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Petraeus Warns Against Quran Protest, Minister Defends It; $3.5 Million Economic Plan; Voting Their Wallets in Ohio; Tropical Storm Hermine Wreaks Havoc on Texas; Fire West of Boulder, Colorado, Forces Thousands to Evacuate; End of Ramadan Coincides With 9/11, Causing Muslims to Town Down Celebrations; Town Hall Critic Takes on Representative Frank; Green Move Improvements

Aired September 07, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: (INAUDIBLE DUE TO APPARENT MICROPHONE PROBLEM)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: You bet, you bet. Keeping the diet alive, baby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's no silver bullet. There's no quick fix to these problems. I knew when I was running for office, and I certainly knew by the time I was sworn in. I knew it would take time to reverse the damage of a decade worth of policies that saw too few people being able to climb into the middle class, too many people falling behind.

We all knew this. We all knew that it would take more time than any of us want to dig ourselves out of this hole, created by this economic crisis.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: (INAUDIBLE)

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Jim. And you know, speaking to different audiences as well. You saw there in Milwaukee, Labor Day crowd, a lot of union folks. He was trying to rally the Democratic base. Get them enthusiastic about this midterm election.

So far we've seen a lot more energy and enthusiasm on the Republican side. On the other hand, you've got Republican and independent voters who have expressed a lot of concern about all of the federal spending here in Washington.

And as you add up that tab to $350 billion in new programs, bottom line is, as this White House has repeatedly said in recent days, there's not going to be a second stimulus plan. They know that's fraught with all kinds of political danger.

Number one. People concerned about spending. Number two, the fact that the first stimulus is kind of a political dirty word now. Very controversial. Republicans have said it didn't work. Democrats say well, it worked. Maybe not as quickly as some wanted.

So the bottom line is, they don't want to call this second stimulus. When you add that up to $350 billion, that's nearly half of the first stimulus, $787 billion.

You're talking about real money. Not as much as the first one. But whether you call it a stimulus or not, it's certainly a whole lot of money aimed at trying to stimulate the economy, Jim.

ACOSTA: (INAUDIBLE)

HENRY: Well, they're not going to receive that too well. You're right. He's just recently departed. Only been gone about a month as one of the president's principal economic advisers.

Now we need to point out that -- bottom line, in fairness, we need to point out that he also says in this op-ed that all the Bush tax cuts should go away in 2013. Not something Republicans want to see.

So there's bad news for Republicans in this op-ed but you're right. There's a shot across the ballot, this president and this White House where Peter Orszag, the president's former budget director, is saying look, extend all the Bush tax cuts in the short term for a couple of years. Even the tax cuts for the rich. Something this White House has not wanted to do.

Jim, back to you. And I guess we'll have a break and after the break we'll have more NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: All right. Take two here. Our audio is working. And we're going to get right back to NEWSROOM here.

We are counting down to the midterm elections which are now eight weeks from today. In this tough economy, many Americans will be voting with their wallets. And here's how they view some of today's top pocketbook issues.

When asked which party can do a better job with the economy, the public is split. Forty-six percent say the Republicans, 43 percent say Democrats. We saw the almost identical breakdown when the topic turned to taxes. Forty-six percent of those polled have faith in Republicans and 43 percent for the Democrats.

And the split is more closely divided on health care. Democrats are viewed as the better option by 46 percent of those polled, 45 percent choose the economy. And the economy is a big topic in Ohio as a critical race important in the 2008 race. And both parties recognize how important this state is in the midterm elections and beyond.

CNN's T.J. Holmes is in the capital of that state, Columbus. And he is traveling with the CNN Election Express.

Good morning, T.J. T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you there, Jim. You said it. Talk about how important Ohio is. This should let you know how important Ohio is.

The president tomorrow is making his tenth trip to this state as president. He is racking up some frequent-flyer mile here. Clearly he likes this state. He likes the people of this state.

And it is an important state. And they are viewing the president and his policies and the stimulus right now with a bit of skepticism and they have reason to be a bit skeptical. Because, Jim, it was right here that the president's first trip to Ohio as president -- he came here to Columbus to top his stimulus plan saying look at these 25 police officers.

