Skip to main content

tv   Erin Burnett Out Front  CNN  August 13, 2012 7:00pm-8:00pm EDT

7:00 pm
you had a dog? >> we did. we had chance, jetta, gilly. >> see you tomorrow. that's it for us. follow us on twitter. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, almost 60 hours of spin and sound bites, name-calling and hype, tonight, the facts. we run the numbers on what is now the ryan/romney budget plan. and jesse jackson, jr., diagnosed with bipolar disorder. what that disease means for someone trying to make it back to work in government. and intrigue at the vatican. what was the pope's butler looking for in his personal apartment? let's go "outfront." good evening. i'm john avlon in for erin burnett.
7:01 pm
"outfront" tonight, 60 hours of whirlwind attacks. that's how long it's been, 60 hours, since mitt romney announced his running mate, wisconsin congressman paul ryan. and since then, we've been bombarded with political attacks that are based more on fear than fact. >> paul ryan has embraced an extremist proposal. >> with a romney/ryan ticket, it's like reagan again. ♪ >> so tonight we're going to cut through the partisan spin to give you the facts on these key three fronts. first, how the ryan/romney deficit reduction plan compares to the president's own $4 trillion deficit reduction proposal. do they add up? then the pros and cons of paul ryan, what his votes have been on the key issues from afghanistan to abortion to t.a.r.p. and finally, the politics of
7:02 pm
mediscare, the fear-mongering that both sides do. we're talking about stacking the ryan/romney budget against president obama's own proposal. that's the debate we should be having in this country. what's the best path for us to take? so tonight we're putting the two side by side. first ryan's budget is one of the most sweeping plans ever proposed to cut government spending. and whether romney likes it or not, he now owns it. the plan's made romney a lightning rod. the only way to get our fiscal house in order, he says, is to dramatically shrink the size of government. ryan wants to cut spending by $5.8 trillion over the next ten years. additional revenue he says will come from economic growth. ryan wants to replace the current four tax rates with two, 15% and 25%. but he says he's eliminating unspecified tax deductions to help pay for these cuts. ryan also wants to cut $1.6 trillion in domestic discretionary spending over ten years and achieve entitlement reforms by voucherizing medicare
7:03 pm
for people over 55. there will be no cuts in military spending. as for president obama's plan, it reduces the deficit through $3 trillion in cuts and $1 trillion in additional revenue. big difference. the president wants to end the bush era tax cut for individuals making over $250,000 a year. mr. obama wants to cut domestic discretionary spending by some $600 billion. that's about $1 trillion less than ryan would do. it would cut military spending by $400 billion over ten years buld but would avoid cuts to education, clean energy and infrastructure spending. "outfront" tonight, steven moore and robert reich. good to see you both. stephen, i want to start off with you, bill gross is a member of our economic strike team and a founder of pimco. here's what he tweeted. he said, do bond markets take heart from the ryan selection? not me.
7:04 pm
he talks lower deficits but really believes in lower taxes. the exact opposite. stephen, bill gross has made billions in the bond market. tell me why he's wrong. >> i think a tax cut is exactly what's necessary right now to get this economy going. one of the big differences between the ryan budget and the obama budget, you cited a lot of number there is, john. but one way of thinking about this is that under the obama budget, over the next ten years, we'll borrow $10 trillion more on top of the $16 trillion we have right now. under the ryan budget, that cuts that borrowing in half to $5 trillion. that's a big difference. this is going to be a really important groan-up discussion we're going to have. there's always this talk about not a dime's worth of difference between the two parties. this year, there's $5 trillion worth of difference. that's how big the difference is and how much the romney/ryan budget would cut the deficit. >> no question there's a clear contrast. but to press the point, if these
7:05 pm
cuts are what you're describing, why wouldn't a bond maven like bill gross be celebrating? >> i don't know. i can't explain why he isn't. there are a lot of people on wall street i know who are celebrating and what paul ryan has done effectively in just the first 72 hours of being named is he has really energized conservatives across the country. there's a lot of electricity now with respect to that ticket, which is something that -- let's face it, mitt romney didn't have the best last couple of months. but this is a bit of a turnaround. it's going to be a sharp contrast, the same kind of debate robert reich and i have had for years. >> no question about it. robert, let me turn to you. the fact is, if we're honest, this president faces a credibility gap on issues of deficit and debt. why should voters believe his plan would ever be enacted? >> well, i think that voters have only to look at the last several years of republicans saying "no" to everything the president proposed and hope that the president gets a congress that actually will say yes. if he does and has a chance to
