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American Morning

Is Feingold Finished: Three-Term Dem Counts Tea Party Supporters; A User-Friendly 401(K); The "I'm You" Campaign Strategy; Do We Want Politicians to be Us?; Three Chilean Miners Leave Hospital; Reid and Angle Square Off; "I Stood Up For My Friend"; The Closer on the Stump; Showdown in Nevada

Aired October 15, 2010 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to "AMERICAN MORNING." It's Friday, October 15th. Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us this morning. Let's get you caught up on what happened overnight.

Three of the Chilean miners are back home this morning. Their family's fame and fortune lie ahead. We're live in Chile this morning with incredible stories of their time underground and an update on the other 30 who are still waiting to leave the hospital.

CHETRY: Senate majority leader now in the fight for his political life. Harry Reid and Tea Party upstart Sharron Angle now in a dead heat in the polls in the Nevada Senate. The two went face to face last night in a debate. Why Angle told Reid to man up.

ROBERTS: And taking a stand. A young student sends a message to his classmates that it's not OK to bully. Now see how this young man's crusade is reaching kids beyond his classroom.

CHETRY: Up first, though, here at home for the Chile miners, they're now back with their families. It's video we have late last night of them leaving the hospital looking healthy, very happy, still wearing sunglasses, remarkably well after the 69 days underground. And many more could be released today.

Patrick Oppmann is live for at the hospital in Chile this morning. And I believe we're looking at video of the oldest miner who had some breathing issues as well. He looks remarkably good. He looks in pretty good shape.

OPPMANN: That's Mario Gomez, who after a long career in the mines, Kiran, he's missing fingers and suffering from black lung, which contributed to his pneumonia.

But he and the other miners are doing extraordinarily well. It's been a surprise to the medical team who was worried when they got out they could face a whole host of medical problems. That really hasn't happened. Some have had some dental surgery, some eye surgery. But as we saw, three of the men are going home. They expect the other 30 could be released as early as this weekend.

No permanent damages resulting from the long imprisonment underground. And we're also hearing from the -- we're also hearing now some of the first details of what that long imprisonment was like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): We were all waiting for that. We were all very thin. I lost 12 kilos. I was afraid I was not going to meet the child on the way. It was the thing that most scared me.

I think the worst thing is to pass three, four, five days without food, to know there might not be any the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OPPMANN: And other details coming out as family members come in and out of this hospital and tell us a little bit of time. We're hearing about one of the men who is an Elvis fan and was singing Elvis songs on the ride up in the capsule. Another man was asking for eggs and ice cream, which of course, he couldn't get down in that mine.

And an amazing story of Franklin Lobos. This is a miner who was a professional soccer player before he went to work in the mines. One of his rescuers Miguel Gonzalez played football against him. He was one of his rivals in the football league here in Chile. So it must have been a huge surprise for him when an old rival from the soccer field showed up to help him get to the surface.

So some of those stories are coming out and we'll just have to see how much more comes out because we're hearing both of the men have sworn an oath of silence never to discuss the details down in the mine. And we're not sure if that's because they don't -- there are certain things they don't want to talk about or if the men, as some report, are waiting to negotiate a larger payment to tell all the stories at once, Kiran.

CHETRY: Yes, and that's certainly the buzz around here. People are wondering, has there been any talk about future plans? People are asking, are they going to go back to life as normal, or are things going to change in a very profound way?

OPPMANN: You know, one of the miners, we heard from his wife yesterday. And he said it's really the same grind, very tough lives. It's not -- there may be some glamour in their lives now, but actually they haven't received a dollar yet. The government was paying them their minimum salary. They had to pay taxes on that, there was no overtime.

So when he's no longer famous, they're certainly not rich, and we'll see what happens to them from here on out. But some of the men we're already hearing that are not amazed by the fame and attention and want to go back to their ordinary lives. We'll have to see if it's ever possible with the worldwide attention that's been put on this case and these 33 remarkable men. CHETRY: All right Patrick Oppmann for us in Chile, thanks so much. And it really is a story of hope and inspiration that captivated the world. We're going to be taking a look back at the events surrounding the 33 trapped Chilean miners. Don't miss "Countdown to Rescue," an "AC 360" special airing tonight 10:00 p.m. eastern.

