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Voting Emergency in Florida?; Fed Cuts Key Interest Rate
Aired October 29, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Coming at you right now: Florida's governor calls it a state of emergency, a voting emergency, people waiting in line for hours on end.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stayed in long lines to shop, six hours to vote.
SANCHEZ: And it's not just in Florida. Somebody is conning people out of their absentee ballots. Don't worry. I will send them in. Yes, right. You are telling us about it. We are checking it out.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When two mavericks join up, we don't agree on everything, but that is a lot of fun.
SANCHEZ: Is the McCain-Palin rift officially over?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is an unbelievable crowd for this kind of weather.
SANCHEZ: Obama in the rain among thousands. Then lightning strikes. We will show it to you.
Ted Stevens, guilty, still a senator. Larry Craig, guilty, still a senator. And now this lawmaker on camera allegedly stuffing bribe money in her bra, a special report on political wrist slaps.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DE), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hey, maverick. I'm a maverick. You're a maverick.
SANCHEZ: And six days before the election, is the pit bull finally showing some bite?
The show where you tell us what you want to know on Twitter, Facebook, and more. Your newscast begins now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.
There is literally a litany of voter issues that we have to get through at the beginning of this newscast.
Let's start with the most important one of all in the state of Florida. Governor Crist has decided to call it a state of emergency, because so many people are going to the polls, it seems like the state is not able to handle them.
So, here is what he has decided to do. In Florida, because of what is going on, because of the long lines, they are now going to go, mandated by this governor, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Every day, even Saturday and Sunday, they are going to be voting in the state of Florida.
But hold on just a minute. Apparently, it is not as easy as what the governor decides that he wants to do. Do you remember Volusia County? You are looking at pictures from there right now. The election official in Volusia County is telling the governor, Governor Crist, sorry, we can't do that. I can't turn my people around that fast. We don't have the personnel. We don't have the ability to do what you are asking us to do.
And there what you are looking at are voters who are literally being turned away. They have shown up in the morning expecting to vote and in Volusia County, they are being, sorry, we are not going to be able to do what the governor promised. So, we're going to try and work through that controversy.
In the meantime, in the state of Georgia, people are talking about lines where they have been waiting as long as four or five hours. One of those places has been Forsyth as well as Gwinnett County. These are some of the picture that we have been taking to you.
As a matter of fact, here is what we're going to do throughout this newscast for you. This is going to be something different. We are hoping to be able to pull it off, but we are all in this together, all right? We have sent a crew to Gwinnett County from where you see those pictures now where we are told the lines are as long as four or five hours and are wrapping around the parking lot.
They're going to choose a voter. We're going to give them a cell phone and we're going to check with them through this hour to see how far they progress in one hour in this line.
As a matter of fact, Rusty Dornin is our correspondent who is helping us to put this together. Rusty, I think you are on the phone with us, right? How are things going on out there?
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, we have got about 350 people in line in front of what used to be a Wal-Mart. And the election official here joked it looks like somebody is giving a lot of stuff away, because everyone are is lining up here from 4:30 and 5:00 in the morning, Rick, to get inside.
SANCHEZ: Oh, my goodness.
DORNIN: Now, earlier this week, because of problems with the computers, problems with election officials not showing up and that sort of thing, that there was up to seven- and eight-hour waits for people to vote. They have speeded things up. The equipment is up and running. They have got election officials in here trying to process people, but it is still taking three hours for people to get through the line.
Now, we have also been -- as you have said, we have been talking to Phillip Welch, who got in line about 2:30 this afternoon. And he is, oh, only about a quarter of the way through the line right now, Rick.
SANCHEZ: That is amazing. I will tell you what. As we progress with this newscast, what would be great if you can get us a telephone to him, and maybe he and I can have some conversations as we move forward in the newscast. Hopefully, we will do our first check in about 10 minutes or so as we go forward. Rusty Dornin, thanks so much.
Meanwhile, let me take you through this litany that I told you about a little while ago, all the other places around the country where they're having similar problems. I told you about Volusia County, right, in Florida, where they're having the differences with the governor?
Now let's talk about Colorado. There, the issue there is purging. Perhaps you have read about it. A federal judge, as we speak, is now holding a hearing to decide whether some of the voter rolls should be put back into work, in other words, whether these people who apparently been purged or thrown out or not being allowed to vote, whether they should be re-allowed to vote. It is a decision that is coming down as we speak. We are monitoring it and as soon as we get information on what the judge has decided in that case, we are going to bring it to you.
