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Battleground State Surveys; Colorado: Young Voters; Final McCain/Obama Debate Tonight;
Aired October 15, 2008 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I am Tony Harris and here are the headlines on CNN on this Wednesday, October 15th.
A snapshot of the presidential race. Fresh poll numbers from CNN. They are brand new, out of the oven this hour.
A lucky few going home today in southern California. Winds died down, but wildfire season is just beginning.
And sour economic numbers, sinking the Dow today and giving investors new worry lines.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Boy, I hope we're not too early here. But, we're talking about battleground showdowns. New poll numbers out this minute, this hour, from key swing states in the presidential race.
While we are crunching the numbers, the candidates are preparing for their third and final debate tonight. Let's give you the big picture. Our latest CNN Poll of Polls shows Barack Obama with an eight point lead over John McCain. And we are getting new poll number this hour from Colorado, Missouri, Virginia, Florida and Georgia.
Bill Schneider has the poll results. Dan Simon and Dan Lothian, live at CNN's battleground coverage. And Ed Henry has a preview of tonight's debate. Let's get the latest on the fight for the swing states as we told you we have new state poll results this hour from some crucial battlegrounds.
Senior political analyst Bill Schneider, live from Hempstead, New York, with the numbers -- Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Right off the press we have poll numbers in five key states in this election. Let's go to Colorado, hotly contested state, nine electoral votes.
Bush carried it in 2004 by five points. And now Obama leads by four points, 51-47. Still very close. We're keeping that in the tossup category.
The second, the biggest battleground state of them all, Florida. Bush carried Florida also by five points in 2004. And right now, it's tilting to Obama by five points, 51-46. Another close one, too close to call. Georgia, is that a battleground state? Well, there was some talk that there might about hot contest for Georgia, but it went for Bush four years ago by 17 points. It is still going for John McCain by eight points, so it looks like the Republican margin has been cut in about half, but it still looks like it's tilting Republican.
And by the way, when we add Bob Barr's name to the ballot, as we did -- he was a congressman from Georgia -- he is only drawing about 4 percent of the vote. And McCain still leads in Georgia, even with Bob Barr's name on the ballot.
Missouri, very important battleground state. Missouri's a bellwether state. Missouri has voted for the winner in every presidential election for the last 100 years, save once in 1956. Don't know what happened, but they got it wrong in '56.
Will they get it right or wrong this time? Well, right now it's excruciatingly close. McCain 49 percent, Obama 48 percent. McCain by just one point. Bush carried it last time by seven points.
And finally, one of the newest battleground states, Virginia, which has voted Republican in every election for president since 1964. Bush carried it by eight points. Right now -- and this is going to be some important news for the Obama campaign -- Obama is 10 points ahead of McCain, 53-43, in the commonwealth of Virginia. So that would be a very big breakthrough, if Barack Obama does, in fact, carry Virginia by a double-digit margin -- Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, Bill, the biggest surprise, if any? Because you've been following these numbers for so long and so closely. Any surprises in the numbers?
I'm looking at Florida. AND you just mentioned Virginia. Those spreads feel like -- that's a bit of a surprise, it seems.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. The size of the margin in Virginia is a bit of a surprise. Obama was neck-and-neck with McCain there. It's a very hotly contested state, candidates have spent an awful lot of time in advertising in Virginia.
HARRIS: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: It's been trending Democratic, but for Obama to be ahead by 10 points, that looks like a breakthrough in the state of Virginia.
HARRIS: All right. Bill Schneider for us with the numbers hot off the press. We're getting the numbers instead of Wolf Blitzer at 4:00.
We appreciate that. Thank you, Bill.
Right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. What a treat.
A closer look now at Colorado, a reliable red state in the past, but new young voters could change all of that. Here's Dan Simon with CNN's battleground coverage from Denver.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Katie Ulrich thinks of California as home, but the 20-year-old college student registered to vote in Boulder, Colorado, where she goes to college.
KATIE ULRICH, STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: I realized that my vote was much more important here in Colorado. So that's why I registered here.
SIMON: What is helping make this traditionally red state competitive is people like Katie, new voters to the Democratic rolls. This year, Colorado Democrats have added nearly 140,000 new voters. Republicans, about 42,000. That's a more than 3-1 margin for the Democrats.
It's not known yet how many of them are college age, but students at Boulder say they saw long lines at the registration booth. Katie says it was a speech on campus from Michelle Obama...
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: Register right now.
SIMON: ... that motivated her and several of her friends to change where they were registered -- from their home states, to battleground Colorado.
ULRICH: You know, I didn't really know when I came here that it was such a battleground state, but I think that the student population has a good chance of swinging it to the Democratic vote.
