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American Morning
Midterm Election Results; Possible 2012 Contenders; Two Years of Gridlock?
Aired November 03, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: CNN's live coverage from the Election Center in New York continues.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It does continue. Thanks so much for joining us. As you've been watching, we are now entering our ninth hour.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: It doesn't just continue. It goes on and on and on.
CHETRY: That's right. But we did have some exciting news. We did have one race that was still up in the air, the governor's race in Florida conceded -- Alex Sink conceded, and we actually heard that now going to be Rick Scott, a Tea Party candidate, who's now taking over as governor of Florida.
ROBERTS: Yes, this was quite a surprise. We'd heard in our last hour she was going to have a press conference. It was still 49 percent to 48 percent. Eighty-nine percent of the vote counted. 53,000 votes separated the two of them. We had an analysis that a lot of those votes were in the Palm Beach, West Palm Beach area. Thought to be a Democratic stronghold, and then suddenly, Alex Sink came out and said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX SINK (D), FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: This is the closest election in Florida -- or one of the closest elections in Florida gubernatorial history. There is no path to victory for us. So, therefore, Rick Scott will be the next governor of the state of Florida.
I have just called Rick Scott to congratulate him, and I told him that especially after such a very close election, he will need to work hard -- he will need to work very hard to bring our state together, because for the future of our state, I hope Rick Scott remembers that there are 2.5 million Floridians who did not vote for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And you can see, of course, why this was such a shock. It's because, as we said, with 89 percent of the vote counted, it was only one percentage point that was separating the two of them. But again, one percent in Florida, with the numbers of voters that they had, represents a whole lot of votes, 53,000. So, it was thought that they could not overcome that. They did the calculation, and that's why the concession speech.
We're still waiting for the outcome in some of the other big races that are tick-tight, if you will. Colorado, Michael Bennet, the incumbent senator, just barely leading Republican and Tea Party candidate Ken Buck. There's about 7,000 votes that are separating the two of them, with 88 percent of the vote counted.
Now we go here to Alaska. We do know that Alaska is going to be a Republican state, which is why when we give you those number for the balance of power in the Senate, we give the Republicans 47, because it will go to the Republicans one way or the other.
But as the votes continue to be counted now, with 76 percent of the vote in, write-ins, which include but are not necessarily limited to, Lisa Murkowski, 41 percent, to Republican Tea Party candidate Joe Miller's 34 percent. Now, those votes are going to have to be counted to see how many are for Murkowski and how many are for other candidates, and that might not be until Thanksgiving. So it's going to be a while before we know the outcome of Alaska, though it doesn't affect the balance of power, as we said.
This does affect the balance of power. Washington State, in the Senate, Patty Murray looking for another term in the Senate, locked dead, 50/50 in that heat with Dino Rossi, and about 16,000 votes are separating the two of them.
And here is a very big win for the Republicans. We talk about important races, right? So Florida was an important one, but it was always thought that that was going to probably go to the Republicans. It had been a Republican state.
But look at this one. This was a Democratic governor, Ted Strickland, losing to John Kasich, the challenger, 49-47. Ohio is one of those bellwether states, one of those swing states, very important to the 2012 election. There will be redistricting that takes place before that.
And so, Kiran, this is going to be a very, very important place to be in the 2012 election, for a Republican, at least.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. All right, John. Thanks so much.
Well, this morning, Carol Costello has also been talking to voters in the Buckeye State, Ohio, about the big red wave and what the power shift could mean for them.
She's live at a diner in West Chester, Ohio, this morning.
Hi there, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.
I just had an interesting conversation with a group of ladies who wonder what's going to happen with Nancy Pelosi. They wondered if she was going to come back now that she's most assuredly going to lose her House Speaker slot.
As you know, I am in John Boehner's district. The Republican congressman is poised to become the next Speaker of the House. I asked diners what they expected of his leadership and of all those new Republicans that now hold office.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm thinking positively. I think -- I hope it encourages the Democrats and Republicans to work together. You know, no party can now go in and make sweeping changes. I think it's time for compromise, and hopefully this will invite more compromise.
COSTELLO: So, in your heart of hearts, do you think compromise is really possible?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I think the American people have said that's enough of the party politics. That's not going to go anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As in the last two years, the only compromise is to do it Barack Obama's way. He said he was reaching out, but he was reaching out for the Republicans to do what he wanted to do, not find a common ground. And that's why the vote went like it did.
COSTELLO: So gridlock should continue then?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For a little bit. Gridlock is not a bad thing. The fewer bills passed is really better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: He thinks the government should just chill for a while and not act at all, and he's also in for some retribution from Republicans toward Democrats.
But I must say, Kiran, that most voters here want Republicans to reach across the aisle, and they want President Obama to reach across the aisle to Republicans. They want something done. Mainly, they want our government to create jobs, and if this new Republican wave doesn't get it, they'll kick the bums out next time.
CHETRY: That's right. Carol, a lot of people have said that this is probation. We're not giving a huge Band-Aid to the GOP, either. We just want things to get better for us, and as you talked about, especially with the creation of jobs in a state like Ohio.
Carol, thanks so much -- John.
COSTELLO: Sure.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Kiran.
Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm kind of tired of this midterm election thing, right? So why don't we look ahead to 2012 and the next presidential election. Actually, we're kidding.
It's a question that we asked in our extensive exit polling that we did yesterday, asking people in those all-important caucus and primary states who they would like to see as the next nominees on the Republican side.
