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Senator Rubio On The Florida Race; Occupy D.C. Protesters Stand Ground; American Airlines To Lay Out Cuts; Commission Asks Sheriff Arpaio To Resign; Election Day In Florida; U.S. Drones Over Baghdad; Interviews With Gingrich, Romney Florida Campaign Chairs
Aired January 31, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Randi Kaye. It's 1:00, we've got a busy hour ahead, let's get straight to the news.
The Florida primary underway. That means for you Floridians, there's only six more hours to get your votes in, unless you're in the panhandle, you guys get an extra hour. The candidates are making their last ditch efforts to get a few more votes and to meet a few more voters.
We have one more late poll to show you, this one from the American Research Group shows Romney with a double-digit lead over Newt Gingrich. Part of Romney's advantage comes from early voters who went his way more than 50 percent of the time. Here's a reaction from Gingrich, just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker, do you still see a path to the nomination after Florida?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Of course.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you see that happening?
GINGRICH: You unify the conservatives. Romney's not going to get anywhere near a majority here. You unify the conservatives, you win the delegates, and you have the -- and you have the nomination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Freshman Florida Senator Marco Rubio is a very popular man these days. He's been mentioned as a possible vice presidential choice for whomever comes out on top but he says, no way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: My answer hasn't changed on that, I've answered it repeatedly. The fact is I'm focused on my job here in the Senate. I will do anything the nominee wants me to do in terms of helping him getting elected. I don't think that's going to be vice president. I don't think I'm going to be asked. I'm not going to be the vice presidential nominee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Rubio, who was talking with our Soledad O'Brien, also explained why he didn't endorsed anyone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: I have relationships with at least two of the four candidates. I know them well, didn't want to get involved in the endorsement game. You know, none of it's going to matter at the end of the day, quite frankly. My endorsement wasn't going to impact the outcome of the race. Voters, when it comes to voting for president, are going to make up their own minds, and we're going to find out tonight what Floridians think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: While he didn't take one candidate, Rubio did say the winner in Florida today would most likely be the party's nominee.
The United Nations is considering asking Syria's president Assad to step down in an effort to bring calm to the country. And this is why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Opposition leaders say as many as 26 anti-government activists have been killed today in clashes with Assad's troops. CNN isn't able to independently verify those claims. Arab league observers have pulled out of because of the violence. They're now telling their story to the U.N.
A U.S. Marine has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for hazing a fellow Marine, who later killed himself. Lance Corporal Jacob Jacoby is also losing rank. Lance Corporal Harry Lew committed suicide shortly after being beaten by some of his fellow Marines for allegedly falling asleep while on watch in Afghanistan. Luke shot himself a few hours later. Two other Marines face courts marshal in that case.
The deadline has passed but defiant Occupy D.C. Protesters are standing their ground. The National Park Service ordered protesters to remove their camping gear yesterday, but at least one park in Washington is still packed with tents. Officials say protesters can stay around the clock and keep their tents up, on one condition, one side of each tent must remain open at all times. So far, no arrests.
American Airlines is about to reveal some big cuts that could affect many of its 81,000 workers. The airline's parent company is meeting with unions this week to lay out the details. This follows its bankruptcy filing back in November. CNNMoney.com reports the measures may cost many American Airline workers their jobs and a portion of their pension benefits. Among other changes to save costs, American's unions are expecting airplane repairs to be outsourced to cheaper facilities overseas.
The pressure is building for an outspoken Arizona sheriff to step down. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is being asked to resign by a Phoenix commission. Affiliate KNXZ reports the city's human relations commission which was formed to tackle issues of equality, passed a resolution calling for Arpaio's resignation. Arpaio has been under growing scrutiny since the Justice Department accused his office of racial profiling against Latinos. Arpaio says he the commission's vote doesn't affect him and he has no plans to resign. He says it's up to voters to decide in November.
The race for Florida has become an all-out war between Gingrich and Romney, many calling Florida the tiebreaker between the two. We'll talk with both camps about the future of the race. The man behind the Gingrich campaign coming your way next.
