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Mid-Atlantic 'Paralyzed' by Major Winter Storm; Palin Speaks to Tea Party; Planes Collide Outside of Boulder, Colorado; Mudslides Hit Southern California

Aired February 06, 2010 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, all eyes on Nashville where Sarah Palin is getting ready to take the stage and take questions -- live.

Buildings are crumbling under the weight of all that snow in the Mid-Atlantic States. Hundreds of thousands are without power.

And the mud is sliding right into people's homes out west. Tonight, they have no place to live.

Good evening, everyone.

A big chunk of the country paralyzed tonight by a major winter storm from Philadelphia to Washington. People are being warned it is too dangerous to be outdoors, especially on the roads. Maryland has declared a state of emergency with about 30 inches of snow. President Barack Obama called it "snowmageddon."

The snow is causing roofs to collapse. Three already in Washington. This one is at a church in the capital. And a wall also gave way under the weight of all that snow. Thank goodness no one was hurt there. People are being warned to clear the roofs from snow immediately.

Hundreds of thousands of people are without power tonight and accidents are starting to pile up. At least two people have died out on the roads. You know what? This is a second major snowstorm to hit this region, really since December, and it already looks like it's going to be a record. Our Bonnie Schneider is checking on it. We're going to get to her in just a little bit.

But, first, we want to go live to Washington to the National Mall and Sarah Lee who is standing out there.

Sarah, this is just the beginning, digging out starts now.

SARA LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, the hard part.

You know, Don, it makes for a picturesque backdrop, but, really, there is an ugly side to severe weather like this. We're hearing of two fatalities already in Virginia, which is just across the Potomac River from the nation's capital. In northern Virginia, we're hearing about a father and son, Good Samaritans that were helping stranded motorists when they got struck. Also, out at Dulles International Airport, the roof of a private hangar collapsed, people were evacuated from that building in time, but several planes inside that hangar were damaged, some pretty severely.

Also in all of this, now we're -- the region is faced with digging out, essential all of northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. are buried under several inches, feet of snow. And we're talking about a time when we've had back-to-back severe weather, back-to-back storms where -- so manpower is depleting and so are snow removal budgets.

So, they're going to have to get that money from somewhere, area agencies are saying that they will have to dip into emergency funds that they've had for, you know, on stand by, rainy day funds. They're going to have to dip into that. And then once that's depleted and they're getting close to that, they're going to have to dip into some other budgets. So, really just not a very good situation here in the nation's capital as far as the severe weather and what has to come next.

We're going to be dealing with this for several more days if not weeks.

LEMON: Yes, days or weeks before they dig out. Thank you very much, Sarah Lee.

In California, heavy rain caused huge mudslides today that swept away cars and damaged dozens of homes north of Los Angeles. At least 41 homes have been seriously damaged, 500 more ordered evacuated. No injuries to report there. But most of the damage occurred in an area hit by wildfires last summer. Crews are using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to clear mud and rocks that block suburban streets. We're live from that scene in just moments.

We want to go to our Bonnie Schneider, our meteorologist here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, to talk to us about this.

Are these two connected?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: They are connected, Don. It's hard to believe, different parts of the country, one getting heavy rain, one getting heavy snow. But it's all related to that phenomenon El Nino. You see the cloud coverage, the higher clouds as indicated by brighter colors in California, that's where it's raining right now, a lot that raining is dissipating. So, California is going to see better weather.

But the typical El Nino storm track does show moisture coming into from the Pacific and kind of riding that southern branch of the jet stream. That's a river of air in the upper levels of the atmosphere that steers along weather systems. And notice the storm track, it usually takes it straight up into the southern tier of the country.

What does that mean with this particular storm? Well, let's go ahead and put this into motion. What we're looking at is the polar jet stream and the active jet stream across much of the region really tends to bring about moisture towards the southwest so we see wet conditions there. Then we tend to see storm tracks ride to the south, getting cold and wet conditions down in the southeast. It's certainly been a cold and wet winter here in Atlanta.

But looking at this particular storm, here's low pressure just off the Mid-Atlantic coastline. And it's really fascinating, because you have the winds coming in from one way and the other wind coming from the other way to the north, blocking the storm from coming into northern New England. But we are still seeing a lot of snow for the Washington, D.C. area, and into Baltimore as well.

But what I can tell you -- just in -- is that the blizzard warnings for Washington, D.C. and Baltimore have now expired. This storm is taking a more rapid exit than earlier anticipated. Having said that, Don, we were talking about the records being shattered.

LEMON: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: I just got off the phone with the National Weather Service in the Baltimore-Washington area. They are currently tabulating the totals, but right now, records have been shattered for the two-day storm totals for Dulles and for Baltimore. We're going to have more tonight on the final tabulations, but, yes, this is a record-breaking historic storm.

