CNN - The Florida Recount (Bush vs. Gore) - 2000-11-18 - 10 a.m. (E)
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[0:00] Inclusive interview with President Clinton, Sunday, 5.30 Eastern on CNN.
[0:15] It is 10 a.m. on the east coast of the U.S., including Palm Beach County, Florida,
[0:19] where the recount in the presidential election is moving ahead.
[0:23] And it is 7 a.m. in the west. This is Saturday, November 18th.
[0:27] And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is a special edition of CNN Saturday.
[0:32] Good morning. I'm Leon Harris.
[0:33] And good morning. I'm Darren Kagan.
[0:34] We'd like to welcome our international viewers joining us here on CNN.
[0:38] Bill?
[0:39] And I'm Bill Hemmer, live in Tallahassee, Florida.
[0:42] Two headlines for the moment, 927 votes, the margin of difference for George W. Bush over Al Gore,
[0:49] with all but one county in Florida reporting their overseas absentee ballots.
[0:53] In addition to that, four hours away from the legal brief set to be filed with the state Supreme Court here in Tallahassee.
[1:00] More on that coming up shortly.
[1:01] But now, here's Leon and Darren.
[1:03] Great to hear your voices on a Saturday morning, by the way.
[1:06] Same to you, Bill.
[1:07] Fun how that worked out, okay.
[1:08] Yeah, exactly.
[1:08] Good morning to see you.
[1:09] And good to see you, too, as well, Bill.
[1:11] Well, we're going to start with what is now day 11 of the Florida presidential countdown.
[1:15] Here are the latest developments in the count and recount that will ultimately decide the next president of the United States,
[1:20] a lot of what Bill just told us, Florida's overseas absentee ballots have been all but counted in one small county,
[1:26] and the latest Associated Press tally has George W. Bush ahead by 927 votes.
[1:32] But nothing is official yet because Florida's Supreme Court says the presidential vote won't be certified today,
[1:39] as Florida's Secretary of State had planned on doing.
[1:42] On the legal front today, there is a 2 p.m. Eastern deadline for lawyers to file briefs with Florida's Supreme Court
[1:48] on challenges to the manual ballot recounting.
[1:51] The high court hears oral arguments on the case on Monday afternoon.
[1:55] Meanwhile, the recount spotlight is focused on Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties,
[2:00] Floridians calling this area the Gold Coast, and it is a gold mine for Democratic votes.
[2:05] With more on that, let's go back down to Tallahassee and my partner, Bill Hammer.
[2:09] Bill.
[2:09] All right, Darren, thank you.
[2:11] More on a number of fronts right now to talk about.
[2:14] Number one, that 2 o'clock deadline set for four hours from now when both sides,
[2:18] the Bush and Gore campaign and their legal teams must file briefs with the state Supreme Court here in Tallahassee.
[2:24] Again, that's four hours away.
[2:26] Then on Monday at 2 o'clock, oral arguments will take place right over here across the street inside the state Supreme Court.
[2:33] It should be a rather interesting day on Monday because the law in Florida does allow cameras inside the Supreme Court building,
[2:41] so we will see that and watch that throughout the day on Monday.
[2:44] Expected one hour per side starting at 2 o'clock and potentially going to 4 o'clock local time or possibly beyond.
[2:52] The other thing we're watching is the counting that does continue again today in certain parts of the state.
[2:58] And I mentioned those oversee absentee ballots.
[3:00] One county right now is still outstanding.
[3:03] That's Jackson County, located north of Tallahassee, right along the border with Georgia and Alabama.
[3:08] Why they're absent just yet is a bit unclear, but state officials earlier today did indicate they do expect that county to check in,
[3:16] which may or may not change that total.
[3:18] Again, the Associated Press unofficially reporting right now with George Bush a lead over Al Gore by 927 votes.
[3:27] And the other bit of news here in Tallahassee has nothing to do with politics.
[3:31] The attention slowly drifting toward the football field.
[3:35] Florida State will host Florida, the biggest college football game of the year in Florida.
[3:40] It'll take place here tonight at 8 o'clock local time kickoff, but the attention is only being diverted for a while.
[3:46] They'll think football later tonight, but certainly the election and the latest news surrounding the race for the White House will not be far behind.
[3:53] More coming up shortly.
[3:55] We'll check in with Mike Boettcher at the state Supreme Court in a bit, but now here is Leon once again back in Atlanta.
[4:01] Leon?
[4:02] All right, good deal, Bill.
[4:02] Thanks.
[4:02] We'll get back to you in a bit.
[4:03] Now let's go to Broward County, where workers are back on the job this morning, manually recounting the ballots.
[4:09] CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Plantation, Florida this morning.
[4:12] She joins us now with the very latest on what's going on there today.
[4:15] Morning, Susan.
[4:17] Good morning, Leon.
[4:18] Work resumed here about 45 minutes ago, and all of these people here, the counters and the observers, have another 470 precincts to go through.
[4:28] In all, in Broward County, there were more than about 588,000 ballots to be gone over.
[4:34] There are 70 teams of ballot counters here, and various teams of, you've got, let's see, observers.
[4:41] You've got two observers on each team.
[4:44] You've got one Republican and one Democratic representative.
[4:47] And you can see the work going on behind me.
[4:51] Each person picking up a ballot.
[4:53] They're checking them out.
[4:54] And if any are contested, they go over to the three-member canvassing board.
[4:58] Now, last night, overseas ballots were counted from as far away as Lebanon, Philippines, and Costa Rica.
[5:05] More than 300 of those ballots were rejected for various reasons, including late postmarks and missing signatures, that kind of thing.
[5:13] Vice President Gore, in the end, picked up an additional 53 votes, and there were 37 for Governor Bush.
[5:21] Joining us now is the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, Jane Carroll.
[5:25] You've been doing this for, what, 32 years.
[5:28] Certainly, this can't begin to compare to any other.
[5:32] No, 32 years of this.
[5:34] I think I should have only done it for 31 years.
[5:36] You have been predicting all along that you think that you can wrap things up by Monday at 5 o'clock.
[5:42] Given the fact that you've gone through only 470 or so precincts, do you still think you'll make that mark?
[5:48] I think we can if we keep going.
[5:50] Really, the...
[5:50] You have that many to go, I should say.
[5:52] We have that many to go, but it's really the slowest part is all the challenges that we have from the Democrat and Republican observers,
[5:58] and then all of those come to the canvassing board.
[6:00] So it really bogs down a little bit with the canvassing board review, and there are only three of us, whereas we have probably 200 counters.
[6:07] Do you have enough people to get the work done?
[6:10] Well, we had enough people yesterday.
[6:12] I'm not sure how many will end up being here today because it is Saturday and people have lives.
[6:17] Are they being paid?
[6:18] Are all these people volunteering their time, at least when it comes to the county workers?
[6:22] Well, some of the county workers are volunteering their time, and some of the people from my staff are being paid.
[6:27] Of course, my staff is pretty tired right now.
[6:30] They've had like 10 election days.
[6:32] I'd like to talk about the procedures that you are using to count a ballot.
[6:40] Now, you're using the two-corner standard, but a judge yesterday said that you should consider all ballots, including dimpled ones.
[6:47] Are you going to do that?
[6:48] He even made the remark that if you don't do it one way or including those dimpled ballots, that he'll make you do it all over again.
[6:56] Well, this was a judge, I believe, in Palm Beach County, and this is Broward County, so his opinions are not binding on us.
[7:02] And the judge in this county has reserved any ruling until he can have, I believe, a full evidentiary hearing.
[7:09] Ms. Carroll, thank you very much for joining us.
[7:11] Again, they will work until about 6 o'clock this night, and they'll continue through the rest of the weekend and wrap up Monday, they think.
[7:19] Susan Candiotti, CNN reporting live in Plantation, Florida.
[7:25] Susan, thank you very much.
[7:26] It's now on to absentee ballots and Seminole County, where a circuit court judge is hearing a case filed by a Democratic activist who is seeking to throw out at least 4,700 absentee ballots.
[7:37] There are questions about Republican involvement in the ballot application procedure.
[7:42] Our Mark Potter is following the story from Sanford, Florida, and joins us now with the latest.
[7:46] Mark, good morning.
[7:48] Good morning, Darren.
[7:49] Darren, that hearing is now underway in the Seminole County courthouse behind me before Judge Deborah Nelson.
[7:54] Representatives of both the Democratic and the Republican parties are present in the courtroom as arguments are underway right now.
[8:01] At issue, as you said, is a lawsuit filed by an attorney who works actively with the Democratic party here.
[8:08] And he's asking that thousands of Republican absentee ballots, absentee votes that have already been counted, be thrown out because of alleged election law violations.
[8:19] According to the lawsuit, the county supervisor of elections allegedly gave members of the Republican party access to absentee ballot applications that have been sent in by voters.
[8:31] Now, those applications had previously been deemed improper because they did not include the voters' registration numbers as required by state law.
[8:42] Now, according to the lawsuit, the supervisor let the Republicans come in and put the numbers on those applications after the fact so that they could be rendered legal and the ballots could go out and the votes from Republicans be cast.
[8:55] Democrats say that that was a violation of state election law, a felony violation, and they are asking that those thousands of absentee ballots be thrown out as a result of that.
[9:08] And if they cannot be found, then all the absentee ballots, they argue, should be thrown out in this county.
[9:13] That's 15,000 votes, 10,000 of which went to George W. Bush.
[9:18] Now, in the hearing underway now, the attorneys for the Republicans, for the canvassing board, for the individuals, including the supervisor, all are strenuously denying those allegations and are asking that this case be thrown out of court.
