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Tweeting From Texas; Third And Final Presidential Debate Tonight; Tea Party Helping Democrats; White House Denies One-on-One Talks with Iran; Paul Ryan Stumps in Florida; Winning Over the Latino Voters

Aired October 22, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A busy, busy day. Michael Holmes, thank you so much.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: For you and me. All right.

BANFIELD: Nice to see you, sir, and thank you for that handoff.

Hi, everybody, and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ashleigh Banfield sitting in for Suzanne Malveaux's second hour, so let's get to it.

President Obama and Mitt Romney locked in a dead even race with just 15 days to go before the presidential election. And just hours from now, they're going to face off in their third and final debate. The race is tight and the decision was somewhat split on the previous two debates, so that seems to have raised the stakes even higher for tonight. But the focus will be foreign policy. It is different tonight, so you can expect to hear questions about the Iran nuclear threat, fall-out from the deadly attack in Libya, and more tough talk on China and the U.S. economy.

We saw Mitt Romney get a big boost after his strong performance in the first debate and President Obama seemed to regain his footing after debate number two, and tonight's match-up could be a somewhat decisive moment in this race. CNN's Political Editor Paul Steinhauser tells us now what to expect tonight, both in style and substance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When we have four Americans killed there, when apparently we didn't know what happened, that the president the day after that happened flies to Las Vegas for a political fundraiser.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR (voice-over): From Libya to China.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Governor, you're the last person who's going to get tough on China.

STEINHAUSER: The clashes at the second presidential debate may have been just the appetizer. The candidates are likely to spar over many of the world's hot spots, including Iran, Israel, Mid-East peace, the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and terrorism. The format for this debate is different, with six 15-minute segments.

PETER EYRE, ADVISER, CDP: The segments will divided up into two- minute responses from each candidate and then about an eight and a half minute discussion.

STEINHAUSER: After standing at their first two debates, this time around, President Obama and Mr. Romney will be seated at the same table, along with moderator Bob Schieffer of "CBS News".

EYRE: I think the combination of having the candidates seated at a table very close together and the extended discussion phase will really enable an opportunity for the candidates to have a deep discussion about these six topics, and we think there will be a great opportunity for exchange between the candidates.

STEINHAUSER: At a charity dinner the other night, both candidates joked about the debate.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Monday's debate is a little bit different because the topic is foreign policy. Spoiler alert, we got Bin Laden.

ROMNEY: Let me tell you what I do. First, refrain from alcohol for 65 years before the debate.

STEINHAUSER: Except for a short break Romney took on Sunday to watch a beach football game between his campaign staff and some in the media, both he and the president have been behind closed doors preparing for the debate. And it's no wonder. A new "NBC News" "Wall Street Journal" national poll indicates it's dead even between the two candidates among likely voters. And Romney appears to be catching up with the president when it comes to which man would be a better commander in chief.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: Paul Steinhauser joins us live now from the debate site in Boca Raton, Florida. So, Paul, the race is dead even according the latest polls and the poll of polls. The election is just 15 days away.

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

BANFIELD: How much of a pivot do we think, in one direction or the other, could tonight be? Given the fact that there is a lot of competing television out there tonight for voters to choose from. Lots of sports, and then, of course, this third and final debate.

STEINHAUSER: There is. But I got to say, Ashleigh, before this cycle had started, I would say, maybe not that important. But we saw the debates were outsized in importance during the Republican primaries. And let's be honest, the first presidential debate in the general election a couple of weeks ago really shifted the polls to a degree. So, I think this debate could be that important. It could have an effect on the public opinion polls both nationally and, more importantly, in the states. And here's another reason why there's so much at stake at this debate tonight. This is the last chance for Mitt Romney and for President Obama to reach a television audience which could be well over 60 million viewers. That's a big deal -- Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Well, if they get those 60 million viewers. So, I guess my question will be if they don't get those kinds of numbers that debate one and two got, --

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

BANFIELD: -- which is, you know, 60 to 70 million, do they have any other opportunities to make a lasting impression in the next 15 days?

