Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Candidates are Having Final Push on Final Days before Election Day; Polls are show Two Candidates are Tie

Aired November 04, 2012 - 22:00   ET

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

PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT: Tomorrow night, we will all the news from the final hours of this extraordinary campaign. And I will be back at midnight tomorrow night with the very first votes cast in the nation, all ten registered voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, are expected to cast their ballots by then. And we will have that live.

So, two shows, 9:00 and midnight tonight, both live. That's all for us tonight.

Don Lemon is up next. Over to you, Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. You are watching CNN and I'm Don Lemon.

Tonight, I'm in downtown Columbus, Ohio, at the beautiful boat house restaurant, our host here. And I want to show what you thousands and thousands of people in this city did today. It's early voting in the Columbus and all over the state of Ohio. Voters here got one weekend to cast votes ahead of Election Day, just one weekend. Last election, they could vote on five weekends before the election.

So, these people bundled up against the cold. I was out there with them today. They waited in very long lines here in Columbus, some of them for two hours or more to pick a man to award their state's 18 electoral votes.

And there is a brand new poll to show you, a nationwide poll of likely voters who were asked just one question, who do you support for president of the United States? And if you thought the race was close up to now, I want you to take a look at this. Forty nine percent. Forty nine percent. President Obama and Mitt Romney, nationwide among likely voters.

That poll was taken just this weekend by CNN and ORC international. Three other national non-partisan polls released today showed the two candidates tied as well.

And talk about nationwide, we have got reporter teams traveling with the candidates, and CNN correspondents in all the battleground states as campaign 2012 comes to an end on Election Day. And do I have to remind that is just two days away.

OK, let's get to the road now. Very hectic travel days for both President Obama and Mitt Romney, they both in four states, all swing states including Virginia where you see Mitt Romney right now. He is in Newport News. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Paychecks or things of the past, I have a clear and unequivocal message, with the right leadership, America is about to come roaring back. We're Americans.

We can do anything. And the only this I can that stand between us and some of the best years we have ever known is lack of leadership and that's why we have elections.

This Tuesday is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do to put the past four years behind us and to start building a new future. You saw the differences when President Obama and I were side by side during the debates.

He says it has to be this way. I say it can't stay this way. He's offering excuses. I've got a plan. I can't wait to get started. He is hoping we'll settle. But Americans don't settle. We build. We aspire. We listen to a voice that says we can do better.

That better life is out there. It is waiting for us. Our destiny is in your hands. Two more days.

AUDIENCE: Two more days! Two more days! Two more days!

ROMNEY: Two more days and we can get to work. We can get to work rebuilding our country, restoring our confidence and renewing our conviction. Confidence that went a solid path to steady improvement, confidence in college grads four years from now will have better jobs, confidence that the single moms working two jobs will have a shot at a better job.

And so, on November 6th, we come together for a better future. On November 7th, we'll get to work. Now, I need to you reach across the street to that neighbor with the other yard sign. And I will reach across aisle in Washington to people of good faith with the other party. There's much more than our moment. It's America's moment of renewal and purpose and optimism. We journeyed far and wide in this great campaign for America's future. And now we are almost home.

I had an experience before I went to bed last night that touched me. I was at a rally in Englewood, Colorado. Getting there, we had driven through a place called monument Colorado. And it reminded me -- we got someone from Colorado here. There you go. It reminded me of something that happened many years before, which underscored my conviction that the American people will always rise to the occasion, something very special about the people of this land. We have within our hearts a desire to live for something bigger than ourselves, our family, our faith, our community, our school, our nation. This was at a Boy Scout court of honor. Any boy scouts here?

ROMNEY: Now, as one of the leaders of the scouts and so, I was seated at front, one of the Formica table there. At this court of honor we give out eagle scouts to boys who earned them and I was at the end of the table next to the American flag. And the scout master who was speaking to the boys and the parent there is was the scout master from monument, Colorado. And he described the if an act his Boy Scout troop wanted to have a very special American flag. So they bought one. They had it flown above the capitol building. Then when it came home, they called NASA and said, we'd like to you take our flag and put it on the space shuttle. And NASA agreed.

