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Bishop Long to Take Time Off; Cain Suspends Campaign; Obama Pushing Economic Plan; President Barack Obama Courts Blue Collar Workers; Republican Candidate Mitt Romney Attacking the President on Trade Policy; Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich on Child Labor Laws

Aired December 04, 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. We're going to look at the 2012 presidential contenders in this political hour. But first, an update on some of today's top stories.

Iran's state media is reporting an unmanned American spy plane was shot down. State television is citing military sources as saying the U.S. drone was seized after minimum damage. NATO just released a statement saying they lost contact with an unmanned aircraft a few days ago, and that may be what the Iranians are talking about.

Mega church pastor Eddie Long faced his congregation this morning to announce that he's taking time off to work on his family. This comes three days after his wife filed for divorce. The Atlanta-based pastor gained national attention last spring after he settled a lawsuit with four young men who said he pressured them into sexual relationships with him.

And celebrations get out of hand after a big college game in Oklahoma. Thirteen people were hurt. The chaos broke out when fans stormed the field after Oklahoma State beat arch rival Oklahoma. Two people fell or jumped from a high retaining wall and are in critical condition. Several others were trampled.

Now to the race for the White House. One month from today, results of the Iowa caucuses and right now prominent newspapers in the state are starting to choose sides. The "Sioux City Journal" is endorsing Mitt Romney. It is the biggest paper in Iowa so far to back a candidate ahead of the caucuses. The paper says, "if as a Republican your number one priority is the defeat of Obama, consider this, Romney is the candidate within this field who is best positioned to win general election votes from not simply Republican voters, but from the all important independents in the middle, as well as from moderate democrats on the left."

Newt Gingrich meantime has a solid lead now in Iowa, according to a new Des Moines Registrar poll. Twenty five percent of likely Republican caucus goers back Gingrich. Ron Paul is in second place with 18 percent. And Mitt Romney has slid to third with 16 percent. The poll was taken before Herman Cain suspended his campaign.

CNN political reporter Shannon Travis has been in Iowa for months. So, Shannon, your insights right now about how Iowa is shaping up, the first caucus state, a lot of attention yesterday was on Herman Cain. We'll get to that in a moment. That's why you're in Atlanta. But back to Iowa and how the candidates are trying to make sure they clinch as many endorsements or support as they can.

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right, Fred. Let's take two observations from the two stories you just mentioned, this endorsement of Romney and this new poll with Newt Gingrich. For one, (INAUDIBLE) in the state tells me that the voters there are still shopping around. They're kind of lie - they're like Michelle Bachmann over the summer, they like Ron Paul pretty consistently, Herman Cain was a sensation for a little while and now it turned to Newt Gingrich.

Will he stay that way? It is only a few weeks before the Iowa caucus. Will he keep their favor? They're still shopping around. That's the first thing. The second thing, this anti-Romney sentiment, anti-Mitt Romney sentiment in Iowa among some Christian evangelicals in particular may be setting in. Romney has been really, really consistent in the polls in Iowa for most of the season, even though he hasn't really been there that much. But now you see he's third in the Des Moines register poll, ahead of Ron Paul. That may be settling in.

Of course, we know that Romney has a few things in his back pocket. He's got big endorsements, he's got a lot of money and he's going to be making a play for -

WHITFIELD: And you wonder if those endorsements really do carry a lot of weight with that "Sioux City Journal" endorsement.

TRAVIS: That's right. It was like they were trying to convince people to back Mitt Romney. So yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Interesting, yesterday, Herman Cain and now today, the day after, a number of candidates are saying we want his supporters. How important will it be to get those supporters? Does he have a significant number of supporters who have not already gone to Newt Gingrich, say, a couple of months - weeks ago, rather, as a result of the many accusations.

