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Michelle Obama Takes Center Stage; Democrats Spotlight Rising Star; Obama Speaks To Supporters In Virginia; Democrats Tackle Tough Topics; Democrats Release Party Platform; Democratic Strategy for Winning in November; Hill Harper Supports Obama; Is Organic Healthier; What is Middle Class?

Aired September 04, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats get ready to make their opening arguments in their case for re-electing president Barack Obama. I'm Suzanne Malveaux live from the site of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Just a week ago, we heard Ann Romney's speech on the personal side of her husband. Well, tonight, it is Michelle Obama's time and her turn. She's not going to have to work as hard to convince people that President Obama is likable. Check it out. In a recent "Washington Post" poll, 61 percent of registered voters said the president seems more friendly and likable compared to 27 percent for Romney.

So, what does Michelle Obama need to say tonight to get Democrats revved up, convince voters that her husband should get another four years in office? Well, we're going to talk about -- a little bit about it. We're going to bring in our Republican consultant, CNN Contributor, Alex Castellanos, and Democrat Van Joes who's also president and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, an initiative to restore good jobs and economic opportunity.

Good to see you guys, both, in person. I love this. CNN grill. Likability. You know, Alex, you're always talking about, I don't have to have a beer with a guy, you know, the economy's really important. But people do want to be able to feel like the person in office gets it, they trust him, they know him well. Did he do -- and did an Romney do a good enough job last week not to have that be an issue this week?

ALEX CASTELLANOS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I used to work with Mitt Romney. And I always told him that if she ever primaried him, I'd vote for her. She's just a Rock Star, and she is a window -- like many wives and husbands are for their mates, she's a window into who he is. We saw more of him through her eyes sometimes than we do through our own. Michelle Obama has a similar job tonight. You know, the president is such a bright mind, but sometimes we get the sense that he's a little distant from him, that he's better with ideas than people. And she connects him. They've got two lovely daughters. Tell us their story. It's their future as well as everyone else's that Barack Obama is supposed to be doing something about. MALVEAUX: Van, I want you to check this out. This is four years ago. This is when Michelle was really just trying to get the country to know her and her husband a little bit better. And here's how she set it up when she talked to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Our table was smaller. It was in a little bitty apartment, but, you know, we had consistent traditions and rituals and routines in our family that he embraced. The fact that we all got together on thanksgiving, you know, the fact that our Christmases were big with lots of family and cousins. I think that was something coming from a smaller family that he missed although his traditions were pretty solid. It was just with a small group of people. So, I think he -- you know, he has said that, you know, what he would want for his own children would be the kind of traditions and stability that was more reminiscent of how I grew up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Van, do you think that's as relevant today as it was four years ago? Because people are looking at their own lives. They appreciate who they are as a first family, but they're looking at their own lives and their own economic situation.

VAN JONES, PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER, REBUILD A DREAM : Well, first of all, it's hard not to get choked up listening to her. It's -- what a turnaround. Four years ago, she was considered this scary one. Now, she's -- like, everybody loves her and he needs to be warmed up a little bit. But, you know, I think what she can shine a light on is how hard he's working and how hard he's trying. There's this myth out there he's just going around playing golf, that he doesn't care. Their whole thing is Obama isn't working. This man is working. I think as a wife and as a mother to talk about that is just to shed a window on the light. The other thing, of course, he's working -- he's not getting that much help from the other side. The Republican party sometimes is like a Lucy holding the football. Every time Charlie tries to kick it, they move the ball. And so, --

MALVEAUX: So, Alex, are you going to let him get away with that?

JONES: -- I'm just saying, and so the impact of trying to rescue a country without a good partner on the other side, but continuing to go to work every day, I think people understand what that's like to go to work every day, but try to do a good job even if the other people who are supposed to be helping you aren't really helping you.

MALVEAUX: And I want us to listen to Ann Romney too, because she also described very much what it was like for her and Mitt Romney in the first days that they were dating and they became a couple. Let's listen real quick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY: We got married and moved into a basement apartment. We walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish. Our desk was a door propped up on sawhorses. Our dining room table was a fold-down ironing board in the kitchen. But those were the best days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: All right, Alex. So, I have to tell you, I mean, this kind of reminds me of the talks that we used to get from our parents. You know, I walked to school uphill both ways, you know? I mean, like they're trying to outdo each other here. Why is that appealing to people? Why are they both trying to seem like, oh, you know, I really had it rougher than you did?

