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Campbell Brown
President Obama Targets Health Care; Finding a Good Job
Aired March 05, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.
President Obama takes on health care and the critics who have been taking him on.
Bullet point number one: The president brought all sides in the health care debate to the White House today, and he showed little patience for those who think now is not the time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's been some talk about the notion that maybe we're taking on too much, all right, that we're in the midst of an economic crisis and that the system is overloaded, and so we should put this off for another day.
Well, let's just be clear. When times were good, we didn't get it done. When we had mild recessions, we didn't get it done. When we were in peacetime, we did not get it done. We were at war, we did not get it done.
There is always a reason not to do it. And it strikes me that now is exactly the time for us to deal with this problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Strong words from the president, but can he pull off what presidents before him have not been able to? We're going to have a NO BIAS, NO BULL take tonight.
Bullet number two: President Obama loses another potential member of his team. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has withdrawn from consideration to become surgeon general. Dr. Gupta was going to be a key player in reforming health care. This has set that effort back before it even starts. We will talk about that.
Bullet point number three tonight: Where are the jobs? Thousands of people lined up at a job fair in New York today desperate for a chance. Well, tonight, we will use the magic wall to show you where there are jobs in America right now. And we have got a panel of experts to help with your questions about this tough economy.
Call us toll-free at 1-877-NO-BULL-0, again, 1-877-662-8550. We're going to taking your calls a little bit later in the program.
But, first, we're going to start with President Obama's prescription for saving American's health care. A big part of the anecdote is reaching across the aisle to hear from those who could make or break his goal of reform by the end of the year.
Now, once again, as he did during last month's fiscal responsibility financial summit, the president rolled the dice by inviting Republicans to join in a nationally televised forum, even though he would have no way of knowing if he would be put on the spot. Well, the president used some humor, combined with a promise that his solutions aren't the only ones up for discussion here.
Listen as he tries to respond to one Republican member of Congress and teaches one of his fellow Democrats the value of working with rivals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B. OBAMA: Senator Whitehouse said this isn't a Harry and Louise moment, it's a Thelma and Louise moment.
(LAUGHTER)
B. OBAMA: We're in the car headed towards a cliff and we must act.
Now, I just want to be clear, if you actually saw the movie, they did drive over the cliff.
(LAUGHTER)
B. OBAMA: So just want to be clear, that's not our intention here.
(LAUGHTER)
SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: The only thing that I would throw out for your consideration -- and please don't respond to this now because I'm asking you just to think about it -- there's a lot of us that feel that the public option, that the government is an unfair competitor, and that we're going to get an awful lot of crowd out. And we have to keep what we have now strong and make it stronger.
B. OBAMA: I recognize that there's that concern. I think it's a serious one and a real one, and we'll make sure that it gets addressed, partly because I assume it'll be very -- be very hard to come out of committee unless we're thinking about it a little bit. And so we want to make sure that that's something that we pay attention to.
So, I hope everybody understands that for those of you who are passionate about universal coverage and making sure that the moral dimension of health care is dealt with, don't think that we can get that done without -- excuse me. This is a health care forum, so I thought I would...
(LAUGHTER)
B. OBAMA: ... model what happens when you don't get enough sleep.
Is your counterpart on your committee here?
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D-NY), HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Yes, he is.
B. OBAMA: Come on, Dave.
RANGEL: Me and Dave and I work so closely together. If we can keep the disagreements down, we'll be a hell of a team.
B. OBAMA: What I meant, Charlie, was let's give him the mike.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
REP. DAVE CAMP (R), MICHIGAN: It's tough on the minority, let me tell you.
(LAUGHTER)
CAMP: You do lose the microphone when you're not in the majority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right. We want to bring in our panel right now, national political correspondent Jessica Yellin joining me from Washington, along Republican strategist Kevin Madden, CNN political analyst Roland Martin also joining us tonight from Chicago.
Hi, guys.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: How you doing?
BROWN: Jessica, let me start with you here.
Dispute all of the goodwill and fun in that room today, the president is gearing up for a real fight right now, isn't he?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He really is, Campbell.
And the main question is, how big of a role should the government play in all of this? Well, outside interest groups, they disagree. And they are gearing up to spend $55 million on ad campaigns to influence the outcome.
So, the two sides here, conservatives say, look, they don't want government involved in health care. They say it should all be left up to the free market. So, their vision is, consumers would get health care only through private insurers.
On the other hand, liberals say, wait, the most important thing is making sure that every single American is covered. So, they want a government-run health insurance option. And the president's goals, well, he wants to make sure everyone can get coverage, but he's leaving it to Congress to work out the details. And so there you have a fight brewing.
