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Romney Narrowly Wins Iowa; Bachmann Suspends Campaign; McCain Endorses Romney; Gingrich Blasts Romney Appeal; Obama Talks Economy In Ohio, Addresses Consumer Watchdog; GOP Candidates Turn Attention to New Hampshire
Aired January 04, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Randi Kaye. It's 1:00 Eastern. We've got a very busy hour ahead, let's get straight to the news.
Next stop, New Hampshire. There's a new face on board the Mitt Romney express. Any minute now, John McCain who defeated Romney in the Granite state primary in 2008 will endorse Romney. These are live pictures. Six days ahead of the first presidential primary of 2012. The former Massachusetts governor holds a huge and likely unstoppable lead in New Hampshire polling in contrast to, say, Iowa where he squeaked out a victory in last night's caucuses by the smallest margin of any Republican presidential contest ever. Much more on that in a moment.
The guy whose job Romney wants is in Ohio this hour, a suburb of Cleveland to talk about the economy. We'll hear President Obama live at just about a quarter past the hour.
Hours after her sixth-place finish in Iowa, Michele Bachmann says that her campaign is finished or technically suspended. The Minnesota Congresswoman who was born in Iowa and who won a straw poll there in August cancelled the trip to South Carolina today for this announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELE BACHMANN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so I have decided to stand aside. And I believe that if we are going to repeal Obama care, turn our country around and take back our country, we must do so united.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Bachmann took just five percent of the Iowa vote, less than every other candidate except for Jon Huntsman who didn't campaign there. Rick Perry did twice as well, and promptly went back to Texas to reassess, though he now says he plans to run in South Carolina. At the top of the field, eight votes separate Romney from a rival who exploded out of the bottom tier, what, maybe a week or so ago with strong support from the Christian right. Rick Santorum edged out Ron Paul, and both of them left Newt Gingrich in their rear-view mirrors. Before turning his sights on New Hampshire, Gingrich took this swipe at Ron Paul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a major debate with Congressman Paul who has had a very good night, and I congratulate him having done very well. But the fact is his views on foreign policy I think are stunningly dangerous for the survival of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: This morning on CNN, Paul responded, and then some.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, when Newt Gingrich was called to service in the 1960s, after the Vietnam era, guess what he thought about danger? He chickened out on that and he got deferments and didn't even go. So right now, he sends these young kids over there to endure the danger and the kids coming back and the young people coming back, and the ones in the military right now, they overwhelmingly support my campaign. We get twice as much support from the active military personnel than all of the candidates put together, so Newt Gingrich has no business talking about danger, because he is -- he's putting other people in danger, and some people call that kind of a program a chicken hawk, and I think he falls into that category.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Paul also told us he didn't know anything about this snarky tweet that went out last night under his name, quote, "Jon Huntsman, we found your one Iowa voter, he's in Linn precinct 5, you might want to call him and say thanks." So, if the past 12 hours are any indication, we are in for quite a year. My colleague, Wolf Blitzer, had a very late night. Happy to see you up and about today, what, about four hours or so ago?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We got off the air at 3:31 a.m. Eastern to be precise -- 3:31 a.m. Eastern. It was a long night. But you know what? It was exciting, it was fun, and what I really liked is they had to count the ballots the old fashioned way, we had no projection of a winner, but we couldn't do it, it was too close. Eight votes in the end, who would've thought?
KAYE: I love that you actually paused for this, almost like a moment of -- there was just silence while they were -- while they were counting them. We felt like we were in that room with them.
BLITZER: These were the first votes of the 2012 presidential election campaign in the United States. These were the first ballots that were actually counted, about 120,000 plus individuals went and did their responsibility, they voted. And so the process now has begun and we move to New Hampshire, then South Carolina, Florida, Nevada, and maybe beyond.
KAYE: And no matter what the numbers say, though, from last night, I have heard it said that the real winner in Iowa last night was President Obama, and what do you think?
BLITZER: I would be hugely, a huge blunder if the Democrats or officials of the White House started to high five themselves or anything like that, because you can't make any kind of judgment right now of what's going to be the case in November of this year. I'm old enough to remember when Jimmy Carter was president and Ronald Reagan got the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, and he was incumbent president Jimmy Carter, they were high fiving each other -- oh, a movie star, you know, California governor, we're going to be able to beat this guy. Well, it didn't exactly work out, so let the Democrats be as nervous as they should be. They have to work really, really hard to prove that the president deserves a second term. So, this is going to be a hard fought battle, and I would not be high fiving anybody right now on the Republican side or the Democratic side.
KAYE: Let's talk about what happened today. We saw Michele Bachmann pulled out of the race. Does that help or hurt Mitt Romney?