CASTELLANOS: Well, I think, Suzanne, you hit it to start with. Policy is great. We want these candidates to tell us where they're going to take us. Just as important is can we trust them to take us there? Do they understand our shared American experience? Are they -- do they have our values? So, it is as important who they are as where they're going. And that's what, I think, family can do for you. I'm going to be interested tonight to see if these two great parents, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, talk a little bit about education. They've chosen great schools for their kids. I wonder if they're going to extend that opportunity -- equal opportunity to go to a good school to every American.

JONES: Well, I mean, and for me, again, I think that you're in a situation where Michelle Obama's one of the most beloved people. She's becoming more of a beloved person. But she's also a fighter. And I think she's going to get out there and want to defend her husband. I think ordinary people are just now starting to tune back in. I think those of us who are political junkies, we watch every, you know, thing that's been going on the last several months. I think people are going to say, hey, the first lady is on television, what does she have to say? And I think she's going to remind people of why we like this family so much and why we want this family to be there because I do think they share our values. Now, they really had a struggle that I think most people can relate to and we've got a president who didn't get a chance to pay off his student loans until a couple years ago. People can relate to that.

CASTELLANOS: That's the story people didn't know about Mitt Romney that, yes, he comes from a very successful family but he had to sort over. And what he's made, he's earned. And, by the way, is Obama's Patty speaking tonight? Or is that private?

MALVEAUX: Oh.

JONES: You got one in there. I love it.

MALVEAUX: Final question here. This is a big deal. Obviously, the middle class and who defines themselves as middle class? We hear all kinds of -- I mean, almost outlandish when you think about it, the range from $25,000 all the way up to President Obama who says $250,000. You guys are considered are the middle -- you know, considered the middle class. Does it matter how people just feel as opposed to what they're making? But how they feel how they're doing? JONES: Well, the middle class is a value set in America. I mean, it's -- unless you -- unless you have two jets or you're homeless, you feel like you're the middle class in America. It's part of our identity. The problem we have right now, you saw Democrats struggling, is America better off or America worse off today? The problem that we have right now, you saw Democrats struggling, it was, like, well, is America better off or is America worse off today? The problem we have right now is we now have two Americas. We're beginning to see the sort of split where some are better off and some are worse off. The people who are feeling worse off want to stay in the middle class. They desperately want to stay in the middle class. Romney, unfortunately, his only plan to keep them in the middle class is to cut his own taxes. Obama actually has the plan to keep them in the middle class and rebuild the middle class. I think Michelle can speak to that tonight as well -- the first lady can.

CASTELLANOS: I'm shocked -- I'm shocked to find that we may have different views on this. Middle class -- you know, this is a country of equal opportunity and we all believe that's what defines us as Americans. And when you say you're middle class, that's says, look, I'm no better or worse than anyone else, and I just deserve the same shot. That's really what people are saying. I think Romney's challenge, as well as Obama's challenge, is to tell us what's going to be different the next four years. What are we going to do that's going to change things? I think Obama, frankly, the administration, is exhausted. The poverty of ideas has hit them now. There is nothing new they can say, ,so far. Education may be one place, but what's going to be -- Romney hasn't done it either, by the way. Mitt Romney has to get up there and say, I'm going to turn what's been going on in Washington under Republicans and Democrats upside down. End all the crazy spending, get that money out of Washington, get it into your -- in your economy, not Washington's. We've been growing the wrong economy. But somebody has got to come out of this as change.

MALVEAUX: All right. Alex, Van, good to see you both. We'll be watching. All right.

It is a big night for the Democrats. Even bigger night for the man who's going to give the keynote address tonight. We're talking about Julian Castro. And if you don't know him, you soon will. He's one of the rising stars of the Democratic party. Our Ed Lavandera got the chance to meet him before the big night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIAN CASTRO, MAYOR, SAN ANTONIO: Hey, everybody, I'm Julian Castro.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First thing you need to know, it's pronounced hoo-lee-ahn Castro. The J is silent, not Julian. But even if you get the Spanish wrong, don't worry, San Antonio's Latino mayor has never mastered Espanol either.

