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Palin to Address Republican National Convention; Interview With Congressman John Boehner
Aired September 03, 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: And good afternoon. Welcome, everybody. Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center in New York City.
The next time Governor Sarah Palin steps up to the podium at the Republican National Convention, it will be for real. It's going to be tonight.
We've just gotten our first hint about what she's going to tell the largest audience she's ever faced, although the spotlight is on running mate, John McCain. He's the star of the show. This hour, he arrives in the twin cities to claim the prize he sought for years, his party's nomination for the White House.
We'll take you live to the airport in just a little bit.
We're also talking about mavericks. Congressman Ron Paul just wowed thousands at that other convention in town. We'll ask him how his army of supporters and some of their financial clout could affect this November's election.
But all eyes will be on the Xcel Center tonight. Right now the action is at the CNN Grill, which is just outside. And John Roberts is there with the very latest.
Hey, John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good afternoon to you, Soledad.
I was inside the Xcel Center this morning at about 7:20, when Sarah Palin went up there and got a lay of the land, took a look at the teleprompters, the podium, the site lines for where the crowd would be. And you've got to say that you wonder what's going through her mind. And a lot of people have asked me about this today.
This is going to be the biggest moment in her political career. She's not only going to be speaking to 20,000 people in that auditorium, but she'll also be speaking to millions outside who want to learn something about Sarah Palin.
I mean, I'm pretty experienced at public speaking, and I know how I'd be feeling about tonight. But she's getting all kinds of support from the McCain campaign.
Rudy Giuliani will give the kickoff speech to the evening, big support for Sarah Palin. It actually began last night as well. And here to talk about all that and more and what Governor Palin needs to do to deliver tonight is our White House correspondent, Ed Henry.
So who is on tap for tonight?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you're absolutely right, Sarah Palin is the key. You only get one chance really to make a first impression. This is the largest audience she's ever going to speak before, at least up to this point in her political career, and she has to grab hold of the narrative.
The McCain camp feels that there have been a lot of unfair attacks by Democrats, some tough stories by the media. This is her chance to tell the American people, really, who she is.
And as you noted, the table is going to be set by a very prominent Republican, the former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He'll be going before her to sort of set the table.
And if last night is any guide, there are going to be some pretty tough shots at Barack Obama. You had Joe Lieberman, the former Democrat, now an Independent Democrat, speaking for the first time at a Republican convention. He took some tough shots at Obama, suggesting he's not experienced enough to be commander in chief. That's obviously frustrating a lot of Democrats coming from Lieberman, but also Fred Thompson, the former movie actor, senator, former presidential candidate, he had this shot at Obama...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED THOMPSON (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Democrats present a history-making nominee for president. History-making in that he's the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, the only reaction from the Obama camp last night was basically saying that they didn't hear anything at all about fixing the economy, that it was just a lot of attacks. Nothing specific, substantive about fixing the economy.
And the Obama camp suggests that shows the Republicans are out of touch. That's their take on things. But it's not like the attacks are going to stop.
Rudy Giuliani, as you know, he's going to be ready to try and sort of keep this message going as the Republicans basically took that first night off because of the hurricane, didn't really get to get their message out. Now they're really starting to pour it on. But it's going to be all about Sarah Palin. She has an opportunity right now to sort of change the story line and explain to the American people, who is Sarah Palin?
ROBERTS: You know, we had Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas sitting exactly where you are yesterday, and he thought that the pick of Sarah Palin took the experience argument off the table. Obviously that didn't happen. And I'm sure, too, as well, with Rudy Giuliani there tonight, the 9/11 theme will continue, as we saw with President Bush last evening.
But I spoke with Senator Thompson this morning, and despite his absolute rock-solid support for Governor Palin, he said to me, yes, there's some things that I want to hear from her. There's some things that I don't know that I want to hear more about. All of it, you know, policies, positions, that sort of thing.
What does she need to do to -- you know, because not only is she new and relatively unknown, but there's been this swirl of controversy around her, as well, for the last 72 hours. What does she need to do to dispel all of that?
HENRY: I was there in Dayton, Ohio, last Friday, when she was announced as the surprise pick, and one thing I did not hear from her then is exactly what is her experience? I mean, I understood that was the first time she was speaking. It was a much shorter speech.
In this speech, she has more time, a larger audience. She really has to address, I think, that experience question.
I'm not saying that she can't address it. I'm not saying that there's not a side that she can come up with, but we need to hear it. What decisions has she made as both a mayor and as a governor? Because that's sort of the line you're hearing from the McCain camp now, that she has more executive experience than Joe Biden or Barack Obama or John McCain, for that matter.
But then, what specific decisions has she made that would sort of inform her thinking and her judgment if she were to become vice president? I think she's got to give people an idea about that.
ROBERTS: Yes, I think there are a lot of people in America who are looking at this pick, and they're seeing what's going on with the campaign, and the stories, and the back and forth, and then saying, hey, cut out all the noise, just tell me who she is.
HENRY: And we're hearing that from delegates, as well. As you mentioned Fred Thompson, I'm hearing from delegates in various states when I'm out roaming around the floor there, and they're basically saying, why doesn't the media stop picking on Sarah Palin? Wait until we hear from her.
But, at the same time, they also say, when you press them on experience, yes, I do have some questions. And even Republicans acknowledge, they want to hear more about her.
ROBERTS: Yes. All right.
Ed Henry for us.
Ed, thanks very much.
HENRY: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: John, joining us now is CNN political contributor Amy Holmes. She's an independent conservative who was a speechwriter for Republican Senator Bill Frist when he was a majority leader. She hasn't endorsed any candidate for president.
