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Candidates Push to Election Day; Jokes Not Jabs; Keeping Your Money Safe; Palin Riles up Support Ohio Rally

Aired October 17, 2008 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning everyone. It is Friday, October 17th. Eighteen days to go until Election Day, and here are the top stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The race to the White House turning into a sprint today. Four candidates fanning out across six battlegrounds states. This hour, Sarah Palin live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In fact, he even has a pet name for me -- George Bush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: They're pretty good. McCain and Obama channel their inner Seinfeld. The funny bone tickled at a way fancy political roast.

And she was a baby aboard the Titanic. Now at the age of 96, the ship's last survivor selling her mementos to pay for nursing home care.

And good morning everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Mapping out their strategy in the home stretch. Just 18 days left until the election, and the road to the White House runs through crucial battleground states. The candidates campaigning in two of those states today.

Barack Obama holds a rally in Roanoke, Virginia, next hour. The following hour, John McCain is on the trail in Florida. He rallies his supporters in Miami.

The VP candidates also targeting key states today. Sarah Palin has a rally this hour in Ohio. We will take you there live. Palin also campaigns in Indiana. Later today, Joe Biden is on the trail in New Mexico and Nevada.

It ain't over until it's over. It is a message both presidential candidates are stressing as they push toward Election Day.

Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Different generations, personalities, and philosophies. One is up, the other down. But, less than three weeks out, they do share a mission -- convincing voters it's not over.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are 19 days away from changing this country.

CROWLEY: Barack Obama began his day in New Hampshire, the nation's first primary state, and the first primary he lost.

OBAMA: But for those who are getting a little cocky, I have got two words for you: New Hampshire.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I learned right here, with the help of my great friend and supporter Hillary Clinton, that you cannot let up. You can't pay too much attention to polls.

CROWLEY: This may take practice, because, earlier, at a $30,000- per-person fund-raiser in New York, Obama all but solicited resumes.

OBAMA: Once we're done, there's extraordinary expertise in this room, and we're going to need good advice.

OBAMA: We have got to keep making our case for change. We have got to keep fighting for every single vote. We have got to keep running through the finish line.

CROWLEY: There is a fine line between hubris and confidence. Hubris could turn off the persuadables and the undecideds. And it could convince some of the faithful they can stay home.

Confidence is presidential. And there is good reason for it. It is a story told in Obama's itinerary. From New Hampshire, he works his way through a string of red states, Virginia, Missouri, North Carolina, and Florida, George Bush states in 2004.

The campaign also eyes a return of campaign workers to Georgia and a play for North Dakota, West Virginia, and Connecticut. It's not just about running up the score, but about helping down-ballot candidates, particularly those running for the U.S. Senate, where Democrats hope to reach the magic 60, the number of lawmakers it takes to break a filibuster.

MCCAIN: The real winner last night was "Joe the Plumber."

(APPLAUSE)

MCCAIN: Joe's the man.

CROWLEY: John McCain is in search of a little more Joe-mo' and a little less George Bush.

MCCAIN: The last eight years haven't worked very well, have they? I will make the next four better.

CROWLEY: As he pushes away from the president and tries to embrace the working class, McCain is also doing battle on a third front. Even as Obama can't look as though he's already won, McCain can't seem as though he's already lost. It could depress the turnout of his Republican base and tempt undecideds to go with the flow of the polls. McCain's first post-debate stop was Pennsylvania, where he is down by 13 points.

MCCAIN: We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWLEY: McCain's upcoming travel tells the rest of the story. Pennsylvania, which hasn't voted for a Republican president since 1988, is the exception.

McCain, like Obama, is beginning his own red state tour, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio. The difference is, McCain is on defense in his own territory.

Candy Crowley, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And a big backing for Barack Obama. An endorsement today from "The Washington Post." The paper says, "Mr. Obama has the potential to become a great president," even though it acknowledges he has relatively brief experience in national politics. In making the choice, The Post says it was "... made easy in part by Mr. McCain's disappointing campaign. Above all, his irresponsible election of a running mate who is not ready to be president."