Christine Romans here with her exit poll app.
What are people saying?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And some food for thought, John. We are as far away now from 2012 as we are in the rearview mirror from when the Tea Party began. So that gives you a little idea of exactly what can happen in a year and a half.
ROBERTS: And we should also point out, part of this fascination stems from the fact that she is an Iowa girl.
ROMANS: That's right.
ROBERTS: And so Iowa and the caucuses all important here in the Romans family.
ROMANS: Let me bring you the Iowa caucuses first. This is who people said they would like to see win -- Republicans said they would like to see win the Iowa caucus.
They would like to see Huckabee, 21 percent; Mitt Romney, 21 percent; Sarah Palin, 18 percent; Newt Gingrich, 7 percent. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, by the way, were one and two, actually, in the Iowa caucuses last time around. And Mike Huckabee had 34 percent of the vote then.
Let's talk about New Hampshire, shall we, the frigid state of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire primary? This is what the voters were there saying.
Romney, 39 percent. He's got a really big infrastructure, as you know, already there, and he also owns a home, we're told, in New Hampshire. So he has a presence there. Also, you've got Romney, Sarah Palin, and then Newt Gingrich coming up at 7 percent -- or 8 percent, rather.
Now, what about South Carolina? This one, you see Sarah Palin take it away with South Carolina. She had 25 percent.
You know, she lent her personality and her credibility to some of the Tea Party candidates there this time around. Huckabee, 24 percent, the former governor of a southern state. Romney at 20 percent, Newt Gingrich at 10 percent.
Why, John, did we ask about these four people in particular? Because, consistently, in national polls, they poll in the double digits. So these are the four names.
But as you were talking with your experts and pundits earlier, there are a lot of other names that people are already talking about. And let the parlor games begin.
ROBERTS: Yes. And there is a calculation already being made that if Sarah Palin were to show well in the Iowa caucuses, come second in New Hampshire, get the momentum, and then take South Carolina, she could well be on her way to nomination.
ROMANS: We have a long time until 2012.
ROBERTS: It's going to go faster than you thought.
And by the way, on the weather, I have been to Iowa and New Hampshire in January. Don't talk to me about being cold in New Hampshire.
ROMANS: That's why the politics are so hot in Iowa and New Hampshire.
ROBERTS: You talk to me about being cold in New Hampshire. All right. Thanks.
Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, guys.
Well, one race that really summed up the night for Democrats took place in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, where long-time Democrat Jim Oberstar was defeated after 36 years in office by upstart Chip Cravaack. He was a former pilot, capturing 48 percent of the vote, narrowly knocking out Oberstar by about 4,000 votes. Oberstar says that the national wave against Democrats was just too difficult to overcome the wave.
In New York, Democrat Andrew Cuomo easily won the governor's race, defeating Tea Party-backed Republican Carl Paladino. Cuomo picking up 62 percent of the vote last night to Paladino's 34 percent of the vote, with 86 percent of votes counted.
Cuomo's father, Mario, was elected governor of New York in 1982. He served three terms.
There you see a hug between father and son after the victory was announced last night -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes. Pretty interesting. Carl Paladino, this guy, boy. But he made an interesting splash in the state of New York.
Well, we say it over and over and over again. And we can't say it enough. The midterm election is over.
It's full speed ahead to 2012, and some presidential hopefuls wasting no time in getting to the Granite State. Jason Carroll is there. Of course he's at a diner, and his live report just ahead.
And at 11:30 Eastern, he'll be two heartbeats away from the presidency. Republican John Boehner's live news conference, his plans as the next Speaker of the House. And Harry Reid keeps his job as Senate majority leader. His plans for the next two years just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 11:11 here in New York. Make a wish. Welcome back to "The Most Politics in the Morning" right now.
In Delaware, the news was not so good for Tea Party-backed candidate Christine O'Donnell. She lost to her Democratic challenger, Chris Coons, and her loss is likely to prompt some second-guessing among Republicans about whether a less controversial candidate may have fared better in that state.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I had a chance to talk to Christine O'Donnell about the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), FMR. DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: Had when all that stuff come out, the establishment come out and helped carry that load, helped deflect some of that, so it wasn't just on us to defend these ridiculous accusations, this mischaracterization of who I am, you know, Senator Cornyn says there was nothing we could do, we didn't have enough money. But if he and Karl Rove had said, look, she's articulate on the issues, as many people after watching our debates were able to say, if she had said, hey, they're just trying to create a distraction, there was verbal support that they could have offered as pundits, so to speak, that they chose not to for whatever reasons, sore feelings, whatever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: O'Donnell did not say whether she would consider a future run for office, but she is not ruling it out either.
And John, it was also interesting. I talked to Haley Barbour with the Governors Association. I asked him about that race, and he agreed that perhaps the GOP could have come behind her perhaps a little bit more. He also said it's a tough state for a Republican to win anyway.
ROBERTS: Yes, certainly, although it looked like Mike Castle, although many people called him a RINO, Republican in Name Only, would have had it hands down had they gone with him during the primary. Oh well. There's always 2012, right?
And speaking of that, it's only -- it's just around the corner now, the fish fry, the pancake breakfast, the Straw Poll, and, of course, correspondents in diners across the country. Yes, the presidential election campaign is upon us.
Jason Carroll is in New Hampshire this morning, and he just happens to be, yes, in a diner.
Good morning to you, Jason. What's going on there this morning, other than the fact that people are having breakfast?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you making fun of me because I'm in a diner, John? Is that what it is?