SIMON: Freshman Zach Perkins also saw a chance to have an impact.
ZACH PERKINS, STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: It's good to know I have some kind of control actually in this election, whereas opposed to if I was in a state where my vote didn't necessarily make much of a difference.
SIMON: If Obama is actually able to turn this state blue, local observers say new voters could be a decisive factor.
PROF. KEN BICKERS, UNIVERSITY OF COLOARDO: In a tight election, any group that really surges can put it over the top.
SIMON: Still, political science Professor Ken Bickers says McCain has 40 years of history on his side. For Republicans, the task is clear.
BICKERS: McCain is going to have to turn out the base in a big way. That is social conservatives and traditional Republicans. He's going to have to work the neighborhoods and get those people out to vote. .
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Dan Simon joins us live now from Denver.
And Dan, those students seemed to conform to our latest battleground poll for Colorado which shows Obama with a four-point lead.
What are you hearing from others in that great state?
SIMON: Well, hi, Tony.
Everyone seems to agree that if McCain is going to keep this state red, he's going to have to do well with the Independents in the state, and also do fairly well with the Hispanic vote. You have to remember that Colorado is a bit unusual in that, like more than a third of the vote here is -- more than a third of the voters are Independent. In fact, there are more Independent voters here than there are Democrats.
So look for McCain to make a visit or two back to the state and stress the kind of issues that resonate with many voters in the state: gun issues, property rights, agriculture, energy. He's likely going to be coming back here relatively soon.
Tony, let me tell you where we are.
HARRIS: Sure.
SIMON: We are in a Denver neighborhood, and there's going to be a debate watch party at this house behind me sponsored by the Obama campaign. And I talked to those folks a little while ago, and they feel pretty good about their chances here in Colorado, despite the fact that no Democrat has cracked more than 50 percent here since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
They poured a ton of resources into this state. They say that they have a lot more field offices here. In fact, they claim they have four times as many field offices than the McCain campaign -- Tony.
HARRIS: Dan Simon, I suspect will you get a number of visits to Denver and Colorado from both of these candidates in the waning weeks of this campaign.
Dan, good to see you. Thank you.
The youth vote also a factor in Virginia. Dan Lothian, live from Richmond with more of CNN's battleground coverage.
And Dan, what are you hearing from Virginia voters? Take a look at this. Barack Obama with a 10-point lead in Virginia.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That really is amazing, Tony, in this battleground state. You know, I was talking to a political science professor, and he told me that four years ago, if someone had said to him that a Democrat running for president could actually have a chance of winning here in Virginia, he would have thought that claim to be quite shocking and not credible. But in fact, as you mentioned, that new poll showing Barack Obama leading by 10 points here in Virginia.
Part of the reason is that Barack Obama has spent a lot of time here in this state. He has a very strong ground support, a lot of leafleting, a lot of phone-banking as well. He's outspent Senator McCain four to one here in the state.
But even beyond that, though, the experts that we talked to here in Virginia point to shifting demographics. In particular, in some of the battleground areas within this battleground state such as northern Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROF. DAN PALAZZOLO, UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND: There's no question about it. The whole area in northern Virginia, both the suburbs of D.C. and the exurbs around those suburbs, have all become more Democratic. The voters moving in there just have a more liberal point of view than the voting base that preceded it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: And Tony, you were talking about the youth voters, those college students 18 to 24, an important group out there in Colorado. And again, an important group also here in the state of Virginia. By one estimate, it's expected about 60 percent of that group is energized for Barack Obama.
Now, to be clear, Republicans have also been reaching out on college campuses. So they also realize the importance of getting that young vote. And I did talk to one Republican official who told me despite the poll numbers, despite what you're seeing out there, the momentum for Barack Obama, he's confident that in the end Senator McCain can win here in Virginia -- Tony.
HARRIS: Dan Lothian in Richmond, Virginia, for us.
Dan, good to see you.
A struggle for the suburban vote. Later this hour we will look at how women could play a critical role in a key battleground state.
High stakes, high drama. John McCain and Barack Obama face off in their third and last debate tonight.
Ed Henry live from the debate site at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Again, a home game for that man.
Ed, what are you expecting to hear tonight?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly John McCain has got to do two things. It's this balancing act on being positive and negative, and he also has to find a way to connect with voters on issue #1, the economy, shows that he feels it right here. You'll remember Bill Clinton in 1992, "I feel your pain." John McCain doesn't quite do that on the stump, as you know, but he has to find a way to connect with voters, especially those in the middle that you're hearing so much about just over the last couple of moments. On the balancing act, this is very tricky for John McCain.