STEINHAUSER: On this national scale, no. But, of course, remember the race for the White House is won in the states, and especially in the battleground states, and that's where you are going to see both Mitt Romney, President Obama, their running mates and their campaigns over the next two weeks with visits and with campaign ads and get out the vote efforts. So, that's where this race will be won or lost in those battleground states -- Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: That is exactly where I wanted to go next with you, and that is the get out and vote effort, the ground game as so many people say it. It's one thing for you and me to show everybody these numbers and polls because we call them and it's easy to answer your phone and give an answer as to who you would vote for. It is another entire thing on a rainy cold day where the lines are long to go down and actually cast your vote. So, to that extent, it's a big difference between likely voters, registered voters, and then those voters that you really do have to pull kicking and screaming, it seems, into those polling stations.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, exactly. You know, the Obama campaign has had four years now to get ready for this, and they feel very confident in their ground game. The Romney campaign, they think they're far, far ahead of what John McCain had when it came to get out the vote efforts four years ago. We'll find out on November 6 who is right -- Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Paul Steinhauser thanks so much. Appreciate seeing you. You've got a long night ahead of you, so we'll see you tomorrow.

All right. So, last week's town hall debate gave us a sneak peek at what we can expect tonight when the focus turns to foreign policy. And joining us now to talk more about that, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and Republican strategist Ana Navarro. So, we pretty much expect that Mitt Romney could have the opportunity to hammer away again on the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. On CNN "SAVE THE UNION," this weekend, former House speaker Newt Gingrich said that this is indicative of the president's lax foreign policy. Listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: If we can't figure out what went on in a relatively open city in a country we had help liberate, why do we think we know what's going on with the Iranian nuclear program? And I think you can go country by country and see sort of the fraying at the edges of the Obama policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So, Donna Brazile, the president is somewhat vulnerable on this, and especially given the way things almost devolved, it seems, in the last debate, what does he have to do to reign this back in tonight?

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, just tell the truth, because from the moment the president got news of what was happening in Libya, he moved heaven and earth to get assets there to insure that we could provide the safety and security. Unfortunately, it was not time enough for the attack that occurred. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney was at the microphone politicizing the death of four brave Americans before he got the facts. And this past weekend, chairman Darrell Issa put out information, perhaps sensitive information that could put some of the Libyans who have helped us in danger.

So, I think we need to get beyond the politics and let the committees work out what the facts are so that this won't happen again. But when it comes to foreign policy, I think this president has been truly a national leader. He has pursued our enemies no matter where they live. He has weakened Al Qaeda, although we have not destroyed them completely. But this is a president who has been decisive and he's been strong on the international scene.

BANFIELD: Ana Navarro, you know, even John Stewart rolled out and said, the way the Libya information was handled was not optimal. With that, does Mitt Romney have an opportunity to smell blood and go after it and perhaps correct where he sort of screwed up and that is not going after the initial question that the person from Long Island asked, which was why was the security denied for that mission? That never got answered.

ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Absolutely. I think that question needs to be answered, and I think he can follow-up on some of the things the president said last week, and follow-up by asking, well, Mr. President, if you went to the Rose Garden the day afterwards and called it an act of terror, why is it that that 12 days after that, your administration continued calling it everything but. Your vice president has said -- Joe Biden has said that you didn't know they wanted more security.

Well, should you have known? If we're talking about a consulate in Benghazi, a country of that level of violence and danger, should it have been to the level where the president should know? So I think there is a lot of good questions to ask when it comes to foreign policy. Questions regarding the relationship with Israel. Questions regarding what we're going to do in Syria. Questions regarding Latin America. A region that sadly gets neglected time and time again in every -- in every campaign and every different administration. I think there's a lot of questions, a lot of answers to be given tonight. BANFIELD: I want to ask the both of you --

BRAZILE: (INAUDIBLE) --

BANFIELD: -- one second. I want to pivot a wee bit, because I alluded to Paul Steinhauser just before you, and that is that, usually, we get somewhere between 50 and 70 million people watching a presidential debate. Tonight it's foreign policy, that ranks very low when we poll people as to what they think is most important going into this election. In fact, our last poll early September had people at four percent interest when it comes to foreign policy. So, you got that going in. And then on top of that, ladies, we have two huge sporting events that the president and the governor are going to be competing against. So, Donna, let me start with you. How important is it to try to make a lasting impression, and will they reach enough people? Do they have to work optics or message or how do they compete with these problems they have with just the rest of the Americans and how interested they might be?