He said, you can't imagine how proud those boys were to be able to watch the TV set in their home rooms at school and see the shuttle "Challenger" launched into the air and then they saw it explode on the TV screen. And he said he called NASA couple of weeks later and said have you found any remnant of our flag? And they hadn't.

And then he kept calling, week after week, month after month, finally gave up. Until one day he was reading an article in the paper that described the debris from the "Challenger" disaster and it mentioned a flag. So he called and NASA said, in fact, we have a presentation to make to your boys.

And so NASA came together, the scout troop came together. And they presented to the scouts with this plastic container. So, the boys open it up and there inside was our flag in perfect condition. And he said the flag pole. They said, Mr. Romney. And you know why? I just reached over around grabbed it and pulled it out and it was as if electricity was running through my arm. Because I thought about the men and women in our space program and the fact that they willingly walk in harm's way out of a desire to provide learning and knowledge for us, they live for something bigger than themselves. Think of our men and women in uniform and their willingness to walk in harm's way for us, for prosperity, for freedom and our future.

There is a verse in one of our national hymns that I love, "America the beautiful." It begins by describing the beauty of our landscape. But there is the verse that begins this way that touches me, all beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life.

What our veterans and members of the armed services, just please raise your hands and be recognized? Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: This is a military state, you know that? And there are some other people in our country who give themselves to different things that bring them greater purpose and meaning. Think about my sister. She is a hero in my view. You see, a hero is defined not as someone who is larger than life, but as someone who is larger than themselves. My sister, Lynn, is in her 70s, her husband passed away a few years ago. She has eight children. Seven of them are married with children of their own. The eighth child was born down-syndrome and he is now 43 years old. And Lynn devotes her life making sure that Jeffrey has as full and abundant life as he possibly can have. She is a hero to me.

Think of all the single moms across the country who are scraping and saving just to get by so they can have enough money for a good meal at the end of the day for their children. Think of all the dads and moms who are working two jobs so they can buy the clothes that their kids need so they don't stand out and look different from the other kids at school. Think about the parents this Christmas who won't be exchanging gifts with each other so they can have enough to give gifts to their children at Christmastime.

We are a generous people. We are a great people. This is a time when we need to have leaders this will call us together and bring us together. I will do everything in my power to reignite America's economy to rebuild our principles of trust and faith to make sure that our military stays stronger than any other in the world by a large margin. But I will also work to bring us together, to bring the American people to a conviction wary great nation, in part, because we are so united.

This, a challenge which I have for you. I need to you go out and convince people to get behind us, to vote, to join our team. One final push will get us there. I know that we can make it happen. We are so very, very close. So the door a brighter future, it's there. It is open to us. It's waiting for us. I need your vote. I need your help. Walk with me. Let's walk together. Let's start anew. America is coming back strong. We will help people who need help with good jobs.

Thanks so much, you guys. Virginia is the best. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks, guys.

(END LIVE FEED)

LEMON: There is Mitt Romney in New Port News, Virginia, of course, telling, again, very familiar stories he has been telling on the campaign trail. This is a final push and they are trying to get people out to vote. You heard what he said. I need your vote.

And you know, we are waiting for President Bill Clinton as well who is going to speak. And you heard from President Barack Obama last hour here on CNN. President Bill Clinton is representing Mr. Obama in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Let's listen now to the former president Bill Clinton.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We rather give up the 150,000 high-tech jobs. Barack Obama makes better decisions than that.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: And I was talking with Senator Franklin backstage, you know, and Al tries real hard to maintain the gravitas of a senator. But every now and then, he gets back into being a comedian, he says, you know, this deal that Romney did to try to cover up and make people forget that he opposed the Chrysler bailout. By talking about jeep, he says it is all I can do. He said, I can make a living on that for the rest of my life.

(LAUGHTER) CLINTON: Now you remember what he said? He said, he tried to convince everybody that he really wasn't against the GM bailout, except that he was and we got it on record. And he tied himself in so many knots, I think he was aired the job as chief contortionist for the cirque de Soleil.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: So, finally, he gave that up. Finally gave that up. And he said, well, President Obama is helping jeeps move jobs to China. You all saw that, right? Out of Ohio. There, I got you. I took that personally because when I was president, our White House actually worked with Ohio to bring that jeep plant to Toledo. I know a lot about that.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Now, the problem with a lot of Governor Romney charges that somebody knows a lot about it. And so, they are doing great. They are going to spend $50 million more on the site. They are going to hire more people. They are going to produce new lines. And they are expanding in Michigan. So, jeep says it's not true. So he keeps repeating it. Then Chrysler, which own jeeps says, is not true. So he keeps repeating it.

