course, it's nice that he's a black man. I'm very excited for the fact that an African-American man has the opportunity to be president of the United States, but at same time it's his message. It's what he has to say that is so important. It's not, you know, it's not always about the person's color. It's definitely what they offer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something as big as, you know, the president of the United States, color, race, gender, that needs to be eliminated at that point because the role is so big. So you know, I think it's just dumb for people to be, like, oh, you know, he's black. This is the president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not just about race. Our country is having a major problem. We talk about the economy. We talk about the war in Iraq. We're having problems. So we're looking for an answer. And so to me we shouldn't look for the color for the answer, we should look for the answer to the problem.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want to change another Clinton for another Bush or a Bush for a Clinton. I want someone, you know -- I think that's what we need right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he is a smooth-talking politician and a wonderful, charismatic speech deliverer as well. I'm not convinced, though, that he can actually withstand the force of the Republican machine if he makes it through the primaries.
SANCHEZ: Who here thinks that John McCain will be able to bring the Republican Party together?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're going to talk about the evangelical vote, like the religious right, I think that, while they may not love John McCain, he may not have been their guy, I don't believe they're going to vote for Hillary, for Obama over...
SANCHEZ: No, but they'll stay home. They won't vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's the scary part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John McCain was a leader on guest worker program that would allow people to come in here, work and then go back to their home countries, which is what these people want.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We haven't reached across that border and so that ignorance about them creates a fear which leads to hate which ultimately starts a downward spiral because they're in our country and we're divided against ourselves.
SANCHEZ: But you're energized this time around.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we are. Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are six passionate chicks. And each one of us wants to win this because it means a lot to each of us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: These are people who are going to be voting for the very first time and, man, I've got to tell you, they are as pumped as ever. We call it the "League of First-Time Voters." That was really a compilation report that we put for you there, a little slice of some of the people that we've talked to, African-American students in Atlanta, at Spellman College, Muslim students in Detroit, you know, really an array of different people.
Tomorrow we're going start this by debuting it at -- on "AMERICAN MORNING" right here on CNN and you'll see the first complete report that we have -- that we're going to be bringing you on "League of First-Time Voters" are. Look forward to it. It should be good. I know it's early, but I've got to get up. You do, too.
Hear interview with Representative Patrick Murphy. He's going to be joining us as well to tell us what it's like to be the most young guy in Congress and be representing, in this case, who he is. We'll tell you what that is.
And then we're also following this story. A rash of shootings in Chicago. We'll give you the very latest on that and a lot more. We're live tonight at the University of Pennsylvania in Pennsylvania because this is the is primary in 48 hours, and this town is pumped. Stay with us. We're coming right back.
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VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. I'm Veronica De La Cruz. Back to RICK ON THE ROAD in a moment, but first, a check of the headlines.
An explosion of violence in Chicago this weekend. Police report 26 shootings in the city since Friday afternoon, four of them fatal. Most were gang related. Last year on the same weekend 19 shootings were reported. Police blame rising temperatures and a whole lot more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUPT. JODY WEIS, CHICAGO POLICE: But the reality is that no city is immune from the proliferation of illegal guns, gangs and drugs. Police are placing themselves in harm's way, 24 hours a day, seven days a week confronted by AK-47s and other powerful weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Chicago police say they're adding police patrols and looking to go after gang leaders.
Well, gas prices have hit another record and a top analyst does not expect them to go down any time soon. The latest "Lundberg Survey" says the national average is now $3.47 for a gallon of unleaded. AAA, which uses a different averaging method, says prices have topped $3.49 a gallon. Higher crude oil and ethanol crisis are blamed for the surge.
In London, a media uproar is brewing over word that Prince William flew a military helicopter to his girlfriend's parents' home during a training flight. The Defense Ministry says William's flight was part of the prince's pilot training, but critics call it a big waste of resources. Prince William and Kate Middleton have been dating since they first met in college.
Well, you heard why Philadelphia's mayor is supporting Hillary Clinton. Coming up next, a Pennsylvania congressman who calls Barack Obama the most inspirational leader he has ever met. RICK ON THE ROAD LIVE with Representative Patrick Murphy.
