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Campbell Brown
McCain Makes Surprising V.P. Pick; Obama, Biden Hit Campaign Trail; New Orleans Bracing for a Possible Hurricane
Aired August 29, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And, to all our viewers, our special two- hour ELECTION CENTER continues, coming up in just a moment.
Up next, we're going to do a little reset, tell you everything we know about John McCain's new running mate, Sarah Palin, who she is, why John McCain picked her, how she could really shake up this race for the White House.
We have got all that, and more, starting right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Hi, everybody. Welcome to a special edition of the CNN ELECTION CENTER, at end of a historic week in American politics.
John McCain made some of that history today by taking possibly the biggest risk of his presidential campaign. In this hour, a no-bias, no-bull look at his choice for a running mate, the little known first- term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.
Also, less than 24 hours after his monumental acceptance speech, Barack Obama is taking his case to the states he absolutely must win in this campaign. Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, are just wrapping up a rally in the all-important tossup state of Pennsylvania. We are going to take you there live when things get started.
We're also live in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where the Republicans are making final preparations for their national convention, which begins on Monday.
And on this, the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans in the path of a hurricane that has already been a killer. We have got the updated forecast on Hurricane Gustav. It has just come in. We are going to bring it to you coming up very shortly.
The best political team on television, including John King, Jessica Yellin, Paul Begala, Gloria Borger, they are going to be here with me this hour in the ELECTION CENTER.
But let's start with John McCain's big surprise and even bigger risk, some might argue. For the first time ever, a woman is on the Republican ticket. Sarah Palin is also Alaska's first-ever female governor. She was elected less than two years ago. She's 44, married, the mother of five children.
Her oldest son is in the Army, and he is about to go to Iraq. Her youngest is just a baby, born four months ago, and a baby who has Down syndrome. She's a former sportscaster. She became the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 5,470. That's just outside of Anchorage.
A big reason why McCain picked her is Palin's reputation in that state as a reformer, a bit of a maverick. And she talked about that today. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-ALASKA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I signed major ethics reform. And I appointed both Democrats and independents to serve in my administration. And I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress -- I told Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks," on that bridge to nowhere.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
PALIN: If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: CNN's chief national correspondent, John King, joining us from the site of the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
And, John, you have been talking about this all day with a lot of people, I know. McCain passed over a lot of people with a lot more experience, Mitt Romney, of course, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who we just spoke to a moment ago.
You have been speaking to your sources about this. Why? Why Sarah Palin?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why, Campbell?
In a sentence, unorthodox pick in a year where McCain believes the political tide is overwhelming against him. He believes it will excite his Republican base. And he believes that Sarah Palin, unlike any of the others he could have picked, also gives him an opportunity. They understand it's not assured, but an opportunity to reach out to those Hillary Clinton voters as well.
The number-one priority -- a lot of the discussion today has been about the Clinton voters, because she is a woman. The number-one priority, they have watched the intensity gap in the polls. Barack Obama is building it coming out of his convention. John McCain has often had a very uncomfortable relationship with the social conservative, the gun owners, the traditional base of George W. Bush's and Ronald Reagan's Republican Party.
This was a gesture by John McCain to excite this hall next week, and to excite the base out in the country, because he needs high turnout if he's going to have a chance against Barack Obama.
BROWN: What do we know about the relationship between Senator McCain and Governor Palin? Because they barely know each other. They only met one time before they really started talking about whether or not she might do this.
KING: That is what makes this so fascinating, and again evidence of the fact that John McCain decided he had to essentially throw a Hail Mary, that he believes he had to do something that is bold, but also -- and they acknowledge this -- risky, because of his prospects in this election.
He is a man who almost -- he arguing with his aides, "Maybe I should pick Joe Lieberman," the Democrat-turned-independent, because of that personal bond you're talking about. He relishes close relationships with his small group of core friends.
And yet he reaches out to someone he had only met once in person before this process reached its height. Then they had a secret meeting in Arizona, and where John McCain settled on his choice. And then he saw her, of course, this morning before the big announcement.
But that is an extraordinary fact, that John McCain, a man who does pride himself on these close personal relationships with his closest allies and friends, went to somebody he barely knows. Now he says he knows her better. But it is a striking exhibit of the fact that they realize they need to do something very, very different.
BROWN: And, John, obviously, a historic pick, choosing a woman, some may say an attempt to go after those Hillary Clinton supporters. But is it really, or is it more, as you seem to be arguing, an opportunity to shore up the base because of her positions on abortion and social issues, guns?
