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CNN Saturday Morning News

Jack Welch Amends Controversial Tweet; Unemployment Down; Interview With Ohio Republican Assistant Secretary of State Scott Borgemenke; Interview with Democrat Ohio State Senator Nina Turner

Aired October 06, 2012 - 09:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. Victor Blackwell is off today. It's 9:00 on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.

In a bitter political season even the Labor Department has become a target. The new jobs report had triggered a backlash among critics of President Obama. The unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in September -- a drop of three-tenths of a percent from August.

The numbers appear good on the surface, but just too good for Jack Welch. The former CEO of General Electric tweeted this. "Unbelievable jobs numbers. These Chicago guys will do anything -- can't debate so change numbers."

Well, Welch later came on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360" and said if he had that tweet to do all over again, he would have added one thing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "ANDERSON COOPER 360": So many politicians these days are saying like, "You know, Michele Bachmann will say something that factually is not correct or is not provable and then we'll say look, I'm just asking the question." Is it responsible to say I'm just asking the question but to say these Chicago guys will do anything, oh, I'm just asking the question.

JACK WELCH, FORMER CEO, GENERAL ELECTRIC: Should have put the question mark at the end like I did last night.

COOPER: OK.

WELCH: A question mark would have been better at the back of that.

COOPER: OK. So you are kind of backing away from the Chicago guys.

WELCH: I'm not backing away. I'm not backing away from anything,

COOPER: You wish you would amend your tweet.

WELCH: Wish I had a question mark at the back of it. The same implication.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: But to say something like this is like Donald Trump saying that President Obama is not an American citizen without any proof. You are Jack Welch. Jack, you've got to take this opportunity while everybody is listening to you to actually say, "Yes, Anderson, I'm taking that tweet back. I'm going to send a new tweet to say I was exaggerating. There are problems BLS maybe should look into it" but to actually throw out an accusation that's like asking the government how often do you beat your wife?

WELCH: I should have had a question mark, Ali, at the back of it, let's face it, OK. But the facts, are, Ali, no matter how you want to look at this, we had 25 economists polled before this number came out. The average number they expected was about 115,000. Not one of them --

VELSHI: Yes.

WELCH: Had a number below 8.1.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Labor secretary Hilda Solis shot back at the critics. She told CNN it was insulting for people to suggest her department was manipulating numbers for the president's benefit.

The Obama and Romney campaigns are ratcheting up the rhetoric in the wake of the jobs report. Our political editor Paul Steinhauser has the candidate's comments. One set of numbers, Paul, two sets of eyes.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, very, very different responses, of course, to that Friday jobs report, no doubt about it, Randi. And of course, you know why the economy remains by far the top issue on the minds of Americans. Jobs is the most important economic issue for them and that's why the candidates have so much at stake with these numbers. Take a listen to how both men talked about these numbers on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today's news should give us some encouragement. It shouldn't be an excuse for the other side to try to talk down the economy just to try to score a few political points. It's a reminder that this country's come too far to turn back now.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The unemployment rate, as you noted this year has come down very, very slowly but it has come down nonetheless. But the reason it's come down this year is primarily due to the fact that more and more people have just stopped looking for work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: For a year and a half that Romney has been running for president he's been criticizing President Obama for doing a bad job on jobs and employment due to the fact that the unemployment level had been above eight percent. Now that it's below eight percent, Randi, you can hear Mitt Romney now talking about a different tactic there, and he says that, "You know, if you add in all the people who have stopped looking for jobs, he says the real unemployment level he says would be around 11 percent." Randi?

KAYE: So Paul, one presidential debate down, one to go after the VP debate this coming Thursday, but what do you think the candidates will focus on as they head up into that debate?

STEINHAUSER: Well, they are already beginning to prepare for the next debate. Mitt Romney this weekend doing some campaign debate preparation and the president will as well before they -- before they also head out on the campaign trail. Both candidates are looking back at what happened on Wednesday in Denver, and they are looking ahead. Take a listen to both men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: My opponent, he is doing a lot of tap dance at the debate the other night, trying to wiggle out of stuff he's been saying for a year, doing like -- it was like "Dancing With The Stars" or maybe it was "Extreme Makeover: Debate edition."

