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Ballot Bowl 2008

Campaign Trail Happenings

Aired September 14, 2008 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A FEMA official said the agency is doing all it can right now to help out those storm victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTY BAHAMONDE, FEMA REGIONAL EXTERIOR DIR.: It's one of the reasons why we ask people that when they evacuated they try to be self- sufficient for the first 72 hours with food and water. And I know that message was pretty prominent before the hurricane. It's one of those reasons. You know, we'd all like it to happen in the very next minute. There are logistical concerns about moving trucks, you know, when there's high wind still out there. And so we're less than 24 hours after this event. We do have the commodities, the pod distribution points will be populated with all these commodities. We just ask for some patience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: One of the hardest hit cities was Galveston, Texas. CNN's Rob Marciano there and filed this report a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Finally, the waters have receded enough to where you see this seawall. Two days ago monster waves were pounding up and over the top of this. This built to protect the city back 100 years ago from hurricanes and it's pretty much done its job. But anything that was built along it is severely damaged, if not completely gone. That (inaudible) hotel there, you see it's severe damage. It's still standing only because it's got concrete support columns.

But anything that a more traditional wooden support columns like what was here which was a brand new Hooters. That's gone. Further down the wall, well you can't see it anymore but there used to be the Belanese room, historic 80 years ago was built kind of a speak easy joint, Frank Sinatra, and other high profile performers old school entertainers used to perform there. Where did they go? Well, the waves brought it, crashed it over the top of the seawall, piled all of that debris, what's left of it right here on seawall boulevard.

Hundreds of yards of nothing but wood. Infrastructure from what was over there, shops, restaurants and nightclubs. Commerce completely destroyed. This obviously doesn't even include the personal homes that have been destroyed, especially away from the seawall on the western and eastern end of the island. The west end still in spots under water. And search and rescue missions continue today. And to add insult to injury it's begun to rain once again. Rob Marciano, CNN, Galveston, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, Ike is no longer a hurricane but it is causing dangerous flooding as it moves across the midwest. Several more inches of rain are expected in Chicago. One day after a record rainfall inundated the city, Chicago officials say they will ask the governor to issue a disaster declaration. And that would free more money for flood relief there. For more on what Ike is doing, I don't know if we still call it Ike now that it's a tropical depression. Chad Myers in the weather center, do we?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You don't call it a name when it's a depression the first time but you call it a name when it's come down from storm to be the depression now. So, yes, it will still have tropical characteristics, it's tropical rain. And in fact, that rain in Chicago didn't really have a lot to do with Ike. Some but not a lot. It was the cold front that was running through there causing severe thunderstorms down as far as Kankakee and the like. There's the rain showers right now that Rob Marciano was talking about just a little bit ago.

So, yes, we still have wind as well. A little windy day in Louisville right there 30 miles an hour, that's sustained, probably have gusts of 45 as well. In Cleveland, in Columbus, in Pittsburgh, you can see your numbers there. Richmond, Virginia, that's the wind you're having today, you don't get very many windy days in Richmond. But today, the 19 mile per hour, that is all because of what was still out there.

I want to take you to our flight explorer. Because it's a map that we use a lot and shows you 5,000 planes at a time. I put every plane that is on its way to Houston right now. See that little sign, it says it's blocked, which means it's a VIP moving. And that right there, that little gray plane, that is the only plane in the sky that will land in Houston today. It's still not open. Still an awful lot of time before we get all of these airports back in line from Beaumont and Port Arthur and obviously Houston Hobby. These are all going to take time because they evacuated all the planes out of those airports. So there's nothing even at the gate for you to go to.

Wind speeds still 35 miles per hour, tropical depression Ike we'll still watch it for you throughout the day. But other than that, this is just going to be a rainmaker. And that rain will be with wind. Here you can see some windy days, some kind of wind going sideways there. But Rain showers all the way from Corpus Christi back on up to the north, and then into New Orleans. The heaviest rain showers will be over Michigan. But I don't think we see flooding rainfall today, just kind of spreading itself out right now with a nice, gentle rain if there is such a thing at 25 miles per hour. Fred.