Another investigation involving ACORN, but this time it's police investigating a break-in at the organization's Boston offices. ACORN, as you know, is the liberal-leaning activist group under scrutiny for possible voter registration fraud. Officials deny any fraud. And workers of the Boston office are assessing the damage from the break- in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had three desktops here on the computer, and they were stolen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Workers say they don't know whether the break-in was politically motivated, but they call the timing suspicious.

Stocks gone wild. Extreme gyrations just about every day this week. And today isn't looking much different.

Right now the Dow is down -- oh, we're in positive territory. We're up 49 points. The index tumbled more than 200 points earlier and has had a nice little recovery here. Recapping a wacky week for Dow stocks, up 900 Monday, down 700 Wednesday, up 400 Thursday.

And new signs the financial bailout is starting to get the job done. The credit markets continue to fall. The bank-to-bank lending rate has fallen from a record high to a four-year low, but experts caution, don't break out the champagne just yet.

We will get a complete market rundown with CNN's Susan Lisovicz in about 20 minutes. As usual, she's watching all the ups and downs at the New York Stock Exchange.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: You know, it's a side of the presidential candidates that we rarely see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCAIN: We've talked about it. I told him, "Maverick I can do; messiah is above my pay grade."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Taking a break from the campaign trail to trade punch lines. It is really good stuff, and it's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You may not like John McCain's or Barack Obama's stump speeches, but they've got jokes, really. And they're pretty funny.

The two candidates appearing last night at the annual Al Smith charity dinner in New York. Here's John McCain's standup moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCCAIN: Events are moving fast in my campaign. And, yes, it's true that this morning I dismissed my entire team of senior advisers. All of their positions will now be held by a man named "Joe the Plumber".

(LAUGHTER)

Already -- and already, my friends, my opponents have been subjecting Joe to their vicious attack machines. His veracity has been questioned by Barack Obama's running mate, "Joe the Six-Term Senator."

(LAUGHTER)

He claims that this honest, hardworking small businessman could not possibly have enough income to face a tax increase under the Obama plan. What they don't know -- what they don't know is "Joe the Plumber" recently signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of their houses.

(LAUGHTER) This campaign needed the common touch of a working man. After all, it began so long ago with the heralded arrival of a man known to Oprah Winfrey as "The One." Being a friend and colleague of Barack, I just called him that one.

(LAUGHTER)

And he -- my friends, he doesn't mind at all. In fact, he even has a pet name for me -- George Bush.

(LAUGHTER)

It's been that kind of contest. And I come here tonight to the Al Smith Dinner knowing that I'm the underdog in these final weeks. But if you know where to look, there are signs of hope. There are signs of hope even in the most unexpected places -- even in this room full of proud Manhattan Democrats. I can't shake that feeling that some people here are pulling for me.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary.

(APPLAUSE)

Where's Bill, by the way?

Can't he take one night off from his tireless quest to make the man who defeated his wife the next president?

(LAUGHTER)

A man who's a relentless advocate for the Obama campaign and he has this subtle approach to making the case. When a reporter asked him if Senator Obama was qualified to be president, Bill Clinton pointed out, sure, he's over 35 years of age and a U.S. citizen.

(LAUGHTER)

He was pandering to the strict constructionist crowd.

(LAUGHTER)

He's also been hammering away at me with epitaphs like American hero and great man. And with all the cameras running, he warmly embraced me at that Global Initiative of his. My friends, this is nothing but a brazen attempt to suppress turnout among anti-Clinton conservatives.

(LAUGHTER)

Finally, when Larry King asked President Clinton a couple weeks ago what was the delay and why wasn't he out there on the trail for Barack, Bill said his hands were tied until the end of the Jewish high holidays. Now, you've got to admire that ecumenical spirit. I just know Bill would like to be out there now, stumping for Barack until the last hour of the last day. Unfortunately, he is constrained by his respect for any voters who might be observing the Zoroastrian new year.