CASTRO: I understand Spanish better than I speak it. I grew up in my household with my mother and grandmother mostly speaking English. So, I understand it, but speaking it back is the challenge.

LAVANDERA: Julian Castro's grandmother immigrated to San Antonio from Mexico and worked as a community activist in San Antonio's Chicano movements. From those humble beginnings, Julian Castro and twin brother went on to Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Now, he's a rising star in the Democratic party tapped to give the keynote speech at the Democratic convention, the same speech an unknown Barack Obama gave at the convention in 2004.

LAVANDERA (on camera): You get talked about as someone who could be the first Hispanic governor of Texas, even -- some people even suggesting the first Hispanic president of the United States. Do you like that kind of talk? Can you handle that kind of pressure?

CASTRO: No, I'd be lying if I said that's not flattering. Of course it's flattering to anybody, but the biggest mistake that I could make or anybody could make in this situation is to believe the press. To believe the hype.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Castro was elected mayor in 2009, and then re-elected with 82 percent of the vote. Now, he's 37, the youngest mayor of a top 50 city in the United States. He's also used to the baby face jokes.

(on camera): I think one of the funnier things that has happened to you, when you first met President Obama, he jokingly asked if you were the intern.

CASTRO: That's right, yes.

LAVANDERA: You being asked to do this speech, is that kind of making up for that jab?

CASTRO: I don't know. I don't know. But I accept -- you know, I always got the age jokes at different points in my career.

LAVANDERA: Is it still happening?

CASTRO: Every now and then. You know, but I'm starting to get the gray hair that I need from my three-year-old daughter and from politics.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This is the biggest speech of Castro's career. Latinos enjoyed prominent speaking roles at the Republican convention, and Castro must convince Latinos to stick with President Obama and turn out in big numbers.

(on camera): But there are a lot of Latino leaders out there who say that President Obama has not been a friend of the Latino community.

CASTRO: Under any score, immigration, education, health care, on any number of issues, he has been a very effective advocate for the community -- for the Latino community.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): He's in the midst of pushing for a small sales tax hike to fund pre-kindergarten programs for low-income children back in San Antonio. Castro enjoys a squeaky clean political image except for that 2005 San Antonio river walk parade scandal. Castro was a city councilman and couldn't make it to the parade in time. So, his twin brother jumped on the city council float instead. Castro's political opponents said the brothers were trying to fool the massive crowd. Castro laughs it off now.

(on camera): How can we be sure that you're going to be the Castro brother giving the speech tonight?

CASTRO: Well, he says he's a lot better looking than I am. So, there you go. And the wedding ring is another good (INAUDIBLE.)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Actually, his brother, Joaquin Castro, will introduce his twin at the convention. You'll see the Castro brothers standing side by side. Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Democrats bringing out the heavy hitters this week. The lineup of the speakers includes the first lady, former presidents and rising stars in Democratic party. First lady Michelle Obama speaking tonight. So does San Antonio mayor Julian Castro. Tomorrow night, former president Bill Clinton takes the stage and Thursday vice president Biden, he's going to accept his nomination ahead of President Obama's acceptance speech.

Hear what's -- here's what we're working on for this hour. President Obama speaking to voters in Virginia on his last stop before heading to his party's convention. Heat could be a deadly problem today for storm victims living without air-conditioning, that's in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Of course, we keep hearing about the middle class and the election but who exactly is the middle class, and how much do you need to make to actually be in it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The official start of the Democratic Convention only hours away, but President Obama did manage to make one last campaign stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They said, first of all, everything's bad and it's Obama's fault. And Governor Romney knows the secret to creating jobs and growing the economy. The only problem was, he kept it secret.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: My colleague, Dan Lothian, he's at Norfolk State University. And, Dan, first of all, one of the lines that was interesting, there were people who were booing in the audience when they heard about some of the things that are coming out of Romney's camp, his plans and his policies. The president said, don't boo, go vote. How worried are they that they need to drum up, right -- they need to drum up and get those folks out to the polls?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly are trying to get the base fired up. And you saw that not only here, but yesterday when I was traveling with the president in Ohio, he's speaking to largely friendly audiences. So you're seeing a dramatic response from the voters that he's addressing.

