Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Building Anticipation for Barack Obama's Historic Speech; Analysis of Democratic National Convention; Did Bill Clinton Seal the Deal with Hillary's Followers?
Aired August 28, 2008 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. Good afternoon.
I'm Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center in New York.
Tonight, Barack Obama will take the field to give his acceptance speech. Seventy-five thousand people-plus we'll pass the Denver Bronco's football stadium. Anybody think pressure?
Well, Senator Obama knows that this had better be the most memorable speech of his career, because John McCain and the Republicans can't wait to change the subject. Senator McCain is getting set for the big announcement of his running mate, but who it will be and has he even made the decision yet? McCain says no, said it just a moment ago. Others tell us, yes, he has, though.
Members of the best political team on TV are working their sources as we speak. And they'll sort it all out for us.
First, let's head to the CNN Grill, which is where John Roberts is this morning.
Hey, John. Good morning.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good afternoon to you, Soledad.
It was a big finish across the street at the Pepsi Center last night. Barack Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, appearing on stage for the very first time after Joe Biden completed his acceptance speech. And tonight the attention turns to the INVESCO Field, Mile High Stadium, some 75,000 to 76,000 people expected for Barack Obama's speech.
As you said, he's got to make this a memorable one.
Let's turn to Jessica Yellin, a member of the best political team on television.
The last couple of nights have been all about unifying the party. Barack Obama has got to do a little bit of that, it would seem to me, tonight. But this speech also has to be a launch pad for him, because from here on in, it's just a flat-out run to November 4th and the election.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Until now, we've seen him sort of talking to the crowd in the audience. Tonight, Barack Obama is going to be talking out to the rest of the country. And one thing we can say about Obama is that he knows how to pull it out when he's giving a major, major speech.
What we're getting as information from the people we talk to, expect him to talk a little bit about his own story, who he is. Then change into a message about what he'll do for the country. That's a little different from the message we've heard on the stump all along, maybe a few more specifics, something that really grounds him. He's been criticized for being still too broad.
And then sharp contrast with McCain. Don't expect him to throw red meat, don't expect him to be vicious and really attack, but to sort of define why he and his policies are right for the country, why he believes McCain's are wrong. And really try to humanize himself in a way that connects with these Independents.
ROBERTS: OK. So this idea of grounding and humanizing, many analysts that we had on our program this morning, "AMERICAN MORNING," and others that I've heard have said the addition of Joe Biden to the ticket, the speech he gave last night, really helps to ground the campaign. Just old-fashioned values, kitchen table issues.
But when you look at the stadium, 76,000 people, you look at that set, which some people have nicknamed "The Barackopolis" because it looks...
YELLIN: Or Barackopolis.
ROBERTS: Whatever. If you want four syllables or five syllables. And it raises expectations for him, as opposed to lowering them. And it puts him in a setting that the Republicans are really trying to spin up as something that reinforces this idea of him being an out-of-touch celebrity.
YELLIN: Right. And that is the problem.
I mean, in terms of high expectations, he knows how to play to that massive crowd. That works for him.
The problem is to bring it down to earth and make him seem like a guy people can relate to. And you're right, that is the challenge. Republicans have been going hard at him. The fact that they built this set, that's a little unusual, it seems, Greek columns and who knows what it will look like on camera.
ROBERTS: Well, it's supposed to represent a federal building.
YELLIN: They say -- and they say it'll look different on camera and it's not finished, and we shouldn't jump to conclusions.
What the campaign is saying is that the other elements matter a lot more, in their view. You have 60,000 people there who are not delegates, these are just real people, as they like to call them. And that they'll be texting out to their friends messages, saying, get involved.
So it'll be interactive, it'll be outreach, et cetera, et cetera. This is what they're saying.
We'll really have to wait and see how it plays out tonight. Will he come off as a celebrity or a new guy for Independents to trust?
ROBERTS: Well, certainly there will be no shortage on analysis of how he does.
Jessica, thanks -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: John, thank you.
Let's bring in our top political analysts now. They're already talking amongst themselves, as you can hear.
CNN political contributor Amy Holmes is an Independent conservative. CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen is with us. He served as an adviser to four presidents, Republican and Democrat. And journalist, author and CNN political contributor Carl Bernstein's with us. He wrote the book on Hillary Clinton, "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton."
You guys, your titles are getting longer and longer every moment.
Let's look back first to last night, and then we'll look toward to the speech tonight, which is what Jessica was just talking about a moment ago.
First, let's listen to a little bit of what Bill Clinton said in his speech before I ask you what you thought of it. Let's play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief.
(APPLAUSE)
Sound familiar? It didn't work in 1992 because we were on the right side of history. And it will not work in 2008 because Barack Obama is on the right side of history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: David Gergen, let's start with you.
How critical was that? Barack Obama's on the right side of history, it didn't work then, it won't work now. Hillary Clinton didn't say that the night before. Was it critical that Bill Clinton did?
DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Absolutely. And I think Bill Clinton delivered the most effective, most powerful, and most important speech since he's left the White House.
And I think he deserves -- he and Hillary Clinton deserve an awful lot of credit for having brought this convention to where it is now, and that is finally the Democrats have come together. They seem to have some momentum, they're rallying the country.
We can't tell from New York or Denver, frankly, how this is actually moving voters out around the country. I think we have to wait and see on that. But from the Democratic point of view, they have really teed this up well for Barack Obama tonight.
O'BRIEN: And certainly just the topics of change. We're not talking about disunity anymore, and there's sort of substance to talk about finally.
What did you think of the speech?
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I thought it was absolutely necessary and I think that it did the job. I agree with David. And last night, Campbell, she made the point that this convention last night finally became Barack Obama's convention.
On Saturday, when he introduced Joe Biden as his VP pick, Gallup found that there was no bounce out of that. The first two, three days we were talking about Clinton disunity, we were talking about Clinton supporters who had not yet rallied behind Barack Obama. Last night, when Bill Clinton said that Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States, I think that was the moment that finally Barack Obama was coming into his own at this convention.
O'BRIEN: Let's play a little bit of a chunk of what Joe Biden had to say. He gave what some people thought was a very good speech, as well. People were looking for red meat. Here's a little clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Almost every single night I take the train home to Wilmington, Delaware. Sometimes very late. As I sit there in my seat and I look out that window, and I see those flickering lights of the homes that pass by, I can almost hear the conversation they're having at their kitchen tables after they put their kids to bed.
Like millions of Americans, they're asking questions as ordinary as they are profound. Questions they never ever thought they'd have to ask themselves.
Should mom move in with us now that dad's gone? Fifty dollars, $60, $70 just to fill up the gas tank. How in God's name with winter coming, how are we going to heat the home?
Another year, no raise. Did you hear? Did you hear they may be cutting our health care at the company?
Now we owe more money on our home than our home is worth. How in God's name are we going to send the kids to college?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Joe Biden doing what I think people think Joe Biden does so well, and clearly explains why he's on the ticket.
What did you think of his speech? And did it go far enough? Because some people said that wasn't a red meat attack. That was a really measured, thoughtful attack.
CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I think there's a ridiculous amount of talk about red meat, and it sounds like we're at -- it's getting a little bit crazy.
O'BRIEN: Well, that's what they call it. I didn't make up the term.
BERNSTEIN: Look, the Democrats are having a remarkably successful convention. The question is, what is Barack Obama going to do tonight? And can he bring the whole deal home?
David's been a presidential speechwriter, but we saw in Bill Clinton last night, I think you would agree, one of the great political speeches of all time. And not just a political speech, a look at inside who Bill Clinton really is and what the Democratic Party really is, about a kind of politics.
And then we saw Joe Biden get up and humanize that politics on a gut level. And I thought it worked great.
O'BRIEN: Teeing us up to Barack Obama.
So?
GERGEN: Soledad, one of the interesting aspects of what we just saw was the intimacy of the conversation. It really was talking to people in their living rooms, in a calm way, and in a connected way. And it seems to me it underscores one of the challenges for Barack Obama tonight, speaking in a stadium in front of 75,000 people.
How do you simultaneously rally this big crowd and get them on their feet and cheering and stomping, and yet at the same time achieve the intimacy, which is so important to converting voters one by one by one to come to your cause, to feel confidence in who you are? And it does seem to me that by choosing the stadium, they put him in what I think -- I think he's being pulled in two different directions in the speech, and how he can pull that off I don't know, but I do think it's one of the major challenges of the speech.
O'BRIEN: And you look at the other two different directions. I mean, he's got to be presidential and down to earth, he's got to be lofty, but be specific. He's got to be, you know, full of plans, but not professorial. I mean -- and don't forget, there's another guy who 45 years ago gave a great speech, too, on that same day.
I mean, that's a high bar to have to catapult yourself over.
HOLMES: It's a high bar, and that's why he hires professional speechwriters. We also know Barack Obama, that he gets very involved in his own speechwriting. But he's going to have to pace it, and he's going to have do those intimate moments, but he's also going to have to give those 75,000 true believers in that huge stadium the soaring rhetoric that they want to hear. They want to leave this convention on a very, very high note.
The clip that we just heard from Joe Biden, I thought that was the best part of his speech last night.
O'BRIEN: It's Joe Biden. It's what he does best.
HOLMES: It's what he does best, in bringing this down to earth.
BERNSTEIN: I went back and looked at Barack Obama's 2004 speech at the Democratic Convention. It was an absolutely remarkable speech. I'm not going to be in the business of telling him what to do up here today.