There was a ceremony. They were graduating from the academy. But they were going to have to be laid off until the stimulus was passed. They got stimulus dollars. Those officers were able to stay on the job.

A lot of people will remember that story. That was back in March of '09 when the unemployment rate here was 9.4 percent. The very next month, 9.7 percent. The next month, it was 10.2 percent. Then 10.8 percent. Then 11.1 percent. Then 11.2.

So the president first came here and talked about stimulus and how it was going to help and immediately the unemployment rate went up.

Now here in this state it's 10.3 percent so, do they believe that the stimulus is working? Are they willing to give the president another chance? Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think Ohio is a state that people look at because it has a huge mix in one state.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now hate politics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to talk to different people and everyone is going to have different thoughts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard for me to figure out because I grew up in a very Republican family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just too much polarity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sarah Palin is not part of what I want to be represented by.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live -- almost stopped like following it altogether because I think it's just a load of crap.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Starting to see some Republican candidates come out ahead. You know good, strong candidates. And I think -- you know, I think we're going have a good run for it here in November. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs need to be brought back to America. I see that part. I don't see anything now. I've got a nice hat that says, you know, "My Boss is Jesus". And when I look inside and I look at the label, it said "made in China".

OK. Where is made in the USA at?

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And you know that is -- such a good point to end on there with that gentleman. Talk about made in the USA. That's a state -- this is a state that knows that all so well.

Four hundred thousand manufacturing jobs just gone over the past decade. We're talking about jobs that aren't going to come back. Not just layoffs. We're talking about jobs that just literally went away. So this state expecting to hear from the president again tomorrow. Another possible package of ideas that can help out.

But for the folks here, Jim, they have heard it all before. But they are not feeling it just yet.

ACOSTA: Right. And, T.J., I guess I just wanted to ask you -- I mean what do people think when they hear the president coming out with these new proposals? Do they -- are they giving him a chance here to sell these proposals? Or is it just one of those things where they're like hey, you know, we've heard all this before?

HOLMES: You know, hospitable people, they'll always welcome the president. But no matter what the president says now it really is. They have a history with this president. He has been here now for a tenth time.

And again, I go back to last March. That is -- as soon as the stimulus was passed, this is the first stop he made here in Columbus to say look at what this is going to do for you. Look at these jobs. It has saved and it is going to continue to do the same for you.

And immediately after he left, the employment rate went up almost two percentage points over the next several months. So they are willing to listen. They certainly want to hear from the president and hear how he's going to help. But they've heard it before, quite frankly. And you can't blame them for that.

ACOSTA: All right. T.J. Holmes with the CNN Election Express. Thanks, T.J. Good to see there in Columbus.

And speaking of that Election Express, CNN's John King, we should point out, he is hitting the road and visiting three key states in the midterm elections. It's a road trip, political style. Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Ohio.

That's going to be on "JOHN KING, USA". "Election Road Trip" tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

And we will be back in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Take a look at this. Tropical Storm Hermine is wreaking havoc there on southeast Texas. These pictures are coming in from Galveston. The storm made landfall nearly 12 hours ago.

It's probably going to drift northward today and dump up to eight inches of rain on Texas and parts of Oklahoma. Some spots could get a foot of rain, and tornadoes are a possibility as well.

Other states, like Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas should feel Hermine as well. And let's check in with Rob Marciano in our Severe Weather Center. And Rob, I feel like I just stole your thunder there, no pun intended. But --

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we'll try -- we'll dig in a little bit more than that. Thank you.

ACOSTA: Yes, I just give the highlights here.

MARCIANO: That's it. But you're right. I could probably toss it right back to you, but we're not going to do that just yet.

Tropical storm Hermine, 45-mile-an-hour winds. Right now -- you know, this thing just bubbled up late Sunday night. Became a tropical storm quickly yesterday, and then made landfall just south of the Texas- Mexican border late yesterday afternoon.

This is the time of year where things -- it's the dangerous time of year. We're into prime time. We're going to peak here in next few days as far as hurricane season goes. And things can pop up like this in the Gulf of Mexico just like that.

All right. Let's talk what's happening down across parts of Texas. They have been getting hammered the past couple of hours, with winds gusting at 30 miles an hour, even more than that in some spots. There's Corpus Christi, they're kind of in the brunt of it. With that, comes some wind.

