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American Morning
Democratic Convention Kick-Off; McCain-Obama Dead Heat in the Polls; Obama's Challenge to Win Clinton Supporters; Does Clinton's Move to Release Delegates a Sign of Party Unity?; What Obama-Biden Need to Do on Foreign Policy
Aired August 25, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Let the games begin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: It was great to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: This morning the Democratic National Convention roars to life in Denver as the race for president draws to a sudden dead heat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Forty-seven percent for John McCain. Can't get any closer than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The question now, will Democrats unite behind Obama-Biden or splinter over the woman left behind?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK FRIEDLAND, CLINTON DELEGATE: If he had welcomed us, welcomed Hillary Clinton, there wouldn't be any question about tension and disunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The plan to pull the party together, plus, one-on-one with Michelle Obama as she readies for her primetime speech tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: I have said and will continue to say that I am absolutely proud of my country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: This morning we have it all live from Denver -- the politics, the protests, and memorable moments from conventions past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF DON MISCHER, CONVENTION PRODUCER: What are you guys doing up there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The "Most Politics in the Morning" is right here, right now.
And good morning. Thanks very much for joining us on this Monday morning. It is the 25th of August. I'm John Roberts live in Denver. Good morning, Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, John, great to see you. It's funny to relive a few of those moments. We all remember the balloons, of course, and the Al and Tipper kiss. The big question is what are we going to expect this year as the convention gets set to get underway tonight?
ROBERTS: Well, there's all sorts of opportunity for all kinds of interesting things to happen.
We begin this morning here inside the Pepsi Center, the home, of course, to the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, taken over this week by the Democratic Party for their big national convention. That's a shot of the podium behind me.
The amazing video screens that just go all the way up into the roof here at the Pepsi Center and you're looking as we zoom down into our live location. We're going to be here Monday through Wednesday. Then on Thursday we're moving over to Invesco Field also known as Mile High Stadium for that big speech by Barack Obama as he accepts the Democratic nomination. That will be on Thursday night.
CNN is your home for all things political as we cover this convention here in Denver. Then we move on to St. Paul, Minnesota, for the Republican Convention next week.
And as this convention gets underway, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows a deadlock with 47 percent for Barack Obama, 47 percent for John McCain. The poll was taken, by the way, after Obama picked Joe Biden as his running mate.
CNN has also learned that Senator Hillary Clinton is going to release her delegates to vote for Barack Obama that will likely be on Wednesday. And also the Democratic Party has restored full voting rights to the delegates from Florida and Michigan which were initially punished for holding their primaries early.
Tonight's featured speaker, Michelle Obama, also taking the podium, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Michelle's brother Craig Robertson and Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.
And tonight, there will also be a tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy. And people close to Kennedy not ruling out the possibility that he may make a personal appearance if his health permits. You remember he was diagnosed with brain cancer in May, had surgery on it in June, and has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation since. The House would definitely come down if he was to show up tonight. Democrats are going to try to make this Mile High party all about party unity, but there are still quite a few Clinton supporters who need convincing of that.
CNN's Dana Bash joins me now. There seems to be a little bit of bad blood heading into the convention's first day.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You mentioned the fact that Hillary Clinton is going to make clear that she wants her delegates to be released. That is a symbolic move saying, look, it's a time to back Barack Obama. But despite that, there are a lot of her supporters who are still angry and that does threaten to undermine Barack Obama's main theme here, and that's unity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): The ticket is set. Time to sell it to the country. But the first challenge is convincing some delegates at their own convention who wanted something very different.
(on camera): Who are you here to vote for?
MARK FRIEDLAND, CLINTON DELEGATE: I'm here to vote for Hillary Clinton.
BASH (voice-over): Mark Friedland is a Democratic delegate from North Carolina who says the bitter primary battle isn't over for him and blames Barack Obama for not reaching out to Clinton supporters.
FRIEDLAND: If he had welcomed us even two, three months ago, had welcomed the Clinton delegates, had welcomed Hillary Clinton, had involved us all in the process of running this convention, there wouldn't be any question about tension and disunity.
BASH: Democratic strategists are concerned that disunity is the biggest threat to Obama making Denver a success, and it's not just the rank and file.
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: As a Hillary Clinton supporter, I am not impressed, neither impressed nor pleased with the way this is handled.
BASH: Some Clinton confidantes are downright furious that Obama did not reach out to either Hillary or Bill Clinton before picking a running mate, calling it a missed opportunity.
CARVILLE: If you're going to consult people about a vice presidential pick, you might want to pick up the phone and call her.
BASH: But Obama supporters point to high profile speaking spots for both Clintons as proof they're trying, and some strategists warn the onus for unity is really on them.
