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American Morning
Barack Obama's Victory Touching Off Celebrations Nationwide; Troops Overseas Reacting to Obama's Victory; New Republican Worries
Aired November 05, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Democracy in action.
BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Change has come to America.
ROBERTS: History in the making.
OBAMA: It's been a long time coming.
ROBERTS: President-Elect Barack Obama -
OBAMA: I many not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, and I will be your president, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The world reacts from Harlem to Hollywood, Africa to Australia. And the country's first black president looks toward the future...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We may not get there in one year or even in one term. I promise you, we as a people, will get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: ...on this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
And on this AMERICAN MORNING, it is a new day in American politics. Barack Obama has made history. The senator from Illinois was elected the first black president of the United States.
And lots of celebrating overnight. This is Grant Park in Chicago, where close to 200,000 people gathered to witness history and celebrate Barack Obama's victory.
About 2000 people packed inside Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s old church -- Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta. Two of King's surviving children were also there.
And in New York's Times Square, thousands stood shoulder to shoulder like it was New Year's Eve, watching history unfold. And upon hearing the news, the exuberant crowd, reminiscent of, again, New Year's Eve, erupted into applause. Many people hugging each other, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
The families of Barack Obama and Joe Biden soaked in their achievement at Chicago's Grant Park. And standing before that crowd, Obama spoke of his accomplishments and the dreams of his supporters.
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OBAMA: If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches, in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours, four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled, Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we could achieve, to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Once the glow of this historic moment wears off and reality sets in, Barack Obama will have to govern a nation through a war on two fronts and a financial crisis here at home and abroad. Joining me now, James Carville, Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor.
Today is no surprise to you. So I wouldn't ask you about that. But what does Barack Obama have to do from now until the day he takes office?
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think he started last night -- started extraordinarily, gracious speech, and I think he seemed to me to be a man that knows that he has a big job ahead of him. It was not a -- you know, he didn't rev up the crowd or anything. He reached out. And I think they're moving pretty decisively and start announcing some staff people, pretty good.
And to be fair, I think that you have to give President Bush some credit for starting this transition early. And, look, everything has changed in politics, and I suspect that the change is going to permeate down to the way Washington operates and then they'll be doing some pretty dramatic things here, I gather.
ROBERTS: John Podesta, former chief of staff during the Bill Clinton White House, is in charge of the transition. You were there in 1992 when you transitioned from Bush 41 to President Clinton. You know, what are some of the challenges that Barack Obama will face in this transition that President Clinton didn't have to face?
CARVILLE: Well, I think some of the challenges -- but he has some of the advantages. I think he's had John, who's really an experienced hand. He's been in place for a while. I think they're going to be much, much more prepared coming in to this than President Clinton was in '92.
I think -- I wasn't involved in the transition, but I think it was a little shaky at the start. It was much more ad hoc. I think this is more planned out. And I do think the administration deserves some credit for setting this process up.
ROBERTS: What about the whole idea of, you know, having to transfer power with the Department of Homeland Security, making sure that there are no gaps there in the nation's security that a potential terrorist enterprise could try to exploit?
CARVILLE: (INAUDIBLE), and I think -- and I think that they're going -- I think they're going to do that over a period of time. I don't think they're going to sort of walk in on January the 20th and take it over. I think they'll start bringing in earlier than that, which is a good idea. We've learned something in that.
ROBERTS: So, former Senator Bob Kerrey said just the other day he thinks that one of President-Elect Obama's biggest -- or when he becomes president, one of his biggest obstacles could be the Democratic Congress trying to overreach with this new sense of power. Do you think he's going to have to try to keep them in check?
CARVILLE: Well, you know, I don't know. I suspect that he'll have a pretty aggressive agenda, and I think they're going be pretty busy dealing with that. You know, the Democratic Congress, if you will, they're all politicians, too. And they have a pretty good sense of where they can go and where they need to go.
Having said that, you know, look, if people were so enthralled with Republicans, how come they lost two elections in a row? Maybe, just maybe, there's a possibility, I wouldn't want to go too far, that the country is trying to tell the Republican Party something. And if the Republicans wanted to hold the Democrats in check, then they should win more seats.