7:06 pm
actually implement his budget, we're going to see a budget that not only balances the budget but also doesn't balance the budget on the backs of working class and the poor and doesn't provide a huge, giant tax break on top of all of the other tax cuts that the rich who have never been as rich in this nation's history have already got. when you said, john, before -- and i thought it was very important that you said it that way -- the ryan/romney budget. that's the way you characterized it. all day today, the candidate, mitt romney as candidate, has been saying, i'm going to be president. i'm a presidential candidate. ryan's budget is not my budget. but the fact of the matter is, it is his budget. he is going to have to live with the fact that ryan wants to turn medicare into vouchers. that ryan is going -- has a reverse robin hood budget in terms of rewarding the rich and sacrificing the poor and the working class. and thirdly, a lot of the investments we believe in in this country in terms of infrastructure and education and
7:07 pm
everything else, are going to be absolutely eliminated on the ryan/romney budget. yet the military is going to be held intact. this is not a budget about reducing, this isn't about reducing the budget deficit. the ryan budget does not reduce the budget deficit. for three decades, we don't get a balanced budget. this is about shrinking government on the backs of average working people. and i think americans when they hear about it are not going to like it. >> here's the problem -- >> steven, i want to play a clip. erin spoke with congressman ryan back in march. she asked him about his plan to simplify the tax system. here was their discussion. >> and let me ask you, when you talk about two tax brackets, the 10% and the 25%, on an absolute basis, assuming anyone in the current 25% bracket or lower goes to the 10% and everybody else goes to the 25%, i'm assuming that's what it is, but the wealthy would get the bigger cut there on an absolute basis,
7:08 pm
clearly. >> we're also saying take away their tax shelters. there are effective tax rates. and the people in the top two tax brackets are the ones who get almost all of the write-offs and almost all the tax shelters. if you're a wealthy person and you park your money in a tax shelter, it's taxed at zero. if we take those away and have a broader-based lower rate system, that money's taxed at 25%. >> stephen, romney, we all know, has money offshore, including the cayman islands. he claims his taxes are all paid, nothing hidden there. but when ryan talks about this issue as he did last night on "60 minutes," doesn't that put romney on the defense? >> look, i love this idea of closing tax loopholes and tax shelters. i like exactly what paul ryan is talking about, let's lower the rate and get rid of all these tax breaks for the rich. democrats talk about tax breaks for the rich. paul ryan wants to get rid of those so everybody pays their fair share of tax. so i think it's a very pro-growth plan.
7:09 pm
look, we have cut tax rates four times since 1960. under kennedy, twice under reagan, we did under bush. and in every instance, john, every single time we did that, liberals said it was going to be a big tax cut for the rich. and we got more revenues in because the economy grew faster and, robert reich, the rich paid a larger share of the taxes. that's what's going to happen under the ryan plan. >> robert, final plan to you. >> they pay a larger share of the taxes because the rich are taking home over 20% of total income. >> robert, one thing that mystifies me is the argument of broadening the base, which may be good. doesn't that necessarily mean raising some taxes on people who either aren't paying any or are paying very little right now? >> well, look -- it's very interesting. when ryan talks about closing loopholes and when romney talks about closing loopholes, they don't specify which loopholes they're going to close. nobody likes loopholes. it sounds awful. but are they going to say nobody
7:10 pm
can deduct mortgages in excess of $20,000 a year? are they going to say that we're going to abolish a charitable deduction over $10,000 a year? are they going to actually close loopholes that have -- that provide -- for example, what mitt romney -- the carried interest deduction loophole is gigantic. if you are in the business that romney has been in in terms of private equity, that allows him to treat his income as capital gains. are you going to get rid of that carried interest deduction loophole? none of this has been specified. and until ryan and romney specify what loopholes they're talking about, it's a meaningless discussion. >> i want to thank you both for joining us tonight. that is one important missing detail, the plan so far. up next, the pros and cons of paul ryan, politically. why one stance might cost the romney/ryan ticket a number of women voters. also, iphones might be getting cheaper but there's a catch. the stock market has a down day but there are a number of
7:11 pm
reasons why it's not as bad as you might think. ♪ why not take a day to explore your own backyard? with two times the points on travel, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy. see life in the best light. [music] transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- wow. wow.
