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American Morning
Bill Clinton Backs Obama, Democrats Unite Behind Obama-Biden Ticket; Biden Blasts McCain; One-on-One Interview with Michelle Obama; New Orleans Prepares For a Potential Killer Storm; McCain to Announce VP Pick Tomorrow
Aired August 28, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. We're coming across the top of the hour now. Coming to you live from Denver, Colorado, in INVESCO Field at Mile High. Day four of the Democratic National Convention.
Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts with the "Most Politics in the Morning." We have moved half a mile down the road from the Pepsi Center across Interstate 25 to INVESCO Field. It's a 76,000 seat stadium, home to the Denver Broncos.
So you can get an idea of what it's like for an entire network and convention production team to pick up, move down the street and set up, we had our folks shoot this time lapse video spanning several days. Hundreds of engineers, producers, technical operators all for tonight's big speech by presidential candidate, Barack Obama. Amazing what they did in the last few days.
And that's where we start this hour. We're going to be asking the experts, what does Obama need to say tonight and what should we be looking for?
We're also going to look at last night's big speeches by Senator Joe Biden and Bill Clinton. Did their message unify the party and prove that Obama is the right candidate come Election Day?
All that and a whole lot more straight ahead on the "Most Politics in the Morning." But first, let's send it back to New York and here's Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: John, thanks.
You know, Senator Joe Biden accepted the number two spot on his party's ticket last night. Then he led the charge against his long- time colleague and a man he calls his friend, John McCain, saying the choice in November is clear.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Barack Obama knows that any country that out teaches us today will out compete us tomorrow. That's why he will invest in the next generation of teachers and why he'll make college more affordable. That's the change we need. Barack Obama, Barack Obama will bring down health care costs by $2,500 for the average family and at long last deliver affordable, accessible health care for every American.
Now, after six long years, the administration and the Iraqi government are on the verge of setting a date to bring our troops home. John McCain was wrong and Barack Obama was right. Again. Again. And again.
On the most important national security issues of our time, John McCain was wrong and Barack Obama has been proven right.
These are extraordinary times. This is an extraordinary election. The American people are ready. I am ready. Barack is ready.
This is his time. This is our time. This is America's time. God bless America and may God protect our troops! Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Then a surprise visit on stage from the man at the top of the ticket. Barack Obama giving us a little preview of what 75,000 plus will see tonight when he accepts the nomination.
And former President Bill Clinton came out, immediately threw his support behind Barack Obama in his attempt to silence many critics of his behavior over the primary season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Barack Obama is ready to lead America and to restore American leadership in the world. Barack Obama is ready to honor the oath to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Tonight it's a big game atmosphere here at Mile High Stadium. Barack Obama will make his acceptance speech right here where the Denver Broncos play. The Democrats say it's a chance to open up an exclusive convention to the public. Republicans are already slamming the change of venue as another sign of Obama's inflated celebrity status.
Joining us now, Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez and independent analyst John Avlon.
Let's talk, first of all, John, about the speech tonight. Obviously because it's in a huge stadium like this, it's going to be covered on national television. He's looking to reach beyond the people who will be here in the stadium in terms of delegates. He's reaching out to the American people, independent voters. What are independent voters looking for tonight from Barack Obama? JOHN AVLON, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they're looking for substance as well as style. You know, great speeches motivate and elevate, and Barack Obama is very good at that. But tonight he's got to not only place an optimistic vision of America forward but he's got to play offense against Republicans and reach out to disaffected Republicans and independents and make a case that they're all in common cause. That's the key to this.
It's what Reagan did in 1980. That's what great speeches do. Colorado is a great state for that. Independents outnumber Democrats or Republicans here, so it's a great test case.
ROBERTS: Leslie, Republicans are trying to raise a little bit of doubt about this saying that the venue, just as we said, amplifies his celebrity status. But also, politics is a game of trying to lower expectations then exceeding them. When you do a speech at a place like this, are you not sort of raising expectations?
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: You know, it's interesting. And I don't think it's just Republicans making that point. If you look at the fact that so many people are used to the celebrity status of that, it takes a celebrity to fill a hall like this. It takes leadership to talk about what your vision is and your accomplishment to get that vision done. And I think that's more of what he needs to speak to.
There's a narrative out there that says he's arrogant, that he's presumptive, you know, that he is building and has this very broad ego. This does not help that narrative.