BRAZILE: Well, there's still a number of very, very small minuscule number of people who will probably tune in, probably -- maybe the first half hour to see if they hear something different. We know that these debates have, you know, enabled Mitt Romney to, you know, sort of have a slight bounce after the first debate. And President Obama has come back and we're probably at a tie. But I want -- I just think it's important to understand that national security is important only because it impacts our bottom line, our economic security. And that's one of the reasons why the president said, we're drawing down our operations in Afghanistan. We -- of course, we have completed our mission in Iraq, although we still keep a strong eye on that part of the world.

But the president is very clear that it's time for us to rebuild here at home, so I think the American people are going to try to listen for that. Honestly, there's something about Latin America. You know, Mitt Romney gave the so-called foreign policy speech a couple of weeks ago, he devoted about two sentences to Latin America. Meanwhile, this president has signed trade agreements in Panama and Columbia. It is a vibrant region. It's a region that we must focus on even in our own hemisphere.

BANFIELD: So, it's critical. I think everyone will agree --

NAVARRO: Yes, but you know what? He's also --

BANFIELD: -- that foreign policy is critical, but, listen, only some people are interested. No matter how critical it is, sometimes it's like broccoli to people. Ana, if Donna is right and viewers are only going to tune in to the first, you know, 20 minutes, half hour and then scoot over to baseball, to Monday night football, how much of an impression do they to make right off the top?

NAVARRO: Well, I got to tell you, this is a much harder night for Donna than it is for me, because she's the sports fan between the two of us. You couldn't pay me to watch a baseball game or a -- or a football game. So, I will be completed concentrated on the -- on the debate tonight.

I think people are going to be watching. You know, it's not only just because it's about foreign policy. It's because it is 90 minutes fairly unscripted for these two guys who are in a dead heat, and we have seen that these debates have made a difference in this campaign this year. Going back to Latin America, unfortunately, though, you know, yes, he signed the three agreements that had been started during the Bush administration. But, unfortunately, President Obama has said things like, he doesn't consider Hugo Chavez a national security threat. I live in Miami. I do.

BANFIELD: All right, ladies, I have to go. But if I had more time, this is what I would ask you. Between the Bears and Lions and the Cardinals and Giants, I would want to know where you fall, but I -- it's going to have to be for another day, and, obviously, a lot will be decided by then.

NAVARRO: Whatever Donna says, I'm with her on this. I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: Anybody from Louisiana. I back anybody from New Orleans.

BANFIELD: Thanks, Donna. Thanks, Ana. See you again.

BRAZILLE: Thank you.

BANFIELD: And, by the way, a big reminder for tonight's debate. You can watch it in its entirety. The final presidential debate right here on CNN. Our live coverage from Boca Raton, Florida begins 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.

And here's what we've got coming up for you at this hour. Working hard on a couple of stories. Number one, could the Tea Party end up blowing the Republicans' chances of winning the Senate? Well, that would be irony. We're going to take a look at what this election could mean to the balance of power and where the Tea Party falls within that.

Then, also, when the candidates square off in Florida tonight, Latino voters, in particular, will be watching. We're going to show you just how important their ballots could be in the fight for the White House. And let's just say this, it's all about the math.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HANKS, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": This question actually comes from a brain trust, my friends at Global Telecom Supply. And it's -- this is really a pretty good question. Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And that was the question, Libya. It was Tom Hanks, actually, doing a spoof on a question from Kerry Ladka at last week's town hall debate. That was "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. Very funny. But I spoke with the real Kerry Ladka last hour, and I asked what he's hoping to hear tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Just before we get to tonight's event, you mentioned that you may not have had the answer from President Obama --

KERRY LADKA, UNDECIDED VOTER: Correct.

BANFIELD: Or from Governor Mitt Romney during that sparring session.

LADKA: Correct.