Leslie Sanchez joins us as well. She's a Republican strategist, former advisor to President Bush, and also a CNN political contributor.
And CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen joins us as well, former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton.
Nice to have you all.
David, I'm going to start with you. We heard Ed Henry saying that he thought that in her speech she's got to address the experience issue. Not only just address it, but kind of lay out specifics for people.
What else does she have to do, Sarah Palin, in her speech tonight?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I think she -- this is a grand opportunity for her. And my expectation is she'll give a very good speech. They've been working on this now for several days. And John McCain has a team of excellent speechwriters.
Amy would know them from her own speech writing days. So, you know, I think she'll be well prepared for this speech. And I don't think it's the big test. I think the big test is still to come. But it's an opportunity to introduce herself to American voters who have only heard a few things about her, barely saw her on Friday, and now heard a lot of rumors and controversy.
And I think what's going to come through is not just her life story, but who she is. Some sense of her character. And by all accounts, you know, she has a winsome personality. She's not perky -- an inappropriate word to use about a woman, but I think she has a lot of vitality.
And I think people are going to like that. I do not think it's going to dispel the questions, but it can help to calm things and make people feel more comfortable.
I think that just as Barack Obama has faced this challenge of making people feel comfortable with him in the White House, she now faces that challenge. And people have to feel comfortable that she would be up to it should something, God forbid, happen to Senator McCain.
O'BRIEN: So, in a way she's showing people that she can be presidential. She has to also meet that bar. So there's sort of a lot of bars there. Maybe even more. And I thought that Barack Obama had a lot of bars, but to some degree, you know, a lot of what she's selling is the mom of five kids, knows what it's like to be a regular person.
The experience issue has come back. She's got a teenage daughter who's (ph) been on all the local tabloids talking about how the daughter's pregnant. And you also have to be presidential. That's a lot to do in one speech.
Do you think she has to all of that, Amy?
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR : I think that she does. And I think that the word that David might have been looking for is moxy. And Sarah Palin has...
O'BRIEN: Who uses that word anymore?
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: When I read her...
O'BRIEN: My mother would say moxy.
GERGEN: It's a speechwriter's word.
HOLMES: Yes, that's right.
And when I read her profile, Soledad, this is a woman who at the beginning of last century would have been Amelia Earhart, an aviatrix.
O'BRIEN: She knows how to dress a moose.
HOLMES: She has a tremendous personal story that I think she needs to tell and she needs to show Americans so they can connect with her, and as David said, feel comfortable with her. You know, the people have heard, the public has heard this constant negative drumbeat...
O'BRIEN: Having five kids and one who's a special needs child doesn't make you Amelia Earhart.
HOLMES: Sure. Well...
O'BRIEN: That makes you kind of a regular mom who's juggling a lot of stuff.
HOLMES: It does, but her story is really extraordinary. And you know, we've heard a lot about one heartbeat away from the president of the United States. Tonight I think people will find out about Sarah Palin's heart, and I think that will make a big difference.
O'BRIEN: The criticisms about her experience, one of the ways people answer back is they will say, well, Barack Obama -- and I have found that an odd response. Again, it reminds me of my kids, when one is slamming her little brother, the other one will say, "Well, she did it too." And it seems like a bad focus.
Now they're talking about executive experience argument. And again, meaning has been a governor, which means that she's got more executive experience than everybody out there.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Sure.
O'BRIEN: What's the strategy here behind this experience question? It doesn't seem to be answered fully yet.
SANCHEZ: You know, it's interesting. When you think about even presidential candidates, the Senate was never a weigh station for presidential candidates because they had to vote so many times, that they were invariably going to step in the mud and alienate groups of voters.
What's different is, the reason governors are so popular historically is they do manage basically micro economies. We argued the same case with Ronald Reagan, with any governor, actually.
HOLMES: Bill Clinton.
SANCHEZ: In this sense -- Bill Clinton, all the way down the line. She has 15 agencies. Now the McCain camp says it's about a $10 billion budget, 24,000 employees.
There's a lot of management decisions that she's making. She's one of 50 versus being one of 100 in the Senate. She has a lot more authority and responsibility. And that decision-making is more kind of the pedestal by which they're judging her leadership ability and her ability to get things done.
O'BRIEN: When people talk about foreign, national security, and they say, well, you know, she's right there across from Russia, I mean, doesn't that kind of undercut an argument? Or, you know, dealing a lot with issues with Canada, I mean, as opposed to talking about energy. It seems to me sometimes to undercut the argument.
SANCHEZ: You know, I think we have to look at it more globally. I mean, I think that Democrats in the Obama campaign would like to shift it back to national security, which is exactly where John McCain would like this debate to be, and I think many Republicans as well. But look at the facts.
She looks at the economy in terms of the large trade they have with Japan, with China. This is a state that is very global in the sense of what they do not only in energy, but in commerce.
O'BRIEN: You know David Gergen is rolling his eyes literally when you say that.
SANCHEZ: That's OK.
GERGEN: I think these defenses are so terribly thin that they border on the laughable. Look, she has many good things. She seems like a very fine person. But she has zero foreign policy experience. Zero.
And the fact that she has not traveled -- by all accounts, the first time she got a passport was in 2007. She's only been to two countries since then, in both cases to see U.S. troops. That's a laudable objective, but she does not know the cultures of other countries.
We live in a globalized world in which the decisions of the president of the United States are extraordinarily complex, and you have to take into account the perspectives of other people on issue after issue after issue. And she simply does not have the experience for that.