7:12 pm
but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! ♪ home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above. this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram. glory. well another great thing about all this walking i've been doing is that it's given me time to reflect on some of life's biggest questions.
7:13 pm
like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call, why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better. it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. by what's getting done. measure commitment the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic
7:14 pm
and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment. and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues... but that doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through. our second story "outfront" tonight, the pros and cons of paul ryan. is he a political asset or a liability? now, that's the question many voters are asking themselves tonight as they take a look at what the republican vice presidential pick brings to the ticket. a new poll, 39% of registered voters say paul ryan is an excellent or pretty good choice. but two-thirds say the seven-term congressman will have
7:15 pm
no effect on whether they vote for mitt romney. but most americans don't really know who paul ryan is just yet. after all, he's never run for office beyond his district in wisconsin. we're taking a closer look at ryan's voting record and laying out his positions on some of the most important issues of the day. cnn contributor's roland martin and rahm salem are here with us. let's take a closer look at some of his positions. paul ryan supports, of course, his own budget deficit reduction plan which includes medicare vouchers, making the busch era tax cuts permanent and cutting domestic spending. he supports partial privatization of social security in the past. he voted for t.a.r.p. and the auto bailout. paul ryan is against troop withdrawal from afghanistan, defense spending freezes, the simpson/bowles commission, voted against it, and abortion, even in cases of rape or incest.
7:16 pm
dems have been calling his policy proposals extreme. but if he's so polarizing on these circumstances how come he's been elected eight times in a swing district in wisconsin? >> that's easy. it's all based upon how many of your voters are in your particular district. but we can talk about all those things -- >> he's got a lot of democrats in that district. >> but you talk about what did he vote for? congress voted 361 to 64 to require that credit card companies give 45-day notices of rate hikes, whether they're going to freeze interest rates on new accounts for one year. guess what? ryan was one of those 64 who said no. when you say, i'm with the middle class, how does that shape up? he didn't support the consumer protection bureau. he also voted with republicans to say the justice department should not step in and using a voting rights act to stop voter id laws. when someone says, i'm with the middle class, how does your societying record stack up when
7:17 pm
you say you're for the middle class? >> he's been reelected numerous times in a district of democrats. >> it's a congressional district. safford bishop in georgia represents a largely conservative district, lots of republicans. he's an african-american who's a democrat. he won. so that's a congressional district, far different from running for the nation. >> ryan is best known for being a strong fiscal conservative. he opposes aboorgs even in cases of rape or incest. how does that position not hurt him with women voters in the fall? >> it's going to help him with pro-choice women voters. but over the last 20 years, a lot of pro-choice female voters who packed republicans in the past have been migrating toward the district party. paul ryan might attract some voters who doubt mitt romney's pro-life bona fides. we know mitt romney previously took a strongly pro-choice position when he had run for
7:18 pm
governor of massachusetts. that could be an advantage among pro-life voters. >> white working class women favor the romney ticket over the obama ticket. i wonder what those same women will feel when they find out that ryan voted against the lilly ledbetter act. we have to stop the notion of it's the issue of choice. it goes deep into your pocketbook. ryan talks about being a budget hawk. when robert gates said we were wasting $485 million on an engine, the so-called deficit hawk, ryan, voted against the secretary of defense to get rid of the -- out of the budget. how can you say you want to end or deal with waste in government but when you have defense waste, then you say, no, keep it in? >> i have a related question to that. for all his deficit hawk credential, he voted against the simpson/bowles commission, which he was a part of. how do you understand that vote? >> there were three republicans
7:19 pm
who were nominated by speaker boehner to that commission. all three of them wound up voting against the simpson/bowles commission. the shared reason they all had was they objected to president obama's affordable care act. they were concerned the simpson/bowles commission didn't go far enough on reforming health entitlements. that was the core reason. he liked a lot of the ideas in it and he pursued some of the ideas in it elsewhere but he didn't support it for that reason. >> i want to thank you both -- roland, we have to go on. i'm sorry, my friend. up next, we have a surprising number related to the stock market and what it could mean for the economy. and dr. sanjay gupta explains the latest diagnosis of jesse jackson, jr. she said, "take an aspirin, we need to go to the hospital." i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i'm very grateful to be alive. aspirin really made a difference. i have to know the weather patterns. i upgraded to the new sprint direct connect. so i can get three times the coverage. [ chirp ]
7:20 pm
[ manager 2 ] it's like working in a giant sandbox with all these huge toys. and with the fastest push-to-talk... i can keep track of them all. [ chirp ] [ chirp ] [ male announcer ] upgrade to the new "done." with access to the fastest push-to-talk and three times the coverage. now when you buy one kyocera duracore rugged phone, for $49.99, you'll get four free. visit a sprint store, or call 855-878-4biz. [ chirp ] visit a sprint store, or call 855-878-4biz. homicide of young people in america has an impact on all of us. how can we save these young people's lives? as a police chief, i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. if you want to make a difference, you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig, i am committed to making a difference, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. you'll inevitably find yourself on a desolate highway in your jeep grand cherokee.