ROBERTS: No, no, no, no. I'm saying --
CARROLL: Is that what it is? I'm just checking.
ROBERTS: That's where everybody -- for the next two years, that's where we're going to be, diners across the country.
CARROLL: You will find yourself in a diner very soon, John.
ROBERTS: Absolutely.
CARROLL: I guarantee it. Well, anyway --
ROBERTS: And there is a fabulous one there in Manchester that serves an amazing routine that you've got to have. You have got to try it. It's just amazing.
CARROLL: Yes. And let me tell you, John, diners are where it's at. And New Hampshire is where it's at, especially when you're looking forward to 2012.
Look, already in this particular diner, names like Huckabee have been through here in the past. Romney have been through these doors in the past.
The question that a lot of these guys want to know is, who is going to be next, and when?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Just when you thought it was over --
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN is now ready to make a major projection. The Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives.
GOV. TIM PAWLENTY, MINNESOTA: It's a massive undertaking, and it's a lot of work.
CARROLL: -- the candidates are back on the road. The calendar may read 2010, but for Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, it's 2012.
PAWLENTY: Something that takes a while to get up and running. And particularly for someone who is not well known, you've got to do that much more and start that much earlier and work that much harder.
CARROLL: Pawlenty is not the only Republican who has made early visits to New Hampshire, the first primary state in the nation. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney have already been here several times this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we happy to have Mitt Romney here?
CARROLL: And while none have formally declared their candidacy, some are certainly sounding presidential.
Don't spend money we don't have, live within our means, and hold true to the values that have made America such a strong country.
DR. ELIZABETH OSSOFF, NLH INSTITUTE OF POLITICS: It's already started.
CARROLL: Dr. Elizabeth Ossoff knows the importance of campaigning early here. She's the director of research at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
OSSOFF: If you don't make that personal connection with the New Hampshire voter, you are not going to get their time of day. You're not going to get them -
CARROLL (on camera): Couldn't you say that about any state?
OSSOFF: No, because New Hampshirites are used to that. There's an expectation on the part of the New Hampshire voter that if I don't get to meet you, if I don't at least get to see you at someone's house, I am not going to pay attention to you.
CARROLL (voice-over): Ossoff she says the concerns facing New Hampshire voters are the same as the rest of the country. Jobs, government spending, taxes, and health care. It's clear to those potential candidates the importance of getting out early. But also, to keep it in perspective.
MITT ROMNEY (R), FMR. MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: You never know how it's going to work out. I think President Obama didn't win New Hampshire. And he won the whole shooting match.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Also did not mention Sarah Palin in there. She has not been here since '08, but Palin was in Iowa earlier this year, so, John, you can put the tea leaves there and draw your own conclusion from that one -- John.
ROBERTS: What do you want to bet there's a better than even chance she'll be in New Hampshire sometime in the next six months?
CARROLL: I would say that's probably a pretty good bet.
ROBERTS: All right.
Jason Carroll for us this morning.
And I'm envious of where you are this morning, my friend. Thanks so much.
Kiran, remember the fabulous poutine we had? CHETRY: Who could forget? I in fact still have a picture of it on the back of our research binder, you and I and a huge plate of cheese and fries.
ROBERTS: Yes, it's fabulous. Don't forget the gravy.
CHETRY: Right, and the chili.
Thanks, John.
All right. Well, still to come, history was made last night in South Carolina. Nikki Haley became the first female governor of the state. We're going to hear from her just ahead.
And we'll also hear from Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader. He managed to hold on to his job last night as well. We're going to talk to him about what he plans to do next when this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-one minutes past the hour right now. We're waiting to hear from Republican John Boehner. He is the man in line to be the next Speaker of the House. We've already heard about some plans repealing the health care law, among others. So can the parties work together, or are we looking at two years of gridlock?
Here to break it down for us, we have our esteemed panel: Leslie Sanchez, Will Cain, Coro Jefferson, Cornell Belcher, and Robert Zimmerman.
Great to have you all back again.
So, are we going to hear two years of gridlock or are we going to see something happen?
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think Republicans are very excited. They heed this as a wakeup call to get back to their conservative fiscal responsibility, fiscal restraint, the power of the purse in the House, and to work with Obama to get the economy going.
I think this idea -- people are going to say gridlock, but if they look at the model of Bill Clinton coming together, there was a lot of tension in the beginning, but they did get welfare reform, they balanced the budget, telecom reform, state health insurance for children. There's a lot of positives that can happen. I think that was the message. They want them to work together.
Kiran, can I say that I hope there is gridlock? I share the view of George Will, that gridlock is not an American problem. Gridlock is an American achievement.
WILL CAIN, "NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE": Look, three branches of government, two branches of the legislature, supermajority vetoes. This was intended to be not an efficient government, but a safe government. (CROSSTALK)
CORD JEFFERSON, WASHINGTON REPORTER, THEROOT.COM: It terrifies me that you find checks and balances synonymous with gridlock though. And I think that this idea that what the American people want is nothing to happen in the legislature at a time when people are losing their homes and people have no jobs and people are concerned about their fiscal future everywhere, this idea that they want nothing to happen or they want it to happen very slowly is --
CORNELL BELCHER, BRILLIANT CORNERS RESEARCH AND STRATEGIES: It's almost insulting. If you are sitting somewhere unemployed, and factories are closing down all around you, it's insulting, this idea that, you know what I want? I want gridlock. I want nothing to happen.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: But this a real debate that we have to have in our country and in this Congress, because ultimately, the Tea Party candidates did get elected, as we heard in John Roberts' interview with Mike Pence, on an commitment to reverse what Obama did. They didn't feel they were elected to, in fact, work with President Obama.