LEMON: We had the guy earlier from the emergency services said they got over 30 feet -- 30 inches of snow there, amazing, 30 inches of snow.

Bonnie, thank you.

We'll check back with Bonnie throughout the hour.

You know, things are starting to heat up at the Tea Party convention in Nashville. We're talking Tea Party politics as the clock ticks down to Sarah Palin's big speech and you'll see it live here on CNN.

And the bad news just keeps rolling in for Toyota. A lawsuit after an elderly woman dies in a runaway Toyota that was not on the recall list.

And, of course, you've been weighing in about the tea parties, weighing in about the weather. We want to hear more. Logon to the social networking sites.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You know what, we have been following the Tea Party convention that's happening in Nashville, Tennessee, and you can see that people have been marching in the streets. We saw that really all this year, starting early last year and starting this summer. I actually had a chance to attend some of the tea parties myself.

Some people are calling it a movement, right? We've seen them vent their anger at government, and political leaders. And tonight, we're going to see Tea Party activists really flex their political muscle.

Their primetime convention speaker is none other than former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and some say the candidate on the ticket in 2012 for Republicans. Tonight, she speaks at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. We're going to carry that live and carry analysis as well -- as well.

We have our Mary Snow who is live there. We're going to get to Mary in just a moment.

And we also have our political players who are going to play with us. Our David Gergen among them. Also, Alex Castellanos. And then another analyst, Maria Cardona is going to join us as well tonight. And we're going to carry that for you live.

I want to get you there live up there now -- I want to get to Mary Snow.

Mary, you know, they're setting up, they had a bit of an issue coming to you because they're setting up, we hear that people are already starting to enter their the room there for Sarah Palin's speech. And so, we're going to go to the floor now in that same room where Sarah Palin is going to speak.

Mary, if you can hear me, give me a thumbs up so I know that you can hear me. You can hear me. OK, great.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, I'm having a little trouble hearing you.

LEMON: Yes, we know. And just...

SNOW: Go ahead. Say it again. Sorry about that.

LEMON: We know because -- we know because when they're getting the room ready, you know, we have to be accommodating and we can't be in there way. So, we had a bit of an issue getting you up here.

So, Mary, listen, you're at this Tea Party convention. We're hearing there are about 600 people there. Sarah Palin is about to speak tonight. So, what are these party activists saying about her? Do they seem anxious about listening to her tonight?

SNOW: Absolutely, Don. And, you know, when I talked to people about even why they came to the convention -- not all of them -- but some of them said they came here tonight to hear Sarah Palin. And as you know, this convention, there's been some controversy about it because it's a for-profit convention. People pay $549 to be here, another $350 to go to this dinner tonight.

And we don't have excerpts of Sarah Palin's speech, but certainly, we did hear from the former Alaska governor earlier this week. She wrote an op-ed in "USA Today" saying why she was speaking at this convention. We mentioned that controversy.

There's also -- she's reportedly getting $100,000 to speak here. And that certainly generated controversy. She said, without being very explicit about it, exactly where the money was going, she said it's going right back to the cause, in her words.

And she said that she felt the people attending this convention and the Tea Party movement itself, the people are the soul of this movement. So certainly they want to hear from her -- some of the people here anyway -- want to hear what's next, what happens leaving this convention, going forward, how will it influence races that are coming up, particularly midterm elections in 2010.

LEMON: The big issues that we've been talking about, most people say, you know, big government, big government. What are you hearing since you're at that convention? I know you're having a little trouble hearing me. Besides big government and spending...

SNOW: Yes.

LEMON: ... are those the only two issues?

SNOW: They're the main ones. And, you know, when I ask people tonight, what specifically do you want to hear from her? And, of course, they said the principles, the big government spending. They want to hear about that.

But some people are more specific, saying they want to hear more about jobs being created, how that is going to happen. So, some are certainly looking for specifics.

But in terms of what people here are saying, the deficit is certainly a big topic, health care reform. There are no fans of health care reform in this crowd, 600 people as you mentioned attending this convention over the past couple of days.

There are very many beliefs among the people here, and different missions. Some say they don't want to run for office, some are here specifically because they are running for office and they want to take -- they want to gain support from Tea Party -- the Tea Party movement. Others say they just want to learn how to put pressure on candidates going forward to adhere to the principles they believe in, cutting government spending, obviously, that's the number one on the list.

LEMON: And, Mary, yes. We had one of those such candidates on earlier from the Memphis area as well. Hey, Mary, stand by, because we want to get some other analysis on this situation that's happening there.

I want to bring in our senior political analyst and former presidential adviser here, David Gergen. David joins us now from Boston. So, and also I want to bring in again, Alex Castellanos, he's a CNN political contributor, a long time Republican campaign strategist. You guys are all coming up in my ear, you're not ready and now, you're ready.