ROBERTS: Nevada voters, like most Americans, divided on whether to toss out the establishment in favor of the upstart Tea Party. Harry Reid and Tea Party backed candidate Sharron Angle facing off last night with the senate majority leader in the fight of his life. Angle came out the aggressor, calling Reid "a career politician who has voted 300 times in favor of tax hikes," Reid painting Angle as extreme.

Here's what happened when Social Security became the topic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID, (D-NV) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Social security is a promise we have to keep. It takes care of seniors in their golden years.

SHARRON ANGLE, (R) NEVADA SENATE CANDIDATE: Man up, Harry Reid. You need to understand that we have a problem with Social Security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Well, the latest polls show Angle and Reid in a virtual dead heat with less than three weeks left to go before election day.

CHETRY: Also new this morning a dollar figure on the destruction in Pakistan after the summer of unprecedented flooding -- $9.5 billion in damages. International lenders are estimating that the cost to repair all of it could be $40 billion.

A fifth of Pakistan was underwater when heavy monsoon rains hit in July killing nearly 2,000 people. Dozens of bridges were washed away and close to two million homes were damaged or destroyed.

ROBERTS: A new report paints a troubling picture of the security situation in Afghanistan. It says the insurgency is gaining strength and attracting new recruits in areas previously not under Taliban control. According to the Afghan Safety Office, armed attacks by insurgents increased by 59 percent in the third quarter compared to last year.

The report described efforts to form local militias to fight against the Taliban as, quote, "clumsy."

CHETRY: Well, rapper T.I. will find out if the good deed earned him any points with a judge today. He'll be in a courtroom on a probation violation charge, but it comes just days after he helped police talk a suicidal man off of a building in Atlanta. Agreeing to tape a video message on his cell phone and meet one-on-one if he came down. T.I. was arrested last month on drug charges in L.A. The judge could send him back to prison for violating his probation on gun charges.

ROBERTS: And break out the soap because it's global hand washing day. Eighty countries are taking part in today's events at playgrounds, classrooms, and community centers. Each year two million children in developing nations die from diarrhea or acute respiratory infections that could've been printed if they just washed their hands.

Don't forget, when you wash your hands, sing happy birthday, what is it, three times?

CHETRY: I thought it was once.

ROBERTS: We'll have to check on that.

(WEATHER BREAK)

CHETRY: We could take it to Wisconsin, where three-term Democratic Senator Russ Feingold is really in the fight of his political life, as well, behind in the polls. Why he could lose his job to a man who's never been to Washington before this campaign started.

It's 10 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: It's coming up now on 14 minutes after the hour. We're back with the most politics this Friday morning.

Russ Feingold, Wisconsin's three-term Democratic senator in the fight of his political life now. He trails Republican businessman and Tea Party favorite Ron Johnson in the polls. Johnson a political novice, hasn't even been to Washington, D.C. before this election campaign.

But this year, Washington experience is more like a cross to bear. And Feingold, you might say, is one of them bums. CNN's Jim Acosta is live in Milwaukee for us this morning for us. You've got to wonder, a guy in the Senate as long as Russ Feingold having trouble there trying to get reelected? It shows how the landscape has shifted.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John. This is one of those head scratchers for a lot of Democrats all over the country. They're asking themselves how in the world did Russ Feingold get in the trouble he's in right now? And if this is one of those wave years, John, then a lot of big-name Democrats like Russ Feingold will get swept away with the tide.

And to understand why he's fighting to keep his head above water right now, you have to get to know the Republican he's running against, Ron Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON JOHNSON (R), WISCONSIN SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm just a guy from Oshkosh.

ACOSTA (voice-over): It doesn't get more outside the beltway than Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson.

(on camera): Have you been to the Congress before? Have you lobbied on Capitol Hill yourself?

JOHNSON: Absolutely, I've never been to Washington, D.C. --

ACOSTA: You've never been to Washington, D.C.?

JOHNSON: -- until this election. I've gone three times just to familiarize myself, you know, meet with some groups. That's it.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Suddenly this 55-year-old millionaire businessman is favored to take down three-term Senate Democrat Russ Feingold.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: As of this moment, I am no longer behind.

ACOSTA: He disputes the latest CNN poll showing him eight points behind.

(on camera): What would you say to all those Democrats all over the country who are shaking their heads and saying, my goodness, Russ Feingold might lose? What's going on here?

FEINGOLD: Well, it's not going on anymore. See, Washington always has to catch up with the reality on the ground in Wisconsin.