KING: Overwhelmingly, they think it's important to gin up the base.
But here's what they think. A critical swing constituency out there are suburban women, white suburban women over the age of 30. Some of them were Hillary Clinton voters in the primary. Others have been the traditional soccer moms, swing voters in close presidential elections in the past. In 1988, they mattered. In 1992, they mattered in the end.
And so she calls herself a hockey mom. She will stress her family, the compelling story of her new baby. She will stress her blue-collar roots. And she will try to get those white suburban swing voters, not necessarily just Clinton voters, but they certainly hope, Campbell -- and trust me, they're going to right after them, trying to convince the Clinton voters as well.
But the main goal is the Republican base and those suburban swing voters. And if they can reach the Clinton voters, some of whom they need in key states, that would be a bonus. Again, they also acknowledge, though, in the end, this is about John McCain and Barack Obama.
BROWN: All right, John King for us tonight -- John, thanks. Appreciate it.
Political insiders were pretty impressed when there was all this talk about who was on McCain's short list of V.P. candidates, most pretty well-known Republicans, but he didn't choose any of them. Instead, everybody now getting to know Alaska Governor Sarah Palin tonight.
And Michael DuHaime is McCain's political director. And he is joining me to talk about what some are calling a pretty risky move by Senator McCain.
Mike, John McCain has said that he would pick a running mate who would be able to step into the president's shoes on day one. I don't have to tell you, Sarah Palin's only been governor for less than two years. Of all the Republicans out there, is she really the most qualified person to be commander in chief in a crisis?
MIKE DUHAIME, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN MANAGER POLITICAL DIRECTOR: She was a great governor and is ready, will be ready on day one to be president of the United States.
As you can see, what she did in government in Alaska, as governor, she was a true reform governor. And that's what John McCain was looking for, somebody who shared his values, shared his vision, basically a maverick, like himself, somebody who passed landmark ethics reform.
This is somebody who did two years -- did more in two years as governor than most people we're talking about in government in either party.
BROWN: But, Mike, we're fighting two wars right now. She has no foreign policy experience.
(CROSSTALK)
DUHAIME: Well, she's the commander of chief of the Alaska National Guard and has a son going to Iraq.
I think that's somebody who has great perspective on what's going on in this world and what is going on in this country and how it affects real people in America. So, I think she is ready. I think she brings a different perspective maybe than a U.S. senator who can put 80,000 people in the stands.
I think that's a different perspective, what she brings as an executive, as a governor, as somebody who sent troops to Iraq, as someone who has her own son in the Army. I think that's a different perspective, and I think it's one that Americans are going to respect.
BROWN: So much of your campaign's case against Senator Obama has focused on how little time that he's been in the Senate and how inexperienced he is on matters of international affairs, on military affairs.
I mean, doesn't naming Governor Palin as his running mate really undermine your entire argument against Senator Obama?
DUHAIME: I don't think so at all.
I think, right now, what you're talking about is Senator Obama's inexperience. I will actually match up Governor Palin's experience vs. his any day. He started to run for president when he had been in the U.S. Senate for two years. I would say that his accomplishments, next to Governor Palin's, are relatively insignificant.
This is someone who had no record of crossing party lines, no record of significant accomplishment in the U.S. Senate, vs. somebody who actually made government work, made change, took on power structures of both parties and big business. This is somebody who really was an effective governor.
Hillary Clinton said that Barack Obama was a speech.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: Mike, just give me a reality check here. She hasn't even been governor for two years. Prior to that, she was mayor of a town of less than 8,000 people.
DUHAIME: Campbell, I mean, that's, I think, one of the problems with the Democrat Party and maybe with big media, that you think only smart people come out of maybe New York, L.A., Chicago.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: I'm not suggesting that at all. A lot of people come from small towns. What I'm saying is, she's managed, as mayor and governor, not on a substantial level. I mean, you understand. Look at John McCain. No one has ever questioned his experience, what he has gone through.
DUHAIME: Campbell, rightly so. Rightly so, you shouldn't question his experience.
BROWN: So, compare the two. I mean, compare John McCain to her experience. You're comparing her to Barack Obama.
(CROSSTALK)
DUHAIME: Campbell, I realize you're very upset about this, obviously. This is somebody who...
BROWN: Nobody's upset about it. But I'm asking you to try to be honest with here -- let's cut through the bull and give me an honest answer. What I think is that she may bring many, many qualities to the ticket, many wonderful qualities to the ticket.