And I think I've talked to a lot of Democratic strategists and people that, you know, are communicators in this and they said he has to have that one-on-one connection. Ronald Reagan, people used to walk away from the speech and people said, hey, he was talking to me. It's hard to do that in this venue.
ROBERTS: Do you think Ronald Reagan could have filled a stadium like this? John Kennedy did back in 1960.
AVLON: Sure. There is a precedent for this.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
AVLON: But, you know, the stage isn't the thing. The speech is the thing. He's got to root the speech in real people's lives. There's no question.
He's got to -- he can aim for the stars. He's got to keep his feet on the ground and really connect with people across the political spectrum, but it's not the stage. It's the speech.
SANCHEZ: That's exactly right, which is why the venue at the hall at Pepsi Center would have been better. It's much more intimate. If you love Barack Obama, you're going to love him here anyway. If you don't know about him or you have a suspicion about him or think he's somehow flawed, this does not help that. ROBERTS: Let's watch tonight. We'll get you back here tomorrow to talk about it.
Leslie Sanchez, John Avlon, thanks very much.
One on one with Michelle Obama. More of my interview with her straight ahead on the "Most News in the Morning." Her role if you elect her husband president and whether she'll have a hand in making policy.
And she backed him from the beginning, and she'll be here watching his speech tonight. But what did the queen of daytime's endorsement really do for Obama?
And from INVESCO Field at the Mile High City of Denver, you're watching the "Most News in the Morning" continuing coverage of the Democratic National Convention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Ten minutes after the hour. She could be the first lady of the United States. And during an interview with Michelle Obama yesterday, I asked her if she had a major policy on which she would focus if her husband becomes president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: I am not the policy person. I mean, my whole background has really been in program development and taking on issues like service. So I don't see myself taking on a significant policy role.
I think that if I can be a voice around a set of issues, work, family, balance, making sure that we're aware of the challenges that families are facing in this economy, I think that's the role that I can play, giving people an ear to the president. Because when I hear these stories, believe me, you know, when I talk about my day I'm going back to Barack and saying, did you know that I talked to a woman who put herself through school and is doing everything that she needs to, but is so in debt in terms of her loans that she can't support her family?
You know, those are the kind of stories that connect with me. And when Barack hears those it makes it real, it makes him understand why the policies he's fighting for will make a difference.
ROBERTS: We have seen you in private moments with him, soccer games, for example. You playfully give him a bit of a hard time, you know.
OBAMA: Oh, yes.
ROBERTS: You slap him around a little bit.
OBAMA: That's right.
ROBERTS: Would you do that as first lady?
OBAMA: You know, I don't think that our life as a family, you know, how we interact changes.
ROBERTS: I mean, would you do that on a level of counseling him as president or putting your two cents in?
OBAMA: You know --
ROBERTS: Would you get tough with him?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I don't know if tough is the word. But I definitely would, you know, let him know if I liked what he was doing or didn't. I mean, I think I've always done that. And I think that, you know, is part of, you know, our relationship. We talk to each other about the things that we do and about the things that we care about. So that would probably continue.
ROBERTS: A long and difficult primary process preceded this. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found that people who supported Hillary Clinton, 27 percent of them say that they would support John McCain. It's actually an increase of 11 points since the end of June. What would you say to those people now heading into the general election campaign?
OBAMA: You know, I think Hillary Clinton said it best last night. There's a lot at stake. I think she gave a phenomenal speech, and she has been a tremendous support to me and Barack. She's been on the campaign trail.
I think she said it best. We don't have time to waste, and we need a Democrat in the White House. We need somebody who can inspire people. And she is throwing her support behind Barack Obama because she knows he's going to be the person that can move this country.
And I think that the more that we say that, the more that we have our surrogates, the more people get to know us and get to know Barack and understand his policies and they see the contrast, I think those numbers will move.
But in addition, we're also pulling in an amazing number of new voters. I think probably for every voter who's a little concerned or anxious, I probably talk to a few who have never voted before, who have never registered before, who have never got involved in a political campaign.
People who are -- live in other countries and are getting their citizenship here because they feel a passion for this campaign. So I think, you know, we're going to be pleasantly surprised by the impact of those new numbers, young voters who have never got engaged before.