So when the Republicans argued -- and I thought they had an argument -- that Barack Obama did not have the experience to be the president of the United States, he did not have the background to do that, they were making progress with that argument. The problem for them now is they said Barack Obama is disqualified because he doesn't have the experience. He should not be there.
Now they selected someone with even less foreign policy exposure and said, but she'll be OK. That does not compute.
SANCHEZ: Soledad, this is where it doesn't make any sense with that argument. You're talking about experience. We're saying John McCain is at the top of the ticket, and he is a great counterbalance when you're talking about foreign policy experience.
That isn't the weakness in the ticket. We're combining a reform- oriented candidate with conservative credentials who has a proven record in Sarah Palin in getting things done. And this issue about a passport, Barack Obama just came back from his second trip to Iraq. He's only been to Afghanistan once.
O'BRIEN: Well, so stop there. Both of you, you don't think that says anything about a person, that they haven't had a passport since 2007? They've never had a passport? That doesn't signify anything to you? Hasn't traveled out of this country?
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: You know what I think this shows -- I think it shows a very large cultural difference that this election is really highlighting. And that the voters that Barack Obama and Joe Biden -- remember, Joe Biden was put on the ticket because he was "Scrappy Scranton Joe," and he was going to get all of those working class blue collar voters that Barack Obama was having trouble with. Well, these aren't voters who are traveling off to Europe and to Southeast Asia and to...
O'BRIEN: I'm not talking about jetting off to Europe. I'm talking about going to, as a governor, going to another country.
I'll give you the final word, David. And then we're out of time.
GERGEN: I would love to have them come back and do this. But look, every president since Franklin Roosevelt, every president, with one exception, has traveled extensively to other countries before taking the reigns in the Oval Office. Every single one with one exception. The one exception was George W. Bush. He did not travel either. And look how many problems we've had in the foreign policy arena since.
Now, there is -- experience in foreign policy matters in a global world. It did not matter when we were an isolated nation. In the 18th and 19th centuries it didn't matter so much.
But you would no more appoint a CEO of a global company who had not traveled and served time abroad, you would never ever allow them into the front office of that company. And she's not going to be in the front office, that's for sure. But there is a chance with a 72- year-old candidate who has had bouts with cancer.
HOLMES: That's a great thing against Barack Obama.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: That's where we leave it until we have you back at 1:00. So in 45 minutes, we can pick up right there, actually, Leslie. Thank you.
All right. I thank our panel. We'll see them back here at 1:00.
The Republican convention's permanent chairman this week knows a thing or two about winning elections. The House minority leader, John Boehner, is serving his ninth term in Congress. In just a moment we'll check in with him about what Sarah Palin needs to say tonight to win her first term as vice president.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: One of Governor Sarah Palin's top aides has just given us an on-the-record hint about what the governor's going to be talking about tonight. According to Tucker Eskew, Palin will speak, "as a governor, a former mayor, and someone with both hands on the steering wheel on America's energy economy."
Joining me now from St. Paul is the permanent chairman of the Republican convention, Ohio Congressman and House Minority Leader John Boehner.
Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us. Certainly appreciate it.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: Soledad, it's good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: Well, thank you very much.
"Under the leadership of McCain and Palin, Republicans are returning to our roots," is what you said in a speech yesterday. What exactly do you mean? Because, of course, as you well know, Republicans have been accused by Democrats over the last several weeks of being more of the same. That's the argument that they are trying to make.
BOEHNER: Well, I think if you saw the election results in 2006, Republicans got driven out of power in both the House and the Senate. We've learned from that.
We've learned that we've got to get our arms around wasteful Washington spending, we've got to eliminate earmarks, and we've got to return to our core principles that Republicans stand for: a smaller, less costly, more accountable government. And that's what I think we're going to hear more of tonight and tomorrow night from Senator McCain.
O'BRIEN: You were on the short list of possible VP picks, you are the current House Republican leader, you've taken on the house establishment, you were a leading voice in the Balanced Budget Act, you've been a reformer in Congress literally for decades. I mean, I'm reading your own bio back to you, certainly. Sometimes you've gotten bipartisan support.
Do you believe that Governor Palin is a better choice than you to be vice president?
BOEHNER: I think Governor Palin is a great choice for John McCain.
O'BRIEN: Better than you? Better than you?
BOEHNER: Much better than me. My job is to be the House Republican leader and to help our team earn our way back to a majority. But Governor Palin is someone who has got a real record, someone who has fought from the ground up. She's an accomplished woman.
But if you look at how she ended up in the governor's chair, she took on the party buses. She took on the old bulls. She really took on the status quo, put an ethics reform package in place.
This is a lady not to be taken lightly. And I'm excited to hear her tonight. And I think the American people will be excited to hear her, because if you -- I know Governor Palin. I had dinner with her back in July when I took a group of members up on our great American energy tour looking at ANWR and spent an evening over dinner.
And the interesting thing about her is that she talks like a like a real person. There's no political talk here. And I think voters around the country are going to be able to identify with her, not just conservative voters or just those that are concerned about conservative social values, but average voters around the country can look up and say, now, this is someone that I can identify with and I'm going to support.
O'BRIEN: Experience has been an issue. And you have said, "I think she has more executive experience than both Biden and Obama put together." And I would imagine John McCain too, right? You don't think experience is an issue?
BOEHNER: When you're the governor you have actually have to make decisions. You actually have to implement policies. You have to do things.