But first, we live in an era of 72-day marriages, unfaithful politicians, and drive-through divorces which is exactly why we want to give a shout-out to Wilbur and Teresa, married for nearly eight decades. Yes, you heard me right, 78 years and still counting. The Vegas couple is the longest married couple in the United States. So, what's the secret? Wilbur says, quote, "It's very simple, it's give and take and compromise." Wilbur and Theresa Faiss, I now pronounce you today's Rock Stars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: All right. For the next few seconds, pretend you don't know who's ahead in the Florida polls and see if you can tell from the sound bites.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRICH: I don't believe the Republican party is going to nominate a liberal who is pro-abortion, pro-gun control, pro-tax increase, pro-gay rights.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know the speaker's not real happy, Speaker Gingrich. He's not feeling very excited these days. He's -- I know, it's sad. He's been flailing around a bit, trying to go after me for one thing or the other, and you just watch it and you shake your head. It's been kind of painfully revealing to watch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: No surprise, the guy who's comfortably ahead, pretends to pity his desperate opponent. For his part, the opponent, Newt Gingrich, claims desperation is just another lie from the apparent Florida front-runner, Mitt Romney. Here's another look at the final pre-election poll from the sunshine state. Romney holds a 12-point lead, which happens to be the margin by which Gingrich beat him in South Carolina.
Bill McCollum is Gingrich's Florida campaign chairman, you also know him as the Florida State Attorney General, and a longtime U.S. Congressman. Welcome, sir, to the program. As you well know, the winner of Florida's primary takes all 50 of the state's Republican delegates. Are you concerned at all that your man will end up with nothing to show for all his time and money and effort there in Florida?
BILL MCCOLLUM, CHAIRMAN, NEWT GINGRICH FLORIDA CAMPAIGN: Well, I have no idea how the election's going to turn out tomorrow. We know the polls, right now, show that Governor Romney's in the lead but we might well win. But regardless of who wins, there's some serious legal questions down the road about Florida's 50 delegates. There's a question of whether or not the lack of apportionment can withstand a challenge in the Republican National Committee that I suspect will ensue regardless of who wins.
And beyond that question, this is just the beginning, not the end of this campaign. This is not going to be one of those campaigns that ends at Florida. It's going to be, actually, a launching of a much more prolonged campaign, in my judgment.
I know that speaker's intent on it, regardless of whether he wins or not, I'm sure governor Romney is. It's going to be clearly, now, after this, a two-man race, if it wasn't that clear before. There's money coming into the Gingrich campaign. There's support, of course, from governor Rick Perry and from Herman Cain and from Fred Thompson and many others that are supporting him and going to stick with him all the way through this next --- quite a number of primaries that come up right away.
And I might remind you that, even after Florida, were governor Romney to win, and foresee that, he'd still will only have 83 delegates out of 1,144 that are necessary to win and Gingrich would have 25 without any apportionment of Florida's delegates. So, it's a long way to go.
KAYE: Let's talk about how vicious this has been because even with a long way to go, who knows where this thing is headed. I mean, just yesterday, on top of the attacks that we have heard now for weeks, Gingrich accused Romney of cutting off kosher meals for Jewish retirees when he was governor of Massachusetts. He also dragged out this week old poll and said it was news. So, is anything fair game at this point?
MCCOLLUM: Well, it has been a very difficult campaign, because governor Romney started out the attacks in Iowa, he continued them very heavily in Florida. Well outspent Newt Gingrich in Florida, at least four or five to one. And while he might have let up this morning or last night, there was practically nothing but attack ads attacking his Newt's character, because I think governor Romney didn't want to talk about his issues, didn't want to talk about his record in Massachusetts, and the difference between the two, and the fact that Newt Gingrich is, in fact, the more conservative and more likely to win the election in November. He just didn't want to talk about that.
So, what we've seen are some very difficult times to try to counter that a bit and let voters understand that there's as much a war baggage with Governor Romney than there is with Newt Gingrich. Newt may have his faults, all candidates do, but his positives far outweigh his negatives. But I do think that's what you saw in this campaign. And going forward, we've got an election season that's, as I said, just beginning in this process. And there's a lot more to come.
KAYE: Let me ask you about the calendar. I know that you have your eyes focused on Florida, but we're looking at the rest of the calendar ahead. February is certainly going to be a busy month. If you take a look here at the upcoming contest, can Newt Gingrich do well enough, do you think, to still be a contender come super Tuesday?
MCCOLLUM: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Well first of all, there are a very few contests that are coming up and a fairly limited number of delegates but he's going to contest all of those. As I mentioned earlier, I think the fund-raising is up from what I heard in a strategy call this morning and I think it'll continue to be up. And I might add that Newt Gingrich is leading in the polls nationally by eight or nine or 10 points. Florida is not indicative of that. This just happens to be where Romney had the ability to well outspend him and was organized early.