So, you know, I think that we -- we don't know and we haven't known, we haven't been able to predict this race because this has been a very different race. It's been a very -- this is a very different time in our country when there's so much at stake. And I think people are reacting in ways that we haven't seen before. And I think that we'll see a lot of that excitement continue on through November.
ROBERTS: Michelle, it's great to catch up with you again.
OBAMA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: It's been a long time. We hope to see more of you over the next nine weeks.
OBAMA: All right. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Well, tonight the dream comes full circle. Forty-five years after Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, Barack Obama will accept the nomination as the first African-American presidential nominee of a major political party. He is expected to invoke Dr. King's legacy in front of a packed house here at INVESCO Field.
And joining us now with a little bit of a preview of what we'll hear tonight is Obama campaign manager David Plouffe who we rarely see in public. You're usually behind closed doors.
It's good to see you in person finally there.
DAVID PLOUFFE, OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Good to see you, John.
ROBERTS: What can we expect tonight here at what some people are calling the Barackopolis with the ancient Greek columns? I have heard that there is going to be some influences from the past, speeches from Bill Clinton, as well as Ronald Reagan, and all the way back to 1960 and John F. Kennedy.
PLOUFFE: Well, I think Barack Obama is going to tell the American people tonight clearly the challenges we face and where he's going to lead the country. Very specifically, he's offering change to the country. We think it's important for every American voter to understand what that means.
He's going to lift the middle class, change the priorities in Washington to make sure the middle class is put first ahead of corporations, a different foreign policy that's tough and smart. And so, we think after tonight, people are going to have a clear sense of who Barack Obama is, his values and where he wants to lead the country. And he's going to do it in front of 80,000 Americans.
We've opened up this convention to people from all over the country because we're a grassroots campaign. Change only becomes from the bottom up. And tonight is another indication of that.
ROBERTS: Over the last couple of days we have seen Hillary and Bill Clinton slowly lead the stage here at the Democratic National Convention with a big endorsement of Senator Obama last night from the former president. Let's listen to what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With Joe Biden's experience and wisdom, supporting Barack Obama's proven understanding, instincts and insight, America will have the national security leadership we need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: It was a pretty strong endorsement by anyone's measure last night. But then you still have these lingering comments from earlier in the primary season from him, from Hillary Clinton, that the McCain campaign is trying to use to its advantage. How can you counter that? Particularly when he is so far ahead on these issues of leadership and who would be the better commander in chief.
PLOUFFE: Well, it's a hard fought primary but I think both Senator Clinton and President Clinton gave both compelling endorsements of Barack Obama, but more importantly laid out the choice in this election. And I think for anyone watching, and there has been a lot people watching, there's no question about who they believe would be the stronger commander in chief and the person best to get our economy back on track. And so, we think these three nights have been very important. They couldn't have gone better.
ROBERTS: But when we poll people across the country, the numbers are exactly the opposite of what you say.
PLOUFFE: Well, I think that this week, the rest of the campaign, the debates are going to be very, very important. And I think we've got a lead in this election right now. And that's before I think people having as clear a grasp of where Barack Obama needs to take the country, the kind of tough commander and chief he'll be.
And I think last night we had people from the military, leaders in foreign policy attesting to his superior judgment. The truth is over the last six years John McCain has gotten an awful lot wrong as it relates to our foreign policy, and Barack Obama's judgment has been dead-on right.
ROBERTS: David Plouffe, it's great to finally see you in person. Thanks for coming in this morning. And I'm hoping that over the course of the next eight weeks we'll get to see more of you.
PLOUFFE: Absolutely. Good to see you, John.
ROBERTS: Thanks.
CHETRY: On alert.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody's panicking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Tracking a killer storm as it churns toward the gulf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not trying to panic anyone, but everybody should look at their plans and prepare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The latest on Gustav. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We're following breaking news right now. New Orleans preparing for a potentially killer storm -- Gustav. Traffic barriers are now in place to speed up evacuations. They have rescue boats and equipment getting ready. Residents also stocking up on vital necessities like bottled water.
Gustav left 22 people dead in the Caribbean, mostly in Haiti, due to mud slides. Gustav at this hour about 80 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica.
Tomorrow is the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. And as Gustav nears, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says that his state is better prepared. New Orleans is ready to move 30,000 people, they say, out of harm's way though only 7,000 have signed up for the free spots on buses and trains.
