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Ballot Bowl 2008

Continuing Coverage of the Candidates on the Campaign Trail

Aired October 19, 2008 - 17:00   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Welcome back to CNN's BALLOT BOWL. I'm Dana Bash coming to you from Toledo, Ohio, where John McCain just wrapped up a rally here. Election Day is 16 days away and here on BALLOT BOWL, we are bringing you the candidates live on the campaign trail in their own words, sometimes live like we did the last hour. And we will in this hour as well, sometimes it's on tape but it's always unfiltered. Your chance to really hear what the candidates are telling people from the stump.
And joining me this hour again is my colleague, Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst. He is joining us from the state of West Virginia.

Hi, Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Dana.

Well, here's a look at the game plan for this hour. We have a couple of important live events happening. First, Senator Joe Biden is about to speak to his supporters in Tacoma, Washington. We'll take you live the Seattle suburbs as soon as he gets started.

While his vice presidential opponent, Governor Sarah Palin, is going to speak a little later this hour, to supporters in, oh, my goodness, Roswell, New Mexico. That is a good bet. She will talk about her turn on "Saturday Night Live" last night.

And if any extraterrestrial show up in Roswell, New Mexico, we'll try to interview them and see what they make of this presidential race.

BASH: That would be good TV, Bill. We'll wait for that.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

BASH: Bill, thank you very much.

Well, speaking of the candidates on the campaign trail, again, John McCain just wrapped up. You can see behind me. It's cleared out already. It did end not long ago. But they were probably about 3,000 people here in Toledo to here John McCain.

But it was his second stop of the day here in the Buckeye State. His first was in Westerville, Ohio, not too far from the city of Columbus.

And there, we want to bring you part of John McCain's speech that he's been giving, really, on all of this state and that is particularly to his Republican base. He's trying get them fired up or, at least, keep them energized, to make it clear to them that they understand -- he understands what they're seeing, that he's down in the polls but he doesn't want them to give up.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, WESTERVILLE, OHIO)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's start with the state of the race today. We have 16 days to go. We're six points down. The national media has written us off.

(CROWD BOOING)

MCCAIN: Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, planning -- planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to raise taxes, increase spending and concede to beat defeat in Iraq.

(CROWD BOOING)

MCCAIN: And one thing they forgot, just one thing. They forgot to let you decide.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

MCCAIN: I love being the underdog, my friends. We've got them just where we want them.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

MCCAIN: What America needs in this hour is a fighter, someone who puts all his cards on the table and trusts the judgment of the American people. I have fought for you most of my life.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

MCCAIN: There are other ways to love this country, but I've never been the kind to do it from the sidelines. Now, my friends, I know you're worried. America's a great country. We're in a moment of national crisis that will determine our future.

I'd like to ask you a couple of questions. Will we continue to lead the world's economies or will we be overtaken? And will the world become safer or more dangerous? Will our military remain the strongest in the world? Will our children -- will our children and grandchildren's future be brighter than ours?

My answer to you is yes. Yes, we will lead. Yes, we will prosper. Yes, we will be safer. Yes, we will pass on to our children, a stronger, better country. Yes.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

MCCAIN: But we must be prepared to act swiftly, boldly, with courage and wisdom. My friends, I know what fear feels like. It's a thief in the night who robs your strength. I know what hopelessness feels like. It's an enemy. It defeats your will. I felt those things once before. I will never let them in again. I am an American and I choose to fight.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

(CROWD CHANTING)

MCCAIN: Don't give up hope. Be strong, have courage and fight. Fight for a new direction for our country. Fight for what's right for America. Fight to clean up the mess of corruption, infighting, and selfishness in Washington. Fight to get our economy out of the ditch and back in the lead.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people. Fight for our country and for our children's future. Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

MCCAIN: Stand up and defend its country from its enemies. Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. America is worth fighting for. Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

We must and will win this election. And get this country moving again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And that's John McCain speaking earlier today here in the state of Ohio, trying to really defend his own turf or what should be his own turf, Republican states like the state of Ohio. He's been doing four days, or will be, at least, by the time he's done with this particular swing, four days of campaigning in states that George Bush won in 2004.

