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August Job Reports Show Little Job Growth; Interview with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus; Underemployed in America; Rare Access to the Presidency; Romney Impromptu Press Conference on Tarmac

Aired September 07, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Carol Costello. Have yourself a lovely weekend, my friend.

And, hi, everyone. I am Ashleigh Banfield. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast and it's already a very busy day.

This is always the biggest economic report of the month, but the jobs report for August may be huge because it's just not huge. It's really not big at all. That's the number. It's a magic number and it's nasty if you're a Democrat, 96,000 new jobs on U.S. payrolls.

Of course, any new job is welcome, but sadly, those expectations were north of 120,000, so 96,000, not quite.

This might look like good news. The unemployment rate fell last month. It was 8.3 percent. It's now 8.1 percent. Sorry to rain on the parade, though. That is mostly due to people who are exhausted, simply tired of looking for work and dropping out. They're not looking anymore.

And, of course, this did not take long for the Republicans to draw a contrast between all that soaring rhetoric and speeches of the Democratic convention and then, thud, the number.

Mitt Romney said this, and I quote, "If last night was the party, this morning is the hangover." Short and sweet, ain't it?

My colleague, Alison Kosik, is crunching the numbers. She's in New York. You know, a lot of people talk about the glass half empty and the glass half full when these numbers come out. This is a tough one to spin.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It really is. You know, you talk to anybody who's out of work, who's been looking for work for a long time and they'll tell you it's not getting any better and these numbers really show it.

You know and you are going to see spin, one way or the other. Republicans are going to spin it, saying exactly that, that it's not getting better, and Democrats would spin it a different way. Maybe the Democrats would say look, we're seeing job gains for 23 months in a row. It's not strong, but, hey, look, there aren't job losses. You look what happened in 2009. It was very up and down. There were job gains maybe for three months and then job losses for four months, so the positive, I guess, if you want to try to find a positive in here it's that these numbers aren't negative, but it's really, really hard to spin this in a positive way, if you're talking about spin.

Even if you look at the under-employment rate, not even talking about the unemployment rate, the under-employment rate is at 14.7 percent, so this number not only factors in unemployed people, but it also factors in people who are working part-time, but are looking for full- time employment.

And the fact is, Ashleigh, 12.5 people today are out of work. They are looking for work, 12.5 million people are out of work. You can't spin that in a positive way. Sorry.

BANFIELD: So, Alison, where you are, I always think the rule of thumb when it comes to Wall Street is uncertainty doesn't bode well for the markets and no day would have been more uncertain than yesterday, waiting for today.

And yet the markets were great yesterday. We had record numbers for the Dow, S&P and the NASDAQ yesterday. Big change today, what's the effect? Does it matter?

KOSIK: A difference, it's -- what a difference a day makes, right? I mean, look, the positive is that you're not seeing the market tumble on these paltry numbers that came out today.

Now, you saw the Dow up 245 points yesterday on a positive report from ADP. That's a private, payroll processor. They expected to see 201,000 jobs in the private sector added. Those hopes were dashed. We didn't see that today, so that's why you're not seeing the market up any more today.

Now, you aren't seeing the market down more because there is this hope that the Fed could take action to introduce some sort of stimulus to try to rev the economy up. Could it introduce this stimulus next week? The Fed, Ashleigh, is going to be meeting for two days next week and it very well, all signs are pointing, that it could go ahead and introduce some sort of stimulus into the economy.

BANFIELD: And, while I love watching you on TV, I don't think the Democrats wanted to see you on TV today. I think they wanted to see soaring rhetoric and sound bites from the President's speech last night and, so, this is really taking the euphoria out of the last three days which were supposed to be -- this was supposed to be "Bounce-ville."

KOSIK: Yeah and you're certainly not getting that. You know, you look at even where President Obama really needs to break even. You know, from the time he was elected to now, he needs to add another 261,000 jobs before the election just to break even.

And you know what? That got just a little tougher today because the reading was so weak. And when I talk about breaking even, it means that no jobs would ...

BANFIELD: Big numbers for October. Yeah and, you know, October's, November's numbers have to be really big.

KOSIK: Yeah, it's going to be hard for President Obama to break even at this point where no jobs would have been lost or added during his presidency.