DUHAIME: She does. Yes, she does.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: But a long wealth of experience probably isn't one of them. If you can be honest with me, you have got to concede that point, right?
DUHAIME: We can be honest.
BROWN: And I'm not by any means arguing that Barack Obama brings all this experience to the ticket either. But I'm saying they're both in a position of not bringing a lot of experience. And maybe other things outweigh that. But can you concede that point and just be honest with me on that?
DUHAIME: No, I will not concede that point, and, yet, I'm still being honest, as fascinating as that may sound to you.
BROWN: OK. All right. I know.
DUHAIME: She's somebody who's done incredible work as a governor. She was a fantastic governor, brought real reform. And that's what John McCain is looking for, somebody who mirrors the way he wants to bring reform to government.
You're talking about Barack Obama, who chose a senator who has been -- a U.S. senator who's been there for 30 years, taken another person out of the old boys network, vs. John McCain, who has taken a governor, someone who has been a reform governor, somebody who is from outside of Washington. I think she's going to connect with the American people because she is going to -- she would be a good vice president, as she has been a great governor.
BROWN: OK. Well, how did he come to decide on her? Because they met, as I understand it, just one time, right, before he chose her.
I mean, John King was just talking about this, and John McCain has been up front about this, how important personal relationships are to him, knowing and trusting the people he works with and spends time with. It's a bit of a roll of the dice, from his perspective, isn't it, given how he barely knows her?
DUHAIME: Well, I think John McCain is somebody who has been around leaders his entire life.
This is somebody who understands leadership and knows a leader when he meets one. And this is somebody who, as I said, if you just look at her record, she is somebody who is a leader, because she didn't just go along to get along when she won in Alaska. She took on people of both parties. She took on big business in her state because she wanted real reform. She passed a landmark ethics reform.
This is somebody who really governs the way John McCain would govern. And I think that's what he's looking for. And I think -- I certainly trust his instincts. He knows a leader.
BROWN: All right, Mike DuHaime, we appreciate your time tonight. Thanks for coming on and chatting with us.
DUHAIME: Thanks, Campbell. Thanks for having me.
BROWN: So, now Governor Palin, pretty unknown outside of Alaska, but stand by, because we're going to bring you the full 411 on the former beauty queen also who is to become now a Republican superstar. Just who is Sarah Palin?
That's next in this special edition of the ELECTION CENTER.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BROWN: As we told you, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the first woman to run on a Republican presidential ticket. But who is this woman who has rocketed into national prominence, literally overnight?
CNN's David Mattingly has spent the day digging into her background.
David, what did you find out?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, Governor Palin may be on the ticket in part because her career has been built on what this election has been all about, and that is change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Standing in a park overlooking the city of Anchorage, Governor Sarah Palin talked to me just three weeks ago, sounding like a long shot.
PALIN: I'm a hockey mom from Alaska. I'm not one of those movers and shakers within the Republican Party that I think conventionally you would think would be tapped into.
MATTINGLY: And that could be what made her so appealing to John McCain.
At 44, she is the youngest governor Alaska's ever had and the only woman to hold the office.
(on camera): She pushed for a strong ethics law for public officials and took on members of her own party to do it. She also challenged oil companies over pipelines and leases. Palin also pushed back at government spending, killing the so-called bridge to nowhere, a pork barrel project guided by fellow Alaskan Republican Senator Ted Stevens.
(voice-over): Palin has been governor less than two years, but is already the state's most popular politician. Before that, she was a small-town mayor. She was then appointed to chairman of the powerful State Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, all the while crafting her own message of change.
PALIN: A change that is craved, I believe, by Alaskans and by Americans is getting away with the obsessive partisanship, the partisanship that just gets in the way of doing what's right.
MATTINGLY: But Palin herself is under investigation by the state legislature. The probe grew out of allegations she fired her public safety commissioner for refusing to sack her ex brother-in-law from the state police.
Palin says she never authorized a staffer who was caught on tape pressuring state police to act.
LARRY PERSILY, FORMER ALASKA JOURNALIST: Her approval ratings are so high in Alaska, I think most people at the moment are willing to give her the benefit of doubt and say, hey, bad judgment, not a fatal flaw. MATTINGLY: Palin a mother of five. She has an infant with Down syndrome and one son in the Army. She was once a hometown beauty queen, second runner-up for Miss Alaska 1984.