I think we know anecdotally and from polls, which are just snapshots, that he has somewhat of a problem in terms of being regarded as "formidable." I don't just mean formidable in terms of walking down the street, but in terms of all of these attributes that combine presidential qualities. That's the task, if there's any that he's going to be measured by tonight, I think, that might be toughest of all and his hardest assignment.
GERGEN: Remember -- he's got to remember tonight too that this is -- the importance of this speech is not how it compares to Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton, or even his own past speeches. The importance of it is how it compares to John McCain's speech next week.
That's the judgment people are going to make. They're going to look at each of the two candidates and figure out, which one do I think would make a better leader, one I can trust, and one who will also do a better job of getting the country out of the ditch.
And so this is a speech -- and we saw in Saddleback with Rick Warren that John McCain was very direct, very forceful, very persuasive. And in the minds of most of us, won that conversation, in effect.
So he's got to find a way not just to win this crowd, but to beat John McCain. And that is -- and I think John McCain has turned out to be a much more formidable person on stage in the last few weeks than anybody imagined so. This is going to be -- there's a whole lot riding on this.
O'BRIEN: You just listed about 35 things. That is our final word. Don't even -- hold it for our next conversation.
Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it.
At the start of the week, everyone knew that the Democrats' biggest challenge would be achieving unity, and many didn't know if they could really do that. Now that both of the Clintons have spoken, have the Democrats done that?
We're going to check in with three of our most astute political analysts. They've been watching Denver all week. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are first strong at home.
(APPLAUSE)
People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Bill Clinton on center stage last night. And by any measure, in top form.
Did he seal the deal with Hillary Clinton voters? Will they go over now to Barack Obama? Did he do enough? And what's ahead for tonight, as well?
Let's check in with three members of the best political team on television.
Dana Milbank is here, along with Hilary Rosen, and Roland Martin, fresh off the radio and warmed up and getting ready to go.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: So, the question for the first three days of this convention was, will Bill Clinton do enough to help support Barack Obama? And now people are saying, gosh, did he go overboard last night? Did he look desperate in his efforts to try to give him credibility?
What do you think, Hilary?
HILARY ROSEN, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, HUFFINGTON POST: I think that Bill Clinton was a statesman last night. There was nothing in his body language that looked desperate.
You know, there's just really nobody better than him at explaining to all of us what this country needs. He's a master at it. He's laconic, congenial, and I love that he didn't do a stem-winder. I love that he just sort of intelligently said, you know, we've got two problems. We've got to rebuild the American dream and we've got to restore America's reputation abroad.
But what are the components of that? And how does Barack Obama help?
ROBERTS: So many people are deconstructing that speech. Some people are saying in that money line that he had where he said, "Barack Obama is the best man for the job," people are saying, well, he didn't say person or candidate, he left out the idea of a woman being the best person for the job.
MARTIN: We'll do this here. Pass that vial, because they need to have a drug test. OK?
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: I mean, come on. It is utterly ridiculous. I mean, it's no different than sitting here and saying well, Michelle Obama, great speech, but her dress.
Shut up. It was a speech. I'm like, what is the big deal here?
ROBERTS: Who said that?
MARTIN: I mean, not only that, this was interesting. Bill Clinton never said "John McCain" last night.
ROSEN: Oh, yes. That's right.
MARTIN: He said the Republican alternative, the senator. He basically said the small guy who is running.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: You always refer to the other person as "my opponent."
MARTIN: Right. Right.
ROSEN: That was good.
ROBERTS: So let's take a look at Joe Biden, because he really came out swinging against John McCain. And he framed it in this way. There was so much interesting psychology going on last night, saying, "John McCain is a friend of mine" -- the unspoken phrase here -- "and it really pains me to say this..."
ROSEN: I'm hurting.
ROBERTS: "... but he's wrong."
What did you make of that?
DANA MILBANK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's just sort of a code word in Washington now on the campaign trail. Whenever you say "My friend, the honorable gentlemen from Delaware," you're about to drill him a new one, shall we say. And that is, in Biden's world, what he did last night.
You know, the truth is, I think when we look at what the Republicans are going to do to the Democrats this week, we're going to think they were just tossing NERF balls. They are getting tough on the Republicans right now, but I suspect that this whole thing is going to be taken up to another level, and we're going to look back on these gentle times here.
ROSEN: And I think... MARTIN: Don't forget John Kerry's speech. My man was throwing hay. And I said, you know what? John gave that four years ago, it might be a different kind of convention this year.
ROBERTS: Well, like James Carville once said -- as James Carville once said, "If 'ifs' and 'buts' were spears and nuts, we'd have ourselves a heck of a party."
(LAUGHTER)
ROSEN: You know, the other thing about Joe Biden, though, is when -- you know, it was supposed to be foreign policy night last night. When it finally got there, it actually made sense. And Joe Biden has credibility.