BANFIELD: Right. Alison Kosik, thank you. I know you have a busy day today, so back at it. Thanks.

No doubt those jobs numbers, as I just mentioned, they kind of throw a wet blanket over the President's big, fired-up, grand finale speech at the DNC, but the White House is staying on message and they're saying that, yes, more work does need to be done, but today's report is further evidence that the economy is continuing to recover.

Don't forget, there were 93,000 jobs, right? So, it is actual jobs not a loss, so he's suggesting that we are recovering from the worst downturn since the Great Depression and you can be sure that'll be at the heart of the President's stump speeches today.

Right now, the President, Vice President Joe Biden and their wives are back on the trail together expected to arrive in New Hampshire shortly.

That's where Dan Lothian is joining us now. He's live on location, as well, grabbing on the telephone very quickly.

So, I said 93. I beg your pardon. Ninety-six-thousand jobs, Dan, I'm assuming that the President had to be armed for this today and had to have a response ready for this.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): He will have a response. In fact, I'm told by two senior officials that, in fact, the President will be responding to those jobs numbers.

And what we expect is perhaps what we have heard when other disappointing numbers have come out in the past and that is that they'll point to some of the positives that have -- they've seen over the last few months.

They'll talk about the private sector gains. You saw that in that statement that was put out by Alan Krueger, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, talking about 4.6 million private sector jobs that have been gained.

You'll also hear that there's still a lot of pain in the economy, that people are still struggling, but that the President will no doubt tout that what his administration has done has essentially put a floor on the freefall, It's built a stronger foundation, they believe, for long-term growth.

So, definitely, as you were pointing out a few seconds ago, these are not the kinds of numbers that the President or Democrats were looking for, coming out of their convention. They wanted higher numbers, so they could really tout that there's major progress being made.

No doubt, they'll try to focus on the positives while still pointing out that there's still a lot of pain.

BANFIELD: Dan, I don't know how this works and I don't want to put you on the spot, but this is the Department of Labor that comes out with these monthly job numbers.

Does the President get wind of that beforehand? Does he -- is he given a heads-up before we all get the public numbers, so could he have actually taken some time to get geared up for the campaign today?

LOTHIAN: You know, that's a question that people always ask and what the White House will always says is that they do not get a heads-up, that they're getting these numbers, essentially, at the same time that we are.

But, you know, they have a lot of their number-crunchers who are working behind the scenes. They get a good sense of where these numbers will be.

And I should point out, even though, you know, there's so much discussion about disappointing numbers, again, they'll talk about what these believe is working, but also in that statement, what you saw from Alan Krueger is that, he said that these are numbers that are fluid and are often adjusted, going forward.

And we've seen that in the past where negative numbers come out and the next month those numbers are adjusted in a more positive direction, so they don't get a heads-up, if you will, on the numbers, but they're prepared, they're certainly prepared when they come out.

BANFIELD: OK, I know you're busy. Back to work. Thank you, Dan Lothian. Do appreciate it.

And, also, the reason that Dan is so busy is because the President is getting ready to speak, live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, about an hour and ten minutes or so from now.

So, we're watching the clock and we've got our live cameras trained. That's why Dan's busy. We'll bring it to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Stick with me, America. That was the President's pitch as he accepted the Democratic nomination last night.

While the President stated that he is, quote, "mindful of my own failings," he pressed forward with a plea for another four years to complete his vision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But know this, America. Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place and I'm asking you to choose that future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: It's your choice folks. You should have registered by now and, if you haven't, get out there because, in 60 days, you American people are going to choose the President's plan or you're going to decide to chart a new course with Mitt Romney.

Here with me now is CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser. There were some serious themes that kept coming back over and over again, two, in particular, last night, not just the President, every one of the speakers. What were they?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: A couple of these themes, you're absolutely right, but we'll start with the President first.

You just played that sound bite. That was really one of his big themes. He says, "Listen, I'm getting things accomplished, but I need another four years."

And the other thing that you heard a lot from the President and from a lot of these other, big speakers is, this is a choice election. The President used the word "choice" about ten times, so what's he doing?