(LAUGHTER)

And some advocates for Senator Obama are less restrained in their enthusiasm, even in the media. All right, he usually is at table 228, for example, my old friend and Green Room pal Chris Matthews. He used to like me, but he found somebody new -- somebody who opened his eyes, somebody who gave him a thrill up his leg.

(LAUGHTER)

And we've talked about it. I told him maverick I can do, but messiah is above my pay grade.

(LAUGHTER)

You know, it's going to be a long, long night at MSNBC if I manage to pull this thing off.

(LAUGHTER)

For starters...

(APPLAUSE)

... I understand that Keith Olbermann has ordered up his very own "mission accomplished" banner. And they can hang that in whatever padded room has been reserved for him.

(LAUGHTER)

Seriously, Chris, if they need any decorating advice on that banner, ask Keith to call me so I can tell him right where to put it.

(LAUGHTER)

So, you know, I had fun with the media and we all know the press is really an independent, civic-minded and nonpartisan group, like ACORN...

(LAUGHTER)

In case you haven't been following my opponent's get out the vote campaign, ACORN is helping to register groups previously excluded, overlooked and underserved -- second graders, the deceased, Disney characters. In Florida, they even turned up an ACORN registration form that bore the name of one Mickey Mouse. We're checking the paw prints.

Although, I might let that one go, I'm pretty sure the big rat's a Republican. Anyway, we all know that Senator Obama is ready for any contingency -- even the possibility of a sudden and dramatic market rebound. I'm told that at the first sign of recovery, he will suspend his campaign and fly immediately to Washington to address this crisis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Good stuff last night from John McCain.

All right. We've got Barack Obama's jokes all queued up and ready to roll, but you'll have to stick around for that next hour.

Comedy also coming from Sarah Palin. "Saturday Night Live" won't need to impersonate the vice presidential candidate. They're getting the real thing this weekend. No word yet if Palin lookalike Tina Fey will also be on the program.

Honey, who shrank the 401(k) to an 01(k)? Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis answers your questions next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We'll get to Gerri Willis in just a moment, but we've got some news just in to the CNN NEWSROOM.

The United States says North Korea has stepped up disablement of its key nuclear reactor, Yongbyon. You'll recall it was just a week ago that North Korea agreed to halt nuclear activities that produced plutonium, allow inspections.

President Bush made the decision to remove North Korea from the terror list. That was last Friday, and Secretary Rice signed the order.

Saturday morning, North Korea, before all of this activity, had taken steps to restart its nuclear reactor. But the news this morning from the United States and from the White House and from the State Department is that North Korea has stepped up disablement of its nuclear reactor.

We will keep an eye on developments in this story.

It's time now for personal finance editor Gerri Willis. And Gerri's mail bag is filled with questions this week about 401(k) retirement plans.

Gerri, great to see you. You want to dive right in?

GERRI WILIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hi there, Tony. Well, let's go.

HARRIS: OK. We've got an e-mail from Viera, Florida, that reads, "I read an article that indicated that a temporary moratorium might be placed on mandatory distributions from IRAs or 401(k)s when their owners reach 70.5. Can you tell me if this is truly under consideration?" Gerri.

WILLIS: Well, yes. Both presidential candidates have suggested it would be a good idea, and even 401(k) advocates love the idea. Here is how it would help you.

Essentially, you wouldn't have to sell stocks now in the teeth of a downturn if you're in that age group. So this might save your retirement, it might help you save some money here. But we'll have to wait and see. But it looks good for folks in that situation.

HARRIS: OK. We've got another question here.

"I am 28 years old and my 401(k) is down 40 percent" -- boy...

WILLIS: Ouch.

