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Romney Has An Opening; Rating Obama As A Debater; Romney's Past Rival; The Debate Before The Debate; Old Obama Video Draws Heat; Politicians' Old Speeches Get New Play; The Places You Won't See Tonight; Mitt Romney's Big Challenge
Aired October 03, 2012 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Alison Kosik, thank you. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin.
Hi, Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne. Thank you so much.
Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
So exciting. Seven hours and counting until the presidential debate tonight. Mitt Romney, he is gaining in two swing states. Could this be Romney's springboard? Romney has whittled the president's lead. Take a look. He has whittled the president's lead in these two percentage points in Virginia. This is according to a poll released today by Marist College, "The Wall Street Journal" and also NBC News. Now, a two-point lead for Obama. That is down five points last month. Keep in mind, we're talking Virginia. That is 13 electoral votes there. And, check it out, similar story for you in Florida. Twenty- nine electoral votes there. Now a one point -- one point lead for Obama, down from four points in September.
We should mention here that poll shows the president still with a seven point lead in Ohio. We can't forget about Ohio. But speaking nationwide here, the president's lead, in our CNN poll of polls, you can see it here, it stands at three percentage points, unchanged. And as we noticed today, kind of interesting, the president has gained one point and Romney has dropped one point. This is the Gallup national tracking poll. Obama now with a six-point lead. A six-point lead there in that one. But the point to remember yet again here, game on in Virginia, game on in Florida with tonight's debate less than seven hours away.
Let's go straight to Denver and to Jim Acosta. And, Jim, does Team Romney, do they see all these polls that we just ran through as a sign that the race is tightening? Is the wind, you know, in Romney's sails, is it there going into tonight?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They do, actually. I just got off the phone with a couple of Romney campaign sources, Brooke, and I can tell you that the Romney campaign does see this race tightening right now and that their game plan for tonight, as it was laid out to me, is to make sure that that trajectory, as one Romney campaign source put it, continues. They want to see this race continue to tighten.
And it's interesting. Just to give you a couple of nuggets that I got off of this phone call just a few moments ago, Brooke --
BALDWIN: Yes.
ACOSTA: They are not going to be looking for a knockout punch tonight. They are -- what they're hoping to do for the American people is show a contrast, a clear contrast, as they call it between the president's handling of the economy and what Mitt Romney would do were he elected president to fix the economy. So that is basically the game plan from the Romney campaign. Sort of do no harm and live to fight another day.
BALDWIN: It's interesting you say he's not looking for a knockout punch. That is apparently what Shannon O'Brien, who was hoping to win that gubernatorial race in Massachusetts back in 2002, that's what he -- she said he was so good at. We're talking to her a little later.
ACOSTA: Right.
BALDWIN: But Romney's been pretty -- he's been known to get pretty forceful, Jim, when he -- when he lets his dander up, if you will. Let's take a look at a clip here. This is from a debate. This is just a year ago. This is Romney, Rick Perry, mostly Romney. Roll it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The way the rules work here is that I get 60 seconds --
GOV. RICK PERRY, TEXAS: Well, no, but the American people want the truth --
ROMNEY: And then you get -- and then you get 30 seconds to respond, right?
PERRY: And they want to hear --
ROMNEY: Anderson --
PERRY: You say that you knew --
ROMNEY: Governor, would you please --
PERRY: You had illegals --
ROMNEY: Would you please wait?
PERRY: Working at your --
ROMNEY: Are you just going to keep talking --
PERRY: Yes, sir.
ROMNEY: Or are you going to let me finish with my -- what I have to say? Look, Rick, --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Oh, you remember that moment? I mean I guess my question, having seen that back and forth --
ACOSTA: I do, yes.
BALDWIN: Remember, you know, with Romney kind of really getting into Rick Perry's face. Can you be that aggressive toward the president of the United States?
ACOSTA: I don't think so, Brooke. You know, I -- you know, when I think Mitt Romney gets on that stage tonight, and keep in mind the Romney campaign has been saying, look, they've never done a general election debate before, obviously. But, I mean, this -- there's already going to be an advantage for Mitt Romney tonight going into this because he's going to be sitting on the same stage with the president of the United States. For a lot of Romney supporters out there, and perhaps some undecided voters out there, they're going to see Mitt Romney sort of in that role, as potential commander in chief. And that right there is sort of an edge to Mitt Romney. That's why you hear the Obama campaign saying, well, we think that he has sort of that natural advantage going into all of this.
