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Out in the Open
Countdown to Super Tuesday; Interview With Michelle Obama
Aired February 01, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the CNN ELECTION CENTER.
This is the program where you will hear more from the candidates, so you can make smart decisions on your Election Day.
And for almost half the country, that's next week. We are counting down to the first poll openings of Tuesday, 44 separate contests in 24 states and American Samoa.
Members of the best political team in television are standing by, some here in the Election Center, others out on the campaign trail.
Meanwhile, my colleague Soledad O'Brien is in Chicago tonight, where she has just gotten back from an important exclusive interview.
What have you got for us tonight, Soledad?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, John, we had a chance to sit down with a very rare, very interesting interview with Michelle Obama.
Now, we have heard a lot, certainly, from the former President Bill Clinton, the spouse of Senator Clinton, but we haven't heard a whole lot from Mrs. Obama. We asked her how she came to finally fully support her husband's campaign, when she admits, from the get-go, she was not really that into it. And we asked her if she has concerns that a black man who is running to be president of this country could be a target. She said no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF SENATOR BARACK OBAMA: There are risks in life, you know? The reality is, is that something could happen to Barack walking down the street. There are just inherent risks in this country for all people, but particularly for men of color.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Straight ahead this evening, I'll have much more of my interview with Michelle Obama.
But, first, let's get to John and a look at today's developments in the presidential campaigns -- John.
ROBERTS: Soledad, looking forward to that interview coming right up in just a few minutes.
Meantime, last night's presidential debate may have been all sweetness and light, but back on the campaign trail today, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were back to their usual sniping.
At a Los Angeles news conference that perhaps by coincidence looked an awful lot like a presidential news conference, Senator Obama told reporters he is more electable than Senator Clinton.
Well, today, "The Los Angeles Times" broke with tradition and for the first time since 1972 endorsed candidates for both the Republican and Democratic nominations. "The Times"' choice for the Democratic nomination is Barack Obama. The editors write: "The U.S. senator from Illinois distinguishes himself as an inspiring leader who cuts through typical internecine campaign bickering and appeals to Americans long weary of divisive and destructive politics."
Our Suzanne Malveaux is covering the Obama campaign, and she joins us now live.
So, Suzanne, this endorsement by "The Los Angeles Times," how important is it for Barack Obama in a state where we have seen him in the last few days in some polls at least beginning to catch a little bit of fire?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, obviously, California is a huge state. It's got a mother lode of delegates. We're talking some 370 delegates. So, this is really quite the prize if he wins this or at least comes out with a good number of them.
They realize this, and that is the reason why they are basically bringing out the big guns. Oprah Winfrey is coming back here to Los Angeles on Sunday. She's going to be joining Michelle Obama as well as Caroline Kennedy, all of them, a big rally here to try to get the support of those female voters. It's a critical group.
Obama has had some difficulty when you look at the earlier contests of getting big numbers of women. They hope to increase that number and so that's one of the reasons why. But obviously, they have a good, strong ground team here, an operation here. But they are not taking anything for granted. So we're going to see Oprah Winfrey back on the scene -- John.
ROBERTS: That will be interesting. It's been awhile since she's been on the campaign trail.
We mentioned "The Los Angeles Times" endorsement of Senator Obama. But that's not the only endorsement he picked up today.
MALVEAUX: The California chapter of the SEIU -- that's one of the largest labor unions in this state, they used to back John Edwards, but they're now going for Barack Obama.
That's very important, because the big question is, where do all those Edwards supporters go? So, that's a good sign for Barack Obama, that they're heading in his direction. The other endorsement was MoveOn.org, obviously a liberal activist group, very anti-war.
That's going to be interesting because if he gets the nomination, then obviously, Republicans are going to use that endorsement against him. You can only imagine the kinds of commercials that they are going to come out with that. But he also Barack Obama is looking to those former candidates.
John Edwards talked with him. He said he had a conversation. They are still trying to see if he can get an endorsement out of him. Sources tell us John Edwards is not going to give anybody the nod until at least after February 5. He also talked with Governor Bill Richardson.
And as you know, he was in New Mexico today, a lot of speculation whether or not that was going to happen. Clearly, it did not happen. Barack Obama saying that he would be surprised. And, of course, he would be surprised, John, because CNN has learned that Bill Richardson is going to be spending Super Bowl Sunday with his former boss, that being President Bill Clinton -- John.
COOPER: Yes. Well, and perhaps that indicates what might happen on the Richardson front.
Suzanne Malveaux for us in Los Angeles -- Suzanne, thanks.
Senator Clinton is also campaigning in California. She told an enthusiastic crowd at San Diego State University that last night's debate with Senator Obama pointed out a lot of important differences between the two.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How many of you watched that debate last night?