Democratic strategist Maria Cardona joins us by -- from telephone now.

So, thank you, guys.

Listen, we're a bit accommodating to the folks there in -- getting ready for the Tea Party. So, Mary had a little bit of trouble getting up and hearing.

So, listen, as we look at these pictures and we look at this convention hall here -- I'm going to start with you, David. These people are pretty anxious about hearing what Sarah Palin has to say tonight, even though it's 600 people, it represents really, I would think, a growing movement in the country and one that has considerable political power, at least they think they do, right?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: They certainly had political power here in Massachusetts. They gave a lot of the early fuel and spark to Scott Brown's campaign that came out of nowhere. But they were early for him and very, very active here in this state.

And I think what you're going to see coming out of this tonight is more activism in other states, whether it's in Florida, whether backing a challenge against a governor -- the governor of the state to run for the Senate, Governor Crist, and fellow, Marco Rubio, they got behind just now, got a lead against Governor Crist. Very surprising.

What I think we're seeing is this was a -- this was a grassroots effort that was sparked last year by the bailouts and the stimulus and one thing or another and then by health care. And it's sort of catching fire at the grassroots level and it's disorganized in many ways. But what we're seeing are conservatives -- small government conservatives who also believe in states rights. They also believe very strongly in national security.

LEMON: Yes.

GERGEN: Mostly white as you'll see tonight. But Sarah Palin is their favorite. And for her tonight, this is a major evening. I mean, she's commanding live coverage.

LEMON: She is.

GERGEN: CNN, FOX, MSNBC -- hey, it's not just $100,000 that she's going to give back to the Tea Party activists, but it's -- she's got a -- she's commanding national television tonight. You know, this is a big night for her.

LEMON: You know what, you -- David, listen, you bring up a very good point and I don't know if I have it here, but, yes, here it is. Let me see, this is someone on Twitter, his name is Justified20 (ph) says, "I think there are no room for blacks at the grassroots level. I saw one black in the room there tonight."

So, listen, you bring up a point, there was a candidate we had on earlier, she was an African-American. And you mentioned it yourself, you said, there are mostly white. What do you mean by that? Expound on that for me.

GERGEN: Well, I think we know that -- I'm not -- that is not to suggest that they're racists. I think that's an incorrect assumption. I think the people drawn into this effort so far are mostly white. Does that mean that they will not support black candidates? Not at all.

I think they will, you know? And I think they -- the Republican Party has a much better record on this. Conservatives have a much better record on this than they're given credit for. But we know that the black community has not drawn to conservatism. We're near the numbers.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But you know what, I think maybe it says more about the African-American support possibly of President Barack Obama.

GERGEN: Well, I think that's true as well.

LEMON: It may not be racism, but...

GERGEN: All right. I think we ought to take racism off the table. I think the mainstream media has been too dismissive...

LEMON: Right.

GERGEN: ... frequently of these folks and they're -- you know, many of them are Christian, many of them are white. But this is -- this is grassroots America, it's a lot of rural America, but there are people who have day jobs, for whom this is, you know, taking back the country.

And it's very much in the tradition of populism in this country. Populism used to be more liberal. This is a more conservative version of a populism that we've seen in America for a long time.

LEMON: And if you look at the amount of spending that's been happening there, those who say, you know what, you can't -- most people can't help to be concerned no matter who you support.

Listen, David, you know, I want to bring...

GERGEN: Sure. Please.

LEMON: ... I want to bring Alex in here.

GERGEN: He's great. Bring him out, bring him on.

LEMON: Alex has been standing by patiently.

So, Alex, I have heard some Republican strategists, some leaders of Republican Party say this is -- by having the Tea Party members, if they organize, and if they become a bigger group -- it is the worst thing that could happen to the Republican Party because it ensures the election of a Democrat. Do you believe that?

ALEX CASTELLANOS, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: No. Actually I don't. You know, the Tea Party movement was pretty active this past summer and through August and September. And then in November, Republicans won singly important elections in Virginia for governor, New Jersey for governor. Tea party folks are again very active in Massachusetts and Scott Brown won.

I think it's important to understand that the Tea Party thing is not a Republican phenomenon. It's a populist phenomenon. And it's the tip of the iceberg. It's certainly the most visible and colorful.

But underneath that part, there is a bunch of Americans out there who think that Washington just isn't listening to them, isn't paying attention, isn't respecting their values, doesn't respect their work, throws their money away, and tells them what to do. Those Americans are not (INAUDIBLE) in Nashville tonight, they're not listening to Sarah Palin, but they're angry, they want a change in Washington, they want to throw the bums out, and I think, right now, the Republicans are out. So, that hurts Democrats and helps Republicans.