By the way, you're hearing the marching band from Norfolk State University behind me. So I'm competing with some music here.

But the president, as I pointed out, he is addressing these friendly audiences and he's trying to tout his accomplishments, while at the same time saying that Republicans are not offering up any new ideas. In addition, though, to the typical stump speech, we heard the president zero in on military issues. Obviously Virginia being a state that has a big population of those in the military. So the president, today, touting what he and the first lady had pushed for, to help veterans and their families, talking about ending the war in Iraq, and about getting Osama bin Laden as well.

But one of the things that's creating a lot of buzz was not actually said here, but it was said during an interview that the president had with a local reporter in Colorado, when he was asked to grade himself on turning the economy around. And the president said that he gave himself an incomplete grade. Well, Republicans jumped on that, sending around a flurry of e-mails. The Romney campaign also jumped on this as well, saying that this is just another example of why this country needs new leadership.

But I should point out that this is not the first time that the president has given himself an incomplete grade. Most recently he did it during an interview on "The View" on ABC back in May. But, nonetheless, you say something like that during sort of the heated moment of this campaign, in the final stretch to Election Day, and Republicans are playing with this and pushing it very hard, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Dan, it sounds like it would be a logical part of the narrative, if I need four more years, if it's incomplete in terms of turning the economy around. But one of the things that we're going to hear this evening is from the first lady, Michelle Obama. And she's going to be trying to humanize her husband and the president and bring a fresh kind of perspective to who he is. What does the president plan on doing?

LOTHIAN: That's right. And, you know, the president opened his remarks here by saying that tonight he would be back at the White House, sitting down on a sofa with his daughters watching the first lady's keynote address. Take a listen to what he said, how he might get emotional while watching it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So I'm going to be at home and I'm going to be watching it with our girls. And I am going to try not to let them see their daddy cry. Because when Michelle starts talking, I -- I start getting all misty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: The campaign believes that she is a powerful message in terms of humanizing the president, as you pointed out. She can talk about what keeps him up at night. Give Americans a different picture, perhaps, of what they currently have of the president.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Dan Lothian. Thank you, Dan.

Wildfire puts an end to Labor Day fun for dozens of hikers and campers near L.A.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: In Washington state, a police standoff ends with a gunman dead, but police aren't revealing details yet on how he died. The SWAT team in rural Arlington came under fire from the gunman when they showed up Sunday in a wooded area north of Seattle. They were responding to complaints of gunfire. Now the sheriff's office says the suspected gunman died in the incident.

Turning to California, where it was a smoky end to the long weekend for campers and those who live in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. They were evacuated after a wildfire broke out. At this point, the fire's still burning and is only about 5 percent contained. Investigators are checking out a vehicle that was found in the area where they believe this fire started.

And the eighth person has died in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. A 90-year-old man from Louisiana passed away in his home. He had no electricity, no air-conditioning, and temperatures there have now been climbing. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu addressed the power problems on CNN this morning and he said that the city is now making progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU, NEW ORLEANS: Well, first, 97 percent of the power is restored. And we expect to get that other 3 percent up really, really soon. So as it sits in New Orleans proper, we're doing fine. I think the big story is, number one, President Obama's team has really been fantastic. The White House has been involved from day one. Secretary Napolitano's been on it, Craig Fugate . And the cooperation between the federal, state and the local agencies have been really good this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Two of the eight storm-related deaths happened in neighboring Mississippi.

For the first time ever, the Democratic Party has backed gay marriage in an official party platform. We're going to talk with Congressman Barney Frank about that, plus get his thoughts on Mitt Romney, someone who knows well from his home state of Massachusetts.

Don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer. While you're at work, head to cnn.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Democratic Party set to make history today. For the first time, the party is backing gay marriage in its official party platform. Joining me now, Congressman Barney Frank, whose the Democratic representative from Massachusetts. Retired.

You married your partner in July. Jim is here. He's --

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS (RET.): Yes.

MALVEAUX: Got a chance to meet him. Congratulations on all fronts.

FRANK: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: What does it mean to you? What does it mean to you that you not only have a candidate, but a platform that seems to match the agenda, which is supporting gay marriage?