And when you think about the ethics reform package that she passed in Alaska, when you look at how she took on the party bosses, how she took on the old bulls, you can see where she's led, she's bucked her own party from time to time. Tell me an example where Barack Obama has actually led on any issue, or where he's actually stood up to his party and said, no, I'm going in a different direction?
And so we can have this debate about how much experience she has, and whether she's got enough or not. I'm just going to tell you, the American voters are going to get to decide this in November. And I think tonight they're going to get a preview of what an accomplished woman this is.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a quick question before I let you go about her passport. We were talking to David Gergen before the break, and he was saying that she got a passport apparently in 2007 and has been on two international trips.
When did you get your passport? How many trips have you been on?
BOEHNER: Well, I've been on a number of trips over the years. I used to run my own business before I came to Congress. I was able to earn some money and travel.
Clearly, if you look at this family, this is not a wealthy family. When you look at their age and the number of kids they have, they clearly had their hands full at home.
And so to use that as an example of her lack of experience, I just don't think it matches up at all. And just because Barack Obama's been overseas twice during his tenure as a United States senator over the last three and a half years, I don't know that two trips overseas exactly is the bountiful weight of experience that people want to talk about.
O'BRIEN: John Boehner joining us this afternoon.
Nice to talk to you, sir. Thanks for your time. Certainly appreciate it.
BOEHNER: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Let's get back to John Roberts, who is at the CNN Grill -- John.
ROBERTS: Thank you very much, Soledad.
Let's consider some of what Congressman Boehner said regarding Governor Palin and what she has to do tonight really to not only answer some questions that people might have, lingering questions, but help define herself so that this ticket goes forward in a fashion where people take a look at it and they immediately know what it's all about.
So, Bill Schneider, what do you think she needs to do on those fronts?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: What she has to do is come across as someone who is capable, confident, serious. And even though she is not by any measures really experienced, she's a fast learner.
She cannot look like a deer caught in the headlights. That's what they said about Dan Quayle when he first got on the ticket, that he looked totally at sea. And he never made up for that. She's got to look like she's in charge, she's capable of taking over the country at a moment's notice. That's a tough order.
ROBERTS: You know, Dana, this morning we saw her out there on the podium about 20 minutes after 7:00 while all the morning shows were on the air. She stayed there for almost 15 minutes, taking a look at the sidelines, getting sort of the lay of the land, making sure the podium was at the right height.
But you think that there was a message beyond that?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That was no accident. We saw her coming out, just like you said, as every network was on the air talking about her, talking about her speech that was coming up. And this is after two days where she was absolutely nowhere, essentially in a bunker in her hotel here in St. Paul/Minneapolis, basically doing and preparing for the kind of thing that Bill just warned against, preparing for an excellent speech that she's got to give.
Preparing not only in reading through the speech and tweaking the speech with some of McCain's top aides and others who were brought in to help her, but also beyond that, talking to people who were brought into basically tutor her and go over with her very important issue points from international policy to domestic policy. That's what she's been doing. People have been wondering where she is. That's why we saw her this morning.
ROBERTS: Ed Henry, very solid support from former senator Fred Thompson, former presidential candidate Fred Thompson last evening in his speech. Let's listen to a little bit of what he said and I'll ask you about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMPSON: Give me a tough Alaskan governor who has taken on the political establishment in the largest state of the union and won over the beltway business as usual crowd any day of the week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So there was absolutely no room there for equivocation. A hundred percent behind her there, 100 percent confident. When he was on our air this morning, I said, "Do you know everything that you want to know about Governor Palin?" And he said, "Well, I know a lot, but..." and then he gave me a laundry list of things that he wants her to address tonight.
HENRY: That's why the one key word is "specificity." We've heard the Democratic talking points for the last few days, which is basically she's not experienced enough. We've heard the Republican talking points, which is, you know, she's got more executive experience than Obama and Biden put together. But give me one specific.
Name something that informed her judgment, that tells us something about a governor, what kind of governor she is, but also tells us something about what kind of vice president she would be. I mean, Barack Obama, in fairness, has had -- has been pushed and prodded on this and has had to get more specific about what informs his judgment.
Dana and I were there last Friday when she was first announced. And you know, that was only a few-minute speech and it was a short introduction. She didn't get into very many specifics. That's understandable.
Now she's got a lot of time. You know, a half hour or whatever it's going to be. She's got to lay out at least a few specifics to tell us what informs her judgment.
ROBERTS: Go ahead, Bill.
SCHNEIDER: It's about the economy. That was what was missing last night. Issue #1, the economy. That's what this show is all about. That's what the election is all about.
Last night was about personality, it was about character, it was about qualifications. What about the economy?
ROBERTS: It was also about something else too. They wanted to make it about John McCain. Who did it turn out to be about?
BASH: George W. Bush. I mean, look, we brought these in because this just absolutely fascinated me. And it cannot make the McCain campaign happy.
Two headlines not about Joe Lieberman, not about Fred Thompson, George Bush. The fact that he says McCain is ready.
They tried to hide this, not only because he had to give the speech from satellite, but the way that they conducted the program last night, there was not even a nanosecond after he was done that they went right into Joe Lieberman, right into Fred Thompson, talking much more about McCain. But the headlines still are about Bush talking about McCain. Not what the McCain people want.
ROBERTS: Well, I think in terms of optics and presentation, when the president is 50 feet tall on the big screen, it's difficult to ignore him.
SCHNEIDER: And unable to grab hands with the nominee, thereby avoiding what could be a damaging picture.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, folks -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Right, John. Thank you.