HARRIS: "... in the last three weeks. My asset allocation: 75 percent in stocks and 25 percent in bonds. Should I change, Gerri, my asset mix?"

WILLIS: No, no, no. Look, you're 28 years old. Continue to contribute to your 401(k).

In terms of your asset mix, you're pretty much on target. You have to decide though what is comfortable for you, but you're doing it right. The younger you are, the more you should have in stocks.

Look, make sure you understand what you're invested in. Spread out your risk in a number of different investment areas so that you can maximize your returns, and don't concentrate on the daily market's ups and downs.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: It will drive you crazy.

Remember, nobody knows where the bottom is and how soon it will come. Some experts have said it could be soon, but in this kind of market, you need to think long term. And at 28, you can certainly afford to.

HARRIS: Isn't that the truth?

Lisa from New York writes, "Gerri, I've been able to save up a good amount for a down payment on my home. I'm almost there, but one of my accounts has been battered and lost about half its value. Is it smart to move the money or look for an ultra-safe account? I was originally planning to purchase within the next half year."

WILLIS: Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, I'm hoping you don't have that short- term money in stocks. You know, you don't put money that you're going to need soon into the stock market.

That said, if you pull it out of the market now, you'll be locking in your losses. Your best move now, open up a CD account at a bank, put some money in there, and lock your money in for six months to a year, a short period of time. You'll probably get a decent rate of interest. Check out those interest rates at different institutions at bankrate.com.

HARRIS: All right, Gerri. Got to run. Busy Friday. But what's the e-mail address if folks want to send you questions that you can take on maybe next week?

WILLIS: TopTips@CNN.com. We love to answer them for you, so send us an e-mail. Let us know what your money questions are.

HARRIS: Gerri, have a great weekend. Good to see you. Thank you.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: All right.

Down to the wire for the candidates. So who needs to do what to win? We will assess it. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Breaking news now into CNN. We're getting word of an explosion at a law firm in Dalton, Georgia. That's about an hour north of Atlanta. Witnesses reporting the blast wounded several people at the McCanny law firm. It happened less than two hours ago. Windows of the building were blown out and at least one person had his clothes burned off. Man. Schools in the area are on lockdown right now. A local newspaper reports officials have a person in custody and are questioning him.

We will get you additional information on this story, pretty dramatic indeed. And we will bring the new information to you as we get it here in the NEWSROOM.

So, if you want to know where the battleground states are, just look at where the candidates are campaigning today. Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin on the trail in Ohio. She is holding a rally in West Chester right about now. We will take you there live in just a moment. OK. There you see her there.

Next hour, Barack Obama campaigns in Virginia. Virginia hasn't voted for a Democrat for president since 1964. But polls show Obama ahead of John McCain.

Strategies for the home stretch, 18 days and counting. What do the presidential candidates need to do in the remaining days? With us from Washington to talk about all this, CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.

Bill, good to see you. OK, no numbers this time around, Bill. Let's do some straight analysis here. What does -- first -- John McCain need to do to close the gap in this race in the remaining days?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well you ever hear the phrase, it's the economy, stupid?

HARRIS: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: That's the phrase.

What he really needs to do, I think, is stop talking about Barack Obama. For a long time his election strategy was to discredit Obama, to create doubts about him, to make him look fearful and risky. That really hasn't worked, and I don't think it's going to work. I think he has to talk about the economy, what his plan is -- because people aren't clear on this -- what his plan is to get more jobs and to turn the economy around and to try to reassure voters that if they vote for him, he does have a plan, he does have a proposal. Talk about himself, talk about his ideas, stop attacking Obama.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Bill, what about Barack Obama? What does he need to do to close out John McCain and win this election?

SCHNEIDER: Well, he's spending $4.5 million a day. That's not bad. McCain, by the way is spending about $1.5 million a day, so it's 3-1.