Once we pass this point, it's a whole new ball game, because there's not that same agree of organizational difference between the two, and there won't be that difference in money that there was here in this state. So, I think we're going to do quite well. By the time we get to super Tuesday, Georgia's on the ballot, 76 delegates that I would think the speaker would have a good chance of getting. And then we've got Alabama and Mississippi and Tennessee and others that are right around the corner, if not on that day.
So, I think that they -- this is going to be a race for the heart and soul of the Republican party. It's a conservative wing of the party that really is looking to where we're going to go. The Tea Party members, Governor Romney spent little or no time with in Florida at all, he's ignored them. I think that's to his detriment. The Tea Parties are organized all over the party. They are a significant vote factor. And where you get a level playing field, it's going to be a big difference as to who the nominee they pick is.
KAYE: Well, we'll continue to watch it along with you. Our many thanks to Bill McCollum, appreciate the time.
MCCOLLUM: You're welcome.
KAYE: And make sure to watch the Florida Primary results right here, live, our coverage starts at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
It's he said, he said on the campaign trail in Florida. Most of it is negative. So is this tactic working? We'll ask the Romney camp to explain next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Unless the polls and the pundits and the tea leaves are very wrong, this will probably be a good day for Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Doing well in Florida is a pretty good indication of your prospects nationally. So, for me, Florida's big. But New Hampshire was big too. And I'm hoping that as I go to Nevada and Minnesota and Missouri and Colorado and Arizona and the list goes on and on, that I'll be able to get a lot of support, in part because of the response here of people in Florida.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The biggest Republican delegate jackpot to date is winner take all. So if Romney wins the Florida primary, he'll reclaim the front- runner title with a long, long way to go. Adam Putnam is Romney's Florida campaign chairman. He's also a former U.S. congressman and currently the state commissioner of agriculture.
Commissioner, welcome to you.
Romney acknowledges that spending tons of money and going negative has actually paid off. So is that the takeaway from this race?
ADAM PUTNAM, CHAIRMAN, MITT ROMNEY FLORIDA CAMPAIGN: Well, the takeaway here is that the momentum that Newt Gingrich had coming out of South Carolina has ended. It's hit the brick wall of a large state that's a diverse state, that is a microcosm of the nation. It is a much more diverse-type test of our nominee than South Carolina was. And so in the state that's the hardest to win, the hardest to campaign in, and the most reflective of the challenges this nation faces, Mitt Romney's coming out on top.
KAYE: I want to read you a quote from an unnamed Florida Republican insider telling CNN this, quoting here, "I think this is the weakest field we have ever put forth in my lifetime." Now, I don't expect that you're going to agree with that, but why are we still hearing things like that?
PUTNAM: You know, those types of comments are unfortunate. We ought to be training our fire on the failed first term of Barack Obama, which should be his last term. Mitt Romney's experience in the private sector, his experience as governor, his Washington outsider status as opposed to being a case three (ph) lobbyist, is exactly the prescription that this country needs.
It's certainly what Florida needs as we're ground zero for the housing crisis and high unemployment. He's a very talented guy. He is well positioned to be an outstanding president of the United States. This race tonight is more than about being the nominee. It's about being the best possible candidate to make Barack Obama a one-term president.
KAYE: Let me ask you about the blistering personal attacks that we've been witnessing now for weeks. Does Mitt Romney worry at all about the party rallying behind him, unifying behind him, if, indeed, he is the nominee, given the extent of these attacks?
PUTNAM: You know, a good substantive disagreement in a primary type fight makes you a better general election candidate. Unfortunately, the kind of wild swings and accusations that we've seen coming out of the Gingrich campaign for the last several days aren't helpful to Gingrich, they're not helpful to the Republican field, and they're not helpful to the Republican Party.
I mean, when the number one issue is jobs and you're flailing around about kosher food service, it's really taking your eye off the ball and looking for any kind of trivial issue to blow up into something that it's really not. And so I think what when we'll -- what we'll see is, we'll see the Romney campaign come out of Florida with a win in a state that's hard to win in and continue to build momentum in future states. And I think that you'll see these candidates come together. I think, ultimately, they recognize this. They're all statesmen. They're all good individuals. And then they're going to come together at the right time.
KAYE: I know that you certainly believe and the Romney team believes that Florida is big and you're focused on Florida, but look at the upcoming contests. It's going to be a busy few weeks ahead. Nevada and Michigan, especially, looking good for Mitt Romney. But these contests, unlike Florida, aren't winner take all. So what do you think about Newt Gingrich? Can he collect enough delegates to the fight all the way to the convention?
PUTNAM: Well, I think that you'll continue to see him -- you know, he has a base of support. He's -- you know, he's a good part of our team. And he's a good Republican and he's been a good leader. So he will continue to accumulate some support, but he will not have that national electability.