[9:34] And the Republicans here are accusing the Democrats of trying to disenfranchise thousands of voters at the same time to the south of us.
[9:42] In other parts of Florida, they are arguing to have as many votes as possible counted in those manual recounts in Palm Beach County and elsewhere.
[9:51] Darren, back to you.
[9:52] A little reversal of roles there.
[9:53] Mark, I want to ask you about this state law that's come into discussion here.
[9:57] This is a relatively new law that, as I understand it, came out because there has been a history in Florida of problems with absentee ballots.
[10:05] That's right.
[10:06] It came into effect after a scandal in Miami and a mayor's race involving absentee ballots.
[10:11] The state cracked down and came on with some very strong laws.
[10:15] So that's what we're talking about.
[10:16] The question that will be argued here in this case, however, is who's to be punished?
[10:21] If the allegation is that the election supervisor and party officials did wrong, and, again, that's just an allegation, if that's found to be true, do you punish the voters by taking away their vote, or do you simply punish the people who did wrong?
[10:35] That's part of the argument and part of the complexity of this case.
[10:39] And it is a complex situation.
[10:40] Mark Potter in Sanford, Florida, thank you very much.
[10:43] We move north now and move up to Tallahassee and Bill.
[10:47] All right, Darren, thanks once again.
[10:49] And the state Supreme Court here in Florida consists of seven justices, and over the next three days and possibly beyond, you'll be hearing a whole lot more about that panel of judges throughout this entire matter.
[11:00] It's been unclear at several different points as to where this story may go next, but quite clearly now, it is these seven justices who will dictate, at least in the short term, the next direction we take in the race for the White House.
[11:13] Outside the state Supreme Court again this morning, here's Mike Boettcher standing by in that part of the story.
[11:19] Hey, Mike, good morning again.
[11:20] Well, good morning, Bill.
[11:22] Usually the state Supreme Court on a weekend is dark, but today the doors are open, the lights are on.
[11:28] That's because there is a 2 p.m. deadline today for attorneys for Al Gore and George W. Bush to file their written arguments in this historic Supreme Court case.
[11:37] Now, we're told that the Republican lawyers were working hard through the night trying to get their case together, and basically they will say and argue that it is not appropriate in this case for a manual recount of votes to be done and that the Secretary of State has discretion to go ahead and certify the election.
[11:54] On the other hand, the Democrats in a small branch office of a law firm from Miami, which has an office here, are also working and have been working through the night.
[12:04] We're told that Secretary of State Christopher, the former Secretary of State, who is the top Gore person here, is now reviewing the first draft of their argument, will make changes, and they'll go back at it and have theirs ready by two as well.
[12:18] We're told they have phone lines strewn about, very few offices, TV sets set up.
[12:25] This is a makeshift office with folding tables and folding chairs, we're told.
[12:30] And tomorrow there is another deadline here at 2 p.m.
[12:35] There are more arguments due.
[12:37] The Democrats, of course, on their side of the argument are saying that, look, the Secretary of State abused her discretion,
[12:43] that votes should be counted and that the election should not be certified until that hand count is over.
[12:50] So it's going to be a weekend of written arguments filed, stuff below the scenes that you will not see, but there is a lot going on here, Bill.
[13:00] Mike, quickly, I'm not sure if you have the answer to this question just yet, but do we know who on Monday will be making the oral arguments for both campaigns?
[13:10] I do not know the answer to that question.
[13:12] Okay.
[13:12] I've heard rumors, but we'll find that out for you.
[13:16] Okay, all right.
[13:17] Mike Betcher, thanks, Mike, standing by outside the state Supreme Court here.
[13:20] And again, as Mike mentioned, those oral arguments will take place on Monday afternoon, 2 o'clock.
[13:25] Very liberal laws here in Florida about cameras in the courtroom, especially at the state Supreme Court level.
[13:32] We will have live coverage starting at 2 o'clock Eastern time on Monday afternoon.
[13:36] We'll have it all for you.
[13:38] Mike's going to be standing by over there.
[13:39] I'll be here in Tallahassee as well to bring in the very latest.
[13:42] Now back to Atlanta and Leon Harris and Darren Kagan once again.
[13:46] By the way, Florida State is a 12-point favorite later tonight.
[13:50] Not that I'm a betting man.
[13:51] Not that you might be trying to go to the game.
[13:54] He may have to.
[13:55] He doesn't have a place to stay.
[13:57] He may have to sleep at the state.
[13:58] He's sleeping on the field.
[13:59] You know, back to the Florida State Supreme Court, I don't think a lot of people realize that cameras are allowed in the courtroom there in Florida.
[14:06] It's part of the Sunshine Law, so it will be fascinating, if nothing else, no matter what your political bent is, to get a chance to see how the process works live.
[14:12] And, of course, you'll see it right here on CNN.
[14:13] Of course, we're in.
[14:14] A little plug.
[14:15] That's what we're here for.
[14:16] Well, more and more questions arise with every legal twist and turn that this election takes.
[14:20] That's right.
[14:20] And we'll be putting those questions to the CNN election law analyst when this special edition of CNN Saturday continues in just a moment.
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[16:15] Sunday on CNN's late edition, the last word in Sunday talk, presidential uncertainty.
[16:20] I'm Wolf Blitzer.
[16:21] We'll hear from top representatives of both campaigns, plus Senators Bob Kerry and Kay Bailey Hutchison.
[16:27] Sunday, noon Eastern, only on CNN.
[16:31] Bill Clinton is the first U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the fall of Saigon.
[16:35] Join CNN for an exclusive interview.
[16:38] His first since the contested U.S. election.
[16:40] As he shares his thoughts on his historic visit.
[16:42] Sunday at 5.30 Eastern on CNN.
[16:48] A little clarification for you here.
[16:50] The written arguments are due today before the Florida State Supreme Court.
[16:54] The oral arguments take place on Monday, 2 p.m. Eastern.
[16:57] And that's what you'll see live beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific.
[17:01] And you'll see that live here right on CNN.
[17:05] Now with the ongoing legal battles in Florida, it's time now to get some legal perspective.
[17:10] And for that, we turn to Kenneth Gross, former official with the Federal Elections Commission.
[17:13] He's now election law analyst for CNN.
[17:16] He's in our Washington Bureau.
[17:17] And he's been quite busy the last few days.
[17:20] Thanks for coming in and spending some time on Saturday here with us today.
[17:23] Let's begin with where things stand right now with the Florida Supreme Court.
[17:27] Now, how soon do you expect this to be wrapped up by the court?
[17:30] Are they going to jump right in with both feet on this?
[17:33] Well, they're going to jump in with both feet, no question about it.
[17:36] I think they've taken somewhat of an activist approach so far by issuing an order yesterday on their own motion.
[17:43] The lawyers didn't even ask them to issue it to say,
[17:45] Hey, Secretary of State Harris, don't issue any opinions today about who won this election.
[17:51] This is a legal case.
[17:53] Let's keep it the way it is.
[17:55] But they're also not going to rush and issue a ruling right away after the oral arguments on Monday.
[18:01] There's a lot of precedent they're going to go over.
[18:04] I'm sure they've thought about where they're coming up, but they're going to hear the arguments.
[18:07] And I think it's going to take a couple of days before they actually rule.
[18:10] How do you read this move they made by jumping in without being asked to at this particular point?
[18:17] Does that sort of communicate where they may be wanting to head with this?
[18:19] Well, you know, I wouldn't go that far.
[18:22] I'm not ready to read the tea leaves on it.
[18:26] There were two things about it that I thought were somewhat significant.
[18:30] One was what I just mentioned, that they did do it on their own motion.
[18:34] The other, which I've actually never seen in a Supreme Court opinion,
[18:39] they issued a ruling not to stop the counting.
[18:43] Not that that's so unusual, but they capitalized the word not in the ruling, N-O-T.
[18:48] So they really, really wanted to make sure that this was not misinterpreted
[18:53] and then there'd be another volley of litigation as to what exactly this order meant.
[18:58] So it's kind of interesting, but I don't want to read too much into it at this point.
[19:02] They're going to have to make a substantive decision.
[19:04] Okay.
[19:05] Well, let's cover your bases on this one at this point then.
[19:07] But let me ask you something else then.
[19:09] You mentioned precedent.
[19:10] Is there any particular case that jumps to mind that may be, I guess, the most relevant here?
[19:16] Well, there's no slam-dunk case under Florida law.
[19:21] We don't have real good authority.
[19:24] There are cases out there that show a willingness of the court in the past
[19:30] to look to the will of the voter, which, of course, are words that the Democrats have been reporting
[19:37] or repeating over and over again because they want these votes to count
[19:41] and they don't want any deadlines in the process.
[19:45] So the Democrats are really pinning their hope on that.
[19:48] The other thing is that they haven't been reluctant to take on the Florida legislature
[19:52] because if they rule in favor of the Democrats here, they're going to be saying,
[19:58] hey, that statute that put a deadline on it, 5 o'clock on Tuesday, is a statute that doesn't hold.
[20:04] And they'd essentially be taking on the legislature on that provision.
[20:08] And they've shown a willingness to do that in the past, a very independent.
[20:12] Yeah, you know, that's going to set up with a rather large hue and cry if that does happen.
[20:16] It will.
[20:17] But, of course, the argument on the other side is that the statute also provides for recounts,
[20:21] so they'd be giving credence to that, too.
[20:23] There's plenty of arguments to keep this going for a long time.
[20:25] We know.
[20:25] Kenneth Grossman, thank you much for your time.
[20:27] And we'll be doing this again, no doubt, quite soon.