Meantime, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says he is concerned because his city's levees still have not been fully repaired.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: Well, we are ready to evacuate. Now, the big question is, what shape are our levees in? All the work that the corps of engineers has done, is it going to be sufficient enough to handle what is projected to be a Category three that right now is poised and pointed toward New Orleans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So a lot of questions about not only the readiness but the track of this storm.
We bring in Rob Marciano now who's been tracking it for us. And it did take quite a jog from what the forecast predictions were yesterday. What's the latest, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, now, the Hurricane Hunter aircraft just reporting that the winds have really jumped up just in the last hour or so to 70 miles an hour. So we're on the verge of it becoming officially a hurricane again.
Hasn't moved a whole lot. It's about 80 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica, and is expected to scrape if not hit directly that island here in the next 12 to 24 hours. So the forecast track brings it just to the south of Jamaica if not over it. Category one. Category one on Saturday morning if not tomorrow. And then Category two through the Yucatan Channel into the Gulf of Mexico.
Monday morning potentially as a Category three then the questions linger. Do we go into the panhandle? Do we go to the upper coast of Texas? Those are questions that have yet to be answered, but certainly the southern coastline of Louisiana will be under the gun for sure.
All right. This is the other thing. Tropical depression number eight. This just to the east, actually. You can still see Gustav here.
Tropical depression number eight probably becoming a tropical storm as well. So we might have two to deal with here in the next week or two. So definitely ramping up into prime time hurricane season.
We'll keep you posted. Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: Yes. Rob, thanks.
And you know, we were talking with New Orleans leaders. Both the governor and the mayor of New Orleans talking a little bit about this situation. When you take a look, is there a worst case scenario of where it could hit in terms of the levee, the storm surge and the problems with that?
MARCIANO: Well, actually, for New Orleans, probably if it took a track similar to Katrina where it went just to the east of the city and you got a north wind pummeling and pushing ponds to drain (ph) waters into the canals, that probably would be the worst case scenario. But anything that's within 100 miles on either side does not bode well. So we'll try to do what we can to avoid that scenario -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: You got it.
CHETRY: John McCain picks his running mate. There is an announcement expected tomorrow. And we're going to be talking to one man who's been on his short list coming up.
Glory days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: How much better off were we?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They took us from record surpluses to an exploding debt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Christine Romans checks the facts. Who's really to blame for where we are now?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: From over 22 million new jobs to just five million.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: That was a look at INVESCO Field. It's going to be filled up with 75,000 people to hear Barack Obama speak a little bit later tonight. But meanwhile, Joe Biden made it official last night, accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination. And tomorrow John McCain is expected to make his choice for a running mate public.
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is said to be on the short list as McCain's choice. He is also a McCain campaign national co-chair, and he joins me now from Denver.
Welcome, Governor.
GOV. TIM PAWLENTY (R), MINNESOTA: Thank you, Kiran. Good to be with you.
CHETRY: Wondering this morning, is it you?
PAWLENTY: That's a question for John McCain. You'll have to hear from the campaign but we'll know soon, I think.
CHETRY: Can you at least tell us if you've been able to speak to John McCain in the past 24 hours?
PAWLENTY: Yes. It's not a question I can address. But we'll all be able to find out, I think, tomorrow.
CHETRY: All right. Well, let's take a look at who the Democrats chose. Last night, Senator Joe Biden gave his big speech at the Democratic Convention. And he took on Senator McCain's position on Iraq. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Should we trust John McCain's judgment when he says -- when he says we can't have no timelines to draw down our troops from Iraq? That we must stay indefinitely? Or should we listen to Barack Obama who says shift the responsibility to the Iraqis and set a time to bring our combat troops home?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And you know, governor, even the Bush administration seems poised at this point to set a date for withdrawal in conjunction with the Iraqis. So will the McCain administration be able to carry that policy forward?
PAWLENTY: Well, first of all, the success in Iraq that we're experiencing and seeing is directly the result in large part to the surge. And as you know, Senator McCain was the key architect and the person who had the courage to call for it and to move it forward.
And so this whole opportunity is a result of Senator McCain's substantial leadership and his courage to call it out. And he, too, has said we can withdraw and should begin to withdraw troops from Iraq but he wants to do it at a time and under a circumstance where we can bring our troops home with victory and Iraq can govern itself and be a stable place.