So there's a real debate. My point to you simply is that gridlock becomes an excuse for the special interests and the corporate interests, just to keep the unemployment picture the way it is and keep our economy paralyzed.
CHETRY: It definitely has to depend on your world view. If you voted because you don't agree with the direction of the country, you want gridlock. And if you are, as you said, wondering if your unemployment benefits are going to expire, and if there's going to be tax cuts, or you fearing taxes are going to up, you want things to happen.
JEFFERSON: But I think that the Republican leadership is of two minds right now, because on the one hand, you do have the Mitch McConnell set who are saying our goal is to make sure Obama is one- term president, that's it, and then you have Eric Cantor, who said now that he really wants bipartisanship and he wants to work with the Democratic leadership.
SANCHEZ: But you can separate the politics from the governance. I mean, there is a reality that people, especially Independent voters right now, have been sending the message that they like divided government. Obama came in and said, I was going to be bipartisan and work together and have transparency, that did not happen.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: But there's a difference between divided government and gridlock as well. Is there room for consensus, as opposed to gridlock?
CAIN: Look, the reason you guys are so frustrated with my position is because I've rejected the initial premise in your assumption, which is that if there is a solution to be had, it is a governmental solution. And I don't accept that that's the case. I don't think that all these Americans are sitting out there on their hands waiting for the government to provide them jobs. I think Americans are working on it very well on their own, and they'd like the government to get out of their way.
ZIMMERMAN: How about a disabled American veteran who needs the government to stand up there and provide the services they offer to the Veterans Administration, or stand up for senior citizens, or provide AIDS research? Governments has an important role in the growth of our country and the strength of our nation.
BELCHER: My concern here is the ball really is in the Obama administration's court. Because while we focus on how they're going to work with the Republicans, let's not forget, the Democratic Caucus in the House has become much more liberal because the Blue Dogs have been truly -- the moderate conservative Democrats have been removed and were defeated. And so now he has got to be able to listen, not just communicate, which I think is a worn out cliche. He has got to listen both to the members of Congress and listen to the message of this election.
And I'm going to reject the -- I mean, I'm just not playing a homer here for the Obama administration because I worked for the president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in trouble.
BELCHER: The truth of the matter is, I'm going to reject the premise, because, look, he did reach out to Republicans on health care. He had a whole summit about health care and sort of bring some Republican ideals home. They rejected it.
They said it was going to be his Waterloo. They looked for it politically.
He did reach out to them on the stimulus package. The stimulus package was full of tax cuts, not because Democrats wanted it, because Obama wanted it to reach across and try to get some Republican votes.
They rejected it. They have not played ball at all with this administration. And their top priority right now is to make sure he is only one term.
ZIMMERMAN: Cornell, we've got to move beyond this debate about who snubbed who.
BELCHER: Well, Republicans are the ones who have to move beyond it. I agree.
ZIMMERMAN: At the end of the day though, we're not getting anywhere with this finger-pointing. I agree with you that the Obama administration made outreach, and I can also tell you many Republicans that I know also tried to work in good faith with this administration and felt they weren't heeded, as did a lot of Democrats. My point to you is, going forward, there has to be a much more legitimate dialogue because the stakes are so high. And ultimately, the ball is in the president's court.
CHETRY: All right. Let's leave it on that positive note then.
I want to thank all of you for joining us. Still a lot to talk about as we look to 2012 as well. Thanks so much -- John.
ROBERTS: Kiran, thanks so much.
And coming up in just a couple of minutes, we're going to talk to the man in line to be the next Speaker of the House, Republican John Boehner. Now that he has the gavel, is President Obama's agenda in trouble?
A live picture of where Boehner will be talking from in just a couple moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Half past of the hour now. We're back with our special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. The man in line to be the next speaker of the House, John Boehner, about to hold a news conference. He's going to be joined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, who was very active for Republicans this election season. A member of the Republican National Governors Association, chairman, I believe, as well.
Dana Bash is with us at the Visitors Center there at the Capitol building. What are we expecting to hear this morning, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think we're expecting to hear a lot of the broad themes that we have heard from the Republicans about what they intend to do, whether it is cutting spending, trying to cut the deficit, about that health care bill and what they broadly intend to do.
But I'll tell you, what we have been trying to get from them and it know it hasn't been that many hours, but it certainly wasn't unexpected that the Republicans would take over the House. What we haven't heard is very much by the way of specifics because they are going to be leading the agenda in the House.
So we don't know yet, for example, what they're going to do first when it comes to spending. What are they going to cut, specifically, first? When it comes to that health care bill that they promised to try to repeal, how are they going to go about doing that? And will that be the first thing on the agenda? So those are the kinds of things that we hope to try to get from these Republicans.
The other thing that will be interesting to hear is how much they tell us that they kind of understand that they're not beloved very much, either. It's not just the Democrats. It's everybody who is here in Washington that isn't liked very much by the American people and that, I think, is very clear is looking from the exit polling last night.
John, one other thing that will be interesting to watch is how much they still place the responsibility for the agenda in the lap of President Obama. Because certainly they're very happy that they have control of the House, they're very happy that they have a lot more in numbers in the Senate, but it is still important for them politically to make clear that they could do what they can do, but it is the president who is in charge. It's important politically looking ahead -- it's only a day after the last election -- but looking ahead to the next election in terms of accountability and culpability for what goes on here.
