>> good job, jess. again, you're miss tenacious. well done following up on that story. >> reporter: thank you. >> i want to let our viewers know, as we get ready to move to larry, we' who's standing by wi charlie crist, we expect as well that kendrick meek will come out and speak. mark preston said he's starting to see the air of excitement in the room. as soon as he comes out, we'll take part of that, or larry will. and we're still waiting on the rick scott/bill mccollum race. here, "larry king live" starts right now. >> larry: tonight in arizona, john mccain's senate seat is on the line. can he fend off the biggest primary challenge of his career? could dan quayle's son be on his way to congress? big bucks, ugly battles in florida and alaska too. we've got results from primaries in five states, next on "larry king live."

>> larry: good evening. as we pick it up, a program note. the very funny wanda sykes is here tomorrow night. polls are closed in florida, vermont, oklahoma, voters in alaska and arizona still casting ballots. we'll get right to the results with our man, john king at the magic wall. john, can we call anything in florida a surprise? >> we've got a big surprise, larry, going on right now in the republican primary for florida governor. let's show you the results right here. bill mccollum is the state attorney general, former congressman. 43% of the vote, which means he is losing at the moment to rick scott, a former health care executive, a multimillionaire, who has largely self-financed his race. 46% to 43%. just over a half percent of the vote counted, according to our friends at the associated press. this a very, very close race in a very consequential election to be the republican nominee and most like the favorite in the race for republican governor.

that's one big race. etc. also look at florida. this is a fascinating contest to do. 51% of the vote counted. kendrick meek will be the democratic nominee. marco rubio is the republican nominee and you'll talk to governor charlie crist in a minute. the other big contest tonight, you mentioned at the top of the show, that's out in arizona. we'll show you the candidates, to folks who are still voting out there. senator john mccain, could his 30-year career in congress end tonight? it could if j.d. hayworth can beat him in the primary. late poll shows senator mccain ahead. there's a third republican candidate in that race. an odd election year. the only thing the mccain camp was worried about today was turnout. would they get voters out on a day with triple-digit temperatures in arizona. mccain the favorite, j.d. hayworth trying to spark a conservative surprise. let's make a quick trip to the

magic wall and put some of this into context. the governors races across the country. 70 nights from now, larry, we'll be having a conversation about who won nationally in the midterm elections. more than three dozen races for governor. florida is one of them we just talked about that. that's one thing. as we watch that mccain race out in arizona, again, take a peek at the candidates. mccain, hayworth, and jim deakin. republicans are favored. here's the balance of power right now. 59 democrats, 41 republicans. the democrats need to hold off the republicans. keep them from picking up ten seats in the senate. when we learn the nominees in florida. when we go up to alaska, where another incumbent republican is facing a tea party challenge, larry, we're learning about, a, do these incumbents survive. we're also learning about intensity in the electorate. if you go back and look at those florida races right now, higher

turnout so far in the republican primary than in the democratic primary. that could tell us something about the intensity and where the energy will be when we have a much more important conversation on election day 70 nights from now. larry? >> larry: thanks, john king, the host of john king usa. let's swing to john mccain headquarters at the phoenix convention center in very hot arizona. jessica yellin, our cnn national political correspondent is on the scene. she's been there all day. the polls don't close until the top of the hour. he pulled -- mccain has pulled ahead in the polls, hasn't he? >> reporter: he has, larry. he's pulled ahead and is clearly feeling confident, but still cautious enough that he wouldn't take questions from reporters today and he kept saying, you know, it's not over until it's over. this was a very close race for some time. john mccain seeking his fifth term was so threatened by his charge, j.d. hayworth here, that he first of all spent a record amount of money on this primary,