FRANK: It obviously means a great deal personally. When I first came to Congress in 1980, I was afraid to be honest about my sexuality. And seven years later, I got what I thought was the courage to do it. It turned out it didn't take as much courage. And I feel very good for myself.

But to be honest, even better, I'm now -- I've been chairman of a committee. I get sort of well treated. There are 15-year-olds all over America who are still afraid to tell their parents who they are. Who -- there are people who work in many states in America pumping gas or selling something or work in an office who are afraid to be honest, to put a picture of the person that he or she loves on the desk. And I hope that -- I know we're making progress in diminishing that. I feel very good that the party I worked for so many years has now said, you know what, we're going to treat everybody in this country fairly and equally. And I think, by the way, that it's going to be a good thing politically, as well as morally.

It's certainly the case with younger people. And the point -- and that's why I'm glad I can do this. We've had same-sex marriage in Massachusetts now for eight years. Over the strenuous objections of Mitt Romney, who tried very hard to wipe it out. And all of the negative predictions have turned out to be wrong. People should go back. I wish people in academic life, in the media, would do this. It was going to lead to this problem and that problem and the other problem. And, in fact, in most of the states where we have same-sex marriage and have had it for many years, if you're not yourself, gay or lesbian, and don't know very many people who are, as far as you're concerned, it never happened. It's a non-event. It has no negative effect on anybody, and a positive effect on a lot of us.

MALVEAUX: Let me ask you this. I went to an event a couple days ago in support -- this was gay activists were expressing support for the Obama administration. I met a Republican, a young woman who's a Republican, who said she voted for McCain last time and she was considering voting for President Obama because of his support for same-sex marriage. That's her story. But there are other people who believe North Carolina might be lost because of that position, that there are evangelicals and others who strongly disagree with the president, and because of that, he might have to give up North Carolina and some other support. Again, it could cost him, in some ways, the election.

(CROSSTALK)

FRANK: The evidence we've had is that the people -- there two aspects to any question about political impact. What do people think, and how strongly do they think it? Let me give you an example of gun control. A majority of Americans have, in the past, been polled saying they don't favor gun control, but overwhelmingly of the number who care enough to make that the basis for their vote, they're against gun control. So it wins politically.

There are a lot of us who care passionately about our rights being recognized and a lot of our friends and relatives who want to live in a country of fairness. The number of people who would otherwise have voted for Barack Obama with his position on choice, with his position on the environment, with his position on health care, but who are turned off only because he's for same-sex marriage, I think is fairly minimal. After all, this is the man who got rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He's been a supporter of equal treatment for people based on sexual orientation for a long time. So I don't believe there are very many people who are going to vote for him who now switch.

There have been some people in the African-American community who have been opposed to marriage, although the Congressional Black Caucus has been overwhelmingly supportive. I do not see many signs of African-Americans, who so much view the president and everything else, defecting on this. I think the question is not, what's the vote in North Carolina. We know they voted it down.

MALVEAUX: Right.

FRANK: But how many people in North Carolina who would otherwise have been a vote for Barack Obama are going to switch based on this? I think it's very negligible.

MALVEAUX: Let's talk about your home state, Massachusetts. You know Mitt Romney fairly well. It seems as if, you know, the health care reform plan in that state is -- it's been viewed as highly successful here. He's running away from this. I mean, he says it's a very different kind of plan than Obama-care, which is a national plan. Do you think that people are convinced that, when he talks about repealing this, that is there something in the plan in Massachusetts that people aren't paying attention to?

FRANK: No, no. They're very similar. The only difference is one was state and one was federal.

The thing about Mitt Romney, he's a businessman. He brings certain business techniques to government. One of them is the notion of an expiration date on the product. When Mitt Romney takes a position, it's good only until a certain point. And you should be told, but don't buy this after April of 2013 or 2014. And I don't know how many anybody could think otherwise. He has been on every side of every important issue in American history since he's been around. And on the health care plan, the ironic thing here is, if you look at his record as governor of Massachusetts, the only thing that stands out is the health care bill. So he's not just trying to repudiate his accomplishment but he's trying to repudiate his only accomplishment.

I have to say, I read now that Mitt Romney, as a businessman, will become the chief executive of America and do all these great economic development things. I wish that had happened when he was governor of Massachusetts. When he was governor of Massachusetts, we had no great economic transformation. We weren't very good in terms of national job creation.

