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Reid Fights for Political Life; Tight Senate Race in Alaska; GOP Eyeing House Takeover; U.S. ID's Bomb Suspect; Why Yemen is Terror Breeding Ground; Florida's Heated Senate Race
Aired October 31, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We're going to get you caught up on everything you need to know for your week ahead. But the big story tonight, of course, is politics and the final push to Election Day. This is it.
Less than 36 hours until the first polls open, and if you believe the polls, the Democrats are in serious trouble, and they know it. The Republicans seemingly in position to take the House and possibly make a strong showing in the Senate, too. With The Best Political Team on Television to explain how these races no, matter where they are, will affect you.
Among them, Drew Griffin is in Alaska following the intense Senate race there. Joe Johns is in New York with reaction from the heads of both parties about their chances come Tuesday. But I want to start with Jessica Yellin. She is in Las Vegas.
Jessica, you're following this key Senate race between incumbent Democrat Harry Reid and Republican Sharron Angle. This race is important because even if Democrats keep control of the Senate they could lose their majority leader. So Jessica, let's hope they both have some convincing closing messages today.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They sure did, and they are pushing every last one of their voters to get out and vote because this one is so close that some folks on each side worry it could almost be in recount territory.
Harry Reid's message, the Democratic Senate Majority leader is, that his opponent is simply too extreme. That's Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle. And he's telling these local folks, look in a town that's driven by the casino industry, you need somebody who knows how to help that business do its business, if you know what I mean. And then Sharron Angle, her side is saying, Harry Reid is part of the problem. He's spending too much, and she actually, Don, doesn't fight this extreme message. She says that she will hold the line on spending, and in one speech on Friday night promised, quote, "shock and awe," if she goes to Washington after November. Don?
LEMON: So Jessica, listen, millions and millions of dollars spent on both sides in this race. I think it's been over $30 million, and still it is a tossup. Voter turnout is going to decide this race on Election Day, isn't it? YELLIN: Yes. We always say voter turnout decides a race, but in this case, here's why it's relevant. So far election officials say 65 percent of everybody who will vote has already voted. More of them are Democrats. Harry Reid has a small lead, it would seem, going into Election Day, but the question is how many Republicans will turn out on Election Day.
Now Republican side says because of enthusiasm, there will be a massive surge of Republicans, and they will trounce Harry Reid. The Democrats say not so fast. They have studied history. They have an enormous get out the vote operation, and they are doing what they can to make sure that every Democrat who is feeling sort of apathetic or not so interested in voting is actually fired up and encouraged to go vote because they think every last one of those could be the difference between Harry Reid returning to Washington or not. This one, Don, is going to be a very late night and a nail-biter in Nevada.
LEMON: Get Out the Vote will make the difference. Thank you, Jessica Yellin.
We want to go to Alaska right now and the three-way battle for Senate there. This is a key one because it shows not only the Tea Party's influence on the mid-terms, but also its specific effect on the GOP.
Drew Griffin is in Anchorage, Alaska, following this race for us. Drew?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Don, there is a real Republican drama playing out in this state now between the two would-be Republicans who are leading in this Senate race. And that is Joe Miller, the Tea Party candidate who is on the ballot and Lisa Murkowski, the sitting senator, Republican senator from Alaska, who is staging this massive write-in campaign trying to get back basically into this Senate race, and she seems to be doing just that. But interestingly enough, I caught up with Lisa Murkowski, and she said when she gets back to Washington, when she gets back to Washington, that she is not going to be beholden to any Republican Party. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: If you do go back --
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: When I do go back --
GRIFFIN: When you do go back if you do go back, do your fellow Senate Republicans have to earn you back to them?
MURKOWSKI: That's an odd way to put it. Let's just say I know very well who would have returned me to Washington, D.C., to the United States Senate, and it will be these people in this state. And nobody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Now that is coming at the same time that Joe Miller insists he is going to pull this out despite a bunch of missteps late in this campaign. I did run into him as well. He seemed to be confident, but, again, he's got the Republican Party backing him, putting on a lot of ads and trying to attack Lisa Murkowski in this race. Both the Republican who is on the ballot and Lisa Murkowski are not giving much of a chance to Scott McAdams, the Democrat, although he says, insists, that he is still in this race. Don?
LEMON: All right, Drew Griffin, thank you very much.