Lots more to come, including a preview of tonight's can't-miss convention moments.
Also, do voters have a right to know about a candidate's pregnant teenage daughter? We'll talk to one congresswoman who says, yes, they do. And she says they're going to like what they learn about Sarah Palin's family values.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Gustav really scrambled the schedule for this week's Republican Convention. Because of the ripple effects from Monday night's shortened session, they're still nailing down the exact time and the exact order of tonight's events and speakers. Right now we know tonight's agenda will include speeches from three of this year's presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and also the key note speaker, Rudy Giuliani. The vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, will be speaking tonight. And we can expect the roll call vote to nominate John McCain for president, making it all official. Stay with us. As soon as we know more definite times, we'll be able to update that and let you know what they are.
Want to head back to St. Paul, though, now, which is where John Roberts is at the CNN Grill -- John.
ROBERTS: And this is where it's all happening. Lots of politics, pizza, and anything else that you want here. Great discussion that we're having. Let's bring in Congresswoman Michele Bauchmann from Minnesota. She spoke last night on the floor of the Xcel Center at the RNC and looking forward tonight to Governor Sarah Palin's speech.
How was it to be on the floor?
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, (R) MINNESOTA: Oh, it's a kick. It's a lot of fun to be out there.
ROBERTS: That's a good Minnesota word, it's a kick.
BACHMANN: It is. It's electric in that Xcel arena from one end to the other. The roof flew off last night, it was so much fun. It was just -- you could just feel it. It was so exciting. When Fred Thompson spoke, Joe Lieberman, the crowd just loved Lieberman. It was a great time and really fun.
ROBERTS: What are you looking for and forward to from Governor Palin tonight?
BACHMANN: I think I'm looking forward to seeing -- having the American people see what I saw. I was in Alaska last month. I spent the evening with Governor Palin, had dinner with her, was so thrilled just to hear what she had to say. We have a lot in common. We're both moms of five kids. Both strong fiscal conservatives. Both believe in American energy independence. I saw a very strong, independent woman. That's what I think the American people will see tonight.
ROBERTS: So you saw somebody who was really sympathetic, though, with your set of core values.
BACHMANN: Oh, yes, very much so. And a woman who knows where she wants to go, what she wants to do, and actually knows how to get there. And she can bring people together. She got lot done. She was rooting out extortion up in Alaska. She even took her predecessor's airplane and sold it on eBay. I mean this is a woman who really gets fiscal conservative.
ROBERTS: But there are also stories out there that when she was the mayor of Wasilla, she was also a big fan of earmarks, which she is now against and as John McCain's running mate, you wouldn't want somebody who has a fan of earmarks because that would sort of muddle his message.
BACHMANN: That's true, she was as mayor. But then when she was governor in 2007, she actually worked against seeking federal earmarks because she saw the corruption that it was bringing. So she's kind of been in an evolutionary process of earmarks. But she's demonstrated, as governor, that she sees the corrupt nature of them. She's now firmly opposed and was as governor back in 2007.
ROBERTS: Right. And we're looking at the airport here in Minneapolis-St. Paul where Senator John McCain is expected to arrive in just a few minutes and make his way into town and talk with all the campaign officials. He's going to be giving his acceptance speech tomorrow evening.
You know, congresswoman, there has been a swirl of controversy surrounding Governor Palin since her announcement. Some family issues as well. How legitimate is it to talk about some of those family issues?
BACHMANN: Well, I think it's legitimate because the American people need to know who they're electing to the highest office in the land. There's no reason why someone can't (h). And I think what Sarah Palin is demonstrating actually is tremendous consistency in her judgment. As you know, about five months ago, she delivered her fifth child, a little Down Syndrome baby. She and her husband elected to keep that baby with Down Syndrome and love this child. And now with her daughter, Bristol, who's 17, having an unplanned pregnancy, I know as a mom, that's the last information I want to hear from one of my children. But I think the Palins have come together really in a beautiful way to support that daughter. ROBERTS: So what legitimate issues does all of this raise, though, I mean in terms of working mother, teenage pregnancy? What are the legitimate issues here that we should be talking about?
BACHMANN: Well, I think the American people can relate to a lot of those situations. But the legitimate issues are, who is Sarah Palin? What has she done with her life? What sort of judgment does she exercise? Is this someone that we can feel comfortable with in this country as being one of our nation's leaders?
I know what I've seen of Sarah Palin so far and how I've gotten to know her, I'm very confident because she is a person who is strong, independent, and she doesn't just take on the other party, she takes on the corruption in her own party. Now, trust me, I understand that takes courage.
ROBERTS: And as Senator Johnson (ph) said last night, she also knows how to field dress a moose.
BACHMANN: Yes, love it.
ROBERTS: Congresswoman Bachmann, it's great to see you. Thanks very much for joining us today.
BACHMANN: Thank you. Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: John, thank you.
Another convention's been going on in the twin cities this week. And last night, thousands of people were whooping and hollering for a man they consider to be the leader of their revolution. He's a Republican congressman, one-time presidential candidate Ron Paul. He will join me next.
Meanwhile, we wait for the arrival of John McCain at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The two SUVs you can see in that shot, the entire family waiting to bring him to the RNC. We're back in just a moment. Stay with us.
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O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
This is a shot from Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota, where we can see there, that's the McCain Straight Talk Express. And they are waiting for the Republican presumed nominee to land the at the international airport there and then meet up with his entire family. They've come out in two SUVs and they're going to whisk him off to the convention center. It's his first day there. He has been continuing to campaign. That's what's happening with John McCain at the RNC.