He's got a huge gender gap issue. He does not attract independents and crossover voters. And so, for the long term, he's not the candidate who can go all the way for our party and make Barack Obama a one-term president. So I don't think that he'll go all the way to the convention. I don't think anybody's demanding that he drop out after Florida. That's not the case at all.
But I do think that as you continue to see Mitt Romney accumulate more w's in the win column as future states come and go, that you'll see greater and greater efforts put forth by the national party to say, hey, guys, it's time to rally behind the candidate who has accumulated the most wins and is the most likely to defeat Barack Obama. With his skill set, his private sector experience, and his vision, his conservative vision for this country.
KAYE: Adam Putnam, thank you very much for your time. Appreciate it.
PUTNAM: Thank you.
KAYE: And you can watch the Florida primary results live right here on CNN. Our special coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The United States military has pulled out of Iraq, so why are U.S. drones flying over Baghdad? What President Obama has to say and Iraq's angry reaction, coming next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Just in to CNN. The Justice Department didn't mess up. That's what Democratic investigators on the House Oversight Committee are saying. Instead, they're blaming low-level ATF agents and other officials in Arizona for the failed "Fast and Furious" operation. Now, in "Fast and Furious," guns were allowed to be smuggled across the U.S./Mexico border so they could be traced to suspected drug cartels.
But instead, hundreds of weapons went missing. The Democrat's new report says Justice Department officials appointed by President Obama weren't to blame for the failure. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley calls the report laughable. Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to testify at a congressional hearing on Thursday.
In Iraq, U.S. unarmed drones are flying over Baghdad under a State Department operation that's outraged Iraqi officials. Iraqis tell "The New York Times" that they were not informed of the flights, which started after U.S. forces pulled out of Iraq about a month or so ago. The Iraqis view the surveillance drone program as a violation of their sovereignty. "The Times" broke the story and the State Department has confirmed it. Our map shows those countries where U.S. armed and surveillance drone operations are being carried out. Michael Schmidt wrote "The New York Times" article. He's just back from Baghdad, joining us now today from New York.
Michael, nice to have you on.
First, let's talk about this. Tell us a little bit about the program and why the Iraqis, apparently, didn't even know about it.
MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT, "NEW YORK TIMES' BAGHDAD REPORTER: Well, what the program basically is, is surveillance drones that fly above Baghdad and above the other consulates that the United States embassy has in Iraq and provide these security contractors who protect our diplomats there with some idea about what's going on, on the ground.
The problem is, is that Iraqis are very sensitive about their sovereignty at this point. They've lived under occupation for nine years and they're coming out of that and they really don't want their country to be one that, you know, is run -- you know, is dictated to by the United States or Iran or Saudi Arabia or Turkey. And they're very sensitive to issues where, you know, these countries, you know, are sort of operating within their areas, their space.
KAYE: Right. I do want to point out, just once again, that these aren't armed drones. They're smaller drones, basically used for surveillance, as you said.
Just what exactly, though, are the Iraqis saying about the use of these drones there?
SCHMIDT: Well, what they said, when we spoke to them, and we spoke to people at all different levels of the Iraqi government, is that they hadn't been told or asked about this. Now, that may be true, but the Iraqis also, you know, may be in a tough spot politically about this and they may not want to admit it, that actually they have given the United States permission to do this. You know, because of the sovereignty issues, the Iraqi people are very sensitive about, you know, the United States -- you know, the idea that the United States is still there and that the United States is still operating military- like stuff there. So, because of that, the Iraqi politicians may not want to admit to it.
KAYE: I love the quote in your article where one of the Iraqi officials that you spoke with said, this is our sky. This is our sky, not U.S. sky. But President Obama actually talked about your article, defended the use of drones in this web interview that he gave yesterday. Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our ability to respect the sovereignty of other countries and to limit our incursions into somebody else's territory is enhanced by the fact that we are able to pinpoint strike an al Qaeda operative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: He said that your article was, quote, overwritten. A little overwritten. Would you like to respond to the president?
SCHMIDT: Well, I'm not sure, you know, why, you know, he went after us on that point. He also said that -- you know he made a point of saying that the drones are not ones that fire missiles. And -- but we didn't say that in our story. If you look at our story, we said that these are surveillance drones. But he characterized them differently. But, you know, I'm not sure why he did that.
KAYE: Well, it is a really interesting article. A fascinating topic. Michael Schmidt, thank you very much for your time. Appreciate it.
SCHMIDT: Thanks for having me.