$20 million just on the primary, never been done before here. and he also had to shift his policies quite considerably, running significantly to the right, especially on immigration, which has been, you know, his signature issue. there is a question, will he have to moderate some of these positions to win over independents and especially the state's latino voters, should he, as expected, win tonight and go on to the general. but john mccain is focused, i'm sure, on tonight for now, larry, and with fingers crossed in the mccain camp, assuming that he will get a victory tonight. but as you say, polls don't close for the rest of the hour. larry? >> one other thing, jessica. no one's mentioned it all day. is there a democratic primary in arizona? >> reporter: i know! yes, the answer is yes. and i answered one of the democratic candidate who said, do you people know there's a race on our side. there are four candidates running. one of them is actually a latino who got into the race because of the state's immigration politics lately. but because of mccain's name and because this has been a red

state for some time, this republican race tends to get some attention. but you never know, larry. >> larry: you never know. thanks, jessica, as always. jessica yellin, she'll be here all night. let's go to st. petersburg, florida. our old friend, governor charlie crist, who was initially going to be in the republican primary, now running for the senate as an independent. anything surprise you tonight so far, charles? >> not really. not really, larry. it's been pretty predictable, but this is going to be an interesting race and an unusual race in florida this year. you know, having a republican nominee, a democratic nominee, and an independent candidate in myself, i think, really offers the people of florida a choice and they deserve a choice. what that choice is, when it comes to florida is, if you want somebody who's on the hard right, off candidate now. if you want somebody on the hard left, you have a candidate. but, if on the other hand, you want somebody who's going to fight the gridlock in washington, stand up for the people first instead of the party, do what's right for florida instead of what's right for washington or what's right for just republicans or democrats, then you have an

alternative. and that's what we offer in this race and i'm excited about it and i look forward to it. >> larry: very similar situation to yours, joe lieberman ran in the general election, won as an independent in connecticut, and he caucuses with the democrats. you are not saying who you'll caucus with. >> that's right. well, i think it's important to maintain that independence. and frankly, what i say repeatedly is that i'll caucus with the people of florida. what i mean by that is, i have to put the people first. it's not about party for me. and that's one of the clearest distinctions in this race already, as of tonight, as a matter of fact. my republican opponent and my democratic opponent have already made that choice. they've already made that decision. when it comes to me, i want to do what's right for the people of florida first. i want to make sure that when i get to washington, should i have that honor, that i have the opportunity to ask the hard questions. who's going to do more for job creation in the sunshine state? who's going to do more to make sure that we protect our environment? who's going to do more to invest in clean energy? who's going to do more to keep our taxes down? those are the questions that i'm

going to answer if i have the honor of serving my fellow floridians in washington, and they deserve those answers in order to have an effective senator for florida. >> larry: with half the votes in, are you surprised that rick scott is ahead of bill mccollum? >> well, it's been a close race all along, larry. and it doesn't really surprise me that much. i mean, a lot of money has been spent on this race. it's been very competitive from the get-go. both of the candidates really worked very, very hearard. and now they go to challenge alex sink on the democratic side in the general election. >> larry: are you going to endorse either one? >> no, i'm not. i've got my own hands full. i've got plenty to do in this race for the u.s. senate to try to get this independent message out to the people of florida. and frankly, i think, it's something that's really important now more than ever. you know, people see the bickering all the time in washington, the gridlock, the frustration with nothing really getting done. i think what floridians want, frankly, i think what's good for america, is to have somebody go there that will put the people

first instead of the party, do what's right, instead of what they think is politically correct for the parties. >> larry: there's nothing like florida politics. i don't believe -- i lived there 20 years, i don't believe an independent has ever won anything statewide. when you go out on the hustlings, who do you appeal to, because republicans are entrenched, democrats are entrenched, how do you know who the independents are >> i think the independents are the people of florida. i'm not trying to appeal to just republicans or just democrats or just independents. i'm the only one in this race who's honest enough to say, republicans have some very good ideas, for example, about cutting the deficit and reducing our taxes. democrats also have some very good ideas, about investing in clean energy and producing more jobs for people. the most important issue that all of us will be facing. my opponents aren't able to do that. because, really, they are imprisoned by the parties, you know, expected to do certain things because of the party that they have to really subscribe to before they care about the

people. and that's the real difference in this race. that's what i think not only florida wants, but america wants. somebody to stand up to them first instead of being gridlocked and the parties are truly gridlocked. we see it every day now in washington. they can't get anything done as a result of it. >> larry: one other thing, governor, who do you get your money from? >> the people, honestly. i mean, you know when it comes to resources, when it comes to support, when it comes to votes, i have to appeal to the people of my state. i love florida. i want to continue to serve the people in the united states senate to make sure that they have an honest broker there, somebody who thinks about them first, doesn't think about political parties and political bosses drying a line in the sand and if you cross it, you're almost a traitor. i've got to do what's best for the people. >> larry: one other thing, governor. i guess you never had this. how do you run against two people? how do you strategize meek and rubio, who couldn't be further apart?

