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American Morning
GOP Debate: Blasting Obama, Jobs, Health Care; Winners and Losers in GOP Debate; Did the GOP Candidates Connect?; Yemen: Transfer Of Power; Interview with Michele Bachmann; Obama Weighs in on Rep. Anthony Weiner
Aired June 14, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, seven Republicans squaring off in New Hampshire telling America why they should be the next president. But did any of the candidates connect? The best political team on television breaks down the big debate next.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Congressman Anthony Weiner taking a two-week leave of absence to get professional help as President Obama now weighs in on the sexting scandal saying if it was him, he'd step down.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Three pieces of duct tape at the heart of the Casey Anthony murder trial. Prosecutors say they were used to cover Caylee Anthony's mouth when her mother killed her. We'll let you know what an FBI fingerprint expert found on that tape, all straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: I'm Ali Velshi. A lot going on overnight. Let's get you caught up.
They're friends for now. Republicans focusing their attacks squarely on President Obama in their introduction to the nation. We'll show you the highlights and talk about who won last night's GOP debate.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Three pieces of duct tape front and center in the Casey Anthony murder trial. They were found with the remains of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, but an FBI fingerprint expert says she can't positively connect that tape to the suspected killer.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry. The president now weighing in on the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal and offering some advice the New York congressman may not be able to ignore on this AMERICAN MORNING.
VELSHI: Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It is Tuesday, June 14th. Good to be back. Good to have you back from the debate.
ROMANS: Yes. Yes, late night last night, right.
CHETRY: We're sort of wiping our eyes this morning. Not a ton of fireworks actually, but we will get through what some of the candidates said and how people that were watching felt they rated.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: Up first, jobs, health care, blasting President Obama. Seven GOP presidential contenders faced off last night in the first major debate of the presidential race. It went pretty easy on the front runner, Mitt Romney, but they focused all of their fire on the man they're hoping to beat in 2012. CNN's Jessica Yellin has the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATL. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the first major debate of the primary season --
JOHN KING, DEBATE MODERATOR: Say hello to your seven candidates.
YELLIN: There were seven different voices but one common message.
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: This president has failed and he's failed at a time when the American people counted on him to create jobs and get the economy going.
GOV. TIM PAWLENTY (R), MINNESOTA: This president is a declinist. He views America as one of equals around the world.
YELLIN: No surprise the candidates drew a bull's eye on the president's economic stewardship.
KING: Has he done one thing? Has he done one thing right when it comes to the economy in this country?
REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: That's a tough question. No, no. I can't think of anything.
YELLIN: But what did surprise some? Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty passed up an opportunity to confront Mitt Romney on health care, even though just the day before he had ridiculed the president's health care plan as "Obamneycare."
PAWLENTY: I called it "Obamneycare."
We took a different approach in Minnesota. We didn't use top-down government mandates and individual requirements from government.
YELLIN: Given a second chance, Pawlenty ducked again.
KING: Why is it not "Obamneycare" standing here with the governor right there?
PAWLENTY: President Obama is the person who I quoted and saying he looked to Massachusetts for designing his program.
YELLIN: Representative Michele Bachmann made some news.
REP. MICHELLE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: I filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the United States today.
YELLIN: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich avoided his news. Never mentioning his massive campaign team defections, focusing instead on the issues.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: The Congress this year, this next week, ought to repeal the Dodd/Frank bill. They ought to repeal the Sarbanes-Oxley bill. They ought to start creating jobs right now.
YELLIN: For former Godfather's Pizza CEO, Herman Cain, this debate was something of a national debut.
HERMAN CAIN (R), FORMER CEO OF GODFATHER'S PIZZA: I am not a politician. I am a problem solver. This economy is stalled. It's like a train on the tracks with no engine.
YELLIN: For former Senator Rick Santorum, it was an opportunity to underscore his dedication to social conservative issues.
RICK SANTORUM (R), FORMER SENATOR OF PENNSYLVANIA: Not only have I been consistently pro-life, but I've taken the -- you know, I've not just taken the pledge, I've taken the bullets to go out there and fight for this and lead on those issues.
YELLIN: All the candidates pledge to stand against abortion rights, against same-sex marriage and to reinstate the ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military, but the main focus of the night.
BACHMANN: We're going to win. Just make no mistake about it. I want to announce tonight. President Obama is a one-term president.
YELLIN (on camera): This is the spin room where operatives from each campaign tell us why they think their candidate won. One of the big questions, why was this such a tame debate? The big reason, it's still early days and none of the candidates wants to be seen as too negative, attacking their fellow Republicans, especially when they're only just introducing themselves to their key voters.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: So who did well in the first major Republican debate and who didn't? Joining us now for some morning after debate analysis, CNN's senior political editor Mark Preston. He's live in Manchester, New Hampshire.