As far as where the center of this thing is, about 50 miles west- northwest of Corpus Christi. All this moisture is going to stream in that way. And with the tornado watch that's in effect until 1:00 this afternoon. Everybody to the right side of the storm is -- they're going to see most of the threat for that. Usually smaller tornadoes, but nonetheless, still dangerous. Could see five inches of rain. Or, as Jim pointed out, maybe as much as a foot in some spots up towards parts of Oklahoma and maybe even through parts of Arkansas.

Where we need this rain is where there's a pretty serious fire happening just west of Boulder and some of the rugged terrain there in the Rocky Mountains. There's a fire, a red flag warning that's posted for mostly points east of I-25 and to the high country or the high prairie there east of Denver. But not going to be all that great for firefighting in Boulder and points west there. That's the threat there. Also a threat through parts of Nevada. Yesterday was really cool across parts of southern California, and relatively cool across the East Coast. We're going to start to see the heat build back in for places like Atlanta and all the way up through New York City. That's the latest on Hermine and fire with a threat, and the forecast. Back to you, Jim.

ACOSTA: OK, Rob. We'll have to keep an eye on Texas, because any time you get that much rain, even from a tropical storm, in that part of that state, they can cause a lot of flash flooding and a lot of problems for motorists out there.

MARCIANO: Yes, it doesn't take long. You're right about that.

ACOSTA: Yes. All right, thanks, Rob. Appreciate it.

This weekend, the end of Ramadan coincides was the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, along with the controversies surrounding a proposed Islamic center near ground zero. CNN's Mary Snow tells us how Muslims are trying to avoid any more backlash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Afternoon prayers at the Islamic Center of Long Island. As Ramadan draws to a close later this week, these worshipers are being advised to tone down what is usually a celebratory occasion.

SAJID SHAH, PRESIDENT, ISLAMIC CENTER OF LONG ISLAND: After 30 days of fasting, this is the month that's ended for our celebration.

SNOW (on camera): How will it be different this year?

SHAH: This year will be a little different. We are not celebrating the way we're supposed to do -- we normally would do --

SNOW: Because?

SHAH: Because of 9/11.

SNOW (voice-over): The end of Ramadan, or Eid, depending on the moon Thursday night, falls on either Friday or Saturday, which is September 11th. But many Muslims have decided to mark it on Friday.

Imam al-Amin Abdul Latif is the head of the Islamic Leadership Council in New York, an umbrella group of Muslim organizations.

AL-AMIN ABDUL LATIF, IMAN, MAJILIS ASH-SHURA: I guess people may think that they'll look at Eid and they're going to a protest against people who may be celebrating.

SNOW (voice-over): One Muslim group, for example, celebrates Eid at Six Flags Parks. This year, organizers have been careful not to schedule their events for September 11th.

It comes against the backdrop over anger about the proposed Islamic Center near ground zero, and protests at other mosques around the country. Muslims there trying to send out their own message, like the public service announcement created through grassroots efforts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: I don't want to take over this country.

SNOW (voice-over): One Muslim leader who works with an interfaith youth group in Chicago says he feels the attitude towards Muslim this year is unlike any other.

EBOO PATEL, INTERFAITH YOUTH CORE: Frankly, I have not felt this fearful. A mother came up to me at my Muslim house of worship earlier this week and said to me, "Eboo, when will my 8 and 10-year-old sons stop being bullied on the playground because of their names?" Ahmed and Akbar. What I said to her is, "Very soon. Very soon." Because the forces of inclusion in America have always defeated the forces of intolerance. And they will defeat the forces of intolerance again.

SNOW: This 9/11, this mosque in Westbury, New York, will dedicate a peace garden with other clergy. But it's also asked local police for protection following a suspicious incident of broken windows at the mosque.

Imam Latif says his group has also decided not to hold a counter protest Saturday supporting the Islamic Center near ground zero after the families of 9/11 victims requested they not hold the rally.

LATIF: We've been encouraging our people to be calm, to be patient, but be firm and be strong. And to reach out.

