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Race to the White House; MLK Memorial Dedicated

Aired October 16, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Next hour is all about the race to the White House. We're diving in on the issues and hearing the candidates in their own words to help you decide who should be the next president.

But, first, some of today's top stories. In Washington, a day of tribute to the nation's most famous civil rights leader. President Obama joined dignitaries from across the country at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let us not be trapped by what is, we can't be discouraged by what is, we have got to keep pushing for what ought to be, the America we ought to leave to our children, mindful that the hardships we face are nothing compared to those Dr. King and his fellow marchers faced 50 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The ceremony was supposed to take place in August, but was postponed because of Hurricane Irene.

The U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq will be complete by December 31st, a slight change from the original plan to keep one army brigade there into next year. The Pentagon said this weekend it could not get assurance from the Iraqis that remaining troops would be immune from prosecution.

And security forces in Yemen opened fire on protesters today. Anti- government demonstrators scattered when shots rang out in Yemen's capital. They were gathering to march against the embattled president to urge him again to step down. Witnesses tell CNN four people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

New developments this afternoon in the frantic search for a missing baby girl in Kansas City. The governor of Missouri has ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to help police look for Elisa Irwin. Twenty five soldiers will spend one day helping to look for the 11-month-old. She has been missing for almost two weeks now.

All right. This hour we're focusing on the race for the White House. The Republican hopefuls as well as incumbent President Obama will look at the polls. Who is in front right now? Which candidates are raising the most cash and which ones are spending more than they are taking in? Plus, we'll preview Tuesday's Republican debate in Las Vegas, who will be there, who won't, and what is so important about Nevada?

So first, he is one of the eight Republican contenders. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich may be one of most recognizable candidates, but based on recent polls standings and fund-raising he is an underdog. Gingrich tells Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" how he's sizing up the front-runners. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Herman figures out how to do it all right and he can explain the nine percent sales tax, so people decide they want it, he has a good chance to be the nominee. If, however, in New Hampshire, for example, where they have no sales tax at all, and no mechanism for collecting it, or in Iowa where senior citizens are going to say, "Wait a second," as my 79-year-old mother-in-law said, on her security, her fixed income, she's now going to pay nine percent more? Herman has - as people look at 999, it is aggregated, it gets to be a harder sale.

Perry was the natural alternative to Romney. If Perry had had a flawless campaign, he would be the nominee. He stumbled enough in the debates that there was a vacuum created. Herman -

CANDY CROWLEY, "STATE OF THE UNION" HOST: Is he done? Is Perry done?

GINGRICH: Nobody is done in this. At this stage, last time, McCain was in third place. At this stage in 1991, Bill Clinton was an asterisk. I think he had like two percent. This is a wide open process.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Today Herman Cain responds to some of those criticisms about his 999 tax plan. He insists that the middle class won't bear the brunt, but he does admit some people's taxes will go up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some people will pay more. But most people will pay less is my argument.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who will pay more?

CAIN: Who will pay more? The people who spend more money on new goods. The sales tax only applies to people who buy new goods, not used goods. That's a big difference that doesn't come out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the 30 million Americans who don't pay income tax, including 16 million elderly Americans, you can see they would in fact pay more.

CAIN: Not the elderly. That's two different groups. Let's talk about the elderly. You don't pay taxes on your social security income. It replaces the capital gains tax.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The elderly make money off of their investments, they won't pay that. The nine percent rate, when combined with state and local levees would mean a tax on goods of 17 percent or more in many places, the cries for exemptions would be great.

CAIN: Don't combine it with state taxes. This doesn't address state taxes. If you add them together, yes, you get that number. This is a replacement structure. These are replacement taxes. They're not on top of anything. We replace capital gains tax. We replace the payroll tax. We replace corporate income tax, replace personal income tax and replace the death tax.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It is not just the Republicans trying to get a word in this Sunday. President Obama's senior strategist David Axelrod is accusing Republican Mitt Romney of flip-flopping. He says the former Massachusetts governor has a history of changing his position while running for office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR OBAMA STRATEGIST: Now Herman Cain is leading the primary. The last poll Rick Perry was leading it. Earlier Michele Bachmann was doing very well. But Romney stays the same. Why. There is a question of what his core principles are. He's been running for office for almost 20 years, for senator and governor of Massachusetts and he was a pro choice, pro gay rights, pro environmental candidate for office. Then he decided to run for president, did a 180 on all of that.