ACOSTA (voice-over): For Johnson, it all started when he picked up the backing of the Tea Party movement.

JOHNSON: America needs to be pulled back from the brink of socialism and state control.

ACOSTA (on camera): You don't think that was overstating the case? That we're on the brink of state control?

JOHNSON: No, I don't. Take a look what they're trying to do in terms of taking over one-sixth of our economy. They've taken over --

ACOSTA: Health care reform?

JOHNSON: Yes, health care reform.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Johnson wants to repeal health care reform and he isn't sold on climate change.

JOHNSON: The point is it's unsettled science.

ACOSTA: Which may explain why this liberal with the occasional independent streak is making his own appeal to the Tea Party.

FEINGOLD: He's for the Patriot Act. I'm the only guy that voted against the Patriot Act. He's for these trade deals that shipped the jobs in Wisconsin overseas. I'm against them. I was always --

ACOSTA (on camera): So you're with the Tea Party movement?

FEINGOLD: I agree with them on many key issues.

ACOSTA: They really don't like the health care reform.

FEINGOLD: That's something they'll like. You know why? Because they weren't told the truth about what's in it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: Russ Feingold wants it both ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA (voice-over): But this one-time architect of campaign finance reform is getting slammed by attack ads and billboards run by outside groups. Not to mention the millions Johnson has spent on his own bid. But ask any voter like small business owner, James Farrell, and all of that takes a backseat to one issue, the economy.

JAMES FARRELL, SMALL BUSINESS CO-OWNER: It's hard to be in business. We can't afford to be in business anymore, and something's got to change or a lot of people won't be in business.

ACOSTA: That's putting pressure on Feingold to save one job in particular, his own.

(on camera): You're going to win this race?

FEINGOLD: Yes, I am.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And you have a very sharp contrast in this race when it comes to the issue of health care reform. Take Ron Johnson. At a speech yesterday, he called it the greatest threat to freedom that he's ever seen in his lifetime. Contrast that with Russ Feingold who is actually running ads in Wisconsin right now, saying he's proud that he voted for health care reform, John. And Feingold is one of the few guys around the country who's doing that.

ROBERTS: Jim, a question. When independent polling shows him behind, what is he citing when he says he's pulling even? Or ahead, I guess?

ACOSTA: You know, that's what we were wondering ourselves. And so we went to talk to his campaign and they said well, we're seeing some internal polling that shows Feingold catching up if not moving ahead in this race. But that is not reflected in any of the polls conducted by any national news media organization. So right now, it seems that Russ Feingold is trying to tell folks in Wisconsin, hey, don't pay attention to those polls right now. I still have a chance to win this thing. And, by the way, we've got some stuff, insider campaign that shows that we're doing better than these other polls reflect. But at this point, he is definitely not talking about what is actually being reflected in those polls right now, John.

ROBERTS: All right. Jim Acosta for us this morning. Jim, thanks so much.

CARROLL: Still ahead, we're going to meet a really amazing 11- year-old boy. A crusader, if you will, an anti-bullying activist who stood up for his friend who has autism and many like him. And now they're calling him a hero. He says he just wants to raise awareness. We're going to meet this young man just ahead.

It's 18 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: -- Phil's seat empty because he's in the studio with us running the cameras.

ROBERTS: Where is he?

CHETRY: Say hello, Phil. Do something.

ROBERTS: There he is. OK.

CHETRY: Behind the camera.

ROBERTS: We miss him in the control room this morning.

CHETRY: Well, at least he left his umbrella in there. So maybe he'll do the trick for us later.

Twenty-two minutes past the hour right now. We have Christine Romans with us this morning. Squeaky chair fixed?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

CHETRY: Good thing. Good thing.

ROBERTS: You have a different chair, but now she's taller than everybody else.

ROMANS: That's right.

CHETRY: She's a tall lady anyway.

ROMANS: We'll get it right. We'll get it right by Monday.

Look, let me talk quickly about the new rules that are going to be good for you and your 401(k).

ROBERTS: How's the weather up there?

ROMANS: I kind of like sitting up here lording over you, John Roberts.

ROBERTS: Can you see my house?