On one hand, he's been hearing out on the stump -- I've heard at many town hall meetings and rallies -- from his own Republican, get tough, take it to Barack Obama in this third and final debate. There have been a lot of Republicans disappointed that McCain did not do better in the first two debates, especially the second one, which was in the town hall format which he is so used to, so comfortable in.
Now it's a different one. He's going to be round a table with Barack Obama, just a couple feet away from each other. Close quarters, if you will. And it's a balancing act, because on one hand, he's being urged bring up the name of William Ayers, the formal 1960s radical. On the other hand, we're seeing this various polling data saying that that may be too negative, that they might actually be backfiring on John McCain with those Independent voters.
And it's interesting how he's been approaching it from an expectations game. A couple of days ago, John McCain said of Barack Obama, "I'm going to whip his..." you know what. That's the way he put it in this final debate.
HARRIS: Yes.
HENRY: Last night, John McCain told supporters, "I hope to do about half as good as Sarah Palin did in her debate." Maybe not back pedaling, but lowering expectations, if you will, because when he talked about whipping his you know what, that lifted expectations. Politicians don't like to lift expectations before a big debate -- Tony.
HARRIS: That's right.
Hey, Ed, what are you hearing about some special requests the candidates have made?
HENRY: Well, there are two things, Tony. One in particular, both campaigns asked the organizers that they get special air- conditioning vents over their heads so they stay cool. They don't want that Richard Nixon, you know, 5:00 shadow moment from 1960.
Another thing I actually have, if you let me go off here for a second...
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
HENRY: ... both campaigns -- both urged that they get a replica of whatever kind of glass. This is not the actual one, but it says Hofstra. They wanted to get a replica beforehand, and they got it, I'm told by the university president here, to make sure they can grip their hands around it, make sure it's not slippery when they've got ice water in there. I assume on a college campus, sometimes there's not just water in a glass like this. But the candidates want to make sure there's not some sort of unscripted moments, because these stakes are so high -- Tony.
HARRIS: Oh, that's terrific.
All right. Ed Henry for us.
Ed, good to see you. Thank you.
And you can see the final Obama/McCain match-up right here on CNN. Join the best political team on television for debate night in America, tonight at 9:00 Eastern Time.
Another story we're following for you, Vice President Dick Cheney is heading to the hospital today. Doctors discovered an abnormal heart rhythm this morning. The vice president will have an outpatient procedure.
If it's anything like his last, electrical impulses will be used to put his heart back in natural rhythm. Cheney has had, as you know, a history of cardiac problems. He's had four heart attacks, a quadruple bypass surgery, and angioplasty to clear clogged arteries.
Californians are keeping a close eye on wildfires and the weather. So are we.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, the wildfires are raging in California. With calmer winds today, firefighters are gaining ground on the biggest of the blazes which has scorched about 13,000 acres and damaged or destroyed almost two dozen homes. Firefighters say that fire is now 20 percent contained.
And the other big fire in the area which has burned about 5,000 acres, now 80 percent contained. Because of this progress, firefighters are letting some evacuees return home. Progress being made.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: So just how much is really riding on tonight's presidential debate? I will talk to two of the best political analysts in the business for their take. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The CNN truth squad keeping a close eye on tonight's debate, even heading into it. We know some of the arguments we may hear on different sides.
Josh Levs is here to show us a couple we should know about.
Good to see you, sir.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We can be empowered on the way into the debate. That's very important.
HARRIS: Yes. Very good. Yes.
LEVS: You know some things you're likely to here.
HARRIS: That's right.
LEVS: Right? So let's give you some facts to take with you. I still have this dream of standing there between the candidates on debate night and showing you the facts along the way. But we'll be here truth-squadding it for you throughout the night.
Now, here's one thing that we hear often from the Obama campaign. It's about what McCain said on September 15th. And as you watch this you'll see what the CNN Truth Squad has ruled on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DE), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: John McCain said at 9:00 that morning -- he said, "The fundamentals are the commit are strong." At 11:00 a.m. that morning, he said, There is a great economic crisis we have on our hands. Paraphrasing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: All right. Let me tell what you the Truth Squad determined on this. On September 15th, McCain did say this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times. And I promise you we will never put America in this position again. We will clean up Wall Street. We will reform government. And this is a failure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So it's the first part of that quote you hear a lot of talk about.
Now, later in that day, at a different event, he did refer to the economic crisis, and he also argued that by "fundamentals," he had meant workers. And when the squad looked at Biden's attack and what McCain actually said that day, the verdict right here, I'll show you, was misleading. Biden takes some of McCain's remarks out of context -- Tony.