Meanwhile, "The New York Times" is reporting of illegal purges as well not only in Colorado, but in states like Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina. These are people who have been taken off of the voter rolls in those states, according to "The New York Times," because they didn't meet a certain criteria, which, according to them and according to legal officials, they shouldn't have been taken off.
In other words, they actually did meet the criteria. Let me take you into some of the other areas. Apparently, there is one woman who says that she was purged even though she has already voted twice and in the times that she voted, she has been living in that same house for eight years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARI CIOLI, PURGED VOTER: I cried this morning, because this election is huge. This election is huge and it is super important. And it is just -- there is too much at stake for our votes not to count.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So apparently it is an issue of how much I.D. you are supposed to show or whether you can prove that who you are, and some people are saying, this is who I am, and you are still not letting me vote. We are certainly going to be taking you through that also.
Now, in Dallas, voters apparently being turned away. We pick this up from "The Dallas Morning News." They are reporting today that in suburban Dallas, people are being turned away, asked for more I.D. than is actually necessary.
In Virginia, you ready? Fake flyers are telling Democrats that they don't vote on Tuesday, that only Republicans there are supposed to vote on Tuesday, and that Democrats need to come the next day, on Wednesday. Of course, it is bogus. That is not true. The fliers, they are taking them down, and now the state is having to issue a mandate so that people get the right information. That's Virginia.
In New York, registered voters haven't appeared in some of the state's voter rolls. In Miami, a mysterious man, according to "The Miami Herald," has gone into Hialeah, knocked on the doors of at least three different voters, asked them for their ballots, and taken them away, saying, don't worry. I will turn them in for you.
The man hasn't been seen. The voters say that they're mystified about this.
In the meantime, what we're going to be doing for you is following all of this information. In fact, you can go to CNN.com and there you will be able to scroll through and see every single incident that I have just described to you.
And here is the question. Are this isolated incidents or is this a huge problem? We are going to have a "TIME" correspondent who is going to joining us here in just little bit, Michael Scherer. He's going to be taking us through every one of the incidents that I just described, at least in terms of form, and talk about how big a problem this is come Election Day.
Also, the latest on the so-called rift between John McCain and Sarah Palin. Now there is this. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: When two mavericks join up, we don't agree on everything. But that is a lot of fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So, is the rift over? We will take that up as well.
Stay with us. A lot going on, and we will be checking back in with Gwinnett County to bring you up to date on what is going on with early voting, the problems as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Had a little problem with our Twitter board today, so we're going to be getting back to that probably in just a little bit. Yes, I know. Many of you are reaching out to us, and you are congratulating us for something that we achieved here yesterday, a bit of a milestone. We will be sharing that with you in just a little bit.
But first to Joe Biden. Remember when Joe Biden was called a pit bull when he was first announced by Barack Obama? Well, we hadn't heard much from him, but take a listen to this and see if that sounds like there is some bite back in the pit bull.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I turn on, there is John and Sarah Palin, and they're up there saying -- no, no, no, no, they are good folks. They are good folks.
But here is the part I love. Hey, maverick. I'm a maverick. You're a maverick. We are the maverick team, right?
You know, Brett and Bart Maverick. They are the mavericks, right? Well, you know what? To paraphrase a friend of Bill Nelson and mine, our colleague from Pennsylvania, a brilliant young senator named Bob Casey, Bobby Casey, to paraphrase him, he said, you know, you can't call yourself a maverick if all you have been in the last eight years is a sidekick.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Well, folks, it is George W. Bush and the sidekicks. That is what we are talking about. They are not mavericks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right. Let's do this now.
Maverick or no maverick, let's leave the politics behind and talk about the actual voting. That is what a lot of Americans, that's what a lot of you have been talking to us about. And we have been listening on Facebook, on MySpace, on Twitter, on CNN.com. So, we are going to be trying to answer some of your questions and take you through this litany that I have explained just a little while ago.
Joining us now from "TIME" magazine is Michael Scherer. He's a correspondent. In fact, he has just put together a series of reports on this.
I think you may have heard what I was just explaining a while ago. These are all of these incidents that seem to be taking place all over the country. I imagine some are more important and we probably need to give more credence than to some of the others. So, let's take them one at a time.
First, people not being allowed to vote because they say they have been purged illegally, how big of a problem is purging around the country?
MICHAEL SCHERER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: We don't know yet. We know millions and millions of people have been purged from the rolls, but we don't yet know whether they were improperly purged or properly purged. There are lots of good reasons to take people off the voting rolls. Someone dies. Someone moves out of state. Someone commits a felony. In a lot of states, felons are not allowed to vote. The problem is that these databases are incredibly bad at doing what they are supposed to do.