BANFIELD: But the president did come up to you afterwards and he talked to you. Did he give you any answers? Did he explain anything to your liking?

LADKA: He basically explained to me, Ashleigh, that the reason he was deliberating was because he wanted to make absolutely sure that he had the correct information before he took any action. He -- the president said any action that he took anywhere in the world, especially in the Middle East, would have dire consequences. And he wanted to make sure that he wasn't acting on miss information. That the intelligence he had was correct. So I basically understood that. But you're correct, during the debate the question really was not answered.

BANFIELD: Yes, nothing. And while that's -- that's appreciated, I'm sure, that the president spoke to you personally, he still didn't really answer why they went out with this other story then.

LADKA: Yes.

BANFIELD: If they were -- if they were being guarded until they had the full story, why go out with this other story that it was the, you know, protests on the film that lead to this?

LADKA: I think the governor will have some -- Governor Romney will have some --

BANFIELD: Some fodder.

LADKA: Fodder for the -- tonight's debate, as a matter of fact, because that question, to my mind, has still never been answered.

BANFIELD: So you are fascinated by this clearly, but it's only -- seems to only rank at about 4 percent of those who are asked --

LADKA: Strange.

BANFIELD: Seem to think that foreign policy is important. Do you expect to get more answers tonight? Do you expect that tonight will actually change you from an uncommitted to undecided voter to somebody who knows what you're going to do on election day?

LADKA: I hope so, because I think not only Libya is important, but I think we have a Syrian situation that's extremely important. I think we have an Iranian situation that's extremely important. We're still fighting terrorists and jihadists all over the world. I don't understand why the American public -- 4 percent of the American public feels that foreign policy is not really -- is an important issue, and 96 percent don't.

BANFIELD: You do live just a couple of miles away from Ground Zero. That may be part of --

LADKA: Yes. Well, I worked at the World Trade Center too, but during the first attack, actually.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So we will see if Kerry has his mind changed after watching tonight. He says he will watch. Find out what he thinks.

It's not just about winning the White House, though, this election. This election is also going to decide who controls the Senate. And I'm going to talk to a "Washington Post" columnist who says the Tea Party could end up actually blowing the Republicans' chances of a takeover.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Watching live as the president's plane, Air Force One, lands in West Palm Beach, Florida. He's arrived for the debate tonight. He has spent the weekend at Camp David in Maryland. Three days of debate camp, you might say. He's been holed up with his top advisors, including a national security advisor, Tom Domnalon . So as the plane comes screeching to a halt with his team on board, the governor, Mitt Romney, was prepping in Florida over the weekend. So you will not see a plane arriving with Governor Romney this morning. He's already there.

Michelle Obama, for her part as well, a little later on today, in fact in about an hour and a half, is going to be speaking to supporters in Broward College in Florida. So the campaign continues even though neither of these candidates has anything on the schedule today, be it a campaign stop or an interview, other than debate, debate, debate.

Need I remind you, there are 29 electoral votes on the ground where that plane is now turning and taxiing. Twenty-nine. It voted Democrat back in '08 by a 51 to 48 margin. And we all remember what happened in 2000. Florida, Florida, Florida had many of us stuck on that election for several months.

So, there you go, the president landing in West Palm Beach, getting ready to head over to get ready for tonight's debate. Should I remind you, our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. It's very important because we're just 15 days away from Election Day and just hours away from the debate tonight in Boca Raton. You can see the final preparations going on inside the debate hall.

But more is at stake than just who wins the White House. If you think that it's all about this debate, guess again. Control of the Senate hangs in the balance too. Democrats hold 51 seats. Republicans have 47 seats. And there are two independents. You can see them in yellow right there in the middle.

In his column for "The Washington Post," Dana Millbank says the Tea Party is having the opposite effect as its plan, instead helping the Democrats, quoting, "the switch in fortunes can be attributed to many causes. A slate of lackluster Republican candidates high among them. But one thing is beyond serious dispute. If not for a series of Tea Party upsets in the Republican primaries, the Republicans would be taking over Senate majority in January."

And Dana Millbank is here with us now live.