PETER HART, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's a lot of pressure on Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton to deliver the right message. The pressure actually is not on Barack Obama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And confidantes to Hillary Clinton say, John, that they get that. That they understand that she does, in order to have a viable future in the Democratic Party, she's going to continue to play the good soldier and that's why they say that that is -- the speech she gives right here in the convention hall tomorrow night, the speech that her husband gives, that after that the tone of that is going to have to be overwhelmingly positive making crystal clear to those supporters that they have to vote for Barack Obama.
ROBERTS: So she's being the good soldier but her confidantes, advisers, supporters, are they just stirring the pot here? We also get news this morning delivered to us from the Politico that Bill Clinton apparently very unhappy with the theme that he was given to talk about. He doesn't want to talk about national security. Wants to talk about his record, he wants to talk about the economy, wants to talk about broad party themes?
BASH: Exactly. You know, it's funny because that is something that one of -- somebody who is very close to Bill Clinton told me yesterday that, you know, wait a minute. This is a guy who, if nothing else, did shepherd some pretty good economic times in this country and they're putting him on the stage to talk about national security. And he's even toying with the idea of just talking about the economy, you know, even though he's not supposed to be. But that's actually one of the questions about whether or not he can be that good soldier.
You know what? Just suck it up for lack of a better term and do what the Obama people want him to do for basically the future of his wife.
ROBERTS: Yes. A lot to watch for this week but it's really interesting. This is Barack Obama's convention and we're hearing an awful lot about the Clintons today.
BASH: Shocker.
ROBERTS: Dana, thanks very much.
BASH: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Let's kick it back up to New York and here's Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, as the Democrats gather in Denver, John, Barack Obama staying on the offensive. He's continuing to attack rival John McCain after he was unable to answer how many homes he owned. McCain tries to explain his gaffe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "FACE THE NATION")
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So the fact is that we have homes and I'm grateful for it. We spend our time primarily in Washington, D.C. where I have a condominium in Crystal City, here in this beautiful Sedona that I'm blessed every moment I can spend here, our condominium in Phoenix, Arizona, and a place over in San Diego. The others are also for investment purposes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When -- when you don't know how many homes you have, and you define being wealthy as having $5 million, then what that tells me is that you just don't get what's going on with people's every day lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: McCain also fired back with a new ad pointing out that Obama bought his million dollar home in Chicago with Tony Rezko, a former Obama fundraiser who was convicted on federal bribery and fraud charges.
Well, Barack Obama's wife Michelle will be the headline speaker tonight, the first night of the Democratic National Convention. And she sat down with CNN political analyst and syndicated columnist Roland Martin where she talks about why she got firmly behind her husband's presidential bid after some initial reluctance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: At the very heart of my motivation for supporting Barack is my girls and the kind of world that I want to hand over to them and the kind of people that I want to lead the world. And when I think about that broader scheme, I think there's nobody in this world that I would want, nobody with the kind of character, the intellect, the capacity, than Barack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We're going to have more of Michelle Obama's interview when Roland Martin joins us in the 8:00 hour.
We also have extensive coverage all morning. Our political panel standing by on the impact of not putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket. Also, Obama's vice presidential candidate, Joe Biden. He has the foreign policy credentials but can the unfiltered and brutally honest Biden be reigned in? Also, will he stand by his plan to split up Iraq?
Fresh from the front lines, CNN's Baghdad correspondent, Michael Ware, is going to be joining us in New York with perspective. Because, of course, John, as you remember, it was during the primary when Joe Biden was running for president that he talked about splitting Iraq up into three distinct parts and having some sort of central government in place. That will be interesting to see what Michael Ware's take is on that is as he's now the vice presidential nominee.
ROBERTS: Yes, it will be. Three almost semi-autonomous regions there.
Barack Obama hitting the trail on his own and stepping up attacks on John McCain. Why Obama is not playing nice this convention week.
And just miles from the convention site, Mother Nature stealing the headlines. Tornadoes slammed down as homes hit way too close for comfort.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. We have live pictures this morning of the Pepsi Center in Denver. It's the site of the Democratic National Convention which kicks off today. And, of course, we have John Roberts there as well as our big political panel to talk all things convention. And of course, the big speaker tonight is going to be Michelle Obama. She's expected to add a personal touch to her speech, reintroducing herself and her husband to the country.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama is staying on the attack, taking aim at John McCain as he moves through America's heartland.
CNN's Jim Acosta is in Iowa. That's where Barack Obama will be today. Hey, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.
After Joe Biden's performance Saturday and Barack Obama's performance on Sunday, this new team could have its own reality TV show this week. Call it "When Democrats Attack."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama.
ACOSTA (voice-over): For a tightly scripted campaign, this likely came out of the blue when a Wisconsin homeowner introduced Barack Obama with a call for civility.
SCOTT CAMPBELL, EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: We need to be nicer than the other side.