So time and time and time again, he shifts. You get the feeling that there is no principle too large for him to throw over in pursuit of political office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So on this morning's talk shows, the president's senior strategist there along with candidates Gingrich and Cain all having their say. So what is behind those messages? I'm joined right now by two CNN contributors Will Cain in New York, Hilary Rosen in Washington. Good to see both of you.

All right. Ladies first. Hilary, so Gingrich, talking more about the other candidates than himself. What is the strategy here?

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all, it is so much more fun if you're Newt Gingrich to talk about other people because when you talk about yourself, all you do is get in trouble as he has often. You know, Gingrich has got to get in the game and the best way to get in the game is to make news by talking, you know, trash about some other candidates. And I'm not saying I disagree with him, but his criticism of those candidates, just unusual for a Republican primary candidate to be so voluble about his competitors with such political analysis. I think, you know, he's reaching for straws and looking pretty desperate.

WHITFIELD: So Will, it would seem that would back fire. This is a candidate that could use some support, he could use some money, he's down pretty low in the fund-raising efforts. So why turn the attention away from himself and instead of taking the time on morning talk shows to extrapolate on what he's bringing to the table than criticizing the others? That's not going to get him any more support, is it?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Because he was answering the question he was asked, Fredricka. If there is one very appealing thing about Newt Gingrich, he answers the question he was asked. You can see it in the debate.

WHITFIELD: But doesn't a candidate try to kind of take the control there and say "OK, I'm not going to talk about that you're asking, I'm going to talk about what I want to talk about."

CAIN: They run their talking points no matter what is asked. You ask them what color the sky is, and they got something to tell you about their new income tax plan.

WHITFIELD: Right.

CAIN: I'm telling you Newt Gingrich doesn't do that. He's confident enough and intelligent enough, he figures if you ask me a question, I'll answer it directly. You know what? It is kind of appealing. In the long run, Newt Gingrich is not going to be the nominee, but this is one of the most appealing characteristics he has. You'll see in the debate, you'll see in interviews, he answers the question that he's asked.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll talk about - yes, go ahead.

ROSEN: Well, he said one thing that I do agree with, which is, you know, this is kind of wide open still. People are trying to anoint Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is trying to anoint Mitt Romney as being far and away, you know, having the nomination. But the polls and the volatility we're seeing and the disruption now this is still wide open.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, talk about trying to anoint Mitt Romney, it almost sounds like David Axelrod was doing that. Is this kind of I guess an indicator, the White House wants Mitt Romney to be the Republican candidate by talking about him in this manner and seeing that it is Mitt Romney who is making the most money, at least among the Republican candidates, Will.

CAIN: I don't think it means they want Mitt Romney to be the candidate. I think that means they figure it will be and they're starting to fight now. What I would say, though, and I mean this in all sincerity from a strategy perspective is Guantanamo Bay remains open. Military renditions have been embraced. Military tribunals brought back in. So when you charge somebody as a flip-flopper, you out to remember the maxim that those that live in glass houses should not throw rocks. This could come back to bite them. WHITFIELD: OK. You know what, Will, you talked about Newt Gingrich being very appealing, his kind of direct tell it like it is approach. The same is being said of Herman Cain, Hillary, people are starting to pay attention to him in a way that they hadn't before because of his simplistic message, his kind of tell it like it is. But as a whole, as he's touting his 999 plan, is this something that Americans in general really understand and if so, is that in large part why he has become so appealing, whether the straw polls or national polls that show he is a - is one to beat?

ROSEN: He's clearly the freshest candidate, but I just want to address something quickly that Will said, which was, you know, who the president wants to - I think this president is prepared to run against any one of these nominees. The interesting thing about Herman Cain for the republicans and I know he'll start ranting about his taxes is that he really feels like the only one who is out there even trying to come up with some new idea, trying to, you know, energize some folks who haven't been energized before in the Republican Party. And I think that's why he's getting support. Because there is such widespread dissatisfaction with the rest of their kind of retried candidate and Herman Cain feels new.