You heard him trying to convince his Republican supporters not to give up. It's not all lost. He needs them to get out and work.

And what's interesting, Bill, is that Barack Obama pretty much has the same message for his supporters, but it's obviously coming from a different perspective, saying, don't be complacent, we don't have this wrapped up, you need to go out and work.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. Barack Obama today spoke in Fayetteville, North Carolina. And he used the opportunity to defend himself against the pretty strong charge made by John McCain.

Let's hear what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, my opponent, Senator McCain, he's made his choice. Senator McCain's campaign actually said a couple of weeks ago that they were going to launch a series of attacks on my character because they said, if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose.

(CROWD BOOING)

OBAMA: And I have to give him credit. That's one promise John McCain has kept. He has been attacking the heck out of me.

Lately, he and Governor Palin actually accused me of socialism -- socialism. It's kind of hard to figure how Warren Buffett endorsed me, Colin Powell endorsed me, and John McCain thinks I'm praising socialism. He just repeated this charge again this morning.

And you know why? This is his argument. This is his argument because I want to give a tax cut to the middle class. Because I want to give a tax cut to 95 percent of American workers.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: These are the folks who work hard every single day. They get payroll taxes taken out of their paychecks, every single paycheck. These are the teachers, and the janitors who work in our schools. They're the cops and the firefighters who keep us safe. They're the waitresses who work double shifts; the cashiers at Wal-Mart; the plumbers fighting for the "American Dream."

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

OBAMA: John McCain thinks that giving these Americans a break is socialism. Well I call it opportunity. And there is nothing more American than that.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

OBAMA: You know, John McCain wants to talk about redistributing wealth. If John McCain wants to talk about redistributing wealth to those who don't need it and don't deserve it, let's talk about the $700,000 tax cut he wants to give to the average Fortune 500 CEO, who have been making out like bandits, some of them literally.

(CROWD BOOING)

OBAMA: Let's talk about the $300 billion he wants to give to the same Wall Street banks that got us into this mess. Let's talk about the $4 billion he wants to give to oil companies like Exxon Mobil or the $200 billion he wants to give to the biggest corporations of America. Let's talk about the 100 million middle class Americans who John McCain doesn't want to give a single dime of tax relief.

Don't tell me that CEOs and oil companies deserve a tax break before the men and women who are working overtime day after day and still can't pay their bills. He can call me any names he wants, but I know what's right. And what he's talking about is not right. It's not change. That's why we're going to beat him in this election on November 4th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: That is what Barack Obama had to say about taxes in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but he wasn't the only candidate who wanted to talk about taxes -- Dana.

BASH: No, he certainly wasn't. And, in fact, you heard, Bill, Barack Obama talked about the fact that the Republican candidates are accusing him of socialism. Well, we'll bring you what he's talking about -- Sarah Palin speaking in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, using that word: "socialism."

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA)

GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I so appreciate you all being out here today in this beautiful sunshine in this beautiful part of America. Each one of you is here, I know, because you understand that the stakes in this election are so important, so important.

With each passing day in this campaign, everyone in America is getting a clearer look at the choice that we face on November 4th. It's the choice between a politician who puts his faith in government and a leader who puts his faith in all of you.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

PALIN: It's the choice between a politician who wants to raise taxes and redistribute your hard-earned money...

(CROWD BOOING)

PALIN: ... redistribute your hard-earned money according to his priorities, and a true reformer who will lower taxes and create jobs and get this economy back on track. Yes.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

PALIN: It's the choice between a politician who will raise your taxes which threatens our future and a leader who wants to get to Washington to work for people like Joe the Plumber.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

PALIN: Joe the Plumber and millions of Americans are struggling to sustain a small business and grow this economy by creating jobs.