But I really don't think you're going to see Mitt Romney get testy the way he did during those GOP debates, in part because, you know, there was so much pressure on each of these individual candidates during those debates to have sort of breakout moments because they were sharing the stage with seven or eight other guys. I mean this is going to be -- and Michele Bachmann. This is going to be sort of like an extended conversation on domestic issues. They're going to be going through six different topics with Jim Lehrer. And when you think about it, Jim Lehrer is, you know, such a mild mannered guy, that I think he's going to try to keep the tone --
BALDWIN: Set the tone.
ACOSTA: The tone of the debate civil.
BALDWIN: Yes.
ACOSTA: And so I think that will also -- yes, I think that will also affect what we see and hear tonight.
BALDWIN: All right. We shall see if they conversate versus zing.
ACOSTA: We shall see.
BALDWIN: Jim Acosta. Jim, thanks, for me there in Denver.
And we showed you Mitt Romney, that clip and that pretty contentious debate from late last year. For the president, though, you actually have to reach back to 2008 to get a hint of his debate demeanor. So check this out with me. First with Hillary Clinton, at the time Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination for president. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (January 21, 2008): A set of assertions made by Senator Clinton, as well as her husband, that are not factually accurate. And ---
John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003. And the -- and at the time, when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So that was a little taste for you on how the president goes into attack mode.
Jessica Yellin, chief White House correspondent, also out there in Denver for us. You know, and there's all this talk about, you know, what Romney's challenge is really going into tonight's debate. But what about the president? What about the challenge facing the president? Is there any chance that he takes the fight to Romney?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in the sense that I expect that he will try to force Romney to drill down and get specific about some of the tax changes that he would specify, or the ways he would trim the deficit. His campaign -- the president's campaign has already signaled that. Here's how his deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, put it in a new video they put out earlier today, Brooke. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE CUTTER, DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Mitt Romney hasn't given us any specific details of his economic plans. So he can either use tonight's debate to give us those details for the first time ever, or he can spend 90 minutes doing what we know he's good at, attacking the president, distorting his own record, and avoiding any and all details of his plans for the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Now, obviously, that's expectation setting and priming the media to already start looking for any specifics, weaknesses by Romney in getting into the details. But it does mean that we should start looking for the president to push the governor on those kinds of issues. I do think the president has separate challenges, but this is what we should see the president get aggressive on tonight, Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK. Also we should point out, Jessica, it's interesting timing, this date here, it coincides with a certain significant milestone in the president's life, which you talked about with the first lady.
YELLIN: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) YELLIN: I wonder if, in your wildest dreams, you ever imagined that you would be spending your 20th wedding anniversary on a double date with the Romneys.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Yes. Yes, no, I can't say that I -- that this would have been the plan 20 years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Oh, how romantic, Jessica Yellin. I love how you asked the question. So happy 20th to the president and the first lady. Is she out there with him? Is Ann Romney there? Are their, you know, children there?
YELLIN: Both candidates' wives will be here, but not yet. The first lady is sort of funny. The president has been having his debate prep in Nevada. The first lady is holding a campaign event in Nevada. But they're at separate locations and will be flying to Denver separately and meeting up here for the first time. She'll see him before the debate. But it's hardly, I think, the kind of date any couple would want for their 20th wedding anniversary.
BALDWIN: Yes.
YELLIN: She did say she expects that he'll make it up to her at another time.
BALDWIN: Yes. I guess a presidential debate is a pretty decent excuse.
YELLIN: Probably a dinner out.
BALDWIN: Jessica Yellin for us in Denver. Jessica, we'll look for it a little later. Thank you so much.
And, of course, CNN's live coverage of tonight's debate begins at 7:00 Eastern.
Call it the debate before the debate. We're about to show you what each candidate will probably say tonight in his own words. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
The woman who battled Mitt Romney 10 years ago joins me live on how their debate gave Romney a major boost.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The middle class has been buried the last four years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: As Mitt Romney prepares his talking points, Republicans pounce on Joe Biden's comments. Economist Ben Stein joins me live. And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you might think the best seat in the house is on the floor. But I would argue it's on this riser right here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The images you won't see on TV tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know this. Mitt Romney facing a huge debate that really could make or break his campaign. And, look, he's been here before. And, no, I'm not talking about the primaries, I'm talking about 2002, Massachusetts, and the governor's race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY (October 2, 2002): And I'll try my darnedest, Carla, but I can't see how you get 9 billion without (INAUDIBLE).