ROBERTS: Right. Remember what happened in 1994.
CARVILLE: I remember that, but I also remember what happened in 2006. And this has been two in a row.
ROBERTS: James, it's great to see you. Thanks for coming in this morning.
CARVILLE: Appreciate it.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it -- Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We want you to be part of our special coverage this morning. We have a "Quick Vote" question for you this hour -- Should Bill Clinton take an active role in the Obama White House? Call our toll-free number, 866-979-VOTE. That's 866- 979-8683. You can also text your answer to 94553.
Right in the middle of celebrating in the masses in Chicago last night was Oprah Winfrey. She believed in Barack Obama from the very beginning and she shares with us how she felt about his victory. And what about the Oprah effect? How many voters did she bring to the polls for Obama? We'll talk about it, still ahead.
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CHETRY: Barack Obama's victory touching off celebrations nationwide. In Chicago, a sea of humanity hailed Obama as the first black president-elect. The crowd of almost 250,000 well-wishers included Oprah Winfrey. In fact, she talked with CNN's Alina Cho one-on-one about the history-making moment.
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OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST, OBAMA SUPPORTER: It feels like hope won. It feels like it's not just victory for, obviously, Barack Obama. It feels like America did the right thing. It feels like there's a shift in consciousness. It fees like something really big and bold has happened here, like nothing ever in our lifetimes did we expect this to happen.
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CHETRY: Winfrey says that Obama faces challenges, but she believes that the best is yet to come.
Now, this morning, the celebrations are continuing. The transition is already in motion. And the Best Political Team is bringing you this historic moment. And also reaction from across the country.
In Harlem, celebrations over Barack Obama's big win. It's the cultural center really of black America reveling in Barack Obama's historic victory. And right smack in the middle of it was Jason Carroll. He's live there again this morning for us, where it's a new day and I'm sure that the celebrations continue.
Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And hello to you there, Kiran. It was really an incredible moment to be out here last night when the announcement was made. They're cleaning up here now, but last night the area behind me, this quad area was filled with hundreds of people who came out to watch all the developments on wide-screen TVs that were put out, set up out here. Really an incredible moment when the announcement came down.
There was dancing, as you see there. There are a lot of tears. A lot of hugs. A lot of joy. Excitement over electing Senator Barack Obama, but even more so, excitement over electing a man who many people out here said they never thought that they would see something like this in their lifetime.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The melting pot of America has spoken. Young, old, otherwise. We are ready to work. We are engaged in the Democratic process. We are ready to help Obama. We are ready to hold them accountable and we are ready for him to hold us accountable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just thinking about, you know, my elders and how this must really feel for them. You know, my grandparents and people like Dr. King and Malcolm "X" and all our leaders who really brought us to this moment. You know, just 40 years ago, you had the Civil Rights movement and now it kind of came full circle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we speak about the importance of the first black man as the president of the United States of America. And we are happy, too, about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And those last two that you saw there, they were from Italy. And that just goes to show you that some of the people who are in this crowd, it was not just African-Americans out here, there were people from all different ethnicities. Basically, everyone out here saying that this was not just a victory for African-Americans, but, Kiran, a victory for all Americans.
Kiran?
CHETRY: We saw a lot of diverse crowds. Everyone cheering, black, white or otherwise as you said, Jason, all across the country. Thanks so much for checking in with us this morning.
Meanwhile, we're going to talk a little bit about a chance interview that we got with former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
John?
Actually, former Secretary of State Colin Powell did hail the election of Barack Obama. CNN's Hugh Riminton spoke to Powell in Hong Kong. Powell said that Obama's appeal to American voters goes far beyond race.
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COLIN POWELL, FMR. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: President-Elect Obama did not put himself forward as an African-American president. He put himself forward as an American who happened to be black, who happened to be African-American, and that ought to come after the title, because what he did in this campaign was to be all-inclusive, to reach out across racial lines, cultural lines, religious lines, you name it.