TRAVIS: Let's be honest here. Herman Cain's support had started to fall amid all these allegations or what have you. But he still has a loyal base and a loyal following. If some of those people go to other camps, Bachmann, Newt Gingrich or what have you, that could be, you know, a lot of help, caucus captains for Iowa or what have you. So the more the merrier. We do know that the Bachmann and Cain campaign have talked. Some of those staffers - the campaign have talked and that we also know that Bachmann's campaign said that some of Herman Cain's supporters have already shifted to her.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Shannon Travis. Always good to see you. We know you're going to be hitting the road again soon.

TRAVIS: Very soon.

WHITFIELD: Like today. All right. Thanks so much.

All right. With us now from New York, democratic strategy Robert Zimmerman. And in Washington, Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. So Ron, you first, you know, did the Republican Party play any part in Herman Cain making a decision to get out of the race. We know what he said that this was a family discussion. You buy that?

ROB BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, yes, actually, I do. I think that these allegations really sunk his candidacy, you know, whether or not they were true, he had a very hard time, you know, putting them to rest and they just - he was known for his branding of the 9-9-9 plan and then his brand particularly became the sexual allegations. So he was caught in a political quick sand. I think a lot of Republicans started thinking there is no way that this guy can win a primary and we hope he can - we wanted him to step aside a few weeks ago.

But, you know, with campaigns and candidates, they're usually the last people to figure it out. And so we had to wait this long for him to get out, which is great because finally the rest of the candidates can get their message out on the air and not have to worry about Herman Cain stealing some of that air time.

So Robert, how do you see it? Because you know, already Newt Gingrich, just minutes after Herman Cain made his announcement yesterday, was actually issuing some complimentary words about Herman Cain saying, for example, 9-9-9 was a very concrete issue in which to provoke some dialogue. So do you see that a Newt Gingrich might benefit from Herman Cain being out or even court the followers of Herman Cain?

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, clearly all the candidates in the field are going to court Herman Cain's candidates. To put it in perspective, his percent in Iowa, according to almost every poll, was eight percent and declining. I think the big mistake is assuming, and many candidates and campaigns do, that they can deliver their supporters like a bloc to another candidate.

The only polling we've seen has shown that these candidates are - these supporters are very spread out, and are going to make their own individual decisions about the process. But that Fredricka, is not really going to determine the caucus results. I think the much bigger issue is, the debate in the Republican Party about whether electability is going to trump the anger that the Republican Party feels and the "Des Moines Register" poll, 60 percent of the voters were open to changing their mind, and, of course, a plurality thought that Mitt Romney was more electable and more presidential.

WHITFIELD: In fact, let's look a little closer at some of the polls that we pulled up here and it really is in concert with what you're talking about, the electability. And we're showing that Newt Gingrich is very much in the lead, this being taken back in November, just, you know, a couple of weeks ago. Ron Paul with 18 percent. Romney behind with 16 percent. And then Bachmann and Cain this is before his announcement yesterday. So, you know you have to wonder here whether the party is going to play a major role here in shaping the outcome of whether it be the Iowa caucuses or really leading up to the nomination, Robert.

ZIMMERMAN: Well, you know, it is a really interesting issue because in many ways the party establishment is no longer controlling the agenda. If you watch these Republican Party debates, they're like infomercials for anger management therapy. And then you have Donald Trump holding a debate that's going to turn this into an Atlantic City lounge act for the right wing.

WHITFIELD: And on that - and interestingly on that, Ron Paul has said he doesn't want any part in that debate that would be moderated by Donald Trump. And so, Ron, is that a bold move that Ron Paul is distinguishing himself and saying, "I don't want to do what everybody else is doing and be in this debate."

BONJEAN: Well, I think Ron Paul is not doing what everybody else is doing period. He's doing his own thing. You know, I think these guys are doing, gosh, it feels like they have done a hundred debates and they're going to keep going. For him to turn down a Donald Trump debate I don't think it is necessarily a big deal.

WHITFIELD: Because there are so many?

BONJEAN: Because there are so many.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BONJEAN: And if there are only a few and Donald Trump, you know, offered the debate, it would look like Ron Paul was trying to, you know, get out of, you know, doing something. But it just - it doesn't look that way to me. It looks like there are too many debates right now. I think this might actually be a record. But, you know, Ron Paul has a very strong organization in Iowa. You know, he - he came in second in the recent poll. I don't think anybody thinks that Ron Paul is trying to necessarily avoid talking about his issues.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ron and Robert, we're going to see you again momentarily. We're going to talk later on this hour. Thanks so much.

