tv CNN Newsroom CNN September 5, 2012 9:00am-10:00am PDT
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live from the democratic national convention in charlotte, north carolina, i'm suzanne malveaux and we are bringing this to you live. the democrats getting the mojo back after a high-powered start. more big names coming out tonight to bolster the president's cause and beat back the romney campaign. the romney campaign. i want to get right to it. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we are here with dana bash, and political insiders and we will hear from them in a few moments and tonight, democrats will hear from former president bill clinton and last night it was the first lady's turn and she talked about the personal side of president obama and the values that guide him. >> he believes that when you have worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway
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of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. no, you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed. so when people ask me whether being in the white house has changed my husband, i can honestly say that when it comes to his character and his convictions and his heart, barack obama is still the same man i fell in love with all of those years ago. yeah. he's the same man who started his career by turning down high-paying jobs and instead, working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shutdown fighting to
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rebuild those communities and get folks back to work. because for barack, success is not about how much money you make, it is about the difference you make in people's lives. >> all right. that was michelle obama last night and we were watching it together and one of the things we were joking about is that she raised the bar when it came to the guns, right? we all -- and we are all going sleeveless now and we have to work on the biceps. >> and seriously, people were talking about that as well, and it is blowing up on twitter. in all seriousness, we did see michelle obama who is comfortable in her own skin and seemed like she was relaxed and really delivered a personal message. and dana, this seems like it is first lady who is growing, and who is evolving here h, a, and don't see hillary clinton, but michelle obama bringing in the women here.
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>> yes, and you heard her appeal to the women as overtly as ann romney did, because they don't have the gap that the republicans do, but it was fascinating of the way she felt she had to reintroduce the country to the person barack obama, and talking about his rusty old car and the way he asked her out on the date and of course, the kind of father he is. and of course, for the political goal talking about the way he grew up, and that is really a central part of what she needed to do, and i think that we will hear it throughout the entire week, the whole idea that they both have middle-class values, and middle-class upbringing and middle-class, middle-class, middle class. >> and how is this playing because you have the romney ads out saying, welfare, and go ahead and write a check and you don't have to do anything and the notion and the idea that the democrats are giving everything away for free, and she did emphasize, look, we believe in
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hard work and value people who work hard and we don't begrudge successful people which is a pushback from the republican line. >> oh, no question about it. they all talked about hard work, and michelle obama did, and julio castro did, and a number of the speakers and there were a number of re, maable speeches given and even the republicans who are very partisan admit that. but the bottom line at the end of the day is though when they talk about how you get to where you need to go, the american dream, and there still is a very stark difference of philosophy, if you are really digging down, and you don't have to dig that deep between what you heard from tampa last week, and the democrats talking about investing, investing, investing, and the republicans talking more about letting it happen without the government. >> and what did you think as a republican, because we watched this speech together last night and you weren't too critical? >> well, i have met michelle obama and i can tell you that
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the white house may not have changed barack obama, but it has changed michelle. she is a political pro. she is terrific in the delivery, and she knew exactly what to do and she did it. ann romney knew what she had to do and did it. both spouses in this case are terrific assets for their husband. michelle went out there, and she knew how to energize the base, but at the same time in a race with the romneys and ones were eating tuna and one was in a s rusty car and so after we got past the race of who was poorer and lived more humbly as young people, we could get to the policy. so it was a different speech poli policy-wise, but humanizing the men they were married to, and you see obama in four years, he's no longer the poor chicago state senator that we first met in 2004. he is now a millionaire who has been living in the white house and flying around in air force one, and so she had to humanize him and not just romney.