And the question dodging John McCain, does he have the temperament to be president? We head back to Rick live in Philadelphia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. We're live in Philadelphia, and I should tell you something, you know, it's now 20 to midnight and look at these people over here. Don't these people work? They're still here, they're still excited. I don't think anybody's going sleep in this town between now and next Tuesday. I know somebody who is probably not going get a lot of sleep because he's been rooting and hollering for Barack Obama.
The Pennsylvania primary just two days away. We've already heard from Philadelphia's mayor about why he's going to vote for Senator Clinton. Now let's listen to the other side, Pennsylvania congressman Patrick Murphy with that baby face representing the youth vote, I guess. He is a huge Senator Obama supporter.
We are joined now by Congressman Patrick Murphy with that youthful face, as a matter of fact, and he is, maybe you can see it on his face, a Barack Obama supporter. I suppose because you're young as many of his supporters are and also because you are somebody who is from a district where a lot of people have been rooting for Barack Obama, right?
REP. PATRICK MURPHY (D), PENNSYLVANIA: That's part. I'm part of the Philadelphia suburbs and I do have a small slice of Philadelphia. But I'll tell you, Rick, the most reason why, not because I'm young, but because he has a unique ability to inspire people who've never been in politics before. And also my wife is Republican. She voted for George Bush twice, Rick.
SANCHEZ: That must going real well.
MURPHY: Well, I learned bipartisanship the hard way. Have to sleep on my own couch.
SANCHEZ: Well, you guys are doing real well right now.
MURPHY: He is. It's terrific.
SANCHEZ: I mean, look, the thing is breaking toward four or five points according to some of the polls. How confident are you?
MURPHY: Well, listen. Polls don't vote, Rick, you know people vote. And we need to make sure we mobilize the grassroots campaign that we've been able to build here in Pennsylvania and all throughout the country.
SANCHEZ: What do you think will make or break his way?
MURPHY: Well, I think the fact that, you know, there are so many people who registered now to vote that never voted before and also Republicans like my wife who voted and change their registration to vote this Tuesday and it's exciting, and I think it's going to be a close one.
SANCHEZ: Yes, but he did say some things that people have latched on to which in the middle of the state in particular he could get hurt and it's hard to read that. These polls that we've been sharing with viewers may not be reading that accurately, right?
MURPHY: Well, you know, listen, I know you're referencing the bitter comment. The fact are people across Pennsylvania are frustrated.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MURPHY: Rick, we have lost one million jobs to -- because of unfair foreign trade deals that we have and the fact is that Barack Obama gets it. He understands we need to compete, American workers and anyone else in the country with the world.
SANCHEZ: Look, I get it. And I think people can spin that thing either way. And they could say, you know, he was just saying what people are feeling or you can say he used words that sounded a little bit condescending.
MURPHY: Well, he said this and I mangled the statement. I should have used better verbiage, and I made a mistake. But the sentiments, though, Rick, are true.
SANCHEZ: So you don't think it's going hurt him.
MURPHY: No. I think people -- I think as the media spend -- no offense to you, but I think the media try to make it a really a mountain out of a mole hill.
SANCHEZ: Why do you think he has such youthful support? Like at this university and others that I've gone since?
MURPHY: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Why are they going so behind Barack Obama? What is it?
MURPHY: Because, you know, he represents, you know, a new chapter in politics and transcends political parties, really. It's really a movement and it's just incredible to be, you know, part of it because people are so inspired. I met this young woman named Joy, 20 years old, she came to me, she said, "Congressman, I'm supporting Barack Obama." I said that's great. Now I'm going to tell you why. She said, "My brother is a Marine. He just left on his fourth deployment and we feel if Barack Obama is the next commander in chief, he might not have to go back for a fifth time."
That's what they get. They understand it. It's their colleagues that are going to overseas.
SANCHEZ: You're an Iraq war veteran.
MURPHY: That's right. I was captain with 82nd Airborne.
SANCHEZ: And you know, we're proud to say that and have someone like you here talking to us about that. But do you believe at this point that that will be one of the defining issues in this campaign? The polls aren't showing that, by the way.
MURPHY: Right.
SANCHEZ: They're saying it's the economy.
MURPHY: Right.
SANCHEZ: Do you think it's more than the polls show?