HARRIS: And meanwhile, the McCain campaign is saying Barack Obama has switched positions on energy. Did you look into that?
LEVS: Yes, we did. We looked at that one, too, because this is another good example.
HARRIS: Yes.
LEVS: But, you know, kind of a similar argument, in a way. That's right.
We've got -- the squad is now looking at this clip from Sarah Palin. She was speaking to FOX News, originally the day after the last presidential debate, and then something that aired on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That was kind of perplexing last night, listening to Barack Obama's position all of a sudden saying, you need clean coal, and perhaps offshore. He's so on record as having opposed, and Senator Biden also, having oppose those.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So there she was speaking the day after that debate.
Now, let's take a look at Obama's positions on those energy issues. We're going to start off with this, on clean coal.
In the Illinois State Senate he vote ford a bill that provided $25 million for clean coal research, and his energy plan in the presidential race includes a push for clean coal technology. And on offshore drilling, he opposed lifting the federal moratorium, but later he said he would compromise on that, and he supports drilling in open areas.
So, given all of that, CNN Truth Squad verdict on this one, false. Obama long has supported clean coal technology and changed his stance on offshore drilling two months before the October 7th debate that Palin there was referring to.
HARRIS: So one misleading for Obama/Biden and once false?
LEVS: One false in that particular case...
HARRIS: For McCain/Palin.
LEVS: That was ruled false, yes. And a lot of times it has to do with the specific wording and how it breaks down. But that's how it broke down there.
HARRIS: All right. Josh, appreciate it. And we'll see if we can make your dream come true here.
LEVS: Oh, man. I'm telling you, isn't it sad that that's my dream? But that is my dream.
HARRIS: All right, Josh.
LEVS: Reality check them right there at the moment.
HARRIS: Thanks man.
Tonight, round three, the final face-off between John McCain and Barack Obama. Joining me live from New York, Jeanne Cummings of Politico.com.
Jeanne, good to see you again.
JEANNE CUMMINGS, POLITICO.COM: Nice to see you. Thanks for having me.
HARRIS: And in Washington, Mark Halperin, "TIME" magazine's senior political analyst.
And Mark, since you're there, let me start with you. What are we going to see from John McCain tonight? Happy warrior? Guilt by association attacks? Or maybe a bit of both?
MARK HALPERIN, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": Tony, I've got a truth squad. I'm in New York and Jeanne is in Washington.
HARRIS: Oh, OK. Sorry. I'll flip-flop that.
HALPERIN: Just in the mood of truth-squadding.
HARRIS: There you go.
HALPERIN: I think McCain, I don't know what he'll do. And of course one of his big problems over the last few weeks is he has been erratic.
People in a time of crisis want to see consistency. It was one of John McCain's strongest arguments a few weeks ago, months ago, that he was consistent, a leader who had been around, Barack Obama would be inconsistent. McCain has undermined that argument in his performance over the last few weeks.
What I think he would be smart to do is to throw away all the advice he's getting from pundits and form even his own advisers, and go in and be himself. He does have a disdain, I think, for Barack Obama. He does have a view of Barack Obama that I think if he conveyed with his heart rather than over thinking it, he might be able to cut the gap that he currently faces.
HARRIS: Explain the disdain.
HALPERIN: Well, I think he feels that Barack Obama is new to national life, has not served in the military, served in Washington, forged bipartisan compromises over many years, and that he feels he's a bit of a pretender, that he's a celebrity, the kind of attack they were making several months ago. And I think if he does end up losing this, and by a substantial margin, the disdain that he felt became a vehicle for his campaign to make a lot of different attacks, rather than the core attack.
And I think the selection of Sarah Palin, an inexperienced running mate, his behavior during this financial crisis, has undermined his ability to take that disdain he feels that Obama is not ready and try to transfer it into something voters could appreciate and perhaps vote based on. HARRIS: Maybe his -- I was thinking maybe this next question, Jeanne, might be a little loaded, but maybe not so after what Mark just said there.
Will John McCain, in your view, attempt to portray Barack Obama as this mysterious unknown? This other that all of us, blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians in this most diversified society on the planet, should be a bit wary of? Do you see that happening tonight, that attempt?
CUMMINGS: Well, he has suggested that that is a direction he will go in by noting -- promising some of his supporters that he will bring up Bill Ayers' name in the debate tonight. But I agree with Mark, I think he needs to stop over thinking this.
I mean, those kinds of arguments have been out there throughout the campaign. Hillary Clinton tried to raise these arguments. They didn't stick. John McCain is now trying to make the same kind of arguments, and the polls suggest they just aren't going to stick.