WHITFIELD: And we'll just rename it big mess.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Because that's what it will be. All right. Chad, thank you. Appreciate it. MYERS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: All right. In California, Metrolink says an engineer's error is to blame for Friday's deadly train wreck. 25 commuter train passengers died, more than 130 others injured. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez joins us live from the Los Angeles suburb of Chatsworth for an update on this investigation.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I can tell you that there are two dozen federal investigators who are here right now. They are down below. They are documenting this terrible, terrible crash. Once they move through it they will be able to take that wreckage, move it off the tracks, not sure yet when those tracks will open. They have recovered two data recorders from the Metrolink train, and one recorder, one video recorder from the freight train. They will have to go through that to see what kind of clues they may find, to see what exactly caused this horrific crash.

Now, the death toll here stands at 25, 135 injured, 81 taken to area hospitals in very serious condition. That is where many families right now are keeping vigils. Very difficult time for all of these people right now. Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thelma, thank you so much. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. We'll keep an update of the story. It's coming up. Plus the "Ballot Bowl," well that begins right now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to another round of "Ballot Bowl '08." I'm Jim Acosta in Denver, Colorado. A state where Barack Obama will be making a big campaign swing over the next 24 hours. We thought it would be fitting to stand in front of Invesco Field. That is the stadium where Senator Obama gave that big speech during the Democratic National Convention a couple of weeks ago.

Just 51 days to go before the big election in November. And this is a chance for you, the viewers, to hear the candidates in their own words, sometimes live, sometimes taped but always unfiltered here on "Ballot Bowl."

And joining me in the discussion today will be my colleague Ed Henry, who is covering John McCain in New Hampshire. We'll be getting to Ed Henry in just a few moments. But we want to go first to my colleague Dana Bash. She was co-anchoring here in the Mile High City with me. And Dana since I'm standing in front of a football stadium, I should also mention that if we see some blue and orange behind me, there are some Denver Bronco fans heading to the field right now. But we've seen a game of smash mouth going on here in the political arena over the last couple of weeks.

John McCain and Sarah Palin coming out with guns blazing after their convention. And we're seeing the rhetoric ramped up, although, I guess over the last day or so Senator Obama and Governor Palin have lowered the rhetoric with so much talk about the hurricane. But yet there's plenty of smash mouth to talk about today in "Ballot Bowl" with these candidates really going after each other, Dana. DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Smash mouth, that's great, Jim. There's no question there's been a lot of that lately. And it doesn't look like it's going to go away any time soon. I'm here in Denver, Colorado, because this is actually where Governor Sarah Palin is right now. She's in the middle of her first solo campaign trips into a couple of battle ground states. We were in Carson City, Nevada, last night, where she had a pretty short rally with pretty good attendance. And tomorrow she is going to have her second rally not too far from here in Golden, Colorado. She is trying to get out the vote in some republican strongholds, and some of these very, very important, very close battle ground states. We'll have more on that in just a minute. In fact, throughout the next couple of hours of "Ballot Bowl."

But first, Jim talked about the fact that these candidates are making clear that they don't have Ike very far from their minds as they are campaigning in these battle ground states. Both Senator Obama and Governor Palin yesterday mentioned, made sure to mention the fact that they were thinking about those in Ike's way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been on the phone with the head of FEMA and the mayor of Houston and others who are trying to grapple with this tremendous storm. We don't yet know what the damage is going to be. We know that 100,000 homes have probably been lost. We know that four million people are without power. Search-and-rescue teams are just now getting into Galveston where we know a large proportion of the population did not evacuate. And so this could be a difficult and trying time for the people who live in the gulf.

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know that I speak for all Alaskans when I express our concern and support, this morning especially, for the people of Houston and the coastal areas, and Texas especially. Many of them are going to need the help of their fellow citizens in rescue, relief, and works of charity.