MURPHY: Absolutely. Listen, people get it in America. They understand that if you're spending $3 trillion in Iraq that's $3 trillion you can't spend on the economy...
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MURPHY: ...for green collar manufacturing jobs.
SANCHEZ: But can they go together?
MURPHY: Right. Absolutely. They go together. I mean the political pundits in Washington are too smart. They're overthinking this thing. It all -- it' iinterconnected, Rick, and people in Pennsylvania and across America understand it, and that's why Barack Obama is getting that support.
SANCHEZ: Babyfaced Patrick Murphy, the youngest guy in Congress. Thanks for being with us, Congressman. We certainly appreciate it.
MURPHY: Thank you. I appreciate it. Any time.
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
He does have that baby face thing going, doesn't he?
CEISLER: He is one matured politician.
SANCHEZ: Is he?
CEISLER: He's great.
SANCHEZ: Yes. He's 34 years old, which is...
CEISLER: He could be president one day. SANCHEZ: You know what I'm finding -- I mean as I go around this state, there's something about Pennsylvanians that maybe I didn't know until I started spending a lot of -- there's something really genuine about the people who live in Pennsylvania. I don't know, but I know that that's probably the best word to describe it. It may be a Midwestern thing, but it's there.
It's real and you see it every time you sit down to talk to anybody on either side of this political debate we seem to be having.
How about John McCain? The "Washington Post" is reporting that many of his colleagues are saying his temper is to the point where they think it could affect him. They write about actual altercations between McCain and some of his colleagues where this temper situation had another one of his colleagues, another senator, had to come in and break up a shoving match. We'll give you the details when we come back, stay with us and our panel. We'll be right back from the University of Pennsylvania.
Here we are.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean the man's been through a whole lot, military career and all, I mean, to say he has an awful temper, I don't know. I think he's probably got a better temperament for it than some other people because he actually knows what's going on.
Some guys when they get excited they lose their composure and then to (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And we're back here at the University of Pennsylvania, the crowd is getting into it, still, getting late in the evening, but like I said it does appear that most people are so pumped they're going to continue with this thing.
Let's go back to this "Washington Post" story that I was alluding to just moments ago. It's about Senator John McCain and the "Washington Post" writes, page one, that he gets into a tit for tat with Senator Grassley in the early 1990s. Now listen to a couple of other times when McCain recently got a little hot under the collar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks for the question, you little jerk.
Insensitive to what? The Iranians?
There's no one, you know it's true.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, you said... MCCAIN: So -- no, you know it. You know it.
My response is, lighten up and get a life. You mean the little guy that said that I was suffering from Alzheimer's? He was a little jerk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Now I happen to think that's just being honest and being candid and being real. But there are some serious questions. Not raised by members of the media, but by his fellow members of the Senate who have directed some very serious accusations about, and I'm going to direct that question to my panel now.
You've heard -- I mean some of the comments are that with Grassley, he was actually in a shoving match. No punches were thrown, but that another senator had to come in. In fairness to the senator, this was back in 1992.
AMOORE: Correct.
SANCHEZ: So what you do is, I guess, you look for a pattern. Are there enough people saying that? Do you follow these, guys? Do you see it? Is it legitimate?
POLMAN: Well, I think it's legitimate to raise it, but on the other hand, I'm not a great defender of McCain. The media sometimes is too easy on him, but by the same token, I think that very often people in public life, politicians on the national stage are large characters and a lot of them have tempers, and I don't necessarily see in his particular case that -- I mean, the fact that he does the...
SANCHEZ: Why does it keep coming up, Larry?
AMOORE: Because they have to come up with something. I'm sorry, Larry. They have to come up with something. That's the bottom line. They don't have anything else. There's no pattern in there that he has -- you know, these angry temper tantrums and all these other things. We've seen politicians do worse here in Pennsylvania.
SANCHEZ: Yes, but you always say it smells like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck.
CEISLER: Bottom line, I don't think he's popular with his colleagues and I think that this is why it comes out.
SANCHEZ: Really?
CEISLER: To the most part, they didn't support him for president. Look, what I've heard is he gets along better with the Democrats than he does with the Republicans.
SANCHEZ: Well, how's a guy going to get elected president who he gets along better has with the Democrats when he's got to get the evangelical vote? He's got to get the hard-right vote.