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>> it is the argument that your parents make. i had to go to school uphill both ways. >> barefoot. >> yes, barefoot as well. >> and marie, what is the appeal to women, because you have different models the michelle obama model and ann romney of a different generation. she is not wearing sleeveless. >> well, what michelle obama did masterfully last night and she has become a political juggernaut for the obama campaign and really come into her own, but what she did last night is two-fold. she was able to rev up the base in terms of talking about her husband and everything that she has done and the record, because i think that is critical, and republicans like to say that democrats and the president are running away from the record, and they are not. they are actually embracing it. but she also reached out to those swing moms as i call them, the women who might have been a little bit disillusioned or disappointed and not yet get, but might have been a little
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disillusion disillusioned in the slowness of the hope and change and she was saying to them unequivocally, this is the same guy i fell in love with 24 years ago and ie, the same guy you fell in love four years ago and he will continue to fight on us, and you can count on him, and he is not going to fail. >> and the change of the venue, and you were all at the rnc and the hurricane and all that, and now we have rain and we have thunderstorms and the venue has now been moved so it is a much smaller venue, a nd how is that going to impact how we are going to hear the acceptance speech? >> we know for sure now that the waeather er gods are nonpartisa and they are just as angry at republicans as they are at the democrats. they are not liking the political houses. >> and that is mother nature. and that is the women. >> yes. yes. >> i will be greatly thankful that we are in a covered area. >> and i will say that perhaps on a much smaller venue, can you imagine that michelle obama and can you imagine when the
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president gets to the venue. it is going to blow the roof off. >> making lemonade out of lemon -- >> well, the disappointment of not all of these people. >> and 50,000 fewer people they will hold. and obviously, able to pack the stadium, but not the same kind of participation and exposure. they will be outside, dana, you know. >> and show them basically the same thing as the people in the arena do. >> and many of them seem to be out of luck, because they were being bussed in, and it is not that they had a place to go. some might be here, i'm told, but some in holding rooms and overflow rooms, but already, they are saying that the president is going to hold a conference call with them, with the folks who can't come tomorrow. our peter hanby sent an e-mail going around one tof the state delegations saying, sorry, if you have one of these, it is no longer valid and nothing we can do. it is a big organizing problem. >> yes. a big challenge. >> i have to wrap it up real quick. >> in denver with him speaking
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at the stadium is powerful image and not the same, but as a republican, i give him the benefit of the doubt that sit i about weather having been soaked now five times in two days and not about the attendance, but you never know, it is a great excuse. >> and the optics without the two greek columns will bode well for them. >> and i dont n't know about th greek columns. >> well, the enthusiasm is going to show like it never has before. >> and we have to go to break, and we have to pay for the show. ladies, always good to see you. >> well, it took a hit last week in tampa of course, and they are going continue to fight back the democrats, and the prime time coverage of the dnc is kicking off at 7:00 p.m. with wolf blitzer and anderson cooper and at the 10:00 p.m., bill clinton addressing the delegates, and wolf and an ddern will wrap it up right here. and so what would four more years of an obama campaign look
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and whether or not he can reenergize the apathetic democrats or influence the independents. and what about the relationship between clinton and obama? it was not always so friendly, and we know that. earlier today, i talked with a man who knows bill clinton very well personally and professionally and his former chief of staff close friend mack mclarty. you grew up in hope, ak arkansas, and you know bill clinton. >> lifelong friend. >> better than many of us do, and what can we expect when he takes the podium to support and present president obama? >> well, it is a big night for president clinton and a big night for president obama and a big night in the campaign. i think that you will see a bridge this time not just to the future, but the past and the future linking. last night the first lady and mayor castro was really kind of look ahead. look to the present. i think that president clinton will clearly focus his speech on the economy. and he will compare and contrast
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in my judgment pretty sharply the differences of the republican party, and the republican canidate and president obama and the policies that are basically similar to the clinton policies and provided a good measure of prosperity in his two terms. he might mention that once or twice. >> aim sure he will. and there is a lot of nervousness among the obama campaign that, you know, president clinton goes off script and does what he wants and does not follow the talking points that we have seen many times in the campaign. >> i have seen it up close and personal here. >> he is not vetted here. is there any daylight here between them? >> well, i don't believe any, and unlike clint eastwood who did get off script perhaps, but president clinton is as experienced and polished a political leader as there is in the world, and this is something that he likes to talk and knows the subject. he has been reaching out to the econ mists and so forth to get the facts in order, so i don't think that there is any daylight. i really don't.