And I used to see you. What surprised you last night, Mark?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, I think that Michele Bachmann certainly came out of the gates swinging. She announced that she was going to run for president, Christine, and then she did very well on stage. In fact, talking to folks who were in the debate hall afterwards, they walked away with a new look on the Minnesota congresswoman. They thought that she was very succinct. She was on point, and I think this really begins the day for Michele Bachmann as we head down the road towards this Republican presidential nomination.
CHETRY: I also think it's interesting, Tim Pawlenty is taking a lot of heat this morning. He's getting panned in some of the reviews saying that he should have gone harder on Mitt Romney, that he referred to the health care bill as "Obamneycare" on a Sunday talk show but then didn't sort of go after him last night. Why is that a big deal?
PRESTON: Well, because he had set the stage on Sunday when it seemed like he came out swinging against Mitt Romney. We expected him last night to come out and to continue forward. You know, the big knock against him, Pawlenty, is the fact that they say he's too vanilla, that he's just not energetic enough. We thought we would see that last night. We saw a little of bit but when given the opportunity to really take it head to head to Mitt Romney, he decided, you know, to decline not to do it. Not once, but twice. And in fact, as you just said, as we've been talking this morning, it was very civil here last night. We shouldn't be too surprised about that. This really is the first debate as we head down the road over the next couple of months. That's when things are going to start to get acrimonious between these seven candidates.
VELSHI: Mark, the frontrunner by a long shot of the declared candidates is Mitt Romney. Did he hurt himself or did he help himself last night?
PRESTON: I think he looked really well last night, Ali. I mean, look, bottom line, Mitt Romney had a lot on the line. He was standing in the middle of everyone else. He is the frontrunner. He's at the top of the Hill. People are going to try to knock him off. But he did pretty well. He even did pretty well addressing the whole idea that he is tied to President Obama because of this health care law. He seemed to do pretty well on that. And what I found really interesting is that none of the candidates really took an opportunity to take a shot at him in saying that he is a flip-flopper. That's one of the things that some critics have said about Mitt Romney. They were all given a chance last night to really take it to him on that. And no one chose to do so. In fact, Herman Cain, one of the candidates on stage, said case closed. So I think Mitt Romney, another big winner out of this debate last night. Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann certainly have a lot heading forward, a lot going forward after what we saw last night, Ali.
ROMANS: All right, Mark Preston. Thank you so much, Mark.
VELSHI: And just ahead, at 6:30 Eastern, we're going to talk live with Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann who by all accounts more than held her own in last night's GOP debate. She's a serious contender. We're going to ask her what she thinks on some serious matters facing this country.
CHETRY: For the first time, President Obama decided to weigh in on the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal when asked about it in an NBC interview. The president talked about what he'd do if he were in the congressman's shoes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ultimately there's going to be a decision for him and his constituents. I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Meantime, the House voted to grant Congressman Weiner a two- week leave of absence that he requested while he seeks professional help.
ROMANS: An FBI fingerprint expert took the stand yesterday in the Casey Anthony murder trial. Elizabeth Fontaine testified she examined three strips of duct tape that were found with the remains of 2-year- old Caylee Anthony. Prosecutors claim Caylee's mother used the tape to cover her daughter's mouth when she killed her, but the FBI witness couldn't make a positive connection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Your conclusions when inspecting Q62, Q63, and Q64 was after doing a complete and total workup using multiple different techniques, you were not able to find any fingerprints on either piece of duct tape?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is correct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The prosecution is expected to wrap up its case today or tomorrow and the trial could go to the jury next week.
VELSHI: In Iraq, about a dozen gunmen have taken hostages inside a government building northeast of Baghdad. Iraqi officials say the attacker stormed the provincial council building in Baquba this morning after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main entrance. Then moments later, a car bomb exploded nearby. The two attacks killed at least eight people and injured more than two dozen others.
CHETRY: Fire crews are making progress on the so-called Wallow fire in Arizona. It's burned more than 700 square miles. Right now the fire is about 10 percent contained. Fire crews are shifting their focus, building new fire lines in New Mexico. Officials there closed the famous Carlsbad Caverns National Park after park employee working the back country reported a fire.
ROMANS: The rising Missouri River punching two holes in two separate levees along the Iowa/Missouri border. The first breach was some 300 feet wide. Officials fear it could flood the town of Hamburg, Iowa. The second levee failed in Holt County, Missouri, sending floodwaters into nearby farmland there.