A journalism graduate, she also tried her hand at sportscasting. She is the anti-Washington Republican conservative, pro-gun, anti- abortion, with a political record as far outside the beltway as anyone can get.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And Governor Palin's approval ratings in Alaska are something any officeholder would love to have, Campbell -- 70 to 80 percent of Alaskans say she's doing a good job.
BROWN: All right. David Mattingly for us tonight -- David, thanks.
Coming up next, our political panel is going to dig into John McCain's big gamble. Is Sarah Palin what John McCain needs to shake up this race, or has McCain just handed the Democrats a whole lot of ammunition?
And one day after his Mile High milestone, Barack Obama is watching John McCain steal some of his thunder. We're going to tell you how he plans to try to get it back.
Plus, they're taking no chances down in Louisiana, Hurricane Gustav posing a big threat. We're going to show you the latest storm track when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: As the mother of one of those troops, and as the commander of Alaska's National Guard, that's the kind of man I want as our commander in chief.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: In that speech earlier today, Governor Sarah Palin also talked about how her oldest son is being deployed to Iraq next month. And she played up her experience as the commander of Alaska's National Guard.
But, despite that, Palin's foreign policy credentials are pretty thin.
And our Dana Bash asked her about concerns that she doesn't have enough experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Governor, what do you say to your critics who are saying that you don't have enough experience to do the job?
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I have appreciated the 13 years in elected office that I have had to give me some good experience and to get ready for this job. It's been good experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Thirteen years in elected office, we're going to talk over that with our panel of top political insiders.
I have got with me right now Republican strategist Kevin Madden, Who was national press secretary for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor Paul Begala. Also with us, Gloria Borger, CNN senior political analyst. I see Gloria there. And I see CNN contributor David Brody, senior national correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Is Paul here, too? I didn't see Paul.
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm here, Campbell. I don't know. Can you see me?
BROWN: Oh, good.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: Just, it's not a party without you, Paul. I wanted to make sure you were there.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: OK, let me start, though, with Kevin Madden on this.
OK, Kevin, Mike DuHaime, who is political director for John McCain, just jumped down my throat because I suggested that she doesn't have a whole lot of experience, Sarah Palin. I also said that Barack Obama frankly doesn't have all that much experience.
But can we be honest here? She may bring many, many, many, many, many other things to the Republican ticket, but a wealth of commander in chief experience isn't one of them, right?
KEVIN MADDEN, FORMER ROMNEY CAMPAIGN NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I think it is a challenge. And I think over the next 60 days, that is the greatest challenge, is going out there and engaging with voters and giving them enough information so that -- about Sarah Palin's attributes, her ability to learn issues very quickly, her ability to reform every institution that she's been involved with.
That is the challenge. They have to go out there and convince the American people that he has that readiness.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: But, Kevin, is she ready to be commander in chief? MADDEN: Well, look, there's a -- the funny thing about elections is that the American public are going to make that decision.
And that is where the challenge is for the McCain campaign. Over the next 60 days, they're going to have to go out there and convince the American people that she is ready. They're also going to do that, probably, I expect, by talking about her record of accomplishment, reforming every institution that she's come into contact with, and also the maverick status, the fact that she's gone out there and reached across party lines to bring reform, to bring change where she's worked.
BROWN: All right, Paul, one of the McCain campaign's biggest arguments against Obama has been that he's too risky a choice, and because of experience. And polls show that a large majority of Americans did believe that. I mean, did the Palin pick just negate that argument entirely?
BEGALA: Well, I think it does take that away from McCain.
And I think Kevin is right. Voters resolve these things -- 18 million Americans decided that Barack Obama had enough experience. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, who I supported in those primaries, made the case that he didn't. But 18 million Americans decided, OK, Barack has enough experience. That's the only way to know.
He's got about the same as Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton or anybody else who's not been, you know, in the executive branch for long stretches.
Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has absolutely none. And there's only one person who's casting the vote here. And this is about John McCain. I worry that my fellow Democrats are going to jump onto Governor Palin and attack her. There's a lot to attack.
It's not about Sarah Palin. It's about John McCain and the judgment of a man who is 72 years old, who has had cancer four times, who wants his finger on the nuclear button, and chooses as the best person to back him up if, God forbid, something happens -- keep in mind he's 72 and he's had cancer four times -- is Sarah Palin.
It is shockingly irresponsible for John McCain to do that to this country, because he just might win. And I think that's the problem here, is McCain, not Palin.