SNOW: And this Islamic Center, for one, is opening its doors to hold open houses with the aim of promoting understanding.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Mary Snow joins us live in New York. And Mary, as you were giving that report there, we just noticed crossing our CNN wire service a few moments ago that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the religious leader of that proposed Islamic Center, apparently has returned from his outreach trip overseas and plans to make some public statements on this controversial project down in lower Manhattan. So, that's a very interesting development because we really haven't heard a whole much -- a whole lot from this Imam at this point. Isn't that right?

SNOW: That's absolutely right. And you know, Jim, the governor of New York just yesterday had also asked for moratorium on the debate over this proposed Islamic Center this week because of the anniversary of September 11th on Saturday. But as you said, this is some interesting developments, and we'll be hearing from the Imam later this week.

ACOSTA: And there's a meeting that's going to be taking place in Washington later today, an interfaith meeting on some of this? What do they hope to accomplish at that meeting?

SNOW: What they're really saying is that because of the fear that has really sparked in this debate about the Islamic Center near ground zero that's been proposed, and also now, this Florida church that is saying that it plans to burn Korans on Saturday, there is this growing sense of fear. And they are meeting with other clergy members from other faiths, they're hoping to address this, take a stand.

We've also heard from some of those groups this morning that they also plan to meet with the attorney general, Eric Holder, later this afternoon to address this atmosphere, they say, of bigotry and hate crimes across the nation.

ACOSTA: OK. Mary Snow in New York. Thanks for that update. Appreciate it, Mary.

And later this morning, we'll get an update on the rebuilding effort at the World Trade Center site. The planned memorial is set to open next year on the tenth anniversary of the attacks.

The pastor of a church in Florida will mark the 9/11 anniversary by burning copies of the Koran, but he says it's not about hate. We will let him explain and show you some of the world reaction. It's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Checking stop -- top stories now. President Obama is pushing a $350 billion package of tax cuts for businesses. The three proposals would allow a 100 percent write-off of new investments and plans and equipment, permanently extending the credit and research and development and infrastructure spending.

A fast-moving wildfire also, we should tell you about this morning, near Boulder, Colorado, has forced the evacuation of a thousand homes and shut down schools for the day. If the winds die down, air tankers will join the fight this morning.

And former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater goes to court today. Slater faces charges connected to his last day on the job. Cursing out passenger and then exiting the plane on the emergency evacuation chute.

As we've been talking about all morning, the all important midterm elections, eight weeks away. But close enough for some to so some possible clues. Our guest will gaze into his crystal ball and predict the winners and losers. That is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Turning to Wall Street, it's been a volatile summer out on the markets. The market did rally last week, sending the Dow up nearly three percent. Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at what that means for trading week. Hi, Felicia. How's it looking down there?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. Well, the opening bell will be in, literally, just a couple of minutes. These days, you'd think a strong rally one week would kind of mean that investors get nervous the next week. That wouldn't be unusual to see.

Wall Street still doesn't really have that much confidence that we are in a strong economic recovery. Last week, we did have a better than expected jobs report and a surprise rebound in manufacturing activity. So for the market rally to continue, we really need to see more good economic moves.

But this week, we don't really have that much data. As you know, it's a holiday-shortened week, and that usually means that we're going to have a little bit of choppiness. So investors aren't convinced that we've also averted a double-dip recession. That would be the main concern.

And, of course, we've got this stimulus package coming from the White House, and we'll be hearing more about that, and that is a major issue for Wall Street this week.

So, at the open right now, the Dow Industrials are down just slightly, the NASDAQ composite as - just has not opened yet but the S&P is also off fractionally.

One good bit of news today, though, Oracle shares, they're up seven percent. The software company hired former HP CEO Mark Hurd as their co-president. Hurd is credited with leading HP to success, but of course, you know, he stepped down under pressure last month amid charges of personal misconduct.

Once again, the market pretty much is down across the board, but off just about a quarter of one percent. So, just fractionally - Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Thanks, Felicia. Appreciate it.

A planned church protest is becoming a huge worry for the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to commemorate the 9/11 attacks. The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida plans to burn copies of the Quran.

Petraeus says that protest could endanger troops in the overall effort in Afghanistan. He says that it is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems not just here but everywhere in the world where the U.S. is engaged with the Islamic community.