LEMON: OK. Stand by, Alex Castellanos, David Gergen. We have a Democratic strategist Maria Cardona standing by. I want to see if she agrees with what Alex Castellanos said, that it's not just Republicans, that's it's populists. So, stand by for her comments in just a bit.

And we want to tell you -- again, waiting for Sarah Palin to speak tonight. She's supposed to speak at 9:00 and we're going to carry it for you live. That's the room where she is going to speak. People are already starting to arrive.

Complete analysis and back with our guests after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, back now with CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen, CNN political contributor Alex Castellanos and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. We're talking about tonight's Tea Party conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

OK, thank you so much for being patient, Maria Cardona. Listen, you heard Alex Castellanos say it's not just Republicans, it's populists, and these people have reason to be concerned and they're a group that is wielding some political power.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST (via telephone): Sure. And I actually do agree with both David and with Alex in the fact that this is very much a populist movement.

But I will also say that it poses -- it's a populist movement but I think it poses huge problems for the Republican Party because they are so associated with this. And here's why -- I've heard plenty of tea partiers disavow the Republican Party as not being true to conservative principles. I have not heard one Republican politician disavow even the most extreme elements of the Tea Party movement.

Now, that's not to say the Tea Party movement itself is not legitimate. I do think that it is legitimate in that it represents the angst, the frustration, about our fiscal situation. That's something that we all feel.

But there are certainly some more extreme elements of the Tea Party movement that claim a fiscal agenda, but in reality have a pretty extreme social one.

LEMON: Alex...

CARDONA: And -- well...

LEMON: Go ahead. All right. I'll let you finish.

CARDONA: Let's just point out one other thing. I think that the other problem with this movement and the fact that it is so associated with the Republican Party, they put on one of their biggest applause- getters tonight, it was Tom Tancredo. If the Republican Party really wants to reach out to minorities -- to David's point about them being mostly white -- putting Tom Tancredo as one of their keynote speeches is not the way to reach the biggest and fastest growing demographic in this country, which are Latinos.

LEMON: All right. Alex first and then David.

CASTELLANOS: Well, I think what the Republicans gain across the board by picking up populist support is much more than they might lose on the extremes. Look, the Democratic Party has a kind of intense and a little looney left. The Republican Party has a very intense and a little off-the-wall at times part of the base.

All movements and parties have extremes. And certainly the Tea Party movement does.

But they also have -- I think don't -- you know, don't forget the forest here for the trees. The forest is a lot of Americans who are upset at Washington and want real change. And guess what happens? They've supported Republicans when it counted in the last three elections, in Virginia and Massachusetts, and in New Jersey.

LEMON: David, go ahead.

GERGEN: Well, I think Maria has got a good point. There is -- there is a potential threat that the Tea Party activists could support candidates and Republican primaries and you could have a real catfight or huge, you know, a huge internal tension as in Florida with the Crist/Rubio race, that could damage the prospect of whoever wins to win the election. Look what happened to the upstate New York, in the congressional election last year.

CARDONA: Exactly.

GERGEN: But the challenge for Republicans is how does one reach out and both -- and have the Tea Party form an alliance with Republicans, and if you do that, are there numbers would be very large.

There's one Rasmussen Poll which was taken about a month ago which showed that the Tea Party -- Tea Party were actually a party, if it was an enrolled party, people enrolled in it, the brand would actually be more popular with the American people than the Republican Party brand. If you can alliance those two instead of splitting them apart, then you have a potential for a very powerful rise up from the electorate just as we saw here in Massachusetts with Scott Brown. There was an alliance between Republicans and tea partiers in Massachusetts which helped to propel the Brown candidacy.

LEMON: So, listen, I have to -- Alex, I've got to ask you this, because I have to pick up on something that Maria said and she -- and you said, you said -- you said there are extremists in every party, and I agree with you. But you don't see it to the extent that you have seen at some of these Tea Party rallies. I mean, you see the anarchists who protest everything and we don't know which party they belong to. But you don't see members of other parties calling people names or calling people, you know, socialist or those sorts of things to the extreme as much honestly as you see with this. And I think, not point that out would be doing a disservice.

CASTELLANOS: Well, I think it's fair to note but there's a reason for that. The reason is: Republicans aren't in power.

This is a populist movement that is a revolt against authority. Who's in power now? Who has the authority? Democrats control the House. Democrats control the Senate. And Democrats control the White House.

So, right now, there's a lot for Republicans and Tea Party people to protest. There's not much for the left to protest at this point. They have their hands on the reins on everything.

So, again, that's why I think it's fair to say that, yes, you're seeing a lot of intensity, but, you know, nothing ignites the people from earth like a threat from mars, and that's why a Tea Party and Republican votes are aligned right now.