[20:29] Take care.
[20:30] Have a good weekend.
[20:31] Darren?
[20:31] And a reminder that CNN has complete coverage of the Florida recount,
[20:34] both here on the air and also online.
[20:37] If you're away from your television, just log on to our website, CNN.com.
[20:41] In the meantime, just ahead right here on CNN Saturday morning,
[20:44] the view from both sides of this presidential face-off.
[20:47] We'll be checking in for the latest from the Bush and the Gore camps when we come back.
[21:14] We'll be checking in for the latest from the Bush and the Bush and the Bush and the Bush and the Bush.
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[22:25] Sunday on CNN.
[22:26] It's a special night of coverage with all the latest on the most dramatic political story of our time.
[22:31] At 7, join Wolf Blitzer for a special late edition primetime.
[22:35] Followed at 8 by a special Inside Politics with anchors Bernard Shaw and Judy Woodruff.
[22:39] At 9, Senior Analyst Jeff Greenfield offers his unique insight on And the Winner Is.
[22:44] And at 10, it's a special edition of Crossfire as they take your email questions and comments.
[22:48] For the most complete election 2000 coverage on television, stay with CNN.
[22:54] Step into the Crossfire.
[22:56] Weeknight, 730 Eastern on CNN.
[23:00] Until late yesterday, it looked like this would be the day that George W. Bush would be certified as the winner in the state of Florida.
[23:06] It has been an emotional rollercoaster indeed.
[23:09] Let's check in with our national correspondent, Tony Clark, who is in Austin, Texas this morning, checking in on the Bush camp.
[23:15] Tony, good morning.
[23:17] Good morning.
[23:18] You know, that's what the governor thought.
[23:20] He's been at the ranch during the week and headed this way.
[23:23] And it looked like it was going to be the day that he was going to be able to declare victory in this race.
[23:28] But the courts changed all of that.
[23:30] And so now he, like the rest of us, is simply on hold.
[23:34] Governor Bush left the mansion, the governor's mansion, just a short time ago, 10, 15 minutes ago or so, with his Secret Service escort.
[23:43] No word on where he was going, although he has, while he stays at the governor's mansion, he sometimes goes over to exercise at the university, other places.
[23:53] Checked with the press office and they weren't sure where he was going, but apparently not in any place, not in an attempt to go to the ranch or anything.
[24:03] We usually would get more word on where he's going in that case.
[24:07] But right now he is simply having to wait.
[24:09] Today's the day that the legal teams out in Florida have to present some of their arguments in written briefs to the Supreme Court.
[24:18] They will argue that the manual count, the hand count, should be halted, should not be part of the certified vote out of Florida.
[24:27] They will argue that the hand count is, in their words, as they have said so often, fatally flawed.
[24:32] And to go with the count as is, and right now that's a count that would give George W. Bush the presidency.
[24:40] Darren?
[24:40] Tony, I know the governor's a very popular man in Texas.
[24:43] Have there been supporters showing up at the governor's mansion to show their support, even though, as I can see, it's yet another miserable day in Austin, Texas?
[24:51] It is.
[24:52] It is cold and rainy.
[24:54] And, you know, usually we do see supporters out there.
[24:57] But we did see just a short time ago a young child and apparently his father stood in front of the gate behind me and held up a sign that said,
[25:07] I love G.W. Bush, and so we're not seeing as much of that today as we have throughout the week with supporters coming here, but still some.
[25:18] And, you know, this was the, oh, we're seeing some activity behind me, just some of the, perhaps, it's Mrs. Bush.
[25:30] Laura Bush is leaving at this point, and, again, we'll have to check where she's going.
[25:36] But as we've seen in the last half hour, we've seen Governor Bush leave and then just then Laura Bush leaving the governor's mansion.
[25:45] We'll check back to let you know where they're headed off to.
[25:48] All right.
[25:48] We'll let you check in on the whereabouts of the Bushes, and we will talk with you later.
[25:51] Tony Clark in Austin, Texas.
[25:53] Thank you.
[25:53] Leon?
[25:54] My guess is Starbucks about this time in the morning.
[25:56] What do you think?
[25:56] Sounds like a good plan.
[25:58] Well, Vice President Al Gore is counting on the recounts, and he's just biding his time now, just a few blocks away from where he would like to end up, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
[26:06] CNN's Eileen O'Connor joins us from Washington.
[26:08] She's got more on the Vice President.
[26:10] Good morning, Eileen.
[26:12] Good morning, Leon.
[26:13] Well, you can really sense the sort of collective hue in the Bush camp because, basically, they thought today they would be countering the calling of this race,
[26:22] the certification of this race by Katherine Harris, the Secretary of State.
[26:26] Instead, they're talking about a quiet weekend.
[26:29] This morning, lawyers going over the brief that they will be presenting to the state Supreme Court a little bit later.
[26:36] They say that they are not going to come out and talk about that brief, that they do not want to try this case in the media.
[26:42] And, also, that's part of a strategy to really shift the focus here from the legal wrangling to what's going on in those hand recounts.
[26:50] And they are very quick to point out that Al Gore has picked up 38 votes in Broward County with 20 precincts only having been counted.
[26:58] And they don't have any numbers yet from Palm Beach County.
[27:01] Now, aides, too, are also quick to point out that the only reason they say they're in court is because of the Secretary of State's actions to try to stop these hand counts from going on.
[27:12] And they say all they've been trying to do is make sure that there is what they call a fair and accurate count.
[27:21] I think if you look back over the past week to 10 days, most of the legal action has been precipitated by actions by the Secretary of State.
[27:29] She has set up all these obstacles to the counting of votes, and we have had to challenge those so that the people's votes could be counted.
[27:35] I think the good thing is that now the focus is back where it should have been in the first place, which is on the counting of votes.
[27:40] Thank you.
[28:10] Again, all of this, a way to try to ratchet down the pressure because also, aides know they have to continue the public's patience through the end of next week.
[28:21] Those hand recounts, they believe, will not be finished until the end of next week.
[28:25] But they insist that they believe the public is behind them, that the public wants finality, but that they want a final conclusion that they can believe in.
[28:34] And the gore aides insist that will only come with these manual recounts.
[28:38] Leon?
[28:38] Well, I'm wondering then how they may be feeling now with the first word from some of these recounts that we're seeing reported across the country.
[28:47] Now, as a matter of fact, the last tally now shows that the lead that George W. Bush has right now is actually expanding right now.
[28:55] Is there any sense that they may be, I don't know, having a problem with the idea of actually coming from behind now with the gore campaign?
[29:02] No.
[29:02] Leon, they expected that Texas Governor George Bush would, in fact, get some more counts, some more votes from those overseas absentee ballots because they are a lot of military.
[29:14] And also, they did expect them to get a lot of votes.
[29:18] And, in fact, they had expected about 1,000.
[29:21] The Bush camp had even talked about 2,000.
[29:24] So, in fact, gore aides are actually happy with these numbers because they believe that the Bush camp did not get the amount from the absentee ballots that they wanted.
[29:32] And also, Leon, you know, today, starting in Miami-Dade County, is another manual recount that they weren't sure they were going to get in that county, a Democratic-leaning county.
[29:43] They believe they have enough votes in Palm Beach County and Broward County alone to surmount the lead that Governor George Bush now has.
[29:52] Leon?
[29:52] And just remains to be seen how many surprises may be lurking in those piles of ballots.
[29:57] Eileen O'Connor in Washington, thanks, Mike.
[29:58] We'll talk to you later on.
[29:59] All right.
[30:00] Stay with CNN all weekend long for live and updated developments on the Florida recount.
[30:04] Sunday at noon Eastern, CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer will include conversations with Democratic Senator Bob Carey from Nebraska
[30:11] and Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison.
[30:14] Among other guests to expect, former White House Special Counsel Lanny Davis and Bush Administration Attorney General Dick Thornburg.
[30:21] CNN Late Edition airs Sunday, noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.
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[32:10] The vote certification's on hold.
[32:12] What's your opinion?
[32:13] 3 Eastern.
[32:25] Checking out the latest on our top story, the Florida recount, 66 out of the state's 67 counties have now reported their overseas absentee ballot totals.
[32:34] In the Associated Press' unofficial tally, George W. Bush has gained a 927-vote lead over Al Gore.
[32:42] Now, those numbers do not include the results from the ongoing manual recounts.
[32:46] We'll give you those numbers as soon as we have them.
[32:48] The hand recounts continue in Broward and West Palm Beach counties.
[32:52] The Miami-Dade canvassing board is meeting to decide details of its recount.
[32:56] On the legal front, both campaigns have until 2 this afternoon to file briefs in the Florida Supreme Court.
[33:02] In a unanimous ruling yesterday, the high court said Secretary of State Catherine Harris cannot certify the results until it's clear whether manual recounts will be included in the final tally.
[33:13] We are, of course, going to keep our eyes on what's happening in Florida in the presidential election.
[33:17] We're going to take a moment right now, though, to shift our focus and go from news to overseas and President Clinton's historic trip to Vietnam.
[33:24] Mr. Clinton visited a site where a task force is searching for the remains of an American pilot who was shot down during the war.
[33:30] And the president has vowed to, as he puts it, bring every possible fallen hero home.
[33:35] More now from CNN's John King.
[33:38] The search for Captain Lawrence Everett is painstaking.
[33:41] Days digging deep into the clay, sifting forth fragments of human remains, pieces of Everett's F-105D aircraft.
[33:47] Once we get down deep enough, we'll be able to start finding larger pieces.
[33:52] I'm hit hard was the last radio communication from Everett.