He wanted to be a transformational figure, to bridge the gap between generations. And I think that's what allowed him to win this election. So, we're very, very proud to have a new American president who also happens to be an African-American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Now, Powell who served in the Bush White House has endorsed Barack Obama. He did it, in fact, last month.
Well, they're going to have a brand new commander-in-chief. So, how are our troops overseas reacting this morning? We're going to be live in Afghanistan to see.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: And all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, in parliament and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared. The new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And this morning, America's men and women serving overseas are reacting to the news of their new commander-in-chief. CNN's Barbara Starr is live for us this morning at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. She's coming to us via broadband.
What's the talk there at Bagram about the historic developments last night, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, it's just before 6:00 in the evening, where some of the troops where they gather after-hours. I think there has been a true generational shift in the U.S. military. Traditionally, very Republican, very conservative. Today, as we watched the troops intently watching television throughout the day, watching the election developments and talking to some of the troops, what we're really seeing here is some of the younger members of the U.S. military, very emotional, reacting to the election of Barack Obama as their new commander-in-chief.
One young soldier we spoke to, struck us as exceptionally deeply moved by Obama's election. Have a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
America spoke loud and clear tonight. And tonight, we have a president of the United States who is an African-American. And I can't help but feel emotional, because it erased so much suffering throughout the years. And now it speaks loud about what our future is. I can only say today, I can honestly believe the statement that all men is created equal. Everybody, everybody, cannot help but hear what America has said tonight. And that is, everyone is created equal. And I am glad to be part of that nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: But after the emotion, of course, this war in Afghanistan not going the way commanders had hoped. Yesterday, we spoke to General David McKiernan, the top U.S. commander here in the country. He said he will tell President-Elect Obama he desperately needs more military capability in this region, but there also has to be a political solution with the insurgents to bring down the violence and bring some peace here. This may be topping the list of the military concerns when President-Elect Obama gets sworn into office.
John?
ROBERTS: Barbara star for us at the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. Barbara, thanks so much.
And with the war on two fronts, it certainly could be a difficult transition for Barack Obama's new administration.
Kiran, you were talking to our political panel about that.
CHETRY: Yes. We're going to find out exactly what challenges are ahead, and in terms of troop withdrawals, troop increases, Iraq, Afghanistan. So of where do you start, Lisa?
LISA CAPUTO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Boy, I think it's tough, you know. I still come back to -- you have to be strong at home to be strong abroad. And I think he has got to get this economic house in order at home, in order to be well-positioned to deal with the issues abroad with the two wars going on. And I think he will go about this, methodically.
I think he's got a fantastic foreign policy team who has advised him throughout the campaign, Greg Craig and Tony Lake. He has reached out to Jim Steinberg who was President Clinton's Deputy National Security Adviser. So, they're already thinking through these issues. He's getting daily briefings as I understand it.
So, I do think, though, this is a situation where you may have a secretary of state and a secretary of the treasury actually holding the same amount of clout in an administration, because they'll be intricately connected.
CHETRY: Ed, I want to ask you about the Secretary of Defense, to add that to the mixes. Is he going to keep Robert Gates on?
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think it will be a brave move if he did. You know, sort of for a year or whatever, and let Gates make the decisions or at least advise him to make the decisions -- to get him out of there. I mean, he's got to get out of one of those spots in the next year, particularly, if he's going to go in Afghanistan. We can't have a full-scale operation in Iraq at the same time.
CHETRY: And I want to ask you about this, Patricia. Is Barack Obama -- does he get the benefit of time? Meaning, he had talked about a 16-month timetable for withdrawal. Now that he is in office, is he going to hear from the left and from people that were very, very instrumental in helping him initially in the primaries if that doesn't happen as quickly?
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: Well, he'll have an adjustment period. They are very grateful to have him as president. So, they will give him a little bit of leeway.
But if you listen very carefully to what he was saying last night, he was telling both his supporters and his detractors, this is going to take some time. This may not happen in a year, this may not happen in my first term, but we're going to get there together -- just meaning kind of solving the economic crisis, getting a better reputation around the world. So, he was telling people all around him, this is not going to be an overnight success story.