So I tell you, there's a Mitt Romney who is running for president now who tells you he's going to do all these things. He was governor of the state I lived in for four years and did none of them. So I'm very skeptical.

MALVEAUX: All right. Congressman, I have to leave it there.

Thank you for joining us. I appreciate your time.

FRANK: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Thank you.

So what do the Democrats and the president need to do to win the presidency in November? We're going to talk about the pros, the cons for the president, up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Welcome back. In a matter of hours, the gavel is going to come down officially to begin the Democratic National Convention. Want to take a closer look at what tonight will hold.

Our chief political correspondent, host of CNN's "State of the Union," Candy Crowley, joins us.

Good to see you as always, Candy.

You came from the RNC. Now, we're getting revved up for the DNC. Are there any differences, whether mood or tone or participation that you're seeing coming from the RNC to here?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT & HOST, STATE OF THE UNION: I think that the Democrats have done a good job at doing precisely -- setting sort of precisely the scene that they wanted to. They started from the very beginning saying, oh, well, the Republicans are a bunch of elites and it's just going to be, you know, those 2,300 delegates or so, but we're going to open this to the public. Now, that only goes so far. But, you know, we have the president's speech on Thursday and the big arena. About 75,000 are expected if it doesn't --

MALVEAUX: Rain.

CROWLEY: -- if the skies don't open up.

(LAUGHTER)

But they've also done that in the sense of -- for these past few days, the floor -- I know you've seen it -- has been full of people coming through, having their pictures taken. It has a different feel in that way. And I think the Democrats went out of their way to make it kind of like there's just people all over. Also a much more confined area. Feels like it, at any rate. So downtown here is the streets are as busy as the aisles in the convention hall.

MALVEAUX: A lot of traffic in most places.

CROWLEY: Lots. And the security here is larger, shall we say. Like, it goes out much further than it did for the Republicans, yes.

MALVEAUX: Very intense. You and I both covered Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, four years ago. Michelle, at that time, really seemed like -- there was a lot on her plate. And there was the Reverend Wright issue. There was the patriotism issue. And there was a little bit of tension four years ago. She has blossomed and her popularity has exploded here. What does she need to do tonight? How do you think this is going to be any different?

CROWLEY: I think exactly what she's been doing throughout her term as first lady. I mean, you and I know there was a time earlier that Michelle Obama was a tougher -- do we want to say? Just, you know, publicly was kind of more involved. And eventually she -- they changed her hair style and she -- look, in the White House, she has become more popular than her husband. Her approval rating is higher. She's taken on issues like child obesity. She's got that garden she put out there. She is such a tremendous role model, sort of as a mother, because she says all the time, as you know, and did then, my girls are my first priority.

MALVEAUX: Right, she did.

CROWLEY: I think that makes her -- you know, she -- in so many ways to me, she does the same role that Ann Romney did for Mitt Romney. That is she really does bring him into the regular-person fold a bit. You know, because he can seem -- both these candidates can seem aloof and a little bit removed. And their wives just seem so, like, oh, I have these two girls and they do this and do that. There's an immediate connection that Michelle Obama makes, and that, in itself, is enough.

MALVEAUX: What is the message, do you think, that she is going to be conveying tonight?

CROWLEY: I think she's going to talk about, again, her husband, how he's taken to the job, how they understand the hurt that's been out there. I think we'll hear a bit about military families because that's been also one of her issues, along with Dr. Biden, the vice president's wife. And so I think we'll hear that.

But, again, I think this is a woman who makes her husband's case very well. And, again, one of the things that makes her so popular is she stayed out of the hard edge of politics. She's one of his best political weapons, but it's a soft weapon that goes very deep. And I think she'll stick with that.

MALVEAUX: She seems much more comfortable in her role as first lady, certainly. You would imagine that that would be the case after four years --

(CROSSTALK)

CROWLEY: Sure. After four years, you learn a lot.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

CROWLEY: And just about anything, it toughens you up, you learn a lot, and you're more secure. But you and I both know that they understand that this is probably going to be a close election and she'll be out there fighting as hard as anyone. It's just that her weaponry is a bit more difficult to spot.

MALVEAUX: Right. Exactly.

Candy, good to see you as always.