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Wasn't that exciting? And isn't it thrilling to know that one of the people on the stage last night will make history as our 2008 Democratic nominee?
You know, there were so many important points made in the debate last night that are really substantive that are going to matter to what we do together. And the most important difference that you heard was that between myself and Senator Obama over whether or not we should attempt to work for, make a commitment to achieving universal health care in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, is following the Clinton campaign.
You know, Candy, last night, more than 90 minutes of solid policy debate, and we discovered that the differences between them on the major issues are very narrow. Did Hillary Clinton do what she set out to do last evening?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They think she did. They believe that when she can make that connection between her policy knowledge and the kitchen table, that she's won.
And they think when she reaches out and says, you know, I understand what you're going through, I have heard all of these voices talking about the fear that they will lose their health insurance or the fear that high gasoline prices will make them have to choose between transportation and home heating fuel, that sort of thing -- so they really think that she stood up there. Obviously they wanted her above the fray. Both campaigns wanted that. And that she actually spoke directly to voters.
They think when the issue is policy, she is the senior citizen in the bunch, that she's the varsity and he's the J.V. So, that's what they were going for. That's what they think they achieved.
But as you know, Barack Obama certainly held his own, getting a lot of kudos on that and people saying he stood toe to toe with her.
ROBERTS: Right. They both took the high road in the debate last night, quite a marked difference from the way that it was in Myrtle Beach and also quite a departure from the Republican debate on Wednesday. Are they still feeling the love today on the campaign trail?
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: A little bit. It was mostly like that bite you showed there. She stuck to policy. He largely stuck to policy, bringing up her explanation of why she voted for the war in Iraq.
But I will tell you, as you know, John, there are really a lot of the campaigns that go on. There is the above-ground campaign. And that's Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and what they say and what they do and where they go. And then there's the subterranean campaign. And that is what is going in the mail slots and that is what is going in the phone calls.
And so, both campaigns, the Obama campaign and Clinton campaign, got into it today because there is a new mailer out there from Barack Obama on this very issue of health care that the Obama camp is sending out that says Hillary Clinton's going to force you to buy health care insurance even if you can't afford it.
Now, if you look at that picture that's on the screen right now, the Clinton campaign just went nuts over this and said that this has echoes of the Harry and Louise ads that sunk Hillary Clinton's first health care. It was a Republican-backed ad campaign. So, they were really very angry about this and said it's just absolutely not true.
So, the conversation continues. Above the ground, it's somewhat nice and they're still mellow. And then the subterranean back and forth still goes on in a much more aggressive way.
ROBERTS: All right, Candy Crowley for us tonight -- Candy, thanks very much.
Now let's bring in part of the best political team on television. Joining me from Washington is A.B. Stoddard. She's an associate editor for the congressional newspaper "The Hill." And here in New York, "TIME" magazine editor at large and senior political analyst Mark Halperin, also CNN senior analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Good evening to all of you.
Let's take a look. First of all, we had some pretty significant economic news today, Jeffrey, 17,000 jobs lost during the month of January, when most experts believed that there was going to be a rise. Does that make this issue of the economy that much more urgent now? And between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who would benefit from that?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Well, there was also very bad news, except from Iraq. You had a terrible pair of suicide bombings there. You had deaths going up in January, after they had gone down in December.
I think what it really does is contribute to an issue, an atmosphere that is very helpful to the Democrats, because it's just more bad news out in the world. As for your question, does it help Obama or Hillary, boy, you know, I don't know. And I don't think it helps one much -- one much more than the other.
What do you think?
MARK HALPERIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": I think it helps the one who talks more about the economy and in that kitchen table way Candy talked about. So, it's a little bit of a dodge. I don't know who it will help more.
Obama is talking more about the economy, did a roundtable on it today. Both of them recognize that this issue has risen in importance. And I think whoever talks about the economy with more passion, more of a sense that Bill Clinton did so well, saying I understand what you're going through, I think that person will be the Democratic nominee.
ROBERTS: Let's get A.B. Stoddard in on this as well.
And, A.B., from the 30,000-foot view, we have seen in the past that, in an election year, if the economy is bad, it tends to favor the out party. Still a lot of time between now and November, though, as we saw in 1992, perceptions tend to get set early when it comes to the economy.
A.B. STODDARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "THE HILL": I think if you look at the Republican stewardship of the economy in the last six, eight years, I think that the Democrats are going to make a very compelling case that budget deficits are up, that the decline of the dollar, the mortgage meltdown, unemployment, and all of indicators really favor the Democrats.
And I don't think that that -- I don't think there's enough time for that to change. Something wonderful would happen, very miraculous to happen for that to change.