WHITFIELD: All right. In less than 10 seconds, Will, respond to that.

CAIN: Yes, I just want to say I agree 100 percent. I don't know about ranting about my taxes. I would love to do that at any point. But we often talk up Herman Cain's appeal to his charm. Well, one of the things about Herman Cain that is very appealing is substantively he's very bold. Regardless of your political affiliation, most people agree the tax code is a mess, it is a monstrosity. He's got a program here that doesn't tinker around the edges. I have substantive problems with 999. But one thing I cannot say about it is that is not bold. It is a bold plan and people are going to respond that to that.

WHITFIELD: OK. We're going to talk to you again. Will and Hilary, thank you so much. Later on in the hour. Appreciate that.

In the meantime, two days before the CNN western Republican debate in Las Vegas, one GOP candidate is swearing off the entire state of Nevada. Not stepping a foot inside at all straight ahead. We'll tell you who that is and why he's staying away.

And it wouldn't be the campaign season without the late night comics having a little fun at the candidates' expense. Here is Jimmy Fallon channeling a certain former Massachusetts governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. I'm Mitt Romney. No, I'm not. And I'm ready to fight for America. No. I have a job plan to help deal with our nation's soaring unemployment and this plan will bring jobs back to our country. That jobs plan won't work.

I'm a patriot. And I love the red, white and blue. I also love the colors orange and purple. Of course, magenta is the best. Send me to Washington so we can finally put regular hard working people above these greedy corporations. Corporations are people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Back to our hour long focus on the race to the White House. We have a full range of coverage for you, the candidates, the issues, analysis. Tuesday is debate night in Nevada and CNN hosts an evening of Q&A with Republican candidates for president. But one of the eight hopefuls says he's not going to be there.

Jon Huntsman is saying no to Nevada completely taking the state off his campaign calendar. The former Utah governor is not happy with the state's decision to move its GOP caucus ahead of New Hampshire's primary. As for Tuesday, Huntsman says he has made other plans in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I say if you're going to boycott Nevada, you boycott the debate, straight up, fully loaded and so Tuesday night we're going to be here as we will be on Monday, campaigning and doing town hall meetings and sharing our vision with the people of New Hampshire and answering questions that people in New Hampshire have about where this country needs to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's go straight to New Hampshire right now, live with CNN political producer Rachel Streitfeld.

So Rachel, talking about the first primary potentially now happening in December. Is that in large part why Huntsman says he's going to focus on the place where that's going to happen first, New Hampshire?

RACHEL STREITFELD, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, he's focusing on the state for a couple of reasons. One, it is more socially moderate than some of the other early nominating contests that he could be competing in. So, also, independent voters here in this state can vote in the Republican primary. Huntsman is hoping to scoop up some of those independent voters with his more moderate message on social - some of his social issues.

WHITFIELD: OK. So -

STREITFELD: It is a small state.

WHITFIELD: I can - go ahead. Well, I was going to say -

STREITFELD: I was going to say a small state -

WHITFIELD: Sorry about that, this delay. It is a small state.

STREITFELD: No, no, I'm sorry. He's trying to meet every voter here.

WHITFIELD: Tell me how he's doing that. STREITFELD: He is - his campaign tells me he hosted over 80 appearances. He's trying to meet every single voter in the state, I can vouch for you. I've seen him shake hands with a lot of them. That may be of more viable alternative for him than running a lot of television advertising. As we know in (INAUDIBLE) that came out this weekend. Huntsman does not have a lot of money in the bank to run these advertisements. So we are expecting a lot of (INAUDIBLE) a lot of events as this come forward, as the campaign unrolled.

I can tell you when he's at these events, he gets a good crowd. There are a lot of people that have yet to make up their mind in this competition and they're open to hearing from him, they want to hear what he has to say. We do hear from some moderate voters, many people he's hoping to appeal to in the state. I will say however we don't see the impassioned constituency that you might see maybe at a Ron Paul event. Right now the voters are just curious. They haven't made up their mind and they want to hear what everybody has to say.

WHITFIELD: And so Rachel, you mentioned he doesn't have a whole lot of money, he's not getting a whole lot of money lately. So is that in large part too why he's staying in New Hampshire, that he just doesn't have the travel finances that he wants to see how well he does in say the first, you know, primary before he ventures out anywhere else?