DEBATE MODERATOR: We'll get you in. but he addressed you directly. Why don't you respond briefly.
SHANNON O'BRIEN, (D), 2002 CANDIDATE FOR MA GOVERNOR: The problem is, at the last debate, the numbers that you put on the table weren't real numbers. They were numbers that were pulled out of the air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Numbers pulled out of the air. The woman there on the left-hand side of your screen is Democrat Shannon O'Brien. She actually -- she led Romney in the polls back in 2002 in that gubernatorial race until the very end. She ended up losing to him in a real squeaker. And Romney's performance in the last of those five debates is credited with winning the largely Democratic state. So who better to talk about what we should be looking for, what we can expect strategy wise, you know, in that debate tonight is Shannon O'Brien. He's joining me live from Boston.
Shannon, welcome. Thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: I -- you know, I've watched a lot of these debates, I've read a lot about these debates, and you were tough. And when you look at some of the polls, you were up by, Shannon, you know, as much as eight points. So what I want to know, and those maybe really the fourth or the fifth debate there, what happened? Specifically, what did Mitt Romney do that, you know, really helped him beat you?
O'BRIEN: Well, one, I think we see a similar pattern. One, he spent a lot of money on negative advertising. About three and a half to one over the money that we spent in the campaign. But in that final debate, I think he got a lot better as a debater. In the first two debates, I -- you know, many people think that I won those two debates, whatever, you know, that decision is. But in the last debate, I think that he really came into his own. He was very practiced. He spent a lot of time doing debate prep, getting practice, getting those one liners, getting those zingers and being a lot tougher in the final debate. So ultimately that final debate was something that was a major factor in him winning the 2002 governor's race.
BALDWIN: I have more questions for you on specifics, but let's just play a little bit more of -- this is part of the final debate.
O'BRIEN: Oh, please don't.
BALDWIN: Final debate. Here we go.
O'BRIEN: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: Shannon, I can tell you again, I did not, in any way, acknowledge their endorsement, nor do I --
O'BRIEN: You accepted it.
ROMNEY: When you say I accept it, in what way did I accept it, Shannon?
O'BRIEN: Ask your campaign spokesperson from 1990 -- from 1994 (ph).
ROMNEY: I don't have a campaign spokesperson here tonight. I'm here right now and I can tell you, I do not take the position of a pro-life candidate. I'm in favor of preserving and protecting a woman's right to choose. And your effort to continue to try and create fear and deception here is unbecoming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Unbecoming, Shannon. Is it tough for you to watch these older tapes? And why is it? And what's going through your mind while you're watching him take you to task?
O'BRIEN: It's been a long time. Obviously it's been 10 years. But I think you go back and you look and you see one of the sort of hallmarks of Mitt Romney as a political candidate is that he's not consistent on the issues. And back then I was saying very clearly, and probably getting too frustrated in the debate, that he was not pro choice, which Massachusetts is a pretty pro choice state. And within months of him becoming governor, he flipped his position on that. He'd flipped his position on a number of things and, frankly, was on his way to running for higher office. So I only get frustrated because I was right.
BALDWIN: But even despite some of the flipping -- but despite some of the flipping, and certainly there are critics saying he's very much so done that from even then until now, he won. He won. O'BRIEN: Oh, absolutely.
BALDWIN: Can you be specific with me, just strategically speaking, when it comes to his oratory skills, what did he do so right?
O'BRIEN: Oh, he -- I think what he did right is one very, very practiced, no -- doesn't leave anything to chance. I think we've seen when he does leave things to chance, he can make some mistakes. So he is practicing. I think I've heard he's had something like a half dozen practice dates. He's spent a lot of time off the campaign trail getting ready. He will be practiced. He will be ready. He will be tough. He's going to be a tough challenge to President Obama.
BALDWIN: Let's play, sorry, Shannon, got to play another clip. One more. Here we go.
O'BRIEN: Oh, my God.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Mr. Romney, despite your best efforts, there is still some skepticism as to whether you will serve out all four years if elected governor. Perhaps this might be a way to prove it. Would you be willing to write a check for, say, a million dollars to be forfeited to the state if you renege on that promise and do not serve out all four years?