The GOP has high expectations going into these mid-terms, but you never really know what's going to happen in the voting booth. And that's exactly what appears to be on the mind of Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
Here's what he said on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: We need 39. If we get 39 seats and take the majority, that's success. I've told our folks around the country, we're at 38 seats. Now let's get to 39. And anything that we do that evening is going to be a great success given where we started this journey a year and a half ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: To CNN's Joe Johns now in New York. Joe, good to see you. Steele there backing away from predicting a takeover of the House. Is he just playing coy?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this is what you would expect at this state of the game. 39 seats would get them to the point where they control the House of Representatives, but a lot of people would expect at this point for the republicans who have such high expectations at the moment to start backing away and trying to lower expectations in case they don't quite come in as well as a lot of people think they will.
Many, many pollsters on both sides, Democratic and Republican, no less than Peter Hart who is one of the very best known in Washington, saying they are expecting a tsunami. They are expecting large numbers in the House of Representatives. This is something you'd expect from the Republicans but not necessarily what everybody else is expecting.
LEMON: All right, Joe, then let's talk about the Democrats for a minute because I want to show you what the DNC Chairman Tim Kaine said on NBC's "Meet the Press" this morning.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM KAINE (D), CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, David, I think the Republicans are saying they are going to take both houses. We believe we're going to hold on to both houses and we're going to see. I'm not going to predict. I believe that we'll hold on to both Houses, but the margins will get narrower because the American public isn't a 51/49 nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So, Joe, is that wishful thinking, or does he have to say that no matter what because he's the DNC chair?
JOHNS: I think he probably has to say that, and there are some Democrats out there who actually have been saying it and really believe it. They lay out a scenario whereby sort of uncounted millions of Americans who really haven't talked to pollsters that much, perhaps they have cell phones, perhaps they are African- Americans who have looked at Barack Obama as under fire and just decided at the last moment I'm going to make time to go to the polls.
Nonetheless, when you look at all of the opinion polls that are out there right now, and you really try to do some type of modeling, they still suggest that the Democrats are in serious trouble in the House of Representatives. As far as the Senate goes, it's much more dicey, and a lot of people predict the Republicans will come up just short of taking control of the Senate.
LEMON: We've heard from the top, the heads of the party. What about the rank and file Democrats and Republicans? What's the mood headed into Tuesday?
JOHNS: I've talked to some Democrats who say they are expecting a very bad night, but hoping that they can hold on to enough seats in the Senate to be able to have that Democratic firewall on Capitol Hill.
Republicans, many I've talked, some who have been in the game for a long time, are pretty ecstatic about it. I've heard predictions from people who have been in the game for years that the Republicans are going to come in with 55 or 60-seat gains in the House of Representatives. So you talk to people on the ground, and they tend to believe the story that we've been telling now for quite a while on CNN.
LEMON: Hey, Joe, it's going to be an interesting day and evening. Get your sleep now. You're going to be a busy man, sir. Thank you very much.
You know, we have been talking all weekend about the most anticipated mid-terms in recent history. So next, we're going to talk about the issues that matter to you. Is this a referendum on President Barack Obama? And what about Kendrick Meek? Should he drop out of the Florida Senate race? A lot of you have been talking about that one.
Plus, we're learning more about the man that officials say masterminded the plot to send bombs from Yemen to the United States.
And don't just sit there. It's time for you to be a part of the show, be a part of the conversation. Check us out on Twitter or Facebook, and also our blog at CNN.com/Don. We're on FourSquare as well, on FourSquare.com/DONLEMONCNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The fate of the Obama presidency over the next two years rests on what happens at the polls in two days. Our panel tonight, political columnist John Avlon of "The Daily Best," GOP strategist Ed Rollins and of course CNN contributor Roland Martin.
Hey, thanks to all of you for joining us tonight.
Roland, I want to go to you first. This poll just came out. It says the majority of Americans think that the Republicans will control Congress after Tuesday's mid-term. It also said -- a survey indicates that the majority of registered voters say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes President Barack Obama.
Is this mid-term election a referendum on the Obama presidency, Roland?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, look, absolutely. You look at what took place in 2008. What is happening in 2010. It is his agenda that Republicans are focusing on, that they are saying that speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, she pushed through, so there's no doubt. I mean, we can't sit here and act like that's not the case. 2006, when Democrats took control of the House and the Senate, it was a referendum on George W. Bush. That's the way it goes. When you're the big dog, the commander-in-chief, head of the Democratic Party, that's what happens.
LEMON: OK. Ed, 34 percent of those questions say the country will be better off in the Republicans win back Congress, with 28 percent saying the country will be worse off and 36 percent saying it won't make a difference here. Those numbers are pretty close. There's nothing distinct there.
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: They are not good numbers. This is not necessarily a positive vote or a Republican vote.