LEMON: Yes. So much more to talk about. You know, you, guys, mentioned Scott Brown, and, you know, there's just so much to talk about. I happen to think, David, you know, some people would say it's absurdly early, but when you've been on the planet for, you know, as long as I have, I'm pretty old, I think in 2012...

GERGEN: Well, you're a kid. Come on.

LEMON: No, no.

CARDONA: Don...

LEMON: No, I remember -- I remember, David, when you were the White House spokesperson. So, you know, I was in high school when Reagan was shot and I remember you speaking , and what was it, listen to, who is the other person who was a White House spokesperson as well. I think 2012...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Real quickly -- I think 2012, it maybe -- do you think we'll see a Scott Brown/Sarah Palin ticket? David, I'll let you get in here.

GERGEN: No. No. I think -- look, there is a -- polls show that Sarah Palin, Scott Brown, you know, Mike Huckabee, there are a variety of potential Republican candidates who would run strong against Barack Obama right now. But it's just way too early. Scott Brown, I think, is a realist. He knows he's not ready for that.

LEMON: OK.

GERGEN: But I do think -- this is a -- I want to come back to this. This is not just a big night for the Tea Party folks. This is a big night for Sarah Palin. She may emerge as the leader of the Tea Party movement as a result of this evening. We'll have to wait and see.

LEMON: All right. Maria, five seconds, really.

CARDONA: I think -- I think that's exactly right. And I actually think that if Sarah Palin wants to be taken as a very serious presidential candidate and not -- and not as just one on the fringe, that could be a dangerous thing for her because, again, there is no presidential candidate that is going to be able to win in 2012...

LEMON: OK.

CARDONA: ... without the support of Latinos in this country and African-Americans in this country. And what the Tea Party movement is doing, and whether it's on purpose or not, is alienating those people and also alienating those people who agree that there is a definite problem with -- you know, with financial issues in this country...

LEMON: And, Maria...

CARDONA: ... but who are looking for real solutions.

LEMON: Maria, David and Alex, that's going to have to be the last word. Thank you, all. We'll be watching tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Sarah Palin will speak.

CARDONA: Thanks, Don.

GERGEN: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Thank you, guys.

All right. You know, what do independent voters think of all of this? I'll talk with three of them from across the country and we're going to find out.

Then, an accident in the sky. Two small planes collide near the Boulder Airport, three people are dead. We're working to find out what went wrong there.

And NASA prepares for one of its final shuttle missions. Endeavor is set to take off in just a few hours.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Our top stories, a big chunk of the country will be digging out from days of powerful winter storm. Up to two feet of snow now blanket the region. A church roof in Washington collapsed under the weight of the snow. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Maryland has 30 inches of snow and has declared a state of emergency. Delaware has shut down its highways to all but emergency vehicles.

Heavy rains and tons of mud rampaging down a hillside, sweeping away cars, damaging homes, and it's happening north of Los Angeles. At least 41 houses have been seriously damaged and 500 more have been ordered to evacuate -- ordered evacuated. No injuries have been reported. A foot of debris settled in some of the homes located in an area that was hit by wildfires last summer. We're live from the scene in just minutes to update you.

We're following this developing story out of Boulder, Colorado, as well. Two small planes collided in the air near the Boulder Airport. We're learning now that three people died in this crash. A CNN I-reporter sent in this video. One of the planes was pulling a glider. The pilot of the glider was able to detach from the plane and land safely. We'll update you on that one as well.

It is the beginning of the end for NASA's space shuttle program. While you were asleep, the space agency plans to send up the "Endeavor." It is the first of five missions this year before the fleet is retired. And our John Zarrella is standing by live at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. John, this is also the last nighttime shuttle launch, isn't? Sort of an end of an era.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really is. Bittersweet here, the last nighttime launch, about nine hours from now, Don. And "Endeavor" will be heading on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. It is a six-member crew. It's behind me there on launch pad 39A, the fueling of the giant external tank has begun. 4:39 a.m. Eastern Time launch.

On its way to the International Space Station. When they get there, they'll be bringing up the last two major chunks of the space station. They'll be bringing up the tranquility module, which is just a large bust that has life support systems in it and housing areas for the astronauts when they're up there as well as a cupola, which has six windows in it, which the astronauts will use up on the International Space Station to dock robotic vehicles.

But yes, Don, this is the beginning of the end. Only five shuttle missions left. It will be a 30-year program coming to an end. Don.