So perhaps you're watching television last night. Plenty of presidential politics. Most of the GOP candidates actually participated in a forum. And we'll tell you about that after the break. But first, political satire from NBC's "Saturday Night Live," just hours after Herman Cain suspended that presidential campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole ordeal has been crazy. It is nonsense. It is character assassination. But I'm sorry, it's true. I am suspending my campaign. Now, listen, this is a decision I made with the help of my family. No one forced me out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you still deny the allegations that you had an affair with Ginger White? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got it. The truth is that Ginger White and I are friends. And, yes, I gave her money because that's what friends do. Seth, you and I are friends, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, take some money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, well thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, you know that money isn't free.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I'll just give it back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to this special hour of the "CNN Newsroom." We're taking this time out every Sunday to let you hear from the 2012 presidential contenders in their words out on the campaign trail. Most of the Republican presidential candidates joined former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee for a presidential forum on Fox News last night. With Herman Cain now out of the race, the remaining candidates participated except for Jon Huntsman. Here are the contenders in alphabetical order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would abolish the department of education. That's how I got into politics in the first place. We had foster children, I was very concerned about their education. We also need to have a full scale repeal of the federal education law. That's really what needs to be done.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can't get the scale of change that the Tea Party wants. But just appointing good people who have no understanding of the fight they're about to be in and have no understanding of how difficult and hard Washington is. And I think we have to have a very clearly philosophically driven program that says this is where this administration is going. And, by the way, not just the administration. You also have to apply pressure to the house and the Senate because under our constitution, unless you have them moving with you, which you're going to get is -

REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe we need state laws against violence. The one law that we do have at a national level that we totally ignore and that is that terrorism is a crime and is not a war. We have drifted off to being called this is a war on terrorism and it is a justification of pursuing war, not only around the world, but even domestically. So I would say it is a crime. But the constitution, I think, is very clear. There is nothing in our constitution that says that violent acts should be a prerogative of the government.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We know how to do it. We just don't have the resources to - for 1200 mile border to secure it the way that it needs to be done. The strategic fencing, the boots on the ground, the aviation assets in the air and you can secure that border. I have made the commitment that 12 months after being inaugurated as president, that border will be shut down and it will be secure.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What the president has done is way beyond what we envisioned. We were trying to take care of the eight percent of our population that didn't have insurance. The president is not just worried about the people without insurance. Obama care is about taking over 100 percent of the people's insurance in this country.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I support a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, if you will, or to stand up for the right to life. That intimately involves the states, as you know, the constitutional amendment process requires the ratification of that constitutional amendment by the states. So have been always a supporter that we need a uniform law on values that undermine our - that under gird our country. That's why I feel very strongly and promoted the federal marriage amendment and forced a vote on the United States Senate when I was there. Can't have 50 definitions of marriage in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN political producer Shawna Shepherd has more on last night's forum. Shauna joining us from New York today. This forum was something of a departure from the formal presidential debates. Did we learn anything new from it?

SHAWNA SHEPHERD, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Fredricka, I didn't think there were many surprises. The candidates appeared separately, they took questions from three Republican elected officials. The format allowed for a substantive constitutional debate on limited government and states rights. And the moderator, 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, he said they were not allowed to even mention their rivals. I think that was an attempt to keep the focus the discussion on substance and I think it worked.

What we learned last night was that the conservative base might still have the same concerns about their front-runner rival Newt Gingrich as they do about Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich was pressed by the panelists on his more moderate stances, supporting a health care mandate and also appearing with Nancy Pelosi in a television commercial on climate change.

Afterwards, Virginia attorney general Tim Cuchanelli said that Gingrich wasn't the limited government, conservative he was looking for. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so any conspicuous stumbles?