ROBERTS: We were talking with Candy Crowley, Mark Halperin, about endorsements, MoveOn.org and "The Los Angeles Times," at a time when Obama's numbers do seem to be on the increase. You spent all week in California. How much of an impact do you think this is going to have?
HALPERIN: He's winning a lot of news cycles. Every day matters now. You get to the end of the day, you say, who won today? I think Obama probably won another day. early in the week, he won three days, just on the Kennedy endorsement alone.
I think, today, those endorsements probably got him the better headlines. But Clinton is still ahead right now. And I think California reflects most of these other states. She's probably still ahead, but he has the movement on his side. And the question is, does he move far enough fast enough by Tuesday to overtake her?
ROBERTS: And...
TOOBIN: I think the clock sort of stops now, though, because I think most people, most normal people, not like us, are going to start thinking about the Super Bowl. I think it's going to be very hard to penetrate the news cycle while you have got 100 million people watching the Super Bowl.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: I don't know. What do you think about that, A.B.? When we were out in California, we found a tremendous amount of intensity among voters. Will everything stop for a football game?
STODDARD: It really depends who you are. It's not going to stop for me, but it might stop for my husband. I think it's really going to depend.
Remember, it's only one day, though. I think that there will be more time to make up excitement by Tuesday.
TOOBIN: But the election is Tuesday and the game is Sunday.
(CROSSTALK)
HALPERIN: I don't want to make a gender generalization, but Oprah is coming back to California for Obama with Caroline Kennedy, with Michelle Obama. So, it's possible that you may have, if you're a California woman, greater interest in that you do in the game.
TOOBIN: That is very good counterprogramming.
ROBERTS: Talking to some undecided voters yesterday, they were saying that these two candidates are so close on policy that there's these little intangibles that will help them make up their mind. And one of those intangibles is electability. Listen to this and then let's talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: In terms of electability, you know, I believe that I am attracting new voters and independent voters into the process in a way that Senator Clinton cannot do.
I think that will be particularly important if Senator McCain is the nominee on the Republican side. I'm confident I will get her votes if I'm the nominee. It's not clear that she would get the votes I got if she were the nominee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, let's go quickly around the horn on this.
A.B. Stoddard, is he more electable than Hillary Clinton or have the results in the last couple of primaries shown that he still have some soft spots that he needs to get over?
STODDARD: No, the answer is I don't know if he's more electable than Hillary Clinton. None of us know.
But he has closed the electability gap drastically with his wins in Iowa, with a 2-1 landslide in South Carolina, with the Kennedy endorsement, and really this huge shift in the last week or so, 10 days or so, in the Democratic Party establishment, as they sort of gleefully break away from the iron fist of the Clinton machine, and come out in droves for Barack Obama.
ROBERTS: Right.
STODDARD: I think that he has shown the voters who haven't voted yet that he can go the distance. It doesn't mean he's going to win on Super Tuesday, but I think he's closed the gap.
ROBERTS: Mark, what do you think?
HALPERIN: They both have a strong electability argument. You heard his: I can get votes that she can't because there's just tens of millions of Americans who will never vote for her.
Her electability argument, the main, I think is: Obama is untested. He doesn't know how to fight Republicans.
I think A.B. is right. Obama has made his argument more powerful by standing up to the Clintons. Her argument that he can't do that has been weakened, and his argument is still pretty potent.
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: I never believe candidates when they say they are more electable. The way to prove it is to win the elections, win the primaries, prove you can beat Hillary Clinton. Then that's all you need to do to prove you're electable.
ROBERTS: Twenty-three contests coming up for the Democrats, 22 in the States, one in American Samoa on Tuesday. We will see if he can live up to his boast.
TOOBIN: Can I go to American Samoa to cover it?
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: I would like that.
ROBERTS: We will send you there specially to cover that.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Thanks.
A.B. Stoddard, Mark Halperin, and Jeff Toobin, thanks very much. We will get you back a little bit on to talk about the Republicans and what is going on with them.
We mentioned that "The Los Angeles Times" today endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination. Even more surprising, the paper made an endorsement for the Republican nomination. We will tell what you they like about John McCain and what the senator is telling conservatives who are still suspicious of him.
Also ahead:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. OBAMA: When I think of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King and true fears that they had and true sacrifices that they made, I think I don't have any right to hesitate for doing something that I think is important because of fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Michelle Obama talks about the deadly dangers that come with her husband's chance to make history. You will want to see every minute of Soledad O'Brien's rare one-on-one interview. That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, on the campaign trail, they call her the closer. In state after state, Barack Obama's presidential campaign has relied on his wife, Michelle to seal the deal with voters, ironic since this is a woman who at first at least wasn't even sure she wanted her husband to run for president.