LEMON: Yes, listen. So it is not - it has been quite a week. You know, the budget coming to an end, not only the end of the shuttle program but the end of the constellation moon exploration program as well. John. ZARRELLA: Yes. They basically flew one test rocket. The areas it flew one time and that was it. And the real hard part of all this, you're losing about 7,000 workers, shuttle workers and probably a lot of constellation workers, work-related jobs now as well. Had an opportunity to talk with NASA administrator Charlie Bolden earlier this week about how tough it is to deal with these job losses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: We are never going to be able to replace the jobs that we were losing anyway by phasing shuttle out. We had planned that we would transition as many people as possible to Constellation. So our situation has been exacerbated. But I'm not giving up on being able to find, you know, help our contractor family members find ways they can transition their people to other jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: So it is really, Don, the tough times now for NASA, facing the end of the shuttle program, no Constellation program, not likely, anyway, unless Congress steps in. So it is going to be an interesting year in the space program.

LEMON: Tough time for a lot of folks and now they're feeling it at NASA. John Zarrella, thank you very much. Listen, it's always beautiful to watch the space shuttle. So you can see the shuttle launch live on CNN early tomorrow morning, early tomorrow morning, make sure you tune in. Our coverage starts 4:30 a.m. Eastern, Sunday morning. And lift off is supposed to be nine minutes later at 4:39. So if you're awake, be sure to tune into our morning team tomorrow. And we'll have it all for you.

The tea party movement has Democrats and Republicans taking notice. But can it gain steam with the all important independents? We're talking to our panel of independent voters next.

And Colts, Saints. Who will it be? We already know. In less than 24 hours from the Super Bowl kickoff and our Rick Horrow is taking in all the excitement in Miami. I hope he's sober.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, in less than half an hour, Sarah Palin will take the podium at the National Tea Party convention. The movement has grown quickly over the past year. But is it attracting independent voters who can really sway elections? Because independent voters have swayed some pretty, you know, pivotal elections recently.

Let's welcome back our independent voter panel from last week. Liked them so much, I promised you guys, I'll bring you back. There he is, Joe Gandelman. He is the editor in chief of "The Moderate Voice" and he is joining us live from Naples, Florida. And there's Omar Ali again. He is an independent voting analyst and he is in Washington. And Nicole Kurokawa, who is also an independent voting analyst. She is in Chicago tonight.

Thank you so much. You know what Nicole, I'm going to start with you. I had two women on earlier and they were talking about why they were drawn to the - becoming a tea party person and to this convention. What is the appeal here?

NICOLE KUROKAWA, INDEPENDENT VOTING ANALYST: I think the appeal here is that there are just - we're really sick of the fiscal prophecy hat is taking place in Washington. The spending is out of control. The debt is out of control. And these are things that we're going to pass on to future generations.

LEMON: So as an independent party -

KUROKAWA: Neither political party has really adequately addressed it.

LEMON: As an independent, are you attracted to the tea party movement and to what they stand for?

KUROKAWA: Yes. I think their message of fiscal responsibility is really appealing. There are some fringe elements that turns me off but I don't think that that's the essence of the tea party movement. So overall, yes, I like them.

LEMON: What about Sarah Palin? What do you think of her?

KUROKAWA: Sarah Palin, I like her, I think she's spunky. I think sometimes she over simplifies some policy issues but overall, I like that she has appealed to a wide variety of Americans that have never felt like politicians have spoken for them before.

LEMON: Omar Ali, how are tea party members, are tea party members independents, is there a difference?

OMAR ALI, INDEPENDENT VOTING ANALYST: That's a great question. They are definitely not a part of the independent movement. They may be independent minded, but they're definitely part of a conservative movement which has a different history than the independent movement which goes back about 20 years.

Their movement goes back to Barry Goldwater, actually 1964. So we're talking about two different movements and this current manifestation of the tea party movement people are basically trying to tap into the incredible spirit of independents among Americans but they don't support the kinds of political reforms that are needed to actually create a more open process, which is what independents are looking to do.

LEMON: OK. So Omar, listen, the question then is what kind of impact do you think the tea party will have on the elections? And I'm going to ask that to Joe Gandelman. But guess what, Joe, you're going to have to answer it after the break. Hold that thought. We'll be back in just a moment. Again, we're standing by for Sarah Palin who is going to speak at the tea party convention in Nashville and we'll get to that right after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. We're talking to a panel of independent voters, Joe Gandelman is the editor in chief of "The Moderate Voice." He is joining us live from Naples, Florida. Omar Ali, independent voting analyst, Washington. And Nicole Kurokawa, also an independent voting analyst in Chicago.

So, Joe, you heard what I said, Omar said they don't really represent what independents represent and the sort of issues instead of the inclusion they push people aside. So what effect do you think that these tea party voters will have on the 2010 elections?

JOE GANDELMAN, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "THE MODERATE VOICE": Well, I think you could see two things happen. I think one, it's going to throw the fear of god into Republicans running everywhere because they're going to want that support from the tea party movement. So it will probably push the party more to the right in the elections because they'll want to get all the support they can as far as, you know, people on the ground and also the money.