He actually traveled around the world with John McCain. And so, every time he says, "John McCain was wrong and Barack Obama is right," I think it adds extra. And, you know, I hope he did enough of that last night. I think the Republicans are going to wipe the floor with that next week.
ROBERTS: Well, let me ask you...
ROSEN: But this is my test. This morning, all of the Republican pundits are screaming their heads off and, you know, defending against George Bush. So I think we probably had a good night.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: In terms of this "Barack Obama was right, John McCain was wrong" thing, let me ask you quickly about this. The 2011 schedule to pull American forces out of Iraq, that would seem on the surface to reinforce Barack Obama's idea of a timetable. But this has been an election about who is going to bring out the troops and who is not. The troops are coming out.
Does that diminish that as an issue?
MILBANK: Well, it diminishes it as an issue, but I think we're beyond talking about timetables in particular years. We're ramping up now into the last two months here. This is going to be all-out scare tactics.
From the Republicans next week, you're going to hear, vote Democrat and die. They're taking an inoculation this week. We're way beyond pullouts. We're like, these guys are really going to be gunning for us and we've got to preempt this.
MARTIN: But it was a perfect setup, though, because what they're trying to lay out, the judgment argument, is that they're complaining, oh, he's too nuanced. They're saying, wait a minute, timetables, push (ph) for timetables. In terms of Iran, don't talk to them. He said talk to them, now they're talking to them.
They're trying to say that, you know what? He seems to have inexperience, but his ideas seem to be resonating among the current administration. Republicans have to deal with that.
ROSEN: That's right. And they have to deal with George Bus.
ROBERTS: Obviously a new line of compare and contrast, and we'll probably see a lot more.
Thanks very much, folks. Good to see you today.
MARTIN: Glad to be here.
ROBERTS: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And Barack Obama's nomination is a historic milestone for African-Americans. We'll take a look at that when we come back.
Also take a look at the acceptance speech, which comes on the 45th anniversary of another watershed moment in U.S. history. We'll talk about how much things have changed, and maybe how little they've changed, ever since Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, coming up in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL)
O'BRIEN: The Democratic National Convention might be switching locations today, but they're still going to be starting officially at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
After Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson recites the Pledge of Allegiance, Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson will sing the National Anthem.
The delegates will then hear from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter.
During the 7:00 hour there's a tribute to Martin Luther King, on this, the 45th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Singer Sheryl Crow will also be performing. Lots of live music tonight. Stevie Wonder will perform during the 8:00 p.m. Eastern hour in between speeches by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and also one of tonight's political headliners, former vice president Al Gore.
At 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Michael McDonald will perform. There's also going to be a salute to retired U.S. generals.
And then, during the 10:00 hour, presidential nominee Barack Obama will give his acceptance speech. And the fact that it's an African-American who will be giving that acceptance speech makes it an historic event.
It also comes, as we mentioned, on that 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. So we wanted to talk with the National Urban League, a group that works to empower African- Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream,. And its president and CEO, Mac Morial, is in Denver for the speech tonight and joins us now.
Marc, nice to see you as always.
MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT & CEO, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: Hi. Great to be with you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Marc.
What you've been doing is holding conferences on sort of the economic urban agenda. Do you think tonight in his speech that Barack Obama has to speak specifically to that? Will you be disappointed if he does not? Do you think it will be a loss for the American people if he does not?
MORIAL: I think what he has to do is to focus on new priorities for the future of the nation. When we talk about urban issues, we're talking about jobs, health care, rebuilding infrastructure, we're talking about schools and education. And I think that what I hear from my travels across the nation is that people want a change in priorities and they want a prioritization of these issues. And it is in urban communities big and small where so much of the American population lives. So I think he's got to chart that course in his speech tonight.
O'BRIEN: You have said that the next president really must focus on the homeownership. What have you heard from Barack Obama that makes you feel that, you know, his focus on homeownership is consistent with what you're looking for?
MORIAL: Well, he's committed to our opportunity compact, the National Urban League's urban agenda, which includes an effort to fix the credit crisis, an effort to ensure that Fannie and Freddie are strong and able to continue their work. A focus on a new system so that there's oversight and regulation so that there are no more subprime meltdowns in the future.
So, his campaign has been quite thoughtful about how they've dealt with housing, and very importantly, they've endorsed our opportunity compact. We've encouraged both candidates, as well as both party platforms, to include our recommendations in their plan for the future.
O'BRIEN: His speech tonight, I mean, there's such an incredibly high bar to have to hop over, frankly. I mean, in addition to all of the pundits weighing in on what he should do and definitely shouldn't do, you have this historic day.
When I was talking to Al Sharpton earlier today, I asked him if he felt that the fact that Barack Obama doesn't come from a civil rights movement, like you do, does that mean a changing of the guard? And he said no, it's still a continuation.
What do you think?