>> well, i don't run against them. i run for the people of florida. and i put forward a positive message about what i think is the right thing to do to rein in spending, to reduce our taxes, exactly like we've done here in florida, to make sure we're innovative about trying to produce a better economy, a clean economy that produces green jobs, work with democrats for that, work with republicans to reduce taxes. you know, just the kinds of things that are common sense. that's the thing that's really missing in washington today. where's the common sense? >> larry: will there be a three-way debate? >> oh, i'm sure there will be, probably sponsored by you. >> larry: i volunteer right now to come down there and moderate it. i've got a lot of experience moderating florida politics. say the word and we'll be there. >> accepted. all right. the word. let's go ahead and do it. that would be a lot of fun. >> larry: all right. one person has accepted. now it's up to rubio and meek. and we'll be there. the dnc chairman, governor tim

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according to the associated press vote count. not only an important state in our national politics, but as we go back to larry king, a state where both of these candidates have been harshly critical of the obama health care plan, including joining a lawsuit across the country against that. now back to larry. >> larry: and john, as governor crist just said, as the former governor of virginia, he's the former dc chairman. what are you doing in nevada tonight, governor? >> i'm doing what i always do. a little bit of press out here for senator reid's campaign and rory reid for governor. thanking volunteers. i'm kind of a road warrior these day. >> larry: what do you make of mr. meek and how well will he do down in florida? >> i think kendrick is going to do fine. it looks like he's going to have a convincing win and i understand the race has always been called for him. obviously the three-way race is going to be fascinating. kendrick has been part of a

heavy-lifting congress that's done good work on health care, on wall street reform, on credit card reform. and i think as we get into this three-way race and hopefully have those debates that you and governor crist were talking about, i think kendrick is going to show, he's the right guy to take his campaign into the u.s. senate. >> larry: the democratic money might shift to crist. do you buy that? >> well, i've heard folks speculate about that, but i also think that there are some issues still kind of bubbling up in the republican party in florida, that are going to affect both marco rubio and governor crist. it's going to be a fascinating race, but i do think this very convincing win over a guy who spent millions and millions of his own dollars is going to give kendrick a real shot in the arm going into the fall. we've supports him. the white house is solid behind him. it's going to be a fun race there in florida, just as the governor's race is going to be a great one. >> larry: speaking of the white house, what do you make of president obama's falling

ratings? >> well, it's a tough time, you know, out there. so when times are tough, people aren't going to be happy, but i noticed in "the wall street journal" poll last week, the president still had numbers, but frankly, most senators or governors, anywhere in the country, would very much like to have. the american public gives him stronger marks and they draw a sharp distinction between his leadership, and for example, the congressional republicans that are trying to stand in his way. but what the president has said over and over again is, look, it's not ultimately about the numbers, it's about the accomplishments. and so the cbo came out today with the study showing that the stimulus is responsible for a shrinking economy going to a growing economy. lord knows, we've got a long way to go, but thank goodness we're climbing against behind the leadership of this president and some heavy lifting in congress. and we feel like he's our best asset out on the campaign trail, as he's get ought there vigorously for our candidates. >> larry: bill clinton was in

florida, heavily supported the winner tonight, congressman meek. do you expect him to be very involved in many races this fall? >> i certainly hope so, larry, and every indication is that he will be. he has just done a great job out there campaigning for our candidates, and we feel like with president obama, with vice president biden, both of whom are very, very energetic for our candidates, president clinton, as many races and as much involvement as he wants to have, we're thrilled to have him, because it is so helpful to us. we've got a lot of folks that we can put out on the field, and we also think that we're doing a darned good job on the fund-raising side and on the field energy side on putting that field effort in place at the end of the day in midterm elections, an awful lot of your strength is your organization. we feel very strong in that. >> one other thing. that governor's race in florida, everyone's talking about scott and mccollum. do you give alex sink a good shot on the democratic side to win it? >> i absolutely do, larry.