VELSHI: Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center watching this for us this morning. We've got floods in some parts of the country, fires in others, a lot of dry weather. What's it looking like today? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're watching the rivers. The Missouri specifically dump into the Mississippi which is still under flood stage and we've got some flash flood warnings that are posted because we have some rainfall in these areas as well. So some thunderstorms that are rolling through the Missouri and through Illinois just south of Chicago. This is mostly driving down to the south and east. Most of these are tame, but they are producing a fair amount of heavier rain.
This is what it looked like yesterday in Colorado, Anton (ph), Colorado, where some severe thunderstorms rolled through east of the Rockies. And boy, we had hail stones the size of golf balls at times. These guys managed to get this video for us. Look how dark that sky is, bright light and hail stones being -- creating quite a contrast.
We don't expect to see quite that today in Colorado but we will see a fair amount of severe weather across the midsection that could produce some hail. It will be hot again across the southern half. 100 expected in Dallas, 98 Memphis, 91 in Atlanta. Meantime, a chilly 65 degrees expected up there in New York. A far cry from the 90s and 100 degree temperatures you saw last week. I hope you're enjoying that.
VELSHI: We complained about the cold weather for so long and now after a few days of heat it's like I'll take the 65.
CHETRY: Sixty-five is great. I'm going to take that year-round.
VELSHI: Yes, yes.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, where was all that hail? That was in Colorado?
MARCIANO: Yes. Eastern Colorado.
CHETRY: Yikes. Body shops will be packed today.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
CHETRY: You just hear the dents.
Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
CHETRY: Well, Hockey Stanley Cup is now going to a seventh and deciding game. The Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 last night in Boston to even the series at 3-3.
VELSHI: Boo.
CHETRY: The Bruins scored four goals in a four-minute span in the first period and never looked back.
VELSHI: Boo.
CHETRY: By the way, in the series, the home team has won every game in the series. VELSHI: And game seven --
CHETRY: And game seven is tomorrow night in Vancouver. Winner take all. So we'll see what happens.
ROMANS: Now, are you a sports fan or you're just a Canadian?
VELSHI: I'm Canadian. I'm Canadian. But here's the thing.
CHETRY: He doesn't even know -- he's not exactly sure what sport is being played. He just heard Vancouver.
VELSHI: On every level I've got more in life to do with Boston than I do with Vancouver but I'm a Canadian, so I have to cheer.
ROMANS: There you go.
All right. Up next on AMERICAN MORNING, did the Republican candidates connect with the party faithful? We watched the debate with a family of GOP voters. We're going to tell you their reaction.
VELSHI: And the new head of the Army, why the Army is ditching the beret and going with something different. I really mean the head of the Army.
Twelve minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: New this morning, a confrontation at sea between the U.S. Navy and North Korea. The Pentagon says a North Korean ship was intercepted by the "USS McCampbell" in the South China Sea. The Navy tried to get permission to board to look for banned weapons, but it was denied, which is a violation of international law. But the ship did turn around. It's believed the ship was heading to Myanmar with banned technology.
ROMANS: All right. The troops have spoken and they say, hmmm, they don't really like that beret. After a decade, the Military is getting rid of the black beret as standard headgear for the army combat uniform. One soldier according to the Army Times complained it felt like he was wearing a wet sock on his head and it made him break out. It's being replaced with a camouflage patrol cap. The Army says the change came after thousands of soldiers weighed in on surveys in social media.
CHETRY: And so they'll still all be issued the black beret -
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: -- for their official part of their uniform, but that the camouflage patrol cap -
ROMANS: (INAUDIBLE), right.
CHETRY: And this is all fraught with controversy. I mean, the Army Rangers were irate a decade ago when they did start issuing these black berets, because that was supposed to be their, you know -
VELSHI: Right. Yes.
CHETRY: Very special. They changed it to beige, so -
All right. Well, observe and report is part of our in-depth look at last night's Republican debate.
VELSHI: Did the candidates connect with the Republican voters?
CNN's Martin Savidge watched the debate with a family in South Carolina. He's live now in Greenville, South Carolina. Marty, what did they come up with?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, you have to realize how important South Carolina is when it comes to the Republican cause. Since 1980, the winner of the Republican Primary here in South Carolina has gone on to become the Republican nominee. This is definitely a Red State, which is why people here, especially Republicans, were very keen to hear what the candidates had to say. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Meet the Carnes. Brett, former military turned executive, his wife Wendy, a realtor, two daughters, Margaret and Rebecca. Politically -
BRETT CARNES, GREENVILLE RESIDENT: I would say she probably tends more to the Left and I'm always right.
SAVIDGE: Last presidential election the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan mattered most to them. This time, it's the failing economy, which in a realty job Wendy has seen and felt.
WENDY CARNES, GREENVILLE RESIDENT: It's been hard. Worked the same or more hours as I did five or six years ago and - and making a third of the money.