[33:55] His Thunder Chief shot down on a November day 33 years ago.
[33:59] It was an emotional stop for the first family and for Dan and David Everett,
[34:03] who accompanied the president and reflected on the father they last saw when Dan was eight.
[34:07] David Sixx.
[34:08] My dad was a great American.
[34:10] He loved the service.
[34:12] He loved to fly planes.
[34:16] He died in the honor of his country.
[34:25] I'm sure that he's grateful that his sons are here to help bring him home.
[34:30] A bridge along this railway was Everett's target.
[34:33] This hollow amid bean fields and rice paddies, one of six active excavation sites in Vietnam,
[34:38] in the ongoing search for the nearly 2,000 American servicemen still missing in Southeast Asia.
[34:43] By working together to recover those who were lost in a long-ago war,
[34:48] we reduced the chances that any of our children will know war.
[34:53] Each dig, an effort to give one family peace of mind.
[34:56] Two nations, a new beginning.
[34:58] Once we met here as adversaries, today we work as partners.
[35:03] We are committed to keep at it until we bring every possible fallen hero home.
[35:08] Joint Task Force Full Accounting is the official name of the effort.
[35:12] 283 sets of remains have been recovered and returned since Mr. Clinton took office.
[35:18] Some 300,000 Vietnamese remain unaccounted for 25 years after the end of the war.
[35:23] And Mr. Clinton brought with him 350,000 pages of U.S. military records
[35:28] he hopes will help in those search efforts.
[35:30] And he promised to turn over one million more pages before the year is out.
[35:35] John King, CNN, Hanoi.
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[37:49] hundreds of thousands of votes are being counted by hand now in florida people are asking if it's
[37:53] a legitimate form of clarification there are also questions about what voting irregularities say
[37:58] about the system for answers we turn now to deborah phillips the founder and leader of the
[38:03] voting integrity project she's joining us from washington this morning deborah good morning
[38:07] thanks for joining us good morning my pleasure does it strike you odd if you look at this great
[38:11] big country of ours that you could look in florida and there's one person using a punch ballad and
[38:16] looking at a butterfly ballot then you go to riverside california and they can vote by computer
[38:20] that we all don't use the same system well ideally the way it should work is that jurisdictions are
[38:27] picking the best system for their voters in their community but that's what they're trying to do in
[38:31] palm beach the woman who designed that ballot was thinking that she was doing a favor of seniors in
[38:35] that community if she made the type bigger it might be easier for them to read and instead it led to
[38:40] mass confusion it's not a perfect system and it does require the input of citizens in the in the
[38:48] process of selecting these systems and ballots and that's very important to remember many people
[38:54] around the world looking at the u.s. and how we handle elections and how we're handling this post
[38:58] election situation and they can't believe in this country that is so technologically advanced that in
[39:03] many places that they have to hold up a piece of paper to a light to see if they can figure out the
[39:08] intent of how somebody voted it seems a bit primitive i guess is my point well we have to
[39:13] remember that election offices are some of the most underfunded offices in state and local government
[39:19] and until we're ready to pay the bill we really can't complain too much let's talk about that because
[39:26] i'm in reading up on you i understand you make a big point about money and to fix this it's not just
[39:31] about a bunch of angry voters and saying there must be reform it really is going to come down to dollars
[39:35] and cents why would it be so expensive to fix this well just upgrading to a different tabulator could
[39:42] cost millions for some of these jurisdictions so i don't think we appreciate that as the technology
[39:49] becomes more complex for voting systems you're really talking about astronomical changes in budgets
[39:56] for election offices not just in the equipment but also in the offices they'll need uh you know
[40:04] it people to respond to questions to troubleshoot machines some of that is handled by the vendors
[40:11] but if we really want our elections to remain at the local level we are going to have to beef up our
[40:17] capability in the election office and quickly want to give you a chance to to make your pitch for one
[40:22] of your ideas to have high school students involved in this right well it's clear from the reports we
[40:27] had in palm beach county that there's a difference between those precincts that were well manned with
[40:33] poll workers we think high school students should be given the opportunity to take the training and
[40:39] conduct this poll working uh uh duty in the polls combined with the rigorous uh curriculum and civics and
[40:47] we would kill two birds with one stone because i think we could engage those young voters for life
[40:53] as voters and we desperately need to do that interesting idea deborah phillips from the
[40:59] voting integrity project thanks for joining us this morning my pleasure she got my vote i think that's
[41:04] a great idea how about that then you get the help and then the kids learn and they kind of you light a
[41:08] fire underneath them and who's to say that uh next time around there might be voters actually numbers
[41:12] of voters increasing instead of decreasing it how about that that'd be cool something to think about
[41:16] all right still ahead this morning ground zero of an epic battle for president just ahead we'll get an
[41:21] inside look at a volatile 11 days in palm beach county from an insider
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[42:28] our promises well there's still one county out there where all the absentee ballots have not yet
[42:34] been canvassed and certified by the county it's jackson county and that's in the far north near the georgia
[42:40] border officials there say they sent out a total of 24 overseas absentee ballots 15 to democrats eight
[42:46] to republicans and one to other remember that is 19 of those ballots had already been received by
[42:53] election day and they were included in the count certified on tuesday that leaves five outstanding
[42:59] and then there's palm beach county where the hand vote continues this morning that's where our john
[43:03] zarella has been keeping watch for seems like some time now john good morning good to see you
[43:10] good to see you darren yeah the count continues here although this morning a little bit of an
[43:15] acrimonious exchange between one of the republican observers and judge charles burton uh the judge
[43:20] being accused by the republicans of being a bit intimidating uh that was resolved and worked out
[43:27] and then the judge came out just a few minutes ago and talked to the to the press that was here as
[43:31] he took a break and he said look he said everything is going fine in there in reality there's only been a
[43:36] handful of votes he said that will questionable that really were weren't agreed upon by the republicans
[43:42] and the democratic observers uh and then i asked the judges so well what about the supreme court on
[43:48] monday are you finding in your under vote those ten thousand under votes is there evidence that that
[43:54] you could help that could help the supreme court in deciding uh whether there was a machine problem
[43:59] whether the machines didn't count those and here's what he had to say what i'm saying is there are a lot
[44:03] of under votes and there's a lot of people maybe people find it hard to believe that a citizen didn't
[44:08] like any of the candidates and didn't want to vote for that office there were clearly a lot well we
[44:14] haven't done that you know i mean the ones we go through there's an awful lot of under votes there's
[44:19] an awful lot of people who decided apparently not to vote for president the republicans here are
[44:25] charging that the situation inside if anything is less is confusing and a bit chaotic we got people
[44:35] who have smudged ballots with fingernail polish we've got people who are fanning these uh decks of ballots
[44:41] like uh like cards uh it's it's a it's it's a scene that does not inspire much confidence
[44:49] now joining me uh tanya davis johnson and tanya we had you a couple hours ago talk about this republicans
[44:55] are saying that it's really confusing inside there you're a counter uh and you counted last night and
[45:00] you're back again this afternoon uh that it's just not going all that smoothly i would disagree my
[45:06] experience was very smooth it was very calm very peaceful we got through our ballots we got through our
[45:11] precinct with we had four questionable ballots and that was the gist of what we experienced on last
[45:17] evening and the judge told us a little while ago that really there weren't that many questionable
[45:21] it is pretty cut and dry it's very cut and dry you have two people a republican and democrat counter
[45:27] who who looks at the ballot one confirms what the other one has indicated that they see we show it to
[45:33] the observers we show them the back of the ballot we place it in the appropriate piles it's very very
[45:38] simple thank you once again for joining us another long day ahead for tanya she'll be back
[45:43] uh at it counting at uh about two o'clock this afternoon so leon and darren uh that's that's
[45:49] the way it shakes up here we'll give you some totals when we get them none yet all right good deal thank
[45:54] you very much a little bit of information as we track everybody's comings and goings when we were
[45:58] talking to tony clark in austin texas he was talking about how governor bush had left the governor's
[46:02] mansion and didn't know where he was going apparently went to his office at the state capitol
[46:06] nowhere to where laura bush went you saw her leaving him during the life still working on that bit of
[46:10] information okay we're right on top now we are everyone's whereabouts uh meanwhile we've also
[46:15] heard johnsrell talk about the mood in palm beach things a little tense yeah well you can understand
[46:19] why it happens to be ground zero for this epic battle for president and just ahead we'll get
[46:24] an inside look at a bottle to 11 days there in palm beach county from an insider's don't go away
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[48:18] for years paul beach county was the florida playground of a past president john f kennedy
[48:23] for the last 11 days it's been a focal point of a heated battle for the next presidency we're going
[48:29] to get an inside look now at palm beach county from a real insider frank cherubino he's a staff
[48:34] writer and columnist with the palm beach post and he joins us live this morning from west palm
[48:38] thank you very much for your time today i got to tell you i got to kick out of reading a couple of
[48:42] your past columns and your characterizations of some of the players involved here you've actually been
[48:46] inside the the uh... the station there where they've been counting the ballots correct yes i have
[48:51] leon how you doing all right tell me just give us a picture or an idea of what the mood is like inside
[48:56] and what's the scene like well it's um it's kind of like a library really where uh it's sort of like
[49:03] a combination of a library and sort of an fbi lab it seems like the way they they handle these cards
[49:08] it almost seems like they're looking for fingerprints there they handle very delicately they touch the cards
[49:13] on the outside and uh... they try not to touch them with two hands and everybody's sort of leaning
[49:17] over each other's uh... shoulder checking and uh... it's very quiet in there and uh... as one of our
[49:23] reporters said in the paper today it's so quiet you can almost hear a chad drop well speaking of the
[49:30] infamous chads now uh... have you seen anything funny happening with that i know you mentioned something
[49:35] about the apartment being a chance for chad chicanery well yes you know uh... a week ago nobody really knew
[49:42] what a chad was and now suddenly everybody does i mean they're selling t-shirts on the street that
[49:46] say got chad you know i thought jesse i thought i thought jesse jackson missed an opportunity you
[49:52] know he was here earlier in the week and he had a chance i thought to make up a few chad rhymes you
[49:57] know uh... and i any any and he didn't do it i thought you know if the chads not fully mounted it's
[50:01] a gore vote fully counted something like that but when he left town and so then the then the republicans
[50:06] came in and they sort of took over the chad uh... public relations war they were chanting on the street the
[50:11] other day no more chad no more chad and uh... and they're collecting this is what i find really
[50:16] funny they're going around in the accounting center and they're looking for little pieces of chad on
[50:20] the floor and they're collecting chad you're kidding using these these now they're using these
[50:24] drop chad uh... pieces as a way of of saying that the uh... the process is tainted so they're
[50:29] chad collectors i wouldn't doubt that someday we'll find like little pieces of chad going for sale
[50:33] on ebay for thousands of dollars if that happens man i've got to interview the guy that actually buys it
[50:40] uh...