BLITZER: It probably helps Santorum, because a lot of the Michele Bachmann supporters I think will find a more natural home with Rick Santorum than they will with Mitt Romney, or Ron Paul for that matter. And Michele Bachmann had no love for Ron Paul, she thought his policies -- his foreign policies were dangerous. I think there is more of an alliance there with Rick Santorum. Now, if Rick Perry stays in and he's tweeting now that he's going to South Carolina, that will probably help -- that will probably help Mitt Romney little bit in South Carolina, because they are going to divide up that conservative Tea Party base a little bit more between Santorum, and Newt Gingrich, now Rick Perry. So you know, I think it will wind up helping Mitt Romney a little bit.
KAYE: So, Mitt Romney, no doubt, expected to do well in New Hampshire. What happens when everything moves south -- to South Carolina?
BLITZER: South Carolina is going to be probably much more important than New Hampshire. New Hampshire, Romney has got a, you know, huge lead in all the polls right now. Now, there's six days to go, we'll see what happens. But I expect, you know, Mitt Romney has basically -- you know, he's from Massachusetts, he's got a home in New Hampshire, he'll do really well. The right will be in South Carolina. And then Florida, Florida is a big state. A lot of the communities who need a lot of money to start advertising, Romney has that money. Santorum is starting to raise money, but he's got a long way to go in terms of money and organization.
KAYE: Yes, I mean, can he continue this or is the Santorum so- called surge over?
BLITZER: You know, I don't think it's over. I think this is a -- I think Newt Gingrich is still in it, Santorum is in it, and if Perry wants to try, let them all try. I will tell you why I say that, because three weeks ago, even two weeks ago, who would have thought Santorum would only lose by eight votes to Mitt Romney in south -- and let's not forget Ron Paul, he's a player in all of this. He's got a lot of people who are fiercely supportive of him, and he's got a lot of young people organizing. Ron Paul did well in Iowa, I think he's going to do well in a lot of these other states. He's is in it for the duration, I think, so this is going to continue.
KAYE: Why do you think that Santorum did so well? Was it really a vote for Santorum do you think or might it have been a vote against everybody else?
BLITZER: I think there's a lot -- there are a lot of Republican conservatives, Tea Party activists who just don't like Mitt Romney, they don't trust Mitt Romney, and they're looking for an alternative to Mitt Romney. At one point, it was Michele Bachmann in the Iowa straw poll, and then Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich -- there's been a lot of alternatives, now Santorum. We'll see if that lasts. I -- you know what I'm looking for right now? I'm looking to see if the pro-Mitt Romney super PACs -- not directly affiliated with Mitt Romney but supportive of Mitt Romney, and the Ron Paul campaign unleash a barrage of negative advertising against Rick Santorum like they did to Newt Gingrich which really hurt Newt Gingrich in Iowa. And that's why Newt Gingrich is so angry at Mitt Romney right now, and he is taking off the gloves. He did last night and including all day yesterday when he called -- it's almost unprecedented, he called Mitt Romney publicly a liar on the eve of the Iowa caucuses.
KAYE: I am so glad you are here, because we want to actually relive some of the best moments from the wee hours of the morning with you from your coverage last night. So, let's just take a quick look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Somebody just e-mailed me and says, how does it feel that I can't project -- that we at CNN cannot project a winner after all of this -- and it feels great, because I love the -- finding out the old-fashioned way. Let them count the votes.
But CNN now projects who will come in third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. We can't project who comes in first and second, because you saw how close between Santorum and Romney.
Right at the top of the hour, I'm Wolf Blitzer. We're here at the CNN election center. A dramatic night in Iowa where 92 percent of the precincts have reported. How close is this? I don't think it can get much closer. Thirteen votes separating Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.
I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting, a historic night in Iowa right now. I don't think there's ever been anything this close in the Iowa Republican caucuses.
I can say three letters, OMG. Look at this! Look at what is going on. One vote -- one vote right now separating Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney has taken the lead.
An amazing moment. Mitt Romney wins albeit narrowly. On the other hand, John, a win is a win.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: OMG, Wolf. That got as much attention here in the NEWSROOM today as the coverage and the weevils that were on (INAUDIBLE.)
BLITZER: I was trending on Twitter by OMG. You know, it's part -- it's become part of our -- going in I'd say it was lol. If I would've done that, it would've been good, too.
KAYE: All right, Wolf, we'll leave it there. Thank you, so nice to have you on.
BLITZER: Thank you.
KAYE: Get some rest, OK?
BLITZER: I will. No rest for the weary.
KAYE: No, no.
BLITZER: When you're young, you work.
KAYE: All right. We'll catch you in the "SITUATION ROOM" today at 4:00.
BLITZER: 4:00. Good.
KAYE: We'll be there.
BLITZER: You know who's going to join me?
KAYE: Who?
BLITZER: Those two women from Clinton County.
KAYE: Oh, really? Edith and --
BLITZER: Our two good friends.