In fact, General Motors says it's not true. And he puts a television ad on, saying the same thing that he has already been told by the leaders of the American automobile industry. Not the president, the leaders of the car industry. It is not true. He knows it is not true and makes an ad any way. Because he thinks we are all dumb. People are scared about losing their jobs and they got a lot more money to spend than we do because of Karl Rove and the Koch brothers and all their secret super PACs which are raining down dollars on Jim. And they put it off.

And then, in the greatest move of all, you know, Chrysler is majority owned by Fiat, an Italian car company. So then Romney says, the president is working with the Italians to move jobs to China. There's this vast and dark conspiracy. I guess next week, he will come after the Irish and I'll be in trouble. I don't know. This is the silliest thing --

(END LIVE FEED)

LEMON: That is the former president Bill Clinton in St. Cloud, Minnesota, of course, representing President Obama on the campaign trail tonight. Our Jessica Yellin is traveling with the president. I want to remind you though, if you want to watch -- continue to watch Bill Clinton, you can go to CNN.com/live and you can see the rest of that.

I spoke with Jessica Yellin just a short time ago traveling with the president in Cincinnati. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi you Don.

President Obama rallied a crowd here in Cincinnati of more than 13,000. He delivered his closing argument telling the crowd that he, not governor Romney, is a candidate of change. He is a candidate that as president, voters can trust. He says he will fight special interest and that he is good for his word. Listen to this.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I said I would end the war in Iraq. I ended the war in Iraq.

YELLIN: Now, Don, the president is not done. From here, he goes to Aurora, Colorado. Colorado, as you know, is a battle ground state, very close there. The president is fighting non-stop in these battleground states. In the final day, he will go be back here in Colorado. He will also visit Wisconsin. That's traditionally a blue state. He should not have to be spending precious final hours there. But, he has made three stop there is total in the final days, the campaign is saying, they can't taking any for granted. They have learned from the past and then he is wrapping up the campaign with the final stop tomorrow night in Iowa where he says he knows it all began with his first win in the primary back in 2008. He will rally there with Mrs. Obama.

One message delivers at every stop, go out and vote. The campaign says they believe they will win this election with the numbers, they believe they have the numbers. They just have to get their people to vote - Don.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, Jessica Yellin, traveling with the president in Cincinnati.

Thanks, Jessica.

At the center of a storm of controversy, Ohio's Republican secretary of state came to this program to explain himself. He addresses claims by some Democrats that his office has been trying to disenfranchise voters. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If Ohio becomes the deciding factor in the presidential race, we could be in for a long legal battle. A controversy is already brewing here over provisional ballots. Critics say the new requirements may be aimed at disenfranchising some voters.

CNN's Joe Johns is digging in to Ohio's provisional ballot controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: In Ohio, it was all about provisional ballots. A provisional ballot is a ballot that people have to fill out, if for some reason their right to vote has been challenged. In some states like Ohio, a voter needs to show identification to vote provisionally.

Now, the official dispute is about whether the voter or a poll worker fills out the part of the form that indicates what kind of identification was presented. One side says the form is confusing, so poll workers should fill it out. The other side, the Republican attorney general's side in Ohio says the voter should fill it out. And this is important, because a mistake on the form could mean someone's vote doesn't get counted.

So, guess what folks? If Ohio is the state that decides the election, and it turns out to be raiser close there. Even if a judge makes a decision before Election Day in this case, it's now been filed. The decision is subject to appeal, which is suggesting to some people already that we're looking at the litigation and Ohio that has the potential to affect the election, and it could take a long time to come through all those provisional ballots - Don.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: As Joe has been saying, some critics say Ohio's secretary of state, Jon Husted, is trying to confuse or disenfranchise thousands of voters by adding this new requirement. So, I sat down with Husted tonight and asked him about the new requirement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON HUSTED, (R) OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: It's about who fills this out, whether the voter does or whether the poll worker does. And the court, we have already been through litigation on this. Step one and three of this process, the court said, is the responsibility of the voter. We issued a directive on that. And now step two is being challenged essentially.