SAVIDGE: And that's just how the debate started, with the economy.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What would you do as president of the United States to create jobs?
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The thing we need to do is to get this economy boosted.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What we need is an economy that's unshackled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What this president has done has slowed the economy.
SAVIDGE: All of the candidates blasted the Obama administration.
B. CARNES: Uh-oh. SAVIDGE: But 35 minutes in, Brett still wasn't hearing what he wanted to hear.
B. CARNES: That's the stupidest answer I've ever heard. To me it's just political posturing, getting their big talking points out. You know, they've got to check those blocks. I haven't heard anything about me.
SAVIDGE: And even after two hours, the couple still hadn't heard enough when it came to making the economy better. Frustrated by a format that's stressed short answers.
B. CARNES: It has taken several years for us to get in a situation and they're not going to solve it in a 30-second answer.
SAVIDGE (on camera): Did you see a candidate up on that stage you think that can beat President Obama?
B. CARNES: Yes, all seven. How many did you see?
W. CARNES: I think it would be interesting to watch one of them debate him.
SAVIDGE: So I do see a little bit of a divide here.
B. CARNES: Just a little.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Very friendly divide.
It should be pointed out that, really, for this family, it was like the old song, getting to know you. There were a number of candidates, though, that especially Brett was interested to hear from, Tim Pawlenty is one of them, Mitt Romney is another one, but he was impressed with Herman Cain and that's actually a candidate that a number of people here liked the plain speak and like the fact that he is a CEO, a man who has done business, and they believe business is what needs to be done now. Back to you.
VELSHI: Martin, Herman Cain gets that - that strong voter intensity -
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: -- the idea that people like him and they really like -
ROMANS: That's right.
VELSHI: -- him. They stick with him and they're loyal. But in our polling of Republicans, in general, of that crowd only Mitt Romney polls amongst Republicans as being able to defeat President Obama. But I guess as debates are going to be happening in people's living rooms as you saw.
Martin, thanks very much. CHETRY: When it comes to bringing home the bacon, size apparently matters a lot. The headline of this study, which is pretty interesting, it had us talking this morning from the "Journal of Applied Psychology" is that women who weigh less, make more, and men who weigh less, make less. That's right.
According to the study, what they said was that women who are 25 pounds below the average female weight take home more than $15,000 a year than other women. Yet, men who are 25 pounds below the average male weight take home about $8,400 less than other men.
VELSHI: Should men - should men be overweight or should they be average weight?
CHETRY: Well -
VELSHI: Because clearly women should be - to make more according to the study, should be under average weight.
CHETRY: That's right. But the thing when they say 25 pounds overweight for men, this is where it gets a little hairy, no pun intended. Let's talk about you. Is that it could be muscle or fat. They just say that apparently the connotation -
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: -- is a guy who's skinny is sneaky.
ROMANS: So a bigger man is a bigger presence in the workplace.
CHETRY: Yes, apparently. (INAUDIBLE).
ROMANS: And the thinner woman is rewarded for being thinner in the workplace.
CHETRY: Are you - pretty growing up here?
VELSHI: (INAUDIBLE). Well, that leads us to our question of the day. Weight a minute, get it? Weight a minute. All right. Do size and success go hand in hand?
We want to know what you think. Send us an e-mail, a tweet, or tell us on Facebook. We will read your thoughts throughout the morning. Do size and success go hand in hand?
ROMANS: And we'll tweet out a link to that story so you can read for yourself -
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: -- and try to see if there are any little tricks in there.
All right. Up next on AMERICAN MORNING, if you think your energy bill is high now, just wait. Why some say you could be paying 60 percent more for your energy bill in just a few years.
Twenty minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 24 minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Markets closed basically unchanged yesterday and investors are looking to fresh economic news this morning. Retail sales and the producer price index for May come out at 8:30 A.M. Eastern. This afternoon, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be speaking (ph) about the federal budget in Washington.
Big buzz on Wall Street today about Facebook going public as early as next year. For how much? $100 billion. The fresh chatter kicked off yesterday after a report on CNBC.
Air Canada's Customer Service and sales employees walked off the job at midnight last night after they couldn't reach an agreement with the airline on pension plans. Air Canada says the airline is fully operational but warns of long lines at the check-in.
Americans paid almost $5.7 billion in airline fees last year. That's according to the Department of Transportation. Most of that money came from baggage fees and fees to change reservations.
Your electric bill could spike by up to 60 percent in the next few years. According to an advocacy group, new environmental regulations could make coal fired generating plants more expensive to operate.
The parent company for Perkins Restaurants and Marie Callender Restaurant and Bakeries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday. The Memphis-based company says they plan to close 31 locations as part of the filing.
AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after the break with Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-nine minutes past the hour. A look at your top stories this morning.