And if you think about who is his audience tonight, I mean, Bill Ayers is a base argument. That excites your base, but the audience tonight are going to be that small sliver of voters who have not made up their minds yet. And in that case, I really think he needs to shed all of the extraneous pieces of this and talk to them about the economy and his own leadership. Try to seal the deal with them.
HARRIS: But Jeanne and Mark, you know there are a number of Republicans out there today suggesting that John McCain needs to take the gloves off. For example, here's CNN contributor Bill Bennett on "AMERICAN MORNING," just this morning, suggesting what he believes John McCain should do in the debate tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BENNETT, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I mean, telling the truth. I think he should talk about two things, the alliances that he's had in the past -- and this is everything from Reverend Wright to Bill Ayers to Jesse Jackson, the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, to the alliances in the future -- Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid. This is going to be all liberal government, no brakes, all accelerator. Americas, stop and pause, are you sure you want this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Mark, what do you think? Do you believe John McCain should venture down that road to the extent that Bill Bennett is suggesting?
HALPERIN: I think the second argument might be effective with those swing voters, not the base Republican voters that Jeanne talked about. But it's too late for him to make that argument. He's got to be realistic about how much time is left.
I believe, again, his chances to remind people why they like John McCain. Part of that is he stood on many issues of conservative principles that have dominated our presidential politics most years. He's got to the go back to reminding people why eight years ago he was the most popular politician in America. That requires stability and focus and being himself rather than taking advice, with all due respect, from Bill Bennett.
HARRIS: So, Jeanne, what's the game-changer tonight? Is there anything out there? I'm just wondering, has the -- have the American people made up their minds on the whole idea of who is best to handle the economy? And if that's not John McCain, what's the game-changer out there?
CUMMINGS: Well, I think a lot of people have, and in early voting, a lot of people have already cast their votes. But those -- that sliver that have not are exactly the people that John McCain should B, trying to close the deal with. And it can't be an argument to them, you know, don't vote for Barack Obama because I can't stand the guy and neither can my party.
It needs to be, vote for me. I've got a better plan. I can solve your problems. And I really think that's where he needs to focus tonight.
He has two problems. First of all, he can raise doubts about Obama, but there are people who have doubts about him for all the reasons that Mark mentioned. His campaign has not gone smoothly. People are unsure about John McCain. I think that's the deal he has to try to close tonight to try to shrink the gap in the polls by moving those undecideds to his column.
HARRIS: All right.
And Mark, let me give you the last word on this.
HALPERIN: He needs to show the wisdom of Jeanne Cummings and the happy warrior sensibilities of Tony Harris, and he'll win the debate easily.
HARRIS: Yes, right.
All right, Mark. Good to see you.
Jeanne, as always, good to see you.
Yes, OK. Today's economic news is not good and the markets, as you see here, are reacting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Just getting -- 87. OK. Just getting some breaking news. According to the Associated Press right now, and I'll just read it to you, a spokeswoman said Nancy Reagan is hospitalized in Los Angeles with a broken pelvis. Nancy Reagan, as you know, just getting confirmation on that just a moment ago, is 87 years old. So we know how serious these kinds of injuries can be. But we will wait for further information on this, of course. Again, a spokeswoman for Nancy Reagan saying that the former first lady has been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a broken pelvis. We are going to continue to work this story, of course, and get you the latest information on Nancy Reagan's condition and bring it to you as soon as we get it.
The stock market has been on a roller coaster ride to say the least. And we got a bit of a reprieve yesterday when the Dow fell just over 70 points. But today, the descent is much bigger and deeper. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.
Susan, what's going on today?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we've got a lot of information and a lot of it is discouraging, quite frankly, on the economy, Tony. Yesterday was the first time in nine sessions that the Dow didn't close with a triple digit move. Of course, we had a 400-point surge to the upside, a 300 move to the down side, but it was relatively quiet at the open.
Stocks tumbling from the open today as investors grapple with more recession fears. Fed President Janet Yellen said the country appears to be in a recession. Fed Chief Bernanke is speaking right now here in New York. He's prepared remarks show no mention of the "R" word.
Earlier today, we learned the engine of economic growth is still stalled out. Retail sales tumbled last month by the largest amount in three years. And as the economy slows, so does demand for oil. Crude prices right now tumbling $3, trading below $76 a barrel. Where seeing signs that credit markets are beginning to fall.
But the economy is the big issue today. The Dow Industrials down 352 points or 3.75 percent. The Nasdaq is down 65 points or 3.33 percent. Pretty broad-based, no question about it. It is a good night for the candidates to talk about the economy.
HARRIS: Yes, great point.
LISOVICZ: We've give them a lot of fresh, fresh data for them.