And what's in step two is where you put your identification, your driver's license number and your Social Security number.

LEMON: OK.

HUSTED: And so, we believe that the voter is the person that's in the best position to be able to put that information on there, not the poll worker because if the information is wrong, the ballot won't be counted. And so, we want the voter to provide that so there are no mistakes and that their vote will be counted.

LEMON: OK.

HUSTED: And that's the reason.

LEMON: Let me read this. According to the lawsuit filed, by voting rights is, this is contrary to a court decision on provisional ballots a week ago, and a controversial statement made by attorneys for Husted in October 24th hearing. And then it says here, that the poll worker, the election official shall record the type of identification provided, Social Security number and on and on, and not the voter -- so they're saying you're trying to change the law here. HUSTED: Well, actually, this is the way it's been for several elections in the state of Ohio, to change - to do the form differently and to administer it differently would be the change. What we are doing is consistent with the way elections have been run, and understand, this is like casting a vote. We wouldn't want the poll worker to cast a vote for someone else. We want the poll worker -- we want the voter to do this, so it's right and their vote will be counted.

LEMON: Does this have the possibility, though, of having provisional ballots, hundreds of thousands of them tossed out as this group who is --

HUSTED: Oh, no, what we're talking about are a handful of ballots in the big scheme of things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Ohio's secretary of state John Husted.

Opponents have filed a motion in court claiming Ohio's provisional voters are being treated unfairly. He has three days to respond.

With two days and counting, every vote counts especially in swing states like here in Ohio, of course. And last month, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the state to keep the polls open for three days leading up to the election date. And this morning, in African-American churches, the push to vote went straight from the pulpit to the pews to the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): This is how Sunday sounds at the St. John AME church in Columbus, Ohio.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe I can fly. Say yes.

LEMON: An energetic mostly African-American congregation in the state that could decide the next president. And like black churches across the country, this Sunday before Election Day, the flock is literally being driven to vote. It's called souls to the polls. And the pastor Jermaine Covington is making it a tradition.

Why is it so important, you know, to get people out?

JERMAINE COVINGTON, PASTOR, ST. JOHN AME CHURCH: Because we cannot afford to deny ourselves the right to vote. We ought to vote. We have done too much, come too far not to vote in this election.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fired up? All right.

LEMON: So, after the sermon, they climb aboard the church bus. 63- year-old Eugenia Williams says, she's bringing everything she could find at home with her name on it, to prove who she is.

That's your electric bills. So, why are you taking your soul to the poll today?

EUGENIA WILLIAMS, PARISHIONER: It seemed to be an important issue to get there early. That's what the president wanted, and that's just been driven and driven and driven. And I'm lagging, because I didn't go earlier.

JAMIE MYERS, PARISHIONER: I do like the fellowship of my church. It's another family to me. And I just thought it was the right time to go, and make sure that I did get to the polls to vote.

LEMON: By the time they get there, something else they may want to pray over, a sea of early voters. Hundreds in line in front of them.

My goodness.

WILLIAMS: Where's the end?

LEMON: This line, is it worth it to wait in this line?

WILLIAMS: Oh, yes, of course it is. I'm not saying I'm going to wait until midnight, but it's certainly worth waiting. Don't you think so?

LEMON: I think the right to vote is worth waiting for.

WILLIAMS: Yes, it is.

LEMON: Yes.

WILLIAMS: And I'm going to do that.

LEMON: But it may just take a while.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right.

As -- you know, this political season rolled on, we all got slammed day in and day out with rhetoric and party line direction. And on this show, we cut through the spin and we called it "no talking points". Some of the best, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a little good news for homeowners affected Sandy. Sandy was not classified as a hurricane when it made landfall. This allows governors from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to just declare that homeowners are exempt from the insurance deductable, saving as much as five percent of their home value.

The news is not so great for business owners though. The dis- interruption insurance help companies that lose revenue because of an unexpected shutdown, but it doesn't cover businesses that just lose power. But, the donation money for relief efforts is rolling in. People are opening their wallet to help the victims of Sandy in near record numbers. At this works from America Red Cross to say this is the biggest outpouring of donations of any U.S. disaster in the last six years.