In 2008, people went out and had a positive vote for Obama. They voted against Bush, but they voted for Obama. In this particular case, Republicans are the vehicle to change. People want change. They don't like the Democratic leadership. They are disappointed in the president. They really don't like Nancy Pelosi, as you can tell by the poll. They really don't like Harry Reid, including the people back home.
So Republicans will have an opportunity and they will be judged by how effective they are and how effective they can move any kind of a different agenda. If they become part of the problem and the people don't think that they are doing an effective job, a year from now or two years from now, they will be as much trouble as Democrats are today.
LEMON: And John, has the Tea Party set a precedent here because if the Republicans do take control of both the House and the Senate, and they don't live up to the ideals of maybe what the Tea Party thinks or this electorate that's supposedly angry out there, then they will be tossed out as well.
JOHN AVLON, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, there's no question that the Republican establishment should not take the Tea Party for granted. And the real issue here is fiscal discipline. If Republicans in Congress approach this election as a reminder that they lost their way on fiscal discipline when they had control of Congress under Bush and that that is their clear responsibility -- cut spending, reduce the deficit, reduce the debt, then I think they can keep on to not just the Tea Party folks who are conservative populists, but also many independent voters.
If they forget that lesson or if they block serious attempts to reduce the deficit or debt, then I think they've got some problems. The other thing, did they act like the Trojan horse for social conservatives, because the libertarian rhetoric is what's driving a lot of people in the Tea Party today.
LEMON: Yes. You know, everyone is comparing --
MARTIN: Hey, Don --
LEMON: Go ahead, Roland.
MARTIN: Yes. We also can't overlook some critical issues, and that is we talk about the deficit. But the reality is when you have candidates who are saying they are not going to touch Medicare, not going to touch social security, they won't touch national defense, you don't have really much else to deal with.
Also, immigration reform has to be on the national agenda over the next two years. So the question will be -- if the Republicans take control of the House, will they deal with that particular issue as well. And so it's not just a question of the economy and the deficit. There are some serious issues that leadership has to deal with, and that Democrats or Republicans are going to have to contend with.
LEMON: You're talking about the House and the Senate, but what about the president though? How will the president have to adjust as well?
ROLLINS: A missing element in all of this is the country still likes the president.
AVLON: Yes.
ROLLINS: Many people are disappointed in the president, but they don't think at this point in time he's a leader. In 1982 when Ronald Reagan lost 26 House seats in the mid-term, no one didn't think he was a leader. He had fired the air traffic controllers. He stood up to the Russians. He rebuilt the country, the defenses of the country. He had cut taxes. He was unpopular because the economy was unpopular, but he was able to come back. He never lost his base, and the whole time the people said he's a leader. I may disagree with him on some things and over time they started saying, well, you know, I really do agree with him. Right now this president has not measured up on the leadership portion. MARTIN: And Don, that's one of the reasons why when he allowed the Democrats to take control of the stimulus package, there was a lot of pushback. People said we don't trust Congress. And so many of us thought that he was going to say, you know what, let me control health care, but he didn't. Put it right back in the hands of Congress.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And he didn't -- he didn't control the message. He let other people control the message.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: No, no, no. It's not just the message.
LEMON: He let the Republicans and the tea partiers control the message, especially on health care.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: No, no, but it's -- but Don, it's not just messaging.
AVLON: That's right.
MARTIN: It's also you have to control the policy and the messaging because, again, Congress is trusted less -- based upon the polling numbers than even the president. And so by doing that, got into gridlock, back and forth, Democrats and Republicans, and it looked like he wasn't owning up or controlling the issue.
LEMON: I understand that, Roland. I understand what you're saying, but when it comes to now even so, no Democrat, I don't know one Democrat that's running on health care. And if you ask anyone, Republican or Democrat, there are some very good things in the health care bill. So part of it is about messaging. I know that, John, you want to get in there real quickly. Go ahead.
MARTIN: No, yes.
AVLON: Don, you're making an important point which is that you always are in a better position if you play offense rather than defense in politics.
LEMON: Right.
AVLON: Just like in sports. And the best closing argument should be one that plays offense, owns some of the action of this Congress, rather than just being in a defensive crouch which many Democrats are. This is not -- Roland is right. This is not a messaging problem overall. This has to do I think, number one issue, it has to do with Democrat control of Congress. This is a referendum on unified Democratic control of Washington, and especially in a time of economic anger, when people feel that there's been ideological legislative overreach, this is the backlash.
LEMON: OK, listen, real quickly, because we're running out of time.
(CROSSTALK)
ROLLINS: But what kind of a message is it when you're talking about driving a car in the ditch?