7:21 pm
and when you do, you'll be grateful for the adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts your speed when approaching slower traffic. and for the blind spot monitoring that helps remind you that the highway might not be as desolate... ...as you thought. ♪ ntgomery and abigail higgins had... ...a tree that bore the most rare and magical fruit. which provided for their every financial need. and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you.
7:22 pm
7:23 pm
our third story "outfront" tonight, bipolar depression. that's what representative jesse jackson, jr., is being treated for tonight at the mayo clin nick rochester, minnesota. the illinois democrat and son of the reverend jesse jackson has been receiving intensive treatment for a mood disorder since early july. his family says it is unclear whether he will return to congress. cnn's chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is "outfront" tonight to talk about the disorder and how it was treated. sanjay, we've heard it called
7:24 pm
bipolar 2 disorder and bipolar depression. how are these different from regular bipolar disorder? >> there are a lot of cloak wallisms that people use. bipolar 1 is what most people think about. it can be remarkable, characterized by very manic episodes, when people become manic, they may spend lots of money, make terrible decision, people may even think they can fly, things like that. with bipolar 2, it's the same sort of pattern but not as much as the mania. but the depression can be much worse. bipolar depression is a term used. what that refers to if you keep everything in mind, it refers to the depressive episode of that mania back and forth. that's what it means. in the case of jesse jackson, jr., they talk about bipolar 2.
7:25 pm
says he has both the mania and the depression. but the mania is not as significant as it is with the other bipolar. >> is treating this specific disorder as simple as using anti-depressant medication or more complex? >> if you think about someone who's profoundly depressed, for example, an anti-depressant would obviously be a good choice. but in someone who is toggling back and forth between mania and depression in either case, bipolar 1 or bipolar 2, you now start thinking about things like mood-stabilizing drugs. instead of trying to just treat the depression, you're really trying to stabilize the mood. it can be tough to treat, john, which is why people often do end up in psychiatric hospitals for inpatient treatment. also, i recently did a story about using a sort of cutting-edge treatment, an experimental therapy where they put in deep brain stimulaters to stimulate certain parts of the brain to modulate that so a a
7:26 pm
person doesn't have any wild highs or wild lows. >> sanjay, thanks for educating us. the politics of mediscare next. dems say ryan will destroy the program. does that add up for a win in the electoral college for president obama? and later, the pope's butler goes on trial for allegedly stealing secret documents from the vatican. was he motivated to expose, quote, evil and corruption? we'll have more, next "outfront." well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. [ male announcer ] to hold a patent that has changed the modern world... would define you as an innovator. to hold more than one patent of this caliber... would define you as a true leader.
7:27 pm
to hold over 80,000... well, that would make you... the creators of the 2012 mercedes-benz e-class... quite possibly the most advanced luxury sedan ever. ♪ join mercedes-benz usa on facebook for the best summer sweepstakes. who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman
7:28 pm
which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62% so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news.