Political leaders tend to think of technology as a great solution to everything. But in Wisconsin, they compared their new voter registrations with the state department of motor vehicle database and they found that 22 percent of the names didn't match --
SANCHEZ: Great.
SCHERER: -- even though clearly it was not 22 percent of the people who signed up were not supposed to be on the rolls.
SANCHEZ: And that is what they are talking about in Colorado as well. They're saying up to 4,000 to 5,000 people who may have been removed from the voter rolls, and that is why there is a judge as we speak, right now, who is holding a hearing on this, and may actually say, no, those 4,000 or 5,000 people should be allowed to vote.
We're following that. If we get that reaction -- I'm glad we have you -- we will get your reacts on that as well.
Let's talk about the ACORN case. There is another one. This is about people who supposedly are fake and having registrations that don't really belong or correspond to them or people with the fake names, the old Mickey Mouse argument. How serious is this?
SCHERER: Right. Right.
It is a serious problem that you have anybody registering under names that don't exist. You have the Dallas Cowboys in Nevada. You have Mickey Mouse registering to vote in Florida. It is not the same, though, as voter fraud. What we're talking about is...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes, because those people are -- there is a difference between being registered and actually voting. Mickey Mouse will probably not get to vote.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHERER: That is right. Mickey Mouse would need an I.D. to vote and it's unlikely have will have an I.D.
The reason we have the ACORN problem is that they paid people to get registrations, so workers -- some workers were making up names to get paid. And there is no clear evidence that there was any intent to actually get fake people to the polls to vote, which is the concern with registration fraud.
So, you do have thousands of these examples and registrars are catching them and taking them off the rolls when they find them, but it is not the same and it's probably not going to be even close to the scale of the problem we talked about earlier, the purge problem. In recent elections, we have not had any widespread evidence -- any evidence of widespread voter fraud. That means people voting who shouldn't be voting.
SANCHEZ: Let me take you to the next one now. And this is a problem maybe in the inner cities. Why is it that in the inner cities or in low-income areas, they have equipment that is not as good as some of the other equipment in some of the suburban areas?
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: In fact, let me ask you the question just flat out. Why is there different types of equipment period all over the country?
SCHERER: It really has to do with our history. The founding fathers of this country did not create a right to vote in the Constitution. They just said people will be elected. The states, the localities, they will figure out how to do it.
And for years we have had a horrible record of doing this. You remember poll taxes and literacy tests in the South after the Civil War. You had similar problems up in the north, when reformers were trying to break the big urban political machines. And so there has always been this sort of tomfoolery. And it's always been a partisan war. And it always take place on local levels.
And we are talking about hundreds or thousands of little fights that are happening around the country right now when it comes to these things.
SANCHEZ: Is this -- because we have seen these problems before. It is not right that African-American communities or Hispanic communities get two or three little voting machines, one of which does not work, and another community has more than they need and they never have to wait in line. It is not right. Has that been addressed? Is it being addressed?
(CROSSTALK)
SCHERER: Well, the Obama campaign has had lawyers out there. They have been talking quietly in most cases to registrars giving them their models for turnout, trying to get the counties to get enough machines in the right places.
So, what this comes down to is, it is governed by state law. Some states have different rules. Like, you can have a certain -- I think it's 250 voters per machine in Wisconsin, but, if you are in Virginia, it can be as much as 750 voters per machine are the rules.
Then you have the actual calls that are made by local officials, the county officials, on the local level. And they, if they are using past voter turnout models, very possibly even with good intentions, could lead to the long lines you talked about at the top of the show.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And we are watching it. And you know what? your report is good.
And, you know, if you want to read something that takes you through it, I think it is called the seven problems that you might find out there? What was title of your article?
SCHERER: I think that's right. It is available at TIME.com.
SANCHEZ: TIME.com. There you go. We nailed it. We appreciate your time.
By the way, let's check back in with Gwinnett County. We told you from time to time we're going to seeing what is going on out there.
I don't know. Rusty Dornin -- oh, look, we have got the picture. The is the picture. Thank goodness for the line. We had a hard time getting this before. The picture is up. That is a parking lot as it was described to me earlier. Those are people who are showing up now.
Rusty, you there? All right. We don't have Rusty now. We have got the picture. We will try and put the two together for you when we come back and we will continue checking in with our voter who we have in line to see how slowly or maybe how fast, optimistically thinking, he moves through this.
Also, take a look at this woman. Believe it or not, she doesn't know she is on camera. The real question here is, why is she stuffing $23,000 in her bra? We are going to tell you.