alex sink showed up ahead in polls of both scott or mccollum in the last two weeks. she had been steadily closing gaps and has moved ahead as these guys have been very negative on each other. one thing we've just heard from florida is that scott and mccollum campaigns had a unity event scheduled wednesday or thursday, which they've now canceled. the democratic party is pulling together behind their leaders. the republicans have thrown charlie crist over the side, and now their two gubernatorial candidates, apparently, have decided that they can't unify after this race. we're going to be unified going into the fall in florida and that's going to help us. >> larry: thanks, governor, always good seeing you. >> you too, larry, thanks so much. >> larry: governor tim kaine, the chairman of the democratic national committee. we'll see what our political observers make of these primaries, the pundits are next. your body can lose up to eight percent of muscle per decade? try... each serving provides twenty-six vitamins and minerals. plus it has fifteen grams of protein

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what does tonight mean for democrats and republicans?

let's find out from ben stein, the economist, former presidential speechwriter, columnist for "fortune" magazine, and author of "the little book of bulletproof investing." alisa menendez. ari fleischer, a republican strategist. and representative debbie wasserman schultz, democrat of florida, vice chairman of the dnc and supporter of representative kendrick meek, the victor tonight in the democratic senate battle in the sunshine state. okay. what's your over view, ben? >> i think it's a sign of how vital and lively our democracy is with all this terrible foreign policy situation, terrible war situation, terrible recession situation. we still have lots and lots of people who want to serve in the very difficult task of elected public service. we have lots and lots of new voters coming out. we have groups that have not been represented before. i don't think we've ever had an african-american that has a very

good chance of being a senator from florida, at least not since reconstruction. i don't think we've had a hispanic senator who has had the same chance. it's a very positive night. i like tonight. >> larry: alicia, from a democratic standpoint, how do you see it? >> i want to make a quick correction from what ben said. the seat looking to replace belonged to mel martinez -- >> wasn't he born in america? >> i'm not sure if mel martinez was born in cuba or born in america, but either way, marco rubio was born here so -- >> he's hispanic. >> he's hispanic. this has definitely been an interesting night. i think there are lots of interesting narratives coming out of this. including the fact that he we here in washington like to set these standards that either this is going to be an anti-incumbent election or this is the year of the woman or this is going to be insiders versus outsiders. what we're seeing tonight, it seems, is that none of these

molds fit exactly, and we're going to need to be more critical and more precise in looking at this. >> larry: martinez was born in cuba. >> there we go. >> thank you for the correction. appreciate it. >> larry: ari, how do you look at it? first, are you surprised that scott was ahead of mccollum. >> everyone knew that was going to be close race. we'll see how that ends up. what i always try to do in a long primary season is look at the overarching trend for a few months, the overarching trend that's going to continue right up until election night, is you have a huge turnout for republicans and a much less interested turnout for the democratic party in all primaries. in 2006, the democrats had three million more democrats turn out in primaries than republicans. and the democrat toox the house, took the senate. 2010, exact reversal. so far in the primaries, where people have voted, 3 million more republicans have voted than democrats. that's a huge enthusiasm gap,

and it can actually be measured over time in who shows. up that's what determines winners and losers in november. that's the biggest trend of the primary season so far, larry. >> larry: and congressman schultz, does that give you pause for concern? >> actually, what should give republicans pause is that they are in an battle for essentially the heart and soul of the republican party. all over america, what we've seen is the extreme right wing tea party republicans have been beating moderate, where are mainstream republican candidates, and essentially, strangling the chances of almost any of these races to be successful for republicans. america is not on the far right. we're in the mainstream, middle of the road, and to watch the

tea party essentially strangling the republican party, that's going to be the trend. >> larry: we'll take a break. when we come back, we will discuss the tea party's impact on all of this. let's get chinese. should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with wanchai ferry? you can make it in just 14 minutes. mmmh, orange chicken. great. i didn't feel like going out anyway. [ male announcer ] wanchai ferry. restaurant quality chinese in your grocer's freezer. the lexus golden opportunity sales event.