John McCain will cut taxes for every American and our opponent wants to raise them.

(CROWD BOOING)

PALIN: And you know, I've really got to hand it to Joe the Plumber over there in Toledo. Somehow, he got Barack Obama to finally state his intentions in really plain language.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

PALIN: Senator Obama said -- he said that he wants to spread the wealth which means -- which means he wants government to take your hard-earned money and dole it out however he sees fit.

(CROWD BOOING)

PALIN: Now, Joe said to him, that sounded like socialism. To me, it sounds like real bad medicine for an ailing economy and whatever you call it, Senator Obama will do to those who want to create jobs what shouldn't be done. And we're calling him on it.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

PALIN: Here again, Americans, you have such a clear choice on November 4th, because John McCain and I, we have a different view on this. We believe in creating new wealth and spreading opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That's Sarah Palin speaking about Joe the Plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, who actually is from not too far from where I am right now, just outside of Toledo, Ohio, his hometown is Holland, Ohio. He did not show up here when John McCain had a rally not too long, although the McCain campaign, certainly, was hoping that he would because, Bill, you know, you heard Sarah Palin talking about him, John McCain spent a lot of time talking about him at this rally.

And it really -- it really is connecting, McCain aides say, with their crowds and with the people sort of around the country that they were hoping to connect with on this issue of the economy and taxes in a way that they haven't been able to for months and months and months.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. And it is rallying the Republican base. So, we'll see how it continues to play on the campaign trail.

Shortly, we'll be going to Tacoma, Washington, where Joe Biden, the Democrat vice presidential nominee, will be addressing a rally there. Now, Washington has a fairly strong and consistent Democratic voting record and it's expected to vote Democratic, at least it's leaning to Barack Obama this time.

So, why is Joe Biden all the way out there in Tacoma, Washington? Well, Democrats can afford to try to cover all the bases in this campaign. They have the resources to do it and we'll be talking about that, Dana.

BASH: They sure do have the resources, Bill.

And Barack Obama, we just got news today, that he raised a mind- blowing, really mind-blowing amount of money last month. And certainly, he has blown through any kind of money that any limits in public financing would have keep him at. Those limits that John McCain is abiding by public financing, a money that limits him to $84 million.

But we're going to wait and give you the figure that Barack Obama raised last month until after the break. You want to stick around and hear it. You won't believe it. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to CNN's BALLOT BOWL.

Well, we told you before the break, we would give you the new information that came out today about how much money Barack Obama raised last month. And the answer is $150 million. That's right, $150 million in just one month, in the month of September. And that completely blew out his record, that was the month before that, in the month of August he raised $65 million.

And, Bill, apparently, 632,000 new donors, that that was -- those are the people who helped contribute to this really mind-boggling amount of money that he raised. And that the average amount of the donation was $86. So, really wasn't that much money, but it is absolutely amazing how much he's raised.

And obviously, we see -- we see traveling across the country, the fruits of that money. Advertising is pretty much non-stop on a lot of expensive programs. Advertising in places that we've never seen, not just television, but billboards, et cetera. It is really remarkable the way that he has been able to basically outspend John McCain who was limited to $84 million from the time of the convention until Election Day because he has opted for public financing.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. Our advertising consultants tell us that the Obama campaign is spending at a rate of $4.5 million a day on the campaign. John McCain is spending far less, only about $1.5 million a day. $150 million in the month of September is really a mind-boggling figure.

Is that going to become an issue? Will voters resent that? Well, the way Obama is raising money is the way voters actually think candidates should do it. A lot of small contributions from large numbers of people, over 600,000 people, as you say, new givers to the Obama campaign.

Now, the public doesn't much like the idea of using taxpayer money to pay for campaigns. They don't think that's appropriate, although, of course, it is a law that if they wish, candidates can accept taxpayer finance campaigns. John McCain did do that this year. And all previous campaigns have done that. The alternative would be large donations from a small number of contributors, usually wealthy contributors, special interests. People don't think much of that, either.