So what happened? The Tea Party was the darling of the Republican base and actually led to huge victories and a change in philosophy. Where are we now?

DANA MILLBANK, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, that's true. I think the energy brought in by the Tea Party is why they have control of the House now. And that's not really being challenged at all right now. Everybody agrees that the House will remain Republican.

But if you look at what's going to happen in the Senate, nobody knows for sure, but most people say, 51 seats for the Democrats, 52, 53, somewhere -- they'll probably lose a seat or two, but it will be very close to even. And then if you look at -- in the last two cycles, the election cycles of 2010 and 2012, there have been a total of five seats that would have been safely Republican, but three seats were lost to the Democrats in 2010. And now you have two other cases, Missouri and Indiana. Seats that very much should have belonged to the Republicans this cycle. There in doubt. Missouri, particularly, and it's possible the Republicans can lose in Indiana. And in both cases, this is very likely because the establishment Republican candidates were dethroned by Tea Party insurgents in the primaries. And so they wound up with much weaker candidates.

BANFIELD: So I just want to remind people -- I mean you and I live, eat, and breathe this all the time, but for those who are thinking 2010, that was so two years ago.

MILLBANK: Yes.

BANFIELD: It was Sharon Engle you were referring to in Nevada, Christine O'Donnell, who you were referring to in Delaware, and then Ken Buck in Colorado.

MILLBANK: Ken in Colorado, right.

BANFIELD: And then as -- yes, and as you refer to the additional two candidates who are now on the ballot, it's Richard Murdock , who defeated Senator Louinger in the primaries who held that, what, 38 -- 38 years.

MILLBANK: Uh-huh.

BANFIELD: Is my math off?

MILLBANK: Yes, it was 36, 38, something like that.

BANFIELD: Thirty-six, OK.

MILLBANK: And there was no question but that he was going to have that seat as long as he wanted to have it.

BANFIELD: And then Todd Akin, who's almost become a national punch line, but for the fact when the deadline passed for him to drop out, he became a punch line no longer for Republicans who realized, look, we're stuck with him, we've got to work with him. Why is it, though, that these two have stood out in particular, Richard Murdock and Todd Akin, but for the headlines of Todd Akin, so much for you that they are sure to lose?

MILLBANK: Well, it's not that they're sure to lose. I mean, Akin looks more likely to lose than Murdock. But they're both in jeopardy. My point is that, if you take away these two and you take away the three seats that Republicans very easily could have had, that's over -- in the next Senate, that's five seats that should have been in Republican hands. And by any stretch, that number of seats, no matter what happens, would have given Republicans the Senate majority. If Romney wins the presidency, it would have given them unchallenged control of the government. And that would be something truly extraordinary.

So it's had this ironic affect of purifying the party in these primaries, but this is also made it possible and indeed almost a very highly likely that the Democrats retain control of the Senate.

BANFIELD: It's also made for a very busy news cycle, I might add, as well.

MILLBANK: Yes.

BANFIELD: And a lot of sound bites.

Dana Millbank, it's good to see you. Thank you.

MILLBANK: Thanks very much.

BANFIELD: One topic that is without question going to be on tonight's debate menu, Iran, and that man. Both candidates are talking about staying tough on the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but what will they say and how will they say it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: The White House says the U.S. and Iran have not agreed to have one-on-one negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. "The New York Times" reported over the weekend that the two countries had, in fact, agreed for the first time to hold that kind of talk. The back and forth decides one thing is very clear, Iran and its nuclear ambitions will be a hot topic at tonight's presidential debate.

Let me bring in our foreign affairs reporter, Elise Labott.

Elise, the way I see this -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- it seems these two candidates differ when it comes to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his ambitions with just one word, and that is capabilities. President Obama says that we need to deny Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and Mitt Romney says we need to deny them the capability of developing a nuclear weapon, which is far more in line with Israel. Is that off base, and is that what they're going to push the American people to understand their positions tonight?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly that's one of the things, Ashleigh. And Governor Romney's position on this capability is much closer to Israel's so-called red line. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, has said he doesn't want Iran to have the kind of ingredients, all the goods that they could then go to make a nuclear bomb, whereas, President Obama said he would -- his red line is if Iran actually makes the decision and moves to build it.