Our campaign website, johnmccain.com is going to provide a central point to contribute directly to relief efforts. I urge you to do so. Hurricane Ike is storming through. And let's show our Alaskan heart to help our fellow Americans in Texas and various -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Today you heard candidates on both sides of the aisle making sure to mention Hurricane Ike and what they realized what was going on in the state of Texas. And you just heard Governor Palin there making clear that the McCain campaign wants to do whatever it can to facilitate help and logistical help, financial help and so forth to that state. And obviously, Jim, this is no accident particularly coming from the McCain campaign. You saw what happened when Hurricane Gustav hit during the Republican convention. They were very, very careful to stop the first day of the convention and then bring it back slowly. This is very much, obviously, to talk about the need that these people are in. But also to make clear, in an intense way that the McCain campaign and John McCain and Sarah Palin are not George W. Bush.

That is one way that Senator McCain is trying to separate himself from Bush is by saying that he simply did not do enough during Hurricane Katrina.

ACOSTA: And Dana, one thing that we did hear over the last 24 hours is the McCain campaign did take a bit of a swipe at Senator Obama by saying that he did not lower his rhetoric as much as they would like to have seen happen out on the campaign trail. They say that Barack Obama still went after John McCain and Sarah Palin despite the fact that there was a major hurricane racing through the Gulf Coast, but there seems to be a little, if any, collateral damage coming from that line of attack with respect to what John McCain and his campaign had to say about Barack Obama and what he had to say as Hurricane Ike was coming ashore yesterday.

We want to take a quick break now on "Ballot Bowl" here on CNN, but coming up after the break, John McCain makes a play for Nascar dads. There's a saying in Nascar, rubbing is racing, meaning that there's a lot of contact in Nascar. There's a lot of contact on the campaign trail. That coming up and some issues in this presidential race. That's coming up after the break. This is "Ballot Bowl" on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to "Ballot Bowl '08," your chance to hear the candidates unfiltered as they appear on the campaign trail. I'm Dana Bash in Denver, Colorado where Governor Sarah Palin is in the middle of her first solo campaign trip to a couple of battleground states. Colorado is one of them. She'll have a rally here tomorrow in Golden, Colorado.

One of the things that the McCain campaign says they hope she helps bring out our so-called Wal-Mart moms. That's a term we're hearing more and more from the McCain campaign. Some women, who perhaps, working class women, in some of these key swing areas of the battle ground states who aren't quite sure who they are going to vote for. They hope that Sarah Palin pulls them towards John McCain.

Another big sector of the voting population that we're looking at also are so-called Nascar dads, and perhaps some Nascar moms. And excuse me, Ed Henry is with John McCain right now in New Hampshire where John McCain went straight for those Nascar dads there, didn't he?

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Dana. We've been hearing about hockey moms from Sarah Palin out there in Alaska. She's trying to reach out to them across the country. Now, it's Nascar dads. At least we have the soccer moms. I think they'll take football moms, baseball dads. They will take anyone at this point. This is one of those battle ground states here in New Hampshire. We're in Concorde, in front of the state capital, obviously. Just like Colorado, very much a toss-up right now.

John McCain was going right for those so-called Nascar dads, nearby in Loudon, that's where the Nascar race was today. And this is sort of the kickoff to what they call the chase for the championship. Sounds familiar to what's been going on in the presidential race as well. In terms of the thirst for the championship and it's interesting because it's appropriate for John McCain to be at Nascar race here.

You'll remember in the Republican primary season, John McCain, his campaign to put it bluntly was stalled. But it was here in New Hampshire that he saved it with all those town hall meetings, direct interaction with voters. He tried to do a little bit more of that at the Nascar race. But even though he won the republican primary here, he can't take it for granted this state. The granite state in November. If you take a look at it, there's only four electoral votes here in New Hampshire. Normally that might not be a big deal but in such a close general election, every single electoral vote matters, obviously.

And this is a state that has been going back and forth. If you look back to 2004, the democrats carried New Hampshire. John Kerry won the state narrowly. Back in 2000, George W. Bush also won it narrowly. So it's been swinging back and forth. That's why we saw Barack Obama here this weekend, in addition to John McCain being here. And McCain was reaching out to those Nascar dads. He met with some of the drivers before the big race. And he also made some very brief remarks. He touched on Hurricane Ike briefly. And then he also referred to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to thank you for your support of the men and women in the military. It's remarkable. It's uplifting to these young people. When I'm in Iraq and Afghanistan, they are watching you. You are their role models, you are their heroes, and they are ours. So I just want to say that Nascar and heroes and competitors and the teams are supporting the men and women who are serving in the most exemplary fashion. I thank you. I bless you and god bless America. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now just how close is it in New Hampshire? Let's take a look at the latest CNN opinion research poll. It shows Barack Obama is leading John McCain 51 percent to 45 percent. But obviously, a six point margin is not really much when you consider the margin of error being plus or minus 3 1/2 points. That is essentially a statistical dead heat. That's why we're seeing John McCain come through here so frequently. That's why we're also seeing, as I mentioned, Barack Obama was here on Friday and Saturday.