ACOSTA: But nice isn't in the Obama playbook for this convention week.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Talking tough and acting dumb is not a way to keep you safe and secure.
ACOSTA: From the economy to the war in Iraq, Obama brought out the heavy artillery.
OBAMA: If John McCain was a cheerleader for the war in Iraq.
ACOSTA: He also took aim at John McCain's recent tongue in cheek comment that you have to make $5 million a year to be rich.
OBAMA: What's your definition of rich? He says, oh, I don't know. $5 million. Which means if you're making four, then, you know, you're scrimping. You're having a tough time. You're middle class.
ACOSTA (on camera): Obama isn't headed directly to the convention. Instead, he'll be campaigning in battleground states like Iowa, Missouri and Montana. It's a move that will keep the focus on his message and off of whatever drama is unfolding in Denver.
(voice-over): Drama on Sunday it was revealed the Obama campaign first notified Hillary Clinton she was out of the running for the vice presidential spot through a close associate on Friday, and that she did not hear from Obama himself until late in the day. Some Clinton backers were already miffed that she was never officially vetted for the job.
OBAMA: I am thrilled with Joe Biden as my vice president.
ACOSTA: That's all Obama had to say about his running mate. On Saturday, Biden seized on his role as campaign wrecking ball, slamming McCain for all of those houses the Arizona senator couldn't remember. But Wisconsin Democrat and McCain friend Senator Russ Feingold says voters remain focused on issues.
SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: I don't think they're going to vote on any of this trivia. I think they're going to vote on what matters to their personal life.
ACOSTA: One of those voters, Melanie Franklin, disagrees.
MELANIE FRANKLIN, OBAMA SUPPORTER: Sometimes the truth isn't nice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And the Democrats designated pit bull, Joe Biden, was not at Obama's side yesterday in Wisconsin but by the looks of it Barack Obama appears to be out to prove he doesn't need one -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Jim Acosta for us this morning. Thank you.
You know, also new this morning, there were severe storms not far from where the Democrats gather in Denver. At least four tornadoes touching down southeast of Denver and the video is just really amazing. Take a look at this.
These twisters caused no substantial damage but the scene certainly an ominous one from the sky. This one shows a twister churning up red dust weaving between homes sitting atop hills. The storms brought heavy rain and more than an inch of hail. This video shot Sunday in Parker, Colorado. Look at that.
Well, the military says it captured the mastermind behind the kidnapping of American journalist Jill Carroll back in January of 2006. The suspect and another senior al-Qaeda member seized during operations in Baghdad earlier this month. Carroll, you may remember, was abducted, held for almost three months before being released. An interpreter working with her was shot dead during that kidnapping.
And also some good news on the gas price front. Prices falling yet again. A AAA survey showing the nationwide average for a gallon of regular is now $3.68 a gallon. It's down 30 cents from a month ago. Still up, though, 93 cents from a year ago -- John.
ROBERTS: So the news is good but not so good. Hillary Clinton will release her delegates before a roll call vote on Wednesday but can the party forge a united front at their convention this week?
Our political panel weighs in. And the Joe Biden effect, what the vice presidential nominee brings to the ticket in the foreign policy debate.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A moment from John Kerry's acceptance speech in Boston. That was four years ago. Critics called it awkward. Meantime, as the Democrats prepare to call this convention to order today 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, a new CNN poll shows the presidential race is a dead heat. Barack Obama and John McCain tied with 47 percent.
Joining me now to talk about some of the critical issues for Democrats this week, Leslie Sanchez, Republican analyst and CNN political contributor. Democratic strategist Chris Gates, and "Politico" contributor and registered independent, John Avlon.
Well, it looks like the big issue that they got to get past first, Chris, is Hillary Clinton. She's going to release her delegates but not until Wednesday so what happens between now and then?
We're also hearing through a "Politico" article that Bill Clinton a little bit unhappy about being asked to talk about national security. He wants to talk about his record, contrast it to the Bush administration, talk about the economy, and bribe Democratic Party themes. Are they sucking the air out of the room here?
CHRIS GATES, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No, I don't think so. We have to remember that the vote really was a 50/50 vote. It was the closet to a tie as you could ever get. And the wound hasn't healed yet. And it's clear that part of the plan for this week is to allow that wound to heal, to give people their moment, to give people their time.
But I do think that the notion of releasing your delegates is possibly a predicate to a vote by acclimation. And at the point you release your delegates you've stopped worrying about numbers.
ROBERTS: So do you think that they would take her name off the ballot? GATES: Well, the optimal plan might in fact be for her to be nominated to let her have her 40 minutes of praise and to let her side, not the other side, but let her side move that the vote be by acclimation. But once you've released your delegates you're clearly signaling the different strategy for the convention.