Soledad O'Brien is live in Chicago tonight because just wrapped up a rare one-on-one interview with Michelle Obama.
And, Soledad, we should point out that this was such an important interview that you drove in the snow last night from the Nashville to be there.
(LAUGHTER) O'BRIEN: Yes. You know, that was kind of a treacherous drive. But I was glad I got here safe and sound because it was a really fascinating interview.
Michelle Obama, I think it's fair to say in a word, really is a pragmatist. When you ask her things like how does it feel to have everybody looking at your clothes and your hair as you're on the campaign trail, she sort of shrugs and says, it just is. It just is. She uses that phrase a lot.
And, as a realist, it's almost disarming when she tells you really how little she supported her husband's presidential ambitions early on as he was going into this campaign.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Did you support Barack's presidential ambitions from the get-go?
M. OBAMA: Not -- no, it took a little while.
(LAUGHTER)
M. OBAMA: It took a little while to get...
O'BRIEN: Did you say, no? Honey...
M. OBAMA: Oh, yes. Absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
M. OBAMA: I said, no, no, you can't be serious, because we had just come off of, a few years ago, a tough U.S. Senate race. And, you know, in your mind, you're sort of like, OK, that was one really hard thing that we did, and now we're done. We're going to press the easy button for a little while, right?
I knew he couldn't stay there for a long time. He doesn't -- Barack doesn't do anything that's not easy.
O'BRIEN: What made you come around? What was his convincing argument, that you're now on the campaign trail...
(CROSSTALK)
M. OBAMA: Well, first, there were sort of, you know, hurdles, practical hurdles. How does this work? How do we structure it? How do I negotiate my work? Financially, how do we make this happen? How will the kids feel?
So, there were a whole list of those kind of really practical things. And then, when those were answered satisfactorily, then it became, what's going on in me, right? Why am I afraid of this?
O'BRIEN: Why were you afraid of it?
M. OBAMA: Because I am, like most Americans, cynical about what you can do.
And there was a level of selfishness. This is going to be hard for me. But when I took off those hats and started thinking and hoping and dreaming for the things I would want for this country and the kind of leadership that I would be looking for, I thought, if I weren't married to Barack, I would desperately want him to do this.
So, the sacrifice that I'm going to have to make, the little burdens that we're going to have to overcome, are nothing compared to what I think he can do. So, ultimately, it was -- I became more selfless about thinking about the future of the country, and I started thinking about my girls. And...
O'BRIEN: Yes, well, about your girls, you look at modern-day presidents, and you think, Amy Carter, hounded by the president.
M. OBAMA: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Chelsea Clinton mocked by "Saturday Night Live," the Bush twins, people blogging about where they saw them with pictures. They couldn't do one thing without the media being in their faces all time.
(CROSSTALK)
M. OBAMA: Right.
O'BRIEN: Are you worried about that? Your girls are, what, 6 and 9?
M. OBAMA: Yes. Yes. No, we think about it often.
But we have done the best that we can do to keep their lives as normal as possible for as long as possible. That's one of the reasons why we have kept their routines on track throughout this process. They're not on the campaign trail with us. When they're with us, it's usually because they're on break or they have decided this trip sounds interesting, which has been never.
(LAUGHTER)
M. OBAMA: They have never found...
O'BRIEN: Because they're 6 and 9.
M. OBAMA: ... anything that we are trying to do interesting at all. They would prefer to be going to their birthday parties and their play dates.
O'BRIEN: Do you think about being an African-American first lady and the impact that would have?
M. OBAMA: Yes. Yes, I think about that as well. I don't think that you can help it. I know that there are people of all races who look upon this with a level of pride and maybe even with a level of amazement. I hear this all the time, people who come to me or walk up to Barack in tears and they say they never thought that this day would come, where they would see, you know, a person of color in the White House.
But people say the same thing for a woman as well. I think we still, you know, live in a nation where we have overcome much, but there's still much that we are overcoming, because when you have got qualified people who are smart and prepared, it shouldn't be surprising, but it is in this society, because that's not always -- oftentimes, that's not enough.
O'BRIEN: What kind of advice -- what kind of adviser are you for him? Is it just personal advice? Do you give, you know, what kind of tie, what kind of suit, you know, smile more, do this?
M. OBAMA: Yes, I think my relationship with Barack is probably no different from your relationship with your significant other.
O'BRIEN: Except he's not holding press conferences and...
(CROSSTALK)
M. OBAMA: Yes, but you also know it's a little bit of everything, right? Because, in the course of the conversations that you have as spouses, you wind up giving each other advice on everything, from ties, to why did you say that, to have you thought about, you know, what this means for women, or have you -- you know, we have all those conversations.