He is campaigning -- he's got a lot of luxuries. He can do basically anything he wants because he has a lot of money and he's ahead, not by a safe margin, but by a reasonable margin in the polls. So I think what he's doing is going to places that have looked a bit unlikely for Democrats -- but he might just be able to carry, like North Carolina and Indiana and even maybe West Virginia. He's going to places where the Democrats may have a shot and trying to show, I can campaign even in states we never carry.

HARRIS: Hey, Bill, speaking about those battleground states, we know that there are a number of battleground states that you've been watching and will be watching. But give me the two that you will be watching the most closely and tell us why.

SCHNEIDER: Virginia and North Carolina.

Of course, I'm from Virginia so I have a little bias.

HARRIS: OK.

SCHNEIDER: But Virginia hasn't voted for a Democrat since 1964. North Carolina did vote for Jimmy Carter in '76. That's about it. Look, you watch those two states because if Barack Obama can carry Virginia and North Carolina, and we say that Virginia now is leaning to Obama, North Carolina is still a toss-up state, if he can win both of those two states -- over there you see Virginia is light blue, that is leaning Obama, North Carolina is gold, that's a toss-up -- if it looks like he's going to win both of those two states, then he will probably win the two biggest battleground states, Ohio and Florida, which are still in the toss-up category. So watch Virginia, watch North Carolina.

HARRIS: Very good. All right, CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider from Washington for us. Bill, good to see you. Thank you.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

HARRIS: President Bush speaking earlier in the Rose Garden focusing on the Visa Waiver Program. The president is expected to add more countries to that list. And most of them, former Soviet bloc nations that are strong supporters of the United States-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The eastern European countries would join the ranks of most western Europeans who do not need visas to visit the United States.

All right. Let's take you to Ohio now, West Chester Township. Sarah Palin conducting a rally now. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... good to be back here in the Buckeye State. Thank you for allowing us to be here.

And I appreciate you all coming out today, each one of you is here because you know that the stakes in this election are so high, this is so important. And on Wednesday, the presidential debate that you hopefully got to watch, everyone in America got a real clear look at the choice that we face. And how did John McCain do on Wednesday night?

(APPLAUSE)

Ohio, soon the choice will be yours to make. Are you ready to help us carry this state to victory?

(APPLAUSE)

Are you ready to make John McCain the next president of the United States?

(APPLAUSE)

Are you ready to send us to Washington, D.C. to shake things up?

(APPLAUSE)

Good, good.

On Election Day, you have a very, very important choice to make. And it's a choice between a politician who puts his faith in government and a true leader who puts his faith in all of you.

(APPLAUSE)

It's the choice between a politician who wants to raise taxes and redistribute your hard-earned money according to his priorities -- and a true reformer who wants to lower taxes and create jobs and get this economy back on the right track. (APPLAUSE)

It's the choice between a candidate who will raise your taxes and that threatens our future and a leader who is going to Washington to work for the people like Joe the plumber and --

(APPLAUSE)

CROWD: Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe!

PALIN: -- and millions like Joe the plumber who are struggling to sustain a small business. We want to cut taxes. And our opponent wants to raise them. And you know, we've really got to hand it to Joe. Somehow he got Barack Obama to finally state his intentions in plain language.

(APPLAUSE)

Senator Obama said that he wants to spread the wealth and he wants government to take your money and decide how to best redistribute it according to his priorities. And Joe suggested that that sounded a little bit like socialism.

(APPLAUSE)

Whatever you call it, I call it bad medicine for an ailing economy. And it's what Barack Obama will do to those who want to create jobs, and we're willing to call Barack Obama on it. But at least -- at least Joe did get a straight answer out of our opponent.

But what about the other answers that we haven't gotten yet? OK, now this is not mean spirited, it is not negative to call someone on their record and on their associations, OK? Senator Obama won't tell you the full truth about his tax increases. And now he's kind of fuzzying up his connections to ACORN. And this is the same candidate who is running ads that are distorting our plans for lower health care costs for all of you.