His running mate Joe Biden was here just this past Wednesday, and is expected to come back pretty soon as well. And it's interesting, you were talking about football there. The Denver Broncos just a short while ago after attending the Nascar race, John McCain went out with Kurt Shilling, the Boston Red Sox pitcher who is injured right now so he's not playing. They went to a pub in New Hampshire getting ready for the big New England Patriots game. Obviously, a lot of people in this region concerned about Tom Brady, the quarterback of the Patriot, being injured, wondering what's the next step for the Patriots. Smash Mouth here in New Hampshire and Boston, Massachusetts area, in addition to out there in Colorado, Dana, and Jim.

BASH: Ed, you mentioned obviously how close New Hampshire is. It is interesting just to see New Hampshire in terms of the polls that you just pointed out, the fact that it is, you talked about a purple state. But it is John McCain's almost adopted home state because he spent so much time there during the republican primaries and still he's pretty far behind Barack Obama.

The one thing that I thought was interesting about the kind of event that he had today, that shows how the party doesn't necessarily mean a lot right now in New Hampshire. He was with the governor who is not a republican, is he?

HENRY: That's right. He's a democrat. Governor Lynch. He was also with Republican senator John Sununu who as you know is in a very tight race here, essentially a statistical dead heat with Jeanne Shaheen, the former democratic governor. I point that out as well because as you know there's been a lot of concern among Republicans back in Washington about the fact that Senate democrats look to have a lot of games coming. It could have as many as something like 57 or 58 Senate democratic seats when this election is over.

But in recent weeks, with a little bit of a momentum we've seen on the republican side with the pick of Sarah Palin, there's starting to be a little democratic concern, that down ballot, in some of these U.S. Senate races, U.S. House races, the Republicans may do a little better than expected. John McCain is sort of running against the tide, trying to restore the republican brand a little bit, running away from President Bush. That may help someone like John Sununu here. And it's also interesting that right after being here in New Hampshire, John McCain, as you know, immediately heading now to Florida yet another battleground. He's going to be in Jacksonville tonight and tomorrow morning, then an event in Orlando. So many battle ground states to deal with and so little time with that clock running out. Dana.

BASH: That's right, Ed. In Florida, obviously he's going to go for the same kind of vote he's looking for right there in New Hampshire, particularly white men. He is a big lead among white men in Florida. But he really needs them to get out big time for him to have any chance in that state as well. Ed, thank you so much. We'll be back to you later during "Ballot Bowl."

And up next we are going to go back to the campaign trail and go to somebody who is now not officially running but she has now been back out to help her former rival Barack Obama. I'm talking about Hillary Clinton. Yes, she was back on the campaign trail. We're going to bring you some of that when we come back from a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome to "Ballot Bowl" on CNN. It's a chance for you, the viewer to hear the candidates in their own words on the issues that you care about. And Hillary Clinton is not exactly a candidate in this race anymore. She's an ex-candidate but she's out there on the trail, as she likes to put it, stumping harder than most ex-rivals do for the victors in these primary contests.

And she's doing that in Akron, Ohio today. We have some pictures of her from just a few moments ago shaking hands with the crowd there in Akron, Ohio. Ohio being a huge state for the democrats. If they can flip that state to the democratic side, that is going to put them well on the path to victory come November.