ROMNEY: Well, I'm not wild about gimmicks, I must admit. And I'm afraid it would bounce anyway. So -- but let's stand back -- let's stand back and --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, in watching that then, Shannon, and then I'm sure you watched some of the primary debates this past year, have you seen any major differences in Mitt Romney from then until now?
O'BRIEN: Yes, he got a lot cheaper. The last time he was trying to bet, it was only $10,000, not a million dollars.
BALDWIN: Oh.
O'BRIEN: But, you know, in all reality -- in all reality, I think that, you know, he's gotten better as a debater. He got better during the course of the 2002 campaign and he's gotten better. He's had over 20 debates with his Republican opponents. That certainly, I think, will help him tonight.
That being said, even though I think that his debating tactics and style will certainly be very well honed tonight, I think it's the issues that people are going to focus on. The 47 percent remark that he made recently about not really caring about the 47 percent of America who is, you know, looking to get some help or support from the United States government, I think that's going to hurt him. And ultimately I think that people in this country believe that Barack Obama is looking out for their interests, for their economic interests and for their future.
BALDWIN: OK. It's clear where you stand politically, but I just want to ask you this final question, and I don't want to as you --
O'BRIEN: Sure.
BALDWIN: I don't want to ask you who you want to win, but, honestly, who do you think will win tonight?
O'BRIEN: I think, on style, I think right now I'd have to give the points to Mitt Romney. I think he's very well practiced. He's been apparently memorizing the zingers. I think he's going to be very relaxed. But when it comes to the substance, I think we'll have Barack Obama. So, ultimately, the people are going to have to choose who wins tonight.
BALDWIN: Shannon O'Brien, thank you very much. Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me back to 2002. We appreciate it.
O'BRIEN: Sure.
BALDWIN: Just ahead, new information and images following that deadly attack at the U.S. consulate in Libya, in Benghazi, which, as you know, killed those four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. Up next, an exclusive look at where Ambassador Christopher Stevens spent his final moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just a quick warning here. Before we show you and tell you this next story, some of the images you're about to see are tough to look at. If you have little kids in the room, it might be a good time to get them to turn away. Because a brutal attack that killed 25 people at this Nigerian university may have been an inside job in which gunmen called out the names of their targets before killing them. At least this is what a police spokesman is saying. Most of the dead were students. Police say gunmen attacked the school Monday night. Some victims' throats slit. Investigators are trying to figure out if this attack might be related to upcoming campus elections.
And the U.S. is reportedly gathering detailed information about suspects who may have been responsible for that deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya. "The New York Times" is reporting today, no final decision has been made, but potential military options could include drone strikes, special operations raids, or joint missions with Libyan authorities.
And, as you can see here, we are getting some brand-new images from inside that consulate, days after that deadly attack. Arwa Damon, our senior international correspondent, takes us inside the room where Ambassador Chris Stevens spent his final moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That was the ambassador's bedroom. That chair right there, next to that chair, is where we actually found the ambassador's journal. The doorway leading into this part of the building was shut. As I was saying, this metal door blocking that off. You can see it right there. So there was pretty much no way to get out because all of the windows, at the point where we were there, had metal on the exterior of them, except for the one window where the ambassador's body was carried out of. That is how we crawled in.
And eyewitnesses who were there said that they had to physically remove the bars from that building. You see it right there. They had to remove the bars from that window to then get the ambassador's body out.
What we also saw while we were there is things that, you know, one would have assumed would have been of interest to investigators had they gone. The toilet in this safe room suite, as we call it, has a very strange -- what seems to be a very strange blood stain on the side of it. You can see it in our -- in the images right there. We don't know what that is. We don't know what happened. But it raises a lot of questions as to what could have taken place.
There is another part in this same area where it looks like a hand print is on the wall that is slid down. Again, a lot of unanswered questions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Arwa Damon reporting for us there.
House Republicans, they are pushing the State Department for answers to their security questions at a planned hearing next Wednesday. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she has created a review panel, but will work with a congressional committee as well.
Back to politics here, because we're not going too far away from that, folks. It is debate night in America. And we have a pretty good idea as to what each candidate will say this evening. Coming up next, though, we're going to give you a glimpse of the future by taking a look back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Sure, we have been talking a lot about what you will see tonight when President Obama faces off with Mitt Romney. But now we want to show you how, through their stump speeches, this is point, counterpoint from the campaign trail on just a couple of the crucial issues facing America right now. Here now the debate before the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: He thinks that if we just spend another $5 trillion on tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, if we get rid of regulations on Wall Street, then all our problems will be solved and jobs and prosperity will trickle down on all of you and the deficit will disappear, and we'll live happily ever after. There's only problem -- there's only one problem with that. We tried that in the decade before I became president. It didn't work. Top down economics never works.