And then what did Joe the plumber actually do or say yesterday that makes his story even more newsworthy today? I will take you through that as well. Stay with us. We have got one packed newscast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back and we thank you for the compliments. We certainly have been getting plenty of them today.
Here is what else we are taking note of today. Joe the plumber is no longer just a private person whose name has been bandied about in stump speeches. He has elevated himself, literally. You see, yesterday, in Ohio, he held a news conference to endorse John McCain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE WURZELBACHER, RESIDENT OF OHIO: I just want to let you know that my choice is John McCain. I plan on voting for a real American.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We should add that Joe also offered up some foreign policy advice on U.S. relations with Israel.
Here is how one of the smartest people in politics here at CNN described that last night to Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I thought last night, Anderson, we had reached the limits of absurdity, in talking yet one more time about Sarah Palin's wardrobe. But tonight I think we even went higher. With Joe the Plumber out there...
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: But I mean, this is a guy they have out there.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right.
GERGEN: They have him with John McCain out on the trail, offering views about Israel. Come on, give us a break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: OK. Why does it matter that Joe the Plumber held a news conference? Because, in doing so, as I learned in mass comm law from Professor Gilmore (ph) at the University of Minnesota many, many years ago, Joe has now -- quote -- "thrust himself into the vortex of a controversial situation."
Joe Wurzelbacher is no longer just a private citizen in Ohio. He is campaigning on a national stage of his choice. And all the information that this newscast, this newscast has never reported about him, well, there is reason to report it now.
And in case you missed it, here it is. He is not licensed as a plumber. He is not registered as a plumber in Ohio. He owes the state of Ohio more than $1,200 in back taxes. In fact, he has a tax lien against him as well for $1,200.
One other thing. According to "The Anchorage Daily News," he lived in Alaska for four years in the 1990s. Now you know.
Here is what else you are about to know. Sarah Palin once described herself almost in the exact same way that she is describing Barack Obama. The words to look for are collectivist and redistributor.
And in the South, they have a saying that goes like this. A person should have enough sense to get out of the rain. Oops. Obama?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back.
The first thing we want to do is to check back in with Gwinnett County. Here is what we have decided that we're going to do, for those of you who may have joined us later, just got home from work.
We have got somebody in line in Gwinnett County just outside of Atlanta here, and they are going to show us just how difficult it is for them to be able to vote. We are told that the lines there in Gwinnett County are something like three or four hours of people waiting.
Let's take you there now. We have got a shot there set up. It's in the parking lot. And there you're actually going to see Rusty Dornin, who is standing by. There's the shot.
Rusty, I see you by phone. Introduce to us the voter we have chosen.
DORNIN: OK. We're here at Gwinnett County, as you said, Rick, where there's 350 people in line. You would think they were giving away something free at this former Wal-Mart.
We asked Phillip Welch to tell us his journey through the line. He started an hour ago at the end of the line.
And I'm going to let him just talk directly to you, Rick, and let you tell him -- him tell you his story.
SANCHEZ: All right. Phillip, what it is like to sit there in that line for so long?
PHILLIP WELCH, GEORGIA VOTER: Well, it has not really too bad. I got here at 2:30 and it's only been about 55 minutes, and it is moving pretty good.
SANCHEZ: So, you are in line right now, right?
WELCH: Yes, I am.
SANCHEZ: So, how long do you expect? What are other people telling you there? How long has it taken them?
WELCH: They are saying about two-and-a-half to get to the door, so I am hoping maybe a total of about three hours.
SANCHEZ: All right. Well, it sounds like a worth -- a wait that is worth waiting for. We will be checking back with you from time to time, Phillip. We appreciate it.
In the meantime, let's tell you about something else that happened today that is extremely important. There is a fed rate cut that even exceeded some the expectations, as much as a half-a-point, which means that now it stands at one percent.
Susan Lisovicz is watching this for us, by the way, not in terms of the cut itself. There is where it is now, at one percent, down .50, or one-half, as I mentioned.
The effect that this will have on Wall Street, one would think, Susan, that most investors would be jumping for joy, right?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, we have a profound reaction on Wall Street, Rick. We have triple-digit gains in the witching hour, your hour of programming.
And what is more remarkable is that it is coming off the second big point gain ever for the Dow industrials. So, that is impressive. And, so, yes, it is a very positive response, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Susan Lisovicz, checking things for us, we will be checking back with you.