ROMNEY: I thought it was a good chance for us to ask each other questions. I asked the president some of the questions I know people across America have wanted to ask him. I asked him, for instance, why with 23 million Americans that were looking for work and wanted a president that would focus on getting the economy going he instead spent his first two years fighting for Obamacare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: I think you're going to hear more of Mitt Romney question the president's priorities and I think you're going to hear more of the president saying, "Hey, who was that Mitt Romney I debated the other night? He's not the real guy that I know."

Randi, as you mentioned though, the real highlight this upcoming week will be the vice presidential debate, the only showdown between Vice president Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan and, of course, that will be moderated -- the next presidential debate, of course, will be moderated by our own Candy Crowley.

KAYE: Yes and the vice presidential debate should be pretty interesting. I mean, Biden is usually pretty good going on the attack.

STEINHAUSER: Well Biden will definitely probably try to be the aggressor here to pick up where the president left off last week in Denver, and I think Paul Ryan is known as a pretty good numbers man, and I think it should be a pretty interesting debate, Randi.

KAYE: It sure will. We'll be watching. Paul Steinhauser, thank you.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you.

KAYE: Overnight three suspected terrorists arrived in New York after being extradited from London, including the notorious Abu Hamza al Masri. He has a hook for a hand and has called Osama Bin Laden hero. The radical cleric and four others are wanted for several crimes committed against the U.S. in the 1990s. They are accused of kidnapping tourists and conspiring to build a jihadist training camp in Oregon. Some of them are expected to appear in court tomorrow.

Defense secretary Leon Panetta is firing back at Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It all follows Karzai's criticism that allied troops haven't done enough to battle insurgents in Pakistan. Here's what Panetta said in his rare public dressing down of Karzai. "I think it would be helpful if the president every once in a while expressed his thanks for the sacrifices that have been made by those who have fought and died for Afghanistan rather than criticizing them."

Gas prices rising again. The national average now at 3.81, that is up from 3.79 yesterday. So what is driving up the cost? A new U.N. report points to massive bets placed on the commodities market for the volatility in oil and gas prices, and it's not likely to change any time soon. Bad news for drivers in places like California for sure where the average gallon of gas is 4.61, topping $5 actually in some parts of that state.

When you talk about swing states, Ohio rises to the top of the discussion, but what are Ohio voters focusing on? Is it Romney's debate demeanor or is the falling unemployment rate? We'll check with both sides to see who has the advantage there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As someone who knows the issues, I understand that President Obama won the debate on facts. My only concern is for those people who do not know the issues that they may look at the temperamentalism (ph) of Mitt Romney and the statements without facts that he continued to make and assume that he was knowledgeable on issues or somehow he would have been better for the middle class. So my answer as far as --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That was one of our iReporters there.

We want to take a closer look at one of the key swing states that could decide the outcome of the presidential race. It's Ohio, and Ohio carries 18 electoral votes. A court has now given the Obama campaign a victory allowing voters to cast ballot on the final weekend before the election. The state has been a focus of the campaigns. There was even some name-dropping at the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I was in Dayton, Ohio, and a woman grabbed my arm and said "I've been out of work since May, can you help me"?

OBAMA: So at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the best health care systems in the world, they actually provide great care cheaper than average, and the reason they do is because they do some smart things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Let's bring in Scott Borgemenke, the Republican assistant secretary of state for Ohio. Scott, good morning to you. First your reaction to yesterday's ruling?

SCOTT BORGEMENKE (R), OHIO ASST. SEC. OF STATE: I think yesterday's ruling was -- it came at 3:00 yesterday. We haven't had time to talk about it yet at the office. I think it was something that was expected based on the draw that came from the court. The secretary of state has decided by Monday morning he's going to be making a decision on which way to go as far as issuing a directive or letting the counties make the choices themselves, and he'll decide though whether he wants to appeal that decision or not on Monday. So we're not going to sit on it for a long time. We think it's very important that the voters have the rules down as soon as possible so that they can get out there and vote and get their choice for president and for U.S. Senate.

KAYE: And so let's talk about the two big events this week that could affect Ohio voters, the debate and the new jobs report that shows unemployment dropping below eight percent for the first time now in more than three years. In your state of Ohio which is bigger?

BORGEMENKE: Well, you know, I think they are both big. I think numbers are always big and I think campaigns make a big deal about numbers, but the numbers really don't go outside of your neighborhood. Ohioans very much care about in their neighborhood and their community. So 100,000 jobs nationwide very, very important, but not in pharma. If you still don't have your job or you're underemployed, so I think that's something that Ohioans are still very touch and feel.