MORIAL: Well, you know, in my career, I spent 10 years as an elected official, as a state legislator and also as mayor, and now lead a civil rights organization. I think the civil rights movement of today is no longer simply within civil rights organizations. I think it resides anywhere in America where people are committed to this overall goal of economic opportunity for all, and curing and healing the divisions of the past. So I believe that one who serves in corporate America can, in fact, be a civil rights champion.
One in Congress, certainly the president can and should be a civil rights champion. So it's important to look at, I think tonight, as ushering indeed a new era. But the most important thing is a commitment to a future where there's economic opportunity for all.
O'BRIEN: You mentioned you served time, or worked as a mayor. Of course, you're referring to to the city of New Orleans, and we all know right now that Hurricane Gustav is seeming right in the direction, straight on, to your city.
Do you feel that the levees are ready, that the city's prepared, that people will evacuate this time around? What do you think?
MORIAL: Well, I can't comment because I'm not privy to the actual preparation. But let me tell you what my thoughts are and my recommendations are.
I would like to see the governor and the mayor standing together to communicate to the public what their recommendations are with respect to preparation and evacuation. And to do it with the leadership of all of the parishes in southeastern Louisiana. And I would challenge them to do that.
The second thing I believe is that the people certainly know that they've got to get prepared. And I think they will heed a call to evacuate. But I would also urge the leaders of Louisiana and FEMA to do the things now, to do the things now that are necessary in the event that the hurricane metes out some human difficulty or some difficulty to property, and not to wait.
You cannot wait when a serious hurricane is out there in the Gulf. You've got to prepare and prepare ahead of time.
I hope that they're better prepared than FEMA. The National Urban League and so many of us feel it's our responsibility to hold all of them accountable. There is no, no excuse if they're not better prepared than they were three years ago. And no one should take that hurricane out there lightly. It could intensify in strength. It could change direction. They're very unpredictable weather systems.
O'BRIEN: And certainly have learned that lesson. Absolutely.
Marc Morial is the former mayor of New Orleans, but also the president of the National Urban League.
Nice to see you, Marc. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
We're going to turn our attention to today's other big political drama. We're working our sources to find out whether John McCain has or has not picked his running mate. We're also going to consider that person's opponent. What will it take to stand up to Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden? Three members of the best political team on TV, who have been watching for years, are going to weigh in up next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, John McCain is my friend. And I know you hear that phrase used all the time in politics. I mean it. John McCain is my friend. We've traveled the world together. It's a friendship that goes beyond politics. And the personal courage and heroism demonstrated by John still amazes me.
But I profoundly -- I profoundly disagree with the direction John wants to take this country from Afghanistan, to Iraq, from Amtrak to veterans. You know, John thinks -- John thinks that during the Bush years, "we've made great economic progress." I think it's been abysmal.
And in the Senate, John has voted with President Bush 95 percent. And that is very hard to believe. And when John McCain proposes $200 million in new taxes for corporate America, $1 billion alone for the largest companies in the nation, but no, none, no relief for 100 million American families, that's not change. That's more of the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Joe Biden last night with an interesting and some might same effective political tactic, saying that John McCain is my close friend. Not saying this idea of -- and I would really have to be upset about this for me to say this, but I profoundly disagree with him.
Let's talk about all of this and what's ahead and the next eight weeks here in the campaign trail. Three of the members of the best political team on television. Suzanne Malveaux, Joe Johns, Candy Crowley here with us.
Joe, let's start with you.
It's going to take an awful lot of money to get this campaign on the road and, you know, keep the wheels of the Democratic Party rolling. You've been looking into the influence here of lobbyists at this convention. What have you found out?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, certainly an extraordinary amount of money. And there's some indications, Public Citizens for one, suggesting more money is flowing into this convention than in past years. That's even though there have been new reforms put in place by the House and the Senate. Even though the United States has sort of turned against lobbying. And even though both candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, have really trashed lobbyists on the campaign trail. More money coming in here, probably because of a result of the way the rules were changed. And, you know, the net effect, perhaps nothing has changed at all except the lobbyists have sort of gone underground. They're less visible, perhaps, at this convention than in past years. The meetings, you don't see, you know, them anymore. You don't see them meeting with the senators. You're not allowed to take cameras into some of their events.
ROBERTS: And apparently one ABC investigative reporter was arrested trying to do a story on this. Now we don't know the particular circumstances of the arrest, just that he did wind up in police custody.
Let's talk a little bit about tonight, as well. Politics is typically the game of lowering expectations and then exceeding them. But look at what Barack Obama has got on his plate tonight. He's got this huge crowd, at this enormous stadium, with a very interesting backdrop on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. It would seem that he would have to knock it out of the park to meet expectations.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I talked to Bill Burton, of the campaign, and he said, essentially, that, you know, this is going to be the biggest speech of his life so far. And really that -- he says, while the rest of us are nervous, he's cool as a cucumber. We'll have to wait and see.