O'BRIEN: Do you want to be involved in policy? You're a health care executive.
M. OBAMA: Right. Right. Right.
O'BRIEN: If someone could be involved in health care policy, you have got a pretty good resume for that.
M. OBAMA: I don't have any burning desire to be involved in policy. It depends on, you know, sort of what's going on at the time. I think that I can be more effective in the role of first lady giving voice to a set of issues, rather than spending time sitting in policy discussions.
I mean, there will be a level of visibility that I will be able to bring to a whole set of issues that -- I mean, I can have just as much impact out there talking to hundreds of thousands of people about a set of issues than I can sitting in a room with a set of advisers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: You know, so what does she want to focus on as first lady? She says she would like to tackle the ever-difficult work/life balance that a lot of moms have to deal with, working moms and moms who stay home with their kids. That's going to be a tricky thing to do. But she says that's really where her passion lies, in spending time with her kids.
We also talked very seriously when you look, frankly, at the generation that has passed since the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, realistically, what were the conversations like? What kind of thoughts did she have about a black man running for president? Would he be safe?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
More now of my conversation with Michelle Obama. You certainly notice that the tone has changed in the campaigns. Watching the debate yesterday, you could see that it's kind of kinder and gentler as they head into towards Super Tuesday.
Michelle Obama told me she thinks it is going to be very, very close. And I asked her a very blunt question about some concerns that, in fact, Alma Powell, Colin Powell's wife had, when Colin Powell was considering running to be president of the United States.
And here is what she said. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a serious question.
Alma Powell, when Colin Powell was thinking about running for president, she said very clearly that she was worried about his safety. She was worried that he would be -- as a black man in America, he would be a target.
Do you have those similar fears?
M. OBAMA: No, I just don't think in those terms.
And people have asked me that, but -- and when -- I said this at one point. You know, there are risks in life, you know? The reality is, is that something could happen to Barack walking down the street. There are just inherent risks in this country for all people, but particularly for men of color.
So, you know, I can't live my life worrying about what might go wrong. If that were the case, I would have never gone to Princeton. I would have never, you know, supported Barack's run for anything, because there is always a reason to worry about what could go wrong. So, I just don't think that way.
Instead, I think about the possibilities. And I also think about what real sacrifice means. I mean, what we are going through, Barack and I and our family, is nothing compared to what our leaders who really pushed through on the Civil Rights Movement. When I think of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King and the true fears that they had and true sacrifices that they made, I think I don't have any right to hesitate for doing something that I think is important because of fear. You know, we're standing on their shoulders. They already made the hard sacrifices. This is the least that we can do.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Will we come out of Super Tuesday knowing...
OBAMA: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... who's going to be the Democratic nominee?
OBAMA: I think it's going to be close. I think this is going to be a race that will go through to the end. I am -- I believe that Barack is going to do well. I think that people in this country are ready for a change in politics, and people have been drawn and continuously motivated by his message. And the more that they get to know him, the more that they understand the differences between he and his opponent, the more that people will --
O'BRIEN: You're not going to name her? Senator Clinton?
OBAMA: No, I'm not. I don't want to be criticized for talking about --
O'BRIEN: Do you feel like you get hammered for the thing?
OBAMA: You can, you know. If you -- yes, you can. And I don't want that to be the story, you know. I want the story to be, you know, who is Barack and what is his vision? And I don't want that to get lost in the contrast that you naturally have to make in order to make that point. But I think this country is ready for the kind of leadership that he will offer, and there's no one else in this race who can bring about a whole different view about who we are as a country and how the world sees us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: We're going to have much more of my interview with Michelle Obama coming up on "AC 360." Listen. And let's send it right back to you, John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: In fact, it's so good, we're not going to tell people about it until "360." It was a great, great interview with her.
O'BRIEN: I won't say a word.
ROBERTS: A great interview with her. Some great insight. And she really is a lovely lady, too, isn't she?
O'BRIEN: Absolutely unflappable. At one point, John, we almost dropped a light on her head. It went right by her. She just laughed and went on -- completely unflappable.
ROBERTS: I remember a similar thing happened in the 1992 campaign, if I recall correctly, with a different candidate back then. Soledad O'Brien, we'll see you a little bit later on. O'BRIEN: That's right.
ROBERTS: OK, thanks.