SHEPHERD: You know, I didn't think that anyone appeared to hurt themselves. Newt Gingrich seemed to have the most to answer for, to his conservative panelists about his record. With Cain out of the race, the candidates are definitely taking an opportunity to appeal to conservative Republican voters and the Tea Party activists who are likely listening to this debate last night. And, you know, I think the most important vote - voter that they were trying to appeal to last night was the host, Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses last night, or I'm sorry in 2008, but he said that he's not endorsing anyone yet.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right. Thanks so much, Shawna Shepherd, appreciate that.

All right. They may be all smiles at forums and debates, but this week Ron Paul took on Newt Gingrich in a rather nasty ad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We continue to delve into the issues on the presidential campaign. Every Sunday we're spending this hour of the "CNN Newsroom" to allow you to hear from the contenders as they spell out their future for the United States.

While Newt Gingrich surges in the polls, he's facing a fierce attack from one of his Republican rivals. Ron Paul released a new ad this week targeting the former House Speaker. Judge for yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Everything that Gingrich railed against when he was in the House, he went the other way when he got paid to go the other way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're an embarrassment to our party.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He flipped and flopped based on who is paying him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's demonstrating himself to be the very essence of the Washington insider.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is about serial hypocrisy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is wrong to go around and adopt radically different positions. Because then people have to ask themselves, what will you tell me next time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Ron Paul joined Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union" this morning and here is part of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST "STATE OF THE UNION": What they most want is someone who can beat President Obama and they rate so many people above you. That's why I think it is important to talk about electability, because it is a factor in how people view you.

PAUL: Yes, and I would say that if the people in Iowa would consider me a good option to beat Obama, I wouldn't be a close second and so it is already reflecting a favorable rating for that. But I think you point out maybe you're giving me subtly some good advice. You better keep working and that's where we have to convince the primary voters that we can do a good job in the general. And that, of course, is part of the campaign and I think that's where we're making progress.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Also on "State of the Union" today, another Republican presidential contender, Michele Bachmann, she says the GOP nomination is still up for grabs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BACHMANN: Upwards of 70 percent of the people are still undecided. They take this process very seriously and they're vetting all of the candidates, weighing each one of them because they realize Barack Obama cannot have a second term. We have to have a strong, bold candidate for president so they're taking a look at the candidates. And there is a lot of surprises that they're finding in this race and a lot of surprises with the candidates.

After they look at them, they're going to see of all of the candidates, I'm the one who doesn't have the political surprises.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, President Barack Obama is out in Pennsylvania again. He is ramping up blue collar voters and courting conservatives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The past few months I've been working hard to turn our economy around. In September, I gave a speech to a joint session of Congress urging them to pass the American Jobs Act. My comprehensive plan to get people back to work. Remember that speech? No. In the end, that speech got me two things. Jack and squat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. That's actor Fred Armisen on "Saturday Night Live" portraying President Barack Obama. So in this special hour of the "CNN NEWSROOM" we're focusing on the issues and the candidates seriously of the 2012 presidential race.

And as the Republican candidates fight it out on the campaign trail, President Obama is pushing his plan to get the economy growing again. He took a trip to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to talk about job creation and he pushed for an extension of his payroll tax cut that is set to expire at the end of the year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Part of the American Jobs Act was to extend this tax cut for another year. In fact, it does one better. It says, let's expand that tax cut. Instead of a thousand dollar tax cut next year, the typical working family under my plan would get a tax cut of $1500. Instead of it coming out of your paycheck, it would be going into your pocket.

Now, that's money that you can spend on a small business right here in Scranton. If you're a small business owner, my jobs bill will cut your payroll taxes in half. If you've got 50 employees making $50,000 each, you get a tax cut of nearly $80,000. That's money that you can then use to hire some more workers and get this economy moving again. That's a good thing.

Now, this really should not be controversial. A lot of Republicans have agreed with this tax cut in the past. The Republican leader in the Senate said it would, quote, I'm quoting here, "It would put money, a lot of money back in the hands of businesses and in the hands of individuals." That's what he said. Another republican leader said it would help small business owners create jobs and help their employees spend more money, creating more jobs. One Republican even called it a "conservative approach to help put our economy back on track."