He's trying to make that contrast here, Ashleigh. He's saying, this is what I would do if I'm re-elected. This is what Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would do if they win the election. They're really trying to make that contrast.

Something else we heard, over and over, not only from the President, but from the Vice President and just about every other speaker -- Osama bin Laden. I tell you, that name, that visual came up, over and over, at this convention and don't be surprised. It was definitely part of a concerted effort here.

And you also heard the President really criticize Mitt Romney on foreign policy. Kind of all goes together there, Ashleigh.

And you also heard at this convention a lot of mention of Afghanistan, a lot of mention of U.S. forces, U.S. troops. Remember, there was some criticism of Mitt Romney for not mentioning Afghanistan in his acceptance speech last week in Tampa.

Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: I'm going to talk to you about a couple things that were left out, as well, of the DNC, but not before I sort of -- the elephant in the room has been the air that's been sucked off TV to make way for Jennifer Granholm.

I mean, this was wild and woolly. The former Michigan governor who's now a TV host on Current, my lord, I don't know. You explain it. I was kind of thinking this was the Clint Eastwood-moment for the Democrats.

STEINHAUSER: You know, in a way, but there were some politics here. I think you have the sound, so let's listen to it really quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER GOVERNOR JENNIFER GRANHOLM, (D) MICHIGAN: Autos are back! Manufacturing is rebounding! Why? You know what I'm saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Ashleigh, she was on for six minutes there. She had the crowd on their feet, yelling and screaming for all six minutes there.

If you want to think about it, Jennifer Granholm for 2016 for the Democratic nomination, stop thinking about it, though. She was born in Canada before moving here as a child. That's not going to happen, as you know.

But there's some serious politics behind this, Ashleigh. What was she talking about? The auto bailout. How many speakers last night -- Vice President Biden spent half of his speech talking about the auto bailout. So did speakers the entire week.

There's politics behind this, Ashleigh -- Ohio, Ohio, Ohio; Michigan, Michigan, Michigan. The Democrats think if they tout the auto bailouts and mention that Mitt Romney was against them, they think that's a winning ticket, that's their drive to victory in those two, crucial, battleground states, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Mr. Steinhauser, you and I both know that there are two things you need to do when you get up at the microphone. You need to play to the auditorium and wind them up, but you need to know that the bigger audience is through the TV lens.

And I heard a prominent Republican say today, you know, I watched that and it was really good last night, but see it on TV and I'm a bit freaked out by it.

And then I heard another colleague of mine saying, whoa, a tall espresso next time instead of venti. That's not good. Your message gets lost.

STEINHAUSER: Well, you know, you've got a good point there, but let me give you another point here, too, as well. While this battle is for independent voters and persuadable voters, almost as important here is that both parties are trying to really excite their bases because this could turn out to be a very close base election.

So, this speech, in some ways, helps with the base, as you saw, they got excited, but it could hurt with the persuadable voters, those independents, those moderates in the middle ...

BANFIELD: Thirty seconds. Thirty seconds, what was left out?

STEINHAUSER: Here's two things that were really left out of the President's speech. Barely any mention of health care, of his signature achievement in his first term and no mention in the President's speech of this stimulus. Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: Oh, you did that in 12. You're great. Paul Steinhauser, CNN's political editor, thank you. I know it's been a long week, my friend, so enjoy your weekend.

It's well deserved and, hey, take another day. Why not? Tell the boss I said so. Paul Steinhauser for us this morning.

You know, here's something that, if you didn't see this, you need to see this. For many people this was really the -- I think you could call it the emotional pinnacle of last night's DNC evening and set of speeches and everything before that.

The former Representative Gabby Giffords is a survivor of an assassination attempt and, no matter, she took to the stage, no cane and she led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

She was helped along by her long-time friend and colleague on the Hill, Representative Debbie Wassermann Schultz. Have a peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER REPRESENTATIVE GABBY GIFFORDS, (D) ARIZONA: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: I do not care what color flag you fly, my friends out there, that was a stirring moment. It not only electrified the crowd. It brought tears to a lot of people at the convention center. It brought a lot of tears to people watching TV at home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: So, you do not have to be Wolf Blitzer to see the political fallout of a disappointing jobs report two months from election day.