I think that one -- that's certainly one of the things that these two men will be discussing tonight. And also, whether what they would do in terms of if Israel were to attack Iran. Would the U.S. get involved, and how far would this go?

BANFIELD: To that end, where do Americans typically stand when it comes to how close to ally to Israel? I know there's polling out there, and I know it is popular for some people to back Israel. But to back Israel how far and to what extent, if it means a detriment to the United States.

LABOTT: It's unclear. I mean, certainly this protection of Israel and Israel's interests is of importance to some voters in the Jewish community and also in the Christian right. But when it comes to how that would affect U.S. national security interests -- and the U.S. has always said, yes, Israel's interest is one of the things to take into consideration. But a nuclear armed Iran, which could then be much more powerful in the Middle East and perhaps have more influence and use its proxies to attack U.S. interests, I mean, that's, I think, where Americans really draw the line in terms of whether this would affect the United States.

BANFIELD: All right. Elise Labott, our foreign affairs reporter, live for us today. Thank you. We'll be watching tonight.

Latino voters, we have told you time and time again how important they will be in this election. And we're going to check on just exactly what it is they're waiting to hear tonight and how important that will be, in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BANFIELD: Some pictures of the president stepping off Air Force One just moments ago. His plane landed in West Palm Beach, Florida. We brought that moment to you live. He has been holed up all weekend in Camp David doing debate camp, we like to say, but debate prep. No official events on the calendar today other than the big one, the debate tonight. So there, he heads off in the presidential limousine, presumably, for the debate hall or a stop in between for additional prep or rest.

Lord knows these candidates work hard and need it. Mitt Romney, no events on the calendar, other than the debate prep. And he has been in Florida all weekend.

And here is another live event that we're watching for you as well. Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate, is in Colorado at an event. It's interesting. It's called the Victory Rally, which is fascinating because we don't have a victory yet. Maybe he knows something we don't know. It's, without question, a swing state in this race.

Let's listen into what he has to say.

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R), WISCONSIN & VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to stop spending money we don't have.

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: We have to cut spending and balance the budget. We've got to get this debt under control so our children do not inherit our bills.

And we got to make sure that the small businesses, the men and women who work for these small businesses, the men and women who start these small businesses, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to take risks, to work hard and to succeed. We do this. We put these pro-growth solutions in place, we create jobs. We get the economy growing, and we can create jobs. You see, it is not enough for us to sit and just criticize. We're offering you specific ideas and solutions about how to get people back to work, how to make sure that we revive the American idea. And that's really what it's all about, the American idea.

Now, when we think of this country, we think of it like this. It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter where you come from, how you were born. In this country, you come here, you can get ahead. In this country you work hard, you play by the rules, you can get ahead. In this country, if you take a risk, if you take -- if you work, you can fulfill your destiny. The only thing that limits people in this nation is our God-given talent and our own effort. That's the American dream.

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: That creates prosperity and opportunity and upward mobility. That's what we have to reignite.

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: We're more than just a country. We're really an idea. This country was founded on an idea. I see some veterans. I see a veteran right there, a Navy man right there. I'm sure -- we are a stone as throw from Colorado Springs. We have Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. Coast Guard not exactly right here.

(LAUGHTER)

This country was founded on an idea and that idea was preserved we each and every one of our veterans in every generation, and we are thankful for them for that.

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: We keep America prosperous and we keep America safe because we have a strong military. That is one huge difference between President Obama and the next president of the United States, Mitt Romney.

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: We are going to keep a strong military. We are not going to gut our armed forces.

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: And we are going to honor that idea. Our rights, they come from nature and nature's God, not from government. That's the American idea. That's where our founders created. That's what makes us so unique and special. That's who we are.

(APPLAUSE)

BANFIELD: And why Colorado is unique and special is because it's got nine electoral votes, and it voted Democrat in 2008. But it's voted Republican since then -- between 1996 and 2004, so no wonder he is spending some time in that state. Not only that, at 4:45 today is he going to take that victory rally to Durango as well and speak at that organization at the Fort Lewis College.