STREITFELD: Well, we - he's spent some time in Florida, South Carolina. I think it is that he sees the path to success here in New Hampshire. We have seen some quirky candidates, even some underdogs get nominated here in New Hampshire in the past. And you know, it is a state you can get your arms around.

WHITFIELD: He sure is trying to do that.

STREITFELD: Literally.

WHITFIELD: All right. What are some of the things that people are saying to him? What do they want to hear from him, what are they asking him?

STREITFELD: It is a lot of the same questions. He gets a lot of questions on the economy, some questions on energy, some questions on immigration. It is a lot of the same things. I'll tell you a funny question that he got last week, somebody asked him who he would nominate to be in this cabinet. They wanted a list of names. What Huntsman said is, "You know what? I'm not going to nominate anybody who says yes the first time I ask." He doesn't want somebody who is a government insider. So that may tell you something about his campaign.

WHITFIELD: OK. Interesting stuff. Thanks so much, Rachel, for bringing us a slice of life there in New Hampshire.

All right. The CNN western Republican presidential debate is just two days away from now. With us right now from Las Vegas, CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser and senior political director Mark Preston. OK. So Gentlemen, outside the Venetian there, inside the debate will be taking place in two days, is this really dangerous that Jon Huntsman would say, "You know what, I'm boycotting not just this debate, I'm boycotting the entire state of Nevada" and all in large part, I should say, because of the whole primary calendar, caucus calendar being affected.

Mark, you first.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, look, sure, you know, Fred, I mean, look, Jon Huntsman is making a political move right now. The fact of the matter is he didn't have a ground operation out here in Nevada. What's interesting is that he's the former Utah governor, it's a neighboring state. All of his political fortune is now being staked on New Hampshire. We saw that his campaign - national headquarters, based in Orlando, packed up, they shuttered and moved everything up to New Hampshire. If Jon Huntsman has any chance of winning the Republican presidential nomination, he has to win New Hampshire.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Pretty much. That's so true, so true. Fred, it is not just Huntsman. Remember there are five Republican presidential candidates who say that they will skip the caucuses here in Nevada if the day is not moved to accommodate New Hampshire. But none of those five have really any gain in this city. The three that will partake are Romney, Perry and Cain, the three that have the good chance of winning here especially Romney right now.

PRESTON: Sure. No doubt that. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. So two days away, some of the candidates might be putting kind of their, I guess finishing touches on what their presentations will be, what their mind set will be, you know, as they get ready and get as coached as they possibly can. What might be the focus of this debate? We know the economy was hit very hard there in Nevada with real estate, foreclosures, et cetera. But what is it that you think the candidates really want to press on.

PRESTON: I mean, look, it is the economy. Bottom line is, Fred, we're in a state now that has a very high unemployment rate. It also has a high foreclosure rate. I mean, if you go outside of the Las Vegas strip where we are right now, look at some of the homes, there are so many homes that are in foreclosure. If you just go a mile down the road, there is a major casino that's been shut down. If you look off in the distance, you can see major construction projects that have been essentially stopped.

The economy is hitting Nevada very, very hard as it is across the country. So that's going to be the number one issue as it has been through the whole campaign, right, Paul?

STEINHAUSER: No doubt about it. We saw that last week, Fred, that debate in New Hampshire. One other thing that's probably going to come up here that didn't come up in New Hampshire is immigration. That was an economy only debate. Immigration, such an important issue across the country but especially out here in the west. It has been an issue that has been very tough on Rick Perry, the Texas governor. WHITFIELD: All right. Paul, Mark, thanks so much. We'll see you later on in the hour. We're going to talk about campaign funds and the all important need of raising as much as you can if you're a Republican candidate trying to go up against, right now, we understand, Barack Obama is closing in on that $1 billion mark that he's had his sights set on. All right.

We'll see you again in a moment. Be sure to tune in for the CNN western Republican presidential debate. It's coming up Tuesday night at 8:00 Eastern time from Las Vegas. CNN's Anderson Cooper will be the moderator.