BROWN: Kevin, let me bring you into this.
Another day of the president welcoming Republicans into the White House, taking their questions, hearing their complaints. You have got to give them credit for that much. It does make it a little bit hard for the party just to put up a brick wall on this, doesn't it?
KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I do.
I think, again, the president and -- President Obama and the White House are very good at staging bipartisan-themed events for the president to flourish in. But I think you're right. And this is a particularly difficult issue to just put up an opposition message instead.
You have to be constructive, because I think there is a very -- there's a growing awareness among the American public that something has to get done on health care. And I think Republicans don't necessarily say that they want the government out of it, but they want to see a smart government solution, so that we can leverage the free market, so that we can make health care more affordable and more accessible.
So, I think there's going to be a big fight over the cost. There's going to be a big fight over the size of government. But I do think that there is a consensus that we do need to move on something. Republicans are very aware that voters want to see solutions on health care.
BROWN: Do you agree, Roland?
MARTIN: Absolutely.
And I think, Campbell, we make a mistake if we only look at what took place today as stagecraft to impress Republicans. Keep in mind, you're likely going to have Democrats who also are not in full support for what the president is trying to achieve. And, so, he may lose some Democrats. He may pick up some Republicans. It all depends upon how this whole thing flows out in terms of in committee in the House, as well as the Senate.
And, so, it's a smart move for him to make this effort right now because his approval ratings are extremely strong, and so you make this kind of move when you're at your strongest, at opposed to at your weakest.
BROWN: Let me ask you, Roland, though. Tom Daschle was supposed to lead this health care forum effort. Now he's out. Today, Sanjay Gupta, who was supposed to help sell the plan, withdrew his name from consideration as surgeon general. How much do these departures hamper the president's effort? MARTIN: I think the Daschle departure, frankly, is a lot more important than Dr. Sanjay Gupta, no offense to him, because, again, Daschle was the one who fully understood how Congress operated.
He knew where the bodies were buried. And so he goes out and he chooses Kathleen Sebelius, governor of Kansas, to be his secretary of HHS. And so she's an outsider. And so he's really going to have to depend on the legislative side, as opposed to leaning on Daschle, who was in a much different position than frankly an outsider.
And so I think that is probably the biggest loss, as opposed to someone who is selling it. You can sell it all day, but you have got to get it through Congress.
BROWN: Jessica, health care reform went down in flames under Bill Clinton, a lot of lessons to be learned from that experience.
What is the Obama administration -- what are you hearing in terms of what they are taking from that, in terms of how they approach it?
YELLIN: Well, the first thing everyone in the White House emphasizes to me is that, unlike the Clintons, they are not delivering a finished product. They are talking to Congress. They will work on a plan with Congress, so there is buy-in on both sides.
And, already, Campbell, the folks I talk to in the White House are in conversations with folks up there and have been for weeks, so they have a sense where the directions -- where the divisions are. And they also say, look, a big difference is, back in the Clinton era, many of us average Americans liked our health insurance. And you had to still educate folks that there's a problem.
Huge change today, because businesses and individuals, everybody knows something needs to be done. So, they say they are way ahead of the game just for that reason.
BROWN: Kevin, let me ask you, though, a lot of people saying he's got enough on his plate right now; he should be focused solely on the economic crisis; leave health care reform for another day.
Do you agree with that?
MADDEN: Well, you know what is interesting on that issue is that the economic anxiety that drives many Americans' opinions right now, people see health care as an economic anxiety.
It's a big bottom-line gut-check issue for people who sit down at their kitchen table every single night. The rising costs and the lack of affordability -- I'm sorry -- the lack of accessibility, it drives Americans' anxiety on the economy.
So, they think -- I think that there is a large reservoir of goodwill there for President Obama and members of Congress who want to solve this issue, because when people -- when they are addressing it, people feel like they are addressing a big strain on the economy.
BROWN: All right, guys, we have got to end it there.
MARTIN: Campbell, also...
BROWN: Yes, go ahead, quickly, Roland, and make your point.
MARTIN: No, no.
Yes, real quick, in 2010, next year, the year 2012, the Obama folks realize they are not guaranteed another four years.
BROWN: Right.
MARTIN: And, so, if this is a major issue, you have got to get it out there. And so whatever happens happens. But you can't say, I will hold it in my pocket until the right time.
BROWN: All right.
On that note, Roland, Kevin, and Jessica, many thanks. Appreciate it.
And I also just want to mention, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be a guest on "LARRY KING LIVE" at the top of the hour talking about his decision to take his name out of contention.