Meanwhile, can Ted Stevens, found guilty on all counts yesterday, still win reelection in Alaska? We are checking for you. Stay with us. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: A lot of comments coming in. As a matter of fact, let's go to our Twitter board, if we can, real quick. I want to show you one of the ones that just came in just a little while ago, interestingly enough, titled fakejoeDplumber. It says: "Rick, I'm not only "Joe the Plumber," I am also Joe the foreign policy strategist, Joe the rabbi and Joe the mind reader."
Point well taken. We thank you. Meanwhile, John McCain and Barack Obama both in the State of Pennsylvania, both with plenty to say.
John McCain talking about what riff between my staff and Sarah Palin's staff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: When two mavericks join up, we don't agree on everything, but that's a lot of fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, Barack Obama was hit by a real bad rainstorm -- as bad as they get. Not just a rainstorm, but actual beyond drizzle thunderstorm type action.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: My faith in the American people has been vindicated. That's how we've come so far so close, because of you. That's how we're going to change this country, because of you. And that's why, in this last week, we cannot afford to slow down or to sit back or to let up. Whether it's rain or sleet or snow, we are going to go out and we are going to vote because it's too much at stake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Now, if it was a sporting event or a golf match, people would have been told that they had to get inside, because this is one that wasn't just a rainstorm. There was actually thunder and lightning in the area.
The proof of that can now be found on YouTube. We found this and thought we'd share it with you. Somebody in the audience -- all right, let's get the picture up -- actually took this picture. And you can see a lightning bolt right behind Barack Obama as he is speaking. And yet thousands of people were there. Do we have it?
There it is. See it right between the trees -- bang. And there's Barack Obama. There you have it.
Well, it's going to need a lightning bolt to see if there's any changes going on right now with the electoral map. We've been checking with that for quite some time. There are four or five new states that we can now show you in terms of leads or changes.
Let us begin with Pennsylvania. Now, let's -- check that.
Let's begin with Ohio. What do you say we start with Ohio? Gary, give me Ohio, if you can.
OK. There you go. That's where we stand right now. That's a 2 point difference -- advantage Obama. He was only winning by 6 points and now, as you can see, he's winning by 8 points in Ohio.
Now, Gary, let's go to Pennsylvania. And you'll see the differences there are pretty much holding steady -- Barack Obama with a big lead. He continues to hold a big lead in the State of Pennsylvania. All experts would tell you, all insiders would tell you this is a crucial state for both candidates, but especially for John McCain at this point.
Speaking of John McCain, let's show you a state that he is doing well in still -- Indiana, 48 to 46 at this point -- one of the still stalwart states where he continues to hold his lead and has throughout the entire election.
Now Florida -- talk about a big state for both candidates. And this is interesting, because if you look at Florida, it's starting to show advantage Barack Obama. At this point, it's, what, 49 to 45 in the State of Florida. And there it is.
And now let's go to Nevada. There you go. Nevada at 50 to 43 -- a state that George Bush actually carried. And now advantage Barack Obama there.
What it shows you is -- and you can go to CNN.com and see it and some of the other electoral maps we have -- just what an uphill struggle it is for John McCain and Sarah Palin at this point. But still, there is time left and they do say that these things tighten toward the end.
The mantra "Barack Obama is a socialist" has become popular on Web sites. But if you do some research, do you find out that perhaps somebody who is uttering that has also used similar words in the past?
That story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right. We welcome you back.
I'm Rick Sanchez here in the World Headquarters of CNN. Here's what else is important to note today. Sarah Palin is in the news again. She refers to herself -- quoting here -- as "a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska." Well, here she is this morning, giving a speech about her energy policy -- known to some of her supporters as "drill, baby, drill".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every year we, sending hundreds of billions of dollars out of the country for oil imports -- much of it from OPEC -- while America's own oil and gas reserves in America are warehoused underground. They're going unused. And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska -- we've got lots of both, oil and gas. We've got a lot of coal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Again, that is Governor Palin today with her new energy message. One constant criticism of the governor is that her message -- her mantra since her introduction to the country has not changed. In fact, Palin's critics quickly got really tired of her almost identical stump speech early on. I'm sure you saw the report -- hockey mom and the pit bull, community organizer.
Well, more recently, though, she's been hammering at this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: Senator Obama says that he wants to spread the wealth. Our opponent's ideological commitment to spread your wealth around. Joe Biden tried to deny that his running mate actually believed in spreading your hard-earned money around. Senator Obama says he wants to spread the wealth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Spread the wealth. Governor Palin goes on to suggest that her opponent's policies of spreading the wealth -- redistributing the wealth, the collective experiment stop quote -- could lead to a totalitarian government. But as they say here in the South, lookie here, last August, before being selected as John McCain's running mate, this is what she said to a "New Yorker" magazine reporter: "Alaska, we're set up, unlike other states in the union, where it's collectively Alaskans own resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs."