[50:41] well i think you tell this authentic chad and that's the thing you know well you need you
[50:45] might need the fbi lab for that one and you see that you could have you seen any i mean anything
[50:50] strange inside the room besides folks sniffing the floor for chad
[50:54] now well that's strange enough now i what's the real strange part is that every once in a while
[50:59] people rush outside here and and they either say that the process is going great or it's a complete
[51:04] uh... charade in there depending on if you're republican or a democrat in that and republicans are going on uh...
[51:09] uh... going out and making it seem like uh... this is a complete mockery of justice and the democrats are
[51:13] saying everything is going really smooth in there so uh... what's really good about it at least is
[51:18] that it's televised and you can actually see what's going on in there it's not a closed room where uh...
[51:23] people just emerge and announce counts and it's really quite boring as the the ultimate thing is
[51:27] that it's very boring well it hasn't been too boring outside we have to go but i've got to ask you
[51:30] real quickly who do you think has had the best protest outside
[51:34] the best protest i would say you know the the democrats had the edge earlier in the week and
[51:39] then the republicans kind of took over uh... i think what happened is that when katherine harris
[51:43] came out wednesday night there was a feeling that uh... from the republicans that they were going to
[51:47] win and so uh... what they seized on it seems like in the last day is they've changed uh...
[51:52] gore lieberman to sore loser man that is kind of like their their chant now
[51:56] they had an airplane flying over here yesterday with a banner that said sore loser man on it and
[52:02] they've got bumper stickers now sore loser man and uh... and that seems to be their mantra now and
[52:06] that's kind of picking up steam the democrats for some reason i don't know if they they they were
[52:10] pretty thick early in the week and then they've kind of thinned out and uh... now let the republicans
[52:14] protest but i have to say though the republicans as protesters don't really have it down as well as
[52:19] the democrats the democrats seem to be more spirited i think all that goes with the fortunes of this case
[52:23] is what it's been swinging left and right right you got it right you know thanks much for your
[52:28] time i got to keep an eye on your column you're pretty funny guy good luck to you we'll see you
[52:32] later on all right much more coming up after break stay tuned here's the latest from florida it's uh...
[52:39] just about dead even three million for bush down there in florida three million for gore and i'm
[52:45] talking about attorneys those are just the attorneys and our gore supporters keep saying this election will
[52:51] be decided by the will of the people the will of the people the same people who made charlie's
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[54:58] Good morning everyone
[54:59] Welcome back
[54:59] I'm meteorologist Jackie Jarrett
[55:01] A very chilly morning across much of the country
[55:04] As a matter of fact
[55:05] The temperature your body feels down to the 20s
[55:08] All the way down to the Gulf Coast
[55:09] 25 degrees is your wind chill
[55:11] In Houston
[55:12] 32 in Dallas
[55:13] Where you could see a little bit of an icy mix today
[55:15] And windy across the Rockies
[55:17] And into the northern Plains states
[55:18] It feels like 14 below
[55:19] In Denver at this hour
[55:21] Well we do have that icy mix in northern Texas
[55:24] And much of what you're seeing here in the deep south
[55:26] At least this wintry stuff
[55:27] Actually not reaching the ground
[55:29] So not real worried about this
[55:30] But some heavy rainfall along the Gulf Coast
[55:32] Could see a couple of inches of rain around Baton Rouge today
[55:35] And lake effect snows will continue
[55:38] We also have an area of low pressure
[55:39] Which is dropping out of the upper Midwest
[55:41] Heading towards the Great Lakes
[55:42] So that is going to kick up more snow for you
[55:44] Our system in the south pushes up to the north and east
[55:47] And that will move into the mid-Atlantic
[55:48] And we'll likely see some snowfall
[55:50] Into the higher elevations and the Appalachians
[55:52] As for those of you out to the west
[55:53] Looks like some beautiful weather for you
[55:55] The next couple of days
[55:56] But another system moves in for the middle of the week
[55:58] Back to Leon and Darren
[56:00] Hi, thanks Jackie
[56:01] Well keeping up with this ever-changing election process
[56:04] Has required many of us to have a crash course in electoral history
[56:07] And law as well
[56:08] To say nothing of learning all these new vocabulary words like Chad
[56:11] Absolutely
[56:12] But for school children
[56:13] The events of this historic election
[56:14] Are providing a unique opportunity for learning as it goes along
[56:18] A giant civic lesson
[56:19] Here's CNN's Pat Etheridge
[56:21] By 300
[56:23] Recount fever is spreading through classrooms across the country
[56:27] Legal wrangling intensifies
[56:30] Who would have thought politics could be so captivating to kids?
[56:34] I woke up in the morning and I was like
[56:35] Who's the president? Who's the president?
[56:37] And my mom was like
[56:38] They haven't decided yet
[56:39] It's like
[56:40] Now I really care about who's the president
[56:43] And the stuff that is going on
[56:45] An election stranger than fiction
[56:47] Is proving to be a golden opportunity
[56:50] To bring current events to life
[56:52] Take it from Sharon Brownlee
[56:54] A teacher of 15 years
[56:56] To see the election unfold
[56:58] And then all of the peculiar things that have happened
[57:01] Has kept them interested
[57:04] And kept them talking
[57:05] The news of the day brings new meaning
[57:08] To a wide range of classroom concepts
[57:10] Everything from counting correctly
[57:13] To understanding the intricacies of the law
[57:16] Claudia Wallace is managing editor of the news magazine
[57:20] Time for Kids
[57:21] I think that we're going to have a generation
[57:23] That's going to understand what the electoral college means
[57:27] And what our election rules are
[57:29] Better than maybe any generation in a century
[57:31] This sixth grade class is fired up enough
[57:33] To fire off a series of emails
[57:35] To lawmakers in Washington
[57:37] We're sending our
[57:39] The message
[57:41] Get organized
[57:43] When I grow up
[57:44] That it'll be right to the point
[57:46] They won't have to do any recounting
[57:48] And they'll know the president
[57:49] The day after the election
[57:51] Until that day
[57:52] They watch
[57:53] Wait
[57:54] And debate
[57:54] The civics lesson
[57:56] Of a lifetime
[57:57] Pat Etheridge
[57:58] CNN Atlanta
[58:00] And who's to say
[58:01] 20 years from now
[58:02] We may not be voting
[58:03] For one of those kids
[58:03] We can only hope
[58:04] Could be
[58:05] We have much more ahead
[58:06] In the next hour
[58:07] You are not excused
[58:08] From the table yet
[58:08] My friend
[58:09] Okay
[58:09] Stick around
[58:10] I have to
[58:10] See you in a minute
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[58:45] Hunt and Shields
[58:46] The battle for the presidency
[58:47] With Senate Democratic
[58:48] Leader Tom Daschle
[58:49] Today
[58:50] 530 Eastern
[58:51] On CNN
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[60:55] Exclusive interview
[60:56] With President Clinton
[60:57] Sunday 530 Eastern
[60:58] On CNN
[61:09] It is 11 a.m. on the east coast of the United States
[61:12] 8 a.m. on the west coast
[61:14] This is Saturday, November 18th
[61:16] And from the CNN Center in Atlanta
[61:18] This is CNN Saturday morning
[61:20] I'm Leon Harris
[61:21] And good morning once again