A footnote to this discussion that there was a moment we just wanted to share with you also, Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who, as many of you know, is fighting a brain tumor, got a standing ovation when he joined the president at the end of today's health care forum. It's one of his first public appearances since suffering a seizure on Inauguration Day.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I think most of us who have been in this room before have seen other times when the House and the Senate have made efforts, but they haven't been the kind of serious effort that I think that we're seeing right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Kennedy promised to be what he called a foot soldier in the health care battle to come.
Tonight, we are taking a NO BIAS, NO BULL look at how hard Americans are working to get a job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAWN WILSON, UNEMPLOYED: Hopefully, someone will call me and offer me a job or an interview or whatever the case may be, because I'm not one to sit at home and do nothing. So, I'm ready to go back to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: She is ready. And we have got the information she needs, the states where there are more jobs available.
Tonight, we also have a panel of experts ready to take your calls about jobs and the economy. Dial in now, 1-877-NO-BULL-0, 1-877-662- 8550.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We're "Cutting Through The Bull" tonight, as always.
As we speak, the Senate is deciding whether or not to approve a giant spending bill loaded with pork. And, yet again, we find ourselves asking when Congress is going to get the hint when it comes to squandering our tax money at a time when we have got so little of it.
You have already heard us talk about the more than 8,000 earmarks, AKA pork, clinging to the emergency spending bill that soon could head to the president's desk. That same bill which was designated to keep the federal government functioning through September contains a nearly 11 percent increase in congressional spending on Congress itself.
Now, that translates to a nearly half-billion jump over last year. And where is the money going? Well, among the highlights, 9.5 million of these urgently needed dollars will be used toward refurbishing committee rooms in the House of Representatives. There's also a cost of living pay raise for congressional staffers and expense accounts of up to $40,000 for some lawmakers.
Once again, they forget that sometimes symbolism does equal substance. In a year when millions of Americans are forced to tighten their own budgets, a year where the new president froze pay for some of his senior staff the day after he took office, why would Congress think the best way to improve its image is to blow money on renovating committee rooms?
How about improving your look where it really counts? Try some belt-tightening of your own for a change. If nothing else, you will have something in common with the people you were elected to serve.
Now, last night, it was a health scare. Today, though, former President Bush is able to joke about surgery on the former first lady. We are going to have the very latest on how Barbara Bush is doing.
And we're also taking your calls on the air about jobs and the economy. Dial in now, 1-877-NO-BULL-0, 1-877-662-8550.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Lines snakes around the block today at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel, where Monster.com was holding a job fair.
Thousands of people waited for hours, resumes in hand, just to get the chance to talk to representatives from about 90 companies.
Well, we're going to introduce you to one of those job-seekers in a minute. But, first, if yours was one of two-and-a-half million jobs eliminated since Labor Day, all you want to know right now is where you can get another one. Well, we're going to show you.
Tom Foreman is here to break it down for us at the wall tonight -- Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Campbell, this map was put together by CareerBuilder.com. And what it shows is the availability of jobs.
You can see it's color-coded, but if you come in close, you can see. All these dark blue areas are areas where you have the most new jobs waiting out there to be taken, lighter blue, a little bit lesser. This pale color, less than that, and this gold color, well, that's where the really -- it's the hardest to find the jobs.
It's kind of hard to see all of this at once, though. So, what I want to do right now is just take this and we're going to go ahead and change it over here to show you some major areas that we ought to be looking at here.
And the first one is going to be the South and the Southwest, these yellow states, Florida down here, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. What's going on in these states? Well, they are warm. And who likes warm places? Well, old people do. And the baby boomers are getting older, lots and lots of them.
So, what is opening up here? Retirement jobs, jobs related to retirement, providing services to retired people, and, in addition to that, health care, another big need of an older population.
Let's look at another area here that is a hot spot right now out here in the West. What do these states have in common, Idaho, all the way down here, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas? You know what it is? Energy. We have been talking all about energy. There are energy jobs to be had out here right now, and not only old energy jobs, but also new energy.
Some of the most vibrant companies looking at solar power and wind power are based out in that same area.
So, Campbell, if you want to go into energy, go West, young man, or young woman.
BROWN: All right, but, Tom, I know you also highlighted the Upper Midwest. And we will all remember from the campaign it was such a focus how tough things were in that part of the country.
FOREMAN: Yes, they really are.
And CareerBuilder found that is still true. Look up here. When you look at this area right up here, Ohio and Michigan, this is where there was so much manufacturing. And, boy, those places are still hurting.
So, this is not really good job-hunting turf up in there. But go a little bit over to the east here, look at this. Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., what's growing right now? Everybody is talking about it, government, not just the government itself, but all of the companies related to government work.
So, there's a lot of potential work out there, Campbell.