HARRIS: Yes. All right, Susan, appreciate it. Thank you.
As you mentioned, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is not painting a rosy picture of the economy today. He is speaking at the Economic Club of New York this hour. Maybe we can dip in to hear just a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Is the economy and the markets are large and complex. But in my judgment, our government now has the tools it needs to confront and solve it. Our strategy will continue to evolve and be refined as we adapt to new developments and some inevitable setbacks. But we will not stand down until we have achieved our goals of repairing and reforming our financial system and restoring prosperity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke from a short time ago.
Just 20 days left until the presidential election. Less than nine hours left until the third and final debate. So let's check in with our correspondents who have been covering the candidates. Jessica Yellin with the Obama campaign and Dana Bash who covers the McCain camp.
Ladies, good to see you again. Let's see if we can mix this up again the way we did last week. And let me start with you, Dana, or whoever wants to take this. What do you expect to hear from the McCain camp tonight? And what do you think he has to do to be viewed as the winner of tonight's debate?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think what I've learned most from covering John McCain all these months and months and months is not to predict because what the McCain campaign and McCain likes to do is surprise us. So I wouldn't be surprised if there is a surprise. How's that for an answer to that question? Because they know that this is something that is probably their last opportunity to have what has become cliche now, a game changer, because the first two debates simply didn't move the ball at all either way.
So how he's going to do that, whether it is going to be with a moment that they prepare in terms of a rhetorical zinger or some kind of new idea, it's really unclear. They're actually heading over to the debate site right now, Tony, to check things out and perhaps they're even talking about it in the car because not only do they like to surprise us, I think that they like to make these decisions last minute inside that campaign.
HARRIS: Yes, Jessica, what do you think? What's the thinking from the Obama campaign? And we talked earlier today and the idea is, I'm wondering, and I'm sure a number of people are wondering, whether or not Barack Obama is ready if he gets attacked on some of these alliances issues or questions?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, ready, yes. He's ready and expecting it. If the McCain campaign likes to make decisions last minute, the Obama campaign is the stark opposite. They plan and plan and they have been planning and preparing for this.
Barack Obama has already started laying out his -- publicly, saying how he'll respond on the Bill Ayers question. This allegation that he's palled around with terrorists. Look, he said, this is a guy who committed this act of terror when Obama was just eight years old.
He says when they worked together, they were working in a very mainstream context under the offices are somebody who was a Republican who brought them together to do school board reform in Chicago. And now he says, you know, this is just a distraction.
And that's the larger frame he'll put all these attacks in. That he frames them as distractions from the real issue, which is the economy, because Obama wants to be as much as possible talking about economic plans because, a, he thinks that's what resonates most with the independent voters who are still deciding and, B, it's where he thinks he win. Polls show he does better on these issues. So he'll try to stay on the economy as much as possible.
Tony.
HARRIS: And, Dana, we've been hearing recently that it's time for John McCain to be John McCain again. What does that mean?
BASH: You know, it basically is to be the kind of person, the kind of candidate that we saw at this time, you know, three weeks out before the New Hampshire primary. The guy who basically knew that he was still, at that point, pretty far down in the polls, didn't have anything to lose, and just kind of threw out all of the prescriptions that some campaigns -- that campaigns tend to follow and just basically be himself.
The problem is, that this is a completely different ball game. I mean this is somebody who is up against Barack Obama, who not only is ahead in the polls, has unlimited resources, which we can't emphasize enough how much that changes these things. You know, and on a national level, unlike in New Hampshire, where John McCain could go from town hall to town hall, shake voters' hands and really make a difference in doing that, it's just a completely different ball game for him. And, you know, he likes to say, we were up against a lot of money before and it didn't matter. We were able to come back. But on a national level, it's hard to do that.
HARRIS: Yes. And one final thought on that, Jessica, before we jump out of here. Unlimited resources, up in the polls, up by 10 in Virginia from the latest CNN poll. Come on. This is a campaign that is riding high and runs the risk of being overconfident.
YELLIN: That's right. And they keep saying that they don't want to be overconfident. But the truth is, they're acting pretty confident. So what they have to do, and they know it tonight, is make no mistakes.
The bottom line for Obama, he has to stay seven keeled. They are trying to paint John McCain, the buzzword they keep using is, as erratic. John McCain is erratic. That will be the message they try to put out there. While Barack Obama has to be the opposite, steady as she goes. And so it's just steady and make no mistakes.
If there's anything that seems unusual or memorable for Obama tonight, anything that jumps out, that's what you want to watch for because he doesn't want to do anything that's different from what he's been doing on the stump lately. He's going to walk out of this with no big bomb shells.