LEMON: OK.
ROLLINS: I mean, this is a president who has a lot that he's accomplished. Some I may disagree with, but he ought to be out talking about those things and the long-term good of the country, as opposed to they drove the car in the ditch. We're not going to give them the keys back. John Boehner is a bad guy. The Republicans are a bad guy. What about his proposals?
LEMON: Yes. It does seem to be playing a little long on the Americans' ears.
OK, let's talk about Rubio, Crist and Meek.
Roland, this is especially to you.
MARTIN: Right.
LEMON: Should Meek drop out of this race? Is he indeed a spoiler?
MARTIN: No. No. First of all, how in the world can the guy who was the first to get in the race, who won the Democratic nomination all of a sudden be the spoiler? The person who is actually the spoiler is the guy, Charlie Crist, who is the governor who -- who knew he couldn't beat Marco Rubio in the primary.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: How can you say he's spoiler, he's leading meek in the polls. How is he the spoiler?
MARTIN: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. First, again, let me be clear. Crist could not beat Rubio in the primary so he said I'm going to cut and run. I'll run in the fall. And so explain to me how can you run for the primary, you win, and all of a sudden he's the spoiler?
LEMON: OK.
MARTIN: I mean, that makes no sense.
LEMON: All right, go ahead, Ed. What do you think?
ROLLINS: This guy could have been re-elected governor. He had no challenger. He decided he wanted to get out of -- governor is a tough job today across this country. He wanted to go to the U.S. Senate. He wants to be president some day. He didn't understand his political base in the state. Rubio who is going to be a great star for the Republican Party long term came in there and beat him at the grass roots among conservatives in that state and he had no place to go.
The idea that Democrats would step aside with a nominee at this point in time and try and make him, I don't think he's trustworthy. And I think at the end of the day, even if he became a Democrat, I don't think he'd get elected in the state.
MARTIN: Yes. He started off as a Reagan Republican in January.
LEMON: And now he's in the Senate.
MARTIN: Now all of a sudden he's saying, I might caucus with the Democrats.
LEMON: OK.
MARTIN: Do you actually think you can trust the word of Charlie Crist? I don't think so.
LEMON: All right, Roland. Hey listen, John, with all due respect, quickly, please, I'll give you the last word.
AVLON: All right. Look, one of the lessons Republicans need to take is an open primaries are more representative. If they had that Crist wouldn't get out, but the idea that Meek should drop out this point may make practical sense for the Democrats, but it ain't going to happen. Looks like Marco Rubio is in the pole position here.
LEMON: John Avlon, Ed Rollins, and also Roland Martin, thank you all. Get some sleep as well. I've been telling all of you, because you're going to have long days and nights ahead of you. We appreciate it.
MARTIN: No sweat.
LEMON: You know, cashing in on trick-or-treaters, who is doing it? We'll look at how retailers did this Halloween season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's check your top stories right now. At least 37 people were killed in Baghdad today when Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic Church where gunmen were holding worshippers hostage. Another 57 were injured. The casualties included at least seven hostages plus Iraqi security forces and kidnappers. Some of the worshippers escaped. Late today, a group called The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.
Listen to that. That's a chaotic scene in the main square of Istanbul, Turkey, today. You're listening to police gunfire in this amateur video shot at the scene. An apparent suicide bomber blew himself up while attempting to get into a police car. Another unexploded bomb was found on his body. 32 people were injured in the blast, including 15 police officers.
Jury selection begins tomorrow in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case. More than eight years ago, the Salt Lake City teen disappeared from her bedroom. About a year later, Smart was found walking down a street in a Salt Lake suburb. The accused mastermind of the kidnapping Brian Mitchell was found incompetent to stand trial by a Utah state judge, but a federal court later overturned that ruling after federal kidnapping charges were filed.
Mixed news for the auto industry. A warning for holiday travelers and scary stuff popping up in the stores. Here's Stephanie Elam with this week's "Getting Down to Business."
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It was stop and go for the auto industry last week. Nissan recalled more than 2 million vehicles with engine problems just days after Honda recalled close to half a million cars with brake issues. But U.S. automakers Ford and GM announced plans to create close 2,000 jobs in Michigan. Look for more on auto and truck sales this week.
And the monthly unemployment report is due out Friday. One group hoping for good news, recent college grads whose unemployment rate jumped to 8.7 percent in 2009, the highest annual rate on record.
And for those holiday travelers out there beware. Flight costs are up about 18 percent from last year according to farecompare.com. Experts say you can expect to add about $5 to the ticket price for each day you wait.