Barack Obama also has an event in New Philadelphia, Ohio. He's going to be talking to women, talking about the economy, hoping to steal a little thunder from the Republicans as they get their convention underway.
Over in Minneapolis, in fact, the confetti was falling. Quite a sight, believe it or not. It wasn't the Republican Convention in St. Paul. In Minneapolis, confetti fell and about 12,000 people came to cheer for Texas congressman and one-time Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. He blasted the government in his speech for overstepping it boundaries on taxation, education, international policy, and much, much more. The question now, of course, for him is, what's he going to do and what will his supporters do? Representative Ron Paul joins us from the CNN Grill.
Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us.
REP. RON PAUL, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Your rally was just huge last night. Ten thousand people, 10,000 tickets sold is what I heard. What's the goal of a rally like that? What are you hoping to accomplish?
PAUL: Well, the large goal is to change the direction, not only of the Republican Party, but the whole country. Because a lot of people are very frustrated with what we're doing. Conservative Republicans are supposed to balance the budget, and we don't do it. And the liberal Democrats are supposed to stop wars that are unnecessary. And the people are very frustrated. And we're in big trouble. So we're talking philosophically changing our country back to the old republic where we have limited government and balanced budgets, and emphasize personal liberty, and a non-interventions foreign policy.
O'BRIEN: While you and I are talking, we're showing some pictures from St. Paul, the international airport there, and we're expecting John McCain to land on the ground.
How do you do all those things that you've listed with a rally? How do you put that focus back on what you would like to see with even a big giant rally?
PAUL: Well, it isn't easy. It's a long-term project. And that's why we establish what we call the Campaign for Liberty. It's an outgrowth of our original campaign for the presidency. Which means we're laying plans to influence, not only the party, but the country, educational program, as well as being very much involved in the Republican Party.
The Republican Party is small, they need growth, and our views are very, very popular with young people. We compete with Obama for the young people's vote. And they're wildly enthusiastic. They're enthusiastic about my big contention that the Federal Reserve is a major problem and a major cause of our financial crisis and the financial bubbles and the housing crisis. So we have a lot of young people paying attention to what we're doing.
O'BRIEN: We're talking to Congressman Ron Paul, who also was a candidate for president. As we look at some pictures of the Straight Talk Express, we're expecting to see Senator John McCain come out there and meet with his family at the international airport and then be whisked off to the convention.
What do you think of Sarah Palin as a VP pick, sir?
PAUL: Well, you know, I like her. She certainly has said some nice things about me. And she's a good conservative. And I think it was a very good move on Senator McCain. Of course, you know, she's getting a little bit of grief now about lack of experience. But, you know, that doesn't really bother me. Sometimes experience of 30 years in Washington is what the American people aren't looking for.
So, in many ways, I think it was a pretty good pick. I just hope she has a lot of influence. But right now I'm a little bit concerned that she won't be able to influence Senator McCain away from putting more troops overseas and spreading our troops around the world. That's what I would like to see happen.
O'BRIEN: Congressman Ron Paul joining us. Thank you for your time. Certainly appreciate it.
Once again for our viewers, we're talking a look at the Straight Talk Express. We're expecting to see Senator John McCain arrive at the international airport in St. Paul, Minnesota. And when that happens, of course, we'll bring those pictures to you live. We'll keep watching this shot for you.
Barack Obama also has an event. He's going to be talking to women about the economy. And we'll be talking about that, as well, throughout the day.
The focus, though, is on the Republicans. That doesn't mean that the Democrats are going to give up the spotlight completely. As I mentioned, you've got Barack Obama holding that town hall in the battleground state of Ohio. And could be an attempt to steal a little limelight from Sarah Palin because his topic is women and the economy. Want to talk more about that with Candy Crowley. She's at the convention center with much more.
Nice to see you, Candy.
You know what's been interesting to me is that you haven't heard a lot from Obama and Biden about Sarah Palin. You haven't heard anything at all from Gerry Ferraro and Hillary Clinton, who Palin mentioned in her very first speech.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's where the Democrats are going to go with this. They are not going to look at it as a gender thing. They are not going after the teenage daughter pregnancy or any of the things that are out there right now as people delve into who Sarah Palin is.
They're going after it as a matter of McCain's judgment. They want to wrap it into his judgment on the Iraq War, his judgment on what is needed in Afghanistan, his judgment on tax cuts. So they see it as part of a hole, a way that they are trying to shape him. Because what the McCain camp is doing is saying, this is about experience. What the Obama campaign wants to do, because Barack Obama has less, at least, government experience and foreign policy experience than John McCain is to say, no, no, this is about judgment. So the Palin pick will be used to kind of feed into that Democratic theme that John McCain's judgment has been off despite his years of experience.
O'BRIEN: It'll be interesting to watch what Sarah Palin says in her speech tonight. I know you're going to be watching closely. Candy Crowley for us.
Thank you, Candy. Appreciate it.
Just ahead, the Republicans came out swinging against Barack Obama last night. Did they go far enough to get John McCain the convention bounce that he wants? We'll have that story when we come back.
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ROBERTS: And we're back live at the CNN Grill here in St. Paul- Minneapolis as it's day three at the Republican National Convention and a big day it's going to be as well because Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska will be taking the stage tonight in her acceptance speech. And by all measures, she has got a number of questions that she needs to answer about who she is and how she would govern. And we'll talk more about that. We're joined by Tara Wall from "The Washington Times," editorial page editor, as well as our CNN contributor Roland Martin.