CHETRY: And Frank, I want to ask you because history showed us the vulnerabilities in the first early months of a new president. I mean, we saw it with Bush and we also saw it before that. What is he facing in terms of national security challenges?
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Reality. And, you know, the public will give him time. The political process may give him time. Al-Qaeda is not going to give him time. The energy markets are not going to give him time. The financial crisis is not going to give him time. The deficit is not going to give him time and on and on it goes. So, the challenge of governing and the need to make decisions and to find the -- a rapid and decisive way to signed signals and actually make policy, to renovate the airplane while it's going 600 miles an hour at 30,000 feet is an immense challenge.
ROLLINS: The only good thing is there's no formal opposition. Republicans -- Republicans are now gone. I mean, they have to restructure themselves, but there's not going to be this -- bipartisan. He doesn't need bipartisan. And he'll get a few just on issues. He can drive his own agenda.
SESNO: And he has said himself, by the way, that his first priority in his interview with Wolf Blitzer -- his first priority is the financial mess, trying to stabilize that.
CHETRY: All right. Well, thanks to all of you for your input. Appreciate it. John McCain, by the way, made a gracious concession speech, but there are some new worries from the GOP this morning. The Democrats did increase their majority in both Houses of Congress. That's what Ed and Frank were just talking about. So, where does the Republican Party go from here? We're going to talk about it when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: A lost election will never mean more to me than the privilege of your faith and friendship. I don't know -- I don't know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I'll leave that to others to determine. Every candidate makes mistakes, and I'm sure I made my share of them. But I won't spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been. This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Now, it is the way John McCain seized that moment, a gracious concession speech last night, saluting Barack Obama's historic achievement, and also promising to work with the man he called my president. McCain's defeat was coupled with the Democrats increasing their majority in both Houses of Congress. So, where does the GOP go from here?
Joining us this morning from Washington is Bay Buchanan, Republican strategist and also CNN political contributor. Also with us in New York is Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist and CNN political analyst.
Great to see both of you this morning.
Bay, I'd like to start with you, because John McCain himself said in that concession speech, I don't know what more we could have done. Do you know?
BAY BUCHANAN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, first, I'd like to congratulate my friend, Donna. She and her team, for a terrific, a remarkable victory. Very broad, very deep and well- deserved. They ran a terrific campaign. America was looking for something new and Democrats offered it to them. So, Donna, my congratulations to you. Great night for you.
As for Republicans, clearly, what the American people said is that we reject outright Bush and that which he represents, the Republican Party. And so, we've got to come together, as a party, and start to recognize where we -- where we failed the American people, what did we do wrong? And redefine ourselves as a party that's based on principles and values, that are shared by the American people. It's going to take it one step -- one step at a time, baby steps.
I think one of the first things we'll have to do is look at Virginia next year. There's a governors race. See if we can start to build.
CHETRY: All right. And Donna, I want to give you a brief couple of seconds to react to last night, because I'm sure it was a thrilling night for you. What did you think?
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It was, indeed, a historic day and historic night. And Bay is absolutely right. The Republican Party must re-brand itself. It must reach out to all Americans as Barack Obama becomes president of the United States. He will continue to be inclusive. He wants Republicans, independents, others, to be part of his moment for change. This is not just a change of political parties, the portraits on the wall at the White House. It's a moment to change a new -- to change the entire course of American history, to bring about a government that works for all Americans, including the middle-class.
So, I think this is a wonderful moment, not just to re-brand one party or to give another party a mandate, but to give the American people a future that they deserve.
CHETRY: All right. I want to ask you about this, Bay, because we took a look at the changing electorate map, states that used to solidly be one way or not. Really 2008 seemed to change the face of how these elections are going to be run in the future. Do you think that the United States is still a center-right country?