7:29 pm
7:30 pm
welcome back to the second half of "outfront." our fourth story tonight, the politics of mediscare. team obama and team romney both using scare tactics to try and convince voters that the other will destroy medicare. these granny off the cliff ads could be just the tip of the iceberg. let's take a look. ♪
7:31 pm
>> subtle. well, now let's separate the facts from the fear-mongering and challenge talking points on both sides. joining us first tonight is surrogate for the romney campaign, congressman jason chicks. it seems the mediscare talking points regarding medicare have been received by all team romney. let's take a listen to this sunday's shows. >> quite extreme. good person. but his views are quite harsh. >> paul ryan has embraced an extremist proposal. >> that was obviously the democratic talking points. let's take a listen to the talking points on your side of the aisle regarding mediscare. >> what we're saying is take away the tax shelters uniquely enjoyed by people at the top tax brackets so they can't shelter
7:32 pm
as much money from taxation to make america for competitive. >> congressman, we'll get the right sound in a little bit. but the basic point is all throughout the sunday shows i heard the same thing -- president obama has blood on his hands for cutting $700 billion from medicaid. now, how is that mediscare tactic any different than what democrats have done to republicans in the past? how does this begin to add up? >> well, when people try to suggest that paul ryan wants to end medicare, a, that's not true, and, b, you have to ask yourgs, if we do nothing, what's going to happen? it's going to fall off a financial cliff. we're pointing to what the congressional budget office has looked at and said that president obama, under his plan, what he has passed and proposed would cut $700 billion from medicare. that's obviously going to have an effect on the program. and so -- >> but, congressman -- >> what republicans are saying -- >> that's obviously hypocrisy. your whole point is we need to
7:33 pm
address entitlement reform in order to reduce the long-term deficit and debt. why turn around and all of a sudden play the mediscare card against president obama? >> because that's the reality of the number. what we're trying to say is in order to save medicare, we have to make some adjustments now. for anybody who is 55 years old and older, there will be a no adjustment. for younger generations, we can save the program if we act now. that's what we're trying to say. to suggest that president obama wants to do nothing about this is inaccurate. we're trying to point that out. he pulled $700 billion out of medicare. it's fair to talk about that. >> but isn't it also fair to point out that the ryan plan would also keep the $700 billion in cuts? >> there's a different approach to this plan. what we're trying to say is we have to save it. what i hear routinely from the democrats time after time and in that ad is that they're going to throw grandma over the cliff. that's not fair. that's not accurate. that's not what the plan says. every time they say, we're going
7:34 pm
to voucherize it as i've heard you say several times on the program, that is factually incorrect. it is not a voucher program. when i routinely hear vouchers, vouchers, vouchers, i have to say to myself, that's not right. they're trying to scare people that we're moving to a voucher program. that is not what paul ryan has suggested. >> let's be honest, your side is trying to scare people on the other side -- >> no, we're not. we're trying to make a point that we're trying to save the program. >> one criticism of the ryan plan is that it would move the healthiest, lowest cost seniors out of medicare and the plan would be left to cover the sickest individuals. how does this just not mathematically drive up the overall cost of the program? >> what you have to understand is if you're 55 years old and older, there's going to be no change. what paul ryan can point to and the republicans when we passed out this budget is it was scored by the congressional budget office and that is the independent group which we all look to to give us a fair and accurate scoring.
7:35 pm
so we have it there in black and white. it has been scored. and the reality is the ryan plan, as we put forward in our budget, does balance over the course of time and pays off the national debt. president obama's plan under his budget, it never balances. in fact, it's fair to point out that in four years, that president obama has introduce add budget, never has he gotten even a single democrat to support his plan. he has no plan to save medicare. he has no plan to actually save this country from the financial cliff that we're going off. that's just the reality. that's just a fact. >> final question for you. on "60 minutes" last night, i notice that had paul ryan said something very interesting. let's take a listen. >> we're saying take away the tax shelters that are uniquely enjoyed by people in the top tax brackets so they can't shelter as much money from taxations to lower tax rates for everybody to make america for competitive. >> is closing overseas tax shelters a position that mitt romney agrees with? >> look, what republicans have said, what paul ryan said, what
7:36 pm