KAYE: They did not get much sleep either.
BLITZER: You know what? They were lovely.
KAYE: They were. All right, thank you, nice to see you.
A reminder, of course, we're just a few minutes away from hearing the president speak. Mr. Obama is in Ohio today. He'll be speaking to students at Shaker Heights high school. The president will be talking about the economy and we're sure to get an election pitch in there as well. We'll bring you his remarks just as soon as they get under way.
But first, a question for you political junkies. What was the closest caucus race in U.S. history? The operative words are U.S. history here. The answer may not be as obvious as you think. Be the first to Tweet me the right answer at @RandiKayeCNN, I'll give you a shout out right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Before the break, I asked what was the closest caucus race in U.S. history? The answer is Guam in 2008. It was during that caucus race that then senator Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton by just seven votes. Congrats to Mike who tweeted the right answer first. And if you're wondering, by the way, last night's race was the closest in Iowa's history, and the closest Republican presidential race in history as well.
A reminder, we are just a few minutes away from hearing the president speak. Mr. Obama will be speaking to students at Shaker Heights high school in northeast Ohio. The president is expected to address the economy. We'll bring you his remarks just as soon as they get started there. Also any minute now, 2008's Republican presidential nominee , Senator John McCain is expected to formally endorse Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. We'll bring that to you as well when it happens.
One contest is history, dozens more lie ahead. And while Mitt Romney is already looking to default, a lot could still happen in the winter, spring and summer as well. Gentry Collins led Romney's Iowa campaign back in 2008 before heading up the Midwest operations for John McCain. Right now, he is not affiliated with any campaign.
Mr. Collins, welcome to the program, nice to have you on again. I want to play you a comment from Newt Gingrich today in New Hampshire. Gingrich got walloped in Iowa, but he is swinging hard at Romney. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I find it amazing the news media continues to say he is the most electable Republican when he can't break out in his own party. And I don't think he's going to do -- he'll do fairly well here, this is one of his three best states. But the fact is that if Governor Romney, in the end, has a very limited appeal in a conservative party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
GINGRICH: And by the way, you look at the dollars spent by Romney and the dollars spent by Santorum, you'd praise Santorum, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So, Gentry, should Mitt Romney be celebrating today, do you think, or maybe should he be looking over his shoulder?
GENTRY COLLINS, FMR. RNC NATL. POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I think he should be doing a little bit of both. I mean, look, last night was a great result for Governor Romney. Until very recently, he was not playing very hard in Iowa. I think a lot of pundits and maybe some on the campaign thought that they might even write Iowa off. And after the disappointment that he had there four years ago, I think any fair assessment is that he had a great night last night.
But, look, this is a long contest. The speaker makes some very good points. It's going to be a brutal race. Much more brutal on Governor Romney than it was in Iowa. I think you'll see far more candidates interested in attacking Governor Romney, knocking him off of his perch, instead of just looking for that second place sort of not Romney alternative, which is why Governor Romney skated so freely through the negative ads that ran in Iowa.
KAYE: Yes. Certainly the Santorum campaign seems to be celebrating just a bit. In fact they're saying today, the campaign coming out saying that this proves, the results in Iowa, proves that Santorum is the only conservative who can beat Mitt Romney. Do you buy that?
COLLINS: Well, I think the field is still wide open. Clearly senator Santorum had a great night, a very well run campaign on the ground in Iowa. I think, among other things, it says that organization and retail politics in Iowa still matter. That it's not just all about paid television ads, whether they're from the campaigns or from these federal super PACs. And so congratulations needs to go to Senator Santorum as well.
But it is a long way from over. I think one of the biggest developments today is Governor Perry's apparent announcement, a forthcoming announcement, that he's going to stay in this race, that he's going to contest South Carolina. It certainly looking to me like he believes Michele Bachmann's exit from the race leaves more room for him to do better in South Carolina than he did in Iowa. And I think the Santorum people have to view that with some despair. That will help prevent Senator Santorum from consolidating the vote on Governor Romney's right. And so I think there's a long way to go before anybody can pop the cork on the champagne.
KAYE: Yes. And, really, what does the exit of Bachmann and Perry staying in all mean for Romney, because he really doesn't want -- he actually wants the field to remain very crowded?
COLLINS: I think he does. I think Ari Fleischer, on your air last night, said just that, that Governor Romney has got to be rooting for a big field going into South Carolina and Senator Santorum, really at this point, needs to be rooting for a small field. He is looking to be the single alternative to Governor Romney.
And all of this talk that we've heard about Governor Romney not being able to consolidate the vote is only true if there is a single consolidating opponent on his right. And, you know, there was polling out, by the way, just this last week that suggested that even if Governor Romney was not the first choice of evangelical conservatives, that more than 90 percent of them would support him against President Obama in a general election. So he certainly does, to me at this point, look like a very electable general election candidate. But as I said, there's a long road ahead of us.
