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American Morning
Will Tomorrow's Election be One for History Books?
Aired November 04, 2002 - 07:36 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The party that controls the White House rarely makes gains in midterm voting, so will tomorrow's election be one for the history books?
Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is here with a look now at some of the contests and most important races -- good morning, Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
ZAHN: Let's start off in the Senate.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
ZAHN: Minnesota.
SCHNEIDER: Grief.
ZAHN: Grief?
SCHNEIDER: That's what that race is about, grief over the tragic death of Paul Wellstone. Will that be enough to carry Walter Mondale in, who replaced Wellstone on the Democratic ticket?
ZAHN: Well, let's talk about grief over the memorial service that some say turned into a political rally.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, in that case...
ZAHN: A different kind of grief.
SCHNEIDER: A different kind of grief and that caused a lot of resentment and anger among Republicans, who were outraged to see the minority leader of the United States Senate traveling from Washington to Minneapolis to pay his respects to his departed colleague and getting booed.
ZAHN: So what do you think is going to happen there?
SCHNEIDER: It's very, very close. Right now the polls are in absolutely opposite directions. One shows Mondale ahead, one shows his Republican operation, Norm Coleman ahead. Who knows? But, we're all going to be watching at eleven o'clock this morning for the one and only debate on the election eve, because all eyes will be on Walter Mondale. The question is has he still got it? Is he up to his game? That's what people want to know.
ZAHN: It's a pretty risky thing to do on the eve of an election, isn't it?
SCHNEIDER: That's right. But look, this election was only five days long. So people want to know what's Mondale got to say.
ZAHN: Let's move on to the President Bush-Tom Daschle showdown in South Dakota.
SCHNEIDER: That one is about turnout. It's a very small state and both sides, it's such a close race, both sides are really revving up whatever they can do to, doing whatever they can do to rev up turnout for their own constituents. They're even, there's even a bit of a scandal about getting voters out on Indian reservations. The Democrats are trying to do that and that may have backfired.
ZAHN: Let's move on to this race in Arkansas, where it's not looking too good at this hour for the incumbent. That could be a pick up for the Democrats.
SCHNEIDER: That's right. There the key word is name. The Democratic candidate is named Mark Pryor, a famous name in Arkansas. His father David Pryor was governor and senator and a lot of people want to vote for him because the incumbent, Tim Hutchinson, has some personal problems, an embarrassing personal episode where he married a staff member, left his wife and that put him in bad odor among a lot of religious voters in Arkansas.
ZAHN: A different point of conflict in the Georgia race, and boy did this one get nasty.
SCHNEIDER: That's right.
ZAHN: How is it looking for the incumbent there, Max Cleland?
SCHNEIDER: It looks very dicey for Max Cleland, and the issue there, here in Georgia is security, because his opponent is saying he is not voting for the homeland defense department, he's too tied to the labor unions. He's really hitting him hard with ads. If the national security issue means anything in this election, it's likely to mean something here in Georgia.
ZAHN: On to the state of New Jersey.
SCHNEIDER: New Jersey, well...
ZAHN: Another twist and turn in this race.
SCHNEIDER: I say the...
ZAHN: Let's hear it for the 70-year-old guys.
SCHNEIDER: That's right. Fairness. The question is will Republican resentment over the choice of Frank Lautenberg, you know, getting his name on the ballot late, is that fair? Were the Democrats manipulating the process? Is that enough resentment to keep Frank Lautenberg from winning?
Lautenberg is ahead right now. Most bets are he can win.
ZAHN: New Hampshire.
SCHNEIDER: New Jersey...
ZAHN: Another familiar name there.
SCHNEIDER: A great name.
ZAHN: Two familiar names, actually.
SCHNEIDER: In New Hampshire you don't have to know too much to know the one word that they always talk about, taxes. Jeanne Shaheen is the governor and she's been involved in a lot of tax disputes. That's a very close race. John Sununu made an unfortunate comment where he said he will do anything to help the Republican Party and his opponent, Jeanne Shaheen, said wait a minute, what about the voters of New Hampshire? Your first commitment is supposed to be to your state, not to your party.
So he's been put on the defensive a little bit about that. Very close.
ZAHN: Like within the margin of error at this hour?
SCHNEIDER: Easily. Most of these are within the margin of error.