The third way of doing it is the way conservatives used to it for many years, starting with Ronald Reagan -- small contributions from large numbers of people.

Well, Barack Obama is adopting that model. He can do it because his campaign is not just a campaign, it's also kind of a political movement, something that people believe in and belong to. They don't just support it and vote for it.

And campaigns like that, like the Reagan campaign back in the 1980s, like the Obama campaign now, they've proved that they are a movement because of their ability to raise so much money from large numbers of people.

BASH: Absolutely. But, as you well know, Bill, John McCain and his campaign have been saying, wait a minute, this is a prime example of Barack Obama basically not keeping his word.

Why? Because during the Democratic primaries, he, first, in one respect, signed something that said that he would take public financing. But, also, in a debate with Hillary Clinton on MSNBC, he also said that he would, before he made a decision to opt out of this public financing system, which allows him to raise so much money, he would talk to John McCain, it didn't happen.

But listen to what that exchange sounded like back in February, during the Democratic primaries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM MSNBC/FEBRUARY 26)

OBAMA: If I'm the nominee, because we've still got a bunch of contests left and Senator Clinton's a pretty tough opponent, if I am the nominee, then I will sit down with John McCain and make sure that we have a system that is fair for both sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, you heard John McCain during the last week's presidential debate say to Barack Obama, "You said that you would sit down with me and you never did," which happens to be true.

Bill, I'm just curious, you mentioned the fact that it's really unclear, at least, it doesn't seem right now, if the public is really punishing Barack Obama for not taking public financing because of the fact that he went back on his word. McCain campaign has been trying for months, frankly, to try to, you know, push the idea that he is not being truthful on this and this is an example of the fact that he's just another politician, doesn't seem to be sticking, though, does it?

SCHNEIDER: It doesn't really seem to be sticking. McCain has been arguing also that some of those small contributors to the Obama campaign may not be legal contributors. He's charged that they were foreign contributions made to the Obama campaign, that some of the people gave money through the Internet, where it's very hard to control the contacts of the money that's coming in, though they're trying to keep track of it. And they don't have to report contributions less than $200.

But the McCain campaign has uncovered some, what they claim, is evidence that people have been giving money under -- with false names, they had not been authorized, that they've been giving more money than they're allowed to under the law. This money has been coming in so fast from so many sources, that it's very, very difficult to keep track of. And the McCain campaign is trying to make an issue of that.

BASH: They sure are. McCain himself said this morning, Bill, that the post-Watergate laws which put into effect this idea of public financing, that they have been completely obliterated by what Barack Obama has been able to do. He said the dam has been broken. So, it's going to be very interesting to see what this portends for future campaigns.

But with regard to the candidates on the campaign trail, which is what we do here on BALLOT BOWL, we bring them to you, in many instances, live.

We are waiting from -- for two live rallies: one from Sarah Palin in the state of New Mexico; another from Joe Biden. You see the crowd getting rally there in the state of Washington. We're going to bring that to you as soon as Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, when they both start live. We're going to bring it to you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta.

Happening right now -- a six-year-old Nevada boy who was kidnapped is now safe. Cole Puffinburger was snatched from his mother's home on Wednesday allegedly by drug dealers trying to settle a score with the boy's grandfather. The boy turned up alone and apparently unhurt outside a Las Vegas church last night. He said -- he is said, rather, to be in extremely good condition.

Former "Soul Train" host, Don Cornelius, is free on $50,000 bail. He was arrested at his Hollywood Hills home on Friday on suspicion of domestic violence. Cornelius has been ordered to appear in court next month.

And apparently, not even the president of France is safe from Internet crime. A French official says, someone broke into President Nicholas Sarkozy's personal bank account. A French newspaper reports that a small amount of money was stolen. The papers says police are still looking for the thieves.