KAYE: Yes, I'm glad you brought up evangelicals, because we've certainly been talking a lot about the evangelical vote. But there's no question that Romney did worse with the evangelicals last night than he did back in 2008. You don't think that that spells any trouble for him?
COLLINS: You know, Romney's number was almost precisely what it was four years ago. I don't think it's clear that he did significantly worse. I think that there are counties that Santorum carried in western Iowa last night that Governor Romney carried. But if you look into those numbers, I think you'd find that Governor Romney trailed him closely in many of those counties and where Governor Romney improved was in the large metropolitan areas, or relatively large by Iowa standards.
He carried Polk County, for example. He carried Dallas County. Outperformed his 2008 performance in places like Des Moines and increased his performance in places like Cedar Rapids and Dubuque and the quad cities. Those are the places where any Republican nominee is going to have to run up the score on Barack Obama in the general election. And so I thought that that really was a good sign for Governor Romney last night and a good sign for our alternate nominee that there's that kind of energy in the big communities.
KAYE: Gentry Collins, appreciate that. Thank you very much.
COLLINS: Thanks for having me.
KAYE: Just a day after the Iowa caucuses and already one of the candidates is out. So who benefits most from Michele Bachmann's exit? You might be surprised. That is just ahead in "Fair Game."
Also, a live event about to get underway any moment now. We're expecting Senator John McCain to formally endorse Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. We'll bring it to you when it happens.
And we're also just minutes away, another reminder here, from the president. Mr. Obama is in Ohio today where he'll be speaking to students of Shaker Heights High School. We'll bring you his remarks as soon as they gets started there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A reminder, we are just a few minutes away from hearing the president speak. Mr. Obama will be speak to students at Shaker Heights High School. That's in northeast Ohio. We'll bring you his remarks as soon as they begin.
Also, a live event about to get underway any moment now. We're expecting Senator John McCain to formally endorse Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. We'll bring that to you when it happens. We won't let you miss either one of these events here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And now to the part of the show where we go to the heart of the political debate where all sides are "Fair Game." The Republican battle to defeat President Obama in November is officially underway. Joining me now are CNN contributor Will Cain and Democratic political consultant Ed ESPINOZA.
Hi there, guys. Let's start with the Iowa caucuses today. We have our first casualty, Michele Bachmann, just a short while ago announcing that she's going to end her campaign. The move comes after Bachmann's dismal sixth place finish in last night's Iowa caucus.
Ed, let's start with you here. Who do you think benefits?
ED ESPINOZA, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONSULTANT: You know, it's really interesting what happens, because you thought that Perry was going to drop out and then now he's in, Bachmann's definitely out. It's interesting to see where her remaining supporters will go. She didn't have very many to begin with, but one of the things we've seen in this race is that at no point has Romney demonstrated an ability to win over undecided voters.
When you look at his poll position last June, he was at 23 percent in Iowa, 24 percent in December. He got 25 percent last night. Santorum picked up 7 percent going into the caucuses last night. That's significant because it demonstrates that conservatives are not happy with Romney. And this is something we've seen for the course of this campaign. He's got to find a way to resolve that if he expects to have a fighting chance in the general election. He has to have that base. Right now he does not have it.
KAYE: You cannot argue, though, Will, with the number from last night. I mean you look at them, Romney won Iowa by just eight votes. So what does that tell you about Republican voters? Are they still not happy with their choices?
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, maybe. But look, it's a win for Romney. Yes, I heard James Carville on CNN's coverage last night say it was a massive loss. That's nonsense. The goal is not to win the Iowa caucuses so much as to win the nomination. And for Mitt Romney to go into Iowa, a place where he wasn't necessarily favored to win, I don't care how much money he spent, and get a nominal victory, move on to New Hampshire, where he is going to win. I think that's a great start for Mitt Romney.
KAYE: Ed, do you think that Santorum, last night, succeeded in painting himself as the clear alternative, really the only alternative to Mitt Romney?
ESPINOZA: He was the alternative in Iowa. As to whether or not that holds up beyond that, I mean he's -- he's got to be able to raise money and build an organization. Those are going to be difficult things for him to do in a very short amount of time.
KAYE: Yes.
ESPINOZA: New Hampshire, you know, it's difficult to see what will happen in New Hampshire because it's essentially a home state for Mitt Romney. It might even be something that's just an anomaly as far as the turnout goes and the percentages goes in this primary.
What's really interesting to see right now is what happens in South Carolina. Rick Perry staying in this race tells us one thing, he still has a lot of money to spend. And if Newt Gingrich thought attack ads from Romney were bad, he ain't seen nothing yet.
KAYE: Will, what do you think about Rick Perry staying in? Is that a good move for Rick Perry? And how does it affect the party overall and the field of candidates?