HARRIS: Ladies, great to see. Yes, great to see you and can't wait for the debate tonight.
And you can watch the final Obama/McCain match-up right here on CNN. Join the best political team on television for "Debate Night in America." That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern.
A green solution may cost more but it could actually be the best solution to your "Energy Fix."
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HARRIS: Just want to give you an update on the breaking news we reported just a couple of moments ago. The Associated Press reporting that former first lady, Nancy Reagan, has been hospitalized with a broken pelvis. Reagan's spokeswoman, and here's some of the new information now, Joanne Drake, says that the former first lady fell at her home last week and that she decided on Monday to get checked out at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
According to Ms. Drake, Mrs. Reagan is in good spirits and surgery isn't required. She is in some pain and undergoing physical therapy right now. It is not known, at least at this point, how long Nancy Reagan will be hospitalized. According to the spokeswoman, Joanne Drake, Nancy Reagan apparently got up in the middle of the night at her home in Bel Air and fell after twisting her leg.
So that is the latest information that we have. Nancy Reagan hospitalized with a broken pelvis. We will continue to work on this story and get independent confirmation here at CNN for you as quickly as we can.
A new school is proving Kermit the Frog wrong. It is much easier to be green than you may think, and much cheaper, too. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow visited a school where "Energy Fix" it's being taught brick by brick. Can't wait.
Poppy, good to see you.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Good to see you too, Tony.
It certainly is a very cool new school in southeastern Minnesota. It's a tough time to get any new projects built, especially when those projects cost just a little bit more in order to be environmentally friendly. But one school is learning that the paybacks are coming quickly and the benefits are many.
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HARLOW, (voice over): In Saint Joseph, Minnesota, the new Kennedy Elementary School may look fairly typical. Except, of course, for the wind turbine out front and the solar panels on the roof.
But it's what you can't see that makes this school unique. Beneath this tennis court lie 240 geo-thermal loops that sink 20 feet into the ground. The result, heat and air conditioning from the earth. Window panels designed to bring more sunlight in so the lights can stay off even late in the day.
DAVID LEAPALDT, PRESIDENT, GLT ARCHITECTS: We actually have lighting on sensors. And the sensors turn the lights on or off depending on how much daylight there is in the classroom. HARLOW: Some experts claim daylight can improve test scores and mental health. Another benefit, the architect says the school is designed to be 49 percent more energy efficient than conventional school. But that efficiency comes at a cost. School officials say it was approximately 3 percent more expensive to build than conventional schools, but the energy savings should help the school return its investment in just five years. And the added bonus . . .
DIANE MOELLER, PRINCIPAL, KENNEDY ELEMENTARY: It started out to be more of a money saving and energy saving measure. And as soon as we started planning it, we realized it could be a teaching tool for our students.
LEAPALDT: We put a building up that is teaching the kids and our goal is to raise a generation of environmental learners.
HARLOW: And they hope the kids will watch the energy conservation at work.
MOELLER: We're hoping that the students will be able to go to any computer, log on and decide which type of energy source do we have today that would be the most efficient?
HARLOW: These things that look like lights aren't lights at all. They're solar tubes, bringing sun light to even windowless hallways.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: You know, Tony, it was pretty cool. We visited this school about 6:00 in the evening and there were no lights on at all. It was all just that daylight in the school. And the school officials say they hope it's going to be a model for some other schools around the country.
Have to correct myself. This is in north central Minnesota, which I should know as I was born and raised there, but I said southeastern. I apologize.
HARRIS: Well, yes. A couple of demerits. All right, Poppy, you'll redeem yourself tomorrow, I'm sure. Good to see you. Thank you, Poppy.
Yes, our i-Reporter on the front lines of the firefight in California. Let's take a trip to CNN.com's i-Report desk. Nice. And check in with "Tyson's Corner."
Producer Tyson Wheatley is there.
And, Tyson, I know -- my guess is, because I know this to be true -- that you received a ton of i-Reports on the California wildfires.
TYSON WHEATLEY, CNN.COM: Yes, definitely. Yes, we've received many, many stories just in the last 48 hours. A lot of great, interesting videos. I want to show one to you right now. And, frankly, it's a little bit scary. It comes to us from San Diego County, near Camp Pendleton. Let's check it out. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REG WHATLEY, IREPORTER: Whoa, it's hot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHEATLEY: OK. So, Tony, you heard him say, boy that's hot. This comes from Reg Whatley and, you know, Reg was driving yesterday along Interstate 5. And he was heading north when he saw this huge plume of smoke. And what's really -- you hear him say that. I'm the only one on the freeway. This is what was really eerie, you know.