BROWN: Gloria, I have got to tell you, a lot of Republicans I have talked to today scratching their heads at this pick. What do you think was going on here in terms of the motivation? It was a bold move, regardless.
(CROSSTALK)
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It was.
You know, and some Democrats I talk to, Campbell, say this kind of reminds them of the Mondale/Ferraro pick, because it was clear that the McCain campaign felt that just needed a game-changer here. They know they're behind.
And they saw an opening when Joe Biden was picked, and it just opened up a flank for them. They think that they can get these suburban women. And they decided to do something a little bold, a little risky.
If you look at Sarah Palin on domestic policy, she's like John McCain. She's a junior John McCain, except she's more conservative culturally. But, if you look at her credentials, she's a reformer. She fought corruption. She taxed big oil, all those kinds of things that John McCain absolutely loves.
Plus, she's got the real conservative cultural credentials. And, by the way, she's also a woman. So, they put it all together. I think, if Biden hadn't been picked, he might have gone with a Tim Pawlenty. But I think, with Biden being picked, and the women, some women being angry, they just saw this opening and they jumped right through.
BROWN: David, is that a big part of this? Because she does have -- she has everything that a Republican would want in terms of her conservative credentials, her appeal to evangelicals, especially on social issues. Is this really going to rally the base on that front?
DAVID BRODY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Campbell, it's not going to only rally the base. It is going to be a huge, a huge, huge impact, Campbell.
I have been working the phones today talking to multiple sources. And I have to tell you, there is palpable excitement within the evangelical base about this pick. Sarah Palin is known to many of these evangelical leaders. They are doing -- literally, there was a meeting today in Minneapolis with 100 evangelical leaders or so. They were meeting with the McCain campaign.
And, literally, there were hugs going on in that room, a standing ovation, if you will. So, this has been a very exciting day for evangelical leaders. And it's going to be interesting to watch, but, no doubt, it's a big deal.
BROWN: Let me go back to Kevin, and, Kevin, have you address kind of the point that Paul made, which is I think the debate we're going to come down to ultimately, which is, what was going through John McCain's head? Because we have heard from so many people how important these personal relationships are to him, that he really know the people that he surrounds himself with and trust them.
He met her one time before they sat down and made this decision. You know, John King described it as a bit of a Hail Mary pass. Is it?
MADDEN: Well, look, you know, I think -- I have been describing this all day for those that have asked that it's a very unconventional pick, yes, but it's quintessential John McCain.
John McCain has decided to double-down on the issues of reform, and the issue -- and the maverick issue. He's gone out there and picked somebody that he thinks is going to be a partner with him in changing Washington. And who better than somebody with the executive experience and also somebody with a record of accomplishment of having done so? So, while he doesn't have the personal rapport that he would with, say, somebody like a Tim Pawlenty or a Tom Ridge, I think that John McCain has gone out there and, in meeting with Sarah Palin, he found somebody who is going to really help him with his mantra and his agenda of really bringing fundamental change to Washington...
(CROSSTALK)
MADDEN: ... and, quite frankly, challenging the status quo.
BROWN: Let me ask you, though, because you worked for Mitt Romney.
MADDEN: Right.
BROWN: I mean, compare Mitt Romney's experience to hers.
MADDEN: Well, look, I don't think that you can go through a veep process, especially after a pick has been made, and compare apples to oranges.
Instead, you have to look at the reasons for why John McCain made this pick. This was not a pick against anybody. But, instead, it was a pick that John McCain, I think, felt personally was a complementary choice to a lot of the goals and aspirations that he has for a McCain administration. And it's about Sarah Palin's credentials. It's about Sarah Palin's -- her accomplishments.
BROWN: All right.
MADDEN: And he figures that it's going to bring a lot to a potential McCain administration.
BROWN: OK. Guys, stand by. We are going to get back to you a little bit later.
One day out of Denver, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, deep in the heart of a must-win battleground state. What are they telling voters as they barrel towards November?
Well, their Pennsylvania rally finally about to get under way. We're going to take you there as soon as they get going.
And why did Senator McCain pick Governor Palin? We're going to hear -- you're going to hear from him, have him explain that in his own words when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And you're looking at a live picture there in Pennsylvania. Barack Obama and Joe Biden about to start a rally there as they are focusing on battleground states, invigorated by the convention, of course, but a little bit overshadowed by the stunning announcement from John McCain over his veepstakes today.