CAIN: I think it illustrates Rick Perry's campaign up to this point. It can't decide which way it's going. Getting in the way of itself every step of the way. I doubt that it's going to end up having a big impact in South Carolina or anywhere beyond it.
Hey, Randi, I want to say one thing. You asked Ed, you know, is Rick Santorum going to be the alternative to Mitt Romney? This is the ongoing conservation we're having. Who is the Romney alternative? Who is the person who will -- conservatives can rally behind, because they're passionate about him. Because they see his principles. First it's Romney. Oh, I guess we'll settle on him because he's electable.
Let me say this. If conservatism is what we're seeking out here, I am continually befuddled by the options we're picking. Rick Santorum advocates for no corporate income tax on the manufacturing sector, but an income tax -- corporate income tax on the rest. That's economic populism. That's economic liberty. I'm just not sure how we're defining conservatism. Is it about the passion you have in opposing gay marriage? What is it that defines conservatism? Because for me, largely, it's economic liberty. And I don't understand how conservative waves keep flowing away from Mitt Romney to people that don't live up to that billing.
KAYE: All right, guys, we are going to have to head over to the president. He's speaking in Ohio, as I said. So that is "Fair Game" for the day. Thank you both.
Republicans have been stealing the spotlight in recent days. Now President Obama back on the road as well. Of course, he's going to be making some remarks just outside Cleveland. He's expected to spend most of his time at Shaker Heights High School talking about the economy. Technically this is not a campaign stop, but it is a critical region of a key battleground state in the November election.
President Obama is also expected to announce that he's using his presidential authority to install former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as the first director of the new Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. The controversial move is called a recess appointment. It's basically a way for a president to get an appointee on the job whose nomination has been blocked by Senate opposition. Word of the president's decision has angered Republicans. They've refused to confirm anyone to the new post which they argue has too much power.
So the president there beginning to speak. This is -- he's already been to Ohio actually three times this year and he's traveling to the most Democratic congressional district in the state. Ohio, of course, is a critical state for the president. It was a swing state that went for George W. Bush for 2004 and for Obama in 2008. Obama carried it in 2008 by only about 2 percent or so, ahead of John McCain. So, of course, he wants to be focusing there. So let's just listen in for just a little bit and hear the president's comments there in Ohio. (BEGIN LIVE SPEECH)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Marcy Kaptur is here. Dennis Kucinich. Betty Sutton in the house. Outstanding members of Congress. Doing the right thing every day. So we thank them all for being here.
Now I understand the folks here at this school have a pretty good basketball team -- boys and girls. Unfortunately, I have no eligibility left. So I can't play with you.
I want to wish everybody a happy new year. 2012 is going to be a good year. It's going to be a good year. And one of my new year's resolutions is to make sure that I get out of Washington and spend time with folks like you. Because folks here in Ohio and all across the country, I want you to know, you're the reason why I ran for this office in the first place. You remind me what we are still fighting for. You inspire me. OK. You do. Now, you know, you remind me that this country is all about folks who work hard , and where responsibility pays off. An America where anybody who puts in the effort and plays by the rules can get ahead. That's the America that you deserve.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That's the America we are working to build.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That's why I told Congress, before the New Year, they couldn't leave for vacation until we made sure that 160 million working Americans wouldn't get hit with a tax hike on January 1st.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Now -- now, this wasn't easy. It should have been easy. But it wasn't. But in the end, we got members of both parties to come together and make sure that you could keep more money in your paychecks each month.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: And you are keeping the extra $40 in every paycheck, because -- because we made sure that we didn't stump the recovery. We made sure that families got the break they need. That means more security for your families and it also means a boost for the economy at a time when we have to do everything we can to keep it growing. Because more money spent by more Americans means more businesses hiring more workers. So when I -- when Congress returns, I'm going to urge them to extend this tax cut all of the way through 2012, with no drama, no delay.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: Do the right thing. It is a no-brainer. Let's get it done. Let's pass these tax cuts. (APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Now, we still have more the do. So, today, we are taking another important step, one that will bring us closer to the economy that we need, an economy where everybody plays by the same rules.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: And to help us do that, I'm joined by somebody that you might recognize, Richard Cordray.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Son of Ohio. A good, good man.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: Today, I am appointing Richard as America's consumer watchdog.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: And that means that he is going to be in charge of one thing, looking out for the best interests of American consumers, looking out for you.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: His job will be to protect families like yours from the abuses of the financial industry.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: His job will be to make sure that you have all of the information that you need to make important financial decisions. Right away, he will start working to make sure that millions of Americans are treated fairly by mortgage brokers and payday lenders and debt collectors. in fact this week, his agency is opening up a simple 1-800 number that you can call to the make sure you are getting a fair deal on your mortgage, and hold banks and brokers accountable if you are not.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Now, I nominated Richard for this job last summer. So you may be wondering, why am I appointing him today. It would be a good question.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: For almost half a year, Republicans in the Senate have blocked Richard's confirmation.