And secondly what we saw in Massachusetts with Scott Brown was there was an element of pragmatism that people didn't think would take place with the Republicans, which is you got the tea party people and the more establishment Republicans voting for the Republicans. So if they can put that coalition together of the tea party people and the more established Republicans, then it could be quite potent. And I think the other - the third impact of this is going to be that moderate Republicans are already in danger but they could go the way of pay phones.

LEMON: Omar, what do you think Sarah Palin's presence, if any, you heard what he said, he's talking about impact, impact on those tea parties who aren't Republicans, or who may be leaning right? Do you think they'll have any influence at all?

ALI: I mean, look, Sarah Palin is a social conservative. She is not an independent. What people who are independent are attracted to is the idea of getting rid of parties. In fact, that's what they're trying to do. What the tea party folks are trying to do is take over the Republican Party so there is a fundamental difference between these independents and the tea party people.

And Sarah Palin essentially is the new face of that conservative movement, which takes the form of the tea party. But it is very different from what independents have been doing for the last 20 years, which is focusing on opening up the political process, not being either a Democrat or a Republican. Independents want to be independent. And that makes up 42 percent of America's people right now. So that's very significant.

LEMON: Well, it is very interesting the amount of attention she gets and she doesn't even hold office anymore. So, Nicole Kurokawa, Omar Ali and Joe Gandelman, thank you. Our independent panel, always like what you have to say and we try to bring you back again because it is nice to know what our independent voters are thinking. Appreciate it.

ALI: Thank you for having us.

GANDELMAN: Thank you.

LEMON: And tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, join us for a special hour of the CNN NEWSROOM as we bring you Sarah Palin's keynote address to the tea party convention. That, plus analysis beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern live right here on CNN.

And just ahead, the nation's capital blanketed in white. I'm sure it looks like a lot of fun now. But the city has a lot to do to be ready to be work come Monday morning. Will they be ready? Probably a lot of folks won't. We'll speak with the head of the D.C. Homeland Security about how long it is going to take to get back to normal.

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LEMON: We know the weather is causing problems in the east. But out west, boy, heavy rain caused huge mudslides today, swept away cars and damaged dozens of homes north of Los Angeles. Our Thelma Gutierrez is where most of the damage is, it's in La Canada Flintridge. And she joins us now, live tonight. What are you seeing there?

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, I can tell you it is just a terrible mess out here. Now, most of the damage actually up this road above me. This road backs all the way up to a burn area. That area burned this fall. That's what caused all of this problem.

Now, early this morning, some of the residents told me they woke up. They felt their house actually shake because the mud was flowing right down this road, carrying with it pieces of concrete, boulders, cars, all of this. Now, all day today we have seen crews just like this haul away mud and debris. They have been working 24/7, nonstop. But you can see what has been left behind there. Some wildlife, a snake, we have actually seen pieces of people's landscaping, pieces of their homes right here, a hub cab, photographs in the street and actual pieces of their homes.

And it has been a really tough thing when you talk to some of the residents. They said that they knew that this could have come. They were anticipating it for weeks. They actually got a break a couple of weeks ago. We had a terrible storm, but nothing happened. Then all of a sudden this particular downfall wasn't really anticipated and all of a sudden you had this terrible downpour and this flow of mud.

LEMON: Hey, Thelma -

GUTIERREZ: Many homes out here destroyed. 43 homes actually damaged and 12 have been severely damaged. Also, Don, 25 cars destroyed in this terrible mud flow.

LEMON: Hey, real quickly, you're standing awfully close to that. Is that a live snake or is that gone - because you're very comfortable standing there and then you said wildlife, there is a snake down there, I don't know if your photographer can point down real quickly. Can you hear me?

Thelma cannot hear me. OK. Our Thelma Gutierrez is in La Canada Flintridge where there is a mudslide there, and she said, pointing out a snake, asking her whether it was live or not, because she's standing close to it. Anyway, huge problems out west and also again in the northeast. And we're going to tell you about that in D.C. the snow, it looks beautiful, and it can be a lot of fun to play in, but the fact is Washington right now paralyzed by a massive snowfall.

As the seat of the federal government, it cannot afford to sit still for long. It needs to get dug out. And it needs things to happen soon. So I want to go to Millicent Williams now. She is the acting director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. She joins us now by telephone. It is probably not realistic that you're going to have all of the roads cleared by Monday, but you're going to try to do it, I'm sure.

MILLICENT WILLIAMS, ACTING DIRECTOR, D.C. HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (ON THE PHONE): Definitely, we're going to work really hard. We've been working literally since the snow began to fall to make sure that roads were cleared. We have done salting and sanding in advance of the storm coming.