So, Tara, what are you looking forward to tonight from Governor Palin?
TARA WALL, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think a lot of people will find out just who she is. A little bit more about her. Obviously many Republicans don't know who she is at this point.
ROBERTS: Have you got questions?
WALL: I have questions. I'd like to know a little bit about what she did in Alaska, why she made some of the decisions she made. You know, we hear a lot of talk about her being a reformer and fighting against big bureaucracy and those kinds of things. Those are the primary questions. Why she thinks that, to me, why she thinks she's experienced and has the experience and would have the experience to lead. I mean, she does have a short stent. But based on the short experience that she does have, why does she believe that she's qualified?
ROBERTS: So, Roland, you know what's happening. We are asking questions, other people are asking questions, and we're getting a tremendous amount of blow back from the McCain campaign about why we're asking these questions.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, I mean that's the stupid even (ph) question from them to be asking why we're asking questions. Because what's interesting is, they frame it a disservice to her. In that, during the lead up to choosing a VP, we heard a lot from Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota, we heard a lot from Mitt Romney. They were surrogates who were being vetted. We all knew that.
They didn't roll her out there. She wasn't out there talking up McCain. So she didn't get an opportunity, frankly, to have a rapport with the national media and for the rest of the country to get a sense of who she is. And so they roll her out on Friday, great 48-hours, but naturally there are going to be questions. In the absence of knowing who somebody is, you're going to see those questions.
She has a huge task tonight. She is not talking to this room tonight. OK. I hope she understands that. She's talking to the people who are at home. They want to know who she is as opposed to the delegates in the room.
ROBERTS: Tara, every time I do an interview with anybody regarding Governor Palin, my e-mail box fills up with people who are saying, why aren't you holding Barack Obama to the same standard that you're holding Governor Palin to in terms of asking him about his experience?
WALL: Absolutely.
ROLAND: Oh, come on.
WALL: Listen, it's true. I mean it is legitimate to ask about experience. She isn't that new in that she's been in the mix for a while, for a few months. We all kind of dismissed it because of her inexperience. But, listen, if you're going to ask the experience question, you could say the same or you could focus as much attention on Joe Biden.
I mean, McCain picked the risky pick. Barack Obama picked the safe pick in Joe Biden and the same old Washington kind of politics. You could argue this is the same old Washington politics. We didn't get into those debates, we didn't get into those discussions about why this isn't more of the same.
MARTIN: Oh, Tara, the same old Washington politics, the Republican nominee. I mean, come on.
WALL: Listen, this is a fresh face. This is someone that is outside of Washington. And I think that changed the game, so to speak, for John McCain when Barack Obama picked Joe Biden when he said he wanted more change and it's just more of the same.
MARTIN: Of course. Of course it does. But let me remind those same people who send you the e-mails, John, so Barack Obama actually ran for president. He went through 54 contests. I'm sorry, he (INAUDIBLE) Obama here.
WALL: He is a one-time senator, just like she's a one-time governor.
ROBERTS: But we should put this -- let me interrupt you for a second here. We're also seeing Senator McCain's plane has just landed. We'll be following this as he has arrived here in Minneapolis-St. Paul for his convention.
Keep going, Roland.
MARTIN: Yes, in that he actually campaigned. Twenty-five debates, 54 contests. So I don't think people can say, well, that question never came up. It did come up continuously. Senator Clinton raised the question. She got picked by one guy.
ROBERTS: Right. So if Governor Palin had gone through the same process as Senator Obama went through for the last 18 months, would we be asking the same experiential question?
WALL: Well, listen, I think that there's going to be plenty of time between now . . .
MARTIN: Yes or no, he asked the question.
WALL: Listen, I think that there's plenty of time. For one, it is Barack Obama who is running for president, not Sarah Palin.
MARTIN: Answer the question.
WALL: So it is Barack Obama and John McCain that are running for president. They are the top of the ticket.
ROBERTS: But wasn't it, in a heartbeat she could be president of the United States.
WALL: Well she could. Absolutely. I think that is a legitimate question to ask. Again, though, we have just gotten in the process of picking the vice presidential nominees. Joe Biden a week ago, Sarah Palin today. Now is the time to ask these questions. I think the public will get an opportunity between now and November to hear from these candidates, hear from her tonight.
Of course we have a lot of questions. I think we have to be careful, though, on how we ask some of these things and where we draw the line, particularly when it comes to candidates and their children who have, up until now, have been off limits.
MARTIN: And, John, I'm going to answer your question. No, we would not be asking these questions right now had she run in the primary because it would have been covered extensively. No, she got picked by one person. That's what the questions come up.
WALL: Did Joe Biden run in the primary?
MARTIN: Excuse me. Joe Biden has been in the United States Senate. He also, yes, he did. I'm sorry. Yes, he did run. You might recall that. He did run.
WALL: Well, listen, we're talking about this election.
ROBERTS: He ran twice. MARTIN: Yes, he ran twice. Once in '88 and 2000.
WALL: But not as a vice presidential pick for Barack Obama.
MARTIN: Tara, Tara, you don't have to always protect her. You can answer the question saying, yes.
WALL: I'm not arguing that she is inexperienced. I am not -- of course she has inexperience. A huge question about inexperience. I've had those questions myself. I was skeptical in the beginning.
ROBERTS: OK, folks, I have to interrupt.
WALL: Absolutely. But that doesn't mean she doesn't have judgment and that she can't lead. We will find that out in the months to come.
MARTIN: Just answer the question.
ROBERTS: I have to cut you off. Can you continue this off camera?