(BOOING) OBAMA: They refused to even give Richard an up-or-down vote. This is not because Richard is not qualified. There's no question that Richard is the right person for the job. He's got the support of Democrats and Republicans around the country, a majority of the attorney generals. Richard is a former attorney general. A majority of the attorney generals from both parties across the country have called for Richard to be confirmed. Your local members of Congress who are here today, they support him. He has the support of a majority in the Senate. Everyone agrees Richard is more than qualified.
So what's the problem, you might ask. The only reason Republicans in the Senate have blocked Richard is because they don't agree with the law that has setup a consumer watchdog law in the first place. They want to weaken the law. They want to water it down. And by the way, a lot of folks in the financial industry have poured in millions of dollars to try to water it down. That makes no sense. Does anybody think that the reason that we got in such a financial mess, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in a generation, that the reason is because of too much oversight of the financial industry?
(BOOING)
OBAMA: Of course not. We shouldn't be weakening oversight. We shouldn't be weakening accountability. We should be strengthening it, especially when it comes to looking out for families like yours.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: You know --
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: -- the financial firms have armies of lobbyists in Washington looking out for their interests. And you need somebody looking out for your interests and fighting for you. And that is Richard Cordray.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Now, I have to say, Richard is a really nice guy.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: You know, you look at him and you think, this guy is not somebody who is going around picking fights. And yet, this fight on be half of consumers is something that Richard has been waging here in Ohio for the better part of two decades. So --
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: -- as your attorney general, he helped recover billions of dollars in things like pension funds on behalf of retirees. He protected consumers from dishonest lending practices. Before that, Richard was the state treasurer, where he earned the reputation for working with folks across the spectrum, Democrats, Republicans, bankers, consumer advocates, had a great reputation across the board doing the right thing.
In Cleveland, you have seen the difference that Richard can make for consumers. And I have, too. And that is why I want Richard to keep standing up for you, not just here in Ohio, but for the consumers across the country.
Now, everyday that Richard waited to be confirmed -- and we were pretty patient. We kept on saying to Mitch McConnell and the other folks, let's go ahead and confirm him? Why isn't he called up? Let's go. Everyday that we waited was another day when millions of Americans were left unprotected. Because without a director in place, the consumer watchdog agency that we have set up doesn't have all of the tools it needs to protect consumers against dishonest mortgage brokers or payday lenders and debt collectors who are taking advantage of consumer. And that is inexcusable. It is wrong. And I refuse to take no for an answer.
So, I -- I have said before --
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: I have said before that I want to look for every possible opportunity to work with Congress to move this country forward and create jobs. I'm going to look for every opportunity to try to bridge the partisan divide and get things done, because that is what the American people need right now. That means putting construction workers back on the jobs repairing the roads and the bridges.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: That means keeping our teachers in the classrooms.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: And that means keeping our cops and firefighters doing what they do, protecting us everyday.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That means helping small businesses get ahead.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That means serving our veterans as well as they have served us, just like this young man in the front.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: We are grateful to him for his service.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: These are ideas that I have support, from Democrats and Republicans around the country, and Independents around the country. I want to work with Congress to get them done. But when Congress refuses to act, and as a result hurts the economy and puts our people at risk, then I have an obligation as president to do what I can without them.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: I've got an obligation to act on behalf of the American people. And I'm not going stand by while a minority in the Senate puts party ideology ahead of the people that we were elected to serve.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Not with so much at stake and not at this make or break moment for middle-class Americans. We are not going to let that happen.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: For way too long, we have had a financial system that was stacked against ordinary Americans. Banks on Wall Street played by different rules than businesses on Main Street. They played by different rules than a lot of community banks who were doing the right thing across the country -- hidden fees, fine print that led consumers to make financial decisions that they didn't always understand.
(END LIVE SPEECH)
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: You have been listening to the president speaking in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
On the other side of the screen, you see Mitt Romney introducing John McCain, who is about to endorse him in New Hampshire. Let's listen in.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R), ARIZONA: Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: Thank you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: Thank you very much.
And I say thank you, thank you for the kind introduction, Mitt.
But I also want to say that it is with some nostalgia that I return to this place that I love so well. But I'm really here for one reason, and one reason only, and that is to make sure that we make Mitt Romney the next president of the United States of America. And New Hampshire --
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: And New Hampshire is the state that will catapult him on to victory in a very short period of time. That's why I'm here.