And then once the snow actually began to fall, you could see the plows going into full activation. And so we have been clearing the main arterials, working on secondary roads and residentials as well. You're right, it is going to be quite the challenge to get everything back online for Monday morning. But that is, in fact, the challenge that we're up for. And teams are working around the clock to make sure that that does happen.

LEMON: You're optimistic, you sound optimistic. It's going to be a really big job. Here is a concern that we have been reading about there. There have been some roofs that are collapsing under the weight of the snow and you're telling people to clear their roofs as soon as possible. Talk to me about that.

WILLIAMS: Actually, you may have gotten a little bit of misinformation there. There has been a couple of roofs that have collapsed, but what we're hoping is people who may be experiencing some leaking would actually find shelter in another location, hopefully find shelter with family or friends and then certainly if they could not have that provision made, the District of Columbia would make provisions for them.

But we don't want for people to risk their lives, actually, in attempting to clear snow off of their roofs. We're just hoping that because it's going to be a warmer day tomorrow, we are going to have some sunshine, that the snow will melt away and we then we won't have as many issues regarding roof collapses.

LEMON: Best of luck to you. Millicent Williams, acting director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Thank you. You know, it is a big weekend for the Big Easy. Today voters cast ballots for New Orleans's next mayor. So who will be the city's next leader? Who will it be? And tomorrow the New Orleans Saints march into Miami for their very first Super Bowl ever. Will they win? Will it be the Colts? Who knows. Some say the biggest winner will be the host city. And our Rick Horrow will talk Super Bowl cash coming up.

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LEMON: A Super Bowl means football, of course. Biggest game of the year, right? But it means big business. Millions and millions of dollars changing hands among the NFL TV advertisers and the host city of Miami to name just a few.

No one knows sports and business better than Rick Horrow. (INAUDIBLE) together. He's already in Miami, ready for the game. Rick, good to see you. Your hair looks a little crazy but oh, well, we will still go with this. Let's talk about the economic impact on this one, the football game here.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hey, yes. $400 million. Let's remember, it's a two-week festival, it's a pro bowl, the Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLIV, the 10th one we've had here in south Florida. And they are expecting that half a billion dollars. And of course $1,000 face value for the tickets right here.

By the way, tickets are black and gold. The Saints Colors. Do you think there is a conspiracy afoot? Printed those long before that. No. But here's the bottom line, people who come in, this is a point we're dealing, over 110 million people are going to be watching because of the snowstorms you talked about before. There are a lot more viewers, they can't get out of their houses. So my sense is this is going to be one of the biggest games. 5,000 journalists, 200 countries. And when you think about this, this is the biggest sporting event clearly in America every year.

LEMON: Biggest sporting event. Hey, listen, I got a text from a high school buddy this morning that said Ocean Drive is like Bourbon Street? Yes?

HORROW: Yes, except Ocean Drive and Las Olas Boulevard. So it is not only Dade but it's also Ft. Lauderdale. There are big-time party locations. The stadium you see right behind me, suites, there is a particular 24-seat suite that is selling for $95,000 just for the game. So this is huge.

LEMON: OK. So listen, you got a prediction for me.

HORROW: 28-24, who dat. How about them?

LEMON: You are back in my good grace.

HORROW: Drew Brees. Yes, thank you very much becomes the endorsement darling that everybody was hoping for. Peyton Manning has four MVPs. He is already. He is fine. It is Saints' time. LEMON: OK. Thank you. Rick Horrow. Send those tickets, you can send them overnight and I'll get them by tomorrow.

HORROW: Yes, wait in the mailman. And I'll talk to you next week.

LEMON: All right. Who dat.

You know, I will read a lot of your tweets between the breaks and I'll read a few interesting ones on air, in just a few minutes. As a matter of fact, you can send me a few now. Keep them clean though. They've been very interesting

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LEMON: Let's get right to it. As promised some of your comments. And boy, they are really strong tonight. Here's what one person said great job, Don. David Gergen is wrong this time about there is no race involved with 99.9 percent white tea party, end question mark.

Another viewer says Bush had out of control spending with more than $6 trillion. Where were tea partiers, they don't like Obama.

And Dimsimple (ph), can't stand to watch Palin. She is scary. I really don't understand the draw to her, not bright and such a phony. I will not watch her because my time is valuable.

Snow totals coming in (INAUDIBLE) Bonnie in the NEWSROOM. Wise media popping up this woman with 6th grade mentality into national prominence. Enough with the meritocracy, excuse me for that. Thank you very much for your comments. We really appreciate it them. Again, very transparent about it.

I'm Don Lemon. I'm here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here at 9:00 p.m. Eastern for a special CNN NEWSROOM coverage of Sarah Palin's keynote address to the tea party convention.

But first more than 40 years after his voice was silenced, our Soledad O'Brien gives us a rare look into the private library of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"MLK Papers: Words That Change the Nation" begins right now. See you at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.