Something else that's critical? Florida. That's also a toss-up state in this presidential election. And the polls are showing a very tight race there, except among Latino voters where President Obama has a wide lead.

CNN contributor and syndicated columnist, Ruben Navarrette, says that Mitt Romney is making gains in Florida, and rightly so. He joins me now from San Diego.

Ruben, let me start by just reading a little bit from a piece you wrote for CNN.com. It was on the web site today. You say that Mitt Romney's critique of President Obama's immigration policy is right on. This is why. Quote, "The only thing worse than a broken promise are broken families and Obama has divided hundreds of thousands of families by deporting one or both parents." Let me take you to task a wee bit on that. Yes, it is true he has record numbers of deportations over the last four years of his presidency.

RUBEN NAVARRETTE, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST & CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right.

BANFIELD: However, I don't think it's a secret that most people -- among them, without question, Latinos, were thrilled with his recent executive order that stopped the deportation of kids who were brought up here, who came here at a young age. So you failed to sort of mention that in the same line.

NAVARRETTE: Right. Ashleigh, thanks for having me on. Great to be back with you.

In terms of the program you mentioned, DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, this has a small footprint. Something like four million students are eligible to apply. Only 4,000 have actually been granted -- what amounts to a two-year reprieve. In order to do it, students have to walk into the office, declare themselves deportable, be fingerprinted and open a file on them. It's all a risky process, you see, but the main point here is that this is not a permanent fix. It's not an executive order from the president. It's not an act of Congress. I give the president very little credit, in fact, for what he has done. It's too little too late and hasn't had an impact.

BANFIELD: Some would say it's certainly a start, and not only that, that Mitt Romney has been quite vocal about self-deportation, making conditions for illegal immigrants so unbearable they'll just leave.

NAVARRETTE: Right.

BANFIELD: And I cannot imagine -- I am not Latina, but if I were, I would find that hurtful.

NAVARRETTE: Yes, self-deportation is better than force deportation, which is what we have now. 1.5 million people who were -- you get a knock at the door. ICE comes in, guns drawn. They kick down the door. They put mommy and daddy in shackles and take them off. But they take kids, U.S.-born, and put them in foster care. Hey, Juanita, go with the nice lady, she's going to raise you. The fact that we take people's kids away -- and this has been documented -- this is not a humane alternative to self-deportation. So I would challenge anybody who thinks that their outrage over self-deportation, to defend what's happening now, which is really this war that has been declared on the immigrant community in this country, and nobody is talking about it.

BANFIELD: So what about Mitt Romney's position on the Dream Act? Is that something that Latinas are thrilled about -- Latinos are thrilled about?

NAVARRETTE: Right. No, because Mitt Romney has said that he opposes the Dream Act. Now a lot of what Mitt Romney said in the primary, he is rolling a lot of that back, where we're sort of becoming acquainted with the new, kinder and gentler Mitt Romney. In the new version of Mitt Romney, he likes the idea of people who serve in the military being able to get a path to legal citizenship. He hasn't crossed that over to make it about students yet. I don't know if he will or not. But, you're right, in terms of the Dream Act, you have a president who says that he supports it, but did nothing to pass it, and you have a challenger, who says he owes poses it. So, great choice.

BANFIELD: Ruben, when you say the new Mitt Romney, critics will say that's not the new -- that's a euphemism for the flip-flopping Mitt Romney.

NAVARRETTE: Right.

BANFIELD: At the same time, he hasn't supported the Dream Act. He said we need a wholesale new immigration policy, but then we don't get the details. It's a little like trust me, and I'll let you know when I'm elected what it's going to look like.

NAVARRETTE: Right. Absolutely.

And I can't imagine -- Latinos aren't stupid. They know what they want. And they know what's important.

BANFIELD: I keep hoping that Latinos aren't stupid, but they're supporting Barack Obama by a 70 percent margin, 2-1 over Romney. And Barack Obama has an atrocious record with regard to immigration and immigrants. I hope they'll wise up as well.