ZAHN: Let's move on to one of the hottest governor's races in the country, that is in Florida. It is no secret that President Bush and the former President Clinton and Al Gore have spent a lot of time there campaigning for the respective candidates. Let's quickly review what Al Gore had to say over the weekend.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: On election day, when the election comes around, that's the time when the power brokers and the string pullers have to step aside and let you make the decision.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, now.
GORE: And they have tried to take that away from you also. And you know what happened two years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So what are the concerns about voting irregularities down there?
SCHNEIDER: A lot of concerns about that. The key word in Florida is revenge. Al Gore is down there to remind voters how did you feel the day you heard the Supreme Court stopped the vote count? Were you angry? Let's dredge up that memory and make it go to the polls. The Democrats are just trying to get every last voter out there to vote Democratic in revenge for what happened to them in 2000.
Is it going to work? Probably.
ZAHN: You also wonder how much traction the Haitian migrant issue got?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, indeed.
ZAHN: Now, you had Bill McBride, the guy challenging Jeb Bush, basically saying that the policy of the president, which, of course, is Jeb Bush's brother, is inherently racist, and then Jeb Bush coming out and saying he didn't necessarily agree with that policy either.
SCHNEIDER: That's right.
ZAHN: Is it a wash?
SCHNEIDER: I'm not sure it's a wash. I think there's a lot of resentment. I think it's a problem for Jeb Bush, but it's not his policy, remember, it's a federal policy. Because the Cuban-Americans who are part of Jeb Bush's base support that policy. Haitian- Americans and African-Americans resent it because it says Haitian- Americans cannot stay if they're economic refugees, but Cuban- Americans can. It sounds discriminatory.
ZAHN: How important is it for President Bush's 2004 campaign that his brother win this race in Florida?
SCHNEIDER: It is absolutely crucial because Florida is the battleground in American politics. It was in 2000. It's likely to be in 2004. And the reason is Texas is solidly Republican. New York and California are solidly Democratic. That means Florida is the largest state really in play and it is, as we know from two years ago, precisely balanced between the two parties.
ZAHN: Well, we are counting on you to watch all of these races for us, and we'll be spending a long night together tomorrow night.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, we will.
ZAHN: Thank you, Bill.
For more election coverage, tune in this afternoon at 3:00 Eastern for a special two hour "Inside Politics" with Judy Woodruff.
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 November 4, 2002 - 07:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The party that controls the White House rarely makes gains in midterm voting, so will tomorrow's election be one for the history books?
Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is here with a look now at some of the contests and most important races -- good morning, Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
ZAHN: Let's start off in the Senate.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
ZAHN: Minnesota.
SCHNEIDER: Grief.
ZAHN: Grief?
SCHNEIDER: That's what that race is about, grief over the tragic death of Paul Wellstone. Will that be enough to carry Walter Mondale in, who replaced Wellstone on the Democratic ticket?
ZAHN: Well, let's talk about grief over the memorial service that some say turned into a political rally.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, in that case...
ZAHN: A different kind of grief.
SCHNEIDER: A different kind of grief and that caused a lot of resentment and anger among Republicans, who were outraged to see the minority leader of the United States Senate traveling from Washington to Minneapolis to pay his respects to his departed colleague and getting booed.
ZAHN: So what do you think is going to happen there?
SCHNEIDER: It's very, very close. Right now the polls are in absolutely opposite directions. One shows Mondale ahead, one shows his Republican operation, Norm Coleman ahead. Who knows? But, we're all going to be watching at eleven o'clock this morning for the one and only debate on the election eve, because all eyes will be on Walter Mondale. The question is has he still got it? Is he up to his game? That's what people want to know.
ZAHN: It's a pretty risky thing to do on the eve of an election, isn't it?
SCHNEIDER: That's right. But look, this election was only five days long. So people want to know what's Mondale got to say.
ZAHN: Let's move on to the President Bush-Tom Daschle showdown in South Dakota.
SCHNEIDER: That one is about turnout. It's a very small state and both sides, it's such a close race, both sides are really revving up whatever they can do to, doing whatever they can do to rev up turnout for their own constituents. They're even, there's even a bit of a scandal about getting voters out on Indian reservations. The Democrats are trying to do that and that may have backfired.
ZAHN: Let's move on to this race in Arkansas, where it's not looking too good at this hour for the incumbent. That could be a pick up for the Democrats.