WALL: Sure.
MARTIN: Of course.
ROBERTS: All right. We want to go to New Philadelphia, Ohio, where Senator Barack Obama is speaking to a group of women and college students. Let's listen in for just a few minutes here.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, think about it. John McCain's campaign manager said that this election is not going to be about the issues, it's going to be about personalities. That's a quote. He said it's not going to be about -- it's not going to be issues, it's going to be about personalities. Which probably explains why last night when they were speaking, all these speakers came up, you did not hear a single word about the economy.
Now, think about it. Not once did people mention the hardships that folks are going through. Not once did they mention what are we going to do about keeping jobs here in Ohio? Not once did they mention, what are we doing about all these retirees that are losing their pensions? Not once did they mention, how are we going to make sure that Social Security is there for the next generation? Not once did they mention, how are we going to make college more affordable so that young people aren't taking out $40,000 or $50,000 worth of debt? Not once did they mention, how are we going to make sure that people can stay in their homes?
Well, you know, I guess I don't blame them. Because if you don't have any issues to run on, I guess you want it to be all about personality. And if you've got George Bush's track record and John McCain voting 90 percent of the time in agreement with George Bush, then you probably don't want to talk about issues either. And think about it. This is a man who said John McCain was proud of the fact that he voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. What kind of judgment does that show? How are you going to bring about change if you agree with the incumbent 90 percent of the time? I don't want to take 10 percent of a chance on change.
He's somebody who said, like George Bush, he thought that the economy had made great progress. He thought that the fundamentals of the economy were sound. Here's somebody who said that, you know, you're middle class until you make $5 million a year.
I don't think that John McCain's a bad man, I think he just does not get it. One of his economic advisers, you'll recall, said that you guys -- the only thing you're going through is a mental recession and that you are a nation of whiners. He repeated this, by the way, yesterday. Said the same thing about whining. Stop whining.
I just don't think they understand they're connecting with what ordinary folks, like Gabriel, are going through each and every day. And that's what this election is about.
See, I measure progress and the Democrats measure progress differently. I don't measure progress by how some Fortune 500 CEO is doing. That's not how I measure progress. I don't measure progress by whether a hedge fund is growing. I measure progress by whether or not you can find a job that pays the bills for people all across Ohio and all across America.
ROBERTS: All right, there's Senator Barack Obama in a campaign event in New Philadelphia, Ohio. The battleground state.
We've got some new CNN polling coming out on what's going on in that state. We'll treat you to a little bit later on today.
And, of course, we're watching for Senator John McCain to depart from his aircraft. Just touched down at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. Apparently Senator McCain is there coming out of the aircraft and so are the -- I'm watching this on a 10 second delay, so I'm getting some cues from the control room.
Family on the tarmac there. So the senator arriving here in Minneapolis, St. Paul. He's, of course -- he's not left the airplane yet I'm told. All right. We'll -- this a just a little confusing again.
There's Governor Palin there and she'll be speaking tonight. Her acceptance speech. Senator John McCain tomorrow night in his acceptance speech.
And, guess, what, Tara Wall and Roland Martin are still going at it today over this question of experience and is it legitimate at this point to be continuing to bring up questions about Governor Palin's experience and not, at the same time, bring up questions about Senator Obama?
WALL: Let me just say, it is legitimate. Again, it is legitimate to bring up experience.
MARTIN: She answered the question.
WALL: To bring up issues of experience. I brought, again, I brought up those questions early on months ago when she was being talked about. I felt that she was too green, you know, being a new governor. At the same time, it does not necessarily -- it was the same argument I made, quite frankly, for Bobby Jindal. Everyone said he was to young. But I said, look at what he's done. Look at what he's done over the years. He's been a public servant for 10 years.
Now she's been a public servant for a shorter amount of time. But when you learn more about what she's done and how she's done it and the kinds of things that John McCain is looking to attract to the ticket . . .
MARTIN: Right.
WALL: I think those are some substantive issues that many Americans are looking for.
MARTIN: John, here's . . .
ROBERTS: Maybe we should just put (ph) out, Senator McCain is walking out of the aircraft right now, greeted by Cindy McCain. Of course, this is an amazing time for him after falling short in the year 2000. He is now going to be the Republican nominee for president and from here on in it's going to be a flat out 60 day run to November the 4th. And what a race it's going to be, as well. You know, some high tensions on both sides of the fence here. And I'll tell you, this is the most highly contested election since 1928. So, you know, it's a given that this is going to be a very, very . . .
WALL: Contested and historic.
ROBERTS: Partisan fight over these next two months.
MARTIN: Also the dynamics (INAUDIBLE). (INAUDIBLE) dynamics when you talk about this whole notion of experience. I thought it was absolutely offensive yesterday that Carly Fiorina has the audacity to say, anybody who questions the qualifications of Governor Palin, it's a matter of being sexist.
WALL: Come on, Roland.
MARTIN: The night before, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was railing against James Carville saying, your criticism is sexism and offensive to women. He had to said, I'm sorry, I support a woman for president. And so, I mean the opposite is, OK, so you know what, if you question Obama's experience, you're a racist. That's -- my problem is, I believe the Republicans were absolutely right to question anything dealing with Senator Barack Obama Democratic nominee.
So why is it that Palin can't be questioned? The McCain campaign clearly wants to have a very, you know, vigorous response. And when you start trying to brush folks back by saying, it's sexist to question her qualifications, that is ridiculous. And I would think even women who are Republicans would find that to be ridiculous and offensive.