The numbers, like I said, statistics mean a lot of things, but they don't really mean anything if you or your neighbor are still having a problem getting a job or quite frankly are underemployed. I think that's a big issue in Ohio as well. Who is underemployed and who sees the opportunity to get back on their feet again where they used to be a couple years ago?

KAYE: One of Mitt Romney's key surrogates and debate prep partner is from Ohio. I'm talking about Senator Rob Portman, of course. Our Jim Acosta has called him the debate whisperer. Is he a key to Romney doing well there?

BORGEMENKE: Well, I think Rob Portman is a key for any Republican doing well because, you know, Rob is -- he is the most knowledgeable calming force. He knows how to communicate things extremely well and efficiently without calling names, without being name-calling or without being too bitter.

Rob Portman is very well respected. He's relatively unknown, but what Rob did to win the state by just huge numbers for the state of Ohio when he ran for U.S. Senate was he got out and touched and felt people. He listened. Rob is an excellent listener, and I think the candidate going forward that listens to the voters of Ohio is the one that's going to end up on top.

KAYE: Let's look back to 2008 and the election. Barack Obama won the big counties with the big cities. He won the state by what, just four points, but how can Mitt Romney turn that around this time?

BORGEMENKE: Well, I mean, I think you make a good point. There's two Ohios. There's -- there's five or six large counties, and they tend to be urban voters with some suburban outreach. Then there's the collar counties which are all the suburbs which tend to go Republican, and then you have the dynamic between northeast Ohio and southwest Ohio, so the fact is at the end of the day I don't know that anybody needs to turn anything around. This is a very different election than four years ago.

Four years ago you had an open presidency which always drives turnout. You had the first African-American candidate which drives turnout, and you had a war hero which also drives turnout. This time you have an incumbent president. You have a governor from another state, and so it's just very interesting. The dynamics around the election here in Ohio seem to be toned down a little bit.

The only time people get too excited is when the national folks come in and tell us how to get a little too excited, but I think there's a lot of things in Ohio that people don't realize. I think a decided voter in Ohio is only decided for today. Often changes their mind right up until the day of the election, and, again, I suspect Ohio is going to be plus or minus two points either way.

KAYE: And let's go -- let's take a look down ticket now to the House races in Ohio. I mean, right now the state is split 13 to 5 in favor of the Republicans. A big part of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. I mean, are those races do you think just as important as the presidential race?

BORGEMENKE: Well, I mean, I think anybody that's a student of government understands the president can do just so much without a Congress, so I think at the end of the day the congressional numbers and the U.S. senate numbers are very, very important to where the state goes public policy-wise. You know, look, the 13 -- Ohio is not going to get many more than 13 Republican congressmen. There's some good races out there. There are going to be close races out there, but I actually don't believe either one of the presidential campaigns have coattails this year.

I don't think either campaign is particularly strong enough to pull one person through or one person down. I think these are going to be done individually on the ground, and I think you see the activity in the congressional candidates, maybe unprecedented out there, in which they are not trying to hook on to the president. They are not trying to hook on to Governor Romney. They are trying to -- to kind of cut their own swath, so to say.

KAYE: And let me just ask you -- I want to get back to that first question at the top of our interview. We got news, of course, from the court that has now given the Obama campaign a victory, as we said, allowing voters to cast the ballots in that final weekend before the election. Are you expecting that this ruling is actually going to be defied?

BORGEMENKE: No, no, no, no. First of all, I think what the ruling says is that it is up to the counties and up to the secretary of state to make the decision on operating hours. It does not -- it's a misconception that it says must be open. I think the decision the secretary of state is going to decide by Monday is which path is he going to take, but the decision absolutely does not say you are mandated to be open. What it says is you cannot be closed, and that decision historically goes back to before the statute took effect, and that essentially puts it in the hands of the counties or a directive of the secretary of state, and that's what the secretary is going to be deciding over the weekend.

KAYE: OK. Appreciate that. Scott Borgemenke, thank you so much for your time this morning.

BORGEMENKE: Thanks for having me, thank you.

KAYE: And up next, the democratic perspective from state senator Nina Turner.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. Twenty-one minutes past the hour now, and it is time to get to the other side of the Ohio story.

A federal court has sided with the Obama campaign and will allow early voting in Ohio on the weekend before the election. That ruling just coming yesterday afternoon. The state had tried to place a restriction on early voting.

