First Lady Talks Voting Rights
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Before you get our vote, you're going to have to answer some questions. Questions like --</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When is the election? How soon can we get to decide?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are the names of the names of the two people running? And be specific.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is the president right now? Is he or she running? Because if so, experience is maybe something we should consider.</s>LEMON: Got to love "Saturday Night Live." The undecideds may still have some questions -- seems like a lot of questions there. But some pundits are in agreement, they say Mitt Romney is in big trouble. Is he though? Let's ask the only pundit whose analysis we really care about, really matters to us.</s>WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: That's right.</s>LEMON: CNN contributors Will Cain and LZ Granderson. LZ, of course, also a senior writer at ESPN. So this is about the Republicans. This is about Mitt Romney. I'm going to start with you, Will.</s>CAIN: All right.</s>LEMON: Romney has spent a lot of time lately just explaining comments about Libya, comments about the so-called 47 percent, fending off criticism from conservative critics. There are still six weeks.</s>CAIN: Right.</s>LEMON: And three debates to go. What's going on here? This is a little premature to be imploding.</s>CAIN: I think it's a little premature to be calling the race and I think that's what a lot of pundits and critics seem to be doing at this point. There's no denying that Mitt Romney has had an incredibly difficult to incredibly bad week or two. But that means that look, six and a half weeks to go. What drives elections? What drives news? Events. Events.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>CAIN: Look, we saw the Middle East explode into changing -- you know, world-changing events over the past week and a half. Four years ago we saw the economy take a drastic turn just months before the election. You know, I think we constantly overvalue, Don, the impact of all these gaffes when still there are plenty of -- there's plenty of days left and plenty of events left to happen before this election.</s>LEMON: Well, I always say you -- you know, don't count anybody out. You never know what can happen between now and then. But as you --</s>CAIN: Right.</s>LEMON: LZ, as you really to people, when you talk to folks, Democratic or Republican, may go, my gosh, last week, I don't know. This is not the defining moment or the moment that turned everything, I don't know what is. And that's what people are really saying. What do you make of that, LZ?</s>LZ GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think you're absolutely right about that. That was a really horrific week. And not just in terms of, you know, the way video being leaked out, but the way that the entire confrontation was handled after that. It just seemed like, again, there was a lack of compassion and not really being able to be in step of what the American people were concerned about. But, you know, I think we've been mischaracterizing the things that Mitt Romney has been saying over these past, you know, year and a half and describing them as gaffes. I think it's becoming very clear that this is just Mitt Romney. This is actually what he really feels in terms of class, in terms of socioeconomic status and people's work ethic. So I think we need to stop saying, oops, he shouldn't have said that, and start looking at the fact that he's been saying this pretty consistently and this is actually his policy and his values.</s>LEMON: Yes, and if that's what he believes in, that's what he believes. Maybe -- maybe the media are characterizing it as gaffes when it was really, you know, what he believes so --</s>GRANDERSON: This is Mitt.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>GRANDERSON: It's what he believes.</s>LEMON: And you know -- you know I don't mean that in a bad way.</s>CAIN: What's amazing is the media is characterizing it --</s>LEMON: Hey, Will, but I think he says the same thing. I mean he actually said, that's what I believe. I believe in what I said about the 47 percent. I didn't mean to disparage anyone, but these are my beliefs. Why are you characterizing it as a gaffe?</s>CAIN: Yes, but the main thing is the media --</s>GRANDERSON: Right.</s>CAIN: And I'm going to point, you know, two boxes over to my left right here to my friend LZ, are just characterizing the 47 percent remark, for example, superficially. So we just can't say perpetuate this thing, oh, he said -- what he said is so bad.</s>GRANDERSON: Superficially?</s>CAIN: That's going to affect people on an emotional level. It will affect people in an emotional level if you never appeal to them intellectually. What -- he made mistakes. And I think we've talked about on this program, I've certainly talked about on others, but there were intellectual mistakes about mischaracterizing the numbers. It didn't reinforce some year and a half narrative --</s>LEMON: OK.