And this success or this corner that's been turned in Iraq is directly attributable to the strategy that John McCain embraced and had the courage to put forward.
CHETRY: You know, Biden also argued last night that the American economy has been driven into a ditch and that the war is costing American taxpayers $12 billion a month. How does John McCain plan to keep the tax cuts in place but also be able to continue to fund the war?
PAWLENTY: Well, what John McCain has said in contrast to Senator Obama and Senator Biden is we should keep a lid on taxes, not raise them like they want to do. Number two, this economy is dependent obviously on energy issues. And John McCain has been bold saying we need to produce more energy here in America, including offshore drilling.
Senators Biden and Obama are opposed to that. And importantly, whether it's energy or the economy, we need somebody in the White House who can work across party lines in a bipartisan manner. John McCain's actually done that time and time again on major significant issues.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden are two of the most partisan people in the United States' Congress. And Barack Obama has no record, no record of reaching across party lines and working on something of major national significance. That's actually been controversial.
CHETRY: All right. We want to thank you for joining us. Governor Tim Pawlenty. And perhaps we'll see you tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. you never know.
PAWLENTY: OK, Kiran. Thank you. ROBERTS: 30 minutes after the hour. Coming to you live from Denver, Colorado, this morning in INVESCO Field at Mile High. Day four of the Democratic National Convention. Good morning. I'm John Roberts. We've move half mile down the road from the Pepsi Center to INVESCO Field, a 76,000 person stadium, home, of course, to the Denver Broncos. So you get some kind of an idea of what it's for an entire network and convention production team to pick up, and move down the street and set up. We had our folks shoot this time lapse video spanning several days. Hundreds of engineers, producers and technical operators all for tonight's big speech by presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The democrats say Mile High gives them a chance to open up the convention to the common person. Republicans are already using it as a chance to paint Barack Obama, though, as an elitist again because of the size of the venue. CNN's Dana Bash has got that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you so much.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first hint of the history to come.
OBAMA: There is not a liberal America and a conservative America. There is the United states of America.
BASH: Just four years later -
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D, HOUSE SPEAKER: Barack Obama is the democratic nominee for president of the United States by acclamation.
BASH: He is now officially the democratic nominee. And tonight he'll deliver an elaborately orchestrated acceptance speech before some 75,000 people in this stadium. The first candidate to trade the convention hall for an open to the public venue since John Kennedy in 1960, not the only historic symbolism. It's also the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.
Obama's lofty oratory catapulted him to this moment. But it also has been used by his opponents as proof he's out of touch.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have to say that there is a difference between speeches and solutions, between rhetoric and results.
BASH: Obama allies say his challenge tonight is to bring his soaring rhetoric down to earth. To connect with voters and prove he's one of them.
REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: The most important thing that Barack has to do is to communicate to the American people he understands the challenges they're facing, the economic squeeze they're facing, and that he has a recipe for that. BASH: Many democratic strategists say his most critical goal is making a convincing case he's got what it takes to be commander in chief and that he's got the stomach to fight for the change he preaches. At a rally en route to Denver, an acceptance speech preview.
OBAMA: I am going to fight as hard as I can over the next 70 days to make clear to the American people that they deserve a president and a White House that is fighting for them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, Obama says that the reason why they have moved to where you are, John, to INVESCO Field, is to bring more people into the fold, to allow more people to experience it. And also as an organizing tool, in fact, they're going to be trying to train people as they're waiting online to use their text messaging to get people to the polls in November. But with regard to the setup there, as you have seen, John and I think we can show our viewers, there is a stage that it looks sort of like a Roman stage with columns and all.
Republicans are already intensely mocking that thing that that is an example of what they call Obama's arrogance, John. They're also calling it Barackopolis -- John.
ROBERTS: And of course the Obama campaign is pointing out that it's somewhat similar to the set that President Bush used with his acceptance speech back in 2004. Dana Bash for us this morning at the CNN Grill. Dana, thanks so much.
BASH: Thank you.
CHETRY: We will be writing columns about the columns.