And the White House says President Bush will convene a global financial summit shortly after the November 4th election. President Bush announced plans to host the summit yesterday. He didn't mention a specific date. The president says, world leaders need to work together to solve the financial crisis.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield, more on these stories coming up in the CNN Newsroom at the top of the hour. BALLOT BOWL returns in a moment, but first, here's this week's "On the Go" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Getting away can be a much needed break, but right now, it is all about the money. There are ways to stretch your travel dollars at home and abroad.

STEPHANIE OSWALD, TRAVELGIRL MAGAZINE: One of my biggest pet peeves is spending a fortune to have Internet connections in a hotel room. You can now save money by walking a few blocks away to a local Internet cafe. You'll get a slice of life that maybe you wouldn't have seen.

CAREY: From staying connected to what's on your plate, saving money can also be about timing.

OSWALD: Spend your money on a bigger lunch. A lot of times, the dinner menus is going to be the same as lunch menu. You're still getting the same quality of food that you're spending less money.

CAREY: If you need cash while vacationing overseas, use an ATM to get the best conversion rate, and when using your credit card, watch out for those hidden fees.

OSWALD: What you have to be careful for now are special foreign currency fees that banks and credit card companies are charging. Sometimes, they will waive the fee. And if (ph) you make a simple phone call, you're going to save yourself a lot of money.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm Bill Schneider for CNN's BALLOT BOWL in Martinsburg, West Virginia. We're standing by for Joe Biden to begin addressing a rally in Tacoma, Washington. He'll be speaking short and, when he does, we'll bring it to you live.

But that's not all that's happening today -- Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. That's not all that's happening with regard to the running mates. Sarah Palin is speaking in a few moments. She'll be coming from Roswell, New Mexico, a state that has gone back and forth between Democrats and Republicans over the last couple of election cycles, but looks pretty good for Barack Obama. They're at least trying to pull it back to the Republican column by spending Sarah Palin out there.

That is what's going on live on the campaign trail. But the news that's sending shock waves through the campaign trail is the news out of Washington this morning and that is Colin Powell, a registered Republican, but had not publicly endorsed John McCain. That led many people to believe he would vote for Barack Obama. The McCain campaign, they were hoping that his silence, at least up until now, meant that he wasn't going to say anything publicly. Well, that changed this morning. He went on "Meet the Press" and came out and talked to reporters and explained why he has decided to break his silence and explicitly say he is going to vote for the Democrat, Barack Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think that Senator Obama brings a fresh set of eyes, a fresh set of ideas, to the table. I think that Senator McCain, as gifted as he is, is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda with a new face and maverick approach to it. He'd be quite good at it. But I think we need more than that. I think we need a generational change. And I think Senator Obama has captured the feelings of the young people of America and is reaching out in a more diverse inclusive way across our society. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That was Colin Powell speaking this morning.

Bill, what was so fascinating to me in listening to Colin Powell, wasn't just the fact he thinks Barack Obama's a great candidate for his perspective for these times, but also the way he tried to go point by point and seemed to try to undermine the central arguments McCain is trying to make against an Obama presidency, in particular, this whole idea that Barack Obama isn't ready, doesn't have the experience to be commander in chief.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. That's always been an important contrast between the two contenders for president. In every poll we've taken, when we ask people who do you think has more experience for the job, McCain is always way ahead. Who's better qualified on military matters, who has more knowledge on world, who would be better at handling an international crisis, on all those issues, McCain has held the advantage.

Well, Colin Powell's endorsement, being a former secretary of state, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a general in his own right, Colin Powell's endorsement, his praise of Obama and his criticism of John McCain might shift that a bit and people may begin to look again at Barack Obama. Powell was trying to reassure voters that, in his view, Obama would not be a risky choice, as McCain has described him, he would be a safe choice for president and commander in chief.

BASH: That's right. What he said specifically about Sarah Palin and the fact that it was clear in listening to Colin Powell that it was McCain's choice of Sarah Palin that pushed him over the edge and made him to decide that he is not only going to vote for Obama, but made his way to the microphones and the cameras to say so publicly, the fact that he does not think that -- he said point-blank this morning, that Sarah Palin is up for the job of vice president or, God forbid, some day, president. That's one of the main reasons he decided to make this announcement today.