(CHEERING)
MCCAIN: I'd also like to thank all of you again for your involvement in this political process, for your investigation and examination of the candidates. You know that there are so many jokes. Mo Udall (ph), the guy who was running, a guy ran in Manchester, I ran into the other day, said, Who are you going to -- what do you think of Mo Udall (ph) for president? And he said, I don't know, I have only met him twice. And those are true. That is why they're funny is because they're true. And you're here. Some of you haven't committed yet. I hope at the end of this appearance, and you have watched this Romney campaign throughout this state, that we will get an overwhelming result to catapult this candidate to the White House.
So can I say --
(APPLAUSE)
-- thank you Governor Sununu for all you do.
And I cannot help but see Governor Sununu without that old joke of mind about the two inmates in the chow line of the state prison. And one turned to another and he said, the food was a lot better when you were in here when you were governor.
(LAUGHTER)
MCCAIN: But anyway, that's --
(LAUGHTER)
MCCAIN: Could I -- could I --
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said he is happy this is not Illinois.
(LAUGHTER)
MCCAIN: Some states you cannot tell that joke in.
(LAUGHTER)
Can I also say that -- how proud I am of this rising star in the American political scene. This leader, this incredible United States Senator, Kelly Ayotte. Kelly?
(CHEERING)
MCCAIN: And many of you know her husband, Joe, who has also served with distinction and honor in the National Guard, an A-10 pilot, and a lot better than me, because he did not get shot down, right, Joe?
(LAUGHTER) I'm so glad to see you.
And of course, also, Ann and Cindy.
Would you all stand so the people can say hi?
(CHEERING)
MCCAIN: There are so many dear friends that I would like to say hello to, but I'd like to get right into it, if I could, with you.
You know, I'm a big boxing fan. And I have always loved the sport. I think it is one of the most difficult and challenging that there is. Some of the great moments in sports have taken place, as we always know, with some of the great boxing matches. Some of the worst have, and that is why Grandman Rice (ph) called it the sweet science and Damon Runyon called it the red light district of sport. But one of my favorite fighters of all time was a guy named Joe Lewis. Many of you remember he was the heavyweight champion of the world. He was an incredible fighter. And he had a fight coming up with a guy who was the lightweight boxer of the world, Billy Khan, who was a great boxer and had a lot of style and elusiveness. And they said, Joe -- said, well, how are you going to beat this guy? He is very elusive and good. And Joe Lewis said, well, he can run, but he can't hide.
Now, my friends, our message -- our message to President Barack Obama, you can run, but you can't hide from your record of making this country bankrupt, from destroying our national security, and to making this nation one that we have to restore with Mitt Romney as president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
MCCAIN: All the media reports -- all of the media reports say that the president is going to attack Congress. And you know, maybe that is not a bad idea, because our approval rating is 9 percent. You get down that low, you are down to paid staffers and blood relatives.
(LAUGHTER)
But the fact is that, the fact is that Democrats and President Obama had both houses of Congress, both majorities in both houses of Congress when we passed the bailout, when we passed Obama-care, when we passed a $1 trillion stimulus package. Remember, that was the one to bring the unemployment down below 8 percent. Remember that? Well, my friends, he can run, but he can't hide. And that's what this campaign is really going to be all about.
And I would remind you again, that we just finished up -- I think the taxpayers were somewhat relieved, I am sure -- a couple of weeks ago, that we passed a $991 billion money bill, appropriation, to make the government run. You know how long we debated that bill? 15 minutes. 15 minutes we debated that bill. I identified $3.5 billion in pork barrel and earmark spending in the defense part alone. My friends, it cannot go on like this. And the next time, check and see who is in the majority of the United States Senate. And it is a guy named Harry Reid and the Democrats. And hopeful, along with President Mitt Romney, we will have a majority in the Senate, and we will get things done. So can I say to you --
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: I know -- I know that jobs and the economy will be the dominant theme in this campaign. I understand that. My own home state in Arizona, people are hurting very badly. And nearly half of the houses in my home state in Arizona are under water and worth less than their mortgage payments. I understand that. But I also think we have got to understand our nation's security. I guarantee you one thing. No one will ever say that Mitt Romney will lead from behind. He will lead from in front, the way that Ronald Reagan did, and not lead from behind, which is what this president is doing.
My friends, we are believed around the world to be weak. We are believed to be around the world in decline. And that is not the case. Mitt Romney and I and you believe that America's greatest days are still ahead of us. It just requires the kind of leadership to put us back in the position that made America the greatest and the noblest experiment in the history of the world. And the person who will do that is right here with you today, President Mitt Romney.
(APPLAUSE)
(END LIVE SPEECH)
KAYE: All right. There you are watching two live event events, one in Ohio, one in New Hampshire. And more recently you've been listening to John McCain endorsing Mitt Romney. He defeated Mitt Romney in New Hampshire back in 2008 and returned today to tell the crowd, quote, "I am here to make sure we make Mitt Romney the next president of the United States." He said we will get an overwhelming vote to catapult this candidate, meaning Romney, to the White House.