Well, former President Bill Clinton gave Barack Obama one huge endorsement last night saying he is ready to lead. His campaign coined the phrase "it's the economy, stupid." Clinton supporters say that his policies led to unprecedented gains, but his critics argue that the housing crisis really has its roots in the '90s when Clinton was in charge. Business correspondent Christine Romans is here with a little bit of fact check for us about this. I guess, there's two ways to look at this. There's -
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, you know, Bill Clinton is and rightfully credited with being the president who resided over the longest economic expansion in American history. He used that part of his legacy to slam the Bush administration and the republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BILL CLINTON, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT: They took us from record surpluses to an exploding debt. From over 22 million new jobs to just five million. From increasing working families' incomes to nearly $7,500 a year to a decline of more than $2,000 a year. For almost eight million Americans lifted out of poverty to more than 5.5 million driven into poverty and millions more losing their health insurance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So, quick fact check. Let's look at some of those numbers over the eight years. 22 million jobs, the lowest jobless rate in 30 years. From record deficit to record surplus, average family income rose, poverty fell.
Kiran, the go go days of the '90s also gave us the dot com boom. And when that went bust, Allan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve lowered the interest rates to ease the pain. Dropping them so low, many now see the roots of the current housing mess back in the dot com boom. Plus, the '90s gave us this obsession with record home ownership with Clinton as a principal cheerleader. He also signed into law a historic deregulation of the financial system, dismantling laws from the great depression that many say would have protected us against the current mortgage crisis.
Now, here we are. Hindsight is always 20/20. But some people are looking back saying, wow, maybe some of the moves that we made way back then kind of led, started us on the path to where we are here today. But you know, a lot of folks say presidents get too much credit and too much blame for the economy. But you can't really argue with some of these job creation and poverty numbers from the '90s. It was an incredible period.
CHETRY: Very interesting. Christine, thanks.
Well, he was an outsider in his own party. Former republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. Now he's here on AMERICAN MORNING and he has some advice for John McCain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Obama's big night.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This did not come by easily.
ROBERTS: Two dreams collide in Mile High.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a struggle that is picking up the torch.
ROBERTS: Jason Carroll on the reaction to Obama's nomination. You're watching the most news in the morning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. With all the talk of tension between the Obama and Clinton camps earlier this week, what's creating the greatest divide in the GOP? Well, former republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is at odds with many of the more mainstream republicans. And he joins us now with his take on how things have been going. Ron Paul, great to see you as always, Congressman.
REP. RON PAUL (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Nice to be with you.
CHETRY: You saw the speeches last night. Bill Clinton oversaw a strong economy during his presidency. This is what he argued last night in his speech. And he made the case that the GOP in the past eight years has really run the economy into the ground. And that is why they don't deserve four more years. What did you think of this speech, specifically what he was saying about the economy?
PAUL: I think there's some truth to that but I don't think he can claim all the credit for it. The Federal Reserve is really responsible for the booms and the busts. So the Federal Reserve pumped up the credit during his period in the 1990s and there was a lot of capital gains taxes came in and helped the budget. But the situation is actually exactly the same whether it's the '90s or now. It's just that we go through these cycles. But the Federal Reserve causes these problems. And for him to claim great credit, but the republicans come up short. They talk about balanced budgets and smaller government. And then we put them in power and look what happens. The deficits explode.
And now they're on the short end. The economy turned down. But it wasn't the fact that just George Bush was in office. It was due to turn down because that's the consequence of what happens when you create an artificial bubble.
CHETRY: Do you think it's a valid argument though that a John McCain administration would be a four-year extension of the Bush administration?
PAUL: Sure. But I think that's what's going to be happening with Obama, too. There's no difference. Their foreign policies are identical. They want more troops in Afghanistan. They want to send more support to Georgia to protect the oil line there. Neither one says bring home, you know, the troops of Iraq from the bases. The bases are going to stay there. The embassy as big as the Vatican, that's going to remain. So their foreign policies are exactly the same. They're both very, very aggressive with Iran. So I would say there's no difference.
CHETRY: And you were the one, of course, in the primaries and at the debates, the only republican really opposed to Iraq, calling for a pullout of troops. How would you handle these global threats, then, if it's not to send our troops there and make sure that we're protected?
PAUL: Well, we create the threats. Why are we on the borders of Russia provoking the Russians? I mean, the Georgians initiated the military attack against these enclaves where there were mostly Russians. So it's sort of like the Russians being on the border of Mexico and you know, then blaming ourselves. It's the fact that we're over there that we create these crises.
CHETRY: Is it part of our duty though to support these fledgling democracies that ask for our help, which is what Georgia did?