A lot of Republicans may not like it, but they seem to clearly have a frontrunner. Will John McCain stay there?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Dismal economic news spilled onto the Republican campaign trail today. A much anticipated government jobs report shows that last month, for the first time in four years, more jobs were lost than created. There was a net loss of 17,000 jobs. President Bush called it "serious news." At a campaign stop in Missouri, Senator John McCain said it shows that we need fast action on an economic stimulus package and to keep taxes low. Later, on his way to Illinois, McCain was sounding pretty confident going into Super Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On what we see in the polls, I think that there is a very good chance it could be over on Tuesday, but I think there's still a lot of undecided voters. But I'm hoping that we can -- the sooner we get that done, the sooner I can go to work on uniting the party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Oh, perhaps it was a little bit of a Freudian slip there. John McCain hoping that there are not undivided voters out there because, of course, he still has some problems with the conservative wing of his party. Earlier, we told you "The L.A. Times" endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. "The Times" also endorsed John McCain for the Republican side. The editors wrote "The Arizona Senator's conservatism is, if not always to our liking, at least genuine. It reflects his fundamental individualism, spanning his distrust of big government, his support for immigration reform and his insistence on a sound American foreign policy."
Dana Bash is covering the McCain campaign. She joins us now live from Illinois. And what's the senator's game plan for the next three days leading into Super Tuesday, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? They say inside the McCain camp, John, is that they are going to be and want to be considered the national candidate. You heard a bit of hubris there from John McCain. It might be a little bit dangerous. But perhaps, you know, it is part of his strategy, which is to get across an air of inevitability, that he is the man who is going to be the nominee. That is why you've seen, just even in their strategy alone, to put television ads up, John. He is going to put television ads, we are told, in 20 of the 21 Super Tuesday states. That is something that would have been impossible for him to do not too long ago because the McCain campaign is notoriously or has been underfunded. He certainly has a lot more money coming in. And so, that is sort of the sense that he is trying to get across.
And you know what he is even doing this weekend, John, he is going to campaign in Mitt Romney's home state of Massachusetts. He is going to pick up an endorsement of the former governor there. So, it is basically a spit in your face to Mitt Romney, but, you know, that is the general gist of what they're trying to do, make this seem like an absolutely unstoppable train heading to the Republican nomination.
ROBERTS: Well, there's no question, Dana. There is a lot of in your face in the Republican side. So McCain is picking up these endorsements, important endorsements, like the one in Massachusetts, Governor Schwarzenegger. Rudy Giuliani endorsed him the other day as well, but he still has a problem, as we mentioned, with the conservative wing of his party. What's he going to do about that?
BASH: Absolutely. He is working that so hard right now, John. He has been -- he and his campaign have been working very, very hard behind the scenes to try to shore up the conservatives, particularly many in Washington and many around the country who we have heard on talk radio, we have seen quoted in the newspaper we have talked to who simply say, you know what? John McCain is not conservative enough to be our nominee. And so, that is a challenge that he's had -- he's gotten.
What he's trying to do right now is get as many endorsements, not just of those moderates we're talking about, but of really well respected conservatives. He picked up Steve Forbes today. He's a former presidential candidate, of course, somebody who worked inside the Bush's Justice Department, to try to appeal to those conservatives who are very worried about conservative judges. You're going to continue to see that. The McCain campaign insists by the hour, in order to try to, as McCain says, unite the party and try to assuage those fears of conservatives.
ROBERTS: Oh, we'll see if he can do it. Dana Bash for us tonight in Illinois where, by the way, our "AMERICAN MORNING" program is going to come from on Monday. Dana, good to see you.
Once again, I'm joined by part of the best political team on television. It's a large team. We've got some of the best players here. In Washington is A.B. Stoddard, and with me here, Mark Halperin and Jeffrey Toobin.
We heard John McCain sounding awfully confident there, saying that he's going to rack up the wind. It might be over on Super Tuesday. Mitt Romney fighting back hard, trying to fight back on this issue of the economy. Listen to what Romney said today on that front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My friends, Senator McCain is a wonderful person. He's a national hero and I respect him. No? He's a person I respect greatly, and he has a number of things that are great strengths of his, but he happened to say that the economy was not his strong suit. Well, at a time like this, in a country like this, I think it's important to have a president for whom the economy is his strong suit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So Jeff Toobin, Romney out there is saying, I'm the guy that can lead this country forward in bad economic times. I'm the CEO president. But as we saw in Florida, voters don't necessarily agree with him because on the economy, they voted for McCain.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Look. Romney's having problems in two areas, foreign and domestic. In other words, everywhere. I mean, it's just not working for Mitt Romney. And, you know, he talks about his expertise in the economy. But as far as I'm aware, he hasn't proposed anything that's noticeably different from what John McCain has, so it's just a bunch of talk. It's just the whole Romney argument just doesn't seem to be going over at the moment.
ROBERTS: A.B. Stoddard, what do you think? Here's the guy that turned around the Salt Lake City Olympics. He ran Bain Capital. He was a turnaround artist when it came to companies. Why are people not buying him on the economy?