But Hillary Clinton returning time and again to that road warrior, that middle class warrior mantle that she likes to put out there in front of the voters. She went after the McCain-Palin ticket once again with her tried and true, what's becoming her tried and true campaign one-liner about the way she sees the republican ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a tough road ahead of us to restore American leadership in the world and to tackle the myriad of challenges we face here at home. So to slightly amend my comment from Denver, no way, no how, no McCain, no Palin!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So there's Hillary Clinton firing up the crowd in Akron, Ohio, a top surrogate for Barack Obama. Besides Joe Biden, perhaps the biggest surrogate for Barack Obama right now out on the campaign trail. And speaking of Senator Obama, he has a down day today. He's in Chicago today. He makes a big campaign swing through Colorado tomorrow. But earlier this week he was stumping in the other battle ground state of Virginia talking about the issues that he wants the voters to focus on with respect to his campaign, not just the economy and health care but also alternative energies and energy independence. And this clip of sound we have for you, he goes right after John McCain accusing the Republican in this race of being in the pocket of big oil saying that only the democrats can truly deliver energy independence. Here is Barack Obama in Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: John McCain is not offering change on economic policy or health care policy, education policy. Let's look at energy. You saw at the Republican convention what they were saying. Drill, baby, drill. That was their solution was to drill. Now, look, I believe that we should be looking for all the oil we can find. Nothing wrong with that. But the truth is we only have three percent of the world's oil reserves and we use 25 percent of the world's oil.

Now why is it that we're not going to invest and focus on alternatives to oil? Why aren't we investing, as I've proposed, billions of dollars to develop solar power and wind power and why aren't we figuring out how to sequester the carbons from coal, clean coal technology is something that can make America energy independent.

Cecil and I have talked about this. Look, we are the Saudi Arabia of coal. And we can figure out the technology to make it environmentally sound. I believe in global warming. It is true that the planet is getting warmer and we have to deal with it. But this is America. We figured out how to put a man on the moon in ten years. You can't tell me we can't figure out how to burn coal that we mine right here in the United States of America and make it work. We can do that.

And by the way, we can create five million new jobs in clean energy technologies, jobs that can't be outsourced. Well paying jobs that build up the economy of communities. While we're at it, we should be investing in infrastructure. I just had a wonderful meeting with a company called CGI that just opened - Mike Warner talked about it, talks about the company in his convention speech which has located here, 300 new jobs in high-tech industries. And part of the reason is because the state of Virginia built out the broadband lines that allowed them to locate here.

Now, think about that. We should be investing in broadband lines all across America. We should be investing in high-speed rail all across America. We should be investing in our roads and our bridges, our schools all across America, putting people back to work. And if people tell you we can't do it, you just remind them we are spending $10 billion a month in Iraq. And if John McCain has his way, they will stay there for a while now. And meanwhile Iraq has a $79 billion surplus that they have parked in banks in New York, drawing interest. Now, think about that.

You've got taxpayers, American taxpayers paying to rebuild Iraq and we can't rebuild America. That is going to change under an Obama administration. I want to spend that money right here in the United States.

ACOSTA: So there you have it, Barack Obama in Lebanon, Virginia, campaigning in coal country there in Virginia. You heard Barack Obama there talking about how the United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal, calling for some clean coal technologies there. Also taking the Republican ticket to task over their line "drill baby drill" something you hear Republicans talk a lot about and Democrats talk a lot about out on the campaign trail. Democrats don't like the sound of drill baby drill. They see Republicans tying America's hands once again to a dependence on foreign oil. So there you have some of the issues there out on the campaign trail from Barack Obama hitting Americans hard on energy independence.

Well coming up next here on BALLOT BOWL on CNN, we have a lot more coming up including the governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. I believe Paul Vagalla (ph) on ABC this morning called her a bright, shiny object. She's campaigning solo for the first time, she did it yesterday. Dana Bash was with her. That is coming up next on BALLOT BOWL.

Also Joe Biden talking tough about the Republican ticket. All of that coming up and more on BALLOT BOWL here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL 08. I'm Dana Bash in Denver, Colorado where Governor Sarah Palin is today. She's actually off the campaign trail for the day. She is taking some time, we believe, to go over some preparation for her upcoming interviews and also debate, perhaps, today. But she is in the middle of a campaign trip that is solo, the very first time she has been going to battle ground states by herself without Senator McCain.