Thank you, Bill.

As Bill and I have been telling you, we are waiting for a couple of live rallies from Sarah Palin. She is in New Mexico. And Joe Biden is in is state of Washington. There you see the Democratic Senator from Washington, Maria Cantwell. She's clearly warming up the crowd and getting ready to introduce Joe Biden. Hopefully we're going to have them for you not too long from now. So still around. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to CNN's BALLOT BOWL. We are waiting for a live rally from the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Joe Biden. He is going to speak shortly in the state of Washington.

Before the break, we saw one of the Democratic Senators, Maria Cantwell. And there you see the senior Democratic senator from the state of Washington, Patty Murray. They're warming up the crowd. We expect the governor, another female, Christine Gregoire, to be speaking before Joe Biden. We're going to bring that to you when Joe Biden starts.

We're told by our producer there on the ground that there are about 11,000 people in that audience. A huge rally, particularly for a vice presidential candidate. It seems to be his biggest rally to date.

We want to go back on the east coast and back to North Carolina and the issue we've been hearing about from the top of the ticket. Actually, pretty much everybody running for president at this point, and that has been the issue of taxes. We have been telling you about the fact that, especially this weekend, both John McCain and Sarah Palin have been stepping up their talk of Joe the plumber, even suggesting the idea of Joe the plumber talk from Barack Obama about one week ago, this whole idea that he wants to spread the wealth is quote, unquote, "socialism."

Today, Barack Obama was at a barbecue joint in the state of North Carolina and there were a couple of supporters of John McCain who were screaming at Obama that he is a socialist. So that's evidence of how this is really popping up on the campaign trail and sort of catching fire, if you will, particularly among Republican rallies and supporters.

We want to bring you to north Carolina and to John McCain speaking in north Carolina yesterday on this issue of taxes and give you a little bit of an idea of how the reaction is in the crowds about this idea that Barack Obama will raise your taxes and quote, unquote, "spread the wealth."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We had a good debate this week, didn't you think? We had a pretty good debate. (CHEERS). And you know, I thought I did pretty well. Let's have (CHEERS) -- let's have a little straight talk. A real winner this week was Joe the plumber. (CHEERS). Let Joe keep his dough.

My friends, Joe won because he's the only person to get a real answer out of Senator Obama on his plans for this country. (CHEERS). Congratulations, Joe. That's an impressive achievement. (CHEERS).

Let me remind you, my friends, Joe didn't ask for Senator Obama to come to his house and Joe didn't ask to be famous. But he is. And he's certainly -- my friends, he certainly didn't ask for the political attacks on him from the Obama campaign. He did not ask that. (BOOS). Remarkable, isn't it. Isn't it remarkable, the attacks on him, remarkable?

You know what Joe's dream is? It's your dream. It's to own a small business that will create jobs in his community and the attacks on him -- (CHEERS) -- the attacks on him are an attack on small businesses all over the country that employ 84 percent of Americans. (CHEERS). You know, we learn more -- we learned more about Senator Obama's plans from Joe's question than we've learned in months in speeches by Senator Obama. (CHEERS). You know, we learned -- we learned that Senator Obama's economic goal as he told Joe, is to, quote, "spread the wealth around." (BOOS). Spread the wealth around. We've seen that movie before in other countries and attempts by the liberal left in this country before. Senator Obama believes in redistributing the wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs and opportunities for all Americans. (CHEERS).

This explains some big problems with my opponents claim that he'll cut income taxes for 95 percent of Americans. You might ask, how do you cut income taxes for 90 percent of Americans when more than 40 percent pay no federal income taxes right now. (CHEERS). How do you reduce -- how do you reduce the number zero? That's the key to Barack Obama's whole plan. Since you can't reduce taxes on those who pay zero, the government will write them all checks called a tax credit. (BOOS). And the treasury will have to cover those checks by taxing other people, including a lot of folks just like Joe.