That's how the governor described her redistribution of the state's oil windfall tax. Important to note.
By the way, when we come back, the very latest on Ted Stevens.
Is it possible -- and we're talking to an expert -- that he could actually win his re-election campaign, despite the fact that yesterday he was found guilty of corruption on all counts?
We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: There is a brand new ad that's being put out by Barack Obama. We want you to see it.
Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAPHIC: John McCain In His Own Words
"I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."
"The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should."
"I might have to rely on a Vice President that I select for expertise on economic issues."
His choice?
(PICTURE OF SARAH PALIN ON SCREEN)
OBAMA: I'm Barack Obama and I approved this message.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Joining us now is Evan Tracey. He's a campaign media analyst who looks at a product like this and decides whether it's effective or not.
We're going to show one that shows what John McCain is saying about Barack Obama. That's the one that says what Barack Obama is saying about John McCain.
What do you think? Evan, what do you think?
EVAN TRACEY, CAMPAIGN MEDIA ANALYSIS GROUP: Hey, Rick.
Well, first of all, the new ad by Obama about Governor Palin -- you know, it's never a good idea in a presidential politics to sort of train your fire down. In this case, we've seen both the McCain campaign use Biden gaffes, as well as now the Obama campaign aiming at Sarah Palin. And, clearly, what they're trying to do is to go at those last few undecided voters that may have doubts about Barack Obama, but may have more doubts about Sarah Palin.
SANCHEZ: All right. Let's talk now about John McCain and what he's putting out. It's kind of an interesting ad to look at. This one is about "Joe the Plumber."
Let's look at it together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: And I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm "Joe the Plumber."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm "Joe the Plumber."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm "Joe the Plumber."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spread the wealth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm supposed to work harder...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to pay more taxes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama wants my sweat to pay for his trillion dollars in new spending?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm "Joe the Plumber."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama -- higher taxes, more spending, not ready.
MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The message hasn't been out long, but they're certainly on message, when you consider what they've been saying for the last week, right?
TRACEY: Yes. The majority of the McCain ad buys right now are behind this spot. They're really trying to drive this "Joe the Plumber," this redistributing wealth quote out there -- really trying to get back on offense on the tax message right now. And I think that's really where you see Republican campaigns go in the last couple of weeks of a race, is really to focus the issue back on taxes. And it's an issue right now they're having trouble winning.
SANCHEZ: The people they're trying to get to are people like Phillip, who we're about to talk to in just a little bit. Evan Tracey, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
Now, let's do that. Let's go over and make a switch to Phillip. He is in Gwinnett County. He's voting. And we have been checking in with him from time to time.
Oh, my goodness, I'm looking at the lines. It looks like Disney World in is the summertime, Phillip.
WELCH: Yes, it is. Actually, it's moving along pretty good.
Can you see me?
SANCHEZ: Are you there? Raise your hand, if you could.
WELCH: Roger.
SANCHEZ: There you go. All right, I see you. So you say it's moving along pretty good.
How long have you been in line? Tell our viewers.
WELCH: I've been exactly in line exactly about an hour and 15 minutes and...
SANCHEZ: And how long do you think you're going to be in line before you get to the front and are able to vote?
WELCH: I can see the front door. Probably about another hour maybe until -- maybe I can out of here in an hour.
SANCHEZ: What's the mood there?
What are people saying?
WELCH: You know, it's pretty good. You know, the (INAUDIBLE) -- when I talked to her earlier, she made it sound like it wasn't that bad. But if you look right around me, we're all in a pretty good mood. It's moving along pretty good. And I tell you, I'm -- it's funny I got picked. I've never voted my whole entire life. So I was kind of excited to get out here and vote today.
SANCHEZ: Well, that's great. We'll be glad to hear about your experience then.
We'll follow through this -- follow you through this. Let's see, there's about 20 minutes left in the newscast. So we'll at least check with you one more time. Thanks, Phillip.
WELCH: You're welcome.
SANCHEZ: In the meantime, what we do for you is we try and check on the stuff that you're not able to see when you are at work. We call this "The Fix." Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": Let's talk about the election.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, well, I think Obama is going to win.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know --
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you know why I think he's going to win?
Because he's Kenyan and you can't beat a Kenyan in a race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST: Barack has this commercial tonight. John McCain is on Larry King tonight. You know, the end of this bloody thing can't get here fast enough for me.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST: I know. I know.