PAUL: No, it's not our responsibility to do that. It's their responsibility. But we should endorse the principle, but not send troops and money. The principle of self-determination is a very good one. But once we get over there, we just aggravate the situation. What did we do? We did exactly the opposite in Yugoslavia. We bombed Serbia in order for Kosovo to become independent.
Now, the Russians are doing the same thing and we're on the opposite side. It's this total inconsistency. Absolute interference when we should not be there. And we don't have any money to do this. And we don't even have any troops. If we really needed our troops to go into Georgia, we didn't even have them available. Which proves my point that we are undermining our national defense with the foreign policy that we have.
CHETRY: Well, we're out of time. I have to let you go but I just want to ask you one quick thing, are you going to be telling your supporters, and you had many, many of them, to back either one of these candidates?
PAUL: Oh, well, I've been endorsing neither one and will not endorse either of the two top candidates.
CHETRY: All right. Congressman Ron Paul, always great to talk to you. Thanks.
PAUL: Thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Show time.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I feel that now is the time for me to use my voice --
ROBERTS: Will the queen of daytime make a prime time appearance in Denver? Alina Cho looks at the Oprah-Obama connection.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having Oprah Winfrey as a political friend is a very good thing.
ROBERTS: You're watching the most news in the morning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: So who could forget this famous love fest? Oprah Winfrey publicly endorsing Obama. It was a first for her and it could all come full circle tonight. Word is that Winfrey will attend his history-making acceptance speech tonight. And of course, who wouldn't want a friend like Oprah? She's rich, powerful, influential, and she comes complete with personal endorsements on her own talk show.
Our Alina Cho joins us now with a look of what kind of bump Obama could really get from Oprah Winfrey here.
Is it safe to say, I mean, she really is a unique entity when it comes to this. Because not all celebrity endorsements work.
ALINA CHO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Oh, that's absolutely right. In fact, many of them say, they don't work but in Oprah's case it may be a bit different. She may be worth a million votes, Kiran.
Good morning. If you've been watching the democratic convention you may have notice all of the a-list celebrities who were there. But many agree there is no one bigger than Oprah. She will be at INVESCO Field tonight when Obama gives his speech. There's no doubt about it, Oprah's an icon of influence. But is she pull-fluential?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: It was the first time Oprah Winfrey endorsed a political candidate.
WINFREY: I feel that now is the time for me to use my voice to say, if we're going to choose, and there's only one choice we get for president of the United states, and if you're going to choose, that choice ought to be Barack Obama.
CHO: And the Obama campaign knew her impact could be tremendous. Winfrey's enthusiastic support of Obama during the primaries played a big role in introducing voters, many of them her fans, to his cause. But as the campaign moved forward, Winfrey deliberately stepped out of the spotlight.
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: We've seen Barack Obama be very careful with those celebrity endorsements so that he comes across to the American people as a series commander in chief.
CHO: But Oprah isn't just any celebrity. This is a woman who can convince her loyal fans what books to read. And what products to buy. The "O" effect. Two grad students tried to quantify it using a formula that looked at subscriptions to "O "magazine and sales of her book club. They compared the data with votes cast for Obama and claimed he may have gotten a boost of one million votes.
TIM MOORE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Statistically, we found an effect that is very unlikely to be random.
CHO: Not everyone agrees.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: 1,015,559 votes, she brought to Barack Obama. Well, that's a little absurd. I mean, how do you get specific to that degree?
CHO: Buzz on the blogs is that Oprah has already arrived in Denver and she'll be at INVESCO Field tonight when Obama officially accepts the democratic nomination. So how could she impact the campaign going forward?
HOLMES: She can generate interest and headline. She can help you raise money. Having Oprah Winfrey as a political friend is a very good thing.
CHO: And if Oprah's successful in helping Obama win the White House, what then?
HOLMES: I can very well see Oprah Winfrey becoming more like a Bono figure lobbying Barack Obama for some of her pet causes. She has a daily talk show that's watched by millions of Americans and maybe some of his issues will become her issues, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Wouldn't that be interesting. Oprah will be attending the Obama speech tonight as a guest. Her reps say she won't be speaking and she certainly won't be talking about any future plans with Obama. Now, for its part, the Obama camp says any requests about Oprah and whether she'll campaign with him going forward, Kiran, those requests will have to go through her office.