</s>CAIN: -- about how he feels about people in different economic classes.</s>LEMON: All right. Let's move on now.</s>GRANDERSON: It's not about the numbers.</s>LEMON: All right. But --</s>GRANDERSON: It's about how he feels about the people.</s>LEMON: "Saturday Night Live" jokingly suggested that Obama should just stay quiet until Election Day and let Romney self-destruct. I mean does it feel like he's doing -- that was a pretty funny thing last night --</s>CAIN: Ball control, huh?</s>LEMON: Yes. When he said, Mr. President, what are you doing? Just be quiet.</s>CAIN: I'll say this, and I'm going to toss this to LZ. I don't think ball control offense is ever a wise strategy. When you have your opponent, you know, I'm going to mix sports metaphors here, but when you have your opponent on the ropes, you have to put them away. I mean I don't know. Ball control is not the way to win an election.</s>GRANDERSON: He's not --</s>CAIN: It's not the way to win anything.</s>GRANDERSON: He is not in any position -- you're right, Will, he is not in any position to just be quiet and let Romney talk. And I'll tell you why. I think the most important dates of this election is November 2nd. I used to think it was October 3rd, the first debate, but now that I've seen how a narrative behind a job report can totally change a person's attitude about the president. If that job report is not strong on November 2nd, he's in a lot of trouble.</s>CAIN: Right.</s>GRANDERSON: He's in a lot of trouble.</s>CAIN: Events. Events.</s>GRANDERSON: So --</s>LEMON: I'll tell you what. I'm going to be watching those debates. That is going to be some good television. But let's move on and talk about a very serious subject here. Voter rights and voter suppression. Republicans have pushed voter I.D. laws around the country. Democrats are crying foul. Here's the first -- here's the first lady last night at the Congressional Black Caucus dinner. Take a listen.</s>MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: We all get a say in our democracy no matter who we are or where we're from or what we look like or who we love. So we cannot let anyone discourage us from casting our ballots. We cannot let anyone make us feel unwelcomed in the voting booth.</s>LEMON: She says "feel unwelcomed in the voting booth." are people really -- is there a strategy to make people feel unwelcome in the voting booth? I mean, the former President Bill Clinton, Will --</s>CAIN: No.</s>LEMON: -- said this was -- he has never seen it so blatant at trying to not let -- allow people to vote.</s>CAIN: Really? Really? He's never seen it so blatant as when they made African-Americans count jelly beans in a jar and get the number right before they cast a vote? Look, people feel strongly about this --</s>GRANDERSON: He wasn't alive then.</s>CAIN: So I'm going to put this strongly to you. This is the biggest bag in nothing designed to inflame voters and specifically minority voters into turning out this election. If you want to equate showing your I.D., an I.D. which if you don't have the government will provide you for free, and if you don't have that free I.D. they will provide you that you can still cast a ballot, a provisional ballot which will be counted later. If that is equivalent of a poll tax or a literacy test on African- Americans in this country, then that -- then you're asking us to stretch logic to its furthest absurdity.</s>LEMON: LZ, go ahead.</s>CAIN: And you know what, most Americans agree because the polls show it.</s>LEMON: Go ahead,</s>LZ. GRANDERSON: You know, I'm going to try not to go off on my friend Will here. I'm going to try and keep my emotions in tact here. I'm just going to say that it's racist. I'm not going to dance all around it, it's driven by racism. And the fact that Will can't see it is fine. Everyone doesn't have to see the same story but I'm going to tell you what that actual story is. This is driven by race. I was at the speech last night. I was at that dinner last night, and I will tell you, I didn't leave there thinking, oh, I need to vote for Obama because he's black. I left there thinking as an American citizen we all should be offended that these tactics are being used to curtail our rights, the rights that blacks and whites have died for. You don't have to go all the way back to slavery. I mean, Jesse Helms, hello, he used very aggressive tactics to scare blacks from going back to the polls.</s>CAIN: And it's nothing like this.</s>GRANDERSON: Same thing that if you show up -- let me finish because I allowed you to finish. Same things like, if you go to these polls and you don't have XY and Z documents, you will go to jail. That wasn't a long time ago. You and I, Will, we were in college when that was going on.