Her very first battle ground state rally was last night in Carson City, Nevada. It was about 15 minutes long. It wasn't very long. It was pretty much the same thing we have heard from her over the past week and a half or so when she was with Senator McCain. She stuck to the script she's reading from. The idea she's somebody different. She's giving a little bit of her bio, the fact she's a hockey mom. Also, really playing up the point that she is what Senator McCain calls one of a couple of mavericks on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator McCain has called the two of us a team of mavericks. Because he knows that we've done some shaking up up there in Alaska. As mayor I shook up the old system and had to take on good old boys. I reminded people there that government was not always the answer. In fact, too often, government is the problem. So we got back to basics, and we put government back on the side of the people. What we did up there, I eliminated taxes on personal properties, and I eliminated taxes that were hurting our small businesses, like business inventory taxes.

Property taxes were too high. We already had a sales tax. Property taxes were too high, so we cut rates every year that I was in office. Those reforms worked. And our community took off, wonderful economic indicators of success when you let the people keep their own money. As governor then, I brought the same agenda of positive change. We took on the old politics as usual in Juneau. The old oil company monopoly, that had really controlled our state and we broke it. The good old boy network of lobbyists and special interests that used to run things, whatever they are running now, it's not the state of Alaska.

And nearly half a billion dollar in wasteful excessive spending, that's what veto's are for. Major ethics reform. I had promised that we would get in there and we would clean things up. Major ethics reform, we promised to end the culture of closed doors, today ethics reform is the law of the land in Alaska. We did other things up there like the luxury jets that used to come with the governor's office, I put it on eBay. You know, as mayor and governor, I did try to lead by example.

As mayor I took a voluntary pay cut, which didn't thrill my husband. And then as governor, I cut the personal chef position from the budget, and that didn't thrill my hungry kids. I put the state's checkbook online for all to see. That didn't thrill bureaucrats. It didn't thrill all the bureaucrats. See, I had come to office promising to control spending, by request if possible but by veto if necessary. Today our state budget is under control and we have a surplus.

We suspended our state fuel tax, and I'm returning a chunk of our surplus straight back to the people because they can spend it better than government can. In Alaska we trust the people with their money. In these tough times across America, John McCain and I are ready to do the same across the nation for all of you. We're going to bring tax relief to all Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That was Governor Sarah Palin in Carson City, Nevada last night. Really, for those viewers out there who heard Sarah Palin during the Republican Convention you hear there she hasn't veered too much from the theme that she presented at that speech in St. Paul at the Republican Convention, the same things that we've heard over the last week and a half or so when she was with Senator McCain.

That event did get a pretty good crowd. It looked like a few thousand. It's hard to tell exactly how many are in these crowds. It was noteworthy in that she's continuing, Jim, to say the same things. She interacted with voters a lot after the speech. In fact she sort of went through what we call the rope line and she spent almost as much, if not more time, signing autographs with people who came to see her as she did speaking. She didn't take any questions from voters. She's pretty much staying away from the likes of us traveling with her.

We do understand and we're told about the middle of next week she's going to have to hook back up with Senator McCain and she is going to have her first town hall with voters. It will be the first time we're doing to actually hear Senator Palin face voters and get questions from voters since she's been picked by John McCain.

ACCOSTA: Dana it's interesting to hear Sarah Palin talk again about the plane she put on eBay as being roundly criticized in the media as not being 100 percent the way that was sold, yet they still have it out there. If you listen to what Democrats were talking about on the Sunday talk shows this morning and throughout the weekend is that they are planning and they are hoping that the Obama campaign now takes its sights off of Sarah Palin. They see her as having been a distraction over the last few weeks.