Petraeus' prediction may be coming true. Hundreds protested in Kabul yesterday against those plans to burn the Quran. They call it an insult to Islam and Muslims around the world, especially at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Pastor Terry Jones, the man behind the Quran burning protest, appeared on "AMERICAN MORNING" with Kiran Chetry earlier today. Jones says hate did not generate the protest but instead calls it a warning to radical Muslim ideology.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't really care if you're offending Muslims by burning the Quran, right? That doesn't bother you if they're offended?

PASTOR TERRY JONES, DOVE WORLD OUTREACH CENTER: We realize that we are definitely offending them. Yes.

CHETRY: OK, so I want to ask you this. Does it bother you, though - does it bother you that --

JONES: But we have to think - but we have to think that Muslims should -

CHETRY: I just want to ask you about this. Do you - does it bother you that the military and the - and the military leaders believe that by doing this you are very likely putting the risk - the - the lives of U.S. soldiers at risk in - in Muslim countries?

David Petraeus, the general, this is what he said. "Their actions will in fact jeopardize the safety of young men and women who are serving in uniform over here and also undermine the very mission that they're trying to accomplish."

Are you willing to have the blood of soldiers on your hands by - by this demonstration?

JONES: Yes. We - we are actually very, very concerned, of course, and we are taking the general's words very serious. We are continuing to pray about the action on September the 11th. We are indeed very concerned about it.

It's just that we - we don't know - I mean, how - how long do we back down? How --

CHETRY: So you're saying that you very might be -

JONES: When do we stop backing down?

CHETRY: You might well not go through with this? You're saying that you're praying about it, you may not burn the Quran on September 11th?

JONES: I'm saying that we - we are definitely praying about it. We - we have - we have firmly made up our mind, but, at the same time, we - we are definitely - we are definitely praying about it.

But, like I said, I mean, how long - I mean, when - when does America stand for truth? I mean, instead of - instead of us being blamed for what other people will do or might do, why don't we send a warning to them? Why don't we send a warning to radical Islam and say, look, don't do it?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Some tough questions there from Kiran Chetry.

And if Pastor Jones represents one side, a group of interfaith leaders hopes to draw attention to the other. The group will meet in Washington today to address what it calls a growing tide of fear and intolerance against Muslims.

It started with the community outrage over plans to build that Muslim community center and mosque near Ground Zero and it will now have to deal with plans with these plans to burn the Quran. The group will also issue a declaration saying clergy members have a moral obligation to end hatred and misunderstanding.

The all important midterm elections eight weeks away, but close enough for some to see some possible clues. Our guest will gaze into a - his crystal ball and I'm gazing into his - his crystal ball in just a few moments to go over these predictions of winners and losers. That's coming up in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Checking top stories now.

President Obama is pushing a $350 billion package of tax cuts for businesses. The three (ph) proposals would allow a 100 percent write- off of new investments and plans and equipment, permanently extend the credit for research and development and add infrastructure spending.

In an interview, Joran van der Sloot admits he tried to extort money from Natalee Holloway's family, but now his attorney calls it a possible mistranslation. Aruban police arrested him twice in connection with Holloway's disappearance but never charged him.

Tropical Storm Hermine came ashore in South Texas earlier today. Forecasters say the storm will weaken but heavy rains will pose a flood threat to parts of Texas.

And we've been talking about this all morning. Eight weeks from today - set your calendars - Americans go to the polls in the midterm elections and President Obama is on the road to stir up votes and reassure voters that he is getting the economy back on track.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITES STATES: Powerful interests who have been dominating the agenda in Washington for a very long time, and they're not always happy with me. They talk about me like a dog.

That's not in my prepared remarks. It's just - but it's true.

You know, that's why - that's why we passed financial reform, to provide new accountability and tough oversight of Wall Street, stopping credit card companies from gouging you with hidden fees and unfair rate hikes, ending taxpayer bailouts for wash (ph) - of Wall Street once and for all.

They're not happy with it, but it was the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And we have seen this movie once before. The troubled economy could cost a lot of incumbents their jobs in the November midterms and it could cost the Democrats the control of the House and the Senate. And let's turn to someone with an impressive track record of predicting such trends. Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He joins us now from Charlottesville. Good to see you this morning, Larry.