ROBERTS: So, John, this is all about party unity. But there's a group out there called "PUMA," which stands for Party Unity My -- the added word for rear end. Are they going to cause trouble this week?
JOHN AVLON, CONTRIBUTOR, POLITICO.COM: I think they're planning to. They're going to protest votes inside and outside the convention. The question is, are the Clintons going to help defang the PUMAs? Are they going to help heal these wounds? Or are they going to let them fester because they feel it's in their interests? That's really the $24,000 question.
ROBERTS: You're going to be loving all these.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Oh, well, it's pretty great. I mean, if you look at the fact that there are so many people that wanted Hillary Clinton to get out of this race early and we were talking about she was a legitimate candidate, she had all the resources. She was outgunned. No doubt about it. She lost fair and square, but you have a lot of, you know, hurt feelings.
There's no doubt about it. Twenty to 30 percent said they are either undecided or do not want to vote for Barack Obama. And look at it this way.
She's a good soldier. She's putting her support. She has a tremendous amount of debt she has to get rid of. She's doing what she needs to for Barack Obama but let's say he does not win.
She can come back in 2012 and be a stronger candidate. She was a party loyalist. She did the right thing, but I don't believe Barack Obama can recover from that. I think he's another John Kerry.
ROBERTS: And, Chris, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell yesterday suggesting that she might run for president again. You would assume that he's talking about 2012, sort of raising the idea that maybe Barack Obama does not take the White House this year.
With such talk leading off this convention, what does it do in terms of this party trying to gain momentum, trying to break what CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows is a deadlock now?
GATES: Well, I mean, the thing to not forget is that if Barack Obama should, God forbid, don't think it's going to happen, lose this election, the person who will be blamed will be Hillary Clinton. And so, people I think misunderstand a little bit sort of her hoping that his campaign won't go well really isn't very realistic. In fact, they need to -- Bill and Hillary need to do everything they can for Barack Obama.
SANCHEZ: But I think they're arguing what they can. I don't believe that argument because if you look at the fact that he has tremendous support, he has the best organization -- Barack Obama has the best organizational effort on the ground in modern history. The most amount of resources.
Every -- you know, it's a Democratic year that right track wrong track. Every economic and political indicator is in his side and he's still a flawed candidate. There's something that people have not bought into where they really close the sale.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: You know that it speaks to the idea of him being a flawed candidate but perhaps people --
SANCHEZ: Well, no. I think Democrats use the term he's a flawed candidate. He isn't closing the sale.
ROBERTS: But here's an issue though that he's got to get over. It's bringing independents, John, and you are an independent in the tent here, and both he and John McCain appeal to independents but it's also winning over the Hillary Clinton voters. Our new poll shows that 27 percent of Hillary voters now say that they would vote for John McCain. That's up from 16 percent a little more than a month ago.
AVLON: Sure. It's very significant. Republicans are showing a lot of newfound empathy for Hillary Clinton that they haven't had in years past. But there's no question that what Barack Obama's got to do in this convention is not just unify the party but unify the country and mainstream his candidacy.
ROBERTS: Right.
AVLON: Appeals to those independents and centrists.
ROBERTS: We've got a lot of things to talk about this morning, folks. We've got a lot of time to do it, and we'll see you back here in just a little while. Appreciate it. Thanks very much.
Now, let's throw it back over to Kiran in New York.
CHETRY: Hey, we're going to be talking about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan plus concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions as it relates to this convention. Is Joe Biden the guy who can guide Barack Obama through the foreign policy decisions he'd need to make as president? We're going to talk to our Michael Ware who is just back from the Middle East.
CHETRY: Bidenomics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Obama is going to just I have a real edge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Christine Romans breaks down the economic policies of the man who is more average Joe than Joe millionaire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: My net worth is $70,000 to $150,000.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, the next president will face a number of critical decisions concerning America's foreign policy. They include withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. When will that happen? How will it happen?
Plus, how to confront the growing threat from insurgents fighting in Afghanistan and also should the U.S. directly engage Iran? Joe Biden's foreign policy experience is expected to be a big boost to Barack Obama.
CNN's Michael Ware is just back from Georgia, spent a ton of time in Iraq as well, and he's with us now in the studio.
Good to see you.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran. It's glad to be here.
CHETRY: Yes. I want to ask you about your thoughts on Joe Biden and the fact that he's been a long-time supporter of partitioning Iraq into three separate autonomous regions.
WARE: Yes.
CHETRY: Is that something that could and would work?
WARE: Well, madness really to be honest. I mean, as you see, when Senator Biden -- was his nomination was announced, it turned out that opposition to Senator Biden's partition policy is one thing that, you know it's the three ethnic groups in Iraq. No one is for partition unless, of course, you're an Iranian-backed political party, because I'd love to have a self-governing zone in the south that effectively would become an extension of Iran. That would really play into the hands of Tehran. So, no, that's not an effective strategy.