In other words, Barack Obama's plan to raise taxes on some in order to give checks to others, it isn't a tax cut. It's just another government giveaway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: There's John McCain speaking in the state of North Carolina.

And Bill, he is on a score of red states, states that had gone for George Bush that he is trying to defend, to keep from Barack Obama's column.

It was interesting. There was a report today, Bill, that Barack Obama is going to be spending most of the next ten days, from now until the end of the campaign, also campaigning in red states, not necessarily defending blue states. So it kind of shows you where Barack Obama is.

I'm being told that Sarah Palin is now speaking live at a rally in Roswell, New Mexico. So we're going to go to that now. Take a listen.

GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is so beautiful here. Flying in, just realizing how god has so richly, richly blessed you all here with your clean air and your fresh water and your energy sources that you have here as your good Senator has talked about. We'll talk about energy independence here, how you can help, also. (CHEERS). It is so easy to see why this is called the land of enchantment. And it's great to be in the all American city. I appreciate you coming out today and I know some of you may have been here a while, so after a long wait in line, you deserve more than just a political speech. So before I go on, we've arranged a little surprise for you. First, I want you to help me welcome, singing our national anthem, Mr. Hank Williams Jr.

BASH: That's Sarah Palin introducing the crowd. We'll hear more from Sarah Palin right after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to CNN's "BALLOT BOWL." On "BALLOT BOWL" we bring you the candidates live on the campaign trail. Right now we have two rallies we're monitoring live, one in the state of New Mexico. Sarah Palin is getting ready to take back the microphone in a little bit. When she does, we'll bring that to you. Also in the state of Washington, you see the Democratic governor there, looks like perhaps getting ready to introduce Joe Biden, Barack Obama's running mate.

While we monitor that, we're going to go back to last night, before Sarah Palin made her way to New Mexico. She was live from New York on Saturday night. We'll bring you some of that. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(RAPPING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Sarah Palin and -- really Amy Poehler there on "Saturday Nightly Live." You saw Sarah Palin showing she definitely has some rhyme there, Bill, but Amy Poehler taking the microphone and doing an interesting rap while Sarah Palin didn't really say very much, which is not exactly what many people expected when they knew she would be on "Saturday Nightly Live." She didn't say that much during that skit during "Weekend Update" and she had I think a kind of little role at the beginning of the show. I don't know.

Did expect something different, Bill?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I expected her to make an appearance with Tina Fey because the two of them look so much alike. And Tina Fey does such a devastating impersonation that it would have been interesting to see the two of them side by side.

Something interesting about Sarah Palin that was unexpected. When she was named to the ticket in early September by John McCain, a lot of people thought, well, this is his play to get votes from women. She ought to appeal to a lot of women. And she does appeal to many women. But the polls have known consistently from the day she was named that she has been more popular with men around the country than she has with women. And she maintains that popularity with men, and there's a simple reason for it. She's a Republican and men have always been more inclined than women to the Republican Party. But even with a woman on the ticket, Sarah Palin has a more favorable rating with men still than she does with women.

BASH: It's fascinating. Certainly, not what we expected when she was first chosen by John McCain.

Meanwhile, as we've been speaking, Bill, Joe Biden has taken the stage in the state of Washington so let's listen in to what he's telling his supporters there.

SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ernie Davis if you see the movie "Express War (ph)" and one of your own right here who has a car dealership, one of the greatest running backs in the history of college and pro football, Floyd Little, number 44, lives right here. And I know he's here somewhere.

Floyd? You tried to help me make it. I used to have soft hands, but I guess they figured they'd run over me too quickly. (LAUGHTER).

But, ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor to be here and I want to thank you for making this stadium today, temporarily changing the name from Cheney stadium to Obama-Biden stadium for the day. (CHEERS). Besides, if it was Cheney stadium, we'd be at an undisclosed location. (CHEERS). You never would have been able to find us.