Ahead of the Nevada showdown, Rick Perry says he hopes he's made some progress in his debating skills, but whether he has or not, Americans are not looking for the best debater.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The 2012 election less than a year away. The candidates are on the stump and we're on the trail with them. Welcome back to our hour long coverage of the race to the White House. All bets are off when the GOP presidential candidates gather in Las Vegas for CNN's western Republican presidential debate. You can watch the debate live right here on CNN Tuesday night. In the past debates, Rick Perry's performance has been criticized, but he told CNN's Ali Velshi he isn't overly concerned about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope I made progress every day in my life as well as my debate performances. But again Americans aren't looking for the best debater. We got a slick talker in the presidency right now that lost 2.5 million jobs. At the same time, we created a million jobs in the state of Texas. They're looking for someone whose got that chief executive governing experience that truly knows how to get America back working.

In 100 days we'll lay out a plan that opens up the federal lands for exploration that pulls back these regulations that are killing jobs at this administration has put forward and rebuild the EPA where it is not a job killing agency. That's what Americans are interested in and I'm the president that is going to implement it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Rick Perry's wife was outspoken this week. She says she sympathizes with the plight of unemployed Americans. Anita Perry says the message hits close to home because her son was forced to resign from his bank job to take a bigger role in his father's campaign. She blames the Obama administration for the federal red tape which limits the political activity of investment advisers and she's also taking issue with fellow Republicans who criticized her husband's strong Christian views.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANITA PERRY, WIFE OF GOV. RICK PERRY: It has been a rough month. We have been brutalized and eaten up and chewed up in the press to where - we're being brutalized by our opponents, in our own party, so much that is I think they look at him because of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Up next, the economy, jobs, most of the candidates have a plan they say to put Americans back to work. We'll hear from some of them next.

But first, Rick Perry's drop in the polls is providing a lot of fresh material for the late night comics. Listen to Jimmy Fallon's take on the governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the front-runner, I have one great question for the country. How did I screw this up? No, seriously, you all used to love me and now I'm pulling behind Mitt and the pizza guy. What happened?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back to this hour dedicated to the "Race to the White House." We're talking next about the Republican candidates' economic positions. We'll take a peek at their fundraising efforts, who's got fat coffers and who's struggling.

And though sometimes ruthless television comedians getting plenty of political laughs, SNL's treatment of the GOP debate is coming up.

But first, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney now leads CNN's Poll of Polls with 23 percent support - supporting, getting 23 percent of the support among Republican voters. Romney took part in an economy focused debate a few days ago and explained again why he thinks stimulus spending is a bad idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The right course for America is not to keep spending money on stimulus bills, but instead to make permanent changes to the tax code. Look, when you give - as the president's bill does, if you give temporary change to the payroll tax and you say we're going to extend this for a year or two, employers don't hire people for a year or two.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry is zeroing in on domestic oil and gas development as a way to put Americans back to work. The Texas governor detailed his plans during his first policy speech this week in Pennsylvania.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're standing on top of the next American economic boon and it's the energy underneath this country. And the quickest way to give our economy a shot in the arm is to deploy the American ingenuity to tap American energy.

But we can only do - we can only do that if environmental bureaucrats are told to stand down. And my plan will break the - the grip of the dependence that we have today on foreign oil from hostile countries like Venezuela, those unstable Middle Eastern countries.

America's the Saudi Arabia of coal. We've got 25 percent of the world's supply. Our country contains up to 1-point - or excuse me - 134 billion barrels of oil, nearly 1.2 quadrillion cubic feet of natural gas. We have the resources that we need to fuel our cars, our homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Herman Cain says his 9-9-9 tax plan can repair the economy. It would replace the current code with a nine percent national sales tax, a nine percent personal income tax and a nine percent corporate tax. Cain insists the proposal would create new jobs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This economy is on life support. We took five revenue sources that are currently being collected through taxes that cost us $430 billion a year collectively for filing their compliance. So we looked at corporate income taxes, personal income taxes, capital gains taxes, payroll taxes, and the death tax.

Then we said we want a structure where we can expand the base. But the only way to expand the base was to bring in retail sales. And what is the lowest rate that would be simple, fair, efficient, transparent and revenue neutral? This is how we came up with the nine percent rate on corporate tax, a flat rate, personal income tax, a flat rate and a nine percent retail sales tax. So we derived this by using existing revenue numbers.