CHETRY: That's very interesting. When we talk about this troop plan, Barack Obama is talking about a withdrawal saying we're talking about one to two brigades, and that perhaps by 16 months we could be out. Whereas John McCain is saying we do need to still have a distinctive troop presence to fight al-Qaeda, to train Iraqis, and to protect our interests there. Which one would work better?
WARE: Well, I think only time will tell. And right now, the agreement is being threshed out in Baghdad and Washington at the moment, settles on what is it, 2011, as a full withdrawal, with U.S. troops back in their bases by June, next year. So we're sort of standing in the middle of those two policies at the moment.
The real issue here that no one is fighting and I would love to hear from Senator Obama's team about this. You can withdraw. You can withdraw tomorrow. You can withdraw in 16 months, whatever you want, as long as you're ready to pay the price.
I want to hear people acknowledge, yes, we know what the price of withdrawal is. Yes, we're willing to pay for it, and this is how we're going to deal with the long-term implications, because at the end of the day what you're doing is giving Iraq to Iran.
And you're emboldening what President Bush called, remember, the axis of evil. And don't forget, Iran sponsored Hezbollah and Lebanon, defeated the Israeli defense force. They're now back after helping America defeat the Taliban. Intel reports say they're now helping the Taliban.
So Iran is very much in the middle of everything and that's the key foreign policy issue I want to hear from the candidates. Here's the price tag for Iraq. Are you ready to pay it?
CHETRY: Very interesting. It's always good to get your perspective. Michael Ware, thanks for being with us. We'll check in with you a little bit later as well.
WARE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Just about 30 minutes past the hour now here inside the Pepsi Center, the scene of the Democratic National Convention for the year 2008. We're going to be here Monday through Wednesday.
Then on Thursday they're moving everything over to Invesco Field, which is Mile High Stadium where the Denver Broncos play, can hold up to 80,000 people. And that's where Barack Obama is going to give his nomination speech. That will be Thursday night. We'll be here through all of that.
An important political development to tell you about this morning. Hillary Clinton promising to release her delegates likely on Wednesday, freeing them up to back Barack Obama. And while Obama is still campaigning, his wife, Michelle, will be the convention star attraction tonight. Her primetime speech is expected to reintroduce her and Barack Obama to voters.
Also taking the podium today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Jimmy Carter, Michelle's brother Craig Robinson and Jesse Jackson Jr.
Well, this weekend Senator Obama announced that Joe Biden would be his running mate. And after 36 years in the Senate how will it affect Obama's message of change? Joining me now to talk about this is conservative radio talk show host and host of the "MARTHA ZOLLER SHOW" Martha Zoller. She's a John McCain supporter. We're also joined by the progressive talk show host Ed Shultz, who supports Barack Obama.
So, what does this pick of a veteran of the Senate and we're not just talking about a veteran but 36 years in the Senate mean for Barack Obama's message of change?
ED SHULTZ, PROGRESSIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, you know, John, you can't change things unless you know how things work. And Joe Biden comes with a wealth of experience and legislative victories. And he's been around a long time. He's got a lot of connections. He has a way of -- when he talks, people listen.
I've been in the Senate Democratic caucus numerous times. He has tremendous respect of his peers. But there's another thing to this that I think is important. It's a personality pick. You know, when you're a CEO and you're running a company, it's easy to get a bunch of yes people around you to come in at 9:00 in the morning and tell you how great you are.
Barack Obama has said all along he wants diversified opinions. Joe Biden is the perfect personality to walk right in and say, this is where we were; this is where we are; this is my opinion; this is what I think you ought to do.
ROBERTS: Now, Martha, Joe Biden certainly has also said over the course of the early part of the primary campaign that he didn't think that Barack Obama was ready to lead this country. Is that going to be a lingering problem?
MARTHA ZOLLER, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, of course. Everything he said that's on the record is going to be, you know, be able to be used. Some of the Republicans are going to use them. The Democrats are going to use them. But Joe Biden is an interesting choice because not only does he love to talk, he's made lots of mistakes over the course of his career and what he's had to say. He has even a longer career in the Senate than John McCain has.
So, that sort of makes moot the argument that John McCain is just the same old thing that you're going to get anywhere. Plus, I think it was a big mistake to senators. I really think that Barack Obama needed to have -- I would have gone with an Evan Bayh or something like that, where he had the Senate. But he was a governor. So I would have gone with somebody like that. But the real personality conflict I don't think was between Biden and Obama. I think it was Clinton and Obama.
ROBERTS: Right.
ZOLLER: And that's where the personality issue came into play.
ROBERTS: And we're going to be asking Clinton -- Biden, sorry, Obama senior advisor Robert Gibbs about that a little bit later on this morning.