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i think it is a strong compelling speech, but he will frame it in a way that i think that people will understand it. >> and let's talk about the relationship, these two men, because obviously when i covered him four years ago, my goodness. in south carolina. >> little different. >> and one of the most tense times of the campaign. >> difficult time. >> and how did they manage to get to this point to bridge that gap? >> well, pat of the south carolina and that campaign, i mean, obviously, president clinton was supporting his wife. it is always a little bit emotion when you are supporting is someone in your family than when you are running yourself, and that entered into it. it is a tough campaign. the beginning of it, suzanne, was hillary clinton and she has been in my judgment and i am not an objective observer, but she is an extraordinary secretary of state and team player and beginning of the relationship and president obama and president clinton have had re
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conversations and they frankly agree on so much of the policies and they are different in personalities. >> you know clinton very well. >> and the president, it is generational to start with. it is a different generation and a different time and place. i think that the president will probably note that and perhaps a subtle way tonight, but he won't be too nostalgic and dwell on the past. he will make the points and move forward i think. >> and finally welfare reform, you were critical with that legislation, that piece of legislation under president clinton, welfare reform. right now the romney campaign is essentially making an issue of it saying that the obama administration is trying to ease the work requirements, and that has been debuncted on many levels helevel s here, but should clinton go for it and say, you are distorting my record? >> i think it is likely he will. it is a landmark legislation that moved millions from welfare to work and it is part of his
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personal opportunity and credo theme, and the new covenant and that is very near and dear to his heart. so it is likely he will debunct it. i don't believe it stands up from scrutiny from the republican side. that is a weak argument. >> all right. mack, good to see you, and inside perspective on the clintons and appreciate it. looking forward to the remarks tonight. >> we are, too, and i told him to be serious, thoughtful and short. >> we will see if he listens. >> we will see. >> all right. appreciate it. when asked what grade he would give himself on the performance of the white house, the president said incomplete and we will take a closer look at the president's report card coming up next. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve,
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>> there was no blueprint or how-to manual for fixing a global financial meltdown, a auto crisis and two wars and a recession at the same time. believe me, if it existed, i would have found it. each crisis was so deep and so dangero dangerous. any one of them would have defined another presidency. we faced a once in a generation
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moment in american history. fortunately for all of us, we have a once in a generation president. rahm emanuel talking about the crisis facing the president when he took office. he was the chief of staff in the first two years of the obama administration and he is now the mayor of chicago and one of the several speakerers last night at the democratic national convention making the case for a second obama term. election season comes with a lot of promises as we know and no different for barack obama back in 2008 and he had a long to-do list when it came to becoming president, and how many of those has he been able to check and say next to it, i have done it? white house correspondent dan lothian finds out. >> reporter: president obama rode into washington on a wave of hope and change. >> yes, we can. >> reporter: he promised the take bold swift action on the ailing economy and break the partisan grip on washington by
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ending petty grievances and ending false promises. >> there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, and who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. their memories are short. for they have forgotten what this country has already done. >> reporter: the bar was set high, and the to-do list was long. >> he had only been in the senate a short time and he really needed to prove himself to a lot of individual democratic constituencies, so he made dozens and dozens of small, but very narrow promises. >> reporter: politifact evaluated the obama score c.o.r.d. and 507 promises made and said that 190% are kept, and
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81 were broken. >> i will follow through on closing guantanamo. >> reporter: that was broken. legal hurdles prevented him from closing guantanamo bay. and also, preventing the bush tax cuts for the very rich. and with states like florida and nevada trying to recover from a crippling mortgage crisis, there is no promised $10 million foreclosure prevention fund. >> he made sweeping promises of changing the culture of washington and bringing the parties together and he ran into trouble there. there has been a real realization on the part of the white house that some of the things that he said back there in the 2008 campaign were not realistic in the way that washington operates. >> reporter: the list goes on and no comprehensive immigration reform, and no cap and trade system, but the white house would rather focus on the promises kept like health care refo
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reform. i is controversial, but the measure is law, and the president bailed out the auto industry and "don't ask, don't tell," the policy that banned gays and lesbians from serving open openly in the military was repealed. the report card gives a thumb's up on national security. my go-- >> my goal is to no longer have troops engaged in combat in iraq. >> reporter: that war ended in last december, but in addition the conflict in afghanistan is winding down and osama bin laden is dead. >> the death of osama bin laden marks the most significant achievement in defeating al qaeda. >> we want to talk more about the promises given and kept. and joined by melanie barnes. and even before you were the adviser in the campaign, and four years ago or five years ago, he would acknowledge in the speeches when it got close to the fact that he knew he was going to win, i am going to
