Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Analysis With Frank Cerabino

Aired January 08, 2004 - 13:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about the president's visit to Florida with Frank Cerabino. He is a metro columnist for "The Palm Beach Post." Frank, good to have you with us. Just seeing you brings us back all those wonderful memories. How are things in Palm Beach these days? And will the election -- whenever they get to it there, will it go off without a hitch?
FRANK CERABINO, "PALM BEACH POST": Well, of course not. This is Florida and Palm Beach County where we popularize the notion that sort of as in golf if you don't get things right the first time, you should get a mulligan and try it again.

Speaking of that memorabilia, I have my own -- I don't know if you can see this "I demand a revote now" thing. We're actually going to vote I guess again in November. We're going to call it an election month, I think, this time.

O'BRIEN: Well, you might as well just -- as long as there's full disclosure up front. By the way, is that for sale, too?

CERABINO: Oh, no, no, no. This is just something -- I want to say -- I want to congratulate the president for coming here. He waited three years which I thought was sporting of him.

This is part of his No Campaign Contribution Left Behind. Eventually you have to go where the money is, and he's going to be here among friends who will give him $2,000 to be in his presence. And so it's great. He's coming during the daylight hours, too, which I think is a bold move.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little about how the voting will occur. Shall we presume no butterfly ballots, no chads. It is all electronic so therefore it's going to be without a hitch, right?

CERABINO: Of course not. As a matter of fact, Miles, we just had a special election this week in one of the statehouse districts with the touchscreen voting.

O'BRIEN: How did it go?

CERABINO: It went very -- surprisingly, there's a recount under way.

O'BRIEN: Surprisingly?

CERABINO: Yes, the race was decided by 12 votes but there are were 134 ballot apparently where there is no vote recorded. So whether it is touchscreen or paper ballot, I think the confused voter is still sort of lurking there and I think we'll make it interesting again in November.

O'BRIEN: Those of us who have difficulties with our computer screens can relate to that. Meanwhile let's talk about one of the players who became synonymous, the secretary of the state at the time Katherine Harris back in the news. Tell me what she's up to.

CERABINO: Well, apparently she's getting ready to decide whether or not she will run for the vacated seat that Bob Graham has created by not running again for U.S. Senate.

And Katherine Harris is either Joan of Arc or Cruella De Vil depending on your political bent. If she does decide to run, it will mean that she will be on the ballot in November. It will mean that she'll have to come to Palm Beach County to try to get probably get the same money that George Bush will be trying to get today.

So it is like "Groundhog Day" where you wake up and it is the same thing over. The Bushes are here. We have George Bush and his mother and father are here and his brother. And then we have Katherine Harris, possibly getting ready to run again. And we have a ballot dispute in an election. So nothing really has changed.

O'BRIEN: You know, it is so hard to get a handle on Florida politics because you have such divergent opinions and there's nothing monolithic about it. Is there any way to categorize the state right now?

CERABINO: Just fun place to be. That's what -- that's why I'm here. I'm a news columnist. And it is a fun place to be. I spoke to a guy today starting a Christian nudist camp and I think Florida is one place where you can have that and that's why I'm here.

O'BRIEN: And who will they be voting come 2004 in the Christian nudist camp because it seems like they're confused already.

CERABINO: Well apparently there is a religious right and religious left there at the Christian nudist camp and it's both on display.

O'BRIEN: All right. We'll see. Go to the nudist camp, we can at least see who is behind.

CERABINO: Hey, Miles, that's a good line. Mind if I use it?

O'BRIEN: You can use that, go a head.

CERABINO: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Frank Cerabino, bringing back memories for us.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 8, 2004 - 13:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about the president's visit to Florida with Frank Cerabino. He is a metro columnist for "The Palm Beach Post." Frank, good to have you with us. Just seeing you brings us back all those wonderful memories. How are things in Palm Beach these days? And will the election -- whenever they get to it there, will it go off without a hitch?
FRANK CERABINO, "PALM BEACH POST": Well, of course not. This is Florida and Palm Beach County where we popularize the notion that sort of as in golf if you don't get things right the first time, you should get a mulligan and try it again.

Speaking of that memorabilia, I have my own -- I don't know if you can see this "I demand a revote now" thing. We're actually going to vote I guess again in November. We're going to call it an election month, I think, this time.

O'BRIEN: Well, you might as well just -- as long as there's full disclosure up front. By the way, is that for sale, too?

CERABINO: Oh, no, no, no. This is just something -- I want to say -- I want to congratulate the president for coming here. He waited three years which I thought was sporting of him.

This is part of his No Campaign Contribution Left Behind. Eventually you have to go where the money is, and he's going to be here among friends who will give him $2,000 to be in his presence. And so it's great. He's coming during the daylight hours, too, which I think is a bold move.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little about how the voting will occur. Shall we presume no butterfly ballots, no chads. It is all electronic so therefore it's going to be without a hitch, right?

CERABINO: Of course not. As a matter of fact, Miles, we just had a special election this week in one of the statehouse districts with the touchscreen voting.

O'BRIEN: How did it go?

CERABINO: It went very -- surprisingly, there's a recount under way.

O'BRIEN: Surprisingly?

CERABINO: Yes, the race was decided by 12 votes but there are were 134 ballot apparently where there is no vote recorded. So whether it is touchscreen or paper ballot, I think the confused voter is still sort of lurking there and I think we'll make it interesting again in November.

O'BRIEN: Those of us who have difficulties with our computer screens can relate to that. Meanwhile let's talk about one of the players who became synonymous, the secretary of the state at the time Katherine Harris back in the news. Tell me what she's up to.

CERABINO: Well, apparently she's getting ready to decide whether or not she will run for the vacated seat that Bob Graham has created by not running again for U.S. Senate.

And Katherine Harris is either Joan of Arc or Cruella De Vil depending on your political bent. If she does decide to run, it will mean that she will be on the ballot in November. It will mean that she'll have to come to Palm Beach County to try to get probably get the same money that George Bush will be trying to get today.

So it is like "Groundhog Day" where you wake up and it is the same thing over. The Bushes are here. We have George Bush and his mother and father are here and his brother. And then we have Katherine Harris, possibly getting ready to run again. And we have a ballot dispute in an election. So nothing really has changed.

O'BRIEN: You know, it is so hard to get a handle on Florida politics because you have such divergent opinions and there's nothing monolithic about it. Is there any way to categorize the state right now?

CERABINO: Just fun place to be. That's what -- that's why I'm here. I'm a news columnist. And it is a fun place to be. I spoke to a guy today starting a Christian nudist camp and I think Florida is one place where you can have that and that's why I'm here.

O'BRIEN: And who will they be voting come 2004 in the Christian nudist camp because it seems like they're confused already.

CERABINO: Well apparently there is a religious right and religious left there at the Christian nudist camp and it's both on display.

O'BRIEN: All right. We'll see. Go to the nudist camp, we can at least see who is behind.

CERABINO: Hey, Miles, that's a good line. Mind if I use it?

O'BRIEN: You can use that, go a head.

CERABINO: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Frank Cerabino, bringing back memories for us.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com