I mean, no question, when you look at the role of a vice president, who has to be an attack dog, Joe Biden is going to be very, very effective at that. Right out of the box, he was lambasting his old friend John McCain on this issue of how many houses he owns, linking it to kitchen table issues. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You talk about how much you're worried about being able to pay the bills. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It's a pretty hard experience. He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So here's a guy, Martha, who's not afraid to throw his old friend under the bus for political purposes.
ZOLLER: The straight talk express bus? Threw him under that one. No, he's not. And look, John McCain can handle it. I mean that's for sure. But as far as this whole issue of how many houses John McCain has, I don't think it's going to have a lot of legs on it.
And McCain's do give about 30 percent of their income away every year. So, they're people that take care of folks and really do with their money what we hope all Americans will do and that is help other people with it.
ROBERTS: That's right.
SHULTZ: The point is he's disconnected with wage earners in this country who have been left behind, the middle class. If you don't know how many homes you own, then you're not really good on detail and telling somebody that, well, I'll get my staff to get back to you. Does the staff know how many homes he owns?
The fact is he's out of touch with Americans and that's the point that the Democrats need to drive home. And all this talk about, well, Joe's friends with McCain, what not, American Democrats don't care about that. They want the White House. This convention is all about turning up the heat on John McCain, how he wasn't in favor of the mortgage bill, he's not in favor, didn't vote or support the GI bill. There's a lot of baggage there for McCain.
ZOLLER: Class warfare, though, is not going to work in this election. If we're going to put down companies that are successful, people that are successful, that's really what the American dream is all about. So, I think it's a big mistake but, hey, we don't know who the pick for John McCain yet. So, we'll have a lot to talk about.
ROBERTS: Martha Zoller, Ed Shultz, thanks for joining us. We'll see you back a little bit later on. We'll talk about Hillary Clinton here. Appreciate it.
SHULTZ: Great to be here.
ZOLLER: Thanks.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, John. Well, right now, Ali Velshi joins us with more on the economic impact of what we're going to be hearing at the convention as they take place.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right. Listen, there's lots of things that matter to people's own economy. We talked about who's better for the economy. One of those measure is who's better for that money that you've got saved away for your retirement. I'm going to show you what history says about Democrats, Republicans and combinations of them both. "Who's better for your money?" when we come back on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. A lot going on in Denver at the DNC convention as the Democratic National Convention gets ready to kick off tonight. But a lot going on here in New York as well. Ali Velshi joins us now. He's minding your business.
And you had an interesting suggestion that we, too, should get the microphones.
VELSHI: Yes, why can't we have those?
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CHETRY: How about it?
VELSHI: Listen, we talk about inflation. We're talking about gas prices, housing prices. But, you know, maybe you're not worried about the stock market right now. Maybe you've decided to forget about it, but the bottom line is it really is very important to your retirement. Your IRA, your 401(k) is probably in there.
Take a look at how the market as indicated by the DOW has done in the last year. Not so well. It hit some highs in October. It's been up and down since then. Bottom line is which political party is better for your investments?
Well, our friends over at Standard and Poor's Capital IQ crunched some numbers for us over the last 50 years and I want to show them to you. Let's start with how the stock market performs under a president that is either a Republican or a Democrat.
Now over the last 10 years -- remember most of our presidents in the last 10 years have been Republican. So, the market is up 5 percent in the last 10 years with a Republican president. 14 percent with a Democratic president. That was the end of Bill Clinton's time in office.
Now, take a longer view. Over the last 25 years, it still does better under a Democrat than under a Republican -- 18 percent higher versus 12 percent.
And over the last 50 years, which is really the way you need to measure this because presidential office is in four-year increments, it's up 11 percent under a Republican and 15 percent under a Democrat.
VELSHI: So when you just look at the presidency, the market does better under a Democrat. Now, take a look at how it does under a Democrat with their party in Congress, or a Republican with their party in Congress. A GOP president with a GOP Congress actually does better. Over the last 25 and 50 years the market has done 15 percent, has returned 15 percent, or increased 15 percent under that combination.
Under a Democratic president and Democratic Congress in the last 25 years the market has been up six percent in that circumstance and 11 percent over the last 50 years. A lot of numbers but, again, a Democratic president does better on their own. When you combine the president with the Congress it works better with the GOP. But there is a better combination yet, and I'm going to tell you about that in about an hour. The best combination for your money has not yet been disclosed.
CHETRY: How about it? All right. Sounds good, Ali.
VELSHI: OK.
CHETRY: I'm going to check in with you a little later. Thanks.
ROBERTS: It's coming up on 41 minutes after the hour. Hillary Clinton is releasing her delegates at the Democratic National Convention freeing them to back Barack Obama. Will it unite the party? We'll ask one of our political analysts. John Dickerson is with us.