GOLDBERG: I am so tired. And then it -- it appears that both parties can agree that there is a nationwide epidemic of campaign fatigue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
HASSELBECK: I told you what I called it -- electionitis.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLDBERG: They need to (INAUDIBLE).
HASSELBECK: I think there's like a five pound election --
(CROSSTALK)
HASSELBECK: (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST: (INAUDIBLE). I eat chocolate. I never eat chocolate.
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST: I did M&Ms. But it was so funny, because we were both trying on our clothes and everything was so tight. And Joy goes, we've all got to lose weight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": We've got six more days in what has been an unbelievably exciting election season.
What are the polls telling you?
WYATT CENAC: Well, Jon, if you look at the latest Rasmussen poll and compare that to today's Gallup poll, you'll see that let's just (EXPLETIVE DELETED) already.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Joe Johns is going to join us with his take on what's going on with Larry Craig, Ted Stevens -- oh, and there's a new one.
Have you seen this picture? This is a state senator. And what she's doing is, according to police, stuffing money in her bra. An explanation forthcoming.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRAPHIC: Twitter phenom Rick Sanchez averaged 312,000 viewers in October compared to FNC's "Studio B." Way to go, Rick.
FROM AWAKE247 at Twitter.com
SANCHEZ: Yes, we've gotten a lot of messages like that one. And what we want to say is it isn't us, it's you. This is your newscast. It's the social media interactive newscast, which means it's only as good as how much people have to say, how many questions you send in. And like that one, we won. We were the most watched newscast in cable TV -- or cable newscast, as far as the month of October. It was nice.
Thanks, guys. Appreciate the comments.
Let's talk about this now. It's the video that a lot of people are talking about in the news. This that you're about to see right here is a state senator in Massachusetts actually stuffing $23,000 in cash at a restaurant.
The charges are taking bribes for a liquor license, extortion and public corruption. She was arrested yesterday there in Boston. It ends an FBI sting that's been going on for quite some time.
State Senator Dianne Wilkerson is facing 20 years on each of those counts. And FBI officials say they have her with the goods.
This isn't the first time that a public official has been embroiled in a very difficult or embarrassing situation. Bit in at least two recent cases, both of them are still senators.
Here's Joe Johns with this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Remember the tape from June of last year -- Senator Larry Craig explaining to an undercover cop what he was doing in the men's room at the Minneapolis airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: Your foot came toward mine, mine came toward yours.
Was that natural? I don't know. Did we bump? Yes, I think we did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Shortly after that explanation, Craig signed a form and mailed it to the court. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Basically, he admitted to tapping his foot in a bathroom stall and signaling to solicit gay sex from an undercover cop.
Now, though, Craig says the guy who arrested him got it all wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG: I am not gay. I never have been gay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The entire story, of course, was red meat for some of the great comedians of our time, including Jon Stewart and, of course, Jay Leno.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)
JAY LENO, HOST: We have a clip of the press conference. Show the press conference today, will you?
(MAN IN BATHROOM STALL)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you all very much for coming out today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: And yet Craig is a candidate for our rogues gallery, not because of the incident, but because of what happened after he pleaded guilty. You'll recall at the outset Craig said he would resign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG: Therefore, it is with sadness and deep regret that I announce that it is my intent to resign from the Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Then later he told the voters never mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY KTVB)
CRAIG: Circumstances changed. I went back to see if I could work for Idaho for the next 14 months and be successful in doing that. I made the determination that I could.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So after pleading guilty, Craig then said he's innocent and that he could still be an effective senator. And it's true, he's been impressively effective. First, he survived a showdown with the Senate Ethics Committee, though he did get whacked with an extremely rare public letter of admonition for improper conduct.
Next -- and this almost slipped under the radar, Craig paid nearly a quarter million dollars in legal fees with his campaign fund. Yes, it's legal. After all, he's not running, so he didn't need them.
With that out of the way, Craig then got millions and millions of dollars in earmarks for Idaho.
And the original guilty plea notwithstanding, Craig still says he is he innocent, that he was coerced into his plea. He's now waiting a Minnesota appeals court ruling.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: By the way, we're getting comments now on Ted Stevens, in a similar imbroglio, as I had mentioned earlier.
Let's go ahead. This is MySpace. This is a comment that just came into us moments ago. And what she writes, Courtney: "Stevens brings home the taxpayers bucks to Alaska. Of course, they will vote for him again."
We'll be following it.
By the way, Wolf Blitzer is joining us now to let us know what's coming up on his show. It's one of the stories, I'm sure, that he'll be following in this election, as well -- Wolf, over to you.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks very much, Rick.