The first big debate of 2012, they attacked the president rather than one another. Seven Republicans faced off last night in New Hampshire. The candidates blasting the president's policies on everything from jobs to health care to foreign policy.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann made news in the middle of the - well, actually right around the beginning of the debate by announcing that she is officially in the race.
The prosecution could wrap up its case today in the Casey Anthony murder trial. An FBI fingerprint expert took the stand yesterday. Elizabeth Fontaine testified that she examined three strips of duct tape that were found with the remains of 2-year-old Caylee. Prosecutors claim Caylee's mother used the tape to cover her daughter's mouth when she killed her. But the FBI witness could not find any fingerprints on that tape.
President Obama adding to the pressure on Congressman Anthony Weiner. The president is saying Weiner has embarrassed himself and, quote, "If it was me, I would resign."
ROMANS: The president is leaving for a historic visit to Puerto Rico this morning. He's headed there from a fundraiser in Miami that he attended last night. It's the first presidential visit to that island in 50 years.
People living in the U.S. territory are American citizens but they can't vote for president. But 5 million Puerto Ricans living on the mainland who have full voting rights may be watching.
Investigators trying to figure out what caused a Goodyear blimp to burst into flames and crash over the weekend in Germany. Witnesses say the blimp caught fire while it was trying to land. The pilot was killed in the accident, but he managed to save his passengers, telling them to jump to safety moments before the blimp exploded. Investigators say it could take weeks before they know what went wrong.
Quite a square for the dozen or so people in this pool when a utility truck went crashing into it. It happened in Johns Creek, Georgia. Police say the driver lost control of the truck after going into a diabetic coma. Half of the people in that pool were children. They were all shaken. But authorities say no one was injured -- Ali.
VELSHI: Well, there's a lot of buzz this morning about Michele Bachmann's performance in last night's Republican presidential debate. Many bloggers and political observers believe she stepped out of Sarah Palin's shadow and emerge as a viable contender for the White House, repeatedly slamming President Obama's policies after scoring some early points with a carefully calculated announcement. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: I filed today, my paperwork, to seek the office of the presidency of the United States today, and I'll very soon be making my formal announcement.
As president of the United States, I will not rest until I repeal Obamacare. It's a promise, take it to the bank, cash the check, I'll make sure that that happens.
We need everybody to come together because we're going to win. Just make no mistake about it. I want to announce tonight: President Obama is a one-term president. We'll win.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann joins me live from Manchester, New Hampshire, this morning.
Congresswoman Bachmann, congratulations. Good to see you this morning.
Listen to what they're saying about you, some say you stole the show, others calling your performance electrifying. Dana Milbank said you rose above the usual positioning. "National Journal" political insiders, 51 percent of them say that Mitt Romney won the debate, 21 percent, though, bringing you in second, say you won the debate.
How are you feeling this morning?
BACHMANN: Well, we're feeling great. We're looking forward to getting to all of the states and taking our message of job creation and turning the economy around. But we are very pleased last night, Ali.
VELSHI: Are you surprised --
BACHMANN: I also want to thank CNN. CNN was a wonderful host last evening.
VELSHI: Thank you for that.
Are you surprised by how surprise d some people seem to be with your performance?
BACHMANN: Well, you know, I wasn't thinking about performance. I was really just thinking about President Obama and what we can do to make sure that he is a one-term president because, frankly, he hasn't done a great job serving the interests of the American people. So that was really my focus last night.
VELSHI: Let's talk about that. You mentioned that he's a one-term president. I happen to know you're good with numbers, given your background. I know you won't see these polls but I'm going to put them up for our viewers.
This is a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll taken last week. This is Republican's choice for nominee in 2012. It's a field of 10 people. Mitt Romney is at the top, then Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, then you at 4 percent.
So, you're 20 points behind Mitt Romney in that poll.
But here's the one that's more important. You said that you want President Obama to be a one-term president. We have the same poll asking Republicans who can beat Barack Obama, Mitt Romney with 65 percent, Giuliani 56 president, Palin with 44 percent, New Gingrich with 43 percent.
How do you get into that space and can you get in that space with Sarah Palin still toying with the idea of running?
BACHMANN: Well, Ali, I just announced last evening on CNN that we had filed our paperwork for me to seek the office of the presidency of the United States. So, we're just out of the box, and I'm excited that we're -- that we're starting, we're off and running, and I think that now, we'll be able to make our case to the American people and I think that we'll see then an increased level of support around the country.
VELSHI: All right. You have said in the past that you feel very, very strongly, and this is before the Tea Party movement got started. You feel very strongly that government should be limited to what it is allowed to do in the Constitution.
Now, the fact is, when we have to change things in society, government has had to provide incentives to capital to move into certain areas. Think about energy, think about the environment.