Star power.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm hoping to go to the convention.
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ROBERTS: Find out which Hollywood heavyweights are making the scene in Denver.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was thinking about going.
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ROBERTS: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: In the end that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism? Or do we participate in a politics of hope?
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ROBERTS: That was Barack Obama delivering the keynote address at the Democratic convention four years ago in Boston. He was still a state senator at that point. He won his Senate seat in November of that year. This year it is Obama's nominating convention. But at the moment party unity seems more rhetoric than reality.
We'll talk about that in just a sec, but a little bit of excitement this morning here up in one of the sky boxes. And they're just shutting it off now. One of the lights, a TV organization managed to set off the sprinkler system up there. The water has been flowing pretty heavily for about the last five minutes but they do seem to have it slowly turning off now. So, we'll get an assessment of the damage up there in the next few minutes or so.
Joining me now is John Dickerson. CNN political analyst and chief political correspondent for slate.com. Beside the excitement with the sprinkler going on, Hillary Clinton is causing an awful lot of a stir here to talk about releasing her delegates on Wednesday and still a lot of bad blood apparently between the Clintons and the Obama campaign.
Just how bad is it, John?
JOHN DICKERSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: There is. Well, you know, it's interesting. There is bad blood between them. Everybody around here is talking about it. Is there going to be a reconciliation or not? And the reporting I've been doing with these supporters of Hillary's who don't like Barack Obama. I've talked to a lot of them recently.
I said what can she say to you to make you change your mind, and most of them, if not all of them say nothing. They are dead set against Barack Obama. And they don't like him for a variety of reasons and they think everything she's doing, and she's been a good soldier -- everything she's doing they're saying is basically for her political viability and they're not listening.
ROBERTS: We have a new CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll out today that shows that 26 percent of Hillary Clinton's supporters would vote for John McCain. That's up 11 points. It was 16 percent in late June. And now, of course, we see the McCain campaign trying to capitalize on this and cause whatever division it can. It had the ad up with Hillary Clinton talking about Barack Obama. Apparently, just this morning, they're releasing another ad called Debra, in which a Hillary Clinton supporter says I'm not voting for Barack Obama. I'm going to vote for John McCain. So, how much trouble can that cause here?
DICKERSON: Well, it can cause trouble because you and I are talking about it. We're not talking about the message of the convention. You know, these things are all very stage managed, and this is a bit of serendipity. This is a bit of unpleasantness that's wobbled in here. Everything is supposed to be taken care of before hand, before this big show.
What's interesting about those poll numbers is that this is something Barack Obama has been working on for two and a half months and it's gotten worse. And just put those poll numbers in perspective, they are as bad as things were during the heat of the primary. A lot of people said -- well, the tension between Hillary and Obama supporters will go away once we get into the general election. It's only gotten worse actually and so, you know, this is a big thing that he has to deal with here.
ROBERTS: It would be interesting to see if her speech on Tuesday night changes that perception at all.
DICKERSON: That's right. And what can she say? And again, this people I --
ROBERTS: She's got to say Obama, Obama, Obama a lot.
DICKERSON: That's right, and for the next 70 plus days. And also, of course, her husband who has been reluctant and continues to be reluctant a little bit. Now he can give a pretty good speech so there'll be a lot of people looking at what he's saying, as well.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, we'll keep on watching this. A lot ahead of us. John Dickerson, thanks very much. We'll see you a little bit later on this morning.
DICKERSON: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Also ahead, a kiss is still a kiss or it's just a kiss, of course, unless it happens at the convention in front of thousands of people. You remember that moment? We're going to take a look at that and the other classic convention moments when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
Hollywood parties.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to make great moments in history.
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CHETRY: Rolling out the red carpet. An insiders look at the VIP list.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look forward to the convention.
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CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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CHETRY: Well, it's a four-day party but the political conventions are not just for delegates anymore. Hollywood heavyweights will be in Denver this week and in Minneapolis next week to show their support for their party as well as their candidate. Here's CNN's Kareen Wynter.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, good morning. Both conventions are sure to shine with some of Hollywood's brightest.
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WYNTER (voice-over): A true Hollywood ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm hoping to go to the convention in Denver.
WYNTER: He gets top billing but Barack Obama won't be the only star attraction under the roof when he accepts his party's official nomination at the Democratic National Convention.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I was thinking about going.
WYNTER: Confirmed celebrities include actor Susan Sarandon, Ann Hathaway, Josh Lucas, and Mischa Barton. As well as directors Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino. That's just for starters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to make great moments in history.
WYNTER: Robin Bronk heads the non-profit, non-partisan political advocacy organization, The Creative Coalition. For the past eight years, it's been organizing groups of celebrities who plan events for both conventions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are observers. And so we're on the floor, we go behind the scenes. We are in the bleachers.