Nina Turner is an Ohio state senator, a Democrat, representing the Cleveland area. Nina, good morning. Your reaction to that ruling?

NINA TURNER (D), OHIO STATE SENATOR: Good morning, Randi. Elated. This is a great day for the voters in the state of Ohio, the fact that the Sixth Circuit Court upheld what the Judge (INAUDIBLE) had to say, that what the state did was unconstitutional, so it's a great day for voters in our state.

KAYE: So who gets a bump, do you think, from the early voting?

TURNER: Well, traditionally, African-American voters and other voters in urban areas who tend to vote as Democrats utilize early in-person voting, so really all voters in the state of Ohio have access to this, and this is really what this is about. This is what Democrats have been fighting for, that voters in the state of Ohio should not be treated differently. They should be treated equally, and they should have opportunity to go to the ballot box.

KAYE: I'm curious. Have you already voted?

TURNER: I have, Randi. I voted on the first day of early voting which was on October 2nd and it is up across the state, particularly in Cuyahoga County where on that very first day, 1,900 people voted, and that is an increase from 2008.

KAYE: I know that county well. I asked the same question just a moment ago of assistant secretary of state Scott Borgemenke. Which will have a bigger impact on the voters, the debate that we saw this week or the new jobs report showing unemployment now down to 7.8 percent?

TURNER: The jobs report. I mean, here in Ohio, Ohioans certainly understand who has their back, and that is the president of the United States when he rescued the auto industry thereby one of every eight jobs in Ohio are tied to the auto industry.

Our unemployment rate in Ohio is already 7.2. We're doing quite well, we certainly need to do better, but that is in large part with the president's policies in promoting and working with the auto industry in the state of Ohio along with our federal senator, Senator Sherrod Brown.

Ohioans know what affects one directly affects us all indirectly and so the fact that the unemployment rate in the nation is below eight percent is great news as well.

KAYE: We've been focusing this morning on the Latino vote. How big of an effect could they have this time around, do you think?

TURNER: A huge impact. Very huge impact in the state of Ohio and all across the nation, and I believe that Hispanic voters understand as well who has their back in terms of the 47 percent.

You know, can you not represent people who you have disdain for, and no matter how Governor Romney tried to dress it up during his debate with the president, the fact remains that when he was in a setting of comfort among wealthy donors he said how he really felt about the 47 percent.

So I believe that Hispanic voters, African-American voters, other voters of color, people who live in poverty, working class people, understand who supports them and who wants to make sure that they can have the opportunity to live their measure of the American dream, and that is undoubtedly President Obama.

KAYE: But if you look at the polls there, they are still really close. President Obama was there in Cleveland yesterday. He's already made a couple of dozen visits to the state.

TURNER: He was.

KAYE: What does the president need to do to try and widen his lead there in Ohio?

TURNER: Randi, the president has visited Ohio at least 22 times over the course of his presidency, and, yes, fast and furious during the campaign time, but the president is doing quite well in Ohio. He's up at least by the last polls by about eight points, so the president will not take anybody in Ohio for granted, hence his continued visit to the state of Ohio.

But Ohioans are standing with the president, and I believe that when the final votes are cast, Ohio will go with the president as we did in 2008, and as we remember, Randi, when Ohio came in in support of the president, we knew that he had the presidency, and we're going to help him make history again. KAYE: All right. We'll be watching along with you come election night. Nina Turner, Ohio state senator, thank you very much.

TURNER: Thank you, Randi.

KAYE: This best late night laugh of the week coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Well, a consensus is Mitt Romney won the presidential debate last night. Yes. That's right. The only people who thought Obama won, the replacement refs. Those are the only ones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And after months of buildup last night was the first presidential debate at the University of Denver. Of course, a lot of big names didn't show up to the event, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, President Obama. They just didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the reality page. I'm sorry. He sucked. He looked tired. He had trouble getting his answers out. Looks like he took my million and spent it all on weed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mitt Romney, on the other hand, seemed downright human. He really did. He was relaxed before the debate. This is Mitt and his wife, Ann . watching their son play a rousing game of Jenga. This is real. We didn't make this up. They are playing, and look how much fun they are having. Have you ever seen a person enjoy watching another person play Jenga as much as the Romneys are here? He's having a dynamite time. I guess (INAUDIBLE) smoke, Jenga kicks ass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I'll see you back here in 30 minutes. "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" starts right now.