ROMNEY: I know there are some people in this country that think that the government's role is to take from some to give to others. I'm not talking about the effort to care for those in need. We're a compassionate people. We always care for those that have needs of one kind or another and help people get back on their feet. But he wants to redistribute and the idea is to try and level incomes. And that's a concept which is not entirely novel, it's been tried other places in the world. It's just never worked. The only system that's ever worked, to create permanent middle class prosperity, is free enterprise and free people pursuing their dreams.
I have five things I'm going to do to get this economy going. And they're going to create 12 million jobs. Number one, taking advantage of our energy resources, our oil, our coal, our gas, our nuclear, our renewable, getting North American energy independence. That will keep our gasoline prices more moderate. It will also provide us with a lot of jobs in the energy sector and in manufacturing. Because when energy is less expensive, manufacturing will come home.
OBAMA: You can look at his plan and you can look at my plan. Because he wants to keep open these tax loopholes that encourage jobs overseas. I want to make sure that we're providing tax breaks from companies right here in America. I want to help big factories and small businesses double their exports. I want more goods stamped with "made in America." I want to create one million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years.
ROMNEY: Obamacare is point number one. It is the example number one where he wants to put bureaucrats between you and your doctor. He believes that the government should tell you what kind of insurance you have to have.
He believes that government should have a board of people that tell you what kind of care you can receive. My view is we fight for freedom in this country. I do not want an intrusive massive larger debt spending government that crushes the American dream.
OBAMA: They like to call it Obamacare, well, let me tell you, I do care. I care about all the young people who are able to stay on their parents' plans now. I care about the seniors who are seeing lower prescription drug costs.
I care about folks with pre-existing conditions who can't be denied care now. Governor Romney has promised that he would overturn Obamacare on its first day in office, which means -- which means he would kick nearly 7 million young people off their parents' plans.
He would make seniors prescription drugs more expensive, you know, maybe we should call his plan Romney doesn't care. We don't believe anybody is entitled to success in this country. We don't believe government should help folks who aren't willing to try to help themselves.
But we do believe in something called opportunity. We do believe in a country where hard work pays off where responsibility is rewarded, where everyone gets a fair shot. And everybody is doing their fair share. And everybody plays by the same rules.
ROMNEY: I think the big difference between the choice people have and in following our president and his plan, which is more government, more stimulus, more borrowing, more deficits, more intrusiveness, both in business and in our personal lives.
And the path I'm describing, more freedom, more opportunity, more economic choice, that path I'm describing is based upon the principles the country was found upon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: The debate before the debate. CNN's live coverage of tonight's debate in Denver, Colorado, begins at 7:00 Eastern Time.
It is being called President Obama's other race speech. Problem is, only certain right wingers are the ones calling it that and billing it as news even though it is old, really, really old. So is this red meat or political advantage? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Chances are you have probably seen this video making the rounds today. It is featured on several conservative blogs and media outlets. This video here is from 2007, from the speech by then senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The "Daily Caller" dug up a full video of the speech, posting it online, calling it an exclusive, calling it Obama's other race speech.
Joe Johns, let me go to you there in Washington. Joe, to be crystal clear, there is absolutely nothing new about this speech. It is five years old. So my question to you, is -- why is this popping up now?
Why is this being trumpeted by so many conservative media outlets, of course, the timing on the eve of the first presidential debate?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, they say the entire tape of the entire speech has not been widely circulated. So that's, I guess, why they put the exclusive label on it.
But, look, timing is everything. It is a political year. Could be a way to fire up conservatives at crunch time, also, as simple as maybe "The Daily Caller" somehow discovered this tape, but they had something exclusive, ran with it.
Either way, it is safe to say it is old news. The reason it gets attention from conservatives is there is a school of thought out there that says the president has deeply held views on race.
Other issues he's never fully shared with the American people, but shape his policies. For example, it is the premise of the movie out in theatres 2016, Obama's America, sort of a conservative doomsday scenario. It made almost $30 million in theatres nationwide.