BUCHANAN: There's no question in my mind. I was focused on a number of races around the country. And as we looked at the Democrat who was, you know, were running there, they were running as people who had on many issues. They were pro-life, they were pro-gun, they were anti-illegal immigration. And you could see that the Democrats are smart. They're running people who do share a lot of our values. And so, in that sense, you see Obama talking about tax cuts, tax cuts for middle-class. That used to be something that was very republican, very conservative in its essence. So, yes, I do without question, I see the democrats have moved to the center, and then in certainly in their rhetoric, I think Obama did as well. And that suggests that is where this country is, that is the center. That is middle America.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: All right. And Donna, just quickly before we go. You said an olive branch for John McCain. Would that be possibly a cabinet position in an Obama administration?
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I don't think it involved asking John McCain to leave the United States senate. I think it involves asking John McCain to help set a new tone in this country. A tone that would allow the American people to come together. You know, the one mistake that we continue to make is that we label people. We say you're conservatives, liberal, progressive, right wing, left wing. I think people just want to spend one day being Americans. They want to come together around a common purpose, common values. And, yes, we can get back to all our old bitter tricks and our old campaign issues. But for just one day, the American people want to celebrate a moment that the world is now celebrating on our behalf.
CHETRY: All right -
BUCHANAN: Amen to that, Donna.
BRAZILE: Amen to that, Bay.
CHETRY: One day out of 365 or if you're counting, 2012, I guess, it's just going to keep on going from there. Bay Buchanan as well as Donna Brazile, great to see both of you.
BRAZILE: Thank you. Thank you, Bay.
CHETRY: Well, after the election and the celebration comes, the transition and it begins in earnest this morning for president-elect Obama, standing before a huge crowd in Chicago's Grant Park last night, Obama delivered a message of inclusion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This is your victory. I know you didn't do this just to win an election. I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime. Two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq, in the mountains of Afghanistan, to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will like awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair. The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight, that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people, will get there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: Barack Obama's election comes four decades after a signature moment in the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech in the nation's capital. So what does Obama's historic victory mean to someone who also spoke at the march in Washington in 1963. Georgia Congressman and civil rights icon, John Lewis, who also spoke on the march in Washington in 1963. Georgia congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis joins us now from Atlanta. This is a moment in history, Congressman Lewis that really can't be ignored about anyone? And I'm wondering how you're feeling about all of this morning?
REP. JOHN LEWIS, OBAMA SUPPORTER: I must tell you, I feel so good. I feel more than lucky, but very blessed. This is an unbelievable period in our history. My mind just keep going back to that day when Dr. King said, I have a dream today, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. Martin Luther King Jr. would be very pleased to see what is happening in America. This was a long way from the march in Washington. It's a great distance from marching across the bridge in Selma in 1965 for the right to vote.
ROBERTS: Right.
LEWIS: Just think a few short years ago, people in many parts of the south could not register to vote. But only yesterday and last night, people used their vote, this one little vote they had, to elect an African-American as president of the United States.
ROBERTS: You know, Congressman, I was also thinking about the Selma to Montgomery marches as well as Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech, because during those marches, you were beaten within an inch of your life. You almost died for the right that Barack Obama now has to be president of the United States. And I'm wondering, how deeply touched by personal emotion are you at this development?
LEWIS: Well, last night, when you called Pennsylvania, I was at the Ebenezer church, and something came over me. I jumped, and I just kept jumping straight up, and I was saying, thank god, hallelujah, hallelujah. It was a great feeling. And when I went to vote yesterday and put my finger on Barack Obama, tears came down my face. And I tried to control my emotion. But it's unbelievable.
ROBERTS: How do you think - how do you think his presidency is going to change America? And I'm not talking about foreign policy or economic policy. I'm talking about the social fabric of America. How do you think it will change this nation?
LEWIS: This election of this man will have a profound impact on our nation. And we will be led by Barack Obama, to create a greater sense of community. He will tell us over and over again - and I think we will be prepared to follow - that we're one nation, that we're one people, that we're one family, the American family, the American community. And hopeful he will inspire another generation of young people and those of us not so young to be prepared to give up something. The only people that have ever given up something, the only people that ever sacrificed in our society today in America are our young people in uniform.
ROBERTS: Congressman John Lewis, it's always an inspiration to talk to you. Thanks for joining us this morning.