ROBERTS: All right. Dana's there at the Visitor's Center there at the Capitol building. She'll give us a high sign when it looks like they're going to come out. They were supposed to be out at 11:30, but you know, they're probably having a little bit of a victory hangover this morning so they might be a few minutes late.
Meantime, let's go to Alina Cho who has got a look at this morning's headlines.
Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John. Good morning, everyone. Here's a look at this morning's top stories.
At least 64 people were killed in a wave of coordinated explosions across Baghdad. According to Iraqi police, those attacks included 14 car bombs and two roadside bombs in at least 17 neighborhoods. So far nobody has claimed responsibility but the U.S. Military says the attack has all of the hallmarks of al Qaeda in Iraq.
A story we're watching very closely here in the United States. Shots have been fired again at a Military facility in the Washington, D.C. area. Police say a Coast Guard recruiting station in Woodbridge, Virginia, was targeted early yesterday morning. It's the fifth shooting in a little more than two weeks. No one was injured. No word on a motive and no one in custody. So far the FBI linked the first four shootings.
The FBI is opening a criminal investigation after box cutter blades were discovered on a Delta flight. That plane was headed from Tokyo to Portland, Oregon. No one was hurt. A FBI spokeswoman says passengers were all interviewed, sent through customs, then released. There are no suspects in custody.
The first fascinating tidbit is coming out from former President George W. Bush's new memoir. According to the "New York Times." The former president writes that he briefly considered dropping then-Vice President Dick Cheney from his 2004 re-election ticket. The idea apparently came from Cheney himself. Bush writes in his book that Cheney's replacement would have been former Senator Bill Frist.
The final launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery has been delayed again. This time, because of an apparent glitch with the engine computer controller. It is now scheduled to blast off tomorrow afternoon but it's not looking good weather-wise. NASA tells us on its 39th mission, the Discovery and its crew will bring spare parts to the International Space Station. And coming soon, you may not only be checking yourself in at the airport but listen to this, also tagging your luggage. That's right. American Airlines in Air Canada are reportedly in talks with the Transportation Safety Administration -- the TSA -- to let travelers at Boston's Logan Airport print then tag their own luggage. It's designed to speed up the check-in process or eliminate jobs, however way you look at it. The airlines say there is no security risk because it does not change how bags are screened behind the scenes.
We already have to get there, Rob, 45 minutes before the flight leaves. Now we're going to have to add a couple minutes more -- 15 minutes maybe -- to tag our luggage.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: That's a look at this morning's other top stories.
Kiran, we're in the home stretch.
CHETRY: Oh, yes. And we're actually awaiting a press conference, as well.
CHO: We are.
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.
Meanwhile, history made last night in South Carolina. Nikki Haley, a child of Indian-American immigrants defeated Democrat Vincent Shaheen to become the state's first female governor and only second Indian-American to be governor behind Bobby Jindal. Her rise to power sparked by the endorsement of Sarah Palin, former Alaskan governor pretty early on.
Haley spoke about her improbable win with me earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.
NIKKI HALEY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR-ELECT: This was people finding the power of their voice. It was people saying we want government to remember who it is that they work for. We want the government to know the value of a dollar and we want jobs and the economy to come first. This was all about the people saying we've had enough. It wasn't about a party. It was about taking their state and their country back and it started with South Carolina, and we're thrilled.
This is the turning of a new page. This is a time where we go back to the basics. We look at the fact that government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never intended to be all things to all people. And certainly when you give a man a job, you give a man pride. We're going to give a lot of pride to the state of South Carolina. We're going to do it with the legislature. We're going to do it with the people who have their power and their strength back, and we're going to make South Carolinians proud.
CHETRY: You got a lot of national support. You got a big endorsement from Sarah Palin and of course, a big endorsement from Mitt Romney. How much do you think Sarah Palin's endorsement helped you?
HALEY: Listen, every ounce of support, from Jenny Sanford to Mitt Romney to Sarah Palin, all of it mattered. What I love about Sarah Palin is she's gotten the people in this country to know the power of their voice. And when she came to South Carolina, we already had a ground swell that was going, but she certainly got the rest of the state to pay attention and listen to our message. And so I'm very grateful for the help that she and Governor Romney gave, Jenny Sanford, Mark Sanford, all of them, you know, all of that together put the stars in alignment. We're very grateful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And again, that was Nikki Haley. She also becomes the first minority candidate to ever become governor of South Carolina -- John.
ROBERTS: Now, with 38 minutes after the hour. It looks like we're about to have that press conference with the man who will be the speaker of the House come January. Congressman John Boehner of Ohio, along with Senator Mitch McConnell, who will remain the Senate Minority Leader, as well as Haley Barbour, who is the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, representing all of the governors who won last night and turned over a lot of states from Democratic to Republican.
Our Dana Bash is there at the Visitor's Center at the Capitol this morning. Again, Dana, what are we expecting to hear this morning?
BASH: We're expecting to see these Republicans show a sign of unity but more specifically -- hopefully -- give a better sense of what they intend to do with these big wins that they got last night, particularly in the House, because that is where they are now going to be setting the agenda.
It will be very interesting to see the kind of dynamic between the Republicans in the House and the Senate where they don't have the majority, but they have a lot more power in numbers. In the Senate, it will be kind of the place where-- excuse me. -- I think we are expecting John Boehner.