CROWLEY: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We'll be watching later as well.

Both parties trying to play to the middle class, but how much money does it take to actually officially be a part of the middle class these days? We're going to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, today, on the "Help Desk," we're talking about student loans, such a hot-button issue these days. A lot of folks asking me about this.

Joining me this hour to discuss, Donna Rosato and Ryan Mack.

Ryan, take a listen to this question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 20 grand in student loans and I want to know if the government has any plan to help me out in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: This is the big question. Will there be more help or, you know, arguably less help out there in the future?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: I mean, there is a Student Aid and Financial Responsibility Act that was passed and, as of July 1, 2010, there's no more middleman between the individuals who are paying, between the government and individuals who want to pay to get loans directly from the government. 2014, your income, in terms of 10 percent of income, will be capped on how much you have to pay back toward your loans. There are additional Pell Grants in the legislation. And there's also additional assistance for making sure -- for additional train for individuals to go in and get jobs from community colleges. Besides all that, the best way to help yourself is make sure you're paying your bills on time, consolidating your debt if possible, and have an organized plan and a budget to make sure you're making payments every single month.

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, MONEY: A lot of young folks it's hard because they don't make a lot of money when they come out of school. So if you have a federal loan, get on a payment plan that's more adjusted to what your income is. It stretches out the term of the loan. The payments are more manageable --

(CROSSTALK)

ROSATO: -- so you have better solid credit. If you're in certain fields, if you become a teacher or some --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Some forgiveness, right?

ROSATO: That's right. They'll pay some of your principle. That's a positive thing, too.

HARLOW: I think a big concern is with the deficit, with the crisis in this country, you know, are some of those programs going to get cut back?

ROSATO: That's a real threat. We don't know.

HARLOW: That's a big question.

ROSATO: We don't know. HARLOW: We just don't know.

Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.

If you have an issue you want our experts to tackle, upload a 30- second video with you question to ireport.com.

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MALVEAUX: Are you a fan of "CSI, New York"? You'll recognize my next guest. He plays the coroner on the hit series. He's joining us from Charlotte.

Good to see you.

I got to know you four years ago in the freezing cold in Iowa.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL HARPER, ACTOR & AUTHOR: Yes, pounding the pavement --

(CROSSTALK)

HARPER: -- registering voters one at a time in Iowa.

MALVEAUX: Why are you still on board here? Why are you still on the campaign?

HARPER: I tell you, I've known the president now over 20 years. We met I think it was the third day of class at Harvard Law School. And, you know, ever since then I've been impressed with the type of man he is, who he is, what he stands for. And when you've known somebody that long and you've seen their career grow, and you want to help them along the way. And particularly when you realize the type of help he offers other people. And so I'm so happy, so proud to be on the road for him again, going to battleground states and meeting people all over the country.

MALVEAUX: It's nice to be in warm weather as opposed to cold as well.

(LAUGHTER)

HARPER: Yes. Charlotte is much warmer than Iowa. I was born in Iowa, actually. I'm not going to talk bad about Iowa. I love Iowa.

MALVEAUX: Tell us something, because you've known him for many years, since your law school days. Tell us something we don't know about the president.

HARPER: Well, you know what, I would say that what we don't see enough of, or as much as I think people who may be around him in more social settings see, is his sense of humor. He's one of the funniest guys. He has an extremely quick whit. He's quick with a joke. Obviously, a lot of the things are not a joking matter. There's not an opportunity to crack jokes. Maybe every once in a while at the Correspondent's Dinner. Other than that, there's not an opportunity for him to show that to the public. The public would really love his sense of humor. It's very sharp, very quick.

MALVEAUX: Tell me about the young voters. Because that was a group you were targeting last go-round. You were visiting college campuses and these kinds of things. Four years ago, there was so much enthusiasm. You could really tell, in covering him, that the campaign was generating kind of energy that you really hadn't seen before.

When he got into the White House, there were many who felt like he didn't leverage that, right, over the course of the last three or so years and that he has to do more work now to re-earn and re- introduce himself to young people. How important is that right now?