But one of the things about Barack Obama, he's not just going to outline his values, his background. He's not just going to talk about policy. But what's important is the symbolism of this. Forty-five years since the "I have a dream" speech, Martin Luther King.
One of the things people don't know about, is that he really was about 15 years too late for the civil rights movement, has a real passion for it, has a passion for Martin Luther King. Even when he was in law school, he used to quote passages from Martin Luther King. Some of the students thought it was kind of odd and others kind of embraced it. But this is something that he feels very personally connected too, as well, the historic nature.
ROBERTS: Candy, what do you think we're going to hear in this speech? He's been criticized sometimes for having lots of very nice words, soaring redirect, but lacking content. Is he going to put some meat on the bones tonight? Does he have to do that?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: If you're talking about a 12-point plan, you generally don't unveil those in front of 70,000 people. Just (INAUDIBLE) to go over.
Look, here's what people are expecting. They're expecting a bomb (ph) of a speech. I mean, that's why they're coming. That's why they've got this big set. That's why they've invited 70,000 of his closest friends.
So, no, I don't expect that people are going to come away going, oh now I understand his energy policy. Way we're going to see is, here are the two roads we can go. We can either go the John McCain way and here's the risk. Or we can be brave and opt for my way.
So I think that he will mention issues, but you're not going to see a lot of specifics. That's for the campaign trail, that's for speeches, you know, in front of think tanks.
ROBERTS: Joe, one thing that Joe Biden seemed to do very well last night was connect the people. Candy and I were talking about this earlier this morning. The train ride, the nightly train ride that he takes between Washington, D.C. and Wilmington. Heavily populated area of Maryland in there and parts of Delaware. And he's thinking about what's going on in the kitchen tables of the homes that he's passing by. Seems to be a real grounding influence for this campaign.
JOHNS: Well, sure. And he's going to play probably very well in Pennsylvania because he has real roots there. The thing about Biden, and I covered him for a long time, is that he talks like a truth teller. And maybe he's not always, he's still a partisan Democrat and sometimes a very partisan Democrat. But a lot of people can relate to the things he says because sometimes they're so blunt and sharp and jarring and, you know, I went to college in West Virginia. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio. And sometimes when I go home, I'm sort of stunned by the candor because that's what people are used to saying (INAUDIBLE).
ROBERTS: Yes, remember what he said in the Senate the day that President Bush sort of took a glancing blow at Barack Obama (INAUDIBLE). Something we can't repeat here on television. (INAUDIBLE) -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, John, thanks.
And just a little bit ago, John McCain said he hasn't picked a running mate yet. But our sources are telling us a different story. Up next, the conflicting hints, all the possible choices, including some dark horses you may not have heard about yet. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Barack Obama may be the big headliner tonight, but John McCain could try to steal some of the spotlight. Lots of buzz today about whether McCain has made his choice for vice president. Let's turn to CNN's Ed Henry who's in Las Vegas.
Hey, Ed. Good afternoon.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon to you, Soledad.
Obviously all this drama this morning could be a case of John McCain trying, as you say, to steal the spotlight a little bit there. McCain saying this morning that he has not decided on his pick yet. Multiple Republican sources telling CNN he actually has settled on his pick and could call that person today.
The bottom line is, there's a lot of process going on. A lot of behind the scenes stuff. But the bottom line is, that on Friday, noon Eastern, is when John McCain is finally expected to officially reveal this at a rally in Dayton, Ohio. Obviously a key battleground state.
I'm in Las Vegas this morning because Mitt Romney was here last night at a couple of events trying to rally the base for John McCain. He's still at the top of the short list because, on paper, he obviously has a lot to bring to this ticket. Once a rival. Now he's been raising a lot of money for McCain. He's a former businessman. Could help on the economy.
But there's a lack of chemistry there, potentially, because of their fights in the primaries. That's why you still hear the name of Tim Pawlenty, the Minnesota governor, 47 years old, a Washington outsider, maybe picking him would tap into Barack Obama's message of change, maybe steal some of the thunder there especially because you now have two Washington senators, Washington insiders on the Democratic ticket.
And finally you keep hearing about Joe Lieberman, independent Democrat from Connecticut, but he supports abortion rights. That could be a sticking point, obviously. But there's a sense among some McCain advisers that John McCain wants to be really comfortable with this person. Not just in the campaign, in the final stretch, but as a governing partner if they do win.
So the bottom line is, right now we know that we're going to finally know tomorrow noon Eastern. We still don't know precisely who it's going to be -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, and he very much likes Lieberman. There's no question. You can even see his body language changes because he likes, you know, Senator Lieberman. But my question would be, really, is the bigger question, are conservatives ever going to be comfortable with Lieberman as a VP pick? I mean isn't that kind of the $64,000 question?