But as you just heard, we mentioned they'll be in Pennsylvania tonight. We'll be taking that live when they take the stage.
I want to go now to CNN's Jessica Yellin, who has been working the phones all day digging up for us what is next for the Democratic duo.
And, Jessica, I guess the challenge here is, you have this week where Obama has all the attention. How do you keep the momentum going when Republicans have already stolen the show a little bit with their announcement today of John McCain's running mate and then they take center stage in Saint Paul next week?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. It is a question for them, Campbell, especially because, as you say, the Sarah Palin news really did step on the coverage of the speech that they could have been getting today.
What the Obama campaign is going to do is continue campaigning as we've seen. You said he's in Pennsylvania tonight. He's going to Ohio, Michigan this weekend, Wisconsin next week. And we'll see some ads rolled out.
They've been mostly down off the air with paid advertisement for the past week, the Obama campaign has mostly. And we're going to see them go back up in force. And what's different about this is in most convention years, the opposite -- the opponent does not advertise or compete for attention.
This year we saw John McCain releasing ads during the Democratic Convention. Expect the very same from Barack Obama, hitting on his message that John McCain is the past, is old politics. He's new politics, et cetera.
But you can't try to compete too much. You don't want to try to get more than you can actually win because then he looks like he's really not selling his message effectively. Just about a careful balancing act for the next week for them, continuing to get a bounce, they hope, and ride it through the next week. But we'll have to see how well it works.
BROWN: And, Jessica, more generally, what's the challenge going forward? Because going into the convention, you know, the big question was, can this party be united? Can they get beyond their issues and all come together at convention time? Is that problem solved?
Many people believe it was when Hillary Clinton gave that rousing endorsement. And if it is, what do they then focus on?
YELLIN: Yes. It's a good question, Campbell. And I have to say this, the one thing that I think they really did address during this convention, without a doubt. I talked to people immediately after Obama finished his speech last night.
Hillary supporters -- I'm talking about the women who were delegates for Hillary who were not going to even vote because they didn't like Obama. And afterwards, I talked to three women who said, I'm convinced. He won me over. I get it, and I'll support him. I really did get a sense also from Hillary's top donors, who I still stay in touch with, that they really are, some of them already joining the Obama national finance committee, raising money for Obama. They really have brought those two parts of the party together. The challenge is to win over the independents who are undecided especially seniors and blue collar workers and they're hoping Biden will make the difference there -- Campbell.
BROWN: Jessica Yellin for us once again tonight. Jessica, thanks.
With both presidential tickets in place now, we're getting a better sense of how this fall campaign is going to take shape. So as we look to the future, we're going to do a little lay of the land for you and without our electoral map to show you which states do hold the key to the White House. I'm also going to ask our panel of political pros just how Sarah Palin is going to shake up this race.
And then later, on the three-year anniversary of Katrina, New Orleans once again could be in the path of a major storm. Gustav is a hurricane again. It's getting stronger. Stand by. We've got the very latest on where it's headed. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: You've got to hand it to the McCain campaign. They sure do know how to keep a secret. Finally today, though, in the key state of Ohio, Senator McCain introduced us to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, his choice for VP. And here's a little bit of that announcement earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's not from these parts, and she's not from Washington. But when you get to know her, you're going to be as impressed as I am. She's got the grit, integrity, good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today.
She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievements of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. And, of course, Senator Hillary Clinton who showed such determination and grace in her presidential campaign.
It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.
So for my part, the mission is clear. The next 67 days, I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country, and our message of reform to every voter of every background, in every political party, or no party at all. If you want change in Washington, if you hope for a better America, then we're asking for your vote on the 4th of November.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Well, now that we know what both tickets look like, it is a whole new ball game.
Coming up next, the possible path to the White House state by state, by state. And John McCain's Saint Paul problem with the Republican National Convention just days away. How does he avoid being dragged down by an unpopular president? We're going to talk about that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: The latest CNN electoral map showing Barack Obama expanding his lead over John McCain. We're going to talk about that in a second.
First, you were just seeing a live picture there. That was Joe Biden speaking in Pennsylvania. He and Barack Obama now on a tour of battleground states. But as I was mentioning before, battleground states so crucial in this election.
New Mexico was a tossup state. Now, it's five electoral votes leading toward Obama and that gives Obama a 37-vote lead, 226 to 189. There are still 10 tossup states.
The yellow ones with 123 electoral votes. Those are our tossups. Those 10 states will, of course, decide this very historic election.