It's interesting to see Joe Biden and what he has been doing out on the campaign trail. If you listen to how the media is talking about Joe Biden. It's like a tree in the woods. He gives a speech, it's not sure anybody heard it. He knows how to throw out red meat to those Democrats. He took John McCain to task at an event in St. Louis accusing John McCain of being a double agent on change. When John McCain talks about change he's not offering a lot of specifics on the economy. Here is Joe Biden talking about John McCain and the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ladies and gentlemen, John has and -- John McCain has and to finally realize this election is about change. You know, John was sort of the last guy to realize this, I think. The only problem is that the only thing he's changing in the Republican ticket is the rhetoric. Look, folks, think about this. This is factual. Just think about this. Every single impediment that's in the way of middle class folks making it. Every single serious problem this nation faces, from its energy crises straight through to the health care concerns, all the way dealing with education, name them all, name me one single thing that John McCain and Sarah Palin are talking about on the major issues. The issues that affect our lives and our security. Name me one, one where they disagree with George W. Bush. So don't tell me about change, John. I'm in the show me state. Show me what you're going to do about change. Show me what it's going to be. Tell me what it is. Show me. Ladies and gentlemen, as Barack Obama said the other day, what, do they think we're stupid? Well, I want to tell you, it's true; the Republican ticket has come up with a few changes. First on health care, they are going to change it. They want for the first time in American history tax your health care benefits. Not a joke.

I'm not making this up. I am not making this up. Remember there used to be a program 100 years ago that Walter Brennan was in. God bless his soul, he use to say ain't brag, ma'am, just facts. Here the facts. John McCain has reached down into the neo-conservative gospel and pulled out a proposition that makes some economic sense.

Bad for America but economic sense. He says that there's no difference between your employer raising your salary a dollar and giving you an extra dollar in health care. Well, the average health care -- how many of you have health care plans through your employers, raise your hand. Guess, what the average value of each your health care plans is around $12,000. So if you're making $50,000, you pay taxes on, when you file your taxes, on 50 grand, whatever that tax is or 60 or 40 or 70 or 90 or 120. Well, if your health care plan is worth $12,000, what John is proposing, and the governor from Alaska, is the following. If your pay is 50 grand and the health care is worth 12, you will now have to file taxes and pay taxes on $62,000.

So that's a change. That's one change I can think of John has in mind. You know, we've got another change in health care. The other change in health care is going to give everybody a $5,000 tax credit. That's a good idea but your health care plan is worth 12. As soon as he gives you five, a lot of employers is going to say, hey, I don't have to provide it anymore. Then you've got to make up seven. That is a bridge to nowhere, $7,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So there you have it, Joe Biden talking about the issue of change. It's interesting to note the Democratic ticket has changed those signs at these event from change we can believe in to change we need. The democratic ticket altering their message somewhat. You heard Joe Biden, you heard Sarah Palin before Senator Biden. Who are these candidates? Who are these vice-presidential candidates? Coming up tonight on CNN, a special set of reports revealed America's vice- presidential candidates, one hour each on Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. That's coming up tonight at 9:00 Eastern here on CNN.

With that I'll pass it back to my colleague Dana. I understand there's more change coming up after we take a break on BALLOT BOWL. Is that right, Dana?

BASH: Before we do that, I just want to mention you astutely noted Sarah Palin is talking about the fact she put up her governor's jet on ebay. The reality is she may have done that, but it didn't sell there. They had to take a loss when it sold. Another interesting note from the rally last night in Carson City, she once again talked about the fact that she said thanks but no thanks to that infamous bridge to nowhere in Alaska, even though it's been pretty well documented that she first ardently supported that, only later that she said thanks but no thanks.

That's a line she omitted when she was home in Alaska for the past several days in those rallies. That's an interesting note there. The point she's trying to marks just like we're hearing on the Democratic side, as you mentioned, Jim, they are the agents of change. Well, who really is doing to be the agent of change? We're going to hear from both of the candidates on the top of the ticket make their best argument right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACCOSTA: Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL '08. I'm Jim Accosta, in Denver Colorado standing in front of Invesco Field where Barack Obama gave that big speech at the Democratic Convention a couple weeks ago. We've been talking a little bit in the last segments about the issue of change and who is really going to bring change in this presidential race Barack Obama or John McCain. We've heard John McCain and Sarah Palin talk a lot about change over the last week or so, but Barack Obama is also reminding voters that he was talking about change before John McCain was talking about change.

In fact, as we mentioned in the last segment, his signs have changed themselves from change we can believe in to change we need. Ed Henry, I'll bring you in from New Hampshire. We're keeping tabs on John McCain and Barack Obama, both campaigning in that very important battle ground state up there. I think I said change enough times for one show.