BROWN: Now, that's kind of a broad look at the country, but you have got to assume, Tom, that there are little pockets out there of good and bad job availability as well, right?
FOREMAN: Yes. You're absolutely that.
You noticed at the beginning all those blotches of the dark blue and other ones. Well, look at this. Over here in the Northeast, a lot of people, a lot of need for this, education, a lot of big schools out there. There are availabilities in education out there.
Middle of the country, transportation, a lot of transportation jobs available if you hit the right pocket there. And, then, when you come out here to the West Coast in particular, don't forget all the work that's been out there in technology.
There are still good jobs to be had there. So, the simple truth is, if you have the right skills or you can get the right training and you know where to look, Campbell, you can find jobs right now.
BROWN: All right. Tom Foreman for us tonight with a little hope -- offering a little hope there, Tom. Thanks very much. Appreciate it.
Michelle Obama was dishing it out today at a soup kitchen. This was just a few blocks away from the White House. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF SENATOR BARACK B. OBAMA: My purpose here was to listen, learn, and to scoop some risotto.
(LAUGHTER)
M. OBAMA: And, hopefully, everybody was satisfied with my scoops.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The first lady got quite a reception, a lot of satisfaction with her scoops. We will tell you about that in tonight's "Political Daily Briefing."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Six hundred thirty-nine thousand Americans filed for unemployment last week, 639,000. And almost every one of those lost jobs creates some kind of ripple effect.
Here in New York this morning, thousands of people showed up at a job fair, all of them wondering the same thing: Where are the jobs?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN:(voice-over): It was chaos, 4,000 people waiting for the chance to sell themselves to job recruiters. These are people who lost their jobs months ago determined to find a way back to work.
Dawn Wilson is 44, a single mom. She says Citibank laid her off five months ago. She's absolutely driven to find a new job. But it's hard.
WILSON: My severance is almost gone. I have been trying to make it stretch, but I have no luck so far.
What are the positions that you have available?
How about any admin positions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not currently available right now.
WILSON: Well, thanks for your time.
This is all new to me. I was told to bring a lot of resumes, so I did. And they are all gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wonderful.
WILSON: I'm expecting a call from one of -- an interview that I went on last week. And, hopefully, it will be good news.
BROWN: Moments later, she gets a call.
WILSON: Oh, no, it's not the call.
BROWN: Four--and-a-half-hours later, Dawn leaves, still hopeful, but with no promises.
WILSON: I think I'm going to call it a day.
I came directly here after dropping the kids off at school. And I didn't have a chance for breakfast, so I'm starving. I haven't eaten all day. So, my feet are killing me. So, hopefully, when I go home, I can soak my feet and hopefully have a good meal.
BROWN: Back in Brooklyn, Dawn and her 7-year-old, Naomi (ph), are cleaning. They have moved in with her sister, so Dawn can job- search full-time. Her bills, it is a nightly ritual. WILSON: And MetLife is canceling my -- my life insurance, because I haven't paid that.
BROWN: Arranging them by which ones she can afford to pay.
WILSON: I have been, like, utilizing my credit cards. They're pretty much to the max right now. And I'm worried about how am I going to pay for those?
BROWN: Dawn worries about Naomi. She has to cut back and fears it might affect her daughter's future.
WILSON: She has been going to after-school. I just called the office to tell them that she won't be coming back next month. This is her last month, because I'm not able to pay it.
BROWN: So, what does Dawn say about this? She says she's hopeful, strong, and confident she can hang on. And yet:
WILSON: I pray a lot...
(LAUGHTER)
WILSON: ... when I'm scared, just to give me the courage to go on.
BROWN: There are so many others now just like Dawn and Naomi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And, remember, we want to hear from you. We have got Tom on the line from Florida. He lost his job and wants to know who is hiring right now. We're going to talk about that. Call us at 1-877- NO-BULL-0, 1-877-662-8550.
And, on another subject, as you know, former first lady Barbara Bush had heart surgery yesterday. Well, former President Bush could hardly hold back the tears today, talking about all the get-well wishes for his wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I think there's a lot of interest because of who she is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: We're going to tell you how Barbara Bush is doing after her heart surgery and, of course, who called to wish her well, that long list at the top of the hour.
Also, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells "LARRY KING LIVE" why he decided not to be President Obama's surgeon general.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: The world has a new richest man. Legendary investor Warren Buffett is now on top of the heap and it is a pretty big heap.
According to "Forbes" magazine, Buffett's net worth is $62 billion. The long-time richest man, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, is now in third place behind Buffett, and Mexican industrialist Carlos Slim.
Joe Johns, of course, unfortunately, didn't make the list, which is why he's here tonight with "The Briefing" -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Not quite. Thank you very much, Campbell.