And we should point out, Sarah Palin's home state of Alaska, already McCain territory, while Joe Biden's home state of Delaware does support Obama.
And I want to bring back our political panel and talk about the ramifications beyond that a little bit. We've got Kevin Madden, Paul Begala, Gloria Borger and David Brody with me once again.
And, David, you know, after weeks of speculation we finally know who the VPs are on both tickets. So just talk to me a little bit about what you think those names do to the electoral map, where Palin might help, where Biden might help, when you're just thinking about the battleground, which is really the bottom line.
DAVID BRODY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I think you're looking into the Rust Belt, you know. Here's why. Because what's going to happen here, Campbell, some of the people that I'm talking to is that Sarah Palin is really going to be looked at here as a strong independent woman. And I think that's very important to take note of because she's going to play into the reformer image.
And so what's going to happen is, you're going to have kind of like a duo, the reformer duo go out there, and because of that, it's going to play well in the Ohios and the Pennsylvanias and the Michigans. And I think this is where she can really help. I think that's very important. I'm also -- it'd be very interesting to see what's going to happen real quick on somewhat of a separate note between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin on October 2nd in St. Louis. Of course, that's the debate, the vice presidential debate. A lot of people would think that Senator Biden with all of his experience is going to be a mismatch, but I think that's pay per view. I think that's going to be extremely interesting because my understanding is that she is pretty much an attack dog herself, and we're about to get more of that sense here in a few weeks ahead.
BROWN: I'm not going to miss it. I can't wait. Paul, what do you think?
PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think that David makes some very good points. She's very poised today, very well spoken. It's clearly the beauty pageant training, which I admire.
The problem for the McCain campaign is he might win. This is the problem. His entire essence, McCain's, is country first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good point.
BEGALA: This is a man who suffered for our country. He was tortured for our country. He was almost killed in an accident on the deck of the USS Forrestal.
He has faced death from cancer, from torture, from an accident, from being shot down. You would think if anybody had a sense of the importance of this choice at age 72, having cancer four times, it would be John McCain. And yet, he's clearly chosen someone for political reasons, not for governing reasons.
There's not a person with a lick of sense in the world who thinks that God forbid if something happens to the president, the very best person to have in these incredibly dangerous times is Sarah Palin. This is a political choice.
If the Obama campaign takes it to that level, makes it big, then they're in good shape. If they just attack her personally and, you know, go attack this and that issue, position she has, then they will have taken the bait and I think McCain may prosper politically.
The big question is, you just might win, and then where are we. And I'm scared to death. I have to tell you, as a citizen, as a Democrat, Joe Biden can handle her. As a citizen, I'm going to hide under the covers and I'm afraid for John McCain's health and send him vitamins.
BROWN: All right. Kevin, let me -- the beauty pageant comment, Paul, I think was a little bit of a low blow. So that comment aside --
BEGALA: No, wait. But why? That's like --
BROWN: Because come on, poise and talent can come from -- you know, I wouldn't chalk that up for a beauty pageant experience.
BEGALA: My wife was Miss (INAUDIBLE). She's also got two masters degrees, have graced in five (INAUDIBLE).
BROWN: All right.
BEGALA: Being good-looking is not a bad thing, Campbell.
BROWN: All right.
BEGALA: I have no personal experience, I would have to say, but my wife does.
BROWN: OK. Let me go to Kevin. And, Kevin, respond to his -- let's get back on the subject at hand and respond to Paul's broader argument. That this is, you know, in his view, is frightening.
MADDEN: Well, look, you know, I think that Paul also forgot to mention John McCain's age and that he, you know, suffered from cancer. I didn't hear that at all. I only heard like five or six times.
BROWN: No, he mentioned that earlier.
MADDEN: Yes. Look, I think that's exactly what you're going to hear. You're going to hear Democrats try to tear down Sarah Palin on the issue of readiness and the issue of experience. And then they're going to try and make arguments implicit and explicit about John McCain's age. But, again, the American public is going to make this -- they're going to make this decision based on who they think is best prepared to lead this country right now.
At the end of the day, fundamentally, this is a contest between Barack Obama and John McCain on the issue of who's ready to be president. And John McCain can prove to the American public that he has the experience, that he has the integrity, that he has the judgment to lead the nation at a very difficult time.
Barack Obama has spent four days in Denver only talking about it. That is going to be the fundamental choice. That's the contest that voters again face in November.
BROWN: Right.