And on the other side of the screen, you see President Obama has finished speaking in Shaker Heights, Ohio, just outside Cleveland. He was there to appoint Richard Cordray as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to a recess appointment, sidestepping the Senate confirmation process. So both of those live events, as promised, we brought them to you.
Next Gingrich said that he wanted to run a positive campaign but that was before the onslaught of negative ads against him. Wait until you hear the new label for Mitt Romney. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: His margin of victory was only eight votes but Mitt Romney can still call himself the winner of the Iowa caucuses. Now he is about to run into a disappointed, determined, and some would even say, angry Newt Gingrich. The former House speaker once vowed to stay positive but he said last night he reserves the right, in his words, "to tell the truth."
About an hour ago, he questioned the price Romney paid for his slim Iowa victory. And here's what Gingrich had to say while conceding defeat last night. A few choice words for the winner, whose name, by the way, he did not mention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whether this party wants a Reagan conservative who helped change Washington in the 1980s with Ronald Reagan, helped change Washington in the 1990s as speaker of the House, somebody who is into changing Washington, all we want, a Massachusetts moderate who, in fact, will be pretty good at managing the decay but has given no evidence in his years in Massachusetts of any ability to change the culture or change the political structure or change the government.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And here's one of the so-called super PAC ads that had Gingrich so upset, paid for by a group that support Mitt Romney but technically is not affiliated with the Romney campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AD NARRATOR: So far, Newt Gingrich has admitted his mistakes or flipped on, teaming up with Nancy Pelosi on immigration, Medicare health care, Iraq, attacking Mitt Romney and more.
GINGRICH: I made a big mistake in the spring.
AD NARRATOR: Haven't we had enough mistakes?
Restore our Future is responsible for the contents of this message.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Gingrich has apparently seen enough of those ads. As the focus shifts to New Hampshire, he is already on the offensive. Get a look at this full-page ad in the "Manchester Union Leader" newspaper. Gingrich is, quote, "the bold Reagan conservative," it says. Note his nice, smiling color photo. Romney, the guy scowling in the black and white photo, is portrayed as a, quote, "timid Massachusetts moderate." Get used to that line because you're probably going to hear it a whole lot in the next week or so.
Now that Iowa is in the rearview mirror, it's full-speed ahead in New Hampshire. But can Rick Santorum make up lost ground in New Hampshire. We'll take you on the busy campaign trail there coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Now that Iowa is done, time to catch up with the GOP presidential candidates at "Street Level" in, where else, New Hampshire.
After a narrow win in Iowa yesterday, Mitt Romney is in Manchester, New Hampshire, today. Take a listen to what he had to say about his chances there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I look at a place like New Hampshire, I think I'm leading among evangelical voters there. Last time around, I led with evangelical voters in Michigan. I'm going to do just fine with the different groups in this country as long as I continue to talk about my message in getting America stronger, getting our economy going, shrinking the size of the government, and holding firm on the principles of freedom and opportunity that made the country the hope of the earth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And another big feather in Romney's cap, John McCain just endorsed him. You just saw it live right here on CNN just a moment ago.
A little earlier in Concord, Newt Gingrich said he may be down. He said he's definitely not out. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRICH: I find it amazing the news media says he's the most electable Republican when he can't even break out in his own party. And I don't think -- he'll do fairly well here. This is one of his three best states. But the fact is that Governor Romney, in the end, has a very limited appeal in a conservative party.
And by the way, you look at the dollars spent by Romney and the dollars spent by Santorum, you'd praise Santorum, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: After all the negative ads, it looks like he's on a Romney bashing spree.
After nipping at Romney's heels with a strong second-place in Iowa, Rick Santorum is moving on to Brentwood, New Hampshire. That's where he will be attending a Faith, Family, and Freedom town hall later tonight at 7:30 eastern. The big obstacle for Santorum right now is proving he is not a one-state wonder.
Now that he has some company, Jon Huntsman is stomping all over New Hampshire. The former Utah governor held an employee town hall meeting. Listen to his reaction when asked about the big news that Senator John McCain, whose 2008 campaign Huntsman co-chaired, is endorsing Mitt Romney. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUNTSMAN, (R), FORMER UTAH GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And you can get all of the Doles and McCains in the world, as Romney probably will. But in the end, nobody cares.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Huntsman has another employee town hall in Barrington this after and he heads to a leadership meeting in Manchester just before 5:30. A very busy day for him.
Be sure to keep it right here next Tuesday night as New Hampshire votes head for the polls. You can join Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett and John King for live coverage of the New Hampshire primary. That's Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. eastern, only on CNN.
Thanks everyone for watching. As always, I'd love to hear what you think. You can continue the conversation with me online on Twitter or Facebook, @randikayeCNN.
CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Don Lemon.
Hi there, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I can tell you what I think. Always a great show when Randi is in charge.
Thanks, Randi.