[61:22] I'm Darren Kagan
[61:23] We'd like to welcome once again
[61:24] Our international viewers
[61:25] Joining us here today on CNN
[61:27] And we'd also like to welcome
[61:28] My partner Bill Hemmer
[61:29] Joining us once again from Tallahassee
[61:31] Morning Bill
[61:32] Hey Darren, Leon
[61:33] Good morning to both of you in Atlanta
[61:35] The official tally we have
[61:37] Will not be out
[61:38] At least for another hour
[61:40] We have been given indication
[61:41] That those oversee absentee ballots
[61:43] Will become official
[61:45] Possibly before noon local time
[61:47] That's about 60 minutes from now
[61:49] Unofficially
[61:50] The Associated Press
[61:51] With their own canvas of the state
[61:53] Indicate that after the votes were tallied
[61:56] Late last night
[61:57] That George W. Bush
[61:58] Leads Al Gore in the state of Florida
[62:00] By a total of 927 votes
[62:03] Again, workers are here
[62:04] Within the Secretary of State's office
[62:06] And we should get that number momentarily
[62:08] But while we wait for that
[62:10] Let's go over to CNN's Mike Boettcher
[62:12] Also here in Tallahassee
[62:13] The state Supreme Court
[62:15] Has a bit of business
[62:16] In about three hours time
[62:17] Mike, good morning to you
[62:19] Good morning Bill
[62:20] Gee, you look a little bit dry there
[62:21] It's wet over here
[62:22] At the Supreme Court block away
[62:24] Amazing
[62:25] But we're sitting here waiting
[62:26] For the 2 p.m. deadline
[62:29] To see what written arguments
[62:31] Are filed by the campaigns
[62:34] Of Al Gore
[62:35] And George W. Bush
[62:36] But there has been some action
[62:38] Already in the Supreme Court
[62:40] About an hour ago
[62:41] Volusia County
[62:43] Which was the original vehicle
[62:44] For this suit
[62:46] That ended up on the legal highway
[62:47] That ended up here
[62:49] At the Supreme Court
[62:50] They have asked for a notice
[62:51] Of voluntary dismissal
[62:53] Which means they are dropping
[62:54] Out of the suit
[62:55] In that legal vehicle
[62:57] Or car
[62:57] They were joined along the way
[62:59] By the campaign
[63:00] Of Vice President Gore
[63:01] And also by Palm Beach County
[63:03] But they arrived at their destination
[63:05] They were able to do
[63:07] Their hand count
[63:08] By that Tuesday deadline
[63:09] Set by Secretary of State Harris
[63:11] And so they are asking
[63:13] To drop out of this case
[63:14] But not prejudicing
[63:16] The arguments
[63:16] To be brought by
[63:18] Palm Beach County
[63:19] Or Vice President Gore
[63:21] Now we expect those arguments
[63:22] To be filed here
[63:24] Later in the day
[63:25] By both
[63:25] The Gore camp
[63:26] And the Bush camp
[63:28] Both sides will generally
[63:30] Stick with their arguments
[63:31] We are told
[63:32] The Bush camp
[63:34] Saying that the Secretary of State
[63:36] Will and does
[63:38] Have the discretion
[63:39] To go ahead
[63:40] And call this election
[63:42] Officially
[63:42] That hand counts
[63:43] Are not warranted
[63:44] On the other side
[63:45] The Democrats are saying
[63:46] That every vote
[63:48] Should be recounted
[63:49] And added in this total
[63:50] That the Secretary of State
[63:51] Has abused her discretion
[63:53] So that's where
[63:54] We're waiting for a bill
[63:55] In the rain here
[63:56] But we should have something
[63:57] By 2 o'clock
[63:58] This afternoon
[63:59] Okay
[63:59] We're undercover here
[64:01] Mike
[64:01] Before we let you go though
[64:02] I don't want you
[64:03] To get too wet out there
[64:04] But on Monday afternoon
[64:05] When we listen in live
[64:07] On those oral arguments
[64:08] In the state Supreme Court
[64:09] Is it similar to what's happening
[64:11] Say at the U.S. Supreme Court
[64:13] Where a lawyer
[64:14] Will get up in front
[64:14] Of the bank of justices
[64:16] And at any time
[64:17] One of the justices
[64:18] Can redirect questions
[64:19] Toward those lawyers
[64:20] And take them
[64:21] In any direction they like
[64:22] Is that how it works
[64:23] Also at the state level
[64:26] Yes
[64:26] It'll be very similar
[64:27] To that bill
[64:28] Each side has one hour
[64:30] To present their arguments
[64:31] And the justices
[64:32] Can interrupt
[64:32] And ask a question
[64:33] Along the way
[64:34] And they will time
[64:35] Their arguments
[64:36] So that the justices
[64:37] Have time
[64:38] For their own questions
[64:39] At the end
[64:40] They don't want to
[64:41] Filibuster
[64:42] Or take up
[64:43] The entire hour
[64:44] Of their time
[64:44] So it's a bit
[64:47] Of a legal ballet
[64:48] And to handle
[64:49] The Supreme Court
[64:50] I am told
[64:50] Is different
[64:52] Than anything else
[64:52] A lawyer does
[64:53] You have to tread carefully
[64:55] Have very succinct
[64:56] Tight arguments
[64:57] And we expect that
[64:58] Here on Monday
[64:59] Okay
[65:00] Mike Betcher
[65:01] Outside the state Supreme Court
[65:02] Here in Tallahassee
[65:03] Mike thanks to you
[65:04] If you're hearing more voices
[65:05] There is a press briefing
[65:06] Right now underway
[65:07] Just to my left
[65:08] Here from the
[65:08] State AFL-CIO
[65:10] Protesting the Secretary
[65:11] State's actions
[65:12] And encouraging her to
[65:14] In their words
[65:14] Make every vote count
[65:16] Again the official numbers
[65:17] From those overseas
[65:18] Absentee ballots
[65:19] Are expected
[65:20] At any moment
[65:21] We'll get them to you
[65:22] As soon as we get them here
[65:23] In Florida
[65:24] But for now
[65:24] Back to Atlanta
[65:25] More now with Leon Harris
[65:26] Leon
[65:26] Alright good deal
[65:27] Thanks Bill
[65:28] We'll get back to you
[65:28] In just a bit
[65:29] But we have some
[65:29] Viewers
[65:30] Some advice for viewers
[65:31] This morning
[65:31] CNN's going to have
[65:32] Live coverage
[65:33] Of the Florida Supreme Court
[65:34] Hearing on the manual
[65:35] Recouts
[65:36] On Monday
[65:37] It comes your way
[65:37] At 2pm Eastern
[65:39] That'll be 11am Pacific
[65:40] Darren
[65:41] From some more perspective
[65:42] On how that's all
[65:43] Going to work
[65:43] How the State Supreme Court
[65:44] Does work
[65:45] In Florida
[65:46] Let's turn into
[65:46] CNN legal analyst
[65:47] Roger Cossack
[65:48] Standing by once again
[65:49] In Washington
[65:49] Roger good morning
[65:51] Darren
[65:51] How are you
[65:52] What are we doing
[65:52] Here on Saturday
[65:53] Same thing I was doing
[65:54] Here last Sunday
[65:55] We're just here
[65:56] We're down for the count
[65:57] Help us understand
[65:58] How the State Supreme Court
[66:00] Works in Florida
[66:00] First of all
[66:01] 2pm Eastern today
[66:02] Each side has to have
[66:03] Its written brief in
[66:05] But then the
[66:05] Order arguments won't happen
[66:06] Until Monday
[66:07] Is it unusual
[66:07] To split it up like this
[66:08] No because
[66:10] What they're doing
[66:11] Is they're giving
[66:11] The justices
[66:12] They're asking for
[66:12] Some time
[66:13] So that they can
[66:13] Study those briefs
[66:14] You know they have
[66:15] Clerks that assist them
[66:16] Go over the cases
[66:18] See what the arguments
[66:19] Are going to be
[66:20] See what the precedents
[66:21] Are all about
[66:21] And then Monday
[66:22] At 2pm
[66:23] They'll be ready
[66:24] To talk to those lawyers
[66:25] And ask them
[66:26] A few questions
[66:27] Prepare themselves
[66:28] For oral argument
[66:29] Which believe me
[66:31] Is a lawyer's
[66:32] Most frightening time
[66:33] I've been there
[66:34] Those are tough
[66:35] Not in front of
[66:35] The Florida Supreme Court
[66:36] But other Supreme Courts
[66:37] And those are tough moments
[66:39] And as we pointed out
[66:40] Very different
[66:41] That there'll actually be
[66:41] Cameras in the Supreme Court
[66:43] Courtroom
[66:43] So it's going to continue
[66:44] Our civics lesson
[66:45] For us here in the U.S.