LEWIS: Thank you very much.
ROBERTS: All right. Good luck in the future. Thank you, sir.
We want you to be a part of our special coverage this morning, by the way. Our quick vote question this hour that we want you to respond to - should Bill Clinton take an active role in an Obama presidency? Call our toll-free number, 866-979-VOTE. That's 866-979-8683. Or text your answer to 94553. That's 94553.
So many celebrities openly supported Barack Obama and they are exuberant today to say the least. See what partying stars told us as they celebrated their candidate's historic win. You're watching the most politics in the morning.
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ROBERTS: All in all, it's a day unlike any other in America. Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. That's what he'll be when he's inaugurated on the 20th of January. Here to talk about the implications of all of that, Christiane Amanpour and Chrystia Freeland from the "Financial Times" and of course, John Avlon, back again. So you want to talk about Iraq and what this means for them.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Well, no. I just want to say that he has inherited the in-box from hell. He is going to have huge challenges. He's got two hard wars, he's already talked about a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and that's going to be what people are looking at and obviously what his advisors are looking at. They need to go to Iran, an adversary which is challenging in the nuclear power and the nuclear program that it's developing. Should he engage, should he not. What to do there? You can talk more about the international financial crisis. But you know, many people are saying this is a new day for America. It shows the world that America's back. It's done something extraordinary, that not many people even in the rest of the democracies have ever done. And to be frank, watching the outpouring last night here in the streets and watching the lines around the blocks in so many towns and cities around America, it reminded me of all the first-time democratic elections that I've reported around the world. That dramatic.
ROBERTS: The only thing that was missing was the purple thumbs, right?
AMANPOUR: Yes, but they had flags on cars and noisemakers.
CHETRY: I mean, Americans did have those stickers on your jacket thing saying "I voted."
CHRYSTIA FREELAND, U.S. MANAGING ED., "FINANCIAL TIMES": Americans did have those stickers on their jackets saying "I voted."
AMANPOUR: Maybe that's the purple thumb.
FREELAND: It is. It is.
ROBERTS: So I mean, obviously, one of the big things that's going to be on his plate, which is the world economic crisis and he's going to be expected to try to lead the way out of either preventing a global recession or climbing out of one. How big a mountain is that for him to climb?
FREELAND: Huge. I think that's going to be his biggest problem. And what is particular difficult is normally new presidents have this period between being elected and being inaugurated when they can put together their teams and think about what they're going to do. He doesn't have that luxury of waiting. And the American presidency is going to have to be taking some really big financial decisions over the next two months. I think it's impossible for Americans to take those decisions and to participate in those international discussions without Senator Obama and his team really being part of that.
ROBERTS: What's your sense of all this, John, in terms of expenditures? You know, he's facing - he's going to inherit a trillion dollar deficit and the deficit that may surpass the trillion dollars next year. Can he afford all the campaign promises and the tax cuts and the health care and all of that, or is he going to have to take a realistic look and say we'll have to dial it back. JOHN AVLON, SENIOR FELLOW, THE MANHATTAN INSTITUTE: I think you need to adjust plans to facts on the ground issues. And I think you need to do that with fiscal issues in particulars. Independent voters want to see a return to fiscal responsibility, fiscal discipline and that doesn't mean just giving the green light to all spending plans of the left wing of the party. But there's so many opportunities here. You know, I mean, crisis forged consequential presidencies and right now the opportunities to take things like the war on terror which has become very bitterly become part of the divide here at home and make what they should be, which is a bipartisan responsibility. That's just one of the many opportunities that we have to revive brand America and show America that American exceptionalism isn't a slogan, it's a fact. It's a reality. And that's one of the many reasons to celebrate it.
AMANPOUR: I think something categorically we should over and over point out. So You know many people think Americans don't care about the world. It's simply not true. All the polls have showed that after the economy - in fact, before the crisis of the economy, Americans were saying in vast numbers that the key priority was to restore America's place in the world. And it's true.
ROBERTS: Well, certainly the world cares about America as well. But one of the things I'm interested in, and you know a lot about Russia, Chrystia, is Medvedev sort of took the white glove and went - this morning. How big a problem is Russia going to be for the president- elect?