California voters outlawed same-sex marriage and now the state's highest court is being asked to allow it again. The California Supreme Court heard arguments today as a large crowd outside watched the hearing on TV. In November, voters approved Proposition 8, taking away the marriage rights of same-sex couples in California.
Singer Chris Brown has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend singer, Rihanna, last month. Brown appeared briefly in court today, but his arraignment was postponed until next month. A police report says Brown repeatedly hit, choked, and even bit Rihanna inside their car while he was driving after she found a message on his cell phone from one of his former lovers.
Former first lady, Barbara Bush, is quickly recovering from yesterday's heart surgery. Her husband is relieved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It went so well and I've been a nervous wreck about it. Today, we heard from four presidents of the United States -- Obama, Clinton, Jimmy Carter and George Bush -- George W. Bush, and me, five. And I think there's a lot of interest because of who she is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Mrs. Bush had her aortic valve replaced after doctors discovered it had started to harden. Doctors replaced it with a pig valve, much to the former president's amusement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But it didn't seem routine to me when you're going to put a pig's valve in your wife. And, we had a lot of jokes in our family about whether she is going to go oink, oink (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Barbara Bush is likely to spend another week to ten days in the hospital.
And official word tonight from the White House, Campbell, the swing set is a hit. Here's the proof. Malia and Sasha Obama trying out their new playset. Their parents bought it as a surprise, of course. As you can see in the background, mom likes it, too. There she is.
Boy, that is quite a swing set. A lot different from the kinds of things you saw on the playground when I was a kid, Campbell.
BROWN: Yes. That's pretty much of an upgrade, I will definitely say.
Joe Johns for us tonight. Joe, thanks very much.
President Obama has a plan to help millions of Americans pay their mortgages. Well, now struggling homeowners, like iReporter Patricia in Pennsylvania, are calling their lenders looking for help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICIA, PENNSYLVANIA: I wanted to see what AHMSI (ph) is actually doing to help people like ourselves in this situation, where we've lost most of our income.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So how about you? Got a mortgage problem? Well, our experts are here to answer your questions tonight. As we've told you, the number to call 1-877-no-bull-0, 1-877-662-8550.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: President Obama's new mortgage plan sent thousands of worried homeowners running to the phones today. They're dialing up their lenders trying to figure out if they're going to get any help. Lots of questions out there, and our chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi, is right here tonight to follow the money for us.
And, Ali, a lot of people wonder if the president's plan is going to help them. Break it down for us.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BROWN: What happened?
VELSHI: This is -- I mean, there's so much it's confusing about what's going on today, and this one is tough. It took me a little while to figure this out.
But let me break it down. People should understand that there really are two plans designed to help two different groups of people. The first group of people it's designed to help are those who are not really in serious trouble but who have an adjustable rate mortgage and who have wanted to refinance into a fixed rate mortgages because fixed rate mortgages are not particularly expensive right now, but they haven't been able to because the price of their home, the price of your home has come down and your mortgage is too big a proportion. So, if you're not in serious trouble, this will allow you to refinance your mortgage if you're somewhere between 80 percent and 105 percent of the value of your home and your mortgage. Now, this is -- you have to be making your payments on time. You can be a little bit underwater, up to five percent underwater, and your loan has to be held or guaranteed by Freddie or Fannie. The way to find that out is to call your bank. The banks have been getting information on this.
Let's look at the second group of people for whom this mortgage plan is for. Those are people who are in more serious trouble.
Now, the aim of this plan is to bring your payment down to 31 percent of your monthly income because at that point, you're likely to stay in your house for longer. They'll bring your interest rate down to as low as two percent for five years and then it will gradually come back up to today's rates, about five percent.
Here are the rules for that. You have to be at risk for defaulting. This isn't just for everybody, yet you can be underwater by up to 50 percent, which means your house can be $100,000 in value, your mortgage can be $150,000, and you have to prove that if they refinance you and re-modify your mortgage, you'll be able to actually make the payments. So, those are the conditions that this mortgage plan breaks into. There are some other conditions there, Campbell, but these are the big ones.
BROWN: All right. Ali, stay there. I want to bring in our panel of money and mortgage experts to answer viewer questions about the president's new plan.
Donna Rosato is a senior writer for "Money Magazine." David Bach is a personal finance expert, also the author of "Fight for Your Money." We should also mention we shouldn't leave out Ali being an author as well. He's written a book as well called "Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis."
And as we told you earlier, the number to call with your questions tonight, 1-877-no-bull-0, or 1-877-662-8550.