Here we go.
(BEGIN COVERAGE)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), EXPECTED TO BE NEXT HOUSE SPEAKER: Good morning, everyone.
As you've heard me say last night, we are humbled by the trust that the American people have placed in us.
And we recognize this is a time for us to roll up our sleeves and go to work on the people's priorities: creating jobs, cutting spending and reforming the way Congress does its business.
It's not what -- it's not just what the American people are demanding, it's what they are expecting from us.
And the real question now is this: Are we going to listen to the American people?
Republicans have made a pledge to America, and our pledge is to listen to the American people and to focus on their priorities. And that's exactly what we're going to do.
Last night, the president was kind enough to call me. We discussed working together on the American peoples' priorities: cutting spending, creating jobs. And we hope that he will continue to be willing to work with us on those priorities.
But as I said last night, the new majority here in Congress will be the voice of the American people, and I think we clearly expressed that last night. We're going to continue and renew our efforts for a smaller, less costly and more accountable government here in Washington, D.C.
I also want to say thanks to my two colleagues. As you -- most of you know, Senator McConnell and I have worked very closely together over the last five years or so. Haley Barbour and I have been friends for the last 20 years. And we have a real partnership, and I'm proud to stand here today with both of them.
Mitch?
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Well, at the risk of this sounding like a mutual admiration society, let me also say what a pleasure it's been to work with John the last four years in our leadership roles. And I, too, have known Haley for 20 years, a great friend, and this is a happy day for the three of us.
Let me make a few observations as well.
We are indeed humbled and ready to listen to the American people and to lead on the issues that they clearly indicated they care about. We're determined to stop the agenda Americans have --
(END OF COVERAGE)
ROBERTS: So Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell there saying they are humbled and ready to listen to the American people. Big question is, will they be ready to work with Democrats or will they just stick by their guns and will that be a recipe for nothing getting done in the next two years?
We're here with our panel to break it all down. Leslie Sanchez is with us, Will Cane, Cord Jefferson, Marc Lamont Hill and Robert Zimmerman.
So let's go to you Leslie. What do you think this is a recipe for? This Republican win, knowing what they want to do with health care and then Democrats on the Senate side?
SANCHEZ: I think it's tremendous opportunity for Republicans, for our new speaker Boehner saying it last night, that this Washington on notice. Republicans understand the dire circumstances right now to get the economy moving. That is job number one, that shared power and the perception of a lot of Independent voters, a lot of conservative voters is a good thing. That that they expect the people to come together and make those actions big. But also I think they're going to take some cues from governors, the governors who have balance their budget without raising taxes. It's the new surge of leadership for the Republican Party. And it's all lining up very well, strategically, for 2012.
ROBERTS: Mark, do you have any hope that there will be cooperation here, or will this just be a massive fight for ideology?
MARC LAMONT HILL, POLITICAL ANALYST: I see nothing but fights for the next two years. I don't see much ground getting gained or from the progressive side, I see another potential problem, which is that they compromise on bills with no teeth in them. So we end up with another Clinton-era set of policies like welfare reform, like three strikes, which are either toothless or have a vicious impact on poor people.
ZIMMERMAN: We have plenty of time to get to that despairing point, there may be a time to do that. But I was very impressed by what John Boehner didn't say. First of all, his comments were collegial, I thought appropriate and respectful to the president. And he and his colleagues deserve praise, as does our colleague Leslie here, for the leadership you've shown in the Republican Party, and I think that should be acknowledged, in terms of also diversifying the Republican Party.
But I think what was interesting was, you didn't see him use the rhetoric that you heard from Mike Pence earlier, about rolling back health care and going back and just undoing the Obama agenda. And the type of negative --
ROBERTS: Pence's language was, you said, pull health care up by the roots.
ZIMMERMAN: Exactly. Exactly. It was a compelling interview that you got him to say those things. You didn't hear that from John Boehner. He was -- what he didn't say was very telling to me. He didn't try to go back to health care. He talked about jobs and the economy. There may be ground there for discussion. There has to be.
HILL: I hate to be the cynical one here. But I think that's just post-election romanticism. I think, you know, two weeks ago --
ROBERTS: He's guilty of that.
HILL: Two weeks ago he says, now is not the time for compromise.
ZIMMERMAN: There will be plenty of time to be cynical.
HILL: Yes, I like to start early. I like to get a head start.
ROBERTS: Let me just point something out. When Ed Rollins was here with us earlier -- and he's a fellow who knows about politics and getting along in Congress -- he points out that Reagan had a split Congress, the first six years, I believe, of his presidency and he got things done.
So, is it possible for this Congress and this administration, Cord, to get things done?
JEFFERSON: Again, again, I think it goes back to sort of what they have been saying in the past. I mean, they have come out directly. I mean, John Boehner, take what he said today, I mean, I think, with a grain of salt, because he came out with the Pledge to America and said specifically, we want to dismantle Obama's policies. Now, I think he may be a bit more tactful today --
ROBERTS: Yes, but that could be a starting position, right?
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: That's my opening negotiating point.
JEFFERSON: So I think that today he may be a bit more tactful and Democratic about the way he speaks considering he's stepping into a new leadership role, but I think that the John Boehner that was literally screaming, hell no you don't, on the floor of the Senate --
ROBERTS: Which sounds particularly good when it was put through the autotune.