A.B. STODDARD, ASSOC. EDITOR, THE HILL: Mitt Romney has a great resume. I mean, Republicans often say he has sort of everything and then nothing. The problem is, he's changed his position so many times. "The Wall Street Journal" today was asking whether he has any convictions at all. I mean, the problem is that the core of the Republican Party, they question whether or not he holds any firm principles.
On the economy, I believe, if Mitt Romney had more time and McCain had less momentum and the news continued to be bleak, he could make up for some ground. But he's not going to stop John McCain this weekend on the issue of the economy.
ROBERTS: Well, it certainly was an argument that played well for him in Michigan at least, if not Florida. Mark Halperin, let's get back to this idea of conservatives and whether or not John McCain's making any inroads. You wrote a lot about this on the page, in the time.com Web site. What do you think? Can he start to peel off some people, bring them over to his side, convince them he's OK?
MARK HALPERIN, TIME MAGAZINE EDITOR-AT LARGE: This was the moment that Mitt Romney has been waiting for, to get John McCain one- on-one and to get all of those anti-McCain Republicans, both elites that Jeff talked about, and also out in the country to say, I am not going to be for John McCain. Therefore, I must be for Mitt Romney. Romney is not doing a good job there. Clearly, divisions within his campaign about strategy. How do they consolidate them?
McCain, as Dana said, is reaching out. There are going to be people who are never for him. I suspect, though, he'll pick up. He'll continue to pick some up as he gains strength after Super Tuesday. And then after there's a Democratic nominee, I think a lot of people like Rush Limbaugh are going to rethink and say, well, do I want Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or can I swallow hard and be for John McCain? I think he'll do just fine, though.
ROBERTS: Yes. Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council was saying, why rush? Hang on. Wait a minute. Maybe, this guy isn't so bad after all. Is there a sense, Jeff, that the McCain train is leaving the station, get on board if you're left behind?
TOOBIN: Absolutely. And McCain has a terrific ally in Huckabee. Huckabee is out there saying nothing but nice things about John McCain and dividing the conservative vote, making McCain's nomination so much more likely. It is the most successful campaign for vice president I have ever seen.
ROBERTS: A.B. Stoddard, tell us a little bit about that. Is Huckabee going to be the spoiler here? He was up until a couple days ago, leading in three or four states. Now, it looks like he's only got one, Arkansas, which isn't a lead because McCain is surging so much. Does he siphon votes away from Romney and guarantee almost that McCain will be the big winner on February 5th?
STODDARD: Mike Huckabee already was the spoiler in Florida. I believe that Mitt Romney could have taken Florida if it wasn't for Mike Huckabee. If you'll go through all those counties, there were many where Romney and Huckabee shared the same vote at a number over 50 percent, and McCain would end up winning those counties. This is devastating for Mitt Romney, the Huckabee factor. And it's already sealed his fate, I believe.
ROBERTS: Mark Halperin, paint me a scenario for what happens on Tuesday on the Republican side.
HALPERIN: Well, John McCain is going to be in a very strong position because the northeastern states -- New York, New Jersey, Connecticut that are winner-take-all, he's almost certain he's going to win. Romney seems to be practically sitting those states. He'll also do very well in California, at worst a split, and probably better.
That's a lot of delegates right there. There are other states they're fighting over, Missouri, some of the smaller states, some of the caucuses. But I think, you're going to see John McCain come out either as the de facto nominee or in a commanding position. And Romney is going to have to have a new strategy. The strategy he's used since Florida, a big state, you can call it a strategy is not working.
ROBERTS: I'll tell you. I look at some of these polls that have been taken the last couple of days, McCain is just on a rocket ride there.
Mark Halperin, Jeff Toobin --
TOOBIN: End of story.
ROBERTS: End of the story. Jeff Toobin saying end of story. And A.B. Stoddard, thanks very much for being with us tonight.
STODDARD: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Always good to see you, folks.
STODDARD: Thanks.
ROBERTS: New York is considered a blue state. But today, the predominant color is red, and the first lady is on hand as well. We'll find out what's up in "Raw Politics" just ahead.
And we go from red to green as in first time voters. What made them decide to get involved? We'll tell you. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The campaign trail wasn't the only news making political headlines today, from President Bush's concerns about the economy to a first lady in red, to a senator who could be a Super Bowl spoiler. Tom Foreman has got it all in tonight's edition of "Raw Politics."