That's this week's getting down to business.

Alison Kosik, CNN. New York.

LEMON: It is time now for "No Talking Points."

The art of the political dodge, it seems all politicians are very skilled at it. With debate coaches, aids, analysts, speech writers, they should be and with good reason. Dodging that troubling question can be just as important as providing that game changing momentum building moment. For example, there's a topic change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "AC360": Texas has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the country. Over one million kids, you did not get an opportunity to respond to that. What do you say to -- how do you explain that?

GOVERNOR RICK PERRY, (R) TEXAS: That you can't have access to healthcare, some of the finest health care in the world, but we have a 1200 mile border with Mexico. And the fact is, we have a huge number of illegals that are coming into this country and they're coming into this country because the federal government has failed to secure that border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Then there's the dismissal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Is that true? Did you follow her on twitter? And if so, how did you find her? What was the reason?

REP. ANTHONY WEINER, (D) NEW YORK: You know, I have - I think this a couple ways, I will say it again. I'm not going to permit myself to be distracted by this issue any longer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: You are the one who said -- that you were hacked and that's a criminal --

WEINER: Dana, let me. I'm going to have to ask that we follow some rules here. One's going to be you ask the questions I give the answers. Is that reasonable?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: I would love to get an answer.

WEINER: That is reasonable.

WEINER: You do the question. I do answer. And this jack has interrupted me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. And, of course, there's the -- I'm just going to ignore you completely dodge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Governor, what's your stand on FEMA.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Governor, would you eliminate FEMA if you were president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Why wouldn't you answer any questions on it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You know, but all our polling indicates that you don't want to hear talking points. You don't want to hear them. You want direct answers. You want to hear about compromise and progress being made by the lawmakers you elected. So we asked all of our guests on our show not to come on and repeat partisan talking points. That by the way is how this "no talking points" segment was born during the primaries, it started about a year and a half ago, when Senator Rand Paul tried to dodge my questions about the debt ceiling debate with, you guess it, talking points.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It the U.S. does the fault, do you think, who will be to blame here? Will it be the president, will it be the Democrats, will it be the tea party, Republicans, who's going to be to blame here?

SEN. RAND PAUL, (R) KENTUCKY: I think all along, the president should have taken the fault off the table. In fact, we have legislation that would require him to pay the interest on the debt. Require him to pay Social Security checks and require him to pay the soldiers salaries. So we have never been for default or reneging on any checks. The president has put that on the table in a grand elaborate game of chicken. We've always been opposed to that, we think he should reassure the markets and that there's plenty of --

LEMON: OK. Mr. Paul, I'm going to ask you again. It was just a simple answer to my question. If we indeed default, who is going to be to blame?

PAUL: I don't think we should default. If we do, I say it's the president's fault.

LEMON: I just want simple answer because, listen. You should know that the public is really frustrated right now. They don't know what's going on. They don't understand why we haven't come to some sort of consensus or you guys haven't come to some sort of consensus and they want some answers. You understand that. Is that -- are you feeling that in Washington right now?

PAUL: Well, you know, we've been continuing to offer compromises about 30 minutes ago, I was on the floor, and I offered to vote for the rebuild. While many in the media --

LEMON: Hang on. Again --

PAUL: You're in the middle of my answers here.

LEMON: I know. But, I'm asking you to answer the question. With all due respect, I'm asking you. Do you feel the public sentiment in Washington?

PAUL: This isn't a talking point. I'm trying to tell you what we did 30 minutes ago on the floor.

LEMON: I'm not asking you what you did, sir. With all due respect, I'm asking you if you feel how the public feels in Washington. You don't have to tell me what you did, but are you feeling? Do you understand how people feel about this?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We're just getting started. The best of "No Talking Points" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So, before the break we showed you how "no talking points" got started. So, on this final weekend before the election, let's take a little trip down memory lane. Here's some of our best memorable "no talking points" moments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It's time now for our ongoing segment "no talking points" where we hold news makers accountable to answer direct questions without rhetoric and spend.