ROMANS: 401(k) rules. New rules that are going to -- you're going to see this. It will be a big difference. By the beginning of the year, the Department of Labor says that your 401(k) has to very clearly state -- very clearly state the fees and how the fees might be eating into your returns. All of this information is pretty much already there, but it's going to be very hard to read. It can be a maze of information about 0.05 percent and all those stuff. So they're going to make it a little bit easier for you starting next year so you can really see how fees can eat into your nest egg by the end of your retirement. It's usually something that the Labor Department pulls together. John, sit up straight, young man.

ROBERTS: You look so tall up there.

ROMANS: A half percentage point difference in the amount of fees. You know, the fees that you're paying in your 401(k) can eat into thousands, tens of thousands of dollars --

CHETRY: So can you shop around for that? You shop around and find ones that have --

ROMANS: You can. You can. You can look within your own 401(k), the company that's providing your retirement plan. You can look within there for different mutual funds and different kinds of plans that have lower fees. So you can shop around, yes. So you'll be able to see this information a little more clearly starting next year. 2012 actually.

ROBERTS: Excellent. Carol, thanks -- Carol is coming up.

ROMANS: We have been thrown by the chair.

ROBERTS: Just a mess this morning.

ROMANS: It just took one little chair to throw us completely off.

ROBERTS: That's all it takes. One little thing changes in your morning routine and it's just --

ROMANS: Happy Friday, everybody. Thanks, Phil, we appreciate it.

Twenty-four minutes after the hour. Carol Costello coming up next with a gut check. Is the "I am you" strategy working this campaign season? Or is the whole thing just played out? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour. We're back with the Most News in the Morning. Your top stories just a couple of minutes away now. But first, an "A.M. Original," something that you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING.

Delaware's Republican candidate for Senate, Christine O'Donnell, has been trying to reintroduce herself to voters by simply saying, quote, "I'm you."

CHETRY: Do we want politicians to be us? Our Carol Costello is live in Washington with a gut check.

Carol, and as you pointed out, not just Christine O'Donnell, but a lot of candidates have been running on the premise that, you know, I'm going to go to Washington and do just what you would do.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. We hear it from politicians all the time, especially in the lead-up to these midterm elections. I'm just like you. I understand your problems because I've been there. I am you. So we decided it was time for a gut check this morning. Do you really want a politician just like you?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): Christine O'Donnell wasn't the first to say she's you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm not a witch. I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But you could argue she was the first to say it in a way that arrested America's attention in a way few politicians have. Parodies abound, cue YouTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America's a 300-pound bearded diabetic man. Send me your donations and I will go to grandma's house and order pizza tonight. I'm you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All joking aside, the "I am you" political strategy is ubiquitous. It seems to be in every politician's playbook no matter how ridiculous it might sound. If you're wondering why --

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: They do it because it's been done.

COSTELLO: Some politicians bowl, they drink, they hunt, or they ride a horse. But President Reagan on a horse was a lot more subtle than say, Bill Clinton's I'm like you grab. All those McDonald's hamburgers, those jogging shorts and marriage problems, he was a baby boomer's "I am you" dream. He connected and he won.

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Actually analysts say the "I'm like you" strategy really exploded in 2008.

PALIN: Every day American people, Joe six-pack, hockey moms across the nation, I think we need to band together and say never again. Never will we be exploited and taken advantage of again.

COSTELLO: And although some political strategists might say it's a tired tactic, the idea of you running the country resonated with many voters.

PROF. LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Because they're angry, they don't trust anybody. Who are they most likely to trust? Themselves.

COSTELLO: But is that what voters really want? Do they want a peanut farmer, a cowboy, a good old boy, or a hockey mom? You know, someone just like them to run the country. In the end, Zimmerman, a Democratic strategist, says no.

ZIMMERMAN: This election is not about whether a politician is like the electorate. It's about what the politician is going to do for the electorate. That's what people are demanding today and I think that's really what's resonating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And as you asked me the last hour, Kiran, Zimmerman is the Democratic strategist, so maybe he would believe the "I am you" thing doesn't work since many Republicans or Tea Party candidates are using that slogan this time. But he did bring up Barack Obama's bowling thing. Remember that? And he said did that really work for Barack Obama? No, no. Because nobody believed Barack Obama really ever bowled and you could tell by his score, right?

CHETRY: They only want you to be you if you really are you and you're like them. Not if you're pretending to be like them.

COSTELLO: Exactly. But who is you exactly? And who exactly do you appeal to? I mean, it's a complicated issue. We've asked our viewers to comment on this. Do you really want a politician just like you? And I have a few comments to read. This is from John. He says "I'm an educated, inquisitive, liberal, spiritual person with a social conscience who celebrates and embraces diversity. Do I want a politician like me? Hell, yes."