And let's talk about what you've got in your crystal ball. You're talking about, essentially, a GOP takeover of the Congress or very, very close to it. In the Senate, eight to nine GOP seats is what Larry is predicting in his crystal ball and a pickup of 47 seats in the House for Republicans. The governor's races could swing eight of those seats to the GOP side. All in all, a pretty impressive, you know, election result, Larry, if all of that pans out.

How did you come to these conclusions? Because, you know, we're hearing that a lot these days, you know, these forecasts are coming out. Where do - how do you - how do you get to those conclusions?

PROF. LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CENTER FOR POLITICS: Well, Jim, of course, we studied every race just about every day. This is - this is our job. And we look for lots of different indicators, the generic ballot, Democrat versus Republican, presidential popularity, the state of the economy, the strength of individual candidates. There are so many factors that go into each thing.

But look, Jim, you've - you've been around for a long time. You've covered a lot of election years, and there are certain years where there's a wave. The average since World War II in midterm elections - exclude presidential elections, just in midterm elections - the president's party loses on average 24 seats in the House. It loses on average three to four Senate seats.

My sense of this is that, at a minimum - and I do mean minimum - you can double those numbers for November.

ACOSTA: Wow.

SABATO: It's going to be about double the normal. And, if anything, my numbers are overly cautious in at least two of the three categories. It's - there's considerable upside potential for the Republicans if the - the current trends continue, and they show every sign of continuing.

ACOSTA: And - and the reason behind that is the economy, in your mind?

SABATO: Fundamentally, it's the economy. There are other factors.

You always look in midterm elections to voter enthusiasm. Rarely have we seen a greater gap between the two parties. This is kind of the mirror image of 2006 when the Democrats took over Congress from the Republicans.

The Republican enthusiasm is through the roof. They're unhappy, not just about the economy, but with President Obama. They think he's been too liberal. They worried about debt and spending and taxes. Now, they're about twice as likely right now to show up in November as Democrats are.

People often forget the major difference between presidential elections and midterm elections is just simply turnout. A presidential election will get you, as in 2008, 63 percent of the adults in the United States voting. This year, we'll be lucky if we hit 40, 41 percent.

ACOSTA: Right. And - and what we're seeing the president do this week is essentially throw the kitchen sink at the economy. I mean, the - the litany of proposals that he's unveiling with respect to the economy almost add up to a mini stimulus, as Ed Henry was talking about earlier this morning.

Can this work? Is it too late for this to work for the president politically?

SABATO: Yes. This can work - for 2012. It's way too late -

ACOSTA: Not 2010.

SABATO: -- for 2010.

ACOSTA: Really? Wow.

SABATO: No. Not 2010.

And President Obama - and I'm sure his political staff - they have to be concerned about the situation of 2012. If the economy improves, President Obama will have a good chance at a second term. If the economy looks anything like it is today, he can end up being another Jimmy Carter. So we'll have to see. And they're I think already thinking beyond this cycle.

ACOSTA: Yes, and Republicans like to make that comparison with Jimmy Carter.

But the word that the president used yesterday was dog. He says that his critics attack him like a dog, treat him like a dog. What did you make of that? You don't typically hear presidents using that kind of bold, you know, stark language to talk about their adversaries.

SABATO: Well -

ACOSTA: It's quiet something.

SABATO: You know, there has been - it was something. I'm sure he's frustrated and unhappy. Frankly, he has a right to be about some of the criticism. It's - it's nonsensical and very offensive, not just to him.

But you know, welcome to politics, Jim. We live in a crude, rude world where almost everybody is treated like a dog, unfortunately, particularly on television.

ACOSTA: Right. And that old Harry Truman phrase, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." I guess - well, the president's already done that. He's got Bo.

But - but, Larry Sabato, we're going to be checking that crystal ball come November. We're going to see how the - the crystal ball is working this time around.

And we did check the numbers back in 2008 and you're pretty close. Back in 2008, almost - just about nailed the Senate. And - and so, if - if those forecasts hold true for the Democrats this fall, it's going to be bad news for them. But we'll be checking back with you on that.