And finally did you notice them this week? Halloween pop-up stores were expected to generate close to $6 billion nationwide on candy, decorations and costumes giving retailers plenty of chances to cash in on thrill-seekers and trick-or-treaters.
That's this week's "Getting Down to Business." Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
LEMON: All right, Steph. Investigators have identified the man suspected of building the bombs that were to be sent from Yemen to the United States. And why has Yemen become such a breeding ground for terrorists? That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Two explosive packages meant for the U.S. may have been made by the same man suspected of making the so-called underwear bomb last Christmas. That is according to U.S. investigators.
I spoke with CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson about the suspect, and about Saturday's arrest in Yemen of an engineering student and her mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The father says they've been freed. We've yet to hear from government officials, but a lawyer representing the young woman, a student in Sana'a, saying that she believes that it was a case of mistaken identity, that the woman's name or telephone number was put down, associated with these packages when they were mailed off. And that she's been somehow unwittingly taken into this.
So it appears at least for now that the Yemeni government is sort of ruling her out of the equation at the moment, Don.
LEMON: All right. What about this new -- what is it, Ansari? What's his name? Asiri?
ROBERTSON: Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri. This is a man who seemed or deemed to be one of the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula top bomb makers at the moment. He's believed to have made the bomb that the underpants bomber used, but perhaps an insight into this man and the way that he thinks.
He's a 28-year-old, he gave an underpants bomb to his brother, a 23- year-old, and sent him off on a suicide mission to attack the deputy interior minister in Saudi Arabia. So this gives you an insight into the man who's believed to be behind these bombs and the connection is the same time of explosives -- Don.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And U.S. authorities believe al Qaeda is behind the plot to send explosive packages from Yemen to the United States. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom explains why Yemen has become a base for the terrorist group.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, let me try to set the scene as to why Yemen has become such fertile ground for al Qaeda. Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. Now the borders to Yemen are quite poor. It's very easy for militants to get in and to get out of the country to smuggle weapons in and out whenever they want.
Add to that all the other problems in Yemen. Let me give you a picture here. Now, in the country's south, you have a separatist movement that's really destabilizing the country. In the country's north, you have a rebellion that's going on. That's something that the Yemeni forces are having to deal with as well. You also have very deep poverty.
Now as far as Al Qaeda there, Yemeni officials put the number of active Al Qaeda members in Yemen at about 400. That doesn't sound like a lot, but the fact is, Yemen has a very weak central government. Now, I spent several weeks there recently and I can tell you that Yemeni officials are expressing grave concern about the problem of Al Qaeda now.
Al Qaeda there in the past several months has been reinvigorated. They've adapted. They've learned from the mistakes of Al Qaeda in Iraq and other places in the Middle East. They've started a new type of insurgency. They're going directly after government targets. And that's really raising concern, not only among the regional neighbors, but among the international community. All the partners of Yemen in their fight against terror are afraid that if Yemen doesn't get this problem under control, that Yemen may become a failed state. And when we spoke to officials there, they said that they need the help of the international community in fighting Al Qaeda. That's a real shift in tone from what they were saying before. Before they had said they would get this under control, they might need some help, but it would be fine, they would eradicate Al Qaeda.
Now they're saying, they really need help otherwise they could become a failed state and if that happens, that doesn't help Yemen, it doesn't help the international community. It's a problem for everybody -- Don.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom reporting from Baghdad tonight.
Mohammed, thank you very much.
Less than 36 hours until voting begins. Do you know unless there's a huge upset, there won't be an African-American senator in the next Congress? Up next, we'll take a closer look at that with our all-star political panel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The mid-term elections begin in less than 36 hours. And if the polls are right, then next year there will be no African- Americans among the 100 U.S. senators in Washington. This brings us to Florida, where late last week there was a major political firestorm after it was reported that former President Bill Clinton asked one of the three black Senate candidates in Tuesday's election, Democrat Kendrick Meek, to step out of that race. Both camps are now backing away from that story, and to prove their point, tomorrow Mr. Clinton will campaign with Meek. It's this week's "What Matters."
And we asked the big question, does the U.S. Senate need a black member? Our panel includes the Reverend Al Sharpton, Robert Traynham, a former Republican Senate staffer and John Avlon, a CNN contributor. I asked Avlon what it says when a former president is reportedly asking a black candidate to drop out of the Senate race.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN AVLON, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL ANALYST: Kendrick Meek is trailing badly in this three-way race. And if the goal of the Democrats who are trying to hold on to every seat they can is to stop the Republicans keeping that seat, they felt logically that Charlie Crist, who is in second place as an independent would be better against Marco Rubio, the Republican, if Kendrick Meek wasn't taking 20 percent of the vote. I don't believe it has anything to do with race. I think it's just practical hardball politics.