KAYE: The votes are being cast and soon we'll find out who is picking up all the Florida delegates. Will it be Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney? And what happens after tonight? A look at where they stand and the future of GOP race next in "Fair Game."
But first, our political junkie question. How many U.S. presidents have been married more than once before being elected to the White House? You can tweet the answer to @randikayecnn. I am tweeting right now, ready to see those answers come in. I'll give a shout-out if you're first with the right answer.
KAYE: Before the break, I asked how many U.S. Presidents had been married more than one before being elected to the White House. The answer is two, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Reagan, in fact, was only one who was divorced. Two other presidents got married for the second time while they were in office. And a big congrats and a shout-out goes to Joe in Washington, D.C., for tweeting me the right answer.
Well, this is the heart of the political discussion, where all sides are "Fair Game." It's Florida primary day and this contest is winner take all. Mitt Romney has been leading in the polls so far, sometimes by double digits. And here's how the 2008 Florida primary ended. Take a look. John McCain won. He also grabbed the Hispanic and senior vote by large margins over Romney.
Joining me now is Republican strategist, Doug Heye; and Democratic strategist, Keith Boykin.
Welcome to you both.
Doug, I'm going to start with you on this one. Has Mitt Romney changed that balance?
DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, he certainly -- it's the same balance as it was in 2008, it looks like, but it's a Romney balance as opposed to a McCain balance from four years ago. These are important demographics for Romney to target. About one in 10 Republican voters in Florida is Hispanic. And we need to remember that Hispanic isn't just Cuban. It means Cubans and a lot of other Hispanic demographics within that state. The Romney campaign's been targeting it well. It's part of the reason it looks like he'll be very successful tonight.
KAYE: Keith, what do you think?
KEITH BOYKIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think this race is a lot different from where we were in 2008. In 2008, Romney was sort of the second tier, the second person in the race behind John McCain. But I think this race is different because the weak field this time is so dramatic. I mean, Newt Gingrich is a strong conservative to some people, but he's also got so many fatal flaws. And I think if you look at the other people who have been in race, people like Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann, nobody ever really took them seriously. I think, in many ways, Mitt Romney is very fortunate he doesn't have a significant challenger in this race.
KAYE: I want to share with both of you, actually, an assessment from a Romney voter in Lithia, Florida. Listen to what she said.
BC
UNIDENTIFIED ROMNEY SUPPORTER: Newt Gingrich, I mean, he is the smartest guy in the room. So that's why I was with him for a long time. But I want somebody who is not going to have a skeleton jump out at the last minute.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Safe bet?
UNIDENTIFIED ROMNEY SUPPORTER: Safe bet. Right. Nice guy, experience in business, and in politics, so he just kind of seems well rounded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So, Doug, is that how Romney's getting ahead here? Is that how he could possibly win this thing, because he's a safe bet?
HEYE: Well, that's probably part of it. But the voter also mentioned that he's a business leader, and mentioned his experience in business. That's ultimately what Mitt Romney's campaigning on. It's ultimately, if he's successful, why he'll be successful. And we know, as Republicans, as we look at the burdensome regulations and taxes that come on business, Mitt Romney's somebody who's dealt with that firsthand. Not in theories in colleges like President Obama has --
(LAUGHTER)
-- but real world, real business experience. And that's important.
KAYE: Keith --
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Yes, go ahead.
BOYKIN: I think the problem they're going to have, though, in the general election -- Florida's going to be critically important in the general election. You have 29 electoral votes. The problem they'll have with Florida and other states is that Mitt Romney had that chance in Massachusetts, and in that state, his state was the talking point all right, 47th out of 50th in terms of job creation. The Democrats will use that against him. The argument's going to be this. If you're so successful as a businessman, you can translate that into what you can do for the country. Why couldn't you do that in Massachusetts?
KAYE: Let's talk about Gingrich here. He has said that he's really the only viable conservative candidate to oppose Romney. But let's take a look at Gingrich and Santorum, because if you look at the two of them, all right, they have very similar resumes. Gingrich has had a few more years in Congress, but Santorum served as both a member of the House and the Senate. You see it there.
So who really, Doug, would you say is the best alternative for conservatives?
HEYE: Well, they're both great conservatives. And if you look in the polls, they tend to be neck and neck. Certainly in Florida that's the case. This is part of why we have this primary process. Rick Santorum won in Iowa. Newt Gingrich won in South Carolina. Ultimately, I think South Carolina was a good kick in the pants for the Romney campaign.