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>GRANDERSON: And so if you think that this is some sort of ruse, then what you're just really saying is that I'm a little bit out of touch when it comes to things that address the minority and I need my friend LZ to tell me about them.</s>LEMON: OK. All right.</s>CAIN: No, no, I appreciate that, but look, the polls show, the majority of Americans support showing an I.D. at the voting booth to protect the sanctity of vote to as protect it from voter fraud --</s>GRANDERSON: What's the motivation?</s>CAIN: And the -- and the Supreme Court of United States also agrees with this provision.</s>GRANDERSON: What is the motivation?</s>LEMON: Hang on. Hang on.</s>OK -- CAIN: So it's --</s>GRANDERSON: Will --</s>LEMON: I think that is a good question, Will. What's the motivation when it shows that there's really no fraud -- not much of a history of voter fraud.</s>CAIN: No, no, no.</s>LEMON: That's what -- hang on. That's -- it's not much of a history of that, and if it's not political, if it's not politically motivated or, as LZ says, racially motivated, that's his words, then why not wait until the next presidential election to put it into place where both sides --</s>CAIN: Well, you know, the answer to this.</s>LEMON: Hang on. Where both sides get what they want?</s>CAIN: You know the answer to this because you and I both just stated. It is to protect the sanctity of a vote against voter fraud. It is not something that is nonexistent.</s>LEMON: But what if there is no --</s>CAIN: You ask Norm Coleman.</s>LEMON: Voter fraud is pretty -- is pretty much nonexistent, Will. That's a talking point.</s>CAIN: That's nonsense. That is nonsense that it's nonexistent. That is not true.</s>GRANDERSON: No, what's nonsense --</s>CAIN: You can't say that.</s>LEMON: That people are going to --</s>GRANDERSON: What's nonsense is that you don't see it.</s>LEMON: OK. So -- let's just say 100 people --</s>CAIN: That's simply not true.</s>LEMON: Is it going to make that much a difference? It's not even that, it's like</s>CAIN: So the question isn't for me then. So the question isn't for me. It's for you two. How much voter fraud is acceptable?</s>LEMON: Listen. I'm not saying.</s>GRANDERSON: No --</s>LEMON: I'm just saying why not --</s>LEMON: So that it doesn't look political, why don't you wait until the next election so both sides will get what they want? You give people the time to get a voter I.D. card and then you sort it out between now and then.</s>CAIN: But this has been -- this has been a project -- this isn't a project that came up in the past three months. This is a project that states across this country have been - have been looking into for years and passing on a state level for years. And by the way, it's --</s>GRANDERSON: And got extremely aggressive when President Obama was in office.</s>CAIN: State after start voting -- what's that?</s>GRANDERSON: Did you know they also tried to keep President Obama off the ballot by having some sort of special rule that was just implemented regarding birth certificates? Will, you need to stop it and see the light, brother. They are purposely trying to do anything they can to intimidate minorities. And what you really need to be upset about --</s>CAIN: Do you think -- I'm just curious.</s>GRANDERSON: -- is -- what you really -- what you really need to be upset about is the fact that years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a registered Republican because the Republican Party was actually the party that was fighting the racism in the south. And that has flipped. And it's flipped because indecisions have allowed that to flip. And They didn't speak up when the racism was there.</s>CAIN: Let me just -- let me just make a point --</s>LEMON: Wrap it up, guys.</s>GRANDERSON: We need to speak up about the racism now.</s>CAIN: It's all small point in a question. It's small point to question. This conversation shows it's a useful conversation to inflame the voter.</s>LEMON: OK.</s>CAIN: Second, it's not just me. Are you suggesting the Supreme Court of the United States therefore is racist because they have approved and seen that every one of these laws is constitutional?</s>GRANDERSON: I'm saying that you need to look at the genesis as to why this law was created or why these people pursued in the timeline and in the fashion in which it was pursued. Were was this conversation being so nationally pushed when W. was running for reelection? Why is it that when the first black president of the United States is on the ballot that all of a sudden we're super motivated now to make sure there's no voter fraud.</s>LEMON: All good questions.</s>GRANDERSON: You can look at the motivation and the timing.</s>LEMON: All good question. We let this go about 10 minutes longer than it was supposed to.</s>CAIN: I know you did.</s>LEMON: Great conservation, as usual. Goodness.</s>CAIN: Thank you, guys.</s>LEMON: Thank you. See you next weekend.</s>GRANDERSON: Thank you.</s>LEMON: Don't forget, you can stay connected. You can watch CNN live on your computer. You can do it from work. Just go to CNN.com/TV.