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Saturday Morning News

Candidates Remain Calm as Count Continues

Aired November 11, 2000 - 7:10 a.m. ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We turn now for the latest on the two men fighting for the presidency. CNN reporters are covering both camps.

Our national correspondent Tony Clark joins us live from the Bush campaign in Austin, Texas, and CNN's Patti Davis is with us live from the Gore camp in Washington.

We're going to begin with Tony in Texas.

Good morning, Tony.

TONY CLARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What is the late...

CLARK: The governor has gone...

PHILLIPS: I'm sorry...

CLARK: No, I was going to say, the governor has gone to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he plans to work over this weekend, have a working weekend. And it kind of gets him away from the cameras and the crowds that have been out of the -- out at the governor's mansion.

So he's trying to get a little bit of calm in what has been a hectic situation.

PHILLIPS: And Patti, what is the latest from the Gore camp in Washington? How has the vice president been responding to all the latest details?

PATTI DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the vice president himself is saying nothing. In fact, he is back at the vice president's residence here in Washington, D.C. He's leaving all that up to his top aides, who are basically saying, We need to let this recount take its toll, and let's see what happens. We may not have an answer before Friday, when those absentee ballots come in.

PHILLIPS: Tony, with regard to the Bush campaign and the talks, though, of certain lawsuits that have been going on with regard to the votes, has there been any response from them on what the view they're taking with regards to that? CLARK: Well, right now the Bush campaign is essentially saying two can play at this game. If Florida, as Bill Hemmer said, you know, that's still the make-or-break state. But if the governor should lose that, there are other states that are still in play. And so this is really very far from over, although that's what the Bush campaign would like to have it be, over.

PHILLIPS: With regard to New Mexico, what's the latest on that situation and the investigation go on to the count, the counting?

CLARK: Well, in New Mexico, as we heard from Ted, the Bush campaign has a 17-vote lead, but there are still many more ballots to be counted. And so, you know, they're looking very closely at this. But, you know, that's the same situation in Oregon and Iowa, Wisconsin. Those are states that the Bush campaign, the Republican National Committee, both have people on the ground looking at those.

But again, the focus really is with James Baker, the former secretary of state. He's been given authority by the Bush campaign in Florida to do whatever needs to be done there. And that's really where the attention is.

PHILLIPS: Well, Tony, with regard to the ballots that are missing and also the ballots that are too damaged to count, this combination, do you think this discrepancy could compromise the election?

CLARK: Well, I think, you know, that whole -- the whole question is -- makes it show that there are more states in play right now than simply Florida. But Florida's got 25 electoral votes, and, you know, with the governor and vice president both so close, you know, the question really is, what's going to happen in Florida, both with the count that John Zarrella is watching today, and then with the overseas ballots. And, you know, those may not be in until next Thursday.

And so this uncertainty lasts. That's why you see the governor and his aides quietly suggesting that the vice president ought to concede, that it's time to move on. And why the governor is holding meetings, as he is this weekend, to discuss the -- his potential presidency.

PHILLIPS: Tony Clark, live from Austin on the Bush campaign, thank you very much for the latest -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, let's pick it back up with Patti Davis, who is in Washington. The Gore camp decamped from Nashville, Tennessee, and headed back to Washington to the vice presidential residence right near the Naval Observatory there on Massachusetts Avenue.

And Patti, let's talk about images here for just a moment. You almost get the sense that George W. Bush this past week had set up what appeared to be an Oval Office scene to -- invited reporters in and started talking about the prudent thing to do here is to start at least planning for a transition.

Meanwhile, the vice president was playing touch football. That obviously was a calculated effort on both camps, isn't it?

DAVIS: That's right, Vice President Al Gore trying to project the image that he is not worried, it's just he's taking it easy, it's business as usual. He's also attending to his vice presidential duties. And in fact, the -- he was playing touch football yesterday with members of his family.

And in fact, the Gore campaign has been quite critical of the Bush campaign for going ahead and talking publicly about the transition going forward. They say it is much, much too early for Texas Governor George W. Bush to be doing that. But in fact, at the same time, Al Gore has been doing that over the past month as well, just not as publicly.

O'BRIEN: Well, Patti, take us inside that decision to leave Nashville and return to Washington. I -- you know, I -- we all know enough about the vice presidency to know that he didn't necessarily have to get there to get back to work. Why Washington, why now?

DAVIS: Well, it's a good question. He's back here. It enables him to be a little bit out of -- more out of the spotlight. He can go back to his home, which is more guarded from the press as well. And it makes him look not as if he's just waiting on tender hooks there in Nashville at his campaign headquarters to see what comes out of Florida.

He's back here, he can project the image of a more calm vice president who's going about his business and waiting for the recount here, business as usual -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Now, George W. Bush, during this uncertain period, has gone on the record and before the cameras a few -- on a few occasions. We haven't seen nearly as much of Vice President Gore actually addressing questions by the media. Why is that? You know, what's the strategy there? He's leaving it to his seconds, isn't he?

DAVIS: He is. He doesn't want to appear that he's too eager. He doesn't want to give anybody any indication that he's worried in any way. He's letting his aides take care of most of that. And in fact, he has no public scheduled for this weekend at all.

We're told, however, that there may be a press photo opportunity at some point, but when he was playing touch football yesterday, there were questions thrown at him on the lawn of his residence, and he said he's optimistic, but he concluded there that he was talking about football.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: Ah, yes. OK, CNN's Patti Davis, preceded by Tony Clark, talking a little bit about what the various camps are doing. Thanks very much.

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