And we're seeing that pay off right now, but conservatives don't have one choice or another. That was a false choice that was put for us when we had Michele Bachmann in the race, Herman Cain in the race. Ultimately, Republicans are going to decide who the best alternative to beat Barack Obama is. And what we've seen in polling is that every one of those alternatives that's been put up there to Barack Obama has at one point been beating him in the polls. KAYE: Keith, let me get your take on this picture that we have. I want to put it up for you. It's a picture that was tweeted of by President Obama's campaign chief, David Axelrod. It's the president there in his car, with his dog, Bo.
(LAUGHTER)
He says that this is the way pets should be treated.
(LAUGHTER)
That was Axelrod saying that. It's a dig, of course, at Mitt Romney, who said that his dog rode in a carrier strapped to the roof of his car, many, many years ago, just to be fair.
(LAUGHTER)
But is this just poking fun, or has this campaign gone to the dogs? What's happening here?
(LAUGHTER)
BOYKIN: I hadn't seen that picture until now. I'd heard about it. but I think it's funny in a certain way, because it does sort of poke fun at Mitt Romney, who strapped his Irish Setter to the top of his car on his trip to Canada or something like that years ago.
I think what it says about Mitt Romney is not about his dog or whether pet lovers will vote for him. It's about whether he's really in touch with ordinary Americans. You've got a guy that makes $57,000 a day for doing virtually nothing, collecting money on past income, who says he likes firing people, and says all these things that make him seem out of touch. That's what this whole dog thing is about. Democrats will try to make Mitt Romney into the Republican version of John Kerry in 2004, a Massachusetts elitist that doesn't really relate to the ordinary person.
KAYE: Keith Boykin and Doug Heye, thank you both very much.
That is "Fair Game" today.
BOYKIN: Thanks, Randi.
HEYE: Thank you.
KAYE: A U.S. citizen is banned from running for public office because she doesn't speak English fluently.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEJANDRINA CABRERA, U.S. CITIZEN RUNNING FOR OFFICE: I speak English. A little, maybe. But it's enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: An Arizona border town says that isn't enough. But is the town violating her civil rights? Her personal story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A city council candidate in the small border town of San Luis, Arizona, is being forced out of the race because of the way she speaks. Alejandrina Cabrera speaks English, but she was told she doesn't speak it well enough. Her name was just blocked from the ballot, but she's not giving up. So is this a personal vendetta or does the city actually have a case?
Here's CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the small border town of San Luis, Arizona --
CABRERA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GUTIERREZ: -- Alejandrina Cabrera is somewhat of a political celebrity, without having spent one day in office.
CABRERA: They are my friends.
GUTIERREZ: The married mother of two made national headlines after a bid for her seat on the San Luis city council was blocked by the city's mayor.
CABRERA: He says I can't speak English, read and write.
GUTIERREZ: At issue, Cabrera's influency in English. She's a United States citizen. She was born in Arizona. But like many people in this small town, who live and work on both sides of the border, Cabrera was raised in Mexico, where life is more affordable. When she was 17, she came back to the U.S. to finish high school, but by then, Spanish was her primary language.
CABRERA: Anyway, we are Latinos.
GUTIERREZ: Cabrera says no one in San Luis, where most people speak Spanish, had ever questioned her English skills, until she decided to run for public office.
JUAN CARLOS ESCAMILLA MAYOR OF SAN LUIS, ARIZONA: She does not understand English, and you guys --.
GUTIERREZ: Juan Carlos Escamilla, the mayor of San Luis, says, under Arizona law, elected officials must be proficient in English. He says Cabrera doesn't qualify to run for office, and as a citizen, he filed a lawsuit against her. And she was forced to take an English proficiency test, paid for by local taxpayers, to stop her candidacy.
Cabrera says this is political payback, because she spearheaded two recall campaigns against the mayor. (on camera): Not a personal vendetta against her?
ESCAMILLA: Not a personal -- not a personal vendetta to get her, absolutely not.
CABRERA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): After a lengthy court hearing, Cabrera was disqualified from the race. Her attorney, John Minore, says her civil rights have been violated.
(on camera): She did not pass her proficiency test.
JOHN MINORE, ATTORNEY: Well, what test is there to pass, though? There's no test in the statute. And they're denying her the political process. And let the people of this community decide if they want her on the city council or not.
GUTIERREZ: What do you tell those people who say, but you're a citizen, you live here now, and you're running for office? You need to speak English.
