Morning Show Wrap

NEW YORK, NOV. 4, 2004 — --

A product of Noted Now and The Note

Bush-Cheney Campaign Manager Marc Racicot repeated the same message in all his appearances: "There's just a mathematical impossibility that the verdict could be changed."

When challenged on CNN over whether it was "impossible" that Kerry could win Ohio, Racicot backtracked a bit but said "94% of the provisional ballots would have to be for John Kerry. It's not going to happen."

On CBS, he claimed that "we know that a very small number of those provisional ballots cast will be valid," loosening his language to make a more blanket statement than had been on the other morning shows.

On Fox News, host Steve Doocey Noted the exit polls showing Kerry leading "all over the Internet yesterday" and said "It almost looks like maybe his people leaked the stuff and get the good buzz."

Racicot responded: "That's certainly one conclusion one could draw. You has suggested that as a possibility… I just hope we come up with a better way to convey information to the American public.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on ABC and called on Sen. Kerry to concede, saying a concession could help heal the country. "The best way we can heal that is to have some active statesmanship, and Sen. Kerry can do that."

Of Bush's popular vote win: "The lesson is that you have to unite the country… but people shouldn't be spinning this that this is what we expected. I don't think anybody thought that there would be a 3.5 million voter gap."

On CBS, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said a "53, 54, 55" majority will help us "get an up or down vote on the floor of the Senate" when we want one compared to a 51-seat majority.

On ABC, Frist said that Daschle has been "a very effective voice and a very good friend…. I think the fact that he was defeated back at home that John Thune was more in tune with the people of South Dakota."

ABC's George Stephanopoulos reported that according to Kerry sources, Kerry will likely wake up and take a realistic look at the numbers. Stephanopoulos described that "It's virtually impossible for Sen. Kerry to do this, but not statistically impossible… I think this is all over but the shouting." Stephanopoulos Noted the "Three-way game of chicken" between Kerry, who doesn't want to concede; Bush, who doesn't want to declare victory until he wins, and the media, who hasn't yet declared.

NBC's Tim Russert reported that "I had one Kerry advisor who said to me, 50,000, maybe we'd have a shot. But not 140,000."

NBC's Chris Matthews said, "I don't think John Kerry ever convinced people -- even in Wisconsin and Iowa -- that he shared their values. They should have done much better there."