I'll try not to do it again. But Ed, this is very much an important buzzword in this campaign. It is perhaps the buzzword of this campaign, so it's not so surprising that both campaigns are going after this word, this mantle.

HENRY: Absolutely. Jim, I mean, obviously it's a change election as you say. Both sides trying to show they have the greater side of that issue. There's been greater alarm in the Democratic Party that over the last week or so, as you've been discussing with Dana Bash, there's been a little momentum on the Republican side, that John McCain and Sarah Palin have grabbed that issue and started running with it. You're getting a lot of Democrats expressing concern that the Obama camp has to retool, grab that message back.

This weekend, Barack Obama was here. I'm right now in Concord in front of the state capital. Yesterday Barack Obama was here in Manchester. He had a rally with about 7,000 people. A very large crowd for a small state obviously. But on Friday he was in Dover, New Hampshire and really tried on a range of issues to talk about how he really believes he was ahead of the curve on that change issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Lately I noticed John McCain has been talking about change, too, which is good. We've been talking about change for two years. You remember, because I was campaigning. We were talking about change, when we were up, when we were down. Now it looks like it's catching on.

John McCain has lately been talking about change and I think that's good. That's the debate we should have, who is going to actually bring about real change in Washington. So here is the simple question to ask yourselves. It's reminiscent of the question Ronald Reagan asked people when he first started to run. If you are better off than you were eight years ago, you want four more years of a president who will continue the policies we've seen over the last eight years.

Policies that have helped special interests and corporations first, then John McCain is your man. If you believe that it's time for fundamental change in Washington, a president who puts the middle class first, then I believe that we, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama, are the folks who are going to lead that change. I'm going to need New Hampshire's support so we can win in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now a message is obviously important for both candidates. You see them wrestling with the change message on both sides. But money also a major factor in what you can do with that money. We got the news Barack Obama announced that he had his best month so far, $66 million in the month of August. What can he do with that money? It's all about turnout organization in key battle ground states like here in New Hampshire, interesting factoid in the Concord monitor, the local newspaper this morning quoting Democratic officials saying that back in 2000 when Al gore lost this state to George W. Bush, he only had, they were estimating two paid staffers in this state trying to turn out the vote, work on his behalf.

Democratic officials now estimating that Barack Obama has in the neighborhood of 100 paid staffers. The Obama camp won't say how many. Democratic officials stating on the ground about 100 paid staffers. That gives you an idea in addition to the volunteers what money can do for you on the ground as you try to turn out the vote in November. Obviously while John McCain won the Republican primary here in New Hampshire, a whole different ball game in the general election. He realizes that when the McCain camp looks at those numbers in the kind of organization that Barack Obama has here on the ground, that's one of the reasons why you saw John McCain here today reaching out to those Nascar dads at that race near right here in Loudoun, New Hampshire. Jim.

ACOSTA: Ed, that's a great perspective considering how we saw how Barack Obama can wage a ground war during the primaries. He's going it have the opportunity to do that again during the general election. Ed Henry thanks very much. We'll be coming back to you. We want to get quickly to our break, because coming up after the break here on BALLOT BOWL on CNN, a special treat for our viewers here.

Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton on stage together. If that's not a tease I don't know what is. Dana Bash explains coming up after a break. This is BALLOT BOWL on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH PALIN: You know, Hillary and I don't agree on everything.

HILLARY CLINTON: Anything. I say that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.

PALIN: And I can see Russia from my house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: There you saw Tina Fey and Amy Polar doing a pretty good rendition of both Governor Palin and Hillary Clinton in a very, very funny opening bit last night on the season premier of "Saturday Night Live." Jim, I'll bring you in and our viewers in a little behind the scenes color on that.

I was on Governor Palin's plane which happened to have satellite TV when this was happening. We were all able to watch it. The press corps were in the back. We assumed and assumed right that Governor Palin was actually watching it in the front of the plane behind the closed curtain. In fact we were told she was watching it and thought it was funny. A couple of years ago she dressed up as Tina Fey for Halloween. It is not lost on either Governor Palin or Tina Fey the similarities between the two of them. Certainly Tina Fey was a dead ringer in terms of her accent and her whole persona.