i've said, what i've heard mitt romney say is they want to broaden the base and lower the rate. now is not the time to raise taxes. that's what president obama wants to do. he wants to raise taxes. to hear democrats say it, they just want to -- we're one good tax increase away from prosperity. want to get rid of those loopholes and broaden the base. but we want to lower the rate. democrats want to raise the rate so they can spend more and expand government. that is the fundamental difference between the two parties and the two candidates. >> thank you for your time. i look forward to hearing some of the specifics about those closed loopholes. for the other side, let's turn to ben labolt. welcome "outfront." >> thanks for having me. >> you just heard congressman ch chaviz his team is not playing the mediscare card. what's the reaction inside the obama camp? >> i think you pointed out that this is one area where we agree with congressman ryan. he preserved the $700 billion in
7:37 pm
savings that the administration identified by getting waste and fraud out of the system, getting rid of unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies and redirecting those into benefits for seniors. we closed the doughnut holes so that seniors are saving $600 a year for their prescription drug coverage. these are the type of savings we need to promote the solvency of medicare in the long run. >> i appreciate that, ben. but let's be honest. democrats are using scare tactics of their own. let's take a listen. >> quite extreme. good person, genial person. but his views are quite harsh. >> paul ryan has embraced an extremist proposal. >> your folks keep saying that paul ryan is a good person but he's also a radical extremist. isn't that contradictory? >> well, i think he's the intellectual leader of the tea party, somebody who said that his top goal was deficit
7:38 pm
reduction. but when the president was negotiating a $4 trillion deficit reduction plan with congress according to "the new york times" today, paul ryan opposed that because he thought it would support the president's reelection. his medicare plan is a radical plan. it would cost seniors thousands of dollars more out of pocket and transfer cost on to them. all in order to pay for $5 trillion tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. under ryan's plan, governor romney would pay less than 1% on his taxes. >> i want to read you a quote from "the wall street journal" editorial page today. i'm sure one of your favorites. it read this -- late last year, mr. ryan joined oregon democratic senator ron wyden in introducing a version of his reform that explicitly retains medicare as we know it as a continuing option. the reform difference is that seerns would for the first time -- it was endorsed john breaux and bob kerrey as part of
7:39 pm
bill clinton's medicare commission in 1999. how is this in any way extreme? >> ultimately senator wyden's made it clear that he disagrees with the ryan budget at large. he doesn't think that that's the approach we should take. the president's got a balanced approach on the table. and that's one that he supports. but ultimately this really does restructure what the nature of medicare is. it turns it into a voucher program. increases the out-of-pocket cost for seniors by thousands of dollars each year. and the president is committed to its preservation, the affordable care act extends the solvency of medicare by eight years. the president's budget finds additional medicare and medicaid savings and would intend it solvency by another two years. the president has been working towards solutions to promote medicare solvency. but what this does is it radically restructures medicare. >> final question, david
7:40 pm
axelrod, your boss, this morning compared sarah palin to paul ryan, seemingly trying to draw a link between them in the voters' minds. but paul ryan is very different from sarah palin. he's a policy and intellectual leader of his party. and sarah palin isn't even speaking at their convention. why this desperate attempt to link the two? >> david was asked about the crowds that governor romney has seen at his events for the first time in the past couple of days. and what david was saying was that it reminded him of some of the excitement from the right wing, about the choice of the vp candidate. ultimately he wasn't drawing a parallel on other fronts. but i think that's what we're going to see here, capitulation to the right wing. it's making the weekly standard editorial board particularly happy. i think the choice of paul ryan will be devastating for the middle class, since he would cut programs essential to creating
7:41 pm
good-paying, sustainable jobs for the middle class in things like education and research and development and infrastructure and restoring economic security for the middle class. that's the president's ultimate goal and the ultimate question that will be on the ballot in november. >> thanks for coming "outfront." let's turn to john king. john, you just heard this exchange about the mediscare fight. let's take a look at who it might be really aimed at, the states with the greatest share of population of 65 and older. florida and iowa in the top five, where you are today. here's a look at cnn's toss-up states. the percentage of 65 and older in each of these states, florida, 17%, iowa, 15%. ohio, 14%. new hampshire. so this debate clearly is aimed at those seniors, isn't it? >> it's aimed at those seniors and also aimed at the group below them, voters in the 45 to 64-year range. nobody currently on medicare would be affected. nobody about to go on medicare would be affected. but people who are a few years out would be.