CABRERA: I speak English. A little, maybe. But it's enough for the city council.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Cabrera says she's taking her appeal all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, San Luis, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: It was a typical birthday party at school for this little girl, but it's what happens next that makes this birthday one of a kind. Her tear-jerking wish come true. You'll have to see it here, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SINGING)
KAYE: That was "Eye of the Tiger" playing at one of Newt Gingrich's rally. The composer of "The Survivor" hit is suing the GOP candidate for not getting permission to use the song made famous by the movie "Rocky III," of course. Rude Music Incorporated filed that lawsuit. It states that Gingrich has been using it since 2009. The suit asks for damages, attorney fees, and an injunction from prevent Gingrich from using the song.
The Florida primary now well under way. Voters are casting their ballots and making their voices heard at the polls as we speak. And many are predicting a win in Florida could predict the GOP nomination. So there's clearly a lot on the line in the next few hours.
Brooke Baldwin has been in Tampa since over the weekend and has been chatting it up with Floridians there. Brooke, I guess the Hispanic vote, certainly, is critical in Florida. They're a huge voting bloc that really could swing the race toward Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich. You spoke with some of them. What are they telling you are the biggest issues?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, a number for you, 12 percent in terms of a key voting bloc, Hispanics represented 12 percent of the electorate backing the Republican primary in 2008.
And what's the biggest issue? You think immigration? It's not immigration. Many Floridians, whether you're a Latino, Latina, or not, it's the economy. They want jobs. They want to see an improvement in the economic climate here in Florida, just like so many people do in the rest of the country.
But I spoke with one young woman yesterday, and we talked specifically about the Dream Act, and she said the economy and the Dream Act are equally important for her. There have been so many virgins of this legislation that have been introduced in Congress that dates back to 2001, and it's an idea that Barack Obama has supported, but different iterations of the Dream Act we've seen not quite make it through Congress and the version that we've heard from candidates, both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, they say, OK, if you're a young person, you came to the United States from another country, illegally, but not on your own volition, in addition to passing multiple very strict provisions, you have to serve in the military for four years.
So I posed that to this 20-year-old who I spoke to last night. She is here illegally. Would she will being to do that to gain U.S. status? Here's her answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: They want you to serve the country for four years in a military position. Do you think that's fair?
UNIDENTIFIED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: Honestly, no. I feel like there are other ways to serve this country. Just, you know, being a doctor, being an attorney, those are just as important ways to serve our can country, just like the military. And I feel like we should have the option of going to college. We should have that pathway, especially when some of us already do have four-year degrees and, you know, are already graduating. It's, you know, we're ready to jump right into the workforce. Why would you waste that investment? As a child of immigrants, as an immigrant myself, I feel like my role as always been to go to school, to work really hard and to have a career. And that's what I want to do. But, it's so difficult when you don't have a legal status, to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Wow, Brooke.
BALDWIN: You'll hear a lot more, Randi, from Myra in the show. Forgive me. But also at the top of the hour, we'll be talking housing, as we are here in Florida. Did you know that 40 percent of homeowners that live in a home that's not quite worth their mortgage? Are there signs of recovery? Let's cross our fingers. We're digging deeper with Christine Romans on that.
Also today, we're talking delegates. You know, 50 delegates are up for grabs as a winner-take-all state in a primary tonight. If these candidates, Randi, stay in this race, as we've heard Newt Gingrich vow to do up until the convention here in Tampa, actually, end of August, what if no one gets to that magic number of 1,144? Then what?
And finally, political pop got a little musical theme today. One candidate, I'm sure you've seen the video, singing. We'll see how that went.
And also one candidate sued over a song -- Randi?
KAYE: All right. We'll catch up on all that later, Brooke, coming up at 2:00 p.m.
Thank you.
Now time to look at the news at "Street Level."
A popular Las Vegas attraction, according to affiliate, KTNV, state officials are getting reports that three guests of the Luxor have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease. The first two cases were reported this past. Experts did not find any Legionnaires' bacteria. Both patients recovered. But the third case was reported this month and the patient died. This time, the samples taken from the Luxor did positive for the bacteria. The Luxor is reportedly working with health officials to ensure that its water is safe.