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disappoint people, because there were so many promises, and such vision around this president, and the possibility of what he kuld d could do, and you are economic advisory strategist, and you are handled this to-do list, so overall, did he overpromise and overreach in what he tried to accomplish in the first four years? >> well, first of all, it is great to see you, and i don't think so. the president spoke to what is inherent in all of us the aspirational nature of americans. we have big dreams and we work towards those dreams and in 3 1/2 or 3 3/4 years, the things that are big things the once in a generation things and the things that no other president has done to accomplish, he did. look at health care, and my former boss senator kennedy talks about that as the goal of his lifetime, and 40 years in the senate, and president obama achieved that. he got that over the goal line and we are excited to talk about
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those accomplishments. >> do you think that the first two years in office, and he had a democratic majority in the senate and the house, and do you think that you could have pushed through more in that time before you lost it? >> it is so funny, because a lot of people will talk to me about this. let's think about the times we were in losing 800,000 jobs every month, and the economy teetering and about to go off of the cliff and the auto industry about to be decimated, and he saved the auto industry, and brought the economy back to the point of stability, and now growth 29 months of consecutive private sector job improvement. so those are big, big problems that we didn't even realize how huge they were until we got into the transition, and walked into the white house. so we had to deal with that and get health care done at the same time when he had a congress that was saying, a republicans who were saying no way, no how, and there is a filibuster that preve prevented a lot of things from happening. >> i want to specifically talk about the african-americansk because this is bloomberg news and they have an excellent article out today, and they ask,
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are blacks better off under president obama. and statistics 14.1% black unemployment which is twice of 7.4% of whites and if you take a look at the day of to inauguration it was 7.1% for whites and 12.7% for blacks and a lot of the african-americans say, i love this president, and i love that he is trying, but i'm not onot doing so well under this administration and how do you respond to that? >> absolutely. and i have talked to a number of people about this, and when the country catches a cold, the african-american and the latino community catches pneumonia. these are problems that started long before the president got to the white house. we know how devastating the unemployment numbers are and we know that the median household income in the african-american communities was very, very low, and these are problems that were being built upon and what the president has done is to try to bring all of that back and bring the whole country back. >> and how does he do that moving for ward ward if he gets
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another four years. >> well, people have heard that before and he wants something to targets the community specifically and deals with the issue, because these numbers are getting worse for african-americans? >> well, any number of things. first of all the president put forward the american jobs act and specific things in there that target unemployment and target growth that will bring back entire, the entire country, but also very specifically help the african-american community, and we are already seeing when it comes to housing a place where african-americans have most of the assets and most of the wealth, and we are seeing the foreclosures going down and seeing the housing prices going back up, and those are all promising signs. we are also looking at places where we have looked and tried to increase and work with the urban communities that are struggling as well as rural communities that are struggling and in the strong cities and communities initiative and that is something that has us working with the mayors and the city infrastructure. >> and the president has actually used the executive order to get a lot of things done, and do you think that he was naive in some ways in going
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into the office thinking that i will be able to compromise and i will be able to work with republicans here, because i mean, what does he do if he wins another four years, because he is going to be dealing with the same dynamic that he promise d o really get rid of partisanship in washington. that has not happened at all. >> well, it takes two to can ta and i don't believe he accomplished that this the illinois statehouse or in the senate, but i don't think that what he expected give ten level of crisis facing the country that people are willing to play politics and willing to jeopardize the lives of the american public simply to win an election, so he did not expect that, but he has turned around and used the executive authority where he has had to and we have used that to raise the public schools and to raise the standards and support teachers to insure that failing schools and high school dropouts is a problem that is prevalent across the latino and african-american communities in particular that we are turning that around and used it in erterms of the energ
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economy and using all of the tools at his disposal to move around an intransigent republican majority. >> the president gives himself a incomplete, and if he gets another four years we will see where it goes. thank you, melanie. >> it is a pleasure to be with you. >> san antonio mayor julio castro made a name for himself last night and his daughter, she stole the show. >> our families -- one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas.