Sharon writes, "Yes, I do want my politicians to be just like me with my experiences, understanding, a real job and who understands the effects of the laws they make." And this last one from Walter. He says "I want a politician who is not like me. I need one who likes people even if they are idiots with absurd ideas and who can smile at them so he can get laws passed."

So our comments from the --

CHETRY: Walter -- no, no, I don't want one like me at all. I need someone who likes people.

COSTELLO: Who actually likes people.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: There's another one here. Nell writes, "I consider myself smart, intelligent, and a quick learner, but no, I would not want a politician like me. I'm smart enough to think on my own without the media ads and politicians telling me who I should vote for."

COSTELLO: Yes. I put the question on my Facebook page, and most of the people commented on my Facebook page. They said, "I want a politician like me only I want a better me. I want someone who is a little smarter than me, but I don't exactly want me." So they want some version of me, but not exactly me if that makes any sense at all.

ROBERTS: Looking for me 2.0, I guess, right?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

CHETRY: Yes. That was the original plan of our founding fathers, right? The government, by the people, for the people, of the people.

ROBERTS: There you go. Carol, thanks so much.

COSTELLO: Hey, keep the comments coming cnn.com/amfix. I'll be back next hour to read more.

ROBERTS: You bet. See you then. Thanks, Carol.

Crossing the half hour now. Time for this morning's top stories, the first of the 33 Chilean miners are back home this morning. Three of them were released from the hospital last night. Doctors say all of the miners have responded well to treatment and many more of them will go home today.

CHETRY: Facebook fighting gay bullying. Joining up with (INAUDIBLE) to stop anti-gay speech on the internet. Company official says Facebook will now make new efforts to respond quickly when hateful speech violates the terms of service and needs to be removed. A Facebook spokesman will join us, coming up in the next hour to talk more about the effort.

ROBERTS: O'Reilly's view rejected. Fox News host Bill O'Reilly was a guest on "The View" yesterday. He is a regular on the show and it started out as usual until the topic of the Islamic Center near Ground Zero came up and well, then the (INAUDIBLE) started flying?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you talking about?

BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: Who killed us on 9/11?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god! That is --

O'REILLY: Muslims didn't kill us on 9/11? Is that what you're saying?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me, extremists.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What religion --

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: I'm telling you -- 70 percent of the country --

JOY BEHAR, "THE VIEW" CO-HOST:: I don't want to sit here. I don't want to sit here. I don't.

O'REILLY: You're outraged about Muslims --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Joy did come back after Barbara Walters calmed things down. And after O'Reilly kind of walked back his words saying it was Muslim extremists not all Muslims who were responsible for the attacks. And of course, later on her own program on HLN, Joy Behar saying why she walked off the set and had Jesse Ventura on who said "I got my own conspiracy theories about that." To which Joy cut away-

CHETRY: That went to a whole other level. Yes.

Well, the most politics in the morning, crossing the political ticker now. President Obama faced some pretty pointed questions from some young Americans.

ROBERTS: Our senior political editor Mark Preston was watching it all. He's live at the cnnpolitics.com desk. Mark, good morning.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, good morning, John. Good morning, Kiran. President Obama again talking to the youth of America. Some would say that he's talking about policies, others would say that he's campaigning.

Well, he talked about his economic policies, his health care. He was also asked what some would say is a very difficult question. Let's take a listen to his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think it's a choice. I think that people are born with -- you know, a certain makeup. And we're all children of god. We don't make determinations about who we love. And that's why I think that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: And, of course, that's President Obama. He was asked a question of whether he thought that people were born gay or whether it is a lifestyle choice. Of course, Mr. Obama's answer, this comes in the wake of Carl Paladino, he is the Republican nominee for governor in New York having to back track off his very controversial comments regarding homosexuality.

Staying with the Obamas, Michelle Obama is the rock star right now on the campaign trail. We saw her in Wisconsin and Illinois and in Connecticut this past week. Next week we'll see her -- rather we'll see her in Colorado. Next week we'll see her in Connecticut, she'll also be out in California. She has an approval rating, according to a CNN research corporation poll of 65 percent. So when people are saying, "look, do we want the Obamas on the campaign trail or not?" I think you want Michelle Obama on the campaign trail.