MICHELE BACHMANN, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I get out devastating high taxes out of job creation. I know up close and personal how devastating high taxes are. I understand how high taxes destroy jobs.

LEMON: In Iowa, many of us tried and tried to get some direct answers from Michele Bachmann without luck. Instead, we got caught up in media scrums like this one where we got push and guzzle.

Do you think African-Americans are hurting themselves because they are supporting this president, even when it appears at least at this issue, he has not had their best interest at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is clear the some of the proposals were he is talking about long term unemployed with the directions to the cabinets (INAUDIBLE), that it will have an impact on African-Americans.

LEMON: Put it a little simpler.

Is it harder for a black person, whether a constituent or congressperson or lawmaker to constructively criticize this president because he is African-American?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We support the president. We don't always agree with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Are you concerned about the fact that these women do want to --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did I say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Are you concerned about --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me. Excuse me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No known --

LEMON: The question is, what part of running for leader of the free world does Herman Cain not understand? You're going to be asked questions, a lot of them, on just about everything you've ever said or done especially sexual misconduct allegations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Are you saying that the owner of a restaurant, a private restaurant should be able to decide whether or not to serve black people?

RON PAUL, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I'm saying is, I'm challenging individuals to say, what is private property?

LEMON: A direct answer to that question, regardless of political party would be a simple yes or no.

The president and the debate.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST, HARDBALL: Where was Obama tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, yes, yes, what's up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Romney has just said that he killed Osama bin Laden. Would you care to respond?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you two go ahead.

LEMON: With all due respect, Mr. President, with all due respect. If you want to show the right, left and in between that you're not quote "out of your league," then stop looking at your notes. Look people, no matter who they are, dead in the eye, even when you're tired, down or even intimidated and stand up for yourself, because no one else will.

Is Mitt Romney trying to move more to the center? I mean, what does his statement mean?

RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, Mitt Romney is going to be a prolife president. He's talking about what voters care about, which is jobs, the economy, rising deficit.

LEMON: OK. I understand that. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on, Ron. We're not going to do talking points here. I asked you a very simple question.

LEMON: Well, I -- I didn't ask you about the economy, we can get to that. That's a different issue.

I want you to take a look at this pew research poll. They already have Paul Ryan as the winner. Do you agree with these polls?

TED STRICKLAND, (D) FORMER OHIO GOVERNOR: Not that one I certainly don't. Vice president Biden is a great guy. He has a big heart. And he is going to tell the truth tonight. Which is going to, I think expose to the nation the extreme positions of this Paul Ryan and his budget.

LEMON: We have a short time together. And I want to stick to the debate and not the talking points when it comes to them. Let's stick to the question and end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And that's tonight's "no talking points".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Theoretically, the Federal Reserve is independent of the president and the executive branch of the government. President do appoints the chairman of the fed, so it matters to you and your money, who sits in that seat. Alan Blinder is a professor of economics at Princeton University. He is a former Federal Reserve vice chairman.

Thank you for joining us, sir. It's good to see you.

Let's talk about Ben Bernanke's fed. Has it had more of an influence on our economy, our markets and the economy than the Fed's mission would dictate that it has?

ALAN BLINDER, PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, that's a hard question to answer, you know, because the Fed's mission is to promote maximum employment and stable prices. As you just said, the price level -- the inflation rate's been very stable over the Bernanke era, as it was in the later part of the Greenspan era. The fed has been working overtime so to speak, both figuratively and literally on its employment mandate. And it still is. It's been -- what's clear has been activist by historical standards, absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN got an exclusive sit down interview today with house speaker John Boehner. And what he says about the state of Ohio may surprise some people. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Here in Ohio, house speaker John Boehner is on a three-day tour of his native state trying to propel Mitt Romney into the White House. Boehner says he knows what's important to Ohio voters. And he also had some grim predictions about the fiscal cliff facing the nation.

He spoke exclusively to CNN. Here's CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, our intrepid congressional producer, Deirdre Walsh has been traveling with House speaker John Boehner on his three-day bus tour through his native Ohio. He's been campaigning for Romney. But they sat to his sports car and she spoke with him exclusively about Romney's prospects in that critical state.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OH) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Romney will do well in Ohio. You know, polls don't decide elections, voters do. And listen, I've been around Ohio. I've done this trip around Ohio for a lot of presidential races in the past. And I think Ohioans vote with their wallets, that's why I think Romney's going to win on Tuesday.