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marry who they want to marry, mitt romney says no. >> no. >> when it comes to expanding access to good health care, mitt romney says -- >> mitt romney says no. >> actually -- [ laughter ] as the mayor of san antonio, texas, julio castro last night in the perceived flip-flop of health care, and this is his debut on a national stage and he is the youngest mayor of any city and in the speech last night, he is one of the democratic party's rising star, but the real show stopper was her daughter, you have to see this. she was caught on the cam stealing her dad's big moment in some ways doing a hair flip and a little posing and a little fashionista action and it is
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getting a lot of buzz this morning. well, i want to bring in former ohio governor ted strictland who delivered one of last night's most memorable lines saying i am quoting here, if mitt were santa claus, he would fire the reindeer and outsource the elves. let's listen. >> mitt has so little patriotism that even his money needs a passport. it is summers on the beaches of the cayman islands and winters on the slopes of the swiss alps. in matthew chapter 6, verse 21, the scriptures teach us that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. my friends, my friends any man
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who aspires to be our president should keep both his treasure and his heart in the united states of america. >> governor strictland joins us here and i have to ask you the first question, did you write your own material. >> part of it. >> did you write the line about the santa claus, and that is the one line that everybody responded to? >> no, but i contributed to it. we modified it a few times. the scripture reference was mine obviously. >> okay. were you fair when you talked about the economic patriotism here, and the idea that his own behavior and what he does in the business and the taxes is linked to his love of the country. i mean is that a fair criticism? i mean -- >> well, i don't question mr. romney's love for america, because i know he loves america deeply, but what i mean with economic patriotism and i was very careful to say economic patriotism has to do with how he
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uses his personal resources and where he invests them, and i compare it to americans in world war ii when the country was in need of investment, and americans were asked to buy war bonds to use their resources to inv invest in america, and they did in large numbers to help america. mitt romney is a wealthy man, but rather than invest his wealth in america, he chose to take that wealth and invest it elsewhere in the cayman islands and bermuda and elsewhere and that gets to his sense of responsibility to this country. >> governor, how do you respond though that the pushback here, because this is not a man who is breaking any laws, and he is actually abiding by the rules of the system, and this is a capitalist society, and he is essentially a successful person. there isnothing that he is doing that is counter on what the country is built on. >> no, i never accused him of breaking the law. what i have accused him of doing
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is to put his own interest above what i think that anybody who wants to be the president should be doing. what if all americans felt that they could get a better deal in switzerland or the cayman islands and they took their resources out of american institutions and put them in foreign bank accounts, what would that do to the country? h a president should do more than meet a minimal legal standard, but set a example. and i don't believe that mitt romney has set an example with his own behavior and he has refused to release his income tax returns. >> some people say you are punishing success and who are highly successful and wealthy and in some ways using the wealthy to be more wealthy and they are being slapped down and vilified under this administration. >> well, you know, i watched the republican convention and much of it, and they did celebrate what they called success. i think that what they celebrated was really selfishness. the democratic party and i think that president obama has a
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different definition of success. and success is when prosperity is shared generally, and when the common good is enhanced, and so i don't begrudge mr. romney of being a wealthy man or of doing what he can to avoid paying, you know, more taxes. but it is something that the american people have an absolute right to consider. i believe that the american people have a right to see his income tax returns. he tells us that he has paid all of the taxes that he is legally obligated the pay. we don't know that for sure, but he can convince us. >> we can deal with that debate at another time. i want to talk to your home state of ohio. you indicate that the auto industry is coming bab and the bailout worked and the president was on the right side of that issue, and so why is your state of ohio very mh in play, and very much a battleground state and not necessarily in obama's column? >> well, most of the polling that i have seen has had the president with a small, but a
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consistent lead over the last three or four months. >> so why isn't it bigger? and you are talking about bailing the auto industry out. >> well, ohio is the ultimate swing state. no political candidate or party can take ohio for granted, because it is a hotly contested state. it is being a hotly contested state this year, and ohio is a mi microcosm of america for that reason. and i am proud of ohio in that way. i believe this, if you were to slink america, you would end up with ohio, because we have late bit of everything that exists in the larger country. we have farming, manufacturing, and appalachian, and we have ethnic and religious and cultural and racial diversity and that makes ohio a very, a very wonderful mix of all that exists in america. >> and we will see which column it goes in this go around, and
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whether or not romney or obama. >> i am sure it is going to be in obama's column. >> governor, good to see you. >> thanks. good to be here. >> and something else that we are keeping an eye on is the earthquake that just hit costa ri. in communities across the country. whether it's supporting a delaware nonprofit that's providing training and employment opportunities, investing in the revitalization of a neighborhood in the bronx, or providing the financing to help a beloved san diego bakery expand, what's important to communities across the country is important to us. and we're proud to work with all of those who are creating a stronger future for everyone.
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from the next economy, to the next generation, we help get... the most out of business, by getting the best out of people. shrm. leading people, leading organizations. costa rica got a violent wake-up call this morning with 57.6 magnitude quake off of the pacific coast of the country and very close to the capital san jose. there is a tsunami warning out for much of the coastal lines and costa rica and panama and nicarag nicaragua. d it has knocked out phone service and electricity in the area as well. in canada, somebody tried to kill the newly elected premier of quebec. after they tackled the man who opened fire at a victory speech in montreal. one person was killed and another person was hospitalized.