And Condoleezza Rice, the Bush administration official is here in Washington today. She's actually going to meet with the president. They're going to have a little time in the Oval Office. We're told by an administration official that they have a cordial relationship. Of course, Condi Rice right now is touring the country, talking about her new memoir. John, Kiran?

ROBERTS: Who says you can't go home, Mark?

PRESTON: I agree. I absolutely agree. And you know something, a lot of people, John, think that Republicans and Democrats hate each other, so to speak. But you know, something on a personal level, they tend to get along.

ROBERTS: Yes. From time to time.

PRESTON: From time to time.

ROBERTS: Thanks so much.

CHETRY: Thanks, Mark.

Also a reminder for all the latest political news, go to our web site, cnnpolitics.com.

ROBERTS: Well, it is the closest in the most closely watched race in the midterm elections. Nevada Republican and the darling of the Tea Party movement Sharron Angle against the leader of the Senate Democrats, Harry Reid. And last night was fight night. The disagreements, the taunts, and why this race matters so much coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: 20 minutes now to the top of the hour. It may be the most intriguing match-up of the midterm elections. Senate majority leader Harry Reid fighting for his political career tangling with another Tea Party favorite, GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle. The two candidates debated last night in Las Vegas. It's a Senate race that really embodies America's anti-incumbent mood and here's one of the memorable moments from last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARRON ANGLE, TEA PARTY CANDIDATE, NEVADA: you're one of the richest men in the U.S. Senate. And on behalf of Nevada taxpayers, I'd like to know -- we'd like to know, how did you become so wealthy on a government payroll?

SEN. HARRY REID (D), NEVADA SEN. CANDIDATE: That's really kind of a low blow. I think most everyone knows I was a very successful lawyer. I did a very good job in investing. I've been on a fixed income since I went to Washington. I lived off what I made in the private sector.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Well, all the polls have Senate majority Harry Reid and GOP nominee Sharron Angle in a dead heat now, about 46 percent apiece. A recent CNN poll showed one in 10 voters actually favors none of the above. We've got the best political minds in the business breaking this one down for us.

CNN's senior political analyst Ed Rollins here with us in New York and in Washington this morning, Democratic strategist Kiki McLean. Good morning to both of you. You know, Kiki.

KIKI MCLEAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning.

ROBERTS: For all of the attention that's been paid to Christine O'Donnell, Carl Paladino, races like that. This really is the important race in these midterm elections.

MCLEAN: Well, it's a big race, and I thought what was interesting in the debate last night was the real focus on bread and butter issues. Nevada's had challenges with the economic crisis and unemployment. I have to say, well, I don't think debates are ever sort of minus that big dramatic moment, a win or a loss for anybody.

In this case, I don't know that Sharron Angle actually closed the gap with Nevada voters, in terms of bridging what some see to her really extreme views whether it's privatization of social security system and the VA or frankly, her lack of understanding what the health care reforms really going to do for folks there. I don't think she closed that gap.

ROBERTS: But you know, on the subject of bread and butter. She pointed out, Ed, that he's got a lot of bread and a lot of butter.

ED ROLLINS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: When you're 18 years in the Senate, he's one of the poorest members of the senate. I didn't see any of those investments that he allegedly talked there. He's now one of the richest members of the senate. And that's a very legitimate question that's going to out there. I think that's what people are going to focus on and (INAUDIBLE) advertising.

The state with 14.4 percent unemployment, the highest in the country, the highest foreclosure rate in the country. People care about those things. Healthcare is way down the road. And a lot of people don't like the health care bill that they know Harry went behind closed doors to make.

ROBERTS: So you think they will actually cast a suspicious eye on him -- based on what -- (CROSSTALK)

ROLLINS: After 18 years, you know, the guy's been in office 20 years before that, and I think, to have this kind of a fight, I did the race against Tom Foley in 1994, and people were tired -- and this is the end of the Harry Reid era, I'm convinced.

ROBERTS: Kiki?

MCLEAN: Listen, I don't think anybody believes the allegations she was making. In fact, I think that was kind of a low point for her in the debate when she tried to accuse Harry Reid of being a bad guy and making money when he shouldn't have. And he handled the question straight on. But I do think that it was her night to try to close that gap and she didn't do it.

So when you look up and you say the charge against her are a set of extreme views and maybe a lack of understanding in how things work, in terms of making forward progress on critical issues, I don't think she closed that gap. And so, like I said, I don't think debates are big win-loss moments, but I think in this case, it was a failed opportunity for her.