I'm not here to defend Mitt Romney, but it's just not accurate to say that somehow you have sort of a white hat and black hat in this race, a good guy and a bad guy. These two candidates are both, Ashleigh, horrible on immigration. They both have been dreadful on immigration. And the only thing that changes people's perception is whether you are wearing the blue hat or red hat and what team you're rooting for.

In the last segment you had a Democrat and Republican each, you know, waving their flag, but I'm here to tell you straight, neither one of these candidates have been good on immigration. They've both been horrible.

BANFIELD: I'm glad we had this conversation. It's been a while since I've had a chance to talk to you. And I look forward to increased conversations especially after tonight's debate.

Thanks, Ruben. Nice to see you.

NAVARRETTE: Thank you, Ashleigh. Take care.

BANFIELD: So, listen, this is a spectacular fall from grace, really distressing, I think, to say the least for so many people who believed in this man. Better days, happier days, vive la Lance. Lance Armstrong has just lost all of his Tour de France titles. That yellow jersey means nothing. And that could be the tip of the iceberg for him. We'll explain in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling. Those are the strong words from the president of the International Cycling Union today. The former cycling superstar, Lance, has now been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. The International Cycling Union also announced, along with that decision, that the French would have additional decisions to make, and shortly afterwards, they did. The French Cycling Federation repeated its demands that Armstrong return almost $4 million that he won in those tours. Earlier this month, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said there is overwhelming evidence that Armstrong was involved in doping. And this strange addition to the story, he gets to keep the yellow jersey, just not the report that title to them.

This next story is essential for anyone out there who has a small business. You're a small business owner, your customers don't live around the block anymore. They live around the world. Don't need us to tell you that. Their language seems to be social media. And if you don't understand it, Christine Romans is here to report you may be out of business. Have a listen.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus and Instagram, just to name a few. The tangled web of social networks leaves small business owners, like Flora Schlapelski , scratching their heads. Flora's business manufactures and sells high-end wigs. The cost, anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.

Today, though, she's not giving a customer a makeover, she's getting one, from social media expert, Gary Vaynerchuk.

GARY VAYNERCHUK, SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT: If you're not on Facebook and Twitter in 2012/13, you're basically not a relevant business in our society.

ROMANS: 53 percent of small businesses use social media, that's up from 44 percent last year. But Vaynerchuk says few use it effectively.

VAYNERCHUK: Everybody thinks about social media as promotions, as e-mail, talking. Twitter more than Facebook or anywhere else is about listening. Less pushing the pr that you've gotten or you've opened a store and more searching on Twitter to jump into the conversations.

Facebook's different. If you're to jump into somebody's conversation on Facebook, they would be upset. Facebook is much more private, it is your profile. But you've had 102 people like this page. They want to receive information.

ROMANS: The goal, to get people online to spread flora's message. But to find those people, she needs to look beyond Facebook and Twitter. VAYNERCHUK: If you're lucky enough to be in the women demo, and really try to story-tell to women, Pinterest is becoming almost a must. And if you're looking for the hipster, younger crowd, that's when you get into Tumbler.

By you taking pictures of Instagram and taking those pictures and putting it out, people will see it, 15, 20, 30 people a time, not in one lump sum, but they'll share it and that's one platform. I think Instagram is a must for you as well.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: So the very biggest newspaper in Ohio has made its decision and it is getting behind President Obama. Now, that is a state where every little bit helps. We're going to get more on the latest endorsements after the break.

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BANFIELD: Well, President Obama racked up a victory in Ohio last week when he got the endorsement of the influential newspaper "The Cleveland Plain Dealer." And now he can add "The Los Angeles Times" to his list. They came out in support of the president over the weekend. He also got "The Denver Post" and "Salt Lake Trib" behind him. But Mitt Romney has a few endorsements of his own, too, including "The Columbus Dispatch" and "The Pittsburgh Tribune." What about the country's two highest circulations, the "Wall Street Journal" and "USA Today"? Don't wait for the graphic because they say they're not endorsing anyone. Always fun to see the newspaper horse race, isn't it?

Thanks for watching, everybody. Nice to be with you this hour.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after the break with Brooke Baldwin. Take care.

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