This morning, the head of the Republican National Committee reacted to the 96,000 new jobs in August and here was the tweet he sent.

"Time is up, Mr. President. More of same is not good enough. This isn't an incomplete." Which is the President's own assessment of his economic performance. "It's an F."

And the author behind that tweet gets even more airtime because it is hard to say what you want to say in that few characters, Reince Priebus joining me live from Washington.

Thank you, sir, for taking the time to be here and my thought is, you really want to be here because this is an opportunity for you guys to really, you know, sort of jump in and pull some of that Democratic euphoria down a notch. But I have an ironic question for you, Reince, and that is this. While you could not have been happy with the numbers as an American, you had to have been happy with the numbers as a campaigner.

REINCE PRIEBUS, CHARIMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, here is -- that is a good point. Here is what I would say. Every case in a closing argument comes down to the facts and there can be nothing better in a closing argument than having the facts on your side.

Now, that doesn't mean the facts are good, necessarily, for this country, but they are indicative of where we're at in this country, whether or not Barack Obama fulfilled the mission of Barack Obama of 2008.

And we're going to be in the unique position to be able to present to the American people the truth as to where we're at in the economy and then they're going to make the decision as to whether or not they believe another four years of this is the direction they want to go in America.

And I happen to believe they're not going to want four more years of Barack Obama.

Look, he loves giving speeches and I think he does a pretty good job of giving speeches, but I think there's a feeling in America -- I'm from Wisconsin. I was in Iowa yesterday. People are tired of the sort of Barack Obama-brand of '08 because they know that, while it may sound good, the reality is it doesn't feel good.

And that's, ultimately, what I think is going to up-end Barack Obama, is that he's just not real anymore.

BANFIELD: So, I've heard that the Republican arguments that this recovery has just not been fast enough and I think a lot of people, certainly, if they're out of work, they feel that. They understand that.

And I think that the guy who is also a very good speaker, President Clinton, attacked that, head-on, on Wednesday night and I want to just replay what he said to try to blunt your message and talk to you on the other side. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: In Tampa, the Republican argument against the President re-election was actually pretty simple, pretty snappy. It went something like this. "We left him a total mess. He hadn't cleaned it up fast enough, so fire him and put us back in."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: All right, so, Reince Priebus, it's like a real compendious comment and that's the kind of thing that's "bumper-sticker" campaigning and that sticks and that kind of rhetoric is sometimes what leads people to make a decision. But you can actually add, you know, the facts to that, as well, and some growth charts that do show there has been progress to be made. Just this one alone. Private sector jobs since January 2010, you know, constantly on the rise.

So, maybe not fast enough, according to you, but according to President Clinton, gee, you know, you left us with this and now you're pushing us to go faster, faster. That's not an easy argument for you to make.

PRIEBUS: Here is the -- no, I got you. Here's the problem. Almost the entire equal population -- it would be like the entire city of Tampa, this month, throwing their arms up in the air, almost 400,000 people, saying, this economy is so bad that we're not even looking for work.

So, that's 368,000 dropping off the payroll. They added 96,000 new jobs, but 368,000 threw their arms up in the air.

Here is the other piece that makes President Clinton's argument sort of fail, which is, this president -- and we've got to talk about this -- this president knew what he was running on in 2008.

He understood where the economy was at. He ran on the economy in 2008. He ran against George Bush. He ran and spoke to the American people and said, I'm -- if you elect me, I'm going to fix the economy that we're in in 2008.

Now, to come back four years later and say, well, you know, I didn't realize it was really bad and, so, either you're admitting that you didn't know what you were doing or talking about in 2008 or you're admitting that you failed or maybe a combination of the two.

The fact is, he ran on the economy. He ran he would fix the economy. He'd cut the deficit in half. He would get unemployment below 8 percent. None of it came true.

At some point, something that you promised has to come true and he can't point to anything -- health care premiums are up. Foreclosures are up. Gas is up. Deficits up, debt's up. Unemployment's up.

I mean, I think there has to -- I mean, there's -- listen, there is grace, right, and there are some things that you have to put in realistic terms and be fair and reasonable, but the problem this president has is that there is no reasonable calculation here that shows that he's succeeded at too much of anything.