FREELAND: Well I think huge. I think that was a ungracious response. Really quite astonishing.
ROBERTS: You should give him at least a day before you do that.
FREELAND: Right. Exactly. Exactly. And actually from the Russian point of view arguably Obama was a better selection than McCain who has been incredibly hawkish on Russia. But what is interesting is it shows how threatening to Russians this notion of America being a genuine democracy is. A lot of Russians were telling me during the democratic primaries when it looked like Hillary Clinton would win, that this was proof that they had long believed which is that American democracy was sort of a fake ideology construct. And they said look Americans have had Bush, Clinton, Bush, why is our democracy so much worse. At least Medvedev isn't related to Putin and Putin wasn't related to Yeltsin. So, Barack Obama's victory is really for the Russians quite threatening. Because it shows to the world, to the Ukrainians, to the Georgians that American democracy is real.
ROBERTS: It got a lot of challenges on his hands. Folks, thanks so much. We'll see you back here in just a few minutes.
Senator Obama was criticized for his Hollywood appeal, but did not hurt him at the polls, certainly not. See what some of the huge Hollywood stars who backed Obama from the beginning are telling us now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: We're back at the CNN Election Center at 48 minutes after the hour. It was never a secret that most celebrities were strongly in Barack Obama's corner. So, as you can expect this morning, there's still some celebrating going on among Hollywood's elite. Our Lola Ogunnaike spoke to some stars as they partied the night away.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: You got two watches. What time is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama time. Time for a change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When our democratic candidate carries the state, everyone gets a complementary blue shot and if Mr. McCain inherits the state, a red goes out.
OGUNNAIKE: If you voted for Obama, can you say yay? I'm not going to make any assumptions, but who did you vote for?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama.
OGUNNAIKE: You have a tremendous vocabulary. Tell me how you are feeling right now?
JAMES LIPTON, HOST "INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO": A watershed moment for America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama! Obama!
OGUNNAKE: What do you think this will mean to the African-American community?
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, HIP HOP ARTIST: I mean, it changes the way we -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
HARVEY WEINSTEIN, MOVIE PRODUCER: Well I've been on the other end of it twice now. It's got to be my night tonight.
GEORGETTE MOSBACHER, MCCAIN FUNDRAISER, CEO "BORGHESE": I've got my Miss America watch on, even though I'm dying inside.
JAMES FRANCO, ACTOR: My grandma actually lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio. And it sounds like she voted right.
OGUNNAIKE: Do you think your daughter could one day be president now?
JESSICA ALBA, ACTRESS: I think my daughter gets to live in a world where everybody is equal and everybody has a shot and everybody has a chance, and people have a voice.
OGUNNAIKE: What is it going to be?
GINA GERSHON, ACTRESS: If he runs the country the way he ran this campaign just on the internet alone, we're in good shape. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Hang on. You interviewed James Lipton, you asked him for a big word to describe it, he said watershed?
OGUNNAIKE: Yes. No splendiferous, nor (inaudible). He said it was a watershed moment.
ROBERTS: Hardly worth talking to him. Were celebrities feeling just like everybody else? We saw all these college kids from George Washington University spill out into the streets, in front of the White House yesterday. Harlem, Times Square, it was just like Puff Daddy wanted to get out there and raise the roof?
OGUNNAIKE: People were elated, John. They were doing more than raising the roof. They were raising shots. P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Shawn Puffy Combs. But people were elated. You could feel the energy in the room and every time a state was called for Obama, people started cheering Obama! Obama! Obama! Or people just started saying, yay, yay, screaming at the top of their lungs. I've never felt that much energy in one place in life and I have to tell you it was a historical moment for me as well.
ROBERTS: Wow, interesting stuff. Lola, thanks so much for that.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: This election, history has been made and it comes in your size. to get the Obama-inspired historic victory t-shirts, just head to cnn.com/electionshirts.