I'm happy to be here with my good friend Norm Dix. Norm and I have served a long together and Jim McDermott and two of my closest allies in the senate and two of my best friends. Patty Murray, God love you, Patty. I tell you, don't mess with Patty. I want to tell you something. And Maria Cantwell. We're all talking about energy. Maria Cantwell, from the day she hit the senate, started talking about energy. She's forgotten about the issue. She's forgotten more about with it than most of my colleagues know, and she's going to be someone that an Obama-Biden administration will be looking to literally to lead our way out of our dependence. (CHEERS).

And, you know, you're never -- you're never taken for as much as you're worth in your home state because everybody knows Patty. They know her as Patty. But let me tell you, all kidding aside, Patty Murray is one of those influential members of the United States senate. She's the engine that keeps our operation going.

And Patty, one of my jobs for real, God willing if we win, I'm going to be spend ago lot of time with you because my job is going to be to help put Barack's agenda through the united states senate. The person we'll look to the most is Patty Murray. And Patty, we're going to have a new colleague in the House, Darcy -- by the way, where's Darcy?

Darcy Brunner (ph), I want to tell you, you've got to explain to Darcy -- Darcy, now, only one message I want you to understand. The way it works is that you know when I pick up the phone as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Darcy, and I call the House member, with the exception of Norm Dix, they take the call. Norm knows more about national security than I do so he doesn't take the call. (LAUGHTER). But they take the call. But we all know vice presidents ain't much. We got that. We understand that. I understood that when I took the job. (BOOS). But, but, but, but the only deal I want, the only deal I want, Darcy you've got to promise me, when I call you you'll say, come up, Joe, OK? You promise? All right. Good luck to you, kiddo.

You've got to elect her!

BASH: As Joe Biden is speaking in the state of Washington, Sarah Palin is speaking in New Mexico. Let's listen to her.

PALIN: John has a plan that will help keep our families in their homes and will help our retirees keep their savings, those investments they worked so hard for and they trusted others to manage those dollars for them. And because of corruption and greed and self- dealing on Wall Street and in Washington, our esteemed elders in this country are worried about their savings. They should not have to worry about those savings. On John McCain and my watch, we will make sure that they are secure. We're going to help all of you afford good health care. and we're going to help our students pay for college. (CHEERS).

Our plan, our strong economic plan, will get this economy back on the right track. It starts with John and me promising to bring tax relief to every American in every business. (CHEERS). Yes. We're going to let our small business owners keep more of what they earn and produce so that they can hire more people. That's how jobs are created. Yes. (CHEERS).

That's how an economy grows with job creation. When it comes to our tax plans, Americans have such a clear and real choice on November 4th. You know, candidates are supposed to be candid when they talk about the tax plan that they're proposing. But Barack Obama has not been straightforward about his tax plans. He claims he'll cut income taxes for 95 percent of Americans. But the problem is more than 40 percent of Americans pay no income taxes at all. So how can you cut income taxes for folks who don't pay them? It turns out -- (BOOS) -- it turns out, that the question is the key to Barack Obama's tax plan. Since he can't reduce taxes on those who pay zero, he wants the government to send them a check that's call a tax credit. (BOOS). And where is he going to get the money for all those checks that he will cut? By raising taxes on America's hard working families and our small businesses and a lot of folks just like Joe the plumber and Ed the dairyman out there. Right there, Ed the dairyman right there. Yes. Yes. Yes. (CHEERS).

In other words, Obama's plan to raise taxes on some in order to give checks out to others is not a tax cut. It is more government growth. and it's another government giveaway. Senator Obama's tax increases would come at the worst possible time in our country, especially for small businesses like the one that Joe dreams of owning or Ed dreams of growing. Small businesses provide 16 million jobs in America. That's the backbone of our country. (CHEERS).

SCHNEIDER: And that is it for CNN BALLOT BOWL for today. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.