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announcer: you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent... i'm ok. because kids in foster care don't need perfection. they need you. before we get back to the panel and have them go at it, let's go at it back to the big board and john king for a quick update. john? >> i'm sure they're going to go at it, especially as we show you some of these very competitive results. the florida gubernatorial republican primary. this is a close one. we'll track this all the way down. leading at the momentum, conservative former health care executive, rick scott. 47% of the vote to 43% for the state attorney general, former congressman, bill mccollum. 57% of the vote counted. one thing i want to show, using our technology, you might want to say, he's held on to that lead for a long time, you know the state very well. a very slow vote count. not very many votes down will. there is time and votes to be

counted. bill mccollum has room to come back. rick scott leading at the momentum. the democratic primary for florida senate, we have called this race for kendrick meek. he's the democratic congressman. you see the check mark there, 55% to 32%. kendrick meek winning out despite millions of his own money spent by real estate developer jeff greene. notice these numbers here, larry, ari fleischer was just making this point. let's wait until they count all the votes. so far, turnout much higher on the republican side. and a marquee race still to be counted out in the state of arizona, john mccain. if the polls are right, the pre-election polls, he will hold off a challenge to the right from j.d. hayworth. let's show you the candidates in arizona, if we can bring that one up. john mccain now fighting to keep the republican nomination for senate against the former congressman, j.d. hayworth. republican activist jim deakin also in that race. turnout a concern, larry, temperatures over 100 degrees today, but senator mccain reasonably confident we'll be

counting the votes in the hour ahead. now back to larry and the panel. >> larry: but let's go for a couple of moments to hear from the victor, congressman meek, addressing his supporters. >> we will be victorious on this night. and i want to thank every florida that cast a ballot in this primary election to make me the democratic nominee, and eventually the next senator of the state of florida. i made the case that i am the real democrat in this race. i also made the case that i have the will and the desire and the energy to pull a double shift to get florida back to work, to make sure that people have health care, to make sure that we protect our environment. >> larry: that's kendrick meek, who's on his way to run for the senate, the congressman from miami, a very effective speaker. let's discuss the tea party,

ben. are they going to be decisive in november? >> well, they'll have some big impact, but i must say, i respectfully disagree with congressman schultz. she's a fine woman. i heard her speak recently at a congre conference in scottsdale, she's a very good speaker -- sorry, not in scottsdale, in the desert outside of l.a. but it's just a mistake and a myth to say that the tea parties are extremists. some are, some aren't. the ones i know want lower taxes and less government spending. they want to be mur that before we go into wars, we have to absolutely be sure that we can win them -- >> larry: they don't appear to appeal to minorities. >> i've seen plenty of minorities a at them, plenty of african-americans. in fact, one of the most prominent tea partiers in the phoenix area is a african-american. it's a myth the democrats are trying to put out. >> larry: alycia, from an election standpoint, are you concerned about them. i'll get back to you, debby. are you concerned about the tea party? >> i don't think democrats need to be concerned about them.

i think republicans need to be concerned about tea party. in a lot of these primaries, they've forced candidates, either like john mccain, to hook to the right on issues he's historically been very good on, like immigration, like don't ask, don't tell, which he's completely flip-flopped on in this election. in the case of marco rubio, they gave him a lot of his initial support, which allowed him to win the republican nomination, but now that he actually needs to move into a general, they're angry about the fact that he's flip-flopped on arizona's sb-1070, their controversial immigration law. and when you look at his policies, there's a lot of chatter about the deficit, but none of his policies actually add up to reducing the deficit and driving home that tea party message that ben was just talking about. >> larry: ari, what do you make of the tea party? >> i think they're great when it comes to the economic issues, larry. i think the republican party had lost a lot of its way when it came to spending. and the tea party came by as a