HENRY: That's the big -- absolutely. And Rush Limbaugh has already said in recent weeks, that if someone like Lieberman or Tom Ridge, moderate Republican from Pennsylvania, is picked, it would lead to, in his words, the destruction of the Republican Party. I think there's no doubt that the Republican Convention in St. Paul next week would take on a whole new bit of drama. It could split the party if someone who supports abortion rights, like Lieberman, is picked.
But the very bottom line here is that ultimately this is a gut check for John McCain, just as it was for Barack Obama last week. And McCain considers himself a maverick. And there are some of his advisers who say, he may want a bold stroke here. And even if it's risky, he may think it's worth the reward in terms of trying to maybe lose some conservatives but maybe win over some independent voters in the middle -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And maybe steal a little bit of the change thunder from the other side. That might be interesting too.
HENRY: Absolutely. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry for us this afternoon.
Thanks, Ed, appreciate it.
Republicans critics were ready and waiting even before Barack Obama announced that Joe Biden would be his running mate. And ever since then, those attacks have not mitigated. So can the Democrats stop and stand up to those nonstop attacks? Joining me is California Democratic Congressman Maxine Waters.
Thanks for talking with us. Certainly appreciate it.
You're holding your ear, so I hope you can hear me. Is your audio OK?
REP. MAXINE WATERS, (D) CALIFORNIA: I can hear you. The audio is OK. I'm distracted by noise, that's all. I'm going to pay attention.
O'BRIEN: Well, because, you're in the CNN diner. So people are eating and talking around you. I'll yell and hopefully that'll help a little bit. You know, tell me how you think Barack Obama -- I know your issue is really inner city home ownership. Some people have said, Barack Obama's plan to bail out homeowners who are really struggling doesn't go far enough. Do you think it, in fact, it does?
WATERS: I actually don't know his plan. I do know that I'd like him to spend a lot of time on how we can not only deal with the subprime crisis, but how we can deal with the financial institutions that are responsible for this mess that we're in, predatory lending, and these issues are extremely important. I've not heard yet a lot of in-depth discussion about the problems that exist in the financial services community. And so it's not just the subprime melt down, it's about predatory lending and all of the policies that have been developed by this very powerful industry where they've been able to get away with doing too many things that's harmful to the consumer. It's time to rein them in and that's what I want to hear.
O'BRIEN: You've been a key leader in five presidential campaigns, Senator Kennedy, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton. Earlier on there was talk of lack of unity. Do you think that lack of unity -- as a woman who supported Hillary Clinton, is that lack of unity now no longer an issue, really? Realistically?
WATERS: I don't think so. I've been watching support for Barack Obama build. And as I looked at that floor last evening, and listened to a lot of the conversations that were going on in the media, and talked with my friends, we see that this support has come to the forefront.
A lot of people didn't know him. I didn't know him very well. I think he's done a pretty good job of defining himself. He's proven that he's competent and capable and certainly he can organize a good campaign, raise a lot of money. He has proven that he has what it takes in order to lead. And so I think there is a unified campaign. I don't think we're going to see a lot of opposition from some of the old Hillary supporters, et cetera. I think it's all coming together.
O'BRIEN: Well, Representative Maxine Waters joining us this afternoon from the CNN diner.
Thanks for your time, Congresswoman. We certainly appreciate it.
As we continue our growing coverage of what's happening in Denver, I believe we have there, yes, that's Stevie Wonder, you can see, and his backup band with him. That's the podium there. And they are rehearsing. Doing a little mic check as they prepare for their concert. That will be later. He's going to be performing this evening as well.
Also ahead, we're going to talk to the mayor of Denver live. That's when CNN's special coverage of the Democratic National Convention comes right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: And here's a look -- some time lapse photography here at the set up at the INVESCO Mile High Stadium. INVESCO Field over there. Everything had to be moved, at least production wise, from the Pepsi Center over to INVESCO Field within a number of days. They had to build the new set when they decided to do the nominating and acceptance speech outside. But it's all put together now and they're just sort of working the bugs out of it. Stevie Wonder was up on the stage a few moments ago rehearsing. Of course, "Signed Sealed Delivered, I'm Yours." A big campaign song for Barack Obama. And it's going to be a very interesting night tonight as we watch what will certainly be the biggest speech of his life.
You know it was 100 years ago the last time Denver hosted a Democratic National Convention. The mayor of Denver, John Hickenlooper, is with us today.
Why did it take so long? I know that you worked very hard on this. And what do you think of the convention so far?
MAYOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER, (D) DENVER, COLORADO: Well, it took a long time partly because a lot of people forget there is a Rocky Mountain Time Zone. It was the first time in 100 years that we had in anywhere in this time zone a national convention.
But we've loved it. I mean our -- everybody worked hard. We knew that if we could do the planning, the logistics, get people where they needed to go, have the police well trained and security work, then people would see what we're proud of, a vibrant downtown, you know, the second largest performing arts center in the country. I mean people already knew about the Rocky Mountains and all that kind of chamber of commerce stuff, but they hadn't really seen the Denver -- you know, two new art museums and, you know, three pretty new sports facilities. Everything downtown. So people had a great time. So we're delighted. ROBERTS: Well, we're seeing both of those sports facilities.