And this tape, according to "Daily Caller" and others, provides more fodder for those ideas. Now one thing that is interesting to say, Brooke, the timing of this, 24 hours before debate, so whatever happens at the debate tonight, a lot of people think it will just knock it out of the spotlight. So if this was some kind of orchestrated attack, it may have only had a shelf life of one day.
BALDWIN: And isn't the Romney campaign distancing itself from this particular video, tell me what they're saying specifically or in the saying, what about the Obama campaign as well.
JOHNS: Right. Pretty frank on the Romney side, they say they had nothing to do with the release of this tape whatsoever. The Obama campaign says this is a conservative attempt to distract from the negative press Romney has received over the tape with the 47 percent comment and all the rest. You know, that was a speech widely reported on by the media at the time. At least this Obama thing was.
BALDWIN: OK, Joe Johns, thank you.
I want to just kind of continue the conversation, give it a little context with Howard Kurtz. He is the host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," Washington Bureau Chief of the "Newsweek" and the "Daily Beast. He's just on the phone with me from Denver.
Howard, the speech is being billed as if no one covered it at the time. We have pulled multiple clips from, you know, CNN clips from 2007, from our archives, so first let me just play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLIZTER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama suggesting there is disconnect and a serious disconnect in the African-American community and he's invoking the memory of the deadly 1992 Los Angeles riots.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: These quiet riots that take place every day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A new controversy involving Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, have you heard his warning about quiet riots?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: These quiet riots that take place every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So why, Howie, why pretend this is all, you know, newly uncovered when it is so easy to disprove?
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, CNN'S "RELIABLE SOURCES" (via telephone): Brooke, it is the mainstream media trying to cover up the 2007 speech. They did a pretty lousy job of it as you just demonstrated by playing the clips from CNN.
I mean, this is the biggest disappointment since Geraldo opened Al Capone's safe. This was touted all day on the "Dredge Report," and of course, it was played up on Sean Hannity's Fox News show and yet as you just amply demonstrated, there's nothing new about this piece.
The reason it didn't cause much of a ripple at the time is that candidate Barack Obama didn't say anything terribly controversial. He did talk about lack of a federal aggressive federal response to the Katrina disaster in New Orleans.
He did say that black people were frustrated living in the inner cities, not having any hope. None of which is inflammatory as "The Daily Caller" and Sean Hannity seemed to think.
BALDWIN: Maybe, you know, maybe it is desperation as some critics are saying. Obviously, the timing is key. But to be fair, Howie, this video tactic is also being, you know, deployed by the other side as well. We pulled out this clip. This has popped up on the "Huffington Post."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: The good news is survey after survey, poll after poll, still shows that we are a center right 70/30 country, 70 percent of Americans want the American dream. They believe in the American idea. Only 30 percent want the welfare state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, again, just context for our viewers that was obviously Paul Ryan. This is a speech from last November. The whole speech has been on YouTube since last fall. So my question to you, Howie Kurtz is, are there really substantive political points to be scored here by drudging up, on either side, drudging up these all videos?
KURTZ: There certainly can be. I don't have any problem with it, people on either side drudging up old videos. It helps if the video you're drudging up has never been seen or heard before then it has some shock value.
There can be substantive and revealing comments in what people say when they think the spotlight is not on them. But in the case of this particular Obama speech at Hampton University in Virginia in 2007, he delivered it in front of a bunch of reporters, television cameras there. The surprise factor has really been lost here.
BALDWIN: So you covered the media. I mean, Howie, as we mentioned it right wing radio, right wing conservative television today, constantly pointing at the -- it is the mainstream media. This is all the mainstream media. My question is, their ratings are high. They bring in the big bucks, aren't they mainstream media too? When does that narrative stop?
KURTZ: Well, the mainstream media is a very convenience for commentators on the right, particularly Fox News, which loves to bash the MSN and there was a time 15 years ago, when conservatives other than talk radio didn't have much of a megaphone.
Now they have plenty of ways of getting their message out. They are part of the media. But in this polarized environment, they can point and say all the "New York Times," the "Washington Post," they're all biased.
That's why they covered up this Obama speech, but it wasn't really covered up. It was covered at the time, not in a huge way, because it was not particularly inflammatory.
BALDWIN: Howard Kurtz for me from Denver. Howie, thank you.