Now, ACORN is under investigation for rampant voter fraud in 13 states. And a front group for ACORN received over $800,000 from the Obama campaign. Now, Obama says that his only involvement with ACORN was when he represented the group as a lawyer. But what about the training that he provided ACORN in the past and ACORN s staff? And, his role in past ACORN voter registration efforts? And then, there's the $200,000 that he got for ACORN when he was on the board of the Woods Fund, and the fact that ACORN endorsed him this year and they're working pretty hard on his behalf.

Now, all of this would be a lot of baggage to drag into the Oval Office. And Americans are entitled to answers before Election Day.

(APPLAUSE)

In the words of John McCain, we need a little straight talk.

(APPLAUSE) These associations are important. They go to the heart of someone's judgment and truthfulness. And it is not mean spirited, it is not negative campaigning to ask someone about their record. It's in fairness to the electorate. As for ACORN and voter fraud, now they're under federal investigation and John and I are calling on the Obama campaign to release communications it has had with this group and to do so immediately.

(APPLAUSE)

And we are asking for this, not picking on someone or someone's campaign, we're asking this in fairness to all of you, the American voters. You deserve to know --

(APPLAUSE)

-- you deserve to know because we do need to know more clearly about the choices that we have on November 4th. In this election, especially here in Ohio, you're going to be asked to choose between a candidate who will not disavow a group committing voter fraud and a leader who will not tolerate it.

(APPLAUSE)

This group needs to learn that you, here in Ohio, you won't let them turn the Buckeye State into the ACORN state.

(APPLAUSE)

So Ohio, are you ready to send us to Washington to shake things up and clean things up?

(APPLAUSE)

So for a campaign that sure likes to talk a lot about the future, our opponents sure do talk really a lot about the past, they're pointing fingers backwards and they do this looking to the past because that's where you find blame. But John McCain and I are -- we're joining you in looking to the future because that's where you find the solutions. And they look to the past because it seems like they'd rather be running against the current administration. But as John McCain reminded Senator Obama the other night in the debate, if he wanted to run against George Bush, he had his chance four years ago.

(APPLAUSE)

But this year, of course, the name on the ballot is John McCain. And America knows that John McCain is his own man. He is the maverick. He's come up against his own party when he's had to, certainly the other party, also. Anything, everything he could do in his career to fight for you and put his country first.

(APPLAUSE)

From an enemy -- it was from an enemy prison camp to the halls of Congress, John always putting his country first. And he's the only man in this race who talks about the wars that America is fighting and he isn't afraid to use the word victory.

(APPLAUSE)

You notice our opponents can go on and on in speech after speech about the wars that America is fighting, and it sure would be nice if just once Barack Obama would say that he wants America to win.

(APPLAUSE)

John served our nation in uniform for 22 years, and five and a half years as a P.O.W. He's met great adversity in his own life, and in service to this great country. He knows how tough challenges are overcome. He knows how to win the war. As the mother of one of the troops over there in Iraq today, he's exactly the kind of man I want as commander-in-chief --

(APPLAUSE)

-- and not just my son, I am so proud of our military men and women, those who are serving today, those who served in the past. Do me a favor. Those of you who have served, or are serving today, would you raise your hand? Let us honor you. We thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

We thank you guys. We thank you, and we thank you. Yes, we thank you, sir.

(APPLAUSE)

Yes, we thank you for your service and your sacrifice. We love you and we are proud of you, and we understand the mission.

Ohio, there is so much at stake in this election. Our country is facing tough economic times, and now more than ever we need someone tough as president who is ready to lead on day one. We need a leader with experience and courage and good judgment and truthfulness and a bold plan of action to take this country in a new direction. We do need John McCain.