BANFIELD: Well, you know, and he's -- he also showed some humility last night, quoting Lincoln and FDR, as well being on your knees at a time when it is one of the toughest times.

So, who knows what's going to happen, whether your message will prevail or his, but you are great to give us the time today and I look forward to further conversations.

PRIEBUS: Thank you. BANFIELD: Reince Priebus, thanks so much, live in Washington.

PRIEBUS: All right.

BANFIELD: I want to jump ahead a couple weeks, as well. Wednesday, October 3rd, debate night in America. It's a great date night, too. So, debate night in America, the first head-to-head match-up between President Obama and Mitt Romney and we're going to bring it to you, live from the University of Denver.

Again, Wednesday, October 3rd, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, sharp, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: So, 60 days left until the election and the jobs report was really brutal, but sometimes it just kind of goes over your head because it's really all about the economy of one, right? You and what it's like if you don't have a job.

CNN's Kyung Lah has this story for us right now about a Southern California man who, by the way, makes 20 bucks an hour and yet he's living in a van for the last two years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIUS TOROVIUS (PH), BUS DRIVER: How are you today? Hi.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Julius Toraveus (ph) is behind the wheel of the Santa Barbara MTV bus five days a week, a full-time job that pays $19 an hour to the jovial driver with the unforgettable beard. When his work day is over, he moves from his bus to another vehicle, his van -- where he lives.

TORAVEUS (ph): A regular full-sized mattress.

LAH: This is home because he makes too much to qualify for public housing but can't afford rent in the high-cost city of Santa Barbara.

(on camera): A lot of people think if you have a full-time job in America you're OK. That's not really the case for you is it?

TORAVEUS (ph): No. I got a full-time job. And I'm barely making ends meet.

LAH (voice-over): Debt from a failed small business piled up and he and his wife are still digging out. So this county parking lot is where they sleep, joined by more than a dozen others who live in their cars. It's called the Safe Parking Program. 114 spaces spread out across the country with the waiting list of more than 40.

NANCY KAPP, MANAGER, NEW BEGINNINGS: I have senior citizens. I have couples. I have families.

LAH: One-third of the people say the program manager have jobs but are under employed, like approximately 17 percent of Americans. (on camera): What do you think it says about America when somebody who has a job who wants to work still has to live in a car?

KAPP: I think people would be shocked. I think they would be shocked if they would come and meet some of these people because, I will tell you, when they come into my office I want to cry because it reminds me of someone that could be my mother, my sister, my brother.

LAH (voice-over): Or your bus driver.

TORAVEUS (ph): Good morning.

LAH: Who starts his day on the move. Breakfast with his wife, Mary, is at the donut shop.

TORAVEUS (ph): Tooth brush, toothpaste.

LAH: The bath room? A public one. The dressing room? The back of the van.

MARY TORAVEUS (ph), WIFE OF JULIUS: Normal life is what you miss. You know, it's -- living in a van is not the norm.

LAH (on camera): Has the middle class in America changed?

TORAVEUS (ph): I think the middle class has slid down the scale a little bit more toward the lower class. And it's a little tougher for the middle class people to survive and to actually pursue the American dream.

I love you.

MARY TORAVEUS (ph): I love you, too.

LAH (voice-over): Toraveus (ph) keeps chasing his dream, hoping whoever wins this election will be able to shift the economy into gear.

TORAVEUS (ph): Good morning. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: Today's job report says that eight million people are considered underemployed because of economic reasons but that is just part of the picture. Talk to the members of the working middle class and they'll tell you that wages are simply not keeping up with what it costs to live in America -- Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: Kyung, I'm just so distressed to hear there is something even called a Safe Parking Program. Thank you. Great job. Great story. Very enlightening. Kyung Lah joining us live on that.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I recognize the times have changed since I first spoke to this convention. Times have changed and so have I.

(CHEERING)

OBAMA: I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the president.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: I'm the president, and that's that. A memorable moment from last night's speech. And it really marks a distinct shift in the attitude and the image of Barack Obama. And one man who has honestly really seen this transformation first hand is the guy at the other side, usually, of the lens. but look at that great picture where the President seizes the camera from the man who usually follows him.