Do you really believe that the federal government should offer no incentives, should undertake no planning with anything that doesn't have to do with powers granted to them in the Constitution?
BACHMANN: Well, I think there's two very different roles of government. And one role that President Obama takes is a command and controlled view of the economy, where the government has a very heavy hand. The best example is Obamacare.
Now, what's wrong with that, Ali, is the fact that under Obamacare, even the Congressional Budget Office says we will lose 800,000 jobs. That's something we can't afford in this economy.
That's why I subscribe to a supply and demand view of the free markets. I want to see job growth. We'll create hundreds of thousands of jobs under the free market as opposed to the command and control view of President Obama. That's the message I look forward to taking across the United States.
VELSHI: Congresswoman Bachmann, I enjoy having this conversation with you, because I know you know taxes better than possibly anyone standing on that stage. It's a constant Republican mantra that lowering taxes will create jobs and that America has some of the highest corporate tax rates in the world.
You know full well that, really, American corporations don't pay those taxes. So, on balance, American corporations are not taxed more than others. How do we deal with that?
BACHMANN: Well, the taxes are paid as you know by the consumers in this country. So, those are the viewers that are watching you this morning. They pay those taxes because the corporations have to pass them on to the consumers. That's why what we want to do is to be able to create all of the incentives that we can so we can have job growth in the United States.
I'm really tired of seeing outsourcing of jobs outside of the country. And yes, a corporate tax rate makes an incredible difference on job growth, but so does the regulatory burden that burden from the EPA on businesses all across the United States -- the Environmental Protection Agency also is causing us to lose literally hundreds of thousands of jobs.
That's why we desperately need reform in the United States, and I firmly believe that we can turn the economy around and it won't take more than but a quarter to and we'll begin to see job growth emerge here in the United States.
VELSHI: We are going to see a very serious discussion, possibly come down to the wire on the debt ceiling. You have said before, you said when you were with me, that you have voted against it. You will not -- you intend to still vote against it unless there are serious cuts.
Where do you think we're going to be at the beginning of August?
BACHMANN: Well, I think Harry Reid in the Senate has said he expects to see tax increases. I think that's President Obama's expectation as well, that we'll see tax increases on the American people, on our businesses.
That won't turn the economy around. We know that that's a plan for failure and a prescription for failure.
So, what we need to do is actually work on the issue.
Here's the problem, Ali: President Obama once again on the economy is leading from behind. As president of the United States, I would lead from the front because I believe the United States should be the head and not the tail.
That's why we cannot continue doing what we're doing. We've seen a 35 percent increase unfortunately in the debt under President Obama. And just like President Obama said, more eloquently than I could, he said it's a failure of leadership to have to deal with this debt ceiling issue.
As president of the United States, I would seek a policy that would take us to balance so that we never again raise the debt ceiling in this country.
VELSHI: As a leader of the Tea Party Caucus and Republican Party, do you see yourself voting in favor of or against debt ceiling increase by the beginning of August?
BACHMANN: At this point, I would be voting against a debt ceiling increase because I don't see any serious cuts on the table whatsoever. I only see tax increases. And that will hurt the United States.
Remember, the debt ceiling is all about giving the government additional authority to borrow money that we don't have, about $2.4 trillion, that will only get us another year down the road and we'll be that much more in debt. This is a prescription for failure for our generation and for the next generation.
We can do so much better than this, Ali.
VELSHI: Representative Michele Bachmann, good to see you. Congratulations on your performance in the debate last night. We look forward to talking to you many times in the future.
BACHMANN: Thank you.
VELSHI: All right. Representative Michele Bachmann is now a presidential candidate.
At 7:15 eastern time, we'll be joined live by former Minnesota governor and Republican presidential candidate, Tim Pawlenty.
CHETRY: All right. Well, last night's Republican presidential debate, did any of the candidates connect? Three undecided voters who were there join us next with their take.
It's 40 minutes past the hour.
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ROMANS: It's the morning after the big Republican presidential debate. Seven candidates squaring off in New Hampshire with 17 months to go before America votes.
And we want to know which candidates, if any, connected.
Joining us now from Manchester, New Hampshire are three undecided voters who were in the hall to watch last night's event. Tyler McAfee is a student at the University of New Hampshire; Wayne Barrows is a salesman. And we're also joined by Wayne's mother, Maureen Barrows.
Welcome to the program, everyone.
Did these candidates connect with you and do you feel as if all the pundits are saying this morning that the two big winners were Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann? Do you guys agree?
WAYNE BARROWS, WATCHED REPUBLICAN DEBATE : I definitely think that Michele Bachmann differentiated herself. I think that if I was Sarah Palin back in Alaska, I would be shaking in my boots because Michele Bachmann really impressed me with how smart she was.