So what's the problem? The bad news is some of those same Republicans voted no on my jobs bill in those tax cuts. I don't know whether it is just because I proposed it. I don't know. They said no to cutting taxes for small business owners and working families. One of them said just two years ago that this kind of tax cut would boost job creation and now that I'm proposing it, he said we should let it expire.

I mean, what happened? Republicans said they're the party of tax cuts. That's what they said. A lot of them have sworn an oath never to raise taxes on everybody as long as they live. That doesn't square with their vote against these tax cuts. Are they - I mean, how is it that they can break their oath when it comes to raising your taxes, but not break their oath when it comes to raising taxes for wealthy people?

That doesn't make any sense. I mean, I hope that they don't want to just score political points. I hope that they want to help the economy. This cannot be about who wins and loses in Washington. This is about delivering a win for the American people. That's what this is all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Congress has not passed bills to extend the payroll tax cut. Tomorrow Senate democrats plan to unveil a compromise plan that includes a way to pay for the $200 billion price tag.

President Barack Obama is trying to improve his standing with blue collar workers. CNN chief national correspondent John King takes a look. JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the things we saw this past week was President Obama trying to address one of his biggest weaknesses, heading into re-election. He went up to the state of Pennsylvania. This is the 2008 map. You can see President Obama carried Pennsylvania 55/44 over John McCain and he carried Scranton, That's right here, Lackawanna County. He was up there appealing to blue collar voters.

Why?

Well this is the general election. Let's go back to the Democratic primary. Light blue, that's Hillary Clinton. Look at this, in the blue collar working areas of Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton clocked Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries. Those white blue collar voters have long been a problem. For then Senator and now President Obama. It is a problem not just near Pennsylvania, but let's pull out the map. If you go across, Hillary Clinton did well in these industrial states too. If you come back to the general election map, look at this right here, all states here carried by President Obama last time.

This will be a much more competitive election and he needs every blue collar vote he can get. Remember the days of Reagan Democrats, conservative Democrats voting for Republicans in presidential elections. That's the concern now. Don't know what to call them yet. But that's a concern for the president heading into this election.

Why?

If you add up these states I just showed you, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, all states where you find a lot of white blue collar voters, that's 85 electoral votes. You need 270 to win the presidency. President Obama can not afford to lose more than one of these states, definitely not Pennsylvania, probably needs Ohio. There are scenarios in which he can win without them. But watch these states across the industrial Midwest and one reason to watch them is this right here. Why was he in Scranton?

If you look at the president's support, his approval rating right now, we don't know how they would vote in the election, but his approval rating among white voters, 33 percent in our most recent polling that down from 39 percent just a month before that with the economy struggling with high unemployment, with a persistent nagging anxiety about what comes next in the economy, a constituency that was already a problem for the president is even more of a problem. That's why you saw him in Scranton this past week and you can bet you see him in communities like Scranton quite a lot more in the eleven months to the election.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much John.

Let's bring back our guests now, Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman in New York and in Washington, Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. So Robert you first, if President Obama can win or gain more support in Pennsylvania, is that a barometer for the support that he'll be getting or may get across the country? ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, clearly Pennsylvania is a traditional Democratic state. But the constituency that he was talking to in Scranton reflects a constituency around the country that he has to win back and has to demonstrate he's getting progress and results for. in 2008 --

WHITFIELD: Can he do that? If he can do that in Pennsylvania, does he feel fairly confident or should he feel confident he can do that across country, Richard we are talking about those blue collar workers?

ZIMMERMAN: Well, clearly what he has to do to win them is going to reflect among blue collar workers around the country. The issue is, quite frankly while my party lost control of the agenda during the debt ceiling debacle and the government shut down debate, the American Jobs Act gives the president a chance to control the agenda again. While his approval ratings are certainly down amongst these blue collar workers, when you poll these voters, and every poll is reflected this, you poll the American Jobs Act, you poll infrastructure and construction jobs and extending the payroll tax cut, the president polls very well over the Republican alternative.