This guy goes in places where the rest of us just cannot go. He humps his own gear everywhere he goes. His name is Arun Chaudhary, and he happens to be the White House's first ever videographer. We've had photographers but videographer.

Arun -- I should say, it's a unique pronunciation. It's so good to be able to talk to you.

I have to be honest. Until your book came out -- just a quick plug right there. Until your book came out I did not know this program existed where President Obama had a videographer following him. Did you get carte blanche? Did you see anything that happened in those first four years?

ARUN CHAUDHARY, WHITE HOUSE VIDEOGRAPHER: Everything would be a little ways off but I saw quite a bit. You know, people were very free with access around the White House and on the campaign, and I think it shows you how much trust that not only the President had in his staff but that the senior advisers had in the President's temperament to undergo a project like this.

BANFIELD: What about something like -- he's having a meeting with President Putin. Were you told to leave the room at times? Were you told who's off limits, who's not? How were the decisions made?

CHAUDHARY: That is an excellent example because it involves foreign diplomacy and so, in that case, just like anything else, there has to be a one for one. So Putin's videographer would have to be present for me to be present and vice versa. So whenever foreign dignitaries come to the White House, there is this demarcation, do they also have a videographer and how do we deal with that?

But when it came to domestic situations I pretty much had access to wander the West Wing wherever I wanted to. Whenever the Oval Office door closed and I wasn't already on the other side of it, I wouldn't try to sneak around. I would just, you know, not beat myself up. You missed this one but you'll get in there next time. (CROSSTALK)

CHAUDHARY: The residence was an exception. I would never follow him home and film him having dinner or anything.

BANFIELD: OK. Sure. Sure. So you have a mission. You're part of Obama's administration, essentially. Where does authenticity meet mission? I'm just trying to get my head around your job, and then your other job, which is to the American people to truly show us everything as opposed to what your boss may want or not want you to see.

CHAUDHARY: Exactly. It was an important distinction between being on the campaign, where I was essentially a vehicle of the Message and Communications Department to the White House where, in the White House photo office, our mission is to document the presidency for history, for the American people. So it was definitely putting a different hat on and a different decision on what you filmed. First, you decide, is this going to get a vote? Then you are deciding, will this be interesting in 10, 15, 20, 100 years? With the Internet, we don't know what forever means anymore.

BANFIELD: So what about the Nixon effect? Look, I've heard some Nixon tapes that could curl your hair and chill you to the bone. And there is now law because of Nixon as to what we, the people, should always have access to. And I'm just curious as to whether you're allowed to destroy anything that you do or tape over anything that you do.

(LAUGHTER)

CHAUDHARY: No. The Presidential Records Act is very clear and it was one meeting I couldn't avoid. I am a guy who doesn't like a lot of bureaucracy and skated around a lot of things like that, but the records people were like, we need to talk about this. Every single thing I film goes into the archives and will be available to the public in the presidential libraries. And so there are some moments, some things that will not be totally flattering, but I think the most remarkable thing in the archives is that there is no, really not a lot of secrets back there. It turns out that the person --

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: Arun, what is not flattering?

CHAUDHARY: Oh, you know, you flub things up. You're doing -- if you think about it, I filmed every weekly address and so any time you mess up a line and you're like, you know, all of that is in there. Every time, you know, you're not totally happy with a staff member and I'm filming, that will be in there.

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: No "F" bombs or anything like that? Look, he is a guy.

CHAUDHARY: There may be an "F" bomb or two in there. It happens. (LAUGHTER)

It happens, you know?

BANFIELD: I just had to know.

(LAUGHTER)

Well, listen. Great of you to talk to us. And the book is really interesting. It's a fascinating job. I wish you luck in your future endeavors. They'll be a hard act to follow, I can assume.

(LAUGHTER)

CHAUDHARY Thank you so much, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Arun Chaudhary, nice to see you. Thanks so much.

On Sunday, by the way, we're also going to bring you quite a behind- the-scenes look, maybe not like Arun's, but behind-the-scenes look at both candidates. 8:00 eastern it gets under way. We begin with "Romney Revealed: Family, Faith, and the Road to Power," followed by "Obama Revealed: The Man, the President." And again, do yourself a favor and watch these two documentaries. They are extremely enlightening and very helpful if you're trying to figure out how to vote.