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celebrating. this is the national debt clock and passed the $16 trillion mark this week. alison kosik is live at the new york stock exchange and talk about what this means, alison, when you look at this number, $16 trillion debt, and what is that meaning to the average person? can you break it down? >> besides your eyes popping out of your head when you see that number, let me tell you what it does not mean. i duds not mean that each of us is on the hook for thousands of dollars of debt, but hitting the $16 trillion mark is yet one more reminder that we are close to hitting the debt ceiling again and right now the debt ceiling is 16.394 trilli$16.394 that means fasten the seat belt for another fight over spending and taxes, and this fight ove all of this happening after the election, because the politicians doesn't want to touch the issues. so why is this debt rising fast? because we are spending more money than taking in, and two ways to fix it, raise taxes or cut spending, and neither is an
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easy solution. higher taxes will hurt many americans who are struggling as it is, and when the government cuts what it spends, that hits the economy as well, because it cuts into the spending of the government for hiring and economic growth, a wund of the ish -- and it is just one more issue that the politician s hs to keep in mind to tackle when they get to it in their own time. >> and alison, a big question that many of us are asking, are we better off than four years ago, and i know that cnn money asked folks across the country if they feel they are better off, and what did they say? >> well, we had cnn producers go out across the country to ask the following questions of people who live in los angeles and atlanta and dallas and they asked the following, are you making more money than four years ago, do you have more in savings than four years ago, has the housing situation gotten better in the last four years, and you can listen to this. this is what some people said
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about makeing more money. >> are you making more money now than you were four years ago? >> yes. >> i make about one-third of what i made four years ago. >> no. >> no. i'm making less money, and the sad part, i actually have a master's degree. >> even a corporate job right now does not pay what it is paying four or five years ago. >> i'm making the same amount of money and able to save a little bit, but same as before. >> four years ago, struggle. today, even more struggle. >> so if you want to give your two cents and who doesn't on this question of whether or not you are better off today than four years ago, today, "cnn money" is asking all americans how you feel about the financial situation compared to four years ago. if you want to answer this, go to cnnmoney.com, and take the poll yourself and it does ask the same questions. so far 1,200 votes on this in r interactive poll and 2/3 say they are making more money, sow a difference there online than you are seeing out in the field.
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suzanne. >> all right. and alison, real quick, a check on the markets. how are they doing? >> the markets are quiet today and the dow is up 30 points and the the big wait is for the jobs report coming out friday. everybody is hold iing their breath for that and the fed meeting of course coming next week. suzanne. >> all right. alison, thank you. so if you want to know what it is like to be on the convention floor before a big speech, i want to give you a guided tour up next. t how am i ? and i have to find a way to manage my cash flow better. [ female announcer ] our wells fargo bankers are here to listen, offer guidance and provide you with options tailored to your business. we've loaned more money to small businesses than any other bank for ten years running. so come talk to us to see how we can help. wells fargo. together we'll go far.
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here at the dnc here in charlotte, north carolina, and energy inside of the convention hall. lots of it. i want the take you on a little tour. take a look. >> i brought home three berets and put on a little bling, bling, and put on the inauguration yankees and i'm all set. >> i wore this in 2008 and i said, oh, well, we did it great, so i am wearing it again in 2012. >> i love the flag. because i think that the republican think it is theirs, so i wear it. >> from head-to-toe, i noticed. >> head-to-toe, and my socks and even my shoes. >> oh, my goodness. >> we are going to have a big gender gap and bring the republican women over to the democratic side. >> are you confident about that?
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>> oh, yes, i feel very good about it. >> reporter: on television, it looks really, really big, but wen y when you get down on the floor, it is crowded. i want to show you where we are broadcasting. our own cameras with wolf blitzer and abc and next to them is fox news. >> america is a diverse country and people from all over the world, and that is what we like to show in our democratic party is that is what our party is like, and that is what america is like. >> the message is very simple, middle-class incomes are declining and harder for middle-class people to make do, and which party cares about the middle-class and which party is going to make sure that the middle-class incomes start improving again? we are. >> back then it was a changing of the guard. and now, it is guarding the change.
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because he has kept the promises that i voted for. he was the change they wanted and from day one until today, and until i like to say to mr. romney, i am more excited about supporting president obama today than i was the day i voted for him. >> and do you have an obama poster on the wall that is fading? it is not fading. it is nice and bright and we are all looking forward to re-electing him. >> ron paul might not have been featured at the republican national convention, but he was speaking his mind last night with jay leno. to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment.
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