Larry Sabato at the UVA Center for Politics. Thanks, Larry. Appreciate it. Good to see you.

SABATO: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Well, imagine you're sitting at work and suddenly you remember you left the oven on. Well, if you've got a certain app on your iPad you don't need to rush home and turn off the oven. You can do it just from your desk.

Sounds like something out of the Jetsons. I know I'm - I'm dating myself with that reference, but that's what it sounds like.

We'll explain in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: All right, well, speaking of politics, let's look at the stories crossing the wire of CNNPolitics.com.

The headline reads, "Tea Party backs O'Donnell in Delaware". Conservative Christine O'Donnell is taking on moderate Congressman, Mike Hassel in the Republican Senate primary.

It's another case of the Tea Party challenging the GOP establishment -- it worked in Nevada and Alaska and in countless other states. We will find out if it works in Delaware a week from today. Voters have to endure a slew of negative ads until then; it is getting nasty there. And the winner faces Democrat Chris Koons in November to fill Joe Biden's senate seat.

Take a look at who's trying to separate 15-term Democrat Barney Frank from his seat in Congress; you might remember this exchange last year. I remember because I was at this town meeting in Massachusetts.

Rachel Brown called health care reform, quote, "A Nazi policy", unquote. Well, that drew this response from Barney Frank.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Ma'am trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: Well, the dining room table decided to throw the kitchen sink at Barney Frank. Rachel Brown says that exchange motivated her to run against Frank in next week's Democratic primary. Frank calls Brown's candidacy, quote, "The price you pay for free speech".

And time now for the CNN Equals Politics update. Here's Paul Steinhauser from the best political team on television. Paul we've got lots crossing the wire right now. These are busy times.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: All right, Jim, just less than two months away until the midterm. I'm right here at the CNN political unit, the political desk in Washington. We've got a bunch of new stories on the political ticker right now.

Number one I want to share with you, Stu Rothenberg; he is one of the top nonpartisan political handicappers. And he is out with a new prediction this morning on how many seats the Republicans may grab back in the House of Representatives.

He is now predicting anywhere from 37 to 42 seats Republican gains. That's up from 28 to 33. And of course, as you know, the magic number, 39 seats. That's what the Republicans need to win back the House.

Rob, you and our political research director reminded me that the Republicans grabbed back 52 seats in 1994. We'll keep an eye on what happened there.

Another thing, Jim is all about the economy. Number two story I want to share with you from the ticker. Check this out, the NRSC, the National Republican Senatorial Committee out with a new Web video this morning.

What does it talk about? The economy and it uses clips from cable newscasts over the late summer to talk about rising unemployment and the state of the economy.

So to really go after the Democrats and National Republican Senatorial Committee not spending any money on this for an ad buy on commercial TV or cable TV. No, they are doing it on the Web because you know what, the power of the Web nowadays, people see these videos all the time on the Web.

And finally, Jim, also on the ticker this morning, our brand new poll on the economy. You know, you guys showed these numbers earlier about the Republicans have now got a slight edge over the Democrats on the economy.

But let's dig a little deeper. Check this out. We asked specifically on independent voters, those crucial voters who could swing either way come November, how they feel about which party would do a better job on the economy. And you could see the Republicans are pulling the case, has a 51 to 32 percent advantage on the economy -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Paul that is a massive advantage with the Republicans on what is essentially the issue this fall. Paul Steinhauser with our CNN political unit.

Look at that number, just unbelievable. Thanks so much, Paul, I appreciate it.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you.

ACOSTA: And for all the political news, and Paul has got them and the rest of our political team has them as well, and they'll be bringing -- and bringing them to you all this -- all at CNNPolitics.com, thanks Paul.

And we'll be back in a moment.

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ACOSTA: Welcome back. From an app on your iPod to a stealth toilet -- what's that all about? There are several ways you can take advantage of the expanded energy tax credit, and Josh Levs is here with that.

Josh, I'm going to let you explain all of that.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Go ahead, yes, I know you are. I know you've some lines prepared for me, don't you?

ACOSTA: Yes, I do. That will be on the tail end.