HICKENLOOPER: Yes, right, exactly.
ROBERTS: We've been spending an awful lot of time in them.
The primary season, no question, it was awfully fractious (ph). We have seen efforts in the first three days of this convention to try to unify the party. Going into the final night tonight, where would you say that the party is?
HICKENLOOPER: Oh, well, you look at what President Clinton did last night, and he just -- he nailed it. I mean he found the phrases and the connection to show that, you know, the past is the past. And, you know, it says a lot about Barack Obama. That throughout the primary campaign, he never came out and did the heavy attacks. He was always respectful of Senator Clinton. He was always respectful of President Clinton. I mean occasionally there was a little push and pull, but he really is about bringing people together and it paid off. It paid off in them coming to outperform 100 percent.
ROBERTS: Well, he may not engage in the attacks himself, but certainly the campaign does. There are a lot of negative ads that are out there. Now they've hired -- they've brought on Joe Biden. They didn't hire him. They brought Joe Biden on to play that role. And he played it forcefully last night. So there's a little bit of a yin and yang going on here.
HICKENLOOPER: But it wasn't that forceful. I mean he spent a lot of time talking about how he respects John McCain and was very sincere.
ROBERTS: And how wrong he was.
HICKENLOOPER: And how wrong he was. That's not negative campaigning. When you . . .
ROBERTS: I was going to say, that's a compare and contrast.
HICKENLOOPER: A compare and contrast. Fair enough. OK. Guilty as charged.
I think that what Barack's trying to do is show that there is a difference between himself and Senator McCain and that there is a difference between the parties and what the focuses are. And doing that in a respectful way allows, once the election's over, for people to come together, just the way the Clintons have come together with the Obamas.
ROBERTS: 1992 was the last time Colorado went Democrat. A very close race. Some polls have Barack Obama up by one. Some polls have John McCain up by one. On question, it's all within the margin of error. Can you turn it blue this year?
HICKENLOOPER: You know, I think it's -- I feel pretty positive it's going to go blue for a couple different reasons. One, Denver has so many independents. You have more independents than Republicans or Democrats. And those independents generally chose to come to Colorado for our lifestyle. They wanted the lifestyle, not a promotion or a job opportunity. And they -- they're tired of the status quo. I think they're very frustrated with the last eight years in Washington. And they're going to seek it get changed.
The second thing is, Colorado is one of the youngest states, right. We have so many young people move here, again, to go hiking and biking and skiing and Barack Obama has an uncanny ability to connect with young people and inspire them to, you know, give back and get involved.
ROBERTS: Mr. Mayor, we've got to go. But we should point out that the last time the convention was in Denver, the Democrats lost the general election.
HICKENLOOPER: But, you know, history seldom repeats itself. Probably for good reason.
ROBERTS: Well, we should also point out too that the last time the Republicans held theirs in Minneapolis, the St. Paul area, they lost. So somebody's going to break the curse.
Mayor John Hickenlooper -- good to be with you today, sir.
HICKENLOOPER: What a pleasure.
ROBERTS: Thanks for dropping by -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Hey, John, let me ask you a question. You're at the CNN diner, right? Describe it for me. Because what we've seen . . .
ROBERTS: CNN Grill, as we're calling it.
O'BRIEN: CNN Grill. Right. So every so often, over someone's shoulder, I see Wolf Blitzer eating lunch. Is there food? Is there a chef? is there a guy? Is someone bringing you meals? Is the food good?
ROBERTS: This has sort of been the center of the political universe outside of the Pepsi Center. Of course, all the speeches and all of that are inside. And all the hoopla, the pomp and circumstance. Over here, people have been getting together, we brought in a chef here, we've got this space carved out. A lot of people come over, they sit and they have a meal, they talk politics.
We've had some celebrities in here, political celebrities, as well. Maria Shriver was here. Caroline Kennedy, on that first night. And it's just been a great place, an amazing scene. So many people come over here after the night of the convention is finished. It's just a really vibrant and wonderful place to be. And things have worked out really well here.
O'BRIEN: Open 24 hours a day. Is the food good?
ROBERTS: Well, you know, the food's not open 24 hours a day. But wouldn't you know it, the work space is?
O'BRIEN: That says it all, John, doesn't it?
Well, we'll see you back, of course, on "AMERICAN MORNING" tomorrow morning. And we will check in with you then.
ROBERTS: Yes, we're starting at 5:00 a.m., by the way.
O'BRIEN: A little bit early there. OK, John, thanks very much. And we want to remind everybody else, you can continue to watch the special coverage of the Democratic National Convention right here on CNN.
And our rolling coverage continues. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