WHITFIELD: So, Ron, do you see this president being able to win the support of this constituency that he struggled with in 2008?

RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Not at the moment. He's struggling, hugely struggling in Pennsylvania and across the battleground states and that's why he has traveled -- I believe it is almost a record, if not a record amount of times to these battleground states to the fact that the point he's been accused of campaigning and not necessarily governing here. I believe he carried Pennsylvania by eight points last time. He has a huge problem with these blue collar workers because he promised them hope and change.

And all they got was a little bit of hope and not any change, nothing. So now he's come back with the American Jobs Act, which I think is smart. He should have something that he can possibly campaign on. But they have to see a difference. You know, President Obama said that, you know, Republicans want to score political points instead of changing the economy, but that's not what his bill necessarily does. Especially the payroll tax cut. It doesn't help the economy. And that's why Republicans have had a problem with it. I think the president --

WHITFIELD: The White House says it will, Republicans said it won't.

BONJEAN: Of course. That's exactly right. Sorry.

WHITFIELD: Go ahead, Robert.

ZIMMERMAN: I might have to say, Ron, many Republican leader have said it is important to extend the payroll tax cut and in fact, it would give relief to 6 million small businesses. In letting it expire now in a very -- we have steady growth, but a very shaky economy would certainly be very dangerous. Yes, you have Michele Bachmann and leaders like that saying not to raise the payroll tax cut, but that's the point. Next year it is not going to be a referendum about the Obama administration, it will be a choice. Between the Obama agenda and the Republican agenda that clearly does not want to extend the payroll tax cut.

WHITFIELD: And it will be interesting to see what the outcome is based on who is going to be that representative of the Republican ticket, you know, come next November. Does it appear as though in any way, Robert, that the White House is pushing for one Republican candidate over the other?

Just take a look at this latest poll, the CNN Opinion Research Poll of registered voters showing that Mitt Romney leading the president of the United States, the current president, 51 percent to 47 percent. And President Obama leading Newt Gingrich 53 percent to 45 percent. So what do you suppose the White House is banking on, if it came down to those two? Since right now they're among the top three.

ZIMMERMAN: Fredricka, that might explain why I'm getting 20 e-mails a day from the White House, from the Democratic national committee, attacking Mitt Romney and pointing out his records of flip-flops and his records of changing positions. Clearly the White House -- the Obama campaign, I should say, is focusing their agenda on Barack Obama and what that is also doing, besides energizing the Democratic base, is undermining Mitt Romney in the Republican primary and the Republican caucus process.

WHITFIELD: And then Ron, you have the last 30 seconds.

BONJEAN: Yes, thanks. I think that the fact that President Obama's campaign is already out there, Mitt Romney says that they're scared to death of the Republican nominee because they know this is going to be a referendum on President Obama's record, which has record unemployment, massive job losses, people are really unhappy, he's taking a nose-dive in Pennsylvania, and other battleground states, he has a huge problem. He'll try to make it a choice. He's raising the money right now so they can unleash a massive negative campaign to destroy the Republican nominee.

And talk about -- talk about politics over governing that is it in the essence. So, you know, I would say that we have the upper hand. We're going in the next year pretty strong, while the enthusiasm gap among Republicans and Democrats, Democrats have such a low enthusiasm for the 2012 election.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ron Bonjean, Robert Zimmerman, thanks so much, gentlemen. Good to see you this hour. Appreciate it.

ZIMMERMAN: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll talk some more about Mitt Romney. He's staying the course. He's talking about jobs, America's trade relations and how he can use his business background to get things done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "SITUATION ROOM:" Kermit, you've done some major reporting over the years, right?

KERMIT FROG: Yes, I have. One of the most journalistic integrity, that's the name of the game.

BLITZER: Yes.

KERMIT FROG: Back when I worked with Rapunzel on Sesame Street, there was all sorts of stuff going on behind the scenes with her, and you don't want to know.