Coming up next, millions will be watching the candidates on the debate stage tonight. We're about to show you the places you actually won't get to see. We're lifting the veil, a behind the scenes look in Denver next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Millions will be watching the presidential debate tonight and hopefully that includes you. But what I want to show you now is something you won't see on television. CNN's Mark Preston with a behind the scenes look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: As you can see, reporters from around the world, they're setting up now to cover this debate, 3,000 in total, 700 of them are coming from other countries.
So let's head inside right now where the action is going to take place. You might be wondering who is actually going to be sitting in the audience tonight for this first presidential debate. I don't know the answer. But Peter Eyre with the Commission on Presidential Debates does.
PETER EYRE, COMMISSION ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: So on Wednesday night at the University of Denver we'll have students, VIPs and those that the campaigns have invited. They'll be down on the floor and then some up in the balcony behind us.
PRESTON: So how do you get invited to this debate if you don't get an invitation from one of the candidates?
EYRE: It would be very difficult to get into the debate.
PRESTON: Who is going to be at that far podium in?
EYRE: At the far podium will be Governor Romney and then at the near podium President Obama.
PRESTON: And how is it going to work? Who is going to get the first question?
EYRE: So Mr. Lehrer will direct the first question to President Obama. He'll have two minutes to respond and then Governor Romney will have 2 minutes to respond to that same question.
PRESTON: How is this all going to work in this 90-minute debate format?
EYRE: So we think having the six segments will encourage detailed discussion about these topics and Mr. Lehrer will try to facilitate an in depth discussion that is substantive and really focuses on the details.
PRESTON: So you might think the best seat in the house is on the floor, but I would argue it is on the riser right here. It's where all the technical magic happens right now. We will be broadcasting the debate.
This is where Candy Crowley is going to be sitting as she watches and as she gives her analysis of about what she expects to see tonight and if you wonder where I'll be tonight, well, I'm sitting in my seat here, where hundreds of journalists will be reporting on the debate.
As you can see there are TV monitors set up all across this place. And in a sign of the times, it look likes Mitt Romney here has his own TV studio set up, probably a place where he -- they can put guests out to do interviews with local television stations across the country.
Also a place where they're going to be watching the debate, not to be outdone here behind the red curtain, looks like Barack Obama has the same kind of setup. And, of course, these two studios, butt up against the spin room.
The spin room is where we see surrogates, some top campaign officials that come after the debate and they're going to try to tell us why they think their candidate won.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Mark Preston lifting the veil for us. Mark, thank you.
Economists and former Republican presidential adviser, Ben Stein says no one knows Mitt Romney, his comments sparking quite the reaction. Ben joins me live next.
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BALDWIN: Both campaigns have been fighting to lower expectations for their candidate going into tonight's inaugural presidential debate. It looks like Mitt Romney's team has won that battle. You can see by the numbers here.
This is our latest CNN/ORC poll, 56 percent of likely voters expect President Obama to win the debate and 32 percent expecting Mitt Romney to win.
Now a number of conservatives complained that Romney hasn't quite laid out a clear vision of who he is, what he would do if and when elected president.
In fact, my next guest is one of them. Check out this quote, quote, "Even to me, who is a political animal, Mr. Romney is a mystery man. Is he the best most honest governor Massachusetts has ever had, but a distinct liberal or is he now a conservative?
What does he stand for? That was written by well known economist and author, Ben Stein who has a brand new book. It's called "How To Really Ruin Your Financial Life and Portfolio." Ben Stein, welcome. Welcome back.
BEN STEIN, ECONOMIST AND AUTHOR: Always a pleasure.
BALDWIN: So in defining who he is, what he would do when elected, is that challenge number one for Mitt Romney tonight?
STEIN: I think it is. I think, well, two challenges, one, explain to people that three and a half to four years is long enough for President Obama's policies to work. They haven't worked. So something is wrong.
And Mr. Obama doesn't have a clue about how to fix it or change it. And Mr. Obama really has not put forth any different ideas and any substantial ways from what he has already been doing. That hasn't work.
Two, Mr. Romney has to put forward a program, which says in detail what I'll do. Look, when Reagan was running in '80 and again in '84, he had an extremely detailed, specific set of plans, programs, principles.
We're not seeing that from Mr. Romney. A few generalities, but I want to see some specifics and I want him to connect each one up with how many jobs it is going to give us.