LEMON: I want to ask the Reverend Al Sharpton. Reverend, when I spoke about this on the radio this week with Warren Ballentine, the same issue came up. How can the former president ask a black candidate to get out? And what I said to Warren, Reverend, was that, I didn't think it was about race, I thought it was about the race, and it was just that Meek might be considered a spoiler. If Meek was white, they would might have asked him to do the same thing. Do you agree or disagree?
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Well, I think that in -- in the ask by Mr. Clinton -- I don't think it had anything to do with race. Clearly, I think you're right there, but the implications does have to do with race since Meek is the only one that is running around the country that had a shot at being the only black in the Senate. So we can't dismiss from the fact a lot of emotions and feelings. And I've been all through Florida on "Get Out the Vote" campaign with -- I'm hearing a lot of people on the ground saying, that we will not have a black in the Senate. So I don't think that was Bill Clinton's intent. I do think though that the -- the results will end up in that if in fact the polls are right.
It's hard though to make the black argument when in fact Kendrick Meek himself campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton against Barack Obama, that he can't turn around now and use that card when in fact he himself didn't adhere to that in 2004.
LEMON: You said he was the only one to have a shot. He doesn't really have a shot. I mean, this is all but over for Kendrick Meek.
SHARPTON: Well, if the polls are right, yes. If the polls are wrong, you could say why doesn't Crist drop out? Suppose we find that Kendrick Meek has as much shot as Charlie Crist does. So I think that it goes by, do you believe the polls?
LEMON: Yes.
SHARPTON: And whether or not a lot of it is fulfilling what the polls as projected. Crist is the one that was not a Democrat.
LEMON: Yes.
SHARPTON: And it would seem the Democratic leadership would consider that.
LEMON: Well, just so you know, Rubio is leading with 46 percent, Charlie Crist is trailing him 32 percent and then 20 percent is for Kendrick Meek. I mean, it would be hard to catch up with those numbers, but we'll see.
I want to send this now to Traynham. Robert Traynham.
Here, listen, this is what Michael Steele, the head of the RNC said. He said "President Clinton's action to have Kendrick Meek withdraw from the campaign sends a chilling signal to all voters, but especially African-Americans. One can only imagine the response if Republican leadership tried to force out of the race in the 11th hour a qualified black candidate like Kendrick Meek." What do you say to that, Mr. Traynham?
ROBERT TRAYNHAM, FMR. TOP AIDE TO SEN. RICK SANTORUM: Well, he's got a point there, but look, here's the unfortunate truth as your other panelist said a few moments ago. The unfortunate truth is that the numbers don't lie. If in fact Kendrick Meek would have dropped out of the race, let's say a week ago, Charlie Crist, for the most part, would be within striking distance of Marco Rubio. So it's about raw politics and about who is the best candidate to represent that state in the United States Senate.
And this is no different from in Pennsylvania when the Democrats tried to get Joe Sestak not to run against Arlen Specter in the primary. This is no different in Delaware, where Republicans tried to get Christine O'Donnell not to run against Mike Castle. It's about the best candidate frying to win that state and in that race, and quite frankly, race has nothing to do with it because if you take a look at the numbers and if you take a look at the record, Bill Clinton has been a very strong supporter of Kendrick Meek all the way back since 1997, when Kendrick Meet was a state trooper and also a state senator.
So again, this is really about the numbers. Race really has nothing to do about it, but symbolically, I will have to admit that for the first time in a very long time, there will not be an African-American in the Senate, and that's unfortunate.
LEMON: Let's talk about this with Roland Burris not running to keep his seat and other black candidates, big underdogs. It's very possible that there will be no black senators after the mid-term elections.
So do you find that alarming? Even as a conservative, I would imagine that you find that alarming, Mr. Traynham.
TRAYNHAM: Well, symbolically yes, that this is a big loss. I mean, prior to obviously Roland Burris, there was Carol Moseley Braun and obviously Barack Obama and Edward Brooke, a Republican from Massachusetts.
So as an African-American, yes, I would love for people that look like me and you and everyone else on this panel, except for John, to represent the United States Senate. But the unfortunate truth is that there are other folks out there that have our best interests, meaning African-Americans at heart. Just because you're not black, doesn't mean you're not in for black people.
And so, yes, again, symbolically, it's a step back, but I think this is a step forward for the country, because hopefully the best person will win the race. And remember, there will be a Republican black person representing in the Congress, and that's Tim Scott from South Carolina.