[66:46] That we'll get to see
[66:47] How this actually works
[66:48] Yeah this is great
[66:50] I'm a great proponent
[66:51] Of cameras in the courtroom
[66:52] Particularly in courts
[66:53] Of appeal like this
[66:55] Where I can't think of
[66:56] One reason why
[66:56] They shouldn't be in there
[66:57] So we can see
[66:58] Our courts work
[66:58] And you know
[66:59] Florida's sort of famous
[67:00] For the sunshine laws
[67:01] Of having everything
[67:02] Be out there open
[67:03] For the public
[67:03] Which gosh
[67:04] If there's ever a case
[67:04] That should be seen
[67:05] By the public
[67:06] This is the one
[67:07] So we'll be able
[67:08] To see those judges
[67:09] Peppering those lawyers
[67:10] With questions
[67:10] And asking them
[67:11] Well look
[67:12] If you're saying this
[67:13] Are you saying that
[67:15] That the attorney
[67:16] Or that the secretary of state
[67:17] Has no discretion
[67:18] In this matter sir
[67:19] And then the lawyer
[67:20] Is going to have to
[67:20] Have an answer
[67:22] And say no no
[67:22] I just think
[67:22] In this particular case
[67:24] That she doesn't
[67:24] Have this discretion
[67:25] As with every other
[67:26] Aspect of this case
[67:27] Politics does enter into it
[67:29] Every one of these judges
[67:30] On the Supreme Court
[67:30] A democrat
[67:32] Yeah that's right
[67:33] And it's unfortunate
[67:34] I think that it has
[67:36] Been characterized this way
[67:37] You know judges
[67:38] And lawyers
[67:39] Lawyers particularly
[67:40] Are advocates
[67:40] And whether you're
[67:41] A democrat or a republican
[67:43] If you're hired
[67:43] By a particular side
[67:45] Then you have to
[67:45] Do your best
[67:46] For that side
[67:47] No matter what
[67:47] Your feelings are
[67:48] And put them aside
[67:49] Well even more so
[67:50] With judges
[67:51] Judges have to be neutral
[67:53] This is the way
[67:54] Judges are selected
[67:55] Often times
[67:56] You know democrats
[67:57] Will select
[67:58] Democratic judges
[67:59] Sometimes republicans
[68:01] But I will tell you
[68:02] In America
[68:03] We have a long history
[68:04] And tradition
[68:04] Of judges
[68:05] First of all
[68:06] Surprising people
[68:07] And second of all
[68:07] Putting aside
[68:08] Whatever their own
[68:09] Personal feelings are
[68:10] That's what's supposed
[68:10] To happen
[68:11] And I think
[68:11] That's what will happen
[68:12] They'll follow the law
[68:13] And for those folks
[68:14] Who are getting to the point
[68:16] Where they'd like to be
[68:16] Talking more about
[68:17] Well do you put gravy
[68:18] On your turkey
[68:18] Or don't you
[68:19] Rather than talking about
[68:20] Politics
[68:21] How long do you think
[68:22] It's going to take
[68:22] This state Supreme Court
[68:23] To come up with a decision
[68:25] Well I'd like to tell you
[68:26] That on Thursday
[68:27] All we'd have to worry about
[68:28] Is the football games
[68:29] But I can't predict that
[68:31] I think that this is
[68:32] An important and significant
[68:33] Decision
[68:34] And I
[68:35] While you know
[68:36] The hearings are Monday
[68:37] And it would be nice
[68:37] To know by Wednesday
[68:38] I think I would be
[68:40] Perhaps going overboard
[68:41] If I made that prediction
[68:43] I sure hope it's
[68:44] By Thanksgiving
[68:45] But I just don't know
[68:46] Darren
[68:47] All right
[68:47] Well we have a question
[68:48] For you from our viewers
[68:49] Who have been writing in
[68:49] This one coming from
[68:50] Joe Metcalf
[68:51] Question is
[68:52] Could you have
[68:53] Greta or Roger
[68:54] We'll elect Roger
[68:55] In this case
[68:55] Comment on the
[68:56] Constitutional and legal
[68:57] Implications of a candidate
[68:59] Conceding a race
[69:00] If a candidate concedes
[69:01] Is the election over
[69:02] Or does the process
[69:03] Continue
[69:03] Until the electoral college
[69:05] Actually votes
[69:06] And this brings to mind
[69:07] What happened
[69:08] Or what almost happened
[69:09] Roger
[69:09] On election night
[69:10] When Al Gore
[69:11] Reportedly was
[69:12] Within a minute
[69:12] Of standing
[69:13] On the steps
[69:14] There in Nashville
[69:15] And saying
[69:15] Okay I concede the race
[69:17] Would there have been
[69:17] Any legal implications
[69:18] To that
[69:19] Yeah and the answer
[69:20] In one word is no
[69:21] What that really
[69:23] What a concession speech
[69:24] Really means
[69:24] Is sort of
[69:26] The gentleman
[69:28] Or gentle lady
[69:28] Way of saying
[69:29] I recognize
[69:30] It's all over
[69:31] Let's go forward
[69:32] And let's put it
[69:33] Behind us
[69:33] What it really does
[69:34] Is de-energize
[69:35] Your campaign
[69:36] It's a signal
[69:37] To your campaign
[69:37] And your campaign
[69:38] Workers
[69:38] That it's all over
[69:39] And that it's time
[69:41] To fold the chairs
[69:41] And fold the tables
[69:42] But it doesn't mean
[69:44] That you automatically lose
[69:46] Leon will tell you
[69:47] It's like conceding a putt
[69:48] Leon, if you go ahead
[69:49] And shoot that putt
[69:50] You don't make it
[69:50] You don't get that score
[69:51] Right?
[69:52] You got a good point
[69:52] Leon doesn't know
[69:53] About conceding putts
[69:54] Roger doesn't conceding
[69:55] Yeah that's why
[69:57] He knows what he's
[69:57] Talking about here
[69:58] And Roger
[69:59] Just a quick real question
[70:00] Of course America's
[70:01] Going to want to know
[70:01] Do you do gravy
[70:02] Or don't you?
[70:03] I do gravy
[70:04] Okay
[70:05] We're keeping a tally
[70:06] Alright
[70:06] Important to know
[70:07] Thank you
[70:08] Roger Kozak
[70:08] Up and watch
[70:09] Thank you
[70:09] All you want to know
[70:10] About Roger and more
[70:11] He does gravy
[70:12] Now there's going to be
[70:14] More discussion
[70:14] On the Florida recount
[70:15] From a legal perspective
[70:16] Sunday is tomorrow
[70:18] At noon eastern
[70:18] On Late Edition
[70:19] With Wolf Blitzer
[70:20] Wolf's going to have
[70:21] Quite a plate of guests
[70:22] With him
[70:22] Former Clinton White House
[70:23] Special Counsel
[70:24] Lanny Davis
[70:25] And Bush Administration
[70:26] Attorney General
[70:27] Dick Thornburg
[70:28] Are going to be
[70:28] Among the guests
[70:29] Also on the program
[70:30] Two prominent
[70:31] U.S. Senators
[70:32] Will discuss
[70:33] The ongoing story
[70:34] Bob Kerry of Nebraska
[70:35] And Kay Bailey
[70:36] Hutchison
[70:37] From Texas
[70:38] And you realize
[70:39] What's happening
[70:39] We've heard how
[70:40] We've had so many
[70:40] Sports analogies
[70:41] We're now making
[70:42] That transition
[70:42] Where it's food
[70:43] Analogies
[70:44] Because we're
[70:44] Closer and closer
[70:45] To Thanksgiving
[70:45] Absolutely
[70:47] Straight ahead
[70:47] The counting
[70:48] And the food buffet
[70:49] Will go on
[70:50] One ballot at a time
[70:51] That's right
[70:52] We'll go live
[70:52] To Florida's
[70:53] Gold Coast
[70:54] When we come back
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[73:17] Still ahead on our special coverage here on CNN.
[73:19] We will be going live back to Palm Beach County where the recount, manual recount, continues there.
[73:23] Also looking presidential.
[73:25] More than just votes up for grabs here, but a PR war at the same time.
[73:30] And the 11th Circuit decision, a decision that came out of a federal court here in Atlanta yesterday, was a setback.
[73:36] For the Bush camp, we'll have more explaining what that was all about.
[73:40] All right.
[73:41] Palm Beach County has been at the center of this disputed election virtually from the start.
[73:45] And 11 days later, they are still counting those controversial butterfly ballots.
[73:50] Some 462,000 of them.
[73:53] Well, joining us now from the land of the elusive hanging Chad, CNN's John Zarelli in West Palm Beach this morning.
[74:00] John.
[74:01] Good morning, Leon.
[74:02] You know, the big question here this morning is who's buying Thanksgiving dinner?
[74:05] Because a little while ago, we were asking, what's the timetable to get this thing wrapped up?
[74:10] They'd originally thought Tuesday, perhaps Wednesday, then back to Tuesday.
[74:13] And now they're saying, well, Tuesday is pretty optimistic.
[74:17] And Judge Charles Burton, who's the chairman of the canvassing board, came out about a half hour ago.
[74:21] I asked him the same thing, and all he said was, we're doing it as quickly as we can.
[74:26] I have to tell you, there's a tremendous amount of spin going on here.
[74:29] Where the Republicans come out, and they say that things aren't going very smoothly in there.
[74:34] The Democrats come out, and they say everything's going really well.
[74:37] Judge Burton came out and said, look, we've only really had disagreement on about a handful of questionable ballots.
[74:43] Everything else has been resolved and has moved on.
[74:46] And this morning, the judge said, before they got started, he talked to all of the teams that were working.
[74:51] He said, look, we've got to get the process moving.
[74:56] I don't think any direction at this point is perfect, and there's no easy solution at this stage.
[75:02] But if a judge should rule that the legislature's statement, these elections should have to be on a time-certain deadline,
[75:10] if the judge moves that goalpost and we no longer have any deadline, I think chaos is going to ensue,
[75:16] and other counties are going to want to get counted.
[75:18] We could be counting votes until Christmas.
[75:22] Well, hopefully not Christmas, but it does look like there's a possibility we might not get wrapped up by Thanksgiving.
[75:27] They've got about 88 precincts counted right now.
[75:30] Can't give you net gains or losses for either of the candidates because they don't have those yet.
[75:35] But the problem is that until each precinct is completely signed off on,
[75:40] and that means any questionable ballots within those precincts are determined for one candidate or another or thrown out.
[75:46] Until that's done, they can't sign off on any additional precincts, so we're still waiting, Leon,
[75:51] for actual numbers on who's gaining, who's losing, and what the scorecard reads here today.
[75:57] Leon?
[75:57] But the plan is, along the way, when they get one particular precinct finished,
[76:01] they'll give you a report on that particular one and then move on.
[76:04] Is that how it works?
[76:05] Well, what they're telling us they're going to do is come out here and give you the last count,
[76:09] the last machine count, which is the verified one from a week or so ago that went into the Secretary of State,
[76:15] and that's what was certified.
[76:17] And then we're going to have to do the math to figure out who gained and who lost precinct by precinct.
[76:23] Gotcha.
[76:23] So it's going to be interesting.
[76:25] All right.
[76:25] And long.
[76:27] John's really long.
[76:28] Thanks much.
[76:29] We'll get back to you later on.
[76:29] All right, John?
[76:30] Take care.
[76:31] See you.
[76:31] Darren?