7:42 pm
if you add up both of those populations, that's half of the vote in florida. it's close to half the vote here in iowa. you've been going back and forth through the numbers. there's a big question here. if they go line by line, if this campaign becomes line by line through the ryan budget, the republicans lose. if it becomes, mr. president, we need to make tough choices and some are going to hurt, you've been in office three years, where are yours, the republicans think they can win. how this campaign plays out in the weeks ahead is critical, whether it's about the line by line or about the big picture. >> john, in your experience, do these kinds of attack end up working to change voters' minds or sit really just about playing to the base? >>. >> that's what's so fascinating about this. both campaigns are now acknowledging -- they have been for weeks. and the romney pick of paul ryan cements him in the view that this is a base election. president obama changing his views on same-sex marriage, appealing to women voters, he's doing everything he can to drive out the liberal base, including now the medicare tax and the
7:43 pm
republican ticket. governor romney is trying to gin up support among the republican base, very much like 2004, the karl rove, george w. bush versus john kerry race. what happens to that small group, the shrinking group in the middle of the country? if you go back to 2008, john mccain nationally carried senior citizens. in 2010, senior citizens were critical to the big republican victories at the governors level and the congressional level. that's part of the tug of war now. it's a fas fating thing. how do you appeal to your base and still fight for that shrinking center? it is the center that will decide the election, a very tiny slice of the electorate here in iowa, in florida, in ohio, in new hampshire and nevada. but sometimes campaigns have internal contradictions in ginning up the base and reaching for the middle. we have 85 days to figure that out. >> that's going to be the big fight. up next, the price of your iphone can going down. but there's a reason you might not want to bite just yet. and a real-life crime story
7:44 pm
from inside the vatican. private chambers, secret documents and a butler. ention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward. questions. when you're caring for a loved one with alzheimer's, not a day goes by that you don't have them. questions about treatment
7:45 pm
where to go for extra help, how to live better with the disease. so many questions, where do you start? alzheimers.gov. the answers start here. the wheels of progress haven't been very active lately. but because of business people like you, things are beginning to get rolling. and regions is here to help. making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way.
7:46 pm
not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink
7:47 pm
nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping's easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. no. come on. how about... a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service.
7:48 pm
it's been nearly four years since the height of the recession. and still a lot of uncertainty hangs over the american economy and it's understandable. unemployment seems stuck, hovering above 8%. and then there's the problems abroad. greece's economy has contracted again. europe's powers that be can't have a meeting of the minds on how to deal with the ongoing debt crisis. but so far this year, the major stocks indexes for the big euro economies are all higher and in the u.s., the dow jones industrial average is up 7.8% year to date. the number tonight? 13,169. that's where the dow closed today. that's double where it was on march 9th, 2009, the day the market closed at 6,547. the low point of the financial crisis, which was also just day 50 of the obama administration. that means the u.s. stock market is up more than 100% from the height of the fiscal crisis. not bad performance under a
7:49 pm
supposedly socialist, anti-business president. stock markets are traditionally considering leading indicator, meaning there may be brighter times on the horizon. but the disconnect between wall street and main street where unemployment remains over 8%, that should still trouble us all. one person who's taken advantage of the stock market run is representative paul ryan, according to his financial disclosure forms, he's invested in well known names, mcdonald's, wells fargo, starbucks, even whole foods. he's also been investing in tech companies like amazon, priceline and citrix. according to the math, it's only at $25 to $50 steak but still more than i own. one stock that's performed well is apple. it's up over 53% so far this year and there could be more gains ahead. retailers like target and best buy are starting to discount iphone prices. that sounds bad for apple but it's not. many tech experts are expecting apple to announce a new iphone
7:50 pm
next month. and that could give the stock another boost. now to tonight's outer circle where we reach out to our sources around the world. to syria where rebels are claiming they've shot down military jet. ivan watson is following the story from istanbul, and i asked him if their claims add up. >> reporter: rebel cameras filmed a sig fighter jet bursting into flames. and then going down. and this seemed to stun the rebel cameraman. now, the rebels claim they shot this fighter jet down with a 14.5 millimeter anti-aircraft cannon highly unlikely. claiming that the jet was doing a routine training mission when we know they've been bombing syrian cities and towns for weeks now.