And time to check the results of our quick vote question, should Bill Clinton taken a active role in the presidency? 72 percent of you say yes. 28 percent said no, 5,500 of you voted. Thanks for doing it. We'll do it again next hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Win-by-win.
PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA: What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
ROBERTS: How Obama pulled off this historic victory.
And Oprah's euphoria.
OPRAH WINFREY, TV SHOW HOST: Something really big and bold has happened here, like nothing ever in our lifetime did we expect this to happen.
ROBERTS: You're watching a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: President-elect Barack Obama, that was last night in his victory speech, and while California embraced Obama's message of change, it didn't carry over into a slew of state initiatives and races, including a proposed ban on same-sex marriage in California. Our Carol Costello is here with a look at some of the top measures and how they fared. Hi, Carol. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran. You know, everyone was so excited about the presidential race, people forget there were actually social issues on the ballots across the country. And let me tell you, it was a lousy night for gay rights advocates. Proposition 8 out in California, still up in the air but it's not looking good for those who favor gay marriage. Prop 8 would ban same sex marriage, reversing a California Supreme Court ruling that all people will have a right to marry under the California constitution. If that proposition passes, what will happen to the 16,000 couples who got married, including Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi. Right now, we just don't know. Another defeat for gay rights advocates, Florida and Arizona voters did not make their fight easier. Voters in both states deciding to ban gay marriage in their states decisively. More than 60 percent in Florida voted to change the states constitution to say marriage between a man and a woman, no same-sex marriage in Florida.
In Arkansas, voters banned adoption for unmarried couples, the intent of that law was to prevent gay couples from adopting a child. Gay rights groups were hoping the enthusiasm created by Obama would draw liberal democrats to the polls. But the issues themselves, especially in California, drew conservatives as well. And they spoke loudly, and they spent a lot of money to defeat gay marriage. A lot of money.
On to affirmative action. On the day America elects an African- American president, Nebraskans by a large margin voted to end affirmative action. In Colorado the affirmative action initiative is still up in the air. Right now, it's a dead heat, 50/50.
In Washington state voters OK'd the measure allowing terminally ill people to commit suicide with the help of a doctor. That means there are two states that now allow doctor-assisted suicides. The other is Oregon.
And in San Francisco, alas, police can still arrest prostitutes working the corners. The prostitution decriminalization issue went down to defeat. Proponents saying it was really a right to work issue.
CHETRY: Wow. All right.
COSTELLO: They have a right to work illegally now. CHETRY: They talked a lot about whether or not it would help reduce the focus on arresting prostitutes and maybe be used to fight crime in other ways, but as you said, there were a lot of people that came out to the polls and just because they voted for Barack Obama didn't mean they changed their mind or are more liberal on some of the other issues.
COSTELLO: Well it means we're still a pretty conservative nation in many ways.
CHETRY: All right. Carol, good to see you this morning.
COSTELLO: Sure.
CHETRY: Thanks.
ROBERTS: A momentum night in America and this morning there's a new political landscape. Barack Obama's message of hope and change fueling a decisive victory. All across the country, Obama supporters celebrating his landmark victory. In New York's Times Square, thousands watched the election results on giant televisions. It was like New Year's Eve.
In the nation's capital, outside the White House, at least 1,000 people spontaneously spilled into the streets and gathered to celebrate. And in Obama's hometown of Chicago, nearly 250,000 people packed into Grant Park and the surrounding area to hear the president- elect speak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines, in the living rooms, on the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
It drew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It drew strength from the not-so- young people, who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the earth. This is your victory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Senator Barack Obama now President-elect Barack Obama last night. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is in Chicago. She saw it all last night. The sun is coming up there, and it's an incredible new dawn there in the windy city. Suzanne. SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John. A lot of enthusiasm and excitement particularly over the transition team. Barack Obama will be meeting with his top advisors today. There's a lot of buzz over who might be chief of staff. One of the names that keeps cropping up is Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel, that has not been confirmed by the campaign nor by the congressman, but clearly there is a lot of talk who would actually be on his cabinet, on his staff. And that is one of the things that they're going to be working in the days ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Barack Obama making history, as the first African-American U.S. president-elect.