(APPLAUSE)

In a time of great hardship and worry in so many parts of this great country, John has a plan to help our families keep their homes and help our retirees keep their savings and keep those investments that they have worked so hard for and then had trusted other people to manage those dollars for them. But because of greed and corruption on Wall Street and in Washington, they're worrying today. We have a plan to help them. We have a plan to help our students pay for their college education --

(APPLAUSE)

-- and to help all of us afford health care. Our plan is going to get this economy back on the right track. It's a pro-private sector, pro-growth agenda that will help you.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Sarah Palin in West Chester Township, Ohio.

Now next hour, Barack Obama is holding a rally in Roanoake, Virginia. And then in the 1:00 p.m. Eastern hour, John McCain holding a rally in Miami.

Take a look at the numbers there from the New York Stock Exchange. As you can see the Dow is down. Stocks are certainly uneven today, sinking a bit on recession woes. The market is responding to another weak housing report this morning.

You know, there is some good news out there. Google reporting higher than expected third quarter earnings. We will get a check of the markets with Susan Lisovicz in minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, financial experts often advise us to stay the course when the stock market goes down. But you know there are increasing signs that their advice is falling on deaf ears. Let's check in now with Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest.

Susan, good morning.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

And it comes down to mutual funds, which, as you and I know, are among the most common vehicles for us to invest. An equity mutual fund is simply a basket of stocks. The investment research group, TrimTabs says it's normal to see net outflows from mutual funds in a down market. But the rate of outflow in this downturn is surprising. And the COO of TrimTabs told me it's an unprecedented exit.

He said they started seeing big outflows in July, continuing through this summer, and accelerating this month. And so far, we're only half way through the month, $57 billion, as you can see, so far, which would be a record. And, yes, I mean that does tribute to some of the declines, at least that's what the folks at TrimTabs -- it certainly makes sense.

$57 billion in a couple weeks would make sense. And we're seeing a decline on the big board today, although another volatile session. The Dow right now is well off its lows of 250 earlier, down 41, or half a percent. The Nasdaq, S&P, are down just marginally.

One person who is not certainly bearish right now is Warren Buffett. In a "New York Times" op-ed piece today, he says something he's been saying for years now, for decades now, be fearful when others are greedy, be greedy when others are fearful. He's buying U.S. stocks and says bad news is an investor's best friend to get a slice of America's future at a good price.

Read it, it's easy to read. And remember, that's where he's made his billions.

HARRIS: That's right.

LISOVICZ: In the market.

HARRIS: Well, I'm going listen. I'm going to read it.

All right, Susan, good to see you. See you next hour.

LISOVICZ: Likewise. Yes.

HARRIS: OK.

Forgiving the unforgivable. Meet the woman actress Susan Sarandon calls her hero.

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HARRIS: Last week we revealed CNN's top 10 heroes of 2008. And you can you go online right now to choose which of them you want to be the hero of the year. Now, while votes are streaming in, we've asked some very familiar faces to share the spotlight introducing us to their heroes. Today, Oscar winner Susan Sarandon tells us about a truly amazing woman who survived unimaginable horrors during the Congolese genocide.

Here is Susan Sarandon's hero.

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SUSAN SARANDON, ACTRESS: When I first met Rose I was just so taken by her heart. She's the story of the power of forgiveness.

I'm Susan Sarandon and my hero fights for the survival and resettlement of refugees.

ROSE MAPENDO, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: I had seven children with me and my husband. I never, never thought the genocide could be happening in Congo. They took all the men, they were killed. They put us in prison. They were so angry for God. When I found out I was pregnant, I said, God, accept my life, forgive me -- I forgive those enemies.

I named my twins after the commander charged to kill us. That day is the day I survived.

SARANDON: She has dedicated her whole life to saving these refugees that are falling through the cracks with Mapendo.

MAPENDO: Mapendo International is my hope, is my answer for my pray.

SARANDON: What Rose has done has shown this great capacity to move on and to forgive and to embrace life.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: And once again, you can go to CNN.com/heroes right now to vote for the hero that inspires you the most. They'll be honored at an all-star tribute hosted by Anderson Cooper on Thanksgiving night, right here on CNN.

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