So it is not a gimmick and we've also had it scored and it will boost this economy and create six million new jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Republican Michele Bachmann tells CNN's Erin Burnett any tax hike would have a disastrous effect on the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It seems to many people that that would be reasonable to raise taxes, but it absolutely would be the most foolish thing that we could do and Barack Obama agreed with that several years ago when he said the worst thing that we could do is increase taxes in the midst of a recession.

I talked to people all across the United States, Erin, they tell me they feel like we're still in a recession no matter what the economists say. I'm a former federal tax litigation attorney. I am a small businesswoman. I run a business at a profit and I'm proud of it.

One thing I understand from my business background is that raising taxes wouldn't create jobs. That's the number one thing we need right now is a positive business climate. That's why raising taxes would hurt the economy. It would hurt job creation and the government needs to pull its belt in line and, trust me, as a member of Congress, five years fighting on the front lines, there is so much waste in this town. There is so much waste of people's tax money. We have got to cut back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: "Occupy Wall Street," it is now jumped the oceans, but are the candidates going to tap into that anger? Much more on that in a minute.

And late night comedian Jimmy Fallon, here we go again, brought (ph) out the pearls and the earrings for his impression of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: Hi. I'm Michele Bachmann and I want to be your president.

As a member of the Congressional Intelligence Committee, I know a lot of scary stuff most Americans don't know. I know for a fact that China's using lasers to blind our satellites, not the North Pole.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You're watching a special hour dedicated entirely to the "Race for the White House."

And now we turn to the man who already sits in the Oval Office. President Barack Obama was the keynote speaker at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial today. And during his speech, he talked about how Dr. King would have felt about the political tone of today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If he were alive today, I believe he would remind us that the unemployed worker can rightly challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing all who work there. A businessman can enter tough negotiations with his company's union without vilifying the right to collectively bargain.

He would want us to know we can argue fiercely about the proper size and role of government without questioning each other's love for this country with the knowledge that in this democracy government is no distant object, but is rather an expression of our common commitments to one another. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The president, of course, was talking about the "Occupy Wall Street" protest. They're spreading all over the world and there's no way politicians can ignore them or can they?

Will Cain and Hilary Rosen are back with us. All right. Good to see both of you again.

So, Hilary -

ROSEN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So Herman Cain has acknowledged it, has not been completely complementary. Mitt Romney has acknowledged it. He said he understands why middle-income Americans are feeling the pain and that's what the "Occupy Wall Street" represents.

How does a Mitt Romney or even a Cain kind of capitalize on what is taking place in these protests that are now spreading globally?

ROSEN: Yes. I'm not sure you can capitalize on it. I was at the speech this morning and at the dedication and was unbelievably moving and the president was fantastic. And he really, I think, got it right, which is there is so much work to do and unless we are on the same side, we are going to fail.

And what the Republicans have been doing with "Occupy Wall Street" and, by the way, there are protests not just in Wall Street but in every major city across this country, there are people hurting. And what the president is saying is we are going to recognize that 99 percent of this country has not done very well and one percent has, you know, increased their income 400 percent over the last five years.

That's what this is about. The Republicans ridicule this in my view at their peril.

WHITFIELD: So, Will, he's not running for office, but Eric Cantor called what was taking place, you know, "mobs." He described the crowds as mobs. So I wonder how might it back fire for any of these candidates to say something less than complementary about what's taking place on Wall Street.

CAIN: You know, Fredricka, I think the opposite, I think it can back fire on the candidate, no matter - no matter whether he's a Republican or Democrat by embracing "Occupy Wall Street right" now, and here's why. It is ill defined. It's unclear what "Occupy Wall Street" is about.

If it's about fairness, if it's about bankers reaping the rewards of their success and none of their failures or that a tax code that unfairly benefits some, will that can - any candidate can embrace that - Republican or Democrat. But I feel it's about more. I fear it's about more. I fear it's about what you have, does the name One Verse 99 and I fear it's about envy and that does not play well with the American public regardless of your political affiliation. WHITFIELD: OK. So when -

ROSEN: Yes -

WHITFIELD: Go ahead, Hilary.