What the scary part, and I talked to him today about this, is, you know, he saw this brush fire coming and he stopped. He pulled over. He did the responsible thing, pulled over to a rest area, and authorities quickly arrived, he says within minutes, and said, hey, you guys have got to get out of here. They're telling everyone there, get out of here.
So he got back on the interstate heading north so he could get to the next exit to turn around. And as he was coming back is when he got into the this jam here and he was really kind of nervous. And, you know -- you know what he told me, he told me, you know, he's lived in this area for 30 years and he says the eerie thing is, this stretch of freeway is normally so packed with cars. And it was just eerie that there was nobody there.
HARRIS: There's no one on the freeway. Yes.
WHEATLEY: Yes. So, you know, he was safe. He . . .
HARRIS: Well, that's going to be, the thing is that those fires can just consume you so quickly. The winds change and the next thing you know, what used to be safe is not safe ground any more and you're just right in the middle of it. So we're happy to hear that he's OK.
You know, I know you also are receiving some e-mails from Hurricane Omar there in the Caribbean?
WHEATLEY: Yes, that's right. You know, actually, let's go ahead and take a look at this video. This comes to us from the Netherlands Antilles, where yesterday Hurricane Omar was, you know, had blew through this area.
This comes to us from Roella Pourier. And she lives on the island of Bonaire. And, you know, yesterday she captured this with her cell phone as a big wave there -- you can see them crashing into the surf there. You know, we spoke to Roella today and she told us that, you know, she's seen a lot of damage there today. And particularly along the coastline. What she says she's seeing is that the hotels there, a lot of the piers and boardwalks have received a lot of damage.
HARRIS: Wow. Hey, Tyson, what's today's assignment?
WHEATLEY: Well, today's assignment is actually political. So, tonight, big debate. The third and final round between Obama and McCain. We are asking people to weigh in on it. We're already getting a great response from people.
HARRIS: I bet.
WHEATLEY: And they want to tell us -- you know, they're telling us right now what they want to hear tonight. So watch the debate. Then go to iReport.com and tell us who won.
HARRIS: Tyson, we'll see you tomorrow. Thank you, sir.
WHEATLEY: Take care, Tony.
HARRIS: You know, Missouri could turn into one of the most important battleground states in this presidential election. What are women there saying about Sarah Palin's impact?
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HARRIS: Fighting for the suburban vote. In the battleground state of Missouri, women could hold the key in this election. Our John King reports.
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SUSAN MCGRAW, MISSOURI VOTER: So do you need anything else?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Getting Molly off to school is part of the morning routine. A push to staying late for extra credit.
MCGRAW: When are you going to find out about staying after?
KING: And a few jokes about the election, now just three weeks away.
MCGRAW: So who you voting for?
KING: In Susan McGraw's rearview mirror, two votes for George W. Bush. In this campaign, struggle for the suburbs, she is leaning Obama, despite scoring things in McCain's favor on the issues of leadership and experience.
MCGRAW: I feel like the stakes that we're in right now, we need something different. And to get different, you have to do different. And so that's why I'm leaning towards.
KING: In big diverse state like Missouri, most elections are usually decided in the suburbs. And three weeks out, McCain has a problem here and in other key battleground states. Republicans don't expect to win among suburban women. But the margin matters. Four years ago, Democrat John Kerry had just a narrow edge, 51 percent to 48 percent. And President Bush won re-election. But the latest CNN polling shows Barack Obama with a big 56 percent to 44 percent lead among suburban women. And among the reasons, more significant doubts about the woman McCain chose to share the Republican ticket. MCGRAW: It's not that I'm so, rah, rah, Obama. But, you know, Sarah Palin, I feel like when she's talks, she's like, OK, John, I pulled that one off. And it's -- this is too important. I hate to say it, but Sarah Palin has really -- she scares me.
KING: Stacey Newman feels the same way and says picking Palin hurt McCain with a key target constituency, women who voted for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries. Neuman is a longtime Democrat who says the Obama campaign has done little to reach out to prominent Clinton supporters.
STACEY NEWMAN, FORMER CLINTON SUPPORTER: I don't know if it's the arrogance that we are going to vote Democrat anyway, so why do we need to spend even more energy on us. But, yes, there's a disappointment.
KING: But while she was an all but certain Democratic vote in any event, Newman says friends who were once open to considering McCain are now contributing to a new blog opposing the McCain/Palin ticket.
NEWMAN: So it's been more of the, you know, the Palin, in terms of in sighting us to realize that, wait a minute, you know, we have to support the Democrat, even though we, you know, are not as emotionally tied.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: CNN's John King from the battleground state of Missouri.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this with Kyra Phillips.
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