Mitt Romney, he didn't do anything to lose vote last night, but I would -- I'm not sure I would classify him as a big winner.
ROMANS: Maureen, you said he didn't really impress you that much either?
Maureen, did he impress you, Mitt Romney?
W. BARROWS: Are you impressed by Mitt Romney.
MAUREEN BARROWS, WATCHED REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Was I impressed by Mitt Romney? I've been hearing that Mitt Romney since 2008 and I think I pretty much know everything about him. But at this point, I was more impressed with Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul than I ever dreamed I would be.
ROMANS: You know, Tyler, let me ask you --
M. BARROWS: I thought it was a good night for both of them.
ROMANS: That's interesting. You know, Tyler, I wanted to ask you, you know, what do you think about -- you're 19, you're at the University of New Hampshire, you're probably not worried about Medicare all that much which is something older voters have been talking about, Medicare and Social Security. You are worried about the deficit.
Are you seeing enough separation of the candidates on the issue of debt?
TYLER MCAFEE, WATCHED REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Well, I think the big -- what I am seeing is the fact that all of these candidates seem to be serious about, you know, doing -- actually doing something about the deficit, and I think that's important to young voters because all of the, you know, the young electorate is very worried about, you know, our future and the future of America because of, obviously, if we don't do something about this debt then, you know, our, you know, there's -- there isn't going to be a prosperous America in the future.
ROMANS: Tyler, you know, Maureen just said she was sort of impressed by Ron Paul. There was a comment from Ron Paul on the subject of same-sex marriage that stood out for you. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL, (R) TEXAS: The federal government shouldn't be involved. I wouldn't support an amendment, but let me suggest, one of the ways to solve this ongoing debate about marriage, look up the dictionary. We know what marriage is all about, but then, get the government out of it. Why doesn't it go to the church and why doesn't it go to the individuals. I think -- I don't think government should give us a license to get married. It should be in the church.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So, with all this talk, Tyler, about the economy and you and I just talked about debt, how important are social issues to you and to young voters, young Republican voters in general?
MCAFEE: Right. I think social issues in this political climate right now are going to take a backseat to the economy because of how sluggish the recovery has been, but I do like what Ron Paul had to say about gay marriage. I don't think that the government has a role to play in handing out marriage licenses.
I do believe that if we do want to achieve equal rights, we have to get the government out of marriage, and we have to be able to have anybody, any loving couple, be able to get civil unions, and then, we leave marriage by definition up to churches and religious institutions. I very much like what he had to say about gay marriage last night.
ROMANS: It's interesting because we know that the polls show that the younger the voter, the more likely they are to feel the way you feel, Tyler.
Wayne, let me ask you the last question. You are a father of three, you are a traveling salesmen, you consider yourself a libertarian, but you're an independent thinker, an independent voter, but you vote most often with the Republicans. Do you think anything last night on the economy that these Republicans told you that makes you think they have a better plan than the president?
WAYNE BARROWS, WATCHED REPUBLICAN DEBATE: Well, I have full confidence that the Republicans have a better plan for the economy than the president. I mean, I think President Obama has done a terrible job with the economy. However, I will say this, I'm not so sure that we see the winner of the New Hampshire primary on the stage last night.
I think that I wouldn't be surprised if a Rudy Giuliani, a Rick Perry or a Jon Huntsman gets into the race here and really supersedes what we saw on the stage last night. They all seem to be speaking the Republican playbook, and I'm looking as an undecided voter, I'm looking for a candidate who has a real plan of attack and not just blaming President Obama. And I'm not sure I saw that last night.
ROMANS: Wayne Barrows, Maureen Barrows, Tyler McAfee, all three of you, thank you so much for letting us know whether this -- these candidates are connecting with you. Thanks, everyone.
We're going to be right back. It's 48 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour. here's a look at your morning headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): It is the day after the big debate where seven Republican candidates took to the stage in New Hampshire attacking the president during last night's debate. They took turns blasting the Obama administration's handling of the economy, health care, and immigration.
Yemen's acting president meeting with opposition leaders for the first time. He's agreed to strive for reconciliation in the absence of Yemen's president, Saleh. He's being treated in Saudi Arabia, as we know, for wounds that he suffered in an assassination attempt.
An FBI fingerprint expert testified yesterday in the Casey Anthony murder trial saying that she couldn't find fingerprints on the duct tape that was covering the mouth of two-year-old Caylee Anthony.
Joran van der Sloot is expected to appear in a courtroom in Peru today. The closed-door hearing is evidence in murder of Stephanie Flores. Her body was found in van der Sloot's Lima hotel room last year.