I thought we were going to break. I beg your pardon. I couldn't go to break before bringing in one of my favorite colleagues, Sanjay Gupta, live with me today with the "Human Factor."

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: You know what? I'm never going to live this down because all I ever do is ask, can Sanjay join me on the show today? Maybe, tomorrow.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: So you're here.

(LAUGHTER)

Tell me about the phenomenal interview. A great woman who was a college softball player and met with a bit of disaster.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: An incredible story. If you've been watching the U.S. Open at all recently -- Denise Castelli is her name -- you may have seen her as a ball girl running around the court picking up the balls. You can see right away obviously she has one leg. She had an amputation as part of an injury as a softball player but she is also one of our triathletes. We've talked about this before. We put an all call-out about a year ago to get people who wanted to join us for the triathlon. We picked several. She was one of them. Just an incredibly inspiring story.

We've been training now for sometime since January. And, in fact, we were in Hawaii together training and I sat down with her and asked her specifically about what happened.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Denise, people see right away that you are missing below the knee on your right leg.

DENISE CASTELLI, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: Yes.

GUPTA: Tell us what happened.

CASTELLI: In 2008, while I was a senior in college, I was sliding into second base and I broke my leg. And from that day, I just had an infection and there were problems with surgeries after that so I ended up an amputee.

GUPTA: You were pretty young.

CASTELLI: Yes, I was. I was 22 when I broke my leg and 24 when I was amputated.

GUPTA: You were an athlete. This happened while you were playing sports.

CASTELLI: Yes. I played collegiate softball.

BANFIELD: Did you, at that time -- I mean I imagine there were so many things going through your mind. One of which was I may never be an athlete again.

CASTELLI: Yes. I remember very clearly being, laying in the hospital and right after the amputation and thinking OK. You need to pick up the covers and you need to take a look at your life now. And it took a lot of courage but I decided I had to face it head on and try to regain my life back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: I tell you, Ashleigh, she has regained her life back. She is now teaching other amputees to be athletes. She said to me -- she is such a young woman, so poised -- and she said to me, when this happened that she was worried no one would love her again.

BANFIELD: Oh.

GUPTA: I just remember that breaking my heart. And I can tell you though on a happier note she is happier than she's ever been. Next Sunday, she's doing this Malibu Nautical Triathlon with me and everybody else. An amazing story.

BANFIELD: Unbelievable. I've seen it but I still can't believe people can swim a mile with one leg. It's really remarkable.

Sanjay, thank you. I appreciate it.

GUPTA: You've got it. Thanks.

BANFIELD: Just because I almost forgot that your segment was next, how about a plug for your show?

GUPTA: Love it.

BANFIELD: OK, here we go. Ready? Join "Sanjay Gupta, M.D.," 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday --

(LAUGHTER)

-- and 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.

You know how I know that, Sanjay?

GUPTA: Because you watch it, every weekend.

BANFIELD: Every weekend.

GUPTA: Best plug ever.

BANFIELD: Biggest fan. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you, Sanjay.

Take a look at this week. He is going to have a great story about the dangers of texting and driving. I am so glad you're doing this, Sanjay, because, I have to admit, I looked down every so often and I've been hearing your stats.

GUPTA: Save lives out there so we can get this message across.

BANFIELD: We will all watch this weekend. You have yourself a good weekend, sir.

GUPTA: You, too.

BANFIELD: Thank you.

We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: A quick ad lib, very fast, impromptu Sioux City, Iowa, comments from Mitt Romney. Let's join him live on the tarmac.

MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Particularly in Latin America and tracking cracking down on China. Going after China for currency manipulation is something neither President Bush nor President Obama has done. Balancing our budget? President Bush and President Obama neither one made the kinds of steps on that front that I think need to be made. Number five, championing small business. That is something which I think is critical. Certainly not something anybody has spoken about that I can recall in quite a while in the way I've described it. And particularly getting rid of Obamacare. So the five steps I've described are new. I'm happy to go into them in great detail. I know you don't have the time now but I'll do it more today in the rally. But my plan is designed to meet the new demands of a new economy and the new economic realities that exist today.