SCHNEIDER: That's right. There the key word is name. The Democratic candidate is named Mark Pryor, a famous name in Arkansas. His father David Pryor was governor and senator and a lot of people want to vote for him because the incumbent, Tim Hutchinson, has some personal problems, an embarrassing personal episode where he married a staff member, left his wife and that put him in bad odor among a lot of religious voters in Arkansas.
ZAHN: A different point of conflict in the Georgia race, and boy did this one get nasty.
SCHNEIDER: That's right.
ZAHN: How is it looking for the incumbent there, Max Cleland?
SCHNEIDER: It looks very dicey for Max Cleland, and the issue there, here in Georgia is security, because his opponent is saying he is not voting for the homeland defense department, he's too tied to the labor unions. He's really hitting him hard with ads. If the national security issue means anything in this election, it's likely to mean something here in Georgia.
ZAHN: On to the state of New Jersey.
SCHNEIDER: New Jersey, well...
ZAHN: Another twist and turn in this race.
SCHNEIDER: I say the...
ZAHN: Let's hear it for the 70-year-old guys.
SCHNEIDER: That's right. Fairness. The question is will Republican resentment over the choice of Frank Lautenberg, you know, getting his name on the ballot late, is that fair? Were the Democrats manipulating the process? Is that enough resentment to keep Frank Lautenberg from winning?
Lautenberg is ahead right now. Most bets are he can win.
ZAHN: New Hampshire.
SCHNEIDER: New Jersey...
ZAHN: Another familiar name there.
SCHNEIDER: A great name.
ZAHN: Two familiar names, actually.
SCHNEIDER: In New Hampshire you don't have to know too much to know the one word that they always talk about, taxes. Jeanne Shaheen is the governor and she's been involved in a lot of tax disputes. That's a very close race. John Sununu made an unfortunate comment where he said he will do anything to help the Republican Party and his opponent, Jeanne Shaheen, said wait a minute, what about the voters of New Hampshire? Your first commitment is supposed to be to your state, not to your party.
So he's been put on the defensive a little bit about that. Very close.
ZAHN: Like within the margin of error at this hour?
SCHNEIDER: Easily. Most of these are within the margin of error.
ZAHN: Let's move on to one of the hottest governor's races in the country, that is in Florida. It is no secret that President Bush and the former President Clinton and Al Gore have spent a lot of time there campaigning for the respective candidates. Let's quickly review what Al Gore had to say over the weekend.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: On election day, when the election comes around, that's the time when the power brokers and the string pullers have to step aside and let you make the decision.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, now.
GORE: And they have tried to take that away from you also. And you know what happened two years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So what are the concerns about voting irregularities down there?
SCHNEIDER: A lot of concerns about that. The key word in Florida is revenge. Al Gore is down there to remind voters how did you feel the day you heard the Supreme Court stopped the vote count? Were you angry? Let's dredge up that memory and make it go to the polls. The Democrats are just trying to get every last voter out there to vote Democratic in revenge for what happened to them in 2000.
Is it going to work? Probably.
ZAHN: You also wonder how much traction the Haitian migrant issue got?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, indeed.
ZAHN: Now, you had Bill McBride, the guy challenging Jeb Bush, basically saying that the policy of the president, which, of course, is Jeb Bush's brother, is inherently racist, and then Jeb Bush coming out and saying he didn't necessarily agree with that policy either.
SCHNEIDER: That's right.
ZAHN: Is it a wash?
SCHNEIDER: I'm not sure it's a wash. I think there's a lot of resentment. I think it's a problem for Jeb Bush, but it's not his policy, remember, it's a federal policy. Because the Cuban-Americans who are part of Jeb Bush's base support that policy. Haitian- Americans and African-Americans resent it because it says Haitian- Americans cannot stay if they're economic refugees, but Cuban- Americans can. It sounds discriminatory.
ZAHN: How important is it for President Bush's 2004 campaign that his brother win this race in Florida?
SCHNEIDER: It is absolutely crucial because Florida is the battleground in American politics. It was in 2000. It's likely to be in 2004. And the reason is Texas is solidly Republican. New York and California are solidly Democratic. That means Florida is the largest state really in play and it is, as we know from two years ago, precisely balanced between the two parties.
ZAHN: Well, we are counting on you to watch all of these races for us, and we'll be spending a long night together tomorrow night.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, we will.
ZAHN: Thank you, Bill.
For more election coverage, tune in this afternoon at 3:00 Eastern for a special two hour "Inside Politics" with Judy Woodruff.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