ROBERTS: Well, you know, one of the other issues that they got into in the debate last night was job creation. I want to play you a little bit of that and then we'll get your take on it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Our job is to create jobs but what she's talking about is extreme. We have to do this. We've been doing it since (INAUDIBLE) was created 81 years ago.

ANGLE: Harry Reid, it's not your job to create jobs, it's your job to create policies that creates the confidence for the private sectors to create those jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Ed Rollins, what's your --

ROLLINS: She has --

ROBERTS: Is it the government's jobs to create jobs or the government job --

(CROSSTALK)

ROLLINS: Well, it doesn't matter, in Nevada, there are no jobs. And I think to a certain extent, that's the issue here. People are -- whether it's Obama's fault, Harry Reid's fault, whoever's fault. The reality is there are no jobs. And that's what people care about today. He has not produced jobs. Other senators have produced things back to their district. I think it is the public policy he's passing (INAUDIBLE).

ROBERTS: Kiki.

MCLEAN: I've got to tell you. If I'm a Nevadan, I want somebody in the United States Senate who thinks they have a role in making jobs happen and creating them. And if she doesn't think that she's not going to have a responsibility for that as a member of the Senate, then I don't want her there.

ROLLINS: Well, you don't get that vote. And the bottom line --

MCLEAN: That's true. You're right, I don't. But the reality is, I think that's one of those moments that's hurting her, Ed.

ROLLINS: Well, the other side. You keep talking about closing the gap. Going into the poll last night, the Mason-Dixon had her two points ahead. The momentum is there after Harry Reid spent $20 million against her. She's basically the front-runner today.

MCLEAN: Well, don't make her sound like she is in the poor house. She is somebody who raised a lot of money and the Tea Party came in and poured a lot of money behind her. So she's got the political tools to be competitive in this. But when I look at last night's debate, I just don't think it got here anyway.

ROBERTS: Ed, let me put one more quick question to you. Tea Party candidates, Tea Party-backed candidates, may win eight Senate races --

ROLLINS: Absolutely.

ROBERTS: -- in this election.

ROLLINS: And 33 House seats.

ROBERTS: What kind of influence are they going to be on the Republican Party? And how will they shape the agenda going forward?

ROLLINS: Well, they will be conservative and it'll be about fiscal issues and I think that they'll probably create a Tea Party coalition within the majorities that hopefully they're going to be a part of. At the end of the day, they won't be the leadership, but they certainly will basically have a big voice.

ROBERTS: I notice how you slip the word majorities in there.

(LAUGHTER)

ROBERTS: Didn't even highlight it, he just kind of got right in there.

Kiki McLean, Ed Rollins, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much.

ROLLINS: Thank you very much.

MCLEAN: Thanks.

ROBERTS: Ed.

CHETRY: Well, still ahead, we're going to be meeting an 11-year-old boy who really is making a difference -- stepping up and saying, I'm not going to tolerate other people bullying my friends. It started by him standing up for a friend with autism. And we're going to meet the remarkable young man coming up.

Also, pretty nasty day on the horizon, unfortunately, for travel in the Northeast. There's storms set to bring heavy rain, wind -- and I don't know if I believe Rob, but some snow, perhaps? He's going to explain coming up.

Forty-six minutes past the hour.

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(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes. The White House pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- oh, yes, it's looking good. Nice work there.

Good morning, everybody. Sports (INAUDIBLE) month, the NFL, the MLB games tonight, playoffs, I don't know if any of those teams are going to be wearing little stripes of pink on their visors, but that would be kind of cool.

We might be seeing some white across parts of Upstate New York. New England, yes, this powerful nor'easter is really winding itself up and strengthening off the coast of Long Island, going to be scooting across Nantucket and Cape Cod and sitting off the coast of Maine here really for a good 36 hours. So, this is going to be quite a storm.

We're already starting to see winds gusting over 39 miles an hour in spots. And yes, we'll see little pockets of pink and maybe even some white where the radar doesn't pick it up across parts of the Vermont and Adirondacks of New York and maybe the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We could see a couple of inches or more of wet snow in these areas. We'll be watching for that.

And with the leaves still on the trees in some spots, that will make for some tree loading. And we'll probably see some branches down and maybe even some power outages. If not with that, the wind.