JOSH: Oh nice. Ok, here's the thing, the tax credit will expire at the end of this year and now that we're getting pass Labor Day people are already looking to the end of the year. This is $1,500 tax credit across two years expanded energy efficiency tax credit. You can use to improve your home with some green improvements.

So the folks at CNNMoney put together a list of some stuff that might interest you. This one is really cool, air condition your house via iPad. There is a program right now that you can put on your iPad and they're letting you it control basically everything electric in your house. It will turn off lights and appliances, your air conditioning and heat.

The company is called Control4. There's a $99 licensing fee and you've got to have an iPad obviously. But then from there on out, it's free to use.

All right, next one here folks at CNNMoney recommending, the stealth toilet. And this one uses a lot less water and apparently it emits a lot less sound, and apparently in the end, it uses just a fraction of the water of other ones, so apparently it could saves you a lot on the water bill and be good for the earth, it's from a company called Niagara Conservation.

Do you want me to keep going Jim or do you want to jump in --

ACOSTA: Please keep going.

LEVS: Ok. ACOSTA: And I was going to ask you, who unclogs the stealth toilet? I mean, honestly that's the question that I have. You can't find it, if you can't see it, you know.

LEVS: All right, got it, plumbers are going to have to get caught up with the latest technology.

ACOSTA: There you go. I'm thinking here, Josh.

LEVS: I want to get to the roof. I don't want to stay on the toilet.

Look at this, this is so cool. It looks like regular shingles on the roof but they collect solar energy. They pull in solar energy throughout the day. They are Dow Chemicals photovoltaic shingles. They look like conventional one and pulling energy during the day. And apparently, they can give your home 40 to 80 percent of the electric it needs throughout the day but it's really expensive.

Typical installation all the way up at $25,000. So in this economy, not everyone going to be grabbing on that.

Let me show you a couple more here. This one is really interesting. It's just interesting that these people are creating this. Low-water laundering; Instead of using a lot of water and detergent, and typical detergent. There are these little nylon beads now that you'll be able to put inside your laundry and it will apparently combine with humidity and get everything clean, wipe away stains. Using a lot less water, very cool.

I'm going to show where you can find all these things, by the way.

And finally, recycled deck -- I thought it's interesting. Take a look at this recycled deck, I recommend it -- this at CNNMoney. There is no wood here. 95 percent of the content of this deck is recycled. Plastic, and it's a company that uses recycled grocery bags to create it, and it costs just over 6 bucks a square foot.

I'll tell you what. I posted the whole in my Facebook and Twitter pages. Let's show everybody that here, where to find me. I'm at Josh Levs/CNN. You can see the whole list for yourself and what you might find is that somebody is actually are cheap enough you want to take advantage of them.

Now, while you're thinking about, I'm going to show you one more thing before I go because it's so interesting, again, from CNNmoney. They're working on the first ever zero energy home in New York City, from garrison architects, and what it will do is it will be apparently be designed to pull in enough energy during the day, pump energy into the electric grid and the amount you use, they say, will come out even, zero/zero. We'll see how that comes out.

ACOSTA: Plenty of power there to power your stealth toilet or something along those lines. All right very good.

That was mature of me to go back to that joke three minutes later. I apologize. It's been one of those mornings. Come on.

Let's look at what we're working on for the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's begin with Ed Henry over at the White House. Ed, please rescue us.

ED HENRY, CNN, SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The President is now proposing $350 billion in new ways to stimulate the economy except the White House doesn't want to call it a second stimulus plan. Is it stimulus or not. What are the new details your family needs to know? We'll have them at the top of the hour.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Also, the President is coming here to where I am, to Ohio, to sell some of those economic policies that you just heard Ed talking about. Certainly not the first time he has tried to pitch policies here in Ohio. We'll look back and tell you why this is such an important state for him to make his sales.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano of the CNN Severe Weather , while you were doing your labor day thing, a tropical storm popped up in the Gulf and hit south Texas -- hitting it right now. We'll talk about plus a fire threat in the west -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Thank you, gentlemen. Check this out, guys. One in three kids say they have been bullied at school. We know this is a problem but now one bullying victim turned pop star is taking a stand. We're talking to Demi Lovato about what kids can do right now to stop school violence. That's something that I should be DVR'ing for my daughter. But that's coming up in the next hour right in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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