Coming up right at the top of the hour, we have some stunning political developments we're working on. We're changing our CNN estimate of who would be elected president if the election were held today. We're going to show you our brand new CNN electoral map between Barack Obama and John McCain. One side will surely be encouraged, while the other may find these new developments troubling.
Also, Bill Clinton on double duty -- the former president campaigning for Barack Obama in two states today. You're going to hear from Bill Clinton live right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".
And Sarah Palin wants you to know she and John McCain are not President Bush. But wait until you hear her latest way of distancing their campaign from the Bush administration. Governor Palin gave a major policy speech today. We'll tell what you she had to say.
All that, Rick, and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".
SANCHEZ: All right, Wolf. We'll look forward to it. Thanks so much. Could Ted Stevens actually win after he's been convicted on all counts of corruption? It's a question we're asking of a person who's in the know in Anchorage, Alaska.
Stay with us. We'll take you there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Again, I really do wish we could get so many of your comments in. It's just been a packed show, so we haven't been able to do so. But we appreciate them and I'm reading them during the commercials, I promise you. And after the newscast, I'll get on Twitter and I'll have a conversation with you.
In the meantime, let's talk now about Alaska's Ted Stevens. He was convicted just yesterday on all counts of public corruption. And yet there's a real good possibility, at least according to some folks in Alaska, that he could still win re-election in that state.
Joining us is Michael Carey. He is an "Anchorage Daily News" columnist -- some say an old salt -- that knows as much about those grounds as anybody else.
Mr. Carey, thanks so much for being with us, sir.
Can he actually win this thing?
MICHAEL CAREY, "ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS": Yes, could win this election. The way he would do it is essentially on loyalty to him and his record over four decades. Ted Stevens has been a senator since 1968. He's delivered for Alaskans, especially financially, through appropriations and earmarks. And there are many, many people who appreciate that and respect him for it.
SANCHEZ: You know, you wonder, as you look at his situation, how he can be so emboldened, because the things that he has said -- I'm not quitting, I'm staying in this race, nobody's getting me out of here -- I mean there's a lot of braggadocio there, isn't there?
CAREY: Yes. And but that's -- that's his temperament and personality. He's never going to give up. He's never going to quit. People who suggested he would get out of the race, it's just never going to happen.
SANCHEZ: All right, here's the --
CAREY: I think we should back up -- Go ahead.
SANCHEZ: Yes, just, before we run out of time, I've got to ask you the $60 million question here. And it has to do with what happens in your state. Can you explain to us whether he gets to stay there? If the governor -- can the governor ask him to resign or actually remove him?
CAREY: The governor can ask him to do anything. But there's no reason for him to listen to anybody if he's re-elected. If Mark Begich wins the election, that's the end of the matter. If he wins the election, then it will set off a whole process in Congress and here, possibly, in the State of Alaska...
SANCHEZ: Can he be the senator and --
CAREY: (INAUDIBLE) replacement.
SANCHEZ: Can he be the senator and be in jail at the same time?
CAREY: That's very unlikely. But there would be a lengthy appeal process. And I'm sure this would be great fodder for all the cartoonists of America.
SANCHEZ: What an amazing story. Thanks so much for being with us. We'll have to get you back. This is an incredible story.
Speaking of voting, let's check with Phillip now. He's in line in Gwinnett County. Phillip, how are you doing? Have you moved forward anymore since we last talked to you?
WELCH: About probably 100 feet. It kind of slowed down a little bit.
SANCHEZ: So are you going to be voting in the next, what, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, half hour?
WELCH: Half hour, 45 minutes maybe.
SANCHEZ: So that means if you vote then, how long will you have been in line in Gwinnett County?
WELCH: If I can get out of here in 30 minutes, that would be a total of two hours.
SANCHEZ: Raise your hand one more time and give me that total time again.
WELCH: A total of two hours if I can get out of here in 30 minutes.
SANCHEZ: Not bad. Some people have been saying it's taking three or four hours. You're a good man. Thanks for playing along. We certainly appreciate it.
Before we go, because of that rate cut, the market would -- one would expect, would react to it. Let's see what it's doing. The big board now. And we see that it's, well, pretty much -- whoa, it's down. It was up for most of the day when this rate cut was announced. We expected it had to stay up there a little bit. But now it's down to 161.
Still, all things considered, in this vol -- in these volatile times, nothing compared to what we've seen in the last couple of weeks.
Let's hear the ding, ding, ding.
And with that, we'll toss things over to Wolf Blitzer. There it is. That's the signal. Wolf Blitzer standing by now in "THE SITUATION ROOM".
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Rick.