President Obama now weighing in on the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal describing Weiner's behavior as highly inappropriate saying, if I was him, I would resign. The disgraced congressman has resisted calls to step down. Hockey the way Lord Stanley meant it to be. The Boston Bruins beating the Vancouver Canucks last night 5-2, forcing a seventh and deciding game in the Stanley Cup Final series which will be tomorrow night, by the way, in Vancouver.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (on-camera): And you're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING back after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Testing the waters and getting into trouble. Check this out. A brand new America's cup boat going end over end. Ooh! In San Francisco Bay. It happened during a practice run for America's cup which will be held in these choppy waters. Look at that.
CHETRY: Whoa!
VELSHI: Look at that thing.
CHETRY: It's sort of an experimental catamaran, you know?
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: That's why they have practice runs.
VELSHI: Right. It's part of oracle racing. They're described as hot rods on the water. The team said one crewman suffered minor injury.
ROMANS: Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center.
VELSHI: They probably got (ph) this kind of stuff.
ROMANS: I have to imagine that costs a pretty penny. Anything like that is probably full of really expensive equipment, flips right over.
MARCIANO: Absolutely.
ROMANS: I mean, it's made for the water, but still, that's a pretty -- that's pretty high-tech machine.
MARCIANO: It is. In the end, the sailors put it out on their dangling bomb and that's like rats holding on to a sinking ship.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: My goodness. Good morning, guys. We have breezy conditions across the west coast yesterday, and we're going to have breezy conditions across the central part of the country, but that does not include the fire areas across Arizona and New Mexico. They'll have a day, I think, where the storms, the winds are going to lay down and that will help the situation there certainly.
As far as how cool and how hot it's going to be down to the south is where most of the heat is going to be and where the thunderstorms are going to be present. They could become severe across that red area. Parts of Texas and New Mexico saw record-breaking high temperature again yesterday. Savannah, Georgia, 102, although, in Atlanta yesterday, dew points dropped just a little bit. So, made it a little bit more comfortable.
Here's where dew points are high where the rain is falling from St. Louis up to Springfield. Some of this will sneak into Chicago, but for the most part, it should be fairly pleasant. Seventy-four degrees in Chicago, 65 still unsettled, little cloudy. There'll be some showers around the northeast today, but you'll take that over the 90s which will be prevalent again across the parts of the Deep South.
Dallas may very well hit 100 degrees again. Stay cool up there guys. It's a little chillier than it was last week, that's for sure.
ROMANS: All right. Rob, thanks. Yes, we'll take it.
VELSHI: When you dress in a three-piece suit every day, 65 is perfect.
CHETRY: Exactly. You don't need the 90s.
MARCIANO: There you go.
CHETRY: It seems like size really matters when it comes to how much you make. According to a study in the "Journal of Applied Psychology," women who are 25 pounds below the average female weight take home more than $15,000 more than other women a year.
VELSHI: You know what we have to do before we do this again, we got to find out what these average weights are.
ROMANS: So, skinny women make more money.
CHETRY: That's right.
VELSHI: Skinny women make more money, but men who are 25 pounds below the average male weight take home $8,500 a year less than the average man.
ROMANS: So, bigger men make more money.
CHETRY: That's right.
ROMANS: All right. That brings us to our question of the day. Weight a minute. Get it? Do size and success go hand in hand?
Brett Nelson on Facebook said, "Interesting that smaller men make less money on average. Wonder if that's some sort of physical hierarchy, runt of the litter sort of thing?"
VELSHI: Alessandro Bartoletti says, "So much of hogwash. I'm 5'4", 130 pounds, and I certainly do better than most of my male counterparts. It all depends on one's individual drive to succeed and to be the best that he or she can be." Alessandro, you're right. CHETRY: Kindred spirit.
ROMANS: Word hogwash is such a good word.
CHETRY: And it's not an Italian word, really.
ROMANS: Really. I love the --
Kristen Kramer on Facebook writes, "This does not surprise me, but it's very sad, and it shows how sexist society is as a whole and how people want women to be eye candy.
VELSHI: I have to say, I'm not sure I read this as a cause and effect thing. In other words, you can make a poll that says anything, right? Just statistically is. I don't know that it means that you will make more money.
ROMANS: I know a lot people have been interpreting it to mean that if you're more attractive, you make more money.
VELSHI: Right. And bigger guys are more attractive?
CHETRY: And what do we view as attractive, women being thin and men being muscular --
VELSHI: All right.
CHETRY: And/or slightly overweight.
VELSHI: Keep your comments coming. Send us an e-mail, a tweet, or tell us on Facebook. We're going to read more of your responses throughout the morning. Some really, really good responses coming in from you guys.
ROMANS: That's right. Top stories right after the break.
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