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: John, this conversation risks spinning away from the message we heard last night. This exaltation of compromise and solutions, it's as if nothing happened last night.
ROBERTS: (INAUDIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: Yes, it makes me very popular today, too.
Look, guys like Rand Paul and Ron Johnson were not sent to Washington to get along and seek solutions. They were sent there to put down the brakes on this runaway legislative machine. That's what the American people have asked for.
ZIMMERMAN: And our first showdown is going to be when the debt ceiling has to be increased, and will Rand Paul or any of his colleagues filibuster single-handedly, which a senator can do, paralyze this process and throw the nation into an economic crisis and the world into an economic crisis. A senator has the power to do that. I'm hoping that's not the case. We will see what his Republican colleagues do to bring him in. ROBERTS: Hang on, we want to go back to the conference because the man who will be the speaker is taking the podium again.
Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BOEHNER: -- will be the agenda of the American people and if we're listening to the American people, I don't see any problems incorporating members of the Tea Party along with our party in the quest that's really the same. They want us to cut spending and focus on creating jobs in America.
QUESTION: Leader Boehner, what do you think prospects are for this year Congress doing the Bush tax cut renewal? And would you be open to some sort of a less-than-permanent continuation?
BOEHNER: We continue to believe that extending all of the current tax rates for all Americans is the right policy for our economy at this time.
QUESTION: Leader Boehner, two questions.
What made you -- what made you cry last night?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
And do you think you can bring civility back to the House?
BOEHNER: Most of you know, it -- it gets a little difficult to talk about my background or talk about my family, and I thought -- I thought I was going to be in good shape, but not as good as -- as it turned out.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Leader Boehner, the exit polls last night said that 53 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party, almost the same as the Democratic Party. So what does that tell you about how you have to govern and perhaps work with Democrats?
BOEHNER: Tells me that what we need to do is to listen to the American people.
They sent a very loud message last night, not only to the House and to the Senate, but if you look at the number of Republican governors that won, the number of Republican legislative bodies that won, it's pretty clear the American people want a smaller, less costly and more accountable government here in Washington, D.C.
If the American people see us doing things that they're telling us to do, I think we'll do just fine. QUESTION: Mr. Boehner, Mr. Leader, I know that all of you -- and, Senator McConnell, this is for you, too -- I know that all of you have been reading about '94 and how -- you know, the mistakes and pitfalls of your colleagues that you were actually part of. I wonder how -- what are the lessons you take away from that? How will you govern differently this time?
And, Senator McConnell, how does it affect what you will do in the Senate if you don't have a majority (inaudible)?
BOEHNER: Well, I think it's -- it's important to listen to the American people.
There are more Americans engaged in our government today than I've ever seen in my lifetime. And I think the real key to having real success for the American people is to keep the American people engaged in this process beyond last night.
The government will do exactly what the American people demand every day, nothing more, nothing less, if they stay engaged in the process. And I'm very hopeful that they will.
QUESTION: Leader Boehner?
(CROSSTALK)
MCCONNELL: I think clearly the election yesterday did not transfer full control of the government to the opposition. It was a first step in the direction of changing what we've been doing in Washington.
There are two opportunities for that change to occur. Our friends on the other side can change now and work with us to address the issues that are important to the American people, that we all understood. Or further change, obviously, can happen in 2012.
But in the meantime we were sent here to work on the people's business.
And over in the Senate, where a majority is not enough in any event and it takes 60 votes to do most things, it's clear that we're going to have to have some kind of bipartisan agreement. And hopefully that will be on the issues of spending and debt, which is what the American people are asking us to address.
In other words, I anticipate -- we'll see -- but I anticipate enough Democrats to come in our direction on spending and debt where we can actually make progress for the American people.
QUESTION: Mr. Boehner, there is, you know, differing points of view in your conference about what to do about earmarks, what to do about the debt limit. Mr. Cantor and Mr. McCarthy (inaudible) have a vote up or down to raise or not raise the debt limit here.
How are you going to be able to operationally do some of these things when there are competing factions in your conference on what to do on key issues?
BOEHNER: Well, that's what the transition's for, give us a little time to figure out how we do those big things that need to be done on behalf of the American people.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: -- tell us a little bit more about your conversation with the president? Did you discuss any areas of common agreement? Are there any?
BOEHNER: I think (ph) I said, the president and I had a very pleasant conversation. We agreed that we needed to listen to the American people, we needed to work together on behalf of the American people. And -- and I look forward to having the opportunity to talk with him about those areas where we can move together.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Leader Boehner, next Congress looks like one of the first early tests will be increasing the debt limit. Tea party -- the wave of tea party candidates, they'll likely oppose that. How will you work with them to achieve that?
BOEHNER: We'll be working that out over the next couple of months.
QUESTION: Do you expect to return to the 2008 spending levels during the lame duck? Will you try to do that?
BOEHNER: I believe that operating under the 2008 levels of spending, before the bailouts, before the stimulus, is a responsible way forward.
QUESTION: Leader Boehner, are you going to continue the YouCut Program? Are you going to formalize this, sort of, link between American people online and, you know, your administration in the Capitol?
BOEHNER: We are going to continue to talk to the American people every day, and we're going to continue to listen to the American people every day.
And programs like YouCut, programs like America Speaking Out, and some other ideas that we'll outline here in the coming days will be intended to provide the American people a forum and a vehicle to talk to us so that we can in fact listen every day.