[76:31] And then there is Broward County, where some Republicans tried to shut down the recount process there yesterday.
[76:36] It goes on today, however.
[76:38] Let's check in with Susan Candiotti, who's in Plantation, Florida, today.
[76:42] Susan, good morning.
[76:42] Good to see you.
[76:44] Good morning, Darren.
[76:45] Well, I heard John just joking about Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays.
[76:49] Here, one of the attorneys who works for the canvassing board said that he's already starting to make plans for a New Year's Eve party.
[76:57] Can you imagine?
[76:58] At any rate, we are into the fourth day of recounts here in Broward County, Florida,
[77:04] and they've been at it for about two hours now.
[77:07] So far, 148 of 609 precincts have been reviewed, with an additional 49 votes for Vice President Gore.
[77:16] Teams are at work here at the Emergency Operations Center in Plantation, Florida,
[77:21] this very modern facility where the walls are lined with big-screen TVs.
[77:25] Of course, the volume is turned down.
[77:27] On each team, you've got two counters.
[77:30] One picks up a ballot, and then there are Republican and Democratic observers who decide if a vote is registered.
[77:36] If there is a dispute, the ballot is put into a separate pile,
[77:40] and it would go on to the three-member canvassing board, which is working in a separate room nearby.
[77:46] That board makes the final call.
[77:49] If they cannot determine the voters' intent, the ballot is rejected.
[77:53] Now, those participating in the process are mostly volunteers,
[77:57] and we talked to some of them before they came inside this room.
[78:01] They told us why they're here.
[78:04] I just wanted to do my duty.
[78:07] I thought it was something that was a way to serve my country.
[78:11] I thought it was a noble thing to do to make sure that every vote was counted.
[78:15] It's a whole nation.
[78:16] Everyone's talking about it.
[78:18] And I just want to help everything be fair and correct.
[78:23] I think it's important.
[78:24] I think it's important to make sure that the count is correct.
[78:27] And I think also it's important from a historical point of view.
[78:30] I think, obviously, we're making history here, and, you know, I think this is a historic count.
[78:33] It's a historic moment.
[78:34] And, again, I think that it's very important that we get the count right
[78:37] and make sure that we count all those ballots out there.
[78:40] The recounting is scheduled to go on until 6 o'clock tonight.
[78:44] And the goal here is to wrap everything up by Monday at 5.
[78:48] Darren, back to you.
[78:50] All right, Susan, thank you very much.
[78:51] Susan Candiotti reporting from Broward County.
[78:52] Well, believe it or not, there is yet another ballot controversy brewing this morning.
[78:57] This one in Seminole County, where Democrats are challenging thousands of absentee ballots.
[79:02] Our Mark Potter is in Sanford.
[79:04] He's got the latest on a hearing in this dispute.
[79:07] Mark, what's going on?
[79:09] Good morning, Leon.
[79:10] That hearing actually ended just a short while ago,
[79:12] and now Judge Deborah Nelson says on Monday she'll issue a ruling on whether to dismiss the lawsuit.
[79:18] If she allows the lawsuit to continue, we'll then have an evidentiary hearing a week from Monday, November 27th.
[79:26] This lawsuit asked that thousands of absentee ballots in Seminole County be tossed out
[79:31] because of alleged violations of the election law in Florida.
[79:36] That suit was brought by an attorney named Harry Jacobs,
[79:39] and he's agreed to join us for a few moments here this morning.
[79:41] Harry, I know it's a bit complex, but as briefly as you can,
[79:44] tell us what was done wrong.
[79:46] How were the election laws violated?
[79:48] Thousands of absentee ballot requests were received by the supervisor of elections in Seminole County.
[79:57] Thousands of these requests failed to contain the voter identification number.
[80:03] Florida law provides that where the voter identification number is not included in the request for the absentee ballot,
[80:11] then the absentee ballot request must be rejected.
[80:15] In this instance, the supervisor of elections did reject thousands of absentee ballot requests
[80:23] and declare them null and void.
[80:26] For a period of 10 days, the supervisor of elections in Seminole County allowed two Republican operatives
[80:34] to come into her office and have the unfettered access to these defective absentee ballot request forms
[80:43] for the purpose of inserting the voter identification number.
[80:48] Following this task, the two Republican operatives then took these thousands of absentee ballot requests
[80:56] that have now been corrected and resubmitted them to the supervisor of elections.
[81:01] The supervisor of elections then acted on them by sending out the ballot to the voter making the request.
[81:09] Florida law provides that the only person who is allowed to make a request for an absentee ballot
[81:16] is the voter, his or her legal guardian, or an immediate member of their family.
[81:22] This was so important to the Florida legislature that the Florida legislature in its wisdom stated
[81:28] that in the event some third party makes such a request,
[81:32] that third party very well may be found guilty of a felony in the third degree.
[81:37] Now, the Republicans are saying that there's really nothing wrong with what the supervisor did.
[81:42] She was simply trying to get the process going, enfranchise these people.
[81:47] There was a technical problem, and she was simply trying to enable them to get a vote,
[81:54] and there's nothing wrong with what she did.
[81:57] I'm afraid that Florida law would disagree with the supervisor.
[82:01] Again, Florida law provides that the only person that is entitled to submit an absentee ballot request
[82:08] asking for an absentee ballot is the voter, legal guardian, or a member of their family.
[82:15] We've got to go. Thank you for your time.
[82:17] This will be heard in court, we presume, if the judge allows the suit to continue.
[82:21] Thank you for your time.
[82:22] Thank you.
[82:23] Back to you.
[82:24] All right, good deal. Thanks, Mark.
[82:26] When we come back, we're going to talk about the political posturing involved here.
[82:29] George W. Bush, Al Gore, handling the current situation.
[82:32] Are they doing it in a presidential manner?
[82:34] Good question.
[82:34] Thank you.
[82:35] We will hear from some supporters of both the Bush and the Gore campaigns about that and more coming up.
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[84:15] With the recount and the legal maneuverings still in progress, the candidates are striving
[84:20] to appear presidential before the American people.
[84:22] For more on that, we're joined by Republican strategist Roger Stone and his Democratic counterpart,
[84:28] political consultant Peter Fenn.
[84:29] Morning, gents.
[84:30] Thanks for coming and talking to us today.
[84:31] Appreciate it.
[84:32] Sharing your weekend with us on all this.
[84:34] I'm not going to ask each one of you which candidate you think is doing the best at this
[84:38] right now because I can pretty much guess what your answers are going to be.
[84:40] But let's play some tape.
[84:42] I think we've got some tape right now of each of the candidates.
[84:44] Let's take a look first at Al Gore and I want to get your thoughts on this.
[84:48] And what is at stake is more important than who wins the presidency.
[84:54] What is at stake is...
[84:56] All right.
[84:57] Now, what do you think about that and the image that he is trying to portray?
[85:02] Starting with you, Peter.
[85:03] Well, I think that he's reflecting the feelings of all Americans and that is that our process,
[85:10] our democracy is critical.
[85:12] You know, it may be kind of ugly the way we do all this.
[85:15] It may look like we're making sausage, but in the end, it tastes very good.
[85:20] And him saying all this in front of the White House actually was part of the plan, correct?
[85:24] Well, yeah.
[85:25] He was in his office that day.
[85:26] And I think, you know, both candidates want to appear, presidential, want to appear to be leaders of this country.
[85:35] All right.
[85:36] No questions.
[85:37] All right.
[85:37] Roger?
[85:38] Well, I think that the vice president's kind of changed his rap a little bit.
[85:43] First, he's for the will of the people.
[85:44] Then he's for the rule of the law when the court rules for him.
[85:48] And then when the court rules against him, say temporarily, then he's for the will of the people.
[85:52] This is a floating crap game in which both candidates have to kind of change their posturing slightly.
[85:56] The truth is nobody looks good in this.
[85:59] Both candidates have managed to stay above their operatives and try to stay out of the squabbling.
[86:04] But the day-to-day combat with new developments each day really isn't good for anybody here.
[86:10] And whoever wins this prize is going to have a very difficult road ahead.
[86:13] A lot of people are saying the same thing, and they're all thinking that this can really only go on for a certain length of time.
[86:20] How long do you all think the window is before there's going to be a diminishing of returns on this right now?
[86:26] Peter?
[86:26] Well, I think the important thing is to get it right, not to get it fast.
[86:33] My guess, though, is that, look, you're going to have a hearing before the Supreme Court tomorrow.
[86:37] It will probably rule on Tuesday.
[86:40] These absentee ballots are getting counted now.
[86:43] I mean, I would think that this thing could all be done before the end of the month without any problem.
[86:48] I mean, you do have this difficulty in Seminole County, and you do have the Palm Beach question.
[86:52] But, you know, I think the people of this country, they don't want it to go on ad nauseum, but they do want to get it right.
[87:00] And they do want it to be fair, and they do want people enfranchised.
[87:05] And that's exactly what the vice president has said all along.
[87:07] It's been totally consistent.
[87:09] Roger, your thoughts?
[87:10] I think this could drag on for quite some time.
[87:13] First of all, I don't think that the process can allow the wholesale manufacturing of enough votes for the vice president to, in essence, steal this election.
[87:22] Now, there's a number of different things that could happen.
[87:24] I suspect that the vice president will win in the Florida State Supreme Court, one of the most liberal, activist, and nine-zip Democratic courts in the country.
[87:33] The federal courts have not said they won't hear this.
[87:35] They have left the door open to hear an equal protection question.
[87:40] There's also the question of whether the Florida legislature, in the hands of the Republicans, can overrule the Supreme Court in electing in...