CEISLER: I'm just talking about 48 other senators.
SANCHEZ: Right. But those are the guys who have to go out and talk to their constituents for you when you're going to go up against Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
CEISLER: Well, I think it's going to be a problem for him. But I mean in terms of the temper, look, all you've got to worry about is he's not having a bad day and, you know, he's going to put his finger on the button. I mean, look, Bill Clinton, what they used to call the purple fits or whatever.
SANCHEZ: Are you saying that because you think that's a legitimate problem for a guy in the highest office in the country?
CEISLER: Think it could be, but you have to hope that the person is rational. I mean look these are passionate...
SANCHEZ: There's a legitimate concern for Americans to consider, the fact that some people say he has a temper issue.
AMOORE: It's part of his character. You know, and they're talking about character. They want to find out about the candidates. I don't think there is a pattern or anything like that and to go back to the 48 senators, the bottom line is they're coming together and they're going to support him, not the Democratic candidate.
SANCHEZ: That's fair. That's fair. Well, and listen. You guys follow these things and I appreciate you sharing something, and people talk about it, they talk about. The "Washington Post" ran this story and a lot of people will be talking about it. I imagine as well, tomorrow. We're going to have another segment coming up in just a little bit.
We're going to get you -- let you get to know some of the people who've been with us throughout the day as well as we're live from Philly without the cheesesteak. Stay with us. We're going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: You know, I came to Philadelphia wondering what this town was going to be like, and I realize that this is a great town and it's a great town because of its people. And it's what -- people is what make great places. Now I'm telling you, great people in Pennsylvania, I am so impressed.
People like these guys, what, more than two decades of experience. Democratic strategist Larry Ceisler, who's been with us today, insightful Ceisler, they call him. Renee Amoore, the first female African-American ever to chair a Pennsylvania delegation to the Republican National Convention. She's in the GOP and she's had the guts to be here tonight talking about Dems. And the "Philadelphia Enquirer's" national political columnist, Dick Polman who's really as good as they get, they say. Other reporters are envious of his leads and stuff like that.
All right. Tuesday, what's going on happen?
CEISLER: Ok. Here's how it goes. Clinton wins, if she wins by double digits she has a great argument going forward.
SANCHEZ: If not...
CEISLER: Wait a minute. Five to ten, it's a push. Five and under she better think about getting out.
SANCHEZ: Wow. Renee?
AMOORE: Obama will win Philadelphia. That's the bottom line and probably Pittsburgh and McCain will win in November.
SANCHEZ: Dick.
POLMAN: If Obama wins this primary this race is over. If Clinton wins this, by, say, 5, six, seven points, we slug on to the next round.
SANCHEZ: I'll be watching this with you and I'm going to be sticking around and I will get that Philly cheesesteak, by golly.
AMOORE: All right. All right.
SANCHEZ: Thanks very much, guys, for being with us. It is absolutely wonderful to have you guys here and we've got our students over here as well. Let's get a little reaction from the students (INAUDIBLE) as possibly we can. You guys have been patiently wondering all night. Come on up. I've got to ask you the question of the hour.
What do you think is going to happen this Tuesday? First with Miss Barack Obama Supporter over here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Think that either Hillary will win by less than five points and that's great for Obama. I think that he'll eventually get the nomination.
SANCHEZ: You say that he will win it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I think he'll eventually get the nomination. I don't know if he'll win Pennsylvania or not. We'll see.
SANCHEZ: Does Barack Obama have what it takes to take on the GOP?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: What if they do to him what they did to Kerry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think in the national, I think Obama is the kind of person who's really going to bring the world together and create a sense of cooperation and accommodation so Obama is the man.
SANCHEZ: There you go. Obama is the man. They say Hillary -- Fenice(ph), how much time do we have left?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One minute.
SANCHEZ: Let's go to the audience. We want to thank you guys for being with us tonight. Thanks for sticking in there. It's been great. And we want to -- go, yes, go Hillary. Go Barack. Go McCain.
Thank you for being with us tonight and for bringing us the latest. Good-bye, Philadelphia. We appreciate it. You're very nice. Thanks so much for coming out. Thanks for sticking out with us as well.