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That economic stimulus package we've heard so much about is headed for a vote in the Senate next week, but the wrangling is not over. Amid even more bleak economic news, the Dems still want to expand the package, Repubs still want to keep it contained. Both sides still predicting a deal, but it's enough to get the attention of a man who's losing his job and his house in 11 months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Serious signs that we -- that the economy is weakening and we've got to do something about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: A brutal attack in Baghdad has officials reaffirming that American troops will still be there when the next president takes over. But good news, too. Iran appears ready to resume talks about its role in promoting or preventing peace in Iraq.
Fashion week in New York. And with the ladies in red, that's Laura Bush. Her appearance, part of her campaign to reduce heart disease.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Being healthy never goes out of style.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: And guess who is jumping into the Super Bowl clash between Boston and New York? Arlen Specter. The Republican senator says the NFL must explain why it destroyed evidence in that earlier Patriots' cheating scandal or risk losing its anti-trust exemption. FOREMAN: All that fuss, and Specter is from Pennsylvania. He says he won't even be watching the game. Maybe, playing squash. That's "Raw Politics."
ROBERTS: Can you imagine? Tom Foreman for us, tonight. Tom, thanks.
This primary season we're seeing something fascinating in state after state. Huge numbers of first-time voters. Why are they getting involved? We'll show you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAWNA SHEPHERD, CNN PRODUCER: This is Shawna Shepherd in Missouri with Governor Mike Huckabee who is running on just a few hours sleep after a red eye flight from California. He is now back in familiar territory campaigning in his home state of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. Today, in Oklahoma City, Governor Huckabee attempted to strike down Governor Mitt Romney's conservative credentials.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He was very pro- choice, supported strong positions for same sex relationships, said on television that he would do more for the gay-lesbian agenda than Ted Kennedy. That's pretty bold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, young voters have been the surprising twist in this year's primary season. They came out strong in Iowa and again in New Hampshire. But will they make much of a difference on Super Tuesday. As CNN's Ted Rowlands reports, they have a key concern, and you might be surprised to find out what that is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did a rally for you at UCI.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First time voter Lynnette Choi (ph) is an 18-year-old college freshman who's supporting Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee.
CHOI (ph): I like what he's -- his economic policy about the fair tax.
ROWLANDS: Lynnette's (ph) is not the only student worried about the economy. It's an issue that resonates across party lines among young voters. UCLA student, Jose Neas (ph), likes Barack Obama.
NEAS (ph): Trying to get a job, something that will pay well to be able to pay off the college loans.
CROWD: Give peace a chance.
ROWLANDS: Young voters may have a reputation for putting idealistic issues like world peace and the environment ahead of economic concerns. But according to the Pew Research Center, 80 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds surveyed rated the economy as very important. Just 61 percent gave the environment the same rating.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Many of them are graduating college, graduating high school. They're looking to their first job, and they realize this job market is not so good.
ROWLANDS: Political strategists call these young people millennial voters, Americans between the ages of 18 and 29. Their numbers approaching 50 million. But historically speaking, young people are notorious for showing high enthusiasm in the early stages of a campaign but skipping out on Election Day. So how much will they matter this year? Lauren Lees (ph) is a millennial voter from California who's never bothered to vote before, but says 2008 is different.
LEES (ph): It's definitely the candidates. It's definitely just what's going on. I mean, we have the war in Iraq and all the education and all these different things.
ROWLANDS: We heard the same theme from a group of UCLA students watching CNN's Democratic debate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of the youth are getting excited about this. The candidates are actually speaking to us at this election. It's a very exciting time.
ROWLAND: Whether it's the economy, other issues or the candidates, turnout among young voters has been up so far this year. 29-year-old singer/actress Brandy Norwood told us, she thinks that trend will continue.
BRANDY NORWOOD, SINGER/ACTRESS: I feel like they're going to get out there and vote, and I'm here to tell them get out there and vote.
ROWLANDS: And because so far they have, candidates are paying attention. Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And straight ahead at the top of the hour, Larry King will be talking politics and a whole lot more with rapper Snoop Dogg. Make sure you stay around for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Don't forget more of Soledad O'Brien's interview with Michelle Obama is coming up later on "AC "360." Here's a quick look of what's ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: The fact that we were talking about the possibility of having the first African-American, and that is for some so emotional that it brings tears, is a statement about how far we have to go in terms of race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Soledad one-on-one with Michele Obama. That's tonight on "AC 360" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. And it's the "Most Politics in the Morning." Join Kiran Chetry and me, Monday through Friday at 6:00 a.m. Eastern for CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." Monday, I'll be in Chicago where the cross town battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will play out.
And CNN's best political team on television will have all-day coverage coming up on Super Tuesday, February 5th. This is going to be a huge contest. Twenty-three contests for the Democrats, 21 for the Republicans. On one side or another, it could tell us who the nominee is going to be. That's all for tonight, "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
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