LEMON: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our thanks to our panel there.
The election, you know, isn't the only thing on the radar here at CNN. We'll tell you what's happening on Wall Street and in Hollywood coming up in our "Week Ahead" segment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's check your top stories right now. U.S. authorities have identified the man they think built the two failed package bombs from Yemen. He is a 28-year-old. His name is Ibrahim Hassan Al Asiri. A Saudi believed to be living in Yemen. He is also suspected of making the so-called "underwear bomb" found last Christmas on a flight to the U.S.
And Yemen authorities have freed an engineering student and her mother one day after their high-profile arrest in connection with that plot.
Ted Sorensen, a close adviser to President John F. Kennedy, is dead. As JFK's speech writer, Sorensen was instrumental in fashioning some of the most memorable speeches in American political history. He wrote four books on the Kennedy years following the assassination of the young president. Sorensen died in New York of complications from a stroke suffered last week. He was 82 years old.
President Barack Obama and the first lady welcomed children from around Washington and military families for a Halloween celebration at the White House tonight. The kids were invited to trick-or-treat their way across the north lawn. Treats include cookies, fruit and White House boxes of M&MS. Military families were invited to continue the celebration inside the executive mansion.
You know, the economy still weighs heavily on voters' minds as they prepare to vote on Tuesday, so CNN will be watching closely for new economic numbers this week, but we begin our look at the week ahead with the terror investigation.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeanne Meserve in Washington. On the national security front, terror will be the focus of attention. The investigation into the explosive devices found in Dubai and Britain will be full throttle. Authorities will also be following up on the arrest of a Virginia man on charges of plotting to blow up parts of Washington's metro rail system and on the mysterious case of shots fired at military locations in the D.C. area.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. A packed week ahead for Wall Street. On Monday, we'll get a key manufacturing report as well as the latest construction spending numbers. And then on Tuesday, of course, it is Election Day, but BP, that oil giant will also report their earnings.
And following the critical mid-term election, the fed on Wednesday will announce their latest moves to spur the economy. A lot of anticipation ahead of that announcement.
Also ahead this week, the latest private sector jobs report as well as U.S. auto sales and also retail sales. And then on Friday, that all- important monthly jobs report. We'll get that Friday before the market opens. We'll track it all for you on CNN Money.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S" Brooke Anderson. Here's what we're watching this week. Portia Derossi's big tell-all to Oprah. And Ricky Martin sits down with the ladies of "The View" for the very first time. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN and still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m.
LEMON: All right.
And CNN's International Desk editor Azadeh Ansari is here to tell us what's happening internationally. And first up we go to Iran.
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK: Iran, right. So the two U.S. hikers that have been in prison for 15 months are going to stay on trial on Saturday for the first time. We're talking about Shaun Bauer and Joshua Fattal. So we're going to wait for the verdict on that. The hikers say they are tourists. Iran says that they were spies, so, you know --
LEMON: International intrigue as I say, and Americans are very concerned about that and, obviously, of course, the families as well.
Let's go to Barcelona, shall we? And we have some pictures that you took yourself that tell us about the Pope.
ANSARI: Sure. I was there over the summer, and Pope Benedict XVI will be at "La Sagrada Familia" --
LEMON: I've been there.
ANSARI: There we go.
LEMON: It's a completely unending work. It's always under renovation.
ANSARI: Actually, the renowned architect, Antonio Gaudi, started this in 1882, Don. Imagine having working on a project for over 100 years. Look at this. It's amazing. You can see the scaffolding there, and the funding that comes for this church actually comes from private donors. The government doesn't pay for it. Other churches don't pay for it. So Pope Benedict will consecrate "La Sagrada Familia" on Sunday.
LEMON: Yes, it's really beautiful. Obviously, if you ever go to Spain and you're in Barcelona, you have to see it. It's one of an amazing piece of art. Again, still not finished. They have a completion date, but they don't know if they are going to get it. OK, I think, they keep moving it back.
And then India, The Festival of Lights.
ANSARI: Diwali. That's called. Indeed. So this is a festival, it's one of the most popular festivals in India. And Indians from all over come out, and they celebrate the renewal of life. And they have lights and candles and lamps set up, and it's to honor the goddesses. So it's really a celebration that brings together all the different factions and groups together across India. So it's a beautiful festival that takes place.
LEMON: And we'll be paying attention to that. And on a lighter note here, you're celebrating Halloween with the orange.
ANSARI: I am.
LEMON: First time you've worn the lovely orange dress. I heard you're talking about it in the makeup.