All right. Gloria, you get the last word.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, can I just put this in a little context?
BROWN: Please.
BORGER: I was making a list for myself earlier today, which was, when you look at the inexperienced vice presidential candidates who have run, '68 Agnew, '88 Quayle, top of the ticket, they won. They won.
You look at the experienced candidates, vice presidential candidates in '68, Ed Muskie, in '88, Lloyd Bentsen -- those tickets, they went away.
So this year the Democrats have gone for experience yet again. And the Republicans have chosen somebody who's inexperienced. And you know what, I think in the end, it depends on the person at the top of the ticket.
BROWN: Yes.
BORGER: And I still maintain that's the case.
BROWN: I agree. All right.
To many, many thanks to Kevin, to Paul, to Gloria, to David. Guys, we'll be seeing a lot more of you next week certainly as we kick into convention coverage once again.
In a moment everybody, the latest on Hurricane Gustav. New Orleans bracing for what could be another monster hurricane. Our severe weather expert Chad Myers is plotting the path for us and has the very latest when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight a lot of people in New Orleans, also people in Houston now, keeping an eye on the weather maps following Hurricane Gustav's every move. Chad Myers has the very latest from the CNN severe weather center.
Chad, what do we know?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We know right now it's over the Cayman Islands. Basically, Cayman Brack and also Little Cayman, and also quite a bit of squall activity right there at Grand Cayman Island.
It is going to go over Cuba. Be now in the real part of Cuba, that very western part. That's the part that's going to take the brunt of it on Cuba. And then eventually it's going to get into the Gulf of Mexico. It looks like Saturday into Sunday, and then make a run at the gulf coast.
Right now, the computers are turning this left. And in fact, every model would have to be wrong for it to be east of New Orleans. That tells us something for a little bit later -- Campbell.
BROWN: OK, Chad. We're going to stay in touch with you throughout the night and, of course, through the weekend. Stay with CNN for full coverage on what the hurricane is up to.
Moving on though, as we've seen, political conventions are the ultimate stagecraft. Next, we're going to preview the GOP showcase in Saint Paul. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" begins in just a few minutes. And you know he can't wait to jump in on today's bombshell political announcement. Larry, what are we going to see tonight?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": You're doing a great job, Campbell.
No one would bet on this yesterday, but everybody is, of course, talking about it tonight. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is John McCain's running mate.
If you just joined us, that's correct. We'll discuss what she adds or doesn't add to the GOP ticket, how it stacks up to the Democrats' card. That's "LARRY KING LIVE" for this Friday night, coming up.
BROWN: Took a lot of people by surprise. A lot to talk about, Larry. We'll be watching.
The Republicans' big party begins on Monday. In just a minute, we're going to give you a sneak peek inside the GOP convention site. It is stagecraft in Saint Paul when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: When it comes to stagecraft, the Republicans have a tough act to follow. CNN's Jessica Yellin live in Saint Paul right now with a sneak preview of the grand old production.
So, Jessica, show us what it looks like. Give us a grand tour.
YELLIN: Campbell, the first thing you'll notice that's different here is it's all very red, not blue like the Democratic Convention. Right back there, you'll see that's the CNN booth where the best political team in television will be broadcasting all week.
It's a smaller floor. There are fewer delegates, so it's a little more intimate. And the major difference is that it's a much smaller stage and much closer to the delegates. You have a very intimate feeling.
It's just a few steps, you can see, from where the first delegate is. Oh, and a major hole behind me. My friend Chad is keeping me from falling in. That's where the teleprompter is going to go.
A big screen, one big screen instead of three. I think they can do some fun things with videos back there, breaking it all up. And this is what the grand view looks like for all the speakers next week.
We are going to see President Bush stands (ph) here, Arnold Schwarzenegger, I believe. And, of course, John McCain and Sarah Palin, all major attractions next week and things get under way on Monday. It will look a lot more finished then -- Campbell.
BROWN: Jessica, I still just -- the image of you falling into that rabbit hole. I just can't go beyond that.
YELLIN: I could twist my foot. Thank you, Chad.
BROWN: It would have been a television moment. I'm glad he saved you.
YELLIN: Yes. BROWN: Thank you. Thank you, Jessica Yellin, for the preview. We really appreciate it.
That's it from the ELECTION CENTER tonight. I am headed to Saint Paul with Jessica. Hopefully, it will be finished by then. And we will see you from the Republican Convention on Monday.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now, everybody.