very wise and helpful reminder that we need to reduce debt, reduce spending, and lower taxes. the fascinating thing about this discussion that leaves me a little slack jawed that anytime people say that the tea party is bad for republicans, then why are republicans winning in all the polls? that's something they say, i remember, when rand paul won a kentucky primary as and they say, now we win kentucky. well, kentucky is very safely in republican category. that's something they say because they don't have a lot to say when it comes to the central issue of the race, which is economy, jobs, and the poor shape we're in. it's the type of political distraction that gets thrown out there, but there's no evidence that supports it. if it was, democrats would be winning in a lot more of the polls. and that's just not the case. >> larry: congresswoman schultz, how do you respond? >> larry, what ari is saying is just absolutely not born out by the facts. look at the very fact that harry reid, until sharron angle was

nominated by the republican party, a hard right-wing, harry reid was struggling in the polls. now he's up in the polls in every major poll. you have candidates across the country, democratic candidates, democratic incumbents who are up in the polls overwhelmingly, and about eight or nine of the nrcc, hand-picked moderates, young guns have gotten beat in republican primaries and now those nominees, the tea party nominees, are down in the polls and will ultimately lose to our moderate, mainstream middle -- democrats who are pro-business and who have their finger on the pulse of their own constituencies, instead of their finger on the pulse of the people on the hard right. that's just the reality. >> larry: why do you laugh at that? >> because the democratic party doesn't have its pulse on the

mainstream of america. the the democratic party has its foot on the neck of american business -- >> we sure do. >> just like the foot on the neck of the american business, putting through a health care bill that 60% of americans oppose. putting through a health care bill that people in business are terrified because it increases their cost for employees by so much. putting through apologies for america all around the world. the republicans would not be in such a strong position in the polls if people thought that democrats were a mainstream party. they're not anymore. >> larry: let me get in a break. we'll come back with alycia and more. and we'll get back with the very upset debby schultz. but first, these words. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time...

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>> larry: we're back, until the arizona polls close at the top of the hour. that's the race we're interested in with rick scott, 4 percentage points ahead of the attorney general, bill mccollum. the winner will face alex sink in november to be the next governor of the state of florida. all right, alicia, congresswoman schultz makes it sound like this is a great year for the democrats. do you buy that? >> i don't know that it's a great year for the democrats. i certainly don't think it's as bad as some on the right have made it out to be. barack obama's approval ratings, as we said, remain relatively high. and i think voters are going to go to the polls for the general

election and they're going to be faced with what is not an excellent choice. they have one party that has tried to put us back on a path toward economic recovery, and they have another party that simply won't play ball. and i think when given that choice, while i admit it is not an ideal choice to make, i do think there is the possibility that voters break for democrats in a way that is potentially unexpected. >> larry: ari, do you see any clouds on the republican horizon at all? >> well, the trend continues to be very ongoing and consistent. and in some ways, the democrats can't even catch a break. you had further terrible economic news coming out today, about housing with 27-year low and starts. it's as if every piece of economic data just keeps getting bad and worse and it's baked into the cake between now and november. so the overall trend is not going to change. i think the real issue is do republicans have enough to pick up the house? i don't believe they're going to pick up the senate, but they're

going to make such a huge dent in the senate, that for all intents and purposes, barack obama's agenda will have been stopped. and it sets up a huge 2012 election, where republicans could take it all, democrats could take it back. i think that's what we're looking for heading into november. no matter what, if republicans fall short in the house and the senate, it will have effectively stopped the obama agenda. >> larry: if republicans take the house, congresswoman schultz, a lot will be expected of them, will it not? >> i don't think that's actually going to happen. and let me just say, larry, i'm certainly not painting a rosy picture for democrats. i do think that democrats are going to lose seats in the house and probably the senate as well, but americans do face a choice. the choice is a little bit different, i would characterize it a little bit different than alicia did. it's a choice between continuing to move the country in a new direction, as she said, and backsliding toward the bush area, which the republicans would do, and return to the exact same agenda, where they