We're also going to see some delays because of the wind in Boston and rain over an hour there, probably in D.C. and New York metros and Philly as well. And the winds from this storm will be blowing, I think, even in New York City, right through tomorrow. So, hold to your hats.

That's a quick check on weather, AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.

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CHETRY: Welcome back. It's now 54 minutes past the hour.

Bullying in schools is an issue that's been getting a lot of attention lately. In fact, one in three students says they've been called names. They've been pushed, shoved, tripped or even worse. And for the past two years, one young man has taken a stand to stop it.

Let's meet him now with Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's nice to meet you. How are you doing?

(voice-over): Two years ago, Dylan Beckham took a stand. He was just 9 years old at the time, a fourth grader, a little guy with a big sense of right and wrong.

DYLAN BECKHAM, ANTI-BULLYING ADVOCATE: His name was Cole Jackson.

JOHNS (on camera): And what happened?

BECKHAM: He was getting called names. And I didn't think that was too cool, and I was wanting to help him out.

JOHNS: And how was he reacting?

BECKHAM: I knew he didn't feel good because he doesn't want people picking on him.

JOHNS (voice-over): Cole is autistic and had difficulty communicating. He was often bullied because of it. Dylan befriended Cole and sent the message to classmates that it wasn't OK to bully him.

BECKHAM: They were born with that disorder and they can't help that. They were born with autism. And they don't need to be treated different than anybody else.

JOHNS: Dylan didn't know it at the time, but he was about to launch an anti-bullying crusade that would spread from a classroom to a school and now, all over his hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky. That moment when he stood up for Cole is now the subject of a public service announcement that's been posted on YouTube and played in every classroom in the school district. The message: stop the scarring that bullying causes and start the healing.

BECKHAM: I stood up for my friend Cole and you should stand up for anyone being cut down or scarred as well.

JOHNS: The young activist is hoping to raise $30,000 for Western Kentucky University's Kelly Autism Program. Dylan's already raised $10,000 through drives like this one.

And he's encouraging other students to do the same.

But beyond the dollars, Dylan has also raised awareness and changed hearts, including his friend, Cade Lawrence (ph).

(on camera): Have you been one of the kids that sort of teased the kids for a while? Or what was the deal?

CADE LAWRENCE, DYLAN'S FRIEND: Yes, I've done it for a little while. But I went and apologized to the people that I did it to.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Yes, ma'am.

JOHNS (voice-over): And Dylan is giving hope to students, especially those with autism who are bullied.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: It just hurts, you know. Believe me, I'm used to it.

JOHNS: Like 8-year-old Christian who has heard about Dylan and seen the video and now, is headed to meet the kid who started the anti-bullying movement.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Dylan is a hero. I'm this excited. Hi. You are the best. Oh, thank you.

JOHNS (on camera): Why is he a hero?

UNIDENTIFIED KID: He helps kids with autism not to be bullied and to know that they're just like everybody else. And we are. We just -- we're not that different. We just have autism. What does that change with us?

JOHNS (voice-over): And so, that's the story of Dylan Beckham -- one 11-year-old, one idea, one simple answer to the bullying of autistic kids.

BECKHAM: I know that they all get picked on sometimes, but now, it's starting to turn around.

JOHNS: And just perhaps a model showing how kids can get results when they're allowed to lead the way.

Joe Johns, CNN, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: That Dylan, what a great kid.

CHETRY: He is and, you know, it does sometimes take other kids to stand up and say I'm not going to be the one that lets this happen. And then they're that the other kids follow instead of the mean guy or the bully.

ROBERTS: Yes. You know, parents can get involved. But, you know, when it's on a peer-to-peer level, sometimes, it's so much more effective. And you got to feel for poor Christian, you know? I'm sure he got picked a whole lot. And poor kid, you know, he's just trying to get by.

CHETRY: Exactly. Well, if you'd like to help out Dylan Beckham's cause, you can visit our Web site, amFIX.com. We have more about what he's trying to do. He's raising money by taking part in a run/walk event for autism. It's actually happening this weekend.

ROBERTS: We got about two and a half minutes to the top of the hour.

Coming up in our next hour, we're going to talk more about Facebook's new effort to stop gay bullying on the Web. The site is teaming up with GLAD to get hate speech down fast. Facebook communications manager Andrew Noyes is going to join us in about 35 minutes.

CHETRY: Top stories right after the break.

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