A teen in Burton, Michigan, is suspended from his school not because of his behavior or his grades but because of his hair. This is J.T. Gaskins. He survived leukemia and is cancer free. He wanted to give back and has been growing his hair for Locks for Love, a charity that provides wigs to cancer patients, but the school, Madison Academy, suspended J.T. for breaking the schools dress code policy. J.T.'s mom says there's a double standard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MOTHER OF J.T. GASKINS: Females can grow their hair and cut and it, donate it. But yet, a male student, like my son, can't do the same without getting kicked out of school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The superintendent issued a statement saying, "I don't know what decision J.T. and his mother will come to, but we have offered various accommodations, one being to use hair gel and a comb, as long as he styles his hair to keep it off his collar." There's now an online petition to get the school to change its policy. Next, in the Seattle area, where animal experts are investigating a disturbing series of sea lion killings. Another dead sea lion was just found. According to affiliate, KING, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that brings the count to nine sea lions just in the past week. The Sea Conservation is offering a $10,000 reward that leads to an arrest. X-rays shows at least three of the sea lions were shot.
At West Valley City, Utah, a typical birthday party at school turned into a wish come true. Get your tissues ready. Bailey Page (ph) was celebrating her sixth birthday in her class, which is nothing unusual, but watch who was waiting to see her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: Guess what, Bailey? Turn around.
BAILEY PAGE (ph), BIRTHDAY GIRL: Dad!
(LAUGHTER)
(SHOUTING)
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: How adorable was that. Her father, Sergeant Adam Page (ph), returned from Afghanistan. Page (ph) has just been redeployed to Utah. Bailey said the only birthday present she wanted was her dad. The two of them just couldn't stop hugging each other.
Super Bowl madness has begun in Indianapolis where the countdown kicked off with the traditional media blitz known as, what else, Super Bowl media day. This year, fans were allowed to attend the event for the first time at $25 a pop. Thousands of reporters and fans packed the stadium to fire questions and rub shoulders with the Patriots and the Giants.
To The Villages in Florida where Mitt Romney took a cue from President Obama. Romney led a crowd of retires in "America the Beautiful."
(SINGING)
KAYE: It looks like a political sing-off is in shaping up because how can we forget the president and this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
(SINGING)
(CHEERING) KAYE: The president's crooning had a major effect. According to "Billboard," he boosted weekly sales of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" by 490 percent.
It is a four-man race for Florida but what will the GOP field look like after tonight's result? Can Newt Gingrich survive if he loses in the sunshine state? We'll look ahead next at a live report from Tampa. But first, our "Political Junkie" question. Who is the only former president to also hold political office in Florida? Tweet the answer to at Randikaye@CNN. If you're first, I'll give you a shout out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Before the break, I asked which former president also held political office in Florida. The answer is Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States. He was governor of the Florida territory in 1821, more than 20 years before Florida even became a state. Congrats to Nick from Charlotte for tweeting me the right answer.
All right, let's check in now with our Peter Hamby. He is in Tampa watching all of this unfold as we get ready for the vote and the big primary count tonight.
Peter, let's look at next month, really, because Florida is going to come to an end pretty quick. What states vote in February and how important are they?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: It's interesting, we have seven states and some are more important than others, it turns out. First we have the Nevada caucuses which are this Saturday. That's a big state for Mitt Romney. He won there in 2008. There is a Mormon population. Ron Paul organizing there aggressively because of the strong Libertarian grassroots. The Newt Gingrich campaign is trying to lower expectations for that state.
But in February, we have, along with Nevada, we have caucuses in Colorado, Minnesota. We have a primary in Missouri. We have primaries in Arizona and Michigan as well. So it's a crowded state. But some of these states, Randi, don't matter as much as the other ones because they're non-binding delegates in several of them, such as this Missouri primary or some of these other caucus states.
KAYE: Obviously Romney is looking like he's heading for a win in Florida, certainly hoping to. Where does Gingrich go from here if he doesn't win in Florida?
HAMBY: They are downplaying expectations in Nevada. But also Michigan, another strong Romney state, really central to his political biography. His father was governor there. He was born there, obviously. They're downplaying expectations.
They see Arizona as one place they can really try to make a stand in February. A strong Tea Party state. Gingrich is carving out that grassroots conservative space in the Republican Party. But it's still tough for him. Remember, he's taken the position to the left of Mitt Romney on illegal immigration. And immigration is a huge issue among the Republican base in Arizona. They' see that as their strongest suit. They'll also play a little bit in some of these caucus states, like Colorado and Minnesota. But in terms of the big delegate contests, Arizona is where Gingrich hopes to make a stand in February -- Randi?
KAYE: We'll see how it all turns out this evening.
Our thanks to Peter Hamby there in Tampa for us. Peter, thank you.
Thank you, everyone, for watching today, as always. I'd love to know what you think of the program. You can continue the conversation with me on line any time. You can find me on Facebook or Twitter at Randikaye@CNN.
CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke who is live in Tampa, Florida.
Hello, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Hey, Randi. Thanks so much for having me on again.