HARPER: The youth vote is critical. The youth vote will decide this election I think in many ways, just as it did in 2008. I just did a town hall an hour ago at Johnson C. Smith University. Hugh crowd, sold out crowd of enthusiastic young people. We also had a digital connect to many other colleges around the country. So young people are still engaged but engaged d in a different way. In 2008, there was a long primary process. You have to remember, a long lead- up, so it was a lot of time to lead up, lead up, lead up. Then when he took office, he had to deal with all these issues that the country faced.

In fact, I got a funny tweet. I literally just got it. There was a picture of President Bush saying, we gave this guy eight years to create this mess, and then they sent a picture of our president saying, I'm going to give this guy eight more years to clean it up. We have to remember, it wasn't about the fact that he lost or didn't leverage the youth vote. I think he got into office and started having to deal with real issues right then and there. But the youth are still engaged.

MALVEAUX: You know the president well. Did you get any time to just hang out and talk and pick up the phone or e-mail?

(LAUGHTER)

HARPER: There's no time for all that. No, no, no. Jay-Z claims he has -- he is directly connected. I don't know about that.

Here is the deal. A great example is his birthday.

MALVEAUX: You've got to hurry.

HARPER: His 50th birthday party. Amazing time. He was dancing, doing the duggy, having fun. So he does have fun once in a while.

MALVEAUX: OK. Hill, we have to leave it there.

HARPER: Certainly.

MALVEAUX: It's good to know he's still having a good time, still working hard.

All right.

HARPER: He really is.

MALVEAUX: Thanks. Appreciate it, Harper.

Changing gears for a minute, we're going to go into science news. How much healthier is eating organic compared to conventional vegetables? Well, we have some surprising result. A new study up next.

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MALVEAUX: Go to the grocery store, you'll see organic products on the shelves. Most people think it's good for you, but bad for your wallet, maybe a little expensive. Recent research suggests that food labeled "organic" may not be any more healthy really than conventional foods.

I want to bring in our CNN medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, who joins us in Atlanta.

Tell us what the study found, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, what this study found is that, indeed, organic foods do seem to have less pesticides. I'm going to take you through the steps because it was a very confusing study.

First of all what they found is that organic pesticides have a 30 percent lower risk of contamination. And when they looked at people's urine, they found that organic eaters had fewer pesticides inside their body. You see those two things, you think I should be eating organic. But the point that the researchers also made is there is no good science showing that having fewer pesticides in your body is necessarily healthier. You won't necessarily live longer. You won't necessarily not get cancer or heart disease or any other bad disease. Those studies have not been done.

Suzanne, you mentioned money. We have here some produce that's organic and some that is conventional, as they call it. We have organic, right over here, and then conventional. The exact same foods. The organic food costs about $5 more than this set of food. That's a big difference.

The bottom line, if you want fewer pesticides in your body because you think that's a better thing, then go ahead and spend the money on organic, but don't think you'll necessarily live any longer.

Now, there's one special group, Suzanne, and that's pregnant women. There have been studies that show that pregnant women with high levels of pesticides in their body are more likely to have babies that are low birth weight and also a lower I.Q. -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: All right, Elizabeth, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

For more about making the decision, organic versus non-organic, head over to CNN.com/empoweredpatient.

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MALVEAUX: Democrats say that they are the party that will help save the middle class and Republicans say they are. But what determines where the middle is? According to a new Census Bureau , middle income have household have an income between $25,000 and $75,000 a year. The average middle class makes about $50,000 a year. The economy has changed the way that Americans define middle class.

Here's Christine Romans.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, what does it take to be in the middle class? Pugh Research asked that question, and 86 percent said it takes a secure job to be considered a part of the middle class. 66 percent said health insurance. And 45 percent, fewer than half, said it's a home. Homeownership is what it takes to be in the middle class. It shows you how preoccupied Americans are with a job.

Let's flash back to 1991. What were people saying then? Back then, 70 percent of people said it's owning a home that puts you in the middle class. Two or more cars -- almost half said two or more cars. A college education -- almost half said that's what's important. Down here, number five, 33 percent said a white collar job is what makes it for the middle class.

It's interesting because it shows you just how times have changed. It shows you how preoccupied people are right now with the idea of having a secure job and that is the key to middle class. Because back in '91 people assumed the economy would give them a job and it was the consumer parts of the culture that defined middle class for them -- Suzanne?

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MALVEAUX: OK.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Brooke Baldwin.