Donna, I want to start with you in this iReport that we got. This is from Patricia in Pennsylvania. What she did is taped herself calling her mortgage company to try to find out if Obama's plan will help her. Watch what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICIA, PENNSYLVANIA: No, I'm actually calling because I know today that President Obama had released the housing stability and affordability plan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
PATRICIA: And I wanted to see what AHMSI (ph) is actually doing to help people like ourselves in this situation where we've lost most of our income.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
PATRICIA: I mean, I used to be at 35 percent loan to income and now I'm about 70 percent loan to income. And my husband cannot find a job anywhere and, believe me, we've tried. I have been documenting and updating you twice a month since actually April 2008.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. That information has not been -- has not been released to us yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, Patricia -- or Donna, rather, I know that you followed up with Patricia with a phone call this afternoon. So tell us, I mean, is the plan ultimately going to help her? Her mortgage lender didn't have any information. Do we?
DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY MAGAZINE": There are a lot of people who are frustrated like Patricia. They're really hurting and I have to say, unfortunately, Patricia may get some help but probably not from this plan. As Ali spelled out earlier, the plan is going to help two groups of people -- people who want to refinance and people who, you know, who are a little bit underwater and people who are at risk of foreclosure.
Patricia has already started the foreclosure process, but the key, she doesn't have any income. She is on disability and her husband has lost his job and they've been trying hard. He's been looking for a job for 13 months. Well, if you can't prove that you have income, even a reduced mortgage, they're not going to be able to qualify for this plan.
It doesn't mean she's completely out of luck. She is very dogged and there are other things that may help her. There could be other modifications that could work. And she should contact her local -- she's already been in touch with a local housing counselor. The foreclosure proceedings will be -- there will be a moratorium on them right now.
BROWN: Right.
ROSATO: And see if she qualifies for another kind of modification. But this plan is not going to help her.
BROWN: So, David, how many other homeowners are also left out of this and in the same kind of situation? And are enough people going to be helped to end the crisis?
DAVID BACH, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: You know, I always like to focus on the positive. The positive is a very in depth plan. It's setting out, Campbell, to help seven to nine million struggling homeowners. So it's got to help a lot of these people.
The one thing I think Patricia did right is she videotaped this call. You know, as I was watching this, my mom used to always say, God (ph), put in writing, David. Well, now with video cameras you really want to videotape all these calls because if it comes to the point where she's got to go to court and end up in front of a foreclosure judge, she'll have all this documentation and videotape that look, I was on the phone every week trying to do something. And what part of this legislation is going to do is allow judges to do rulings themselves on the foreclosure issue and change interest rates.
I also believe themselves at that foreclosure process. So I think she did the right thing by taping it. In her case, it's probably not going to help her.
Also, Ali didn't mention this but one of the people -- people who are going to be helped and maybe they shouldn't be helped are the investors. You're going to have to live in the property. It's got to be owner occupied.
BROWN: Right.
BACH: And again, you have to have a job.
VELSHI: Right.
BACH: So, if you're one of these people that just bought property to flip it and rip it, you're not getting a bailout.
VELSHI: You're not getting --
BROWN: OK, guys, let's take one of our phone calls. We've got Thomas from Florida on the telephone with us right now.
Thomas, what's your question?
CALL FROM THOMAS, FLORIDA: Hey, how are you this evening? My question is in this current economic climate with GMB (ph) below $2 and Citibank below a dollar, what sectors have the best potential for those of us that are currently in the job market, not just in terms of actually having jobs available but also in terms of long-term stability?
BROWN: And, Ali, Tom Foreman kind of outlined that very broadly in terms of parts of the country where certainly sectors seem to be moving.
VELSHI: Right.
BROWN: What do you think?
VELSHI: Well, you know, it's a different story under the stimulus bill, because the stimulus bill is creating jobs where there otherwise weren't going to. At least that's what it purports to do. For instance, manufacturing jobs have been lost in this country for years. The stimulus bill actually says it's going to create some manufacturing jobs.
Now, that's not going to make up for the number of jobs that are lost. There will be some construction jobs and transportation. There will be 3,000 jobs created.
So, what you want to do is really follow the money on that. Look at the places where there are specific projects going into place. Many of them will be construction right now because of the infrastructure, but there will be jobs in many different sectors.
The healthiest ones, by the way, outside of stimulus, before the stimulus plan were health care, education, and jobs in government. So, if you go to usajob.com, usajobs.gov, about 40,000 government jobs listed right there.
BROWN: All right, guys, we're going to take a quick break there. Our experts are sticking around. They're going to be here. When we get back, we'll get to more of your calls right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: The president's loan modification program could keep nine million borrowers in their homes, but will it help you? You can call in right now. We've got -- we'll get to your -- get your questions answered about your mortgage, also about jobs, which is frankly the subject of a lot of our calls tonight.