ROSEN: Well, I don't - I don't think this is about class warfare. I think it's about aspirations. And what we find with folks who are on the streets now, these are mostly young people aspiring to be successful. Not trying to - to just tear down people who are successful, but looking for their shot and that's - you know, again, will is starting to do this. Just what the Republicans are doing, to ridicule them, to say and deny that there actually is a problem here I think ends up hurting the Republicans a great deal more.

WHITFIELD: All right. Hilary Rosen, Will Cain, good to see both of you. Thanks so much.

CAIN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Will, I know you disagree with that. We're out of time on that one. Next weekend.

All right, just two days now away and the Republican presidential candidates will be facing off again in another debate. This time Las Vegas. We'll go live to Vegas to talk about the latest polls and to talk about who's earning cash and who isn't.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Republican candidate Herman Cain raised a few eyebrows with comments this weekend about securing the U.S. border with Mexico. He was speaking in Tennessee when he started talking about putting up a fence and having U.S. troops with live ammunition along the border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CAIN: Well, we got three things that we can use in conjunction with one another in order to secure the border. A real fence for part of it. Technology for another part. And if we have to put troops with real guns and real bullets for part of it, we can do that, too. We can build a fence.

Well, you all - you all can't be on that fence. I said, well, I'll tell you what, when I'm in charge of the fence, we're going to have a fence. It's going to be 20 feet high. It's going to have barbed wire on the top. It's going to be electrocuted, electrified and there's going to be a sign on the other side that says it will kill you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This morning, Cain back tracked on those comments saying he was only joking. He will meet tomorrow with Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix before they take part in the GOP fundraiser. Arpaio takes a hard line on illegal immigration. So, as Cain travels the country, he's also surging in the polls. A new CNN Poll of Polls shows Cain just three points behind former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

The "CNN Western Republican Presidential Debate" just two days away. With that Poll of Polls out, let's go to Vegas right now and CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser and Senior Political Director Mark Preston.

All right. Let's talk more about these polls, the Poll of Polls, showing it's now kind of neck and neck between Herman - between Cain and Romney and it seems to, I guess, change by the week. Tell me a little more about it, Mark.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, this is - actually, let me start with this one, Fred.

It really has been a wild ride in the polling. And our Poll of Polls is an average of the latest national polls we take when we average them out. One constant basically all year is that Mitt Romney has been near the front or at the top, upper teens to mid to low 20s. And that's kind of in the constant.

We've seen Michele Bachmann go up and down in the polls. We saw Rick Perry become pre-jumped into mid-August, has become the frontrunner. Now, he's faded in the National Anthem State Polls. And now Herman Cain has been on the rise. But with that rise comes a lot more scrutiny, especially when he says some interesting things.

: That's right.

I mean, look, I mean we led into this conversation right here, Fred, with the Herman Cain comments regarding building a fence along the border.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PRESTON: Obviously very controversial. It's been controversial for many years right now. He says that he was only kidding when he said that. But if you really listen to those comments, he sounded like he meant that. So it's interesting if that becomes an issue on Tuesday night here at the Venetian when those seven candidates take the stage behind us and really try to hash out the issue.

You know, of course, the economy again as we talked earlier in the program is going to be a major issue. But it's also going to be - what - Herman Cain has been talking a lot about, that's 9-9-9. A real catchy phrase about how he wants to simplify the tax code, not a whole lot of people - I wish I'm an economist to understand how that's going to work. But when people do understand how it is going to work, he's come under a lot of criticism for that now, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, so we know immigration is going to be something that will be tackled. We know the economy is going to be tackled during the campaign as well. And at least among candidates, something that they're talking to their advisers and their camps about is cash in order to see how long any of those eight candidates can stay in the race, even though one of the candidates is not going to be in Las Vegas on Tuesday. I'm talking about Jon Huntsman.

So let's talk about campaign cash and fund-raising. Who's leading the pack right now?

STEINHAUSER: It's so important to look at those numbers because before people actually vote in the primaries and caucuses. You know, there's two ways to really gauge how strong a candidate is in this campaign as one is the Public Opinion Polls while the other campaign cash.