7:51 pm
but it said it went down due to a technical malfunction and the pilot was still missing. the rebels have now broadcast another video a man they claim was the pilot. he's clearly surrounded by armed men and he does not look happy to be in their presence. whether or not this plane was shot down, it is a moral victory for the armed opposition who have been unable to challenge the syrian military's complete dominance of the skies over syria. john. >> ivan watson from istanbul. our fifth story "outfront" tonight, the scandal that has painted an embarrassing picture of corruption and connieism in the vet can. earlier today, the pope's former butl butler and another vatican employee were officially charged with aggravated theft. the two are accused of leaking secret documents taken from the
7:52 pm
pope's personal apartment. he said he acted out of a desire to combat evil and corruption everywhere in the church. the vatican has con fifirmed th authenticity of the documents but denies the allegations of corrupti corruption. cnn's senior vatican analyst and correspondent for the national catholic reporter john allen joins me now. john, what does a public trial even look like in the vatican? >> we should say that a public criminal trial in the vatican is basically unprecedented, so there's a lot we don't know. at the moment, the tribunal is in recess till september 20th so we have to wait till the judges get back from their summer break to know things like where this trial is going to be held and how much access we're going to have and so on. in the vatican, as under italian law, they don't rely on trial by jury, so this case will be heard by a three-judge panel. when they wrap up their work, there's basically an automatic
7:53 pm
review by an appeals court. experts say the wheels on this kind of thing grind fairly slowly so we could be talking about 2 1/2 years before we get a final verdict. >> some of the documents leaked allege some pretty salacious and secular sins. including letters written to the pope complaining of corruption in vatican finances, an anonymous memo criticizing a new vatican law against money laundering. what other revelations, if any, do you expect to come out of this trial? >> well, i doubt there will be many new documents but there is a pretty big shoe waiting to drop during the trial, which is the question of whether gabriella acted alone or whether he was put up to this by others higher up in the system, potentially even some vatican cardinals. now, the vatican has insisted there are no other suspects beyond the the two individuals who were indicted today. but in much italian commentary, it's basically an article of faith, that a simple papal
7:54 pm
butler could not have orchestrated an affair this sophisticated. one of the italian papers today carried a banner headline that read "hallelujah, the butler did it all, the vatican remains holy and immaculate." sarcasm basically dripping off the page. one of his attorneys said his client basically acted alone but of course it's early days. it's going to be fascinating to watch as the defense strategy evolves whether gabriella or his team at some stage decide to involve someone else in this story. >> it's all reminiscent of "godfather 3." up next, women rule and keep america on top. you the burden of constipation? turn to senokot-s tablets. senokot-s has a natural vegetable laxative ingredient plus the comfort of a stool softener for gentle, overnight relief of occasional constipation. go to senokot-s.com for savings. ♪ this is the sound...
7:55 pm
you feel that? no. the eassist is working. right now. that's spandau ballet, man. you did this all the way to the restaurant. yeah. we were going up a hill. getting extra horsepower. from a battery-powered generator. ♪ ah, ah ah, ah, ah ♪ it's helping us conserve fuel. this is important. [ male announcer ] the all-new, 37 mpg chevy malibu eco. from new technology to old friends. chevy runs deep. who dreamed she could fly. like others who braved the sky before her, it took a mighty machine, and plain old ingenuity to go where no fifth grader had gone before. ♪ and she flew and she flew, into the sky and beyond. my name is annie and i'm the girl who dreamed she could fly. powered by intel core processors. ♪ powered by intel core processors. would you mind if to be i go ahead of you?omer. instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars.
7:56 pm
congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd. you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up. if your bank makes you miss out, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number that appears on your screen.
7:57 pm
7:58 pm
the olympics are over. it's clear team usa came out on top. 104 total medals. 46 gold. dwarfing the nearest nations of china and great britain. beneath that milestone was another historic marker of success. for the first time, a majority of the medals won by the u.s. were won by women. now, this comes 40 years after president richard nixon signed
7:59 pm
title 9 into law which aimed to equalize academic and aethly theic opportunities for both men and women. just as elections have consequences, policies have an impact over time. and it's clear the title 9 has had an impact on our nation. it's made us stronger. and in a larger sense the olympics remind us that despite all our interesting differences there is always more that unites us than decide us as americans. when we pull together in the same direction while aiming for individual and collective excellence, we can achieve great things. it's a lesson our politicians in washington and out on the campaign trail could stand to learn from our olympic athletes as they come home. another woman who rules, our colleague candy crowley. she'll be monitoring the presidential debate at hofstra university this fall. the first time a woman has done so in two decades. an honor well deserved and overdue. anderson cooper

141 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on