BALDWIN: So I mean, I was in Tampa. I was in the Republican National Convention and I know a lot of that is a big pepper rally, right, to get the base, to get so many folks motivated, not a ton of specifics there.
So you're looking for specifics tonight. What about, though, as you mentioned the economy, what about the battle for the middle class? You know, you have Joe Biden as -- let me just play this clip in case our viewers haven't seen it.
Because he really stepped in it yesterday when he said this was in Charlotte.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This is deadly earnest. How they can justify -- how they can justify raising taxes in the middle class who has been buried the last four years, how --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Buried the last four years, of course, most of the last four years under the Obama administration. So, before we chat, Mr. Stein, I do need to play this follow-up clip. This is the vice president, you know, coming back and explaining his comment. This was later in Asheville.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The middle class was buried by the policies of Romney and that Ryan supported. As Bill Clinton, all they're suggesting now when asked about this and he's the best. He made the comment, he said, what they're proposing is bush economic policies on steroids. That's what this is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: On the flip side, Ben, you have the Mitt Romney secretly taped comments, the 47 percent. What does he do? What does he need to do to overcome this perception? He's this rich guy out to help the rich?
STEIN: Well, first of all, we've had lots of very rich presidents who have been very helpful. FDR was one of the richest men in the country. His family ate off gold plates. John F. Kennedy was one of the very, very richest people in America. He was a very fine president.
So the fact that LBJ was fantastically rich. He was a fine president. The fact that they're rich doesn't mean they're bad presidents. Not in the slightest.
But I think Mr. Romney has to do is go to some kind of chart or something out of his head where he says, we're going to do x, that will give us 700,000 to 900,000 jobs. We're going to do y, that will give us 1.2 million jobs.
And he's got to run through this and explain why and exactly it is different, A, from what Mr. Romney -- sorry beg your pardon, for what Mr. Obama is proposing and what Mr. Bush did.
It did result in a lot of terrible failures, so he's got to differentiate himself from the incumbent, Mr. Obama and the previous incumbent and say I've got something new and different and I've got proof that it works.
BALDWIN: OK, but --
STEIN: Not easy. Not easy at all. Not easy.
BALDWIN: And obviously they have been working, working, working until this final sort of -- this evening. The pundits, they thought the economy would be President Obama's undoing when you look at the numbers and the Romney campaign asked a good amount of capital on the idea. But doesn't seem to be working out that way, why not?
STEIN: Well, it is interesting, the reason in large part why it is it isn't, is the very people worst affected by the economy are diehard Obama supporters. And they tend to be non-white, and they are very, very negatively affected by the economy.
But they're also very devoted to Mr. Obama. He's not -- Mr. Romney is not able to pry the people loose and get them Republican. The African-American community has not voted Republican in a major way for a very long time and it seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
Those are the key votes that put Mr. Obama over the top. That's fine. Their votes are very, very important and they have a certain set of grievances, which are perfectly legitimate.
They're allowed, of course, as anyone else is in this country, to vote how they please. But that I think explains why the economic problems are not hurting Mr. Obama more.
BALDWIN: A lot of people say style versus substance and a lot of the likability for Mr. Obama is really factored in despite some of the numbers that would appear not to be in his favor. Ben Stein, I'll be watching right along with you tonight. Thank you, sir.
STEIN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: The presidential contest not the only political race heating up as we have been showing you this week. There is also very much so this bitter battle for control of Congress including one very important race here involving a professional wrestling executive.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Private companies added 165,000 new jobs. That was in September. That report coming from the payroll processing company, ADP, better than economists expected. The number is down from August by 27,000 jobs.
Let me go to Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange with just putting this in perspective for me, how big a deal is this. You know, is this a precursor to good news hopefully from the government this coming Friday?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK.
Well, the way ADP is, Brooke, it isn't always the best indicator, but it does give us a good idea of what the government jobs report will look like on Friday. That's really the one that counts and the expectation for the government report is that the economy added 110,000 jobs in September.
That one factors in both private and public sector jobs. Of course, the big question is 110,000 considered good? Well, it is not great, but it is certainly much better than the depths of the recession, if you want a comparison. That's when we lost 800,000 positions a month. That was in early 2009. But you see what has been happening over the past few years. The job market has kind of gotten stuck. We're only adding enough jobs, Brooke, to keep up with population growth. That's not really that good.
BALDWIN: We will talk on Friday and see how those numbers do finally look. Alison Kosik, thank you very much.