ANSARI: Do you have candy for me?
LEMON: I do. I'll give you some. I have some Certs in my bag.
Not that you need them, but that's the only candy I have.
Thank you, Azadeh. Have a great week.
ANSARI: You, too.
LEMON: Ohio is one of the battleground states in this election. I was there this week talking to voters about what's important to them. Hear what they had to say -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Last week, I traveled to the Upper Midwest to hear what Americans had to say about the mid-term elections. Voters in four states spoke with me at diners, at factories, at other points along the way, all over from Chicago to Cleveland. I got an earful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the fear factor is losing control, losing control of the party that they're with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, they got Democrats and Republicans, and it's like America going against Russia, you know, the Democrats and the Republicans. You're supposed to be an American. You're supposed to be freedom. Seems like they all should be fighting for America, for one cause.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's just stop it and listen to each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They aren't giving the president enough time to implement his plans.
LEMON: Linda, you work at the polls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, every year.
LEMON: And what do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be so glad when it's over with. I cannot stand any more of those negative ads on TV. They're terrible. (MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the economy's on everybody's mind. And I think we're doing better than we were, obviously, two years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that the right is going to have to move a little to the left and the left is going to have to move a little bit to the right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are clearly angry. And in politics, when you're angry, you take it out on the incumbents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think a lot of people are so disappointed that I don't know how many will want to go out and vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking for people that are going to help institute change and do the right thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go to school. I want to focus on school. I feel like politics is going to take my mind off the books.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Politicians are out of touch with what the people in this state need, and not just this state, but throughout the country.
LEMON: What's going to influence your vote, Melissa?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Education.
LEMON: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have three kids.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just worried we're not getting enough jobs, a lot of outsourcing. I'm still concerned about the outsourcing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I retired this year.
LEMON: How old are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 88.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was laid off for about six months. But I'm more worried about government control.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I came through Hoover and Roosevelt and all through it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Multinational corporations are my biggest beef in that the tax structure that they were allowed to work under.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Listen to us when we're talking. We want our police, all of them. We want our firefighters. We want all that. We need our security. If we don't have that, we don't have nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was worse in my day and age. LEMON: Why is this important?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we need to make a change. We're at a low. We need to turn around and at least start rebuilding and rebuilding the entire nation.
LEMON: Or else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there is an or else. I think we really need to do it. I don't even want to think of alternatives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Did I go to all those places? I guess I did. So if I look tired, that's why. A lot of cities in one week.
I want to say my personal thanks to the businesses that allowed us on to their properties, and to the many concerned Americans who spoke with us from the heart last week. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We really appreciate it.
George Bush is embracing the iPad, and you won't guess what his favorite app is, but we're going to tell you. That's ahead in "News You Missed."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: On Sunday, we always want to catch you up on some of the news you might have missed throughout the week. It's called "News You Missed." You know, he wasn't known for his technological savvy while he was in the White House, but former President George Bush seems to be adapting in private life. Laura Bush says it's now hard to get the president away from his iPad. His favorite app, scrabble.
As Mrs. Bush put it, George, now seems to be playing constantly like I'm trying to get his attention. I'm still here. She's still there, George, former president.
You know, it took 100 years, but Mark Twain's autobiography has become a best-seller. Twain completed the 500,000 word manuscript shortly before his death in 1910, but told publishers they had to wait 100 years after his death to put it in print. The first three volumes is already on best-sellers list, even though -- even though the official release date is November 15th. Why the 100-year delay in publication? Well, the curator of the Mark Twain papers says the man who wrote about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn really liked to say nasty things, but didn't want to be around when the person heard them and was hurt by them. There you go.
And a judge in suburban Indianapolis has been caught in what some say is a double standard. He threw the book at Charity -- at Charity Brian, that's her name -- a paraplegic who got a parking ticket because her handicapped placard wasn't hanging in the windshield of her car. Then just moments after her trial, a camera crew for CNN affiliate WISH caught the judge climbing into his car parked in a handicapped spot, also with no placard, without a placard. Here's what the 87-year-old judge Charles Hunter said about being caught in the apparent double standard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE CHARLES HUNTER, BEACH GROVE CITY COURT: I didn't get a ticket, did I?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it's just their bad luck for having gotten a ticket, right?
HUNTER: I guess so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, there you go, double standard. Practice what you preach.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Before we leave you tonight, and we get to that documentary called "Boiling Point: Inside the Tea Party," we want to show you some scenes from the White House. Spooky kids getting candy and treats from the president and first lady.
Happy Halloween, everyone. Good night.