drove the economy into a ditch, they focused on the wealthiest 1% of americans and ignored the middle class and working families. so those are the types of choices that our candidate across the country offer. so it's a very stark contrast and a very stark choice. i think americans will choose to continue to move the country in the direction that it's been in, where we've got private sector job growth now from the leading 750,000 jobs just before president obama took office. so i would say at the end of the day, you'll see us hold both houses. >> larry: switch to another quick area. ben, do you think this muslim question with the center that's proposed to be built in new york will have a national effect? >> i do. i must say, i have rarely seen people so worked up about anything. it's astonishing. people are e-mailing me -- >> larry: despite the fact it's a constitutional right. >> it is a constitutional right to worship without government interference.

it's a moral/cultural issue. i saw someone on your program talk about the fact that this is not a moral issue, but a moral/cultural issue and mr. obama has really stepped in it this way by backing something that is so offensive to that many americans. if that many americans are offended by it, even if there is a legal right to do it, i don't think it should be done. it's really, really offensive. >> larry: alicia, will it be a national issue? >> i don't think so at all. i think right now most american voters are focused on one issue. that is the economy. while this may play in some redder districts, i just don't see this driving people to the polls. especially when we're going to talk about moral issues, then we can talk about providing health insurance to americans who don't have it. we can talk about fixing our broken immigration system, so that we can keep families together. we have a lot bigger moral fish to fry than some mosque that's surrounded by two other mosques, larry. that's the ridiculous thing about this conversation. it's not the only mosque in new york. >> it's not surrounded by --

>> larry, hold on. >> they're not that close. >> larry, this is not a red district/blue district issue. manhattan voted 85% for barack obama, 15% for john mccain and manhattan opposes this. this is an issue which i don't know why the president has weighed in so deeply into it and then equivocated on it. this just touches a raw nerve with a lot of people of both parties. it just doesn't feel right, and the sensitivity issue. yes, it's a right in this country to build a religious institution anywhere you want, but sometimes part of exercising our rights is being delicate and sensitive enough to say, but i choose not to here. and that's what i wish we would hear from the muslim community in lower manhattan, and that's how you start to bridge gaps and bring people together, and build it in a place where new yorkers can say, yes, we all support it, let's put it here. >> larry: got to get a break and we'll find out what congresswoman schultz thinks and whether she thinks it will be a national issue, after this. o sae a boatload of money on my mortgage, that would be awesome.

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>> larry: we'll get back with this interesting panel, but let's check in with john roberts sitting in for anderson cooper. he'll host anderson "360" at the top of the hour. >> tonight on "360," we're following the tense primary races in five key states. the big one, arizona. john mccain spent $20 million to beat conservative radio talk show host, j.d. hayworth. will that be enough to win mccain a fifth term in the senate? we'll bring you the results and you'll hear from john mccain, coming up. plus, shirley sherrod says thanks but no thanks to a job at the u.s. department of agriculture. i'll ask her about that tonight. how she feels about being unemployed, and whether she still plans to sue andrew breitbart about posting that video of her. and we'll also speak with wyclef jean about his failed presidential bid in haiti. he says he's going to challenge the election committee's decision that he is not eligible to run. more on that, larry, coming your

way at the top of the hour. we'll see you then. >> larry: that's 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific with john roberts on "a.c. 360." congresswoman schultz, do you think that muslim situation in new york will be a national issue? >> um, i really don't think it will be a national sglshg all rig >> larry: all right, that is "ac 360" coming up at top of the hour. do you think it is a national issue? >> well, i don't believe it is a national issue and it is a case that just because you can doesn't mean you should. i think that the leadership of the mosque and the muslim xhub ti in that area of new york city would be well served to sit down with the leadership in new york and with that community and work tot to build some consensus on an alternative site. i think that the national issues that are important in the outcome of the races are turning the economy around and creating jobs and the fact that virtually all republican candidates for congress across the country support privatization of social security, and deep cuts in social security like dan webster