WYNTER: Bronk says some of their A-list members like actress Kerry Washington will also attend next month' Republican convention in Minneapolis. The GOP will host its own impressive line-up including outspoken conservative actor Jon Voight.
JON VOIGHT, ACTOR: I look forward to the conventions.
WYNTER: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and actress Rosario Dawson whose non-partisan organization is rallying the Latino vote.
ROSARIO DAWSON, ACTRESS: And we have a young 19-year-old boy who is really excited about being at the RNC and imbedded there. And we have a young woman who is really excited about being in the DNC. And it's just -- it's really great to have both of their voices be heard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because you're an actor or in the spotlight doesn't mean that you should check your citizenship at the stage door. You have more of an obligation to get involved.
WYNTER: That, Bronk says, is the power of celebrity.
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WYNTER: Speaking of star power, Oprah Winfrey will also be in Denver. She joined Barack Obama on the campaign trail and now will be another face in the crowd at the convention.
John?
Kiran?
CHETRY: Bidenomics.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Obama is going to just have a real edge there.
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CHETRY: Christine Romans breaks down the economic policies of the man who's more average Joe than Joe millionaire.
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BIDEN: My net worth is $70,000 to $150,000.
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CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, balloons. Balloons, what's happening, balloons? (INAUDIBLE). All balloons. Why the hell there's nothing falling. What the (BLEEP) you guys doing up there?
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CHETRY: There you have it. You know, it takes a lot of hard work and coordination to pull these things off and sometimes when it doesn't happen nerves can be a little bit frayed. Let's put it that way. But hey, the balloons eventually dropped. I hope.
A lighter moment from the 2004 convention. And that was the voice of Don Mischer director who was the director, wondering where the balloons were. The confetti fell. No balloons. Well, you can always certainly count on some memorable moments when delegates gather to nominate a presidential ticket. No one can predict what happens this year, in fact. But one thing is for sure, when it comes to political conventions anything is possible. In fact, Alina Cho joins us now with a little bit more on this.
I just want to show you some video from earlier. Nothings even happened yet except of course all the camera are set up and ready to go. And this is what happened a few minutes ago. John Roberts pointing it out to assistant in the sky box over there at Pepsi Center when -- oh, this is a live picture actually right now of when the camera lights set off the sprinklers. And there you have the aftermath. At least we know the sprinklers are working. There you go. There's the video from when it was happening. And you see --
CHO: As long as John's hair is dry.
CHETRY: That's right. John is actually down on the floor below. He avoided all of that. But certainly pointed it out to us as just an example of, you know, what can happen. We had a lot of crews out there.
CHO: And the balloons. I forgot about that. It's like a walk down memory lane, you know.
Kiran, good morning to you, by the way. And good morning, everybody. You know, we have come a long way since the first Democratic convention back in 1832. Over the years there's been backroom brokering, dreams of Camelot, and remember that painfully long speech by then Governor Bill Clinton? We certainly do. These days, though, conventions focus more on pageantry but not without many moments to remember.
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CHO (voice-over): The last time there was true drama at a Democratic convention was 1980 when Senator Ted Kennedy challenged President Carter's nomination.
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end.
CHO: And when the party finally stood together in what was supposed to be a sign of unit, Kennedy gave the president a quick handshake then appeared to turn his back on him.
History was made at the 1984 convention when Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman on a major party ticket. It was a short-lived celebration, though, when Walter Mondale and Ferraro lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. And speaking of Mr. Bush, in 1988, Ann Richards, who eventually became governor of Texas cracked up delegates when she took a shot at the then Republican nominee.
ANN RICHARDS (D), TEXAS: Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
CHO: It was also in 1988 that the son of a murdered president had Democrats dreaming about a resurgence of Camelot.
KENNEDY: Over a quarter century ago, my father stood before you to accept the nomination for the presidency of the United States.
CHO: And Reverend Jesse Jackson had the crowd on their feet that same year.
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: America will get better and better. Keep hope alive.
CHO: Receiving multiple standing ovations during an electrifying speech. The same can't be said for a little known governor from Arkansas, whose nominating speech was most notable for its length. In fact, he got the longest applause when he said --
GOV. BILL CLINTON (D), ARKANSAS: In closing. CHO: Four years later, then presidential nominee Bill Clinton got the last laugh.
CLINTON: I wanted to come back to this convention and finish that speech I started four years ago.
CHO: This long, lingering kiss between presidential nominee Al Gore and wife Tipper provided the most enduring image from the 2000 convention and had pundits speculating whether it was spontaneous or calculated.
Conventions are also moments to catch rising stars. That was evident in 2004 when an Illinois state senator with an unusual name gave the keynote address.
OBAMA: There is not a liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America.
