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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

'Talk of CNN'

Aired October 2, 2002 - 05:50   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So what's the buzz at the water cooler this morning in our own country? We'd like to find out what viewers are chatting about around the country. We call it the Talk of CNN.
And this morning we're checking in with Matt Pitta at WQRC Radio in Hyannis, Massachusetts. He joins us live by phone.

Good morning, Matt.

MATT PITTA, WQRC RADIO HOST: Hi, Carol. How are you today?

COSTELLO: I'm pretty good.

Hey, I wanted to talk to you about the governor's race there, because Mitt Romney has a new ad out.

PITTA: Yes?

COSTELLO: And we found it interesting.

PITTA: Do you have it?

COSTELLO: We do have it. It shows him frolicking in the water bare chested. These are the nice family -- there it is. There it is.

PITTA: That has become a pretty controversial ad for Mitt Romney. The second gubernatorial debate was held here in Massachusetts yesterday between the Republican, Mitt Romney, and the Democrat, Shannon O'Brien. And there have been some references made, too, as to why Mitt Romney has gone on TV with his bare chested ad. And, you know, Shannon O'Brien has expressed some concern about that, as to why it may happen.

And it seems pretty simple if you're a political strategist at this point, and that being Mitt Romney needs to do better with female voters in Massachusetts. If you take a look at some of the early tracking polls...

COSTELLO: So he's offered them like some cheesecake?

PITTA: I don't know. But I know that in the latest tracking polls, Mitt Romney doesn't do as well with female voters in Massachusetts as Shannon O'Brien does.

So it appears to be a strategy that they're using to attempt to bring some more female voters into the Romney camp. And the ad hit TV a couple of, about a week ago, and that's a little bit of a talk.

COSTELLO: Well, I guess in fairness he talks about how he courted his wife for 40 years and they show him with his family playing basketball and then there, he's bare chested. How is this playing with female voters?

PITTA: Well, we haven't seen any new tracking polls in Massachusetts since this first came out, since this ad first came out. Prior to this ad hitting the air waves, a poll that was in the "Herald" out of Boston a couple weeks ago had Romney down by about five or six percentage points. But that was within the statistical margin of error. So I think that at that point the Romney camp strategically wanted to get another ad up on the air to try to bring some more female voters to his side of the aisle.

So that's, I mean it clearly seems to be what their tactic is right now.

COSTELLO: Well, we can't wait to see if there's a backlash or if it helps him. It's very interesting, though.

Another political hot issue there in Massachusetts, in your area, in Hyannis, is a smoking ban everywhere?

PITTA: I have to tell you something, Carol. All you folks across the nation watching CNN, if you come to Southeastern Mass. And the Cape, don't bring your cigarettes because we're pretty much an entirely smoke-free region now. The latest town, the Outer Cape town of Provincetown -- and a lot of people know this community, a very artsy community, very popular with tourists around the country. Just this week they went smoke-free. They're now one of the final towns on the Cape out here to go completely smoke-free.

And that makes pretty much most of Southeastern Mass., a couple of towns just over the bridges are also smoke-free. Almost all of the Cape now smoke-free. Both of the islands smoke-free. And it has been a multi-year battle to get this smoking ban in effect and now it's just about complete for this part of the state.

It was very controversial with businesses. They said they'd lose a lot of business. Some have, some have not. And it's catching on, now, Carol. In fact, Boston Mayor Tom Menino just a couple of days ago said you know what? We want a total smoking ban in all bars and restaurants in the city of Boston, which would be a significant effort to have a city like the size of Boston go completely smoke-free.

So this thing has really caught on -- and I hate to use the pun -- like wildfire, but it has certainly caught on, this idea of a smoking ban.

COSTELLO: We understand it, though. It was a good term to use.

Thank you, Matt Pitta. We'll talk to you next week.

PITTA: All right, Carol.

COSTELLO: Very interesting what's happening in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Matt Pitta from WQRC.

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