Let's take a look at the numbers from the third quarter. They're all in right now. And right at the top, the person who raised the most, well, Rick Perry, the Texas governor with a little over 17 million raised in the third quarter. Mitt Romney just - just behind him with $14.2 million and they both have around the same amount of money, cash on hand that they can spend. Well, further back, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, you can see Herman Cain down there at $2.8 million.

PRESTON: Yes. And, you know, Fred, look. When we talk about the sudden rise of Herman Cain, the fact of the matter is he hasn't been able to raise a whole lot of money until recently. They said that they're doing well right now.

The fact of the matter is, he's going to need a lot of money to not only organize in states, but also to pay for commercials in these states.

And if you look at someone like Mitt Romney and looks like someone like Governor Perry, they've got the money right now in the bank. But they also have allies and there are super PACs, these large Political Action Committees that are raising millions of dollars to try to boost up Perry and Romney. We're not seeing that from Cain's side and that's going to be very hurtful to him because he's not going to be able to compete against that even though he's got these grassroots support now.

WHITFIELD: OK. And this debate, it's going to be moderated by our Anderson Cooper. But I want to - just give me an idea, who are among the ticket holders? Who gets to be in that arena to see this debate live?

PRESTON: Well, look, the Western Republican Leadership Conference is - is basically a subset of the Republican National Committee. It's all the states out west here. We're going to see people coming from all over Hawaii, California, Oregon, Utah, of course, here in Nevada. They're all going to come in here.

Over 1,000 people are going to be sitting in the audience and they're going to be able to ask questions as well as we've done in our previous CNN debates. It allows people to get a little bit more of a touch with the candidate as opposed to just having a journalist do it. So you're going to see people from all of these states trying to sass out whether they think that whether it's Romney, Perry or Bachmann or Santorum or any of them right now is their candidate. So we'll be seeing the pitch right now from them on Tuesday night here at the Venetian, making their case why they should be the presidential nominee for the Republican Party.

WHITFIELD: All right, looking forward to that. Mark Preston, Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much, gentlemen, from Vegas, outside the Venetian.

And, of course, you may want to be watching "Saturday Night Live" lately, because they're having a lot of fun with the GOP debates. They're having fun with the candidates. We're going to show you a little bit more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You're watching a special hour dedicated entirely to the "Race for the White House."

And now we turned to some late night humor. The GOP debates are providing a whole lot of fresh material for "Saturday Night Live" lately. Take a listen to their take on Herman Cain and Mitt Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The newest polls show you trailing Herman Cain by as many as 15 points.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When are you going to accept that Republicans just don't like you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, look, I don't think they dislike me. I just think they want to exhaust their options. You know, I understand that before anyone goes home with Mitt Romney, they're going to take one last lap around the bar to see if there's anyone better than me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Herman Cain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With your rise in the polls, many are taking a closer look at your 9-9-9 plan and most economists agree it's an oversimplified, unworkable solution to a complicated financial situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, let me explain. The original goal of the 9- 9-9 plan was to get me a show on FOX News at 9:00. But if America is looking for catchy, unworkable solutions to complicate their problems, Herman Cain will keep them coming.

How to fight terrorism, my 5-5-5 plan. To fight terrorism, America will send five airplanes, five soldier and five of those dogs that caught Osama Bin Laden.

How do we fix health care, the 3-3-3 plan. Every time you get sick, you get three pills, three days off and three chicken noodle soups.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. We know the candidates will be on Tuesday in the Las Vegas area for the GOP debate. But what about the rest of the week?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, in a moment, we're just minutes away from the top of our hour and more news to tell you about.

But first, let's look at our political week ahead. Mitt Romney will be in Las Vegas for Tuesday night's CNN debate. And on Monday, he'll be opening his state campaign headquarters.

Herman Cain said that his comments about an electrified fence were a joke. Immigration is surely to be a topic when he meets with controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix.

And Michele Bachmann will also be in Phoenix talking immigration. She will attend an immigration event with state lawmakers next week.

And Jon Huntsman, who is boycotting the Nevada debate on Tuesday, will still be in New Hampshire this week. He will be in Concord formally filing for the primary ballot.

Join us for another in-depth look at the "Race for the White House," the candidates and the issues next Sunday, 4:00 Eastern hour.