BLITZER: You're good. You're really good. I know it is going to be very exciting. This is a political season and a lot of people are going to be voting right now. You're going to be reporting on all of this, right?

KERMIT FROG: I'm going to try. Because I'm afraid as a frog we cannot vote.

BLITZER: Really?

KERMIT FROG: No, I am an amphibian American, I'm proud of it; I'm taking a certain issue to discuss it with the president if I can that interspecies dating which evidently Miss Piggy is for. I'm not so sure about, but --

BLITZER: So you'll raise that issue when you see the president?

KERMIT FROG: Yes, sir, I will. I want to tell all the animals out there in the world and people who might date pigs, it is going to get sorted out.

BLITZER: You know it is very exciting for me. You know what my first name is?

KERMIT FROG: I do. The first time I ever heard it, I thought you were an actual wolf.

BLITZER: That is what I mean; it is exciting for this Wolf to meet this frog.

KERMIT FROG: You should have your own news network, it should be Wolf News.

BLITZER: You think? What about Frog News?

KERMIT FROG: Maybe we could join up.

BLITZER: Wolf and frog.

KERMIT FROG: I'll let you have top billing. Wolf and frog.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, we continue to delve into the issues on the presidential campaign. Every Sunday, this hour, we're spending the CNN NEWSROOM allowing you to hear from the contender as they spell out their future for the United States.

So Republican candidate Mitt Romney, he's attacking President Barack Obama on trade. He says the president isn't doing enough to boost American exports. Romney had this to say during a stop at one of the nation's biggest ports, Tampa, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to get Americans working again. I believe that middle income Americans should have confidence that this is the best place in the world to get good jobs and to have rising incomes. Over the last three years, the median income in America, the median income in America has dropped by 10 percent. Your costs haven't dropped by that much. Your gasoline prices, your food prices, health care prices, those have gone up. Middle income Americans have faced a very difficult time under President Obama, it is time to have a president who understands the economy and how to get it working again and I do and I will.

Now, I'm talking about trade, as you know. So let me underscore a few things I want to do with regards to trade. I do want to negotiate bilateral agreements with other nations so that we can get our goods in other places in the world. I do want to make sure that we crack down on people who -- who cheat on trade deals, like China. Trade works well but you have to make sure the people you're trading with follow the rules. And China hasn't been following the rules and therefore we'll crack down on them and make sure they don't continue to cheat.

I want to make sure that we put in place what I call the Reagan economic zone. What I mean by that? I want to create a group of nations that agree to trade on a free basis, but also they agree not to steal intellectual property from one another, and not to manipulate their currency so as to take unfair advantage of one another. That economic free zone will allow America to sell goods around the world and put Americans to work.

Look, I understand something about the economy having lived in it. I recognize that trade is good for jobs. In a nation like ours, which is the most productive in the world, we make more per person than any other nation in the world. For us to have opportunity for growth and high incomes, we need to sell our goods around the world. I know how to do that. I will fight to do that. But I'll make sure that we create agreements that work for us, not just for the other guys, and I'll make sure that the people we trade with follow the agreements.

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WHITFIELD: Defining marriage, Rick Santorum states his case next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Welcome back to this special hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. We're taking this time out every Sunday to let you hear from the 2012 presidential contenders in their words out on the campaign trail.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich raised some eyebrows recently when he declared that child labor laws are, quote, truly stupid. He suggested that low income students could take school janitorial jobs to learn about work. Last week on ABC's "World News Tonight," Gingrich defended his comments.

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NEWT GINGRICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Young children who are poor ought to learn how to go to work. It would be great if inner city schools and poor neighborhood schools actually hired the children to do things. Some of the things they could do would be work in the library, work in the front office, some of them, frankly, could be janitorial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Democrats could very easily take that comment and say Newt Gingrich wants inner city kids to become janitors at age 10.

GINGRICH: Right. And the correct answer is that is a lie. Newt Gingrich wants inner city kids to learn how to have a job.

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WHITFIELD: The sanctity of marriage, many believe, it is between a man and a woman. Republican Rick Santorum says this is one case where the federal government should be involved.