DEIRDRE WALSH, CNN PRODUCER: So, you are pretty confident that he can pull out a win here?

BOEHNER: Very confident he's going to win on Tuesday.

BASH: Now, Boehner did admit to our Deirdre Walsh that the president has gotten some traction in Ohio because of the auto bailout. But, he insists not everyone there was for it.

Now, no matter what happens on Election Day, Congress and the president have to immediately turn to the issue of the fiscal cliff. The speaker was really pessimistic to CNN about any major effort during the lame duck session to do more than just a temporary fix. He even admitted that could be tough to get through - Don.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Dana, thank you.

There is, of course, another big pressing story, not just this election. New information on the cleanup of hurricane Sandy, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Last month, the U.S. national soccer team advanced in the world cup qualifying, and for some of the players representing the United States is a source of pride rooted in their racial identity.

George Howell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This year marks the 25th anniversary of that famous phrase. But the impact of the U.S. military buildup in Germany during the cold war is still being felt today in an unlikely place, the soccer field.

A half dozen sons of American soldiers stationed in Germany, born to German mothers, have elected to play for the U.S. national soccer team, rather than Germany's in the last few years. For some, this decision relates to their racial identity.

Danny Williams and the other five players all have African-American fathers.

What does it mean to be biracial in Germany versus being biracial here in the United States?

DANNY WILLIAMS, UNITED STATES MIDFIELDER: People look at me in Germany. They know I'm not 100 percent German. I told my parents that I feel more American than German.

HOWELL: Jermaine Jones was the first of this recent wave from Germany to joint American soccer team.

JERMAINE JONES, UNITED STATES MIDFIELDER: I'm different. When you see me, to German people I'm a different guy, I'm mixed.

HOWELL: Unlike Williams, whose American father raised him in Germany, Jones grew up in a single parent household.

JONES: My mom and him, goes when I was young, separate ways and for mw, it was hard to grow up on no dad.

HOWELL: But since selecting to play for the U.S., Jones has rekindled his relationship with his father after scoring his first goal for the stars and stripes. Jones performed assembles but play a tribute to his soldier father.

HOWELL: You gave a salute to your dad?

JONES: Yes, he called me after the game. He is like thank you. I owe it from my mom. Everybody sees it, everybody's proud of you.

HOWELL: A simple gesture of pride rooted in history.

George Howell, CNN. Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: CNN's Soledad O'Brien explains provocative questions about skin color discrimination and race. "WHO IS BLACK IN AMERICA," the documentary premieres Sunday December 9th 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 pm, you know, eastern only on CNN.

Well, one week after hurricane Sandy roared ashore, the death toll has climbed to 110 in the U.S. Tents are set up at hard hit Staten Island where food, water and clothes are being handed out. The mayor says, up to 40,000 people in the city may need at least temporary housing. About a million and a half people along the east coast still are without power. That's down from more than two million earlier today.

There's also word tonight that workers have secured the damaged crane above New York City's west 57th street. All streets in the area are now being reopened.

A check on some of the day's nonpolitical news is next including a young boy mauled to death at a zoo.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Checking of some of the stories making headlines right now, a group of African painted dogs killed a young boy who fell into the exhibit Sunday at the Pittsburgh zoo. Police are investigating and the zoo is closed indefinitely. The zoo staff tried to save the boy who was about three. They shot darts to scare the dogs and managed to get several out of the exhibit. One dog was killed in the rescue effort.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

LEMON: That gunfire erupted today in Tripoli. One person was killed when two militia groups traded fire. One of the groups was disbanded after its members tortured a prisoner to death.

Meanwhile, gas is in short supply in Libya. Workers at a key refinery are striking. They want better medical treatment for wounds suffered in Libya's civil war.

I'm Don Lemon in Columbus, Ohio. And I want to thank our host, the Boat House Restaurant. They have been so kind to us to lend us their space this week. And look at the beautiful background behind us. And of course, our fire-sight chant here that people have been calling.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight here on CNN. I'm Don Lemon. I will see you back in next week.

Make sure you vote. Good night.

END