in florida -- >> she just made that up. >> you just made that up. congresswoman, with all due respect -- >> no, no, ben. with all due respect to you, i did nothing of the kind. there are candidates across the country for congress -- >> will you show us the source? >> the source of the -- >> of the maer r e e er -- majo congress, because it is benstein.com. send me the source. >> larry: phoenix, hello. >> i'd like to know how the democrats continue the tax and spend policy and how it is creating america today? >> larry: alycia? >> well, it is complicated, because on one hand we have to get the economy back on track and this administration has made every effort to do that, and two years down the road, we certainly need to start talking

about our deficit as young american, i am of course, concerned with our deficit and at the same time, there is no point in talking about that until we have really revived our economy, gotten to the type of job creation that congresswoman schultz was talking about. until then, the deficit is a conversation that needs to be saved for down the road. >> larry: ari? >> wow. i -- >> well, that is i think the voter, the caller put the finger on what the election is shaping up is a referendum of the spending, first the t.a.r.p. under president bush, and then the $87 billion stimulus to keep unemployment under 8% and broke 10% and since then we have bailed out all kinsd ds of peop and the taxpayers are fed up. that is what is driving this overarching election is spending and jobs. that is changing what was a powerful democrat back-to-back 2006 and 2008 election and the

voters are in stern backlash and the independent voters breaking overwhelmingly republican, and this is a big change in america. >> larry: we will come back with a statement from the house leader boehner and joe biden. tu. - we're dating. [ announcer ] snapple. the best stuff on earth just got better. it's laughs over a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad. catching up over wood-grilled shrimp and chicken. and with lunches starting at just $6.99... it's an hour you wouldn't trade for anything.

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>> larry: the house minority leader john boehner called on president obama to fire his economic team today. here is what he said today. watch. >> president obama should ask for and accept the resignations of the remaining members of his economic team starting with secretary geithner and larry summers, the head of the national economic council. now, this is no substitute for a referendum on the president's job killing agenda. that question will be put before the american people in due time. >> larry: ben stein is a big fan of larry summers, and we will have his comment, but here is

vice president biden responded to boehner's speech. watch. >> there are millions upon millions of americans who saw their savings and their paychecks shrink, lost their jobs, their homes, and mr. boehner is nostalgic for those good old days, but the american people are not. they don't want to go back. they want to move forward, and so folks, i am still waiting for what it is that they are for. >> larry: okay. ben, what do you make of boehner and summers and -- >> actually, larry summers is one of the smartest guys in the world, and we are incredibly lucky to have him in public service, and geithner is a cipher and he should push cookies in an embassy in some foreign country, and biden said, we don't know what to do. democrats and republicans don't know what to do and ms. schultz does not know what to do and i don't know what to do and nobody

knows what to do. >> isn't that true alicia? >> well l is some truth to it, and i have to give it to ben, because it is refreshing to be that honest and we can be that honest, because we are not running for office in november, but there is a distinction between one party putting forward, forward-looking solutions and innovative solutions and another party that wants to play looking back in time and just going backwards, when we know what those policies got us. so i think that there is a distinction. >> larry: ari? do you have a solution? >> larry -- >> well, one thing for certain, you don't raise taxes in the middle of the weak economy we have, and i'm afraid that is what we are heading for if congress doesn't know what to do with the expiring tax cuts. but two, when the tax cuts were passed in 2001 and 2003 with overwhelming bipartisan reports, it led to 52 straight months of

consecutive job growth in our economy. people should not forget that. there was a recession in september 2001, and then because of the capital gains and the tax cut, the economy took off, and then the deficit was down the $157 billion and them the meltdown of 2008, and i don't attribute that to the 2001 tax cuts, and this was a much bigger factor that involved both parties and involved freddie mac and fannie mae and the whole walt street meltdown, but there was recently the solid job growth which was a result of the tax cuts that the democrats are deriding. >> larry: mrs. schultz? >> well, we have the most credible economists who don't attribute the success of the job growth under the clinton administration, and then the tanking of the economy under the bush administration to tax cuts that focus on the wealthiest 1%. what we are going to be seeing,