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RICK SANTORUM, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One of the things we can do is actually try to improve the state of marriage in America. Try to improve the family and the family situation in America and, of course, the federal government does nothing to try to help. In fact, I make the argument the federal government does a lot to try to undermine the family. Maybe there are people in this room, but usually in rooms that I give this -- I talk about this, there is somebody in the room that knows somebody who is living with the mother of their children, and is not married to that person and doesn't get married because they would lose welfare benefits if they did so.

And so here we are, undermining marriage, undermining fathers permanently, hopefully permanently attaching to their children, to the mother of their children and therefore taking that responsibility of fatherhood at a much more direct way. Sometimes it is not the laws you pass. Sometimes it is the things you talk about. Sometimes it is how you leave the country and have the national dialogue and discussion about things that are important for the future of our country. The president has done that the last few months; he's talked about class warfare.

He wants to go out and pitch those who have against those who don't and that's the discussion we're having in America today. As ennobling as that is for America, it is destructive of America, it is antithetical to the values of America, but that's what the president has decided to launch a national debate about. Well, have the debate about the importance of mothers and fathers and dads taking responsibility for their children and joining together and raising of those children and talked about with our children the importance of the institution of marriage and what it means, not just what it means from the standpoint of a man and a woman coming together, but also what it means economically for them what it means from the standpoint of neighborhoods and cultures.

And what it means for the size and scale of government. You're not going to have limited government if you have high rates of poverty, you're not going to have limited government if fathers are taking responsibility for their children and are out doing things that fathers shouldn't be doing. In fathering more children and in many cases to other mothers instead of taking responsibility for the children they have. These are foundational issues that go to the really -- the heart of a stable economic system, not just the stable family system.

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WHITFIELD: And new polls and new rates are chief political correspondent Candy Crowley brings us the week in numbers next.

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WHITFIELD: All right, there were more jobs, but fewer presidential candidates. CNN's chief political correspondent Candy Crowley joins us with a recap of last week's political numbers.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, some numbers that rocked the week. 8.6 percent, 25 percent, minus one. From the top, that what you've got, the White House was pleased to hear the jobless rate fell to 8.6 percent, which sounds so much better than 9 percent, but apparently isn't so much.

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ALICE RIVLIN, FORMER CLINTON OMB DIRECTOR: Jobs are being created, but not as many people are looking. So that helps the unemployment rate look a little better than it might otherwise look.

DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN, FORMER CHIEF ECONOMIST FOR GEORGE W. BUSH: We saw bad hours, bad earnings, you know, it is not an unambiguously good picture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Politically it is a drip of good news and he needs a torrent. I mean the question really is whether it is sustainable.

CROWLEY: Twenty five percent that's Newt's new number from the Des Moines Register Poll. Ron Paul at 18 percent.

REP. RON PAUL, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We had the flavors of the month up and down, you know, so far in this campaign. I would like to think of myself as the flavor of the decade. CROWLEY: Speaking of which, October's flavor of the month is this week's minus one.

HERMAN CAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So as of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign.

CROWLEY: Except for the accounting books, the Cain campaign is history and finally a bonus number, 21.

GOV. RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Those of you that are -- will be 21 by November 12th, I ask for your support and your vote. Those of you, who won't be, just work hard.

CROWLEY: The voting age is 18 and Election Day is November 6th, but who's counting? We are, 30 days until the Iowa caucuses.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Candy.

Here is a look at where the 2012 contenders will be this week, Monday, Newt Gingrich travels to New York to meet with Donald Trump. And Rick Santorum goes to Iowa. Then Tuesday, the president will travel to Kentucky to push his jobs bill. And Mitt Romney heads to Arizona. Wednesday, all Republican candidates will be in New York for the Jewish Presidential Forum. And then, there is the ABC, Des Moines register debate on Saturday in Iowa.

Thanks so much for tuning in for this special hour of politics. Join us every Sunday, 4:00 Eastern Time. Now stay tuned for more news right here in the NEWSROOM.