But if we go back 10, 20 years, we had a very different type of economic setting where China, for instance, was a small participant on the world stage economically. Today, it's a major player. We have to consider our economic policies in light of how the world has changed.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Actually, the race over the last couple months has been very close despite everything that Obama has going against him. What are you going to do to break it open over the next two months?

ROMNEY: You know, I'll just keep on talking about the things I believe, describe my vision for the future and have people get a chance to consider the lack of progress that's been occurring over the last three and a half years. If people -- you know, I think that the message from last night was that the President's plan is four more years of the four last years, and I don't think the American people want four more years of the four last years. I think they want to see more jobs. They want to see their kids coming out of college, able to get jobs. They want to see rising incomes again.

And there is no question, if they listened to the President last night, he gave them no confidence whatsoever that he has any plan to make America's economy start to create the jobs it ought to be creating.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Governor, anything more to intervene in the economy? You don't think that is a very good idea for them?

(CROSSTALK)

ROMNEY: I don't think QE3, as it's described, is going to have the economic impact that I think the nation is looking for. I think what we found is QE2 was less effective than we had hoped that it might have been to create jobs. And frankly, what we are looking for is the kind of commitment in Washington to fixing the structural problems that are making it hard for the economy to recover. And some of the problems are put in place by the President.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And some of it is looking like the Republicans are cheering against any moves to help the economy -- (CROSSTALK)

ROMNEY: Oh, the Republicans are fighting for moves to help the economy. My five-step plan is designed to get the economy going. You are not going to get this economy going unless you do the things I described. And if you continue with the President who, as you saw last night, had no ideas about what to do for the economy. Maybe he is going to look to the Fed and hope they can try to do something, but that is not him. That is an independent group of individuals at the Fed. What is he going to do to get this economy going? And all he said last night was the same as he said four years ago which, by the way, made a lot of promises four years ago.

Can you think of any of those promises that was met? I mean, he was going the create jobs. We haven't. Lower unemployment. He hasn't. Rise in take-home pay? It's gone down. Cut the cost of health insurance by $2,500? It has gone up $2,500. Create new business? We're at a 30-year low. Cut the deficit in half. The deficit is double where it was. And the President has been unable to deliver on virtually any of the promises when he ran for office four years ago. The idea that the American people will accept the same promises again is one that I think would be flying in the face of America's ability to understand what is in their best interest.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And, Governor, what do you think about --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You have visited China twice. How do you respond for the President saying that you can't go be ready for diplomacy in Beijing if you can't go to London without offending one of our longest and closest allies?

ROMNEY: Well, I'm very pleased that my Olympic experience allows me to talk about the Olympics in a straight-talk manner. And I think it would be appropriate if the President would talk to China in a straight-talk manner. That I have manipulated the currency in over a decade. They have taken American jobs. And I think it's totally appropriate to show backbone and strength as we deal with other nations around the world. Nothing wrong with telling people the truth.

(CROSSTALK)

ROMNEY: Thanks, guys.

BANFIELD: Some impromptu tarmac talk with the folks following the campaign. The former Massachusetts Governor in Sioux City, Iowa. He mentioned a couple of rallies that you will be hearing from him today. He's not only a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa, but also in Orange City, Iowa. And later tonight, in another rally, he's headed to Nashua, New Hampshire. The campaign does not stop. That is also something you call fertile ground. when you get jobs report that is disappointing and you are trying to blunt a very loud message of three nights of speakers from the Democratic National Committee and Convention, that's the kind of news conference you want to give so you can talk about QE1 and QE2 and QE3, those stimulus -- stimuli -- and how the planned QE3 is not going to have the planned economic impact that the Democrats are hoping for.

We will follow the rallies live as well and bring them to you live here on CNN.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: So we are continuing to follow all of the news of the day post-Democratic National Convention which, of course, has been the last three, but the campaign rolls on. And the President and his wife and the other first ladies and second ladies and everybody is headed to Iowa and New Hampshire today. And Mitt Romney in Iowa right now and headed to New Hampshire today. And Florida is also on the menu for the leaders.

So as we wrap up our coverage, I hand the baton over to Suzanne Malveaux and NEWSROOM, after the break. Thanks for watching and have a great weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)