We want to take one right now. We've got Christopher on the phone for us.
Christopher, what's your question?
CHRISTOPHER, GEORGIA: Yes. Hello, Campbell. My question is regarding employment as well. I wanted to know if there were any tips on how to gain the attention of hiring managers directly versus having my resume compete against the deluge of other resumes particularly on popular job sites.
BROWN: Donna, what do you think?
ROSATO: My advice is to try to find some connection to that hiring manager. You have to stand out and you can use -- today, it's very easy to use a site like LinkedIn or Facebook to find someone that you know who knows somebody there.
LinkedIn actually has a particular way you could search to see any of your connections who knows somebody at a company. It doesn't have to be a close connection but really 80 percent of jobs are found by someone that you know.
VELSHI: Right.
ROSATO: It doesn't have to be a close connection, but I would -- that's how I would stand out. Find someone that you have in common and a way to reach out to that hiring manager.
BROWN: Do you have anything to add?
BACH: You know, Campbell, when I got of school in 1990, it was one of the worst job markets we've ever seen since now. And what I did was go and ask for informational interviews and they still work.
The informational interviews is where you call somebody and say, look, I want to come in and speak with you for ten minutes. I promise to be out of your office in ten minutes, but I want to come in and talk to you about your company, what you do. I want to have an informational interview.
We've all been there. I was surprised back in the early '90s how many informational interviews I was able to get and how many of those led to jobs. So I think right now just getting in front of people, you have to be more than a LinkedIn click. You've got to be more than a resume.
People need to see you face-to-face. And then the question that you ask when you leave that informational interview is, can you give me three names of people I could go meet with right now that are here that I can go talk to for maybe five minutes. And then you follow up with a handwritten thank you note.
I can't tell you how a few people today write thank you notes. You want to stick out, write handwritten thank you notes.
BROWN: I know, and this e-mail culture we live in -- yes, that's a great idea.
Let me go back because we're still getting a ton of questions.
VELSHI: Yes.
BROWN: Also about mortgages, about foreclosure, about homes. And this is obviously a nationwide problem but some areas are being hit really hard. Show us, walk us through it...
VELSHI: Yes.
BROWN: ... because we've gotten a lot of questions about this, where people are struggling the most.
VELSHI: OK, brand new numbers today. One in nine homes with mortgages in the United States are in some point in a problem. They're in delinquency, either a month late all the way into the foreclosure process.
Let me show you where it's the hardest hit. And it goes to (INAUDIBLE) the reason. The places where we've got the hardest hit in terms of foreclosures are those places where we saw home prices going up as much as they did. So, you've got California, Nevada, Arizona and then Florida. Those are your hardest hit places.
There are other parts of the country that have massive foreclosures, but they're for other reasons. In these three places, properties were a bit up. They were up 30 percent, 40 percent or more in these states. There are other states like in the Rust Belt where properties are under foreclosure because property value just came down. But again, these are big, major markets where you're seeing the greatest number of foreclosures. Those are also markets where you've seen the price of homes come down the most.
Now that's a double-edge sword, which means you can get a good deal on the house in those places. It also means that if you're one of these people stuck with a house that you're trying to sell and get out from under it, you can't get a good price for it.
BROWN: Yes, no question about it. Well, we have time for one more call. Sheryl is on the phone from Chicago.
Sheryl, what's your question?
CALL FROM SHERYL, CHICAGO: Hi, good evening, Campbell. Good evening, everyone.
My question is, let's say, I have two mortgage companies, an 80 and 20 mortgage. And how can I refinance if both of them are -- if I'm in foreclosure for both loans? I don't know how to explain it but I have an 80 on one loan, and 20 on the other.
VELSHI: Can I just ask you, are you underwater on your house? Is your house worth more --
SHERYL: Yes. Yes, they just served me the papers two weeks ago.
VELSHI: Yes. You're underwater by how much?
SHERYL: Huh?
VELSHI: By how much are you underwater?
SHERYL: 125, because I did a modification last year and I saved it.
VELSHI: And how much is the house worth?
SHERYL: Like 90 -- like 105,000 right now.
VELSHI: OK. It may not be underwater by -- you may qualify under the second program in the housing program, because she seems to have 50 percent equity in her house.
ROSATO: Yes. Sheryl (ph), and you still have your job, is that right?
SHERYL: Still have my job.
ROSATO: OK.
SHERYL: And also receive unemployment as well. I work two jobs.
ROSATO: And this is a very -- as Ali said earlier, it's very complicated so what I would recommend is go to hud.gov and talk to a housing counselor there. You can find one that's free for you to work with, and they'll find one in your local area that can help you point to some local resources and help you work through that.