CHETRY: What about some talk back? You know, this endorsement could actually backfire? As we've seen, the GOP have run ads showing McCain painting Obama as the biggest celebrity in the world?
CHO: By likening him to Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. You know, it's interesting because you'll recall when she first came out and endorsed Obama, a lot of people especially women were mad, they called her a gender trader. They said she should have endorsed a woman, meaning Hillary Clinton instead of a man. But a lot more people say that what she does, more than any other celebrity, is that she draws people to rallies and perhaps even to voting booths who might not otherwise go out. And if she can increase turnout, some say by just one percent in key swing states, Kiran, that could swing an election.
CHETRY: Very interesting. Alina, thanks.
CHO: You bet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): Breaking news, Senator John McCain has a running mate. The last-minute audition.
MITT ROMNEY (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: John McCain needs to be the next president of the United States.
CHETRY: And whether the other side forced his hand?
Plus, first and goal.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, democrats!
CHETRY: Barack Obama takes the handoff from the democrat at Mile High tonight. What he has to say during the biggest speech of his life.
(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BILL CLINTON, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT: Everything I learned in my eight years as president and in the work I have done since in America and across the globe has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, there you heard it. Former President Bill Clinton with a ringing endorsement of Barack Obama who tonight will deliver the most important speech of his life, before a crowd of 75,000 people at INVESCO Field in Denver. He's making his history. It will be the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. CNN's Jason Carroll is here to look at how the two dreams collide. Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he's definitely under a lot of pressure this evening. Many will be watching to see how Senator Obama delivers that speech, namely those who are involved in the civil rights struggle that made this moment possible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Dr. Martin Luther King's words "I have a dream" -
MARTIN LUTHER KING: ...to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice.
CARROLL: -- were perhaps never realized more fully than today. Senator Barack Obama will accept the democrat party's nomination on the 45th anniversary of Dr. King's dream speech, a significance not lost on Myrlie Evers.
MYRLIE EVERS, WIDOW OF MEDGAR EVERS: This did not come by easily. Much sacrifice was made and now it's a push forward to the future.
CARROLL: Evers is the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, a Klansman assassinated Evers because he fought for the rights of blacks. It was 1963.
EVERTS: To come together to a point where Barack Obama will accept running for president of the democratic party is something that I'm not sure I ever thought of that would happen within my lifetime.
CARROLL: For leaders like former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder, the first black governor-elected in the United States, this day reaffirms deeply-held beliefs.
DOUGLAS WILDER, FMR. VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: I think it's saying that America is indeed as Lincoln described it, the greatest experiment for democracy, the greatest opportunity for people to achieve. CARROLL: It's a lesson a new generation of leaders consider sacred.
REP. JESSE JACKSON, JR., (D), ILLINOIS: This is not a generational struggle. This is a struggle that is picking up the torch that is picking up the responsibility, that is assuming its rightful place in the great movement for change.
CARROLL: Evers, like Dr. King, dreamed of a better future, not just for black Americans but for all Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It means a lot to me and to many, many people I know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 45 years ago, you know, both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy said that in 40 years we may even have a black president of the United States. And here we are 45 years later.
CARROLL: Obama's nomination goes a long way toward reaching King's dream, but Evers reminds us the struggle is not over.
EVERS: It is not about one man. It's about a collective group of Americans who believe in justice and freedom and equality.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Some are saying there has been so much said about tonight. There is no possible way Obama can live up to all of it. But all those we spoke to believe Obama is indeed up to the challenge.
CHETRY: Everyone will be watching. That's for sure. Jason Carroll, great to see you. Thanks.
ROBERTS: Well, Bill Clinton left no doubt with democratic delegates and the nation for that matter. That for him, at least, Barack Obama is the right man at the right time. And that is music to Michelle Obama's ears. I sat down with the candidate's wife for a one-on-one interview and asked her about her possible role as first lady.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF SEN. BARACK OBAMA: I joke that my first job is going to be mom in chief because with little kids, you know, I have to make sure that their feet are on the ground. So that's going to be an important priority for our family, as it has been during the course of this campaign. But there are definite signature events. And one of them is drawing more attention to the challenges that military families face when troops are deployed.
ROBERTS: Is there a big policy issue that you would like to tackle or, at the very least, be a significant part of?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Well, we're going to have her answer and more of my interview with the potential first lady ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