BROWN: All right, guys, we have got to end it there, but many, many thanks to Donna, to David, and to Ali, as always. Appreciate it.
BACH: Thank you.
BROWN: And to everybody who called in, many of you who didn't get through, we'll get to you next time, I promise. But we got to go Larry King right now, because "LARRY KING LIVE" is just minutes away and he's covering a breaking political story tonight. Tell us more, Larry.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Thanks, Campbell. We're going to go live to the courthouse in Los Angeles. It was some scene there as Chris Brown made an appearance after being charged with two felonies today, allegedly beating and biting his girlfriend, Rihanna. We'll have the very latest.
And we will talk to CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the surgeon general post he was rumored to be in the running for. Lots going on tonight.
See you next, Campbell, on "LARRY KING LIVE."
BROWN: All right, Larry, we'll see you in a few.
Now, there was a moment today when pretty much everybody near a television just stopped and stared.
That's right. He's back. The king of pop planning a big comeback this summer, but you've got to buy an airline ticket apparently if you want to see him in person. We'll have more on that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Get ready, Europe. The Obamas are coming. Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed that later this month, the president and first lady will embark on a six-day visit to Britain, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Secretary Clinton also making some news herself today. And for that and more, here's Erica Hill with the "Political Daily Briefing."
And, Erica, topping tonight's "PDB" an announcement from Secretary Clinton that appears to indicate a shift in U.S. policy towards Iran.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and what could be a very important chip (ph), Campbell, after a NATO meeting in Brussels today, Secretary Clinton telling reporters about plans for a high level international conference on Afghanistan at the end of the month, a meeting which could include Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: If we move forward with such a meeting, it is expected that Iran would be invited as a neighbor of Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: Now, Clinton stresses it's still just a proposal but it would be the closest the Obama administration had come to engaging in direct talks with Iran. So you can imagine a lot of people are going to be waiting to see where it moves from here.
BROWN: Absolutely. On a much, much lighter note, back in Washington, movie star making the rounds again in Capitol Hill creating a lot of buzz today.
HILL: Yes. A lot of buzz here in the office, too. Look at all of these pictures.
Yesterday, George Clooney. Today, Brad Pitt in the Capitol to talk with lawmakers about his work rebuilding New Orleans in an affordable, sustainable way. He said a lot of work there. His first stop was the White House, where he not only met with the president's new climate czar but also with the president himself. Not a lot of detail about that meeting though, basically know that it was brief.
From the White House, it was on to the Hill where Pitt sat down with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative James Clyburn, who is the head of the Katrina task force. The actor and activist made a brief statement but then he pretty much let Pelosi do all the talking.
BROWN: Yes. She was pretty giddy about that meeting, I think, from what I saw earlier as well.
HILL: She seemed pretty happy to have him there.
BROWN: Yes, didn't mind a bit.
Finally, can't let you go. Actually, no, I've got two things. Michelle Obama, we saw pictures earlier of her at the soup kitchen today, which was pretty interesting.
HILL: Right. Yes, she made her way out to the community. She's talked a lot about wanting to be a part of the Washington community.
Well, today, she was at Miriam's Kitchen where she helped serve lunch to homeless men and women. There's the first lady there on the lunch line along with scooping up mushroom risotto, broccoli and wheat rolls. Mrs. Obama was dishing out fruit salad, which was actually made with fruit donated by the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: My purpose here was to listen, learn, and to scoop some risotto. And hopefully everybody was satisfied with my scoops. Can I hear something for my scoops?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The first lady used this opportunity to urge Americans across the country to help their local community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: If you don't have items that you can donate, then you have yourself. Back in the kitchen I served food with six or seven volunteers who were here pouring their blood, sweat and tears into preparing the food and serving it. There are people all across the country, even in these times, who can lend a hand and volunteer at a soup kitchen even if they don't have the resources to donate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Now, just a quick note, the folks who came to Miriam's Kitchen today for a hot meal didn't actually know, Campbell, that Mrs. Obama was going to be there.
BROWN: Oh, wow.
HILL: So surprise for them.
BROWN: That was a nice surprise.
HILL: Yes.
BROWN: OK, this item is totally unrelated to anything political and probably shouldn't be in the "Political Daily Briefing" but when it came on television, everyone in our newsroom was like, what?
HILL: Yes. And not political but there's a whole lot of stagecraft going on, which means, why not throw it in the "PDB." There you go, the king of pop back.
Oh, yes. Huge production, as you can imagine. Big news here, ten concerts in London this summer.
BROWN: All right. We'll be back right after this. Erica, thanks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: That's it for us tonight. Larry King starts right now.