QUESTION: We know that House Republicans are pledged to repeal and replace the president's health care reform. You've got an upcoming appropriations process. Do you plan to try and use that appropriations process to defund the -- the reform law?
BOEHNER: Listen, I believe that the health care bill that was enacted by the current Congress will kill jobs in America, ruin the best health care system in the world, and bankrupt our country.
That means that we have to do everything we can to try to repeal this bill and replace it with common-sense reforms that'll bring down the cost of health insurance.
All right, last one.
QUESTION: What about jobs?
QUESTION: Mr. Boehner, what about financial reform, and specifically the Dodd-Frank bill? Do you have plans to try and change that? Would you -- (inaudible) change that (inaudible)?
BOEHNER: I think one of the things that Congress has not done a very good job of over the last 15 years is real oversight. And I'm not talking about gotcha oversight, I'm talking about rock solid oversight of the executive branch, which is a constitutional responsibility of the Congress.
And I think when it comes to the financial services bill and the 358 regulatory filings required under that bill, that it's going to require a significant amount of oversight, so that not only will the Congress understand, but the American people will understand, just what this bill will do to our financial services industry.
Thank you all very much.
ROBERTS: So there you go. Right now, the House minority leader, John Boehner, who soon will become the speaker of the House, along with the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, and the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Haley Barbour, talking about some of the things that they plan to do over the next two years.
And one of them, as he said, is repeal and replace the health care bill. Earlier today, Mike Pence said pull that thing up by its roots, strip it down and start all over again. But it's not going to change the fact, Leslie Sanchez and Will, that there are still 40 million people in this country who don't have health care insurance. And if you're going to tear apart the president's health care bill, you got to replace it with something.
What do you replace it with?
CAIN: First, why do you have to replace it with something?
ROBERTS: Because what do you do with those more than 40 million people in this country who don't have health care?
CAIN: Well I personally believe that you don't have a right to health care in this country.
That being said, there are things you can do to help make it more affordable and accessible for Americans. The first, and this gets kind of policy-wonky, John, you have to break down the state lines on buying insurance. So, if you're somebody living in Massachusetts, you should be able to buy insurance from somebody, a company in Texas where the prices will be a lot cheaper. The problem with the health insurance market is that it isn't a true market. It has to be turned into a capitalist market.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Leslie, it's interesting, I mean, are you going to stand up there as the party now in power in the House and say that you don't believe health care is a basic right for people? Because that is not going to be something that helps you with the majority of voters.
SANCHEZ: Let's look at what the real message was.
A lot of people felt that health care was overreaching, that they didn't know what was in the bill that, that it was going to stagnate business because business didn't know how to adapt because of rising cost, less access to quality care.
And you're seeing, there are models that work. The states on gubernatorial level, you see states that have savings accounts that have savings accounts that are working. They don't believe the federal government is the whole solution. It's not that there aren't critical needs and preexisting conditions. There are things Republicans can agree upon. But this idea of overreaching was the message of this election.
HILL: But I think this will backfire on Republicans and I hope it does, quite frankly, because if they come out and take the aggressive position on health care, which is it's not right, they're going to have major losses in 2012 because voters actually like this. They like covering their children till they're 26 --
CAIN: You know, Mark, I have to challenge you on that, because one of the issues we've seen the Independents flipped on Democrats for heaviest was this Obamacare proposal.
HILL: No, no, but many people were exhausted by the process, many people were exhausted by the back and forth in Congress. But when you went point by point about health care reform, people approved of it, voters they liked it before they got exhausted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're very skeptical.
ROBERTS: They like things like you can't deny preexisting conditions.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Covering children until they're 26, they love this stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a common ground in the (INAUDIBLE) area.
ZIMMERMAN: I think besides the Republican/Democratic debate, I think you're launching the Wig Party movement today and I wish you well with it.
But here's the point that I think is very telling -- I go back to the point I made before. John Boehner did not volunteer this. He was asked a question about it. And I think what we're witnessing, which I think is important, is that while the Obama administration is being criticized for overreaching and for inactive dicoverment (ph), the Republicans make a very serious mistake by retrenching.
For example, in April of 2009, 80 percent of the House Republicans voted for legislation to dismantle Medicare to make it a one-time only voucher payment for people, for future retirees. And I think that's that the kind of extremism that doesn't work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Robert brought up the point that he didn't come out there today in his press conference and say I'm going to repeal or replace health care. Is this going to be a legislative a legislative priority, in your opinion, for Republicans? They're going to come out there and the first thing they're going to do out of the bag is go through another arduous, long process of getting another health care bill?
JEFFERSON: Robert did point that out. If you listened, he was actually asked about it and said they will work to repeal or replace it. I mean, he came out and said that.
I don't think it's going to be the first thing that they go into, but I think it will be a hallmark sort of initiative of theirs. I certainly think that they're going to say, we want to repeal this bill and I think that Marc's right, I think it's going to backfire.
ZIMMERMAN: They're going to have to call Dr. Phil in to run their caucus. The reality is, if the Republicans don't join President Obama in focusing on jobs and the economy, it will be a very short tenure.
SANCHEZ: The first thing he said they were going to focus on. That they understood that the mandate was going to create jobs, giving confidence back to the markets, small business, that we are going to have initiatives to grow these opportunities.
ROBERTS: I heard john Boehner on Hannity, it was over the weekend I was listening. Very interesting interview with him. And Boehner said they will, in the first 100 days, every week, introduce a bill to slash spending.
So, these deficits that we have these days, more than $1 trillion every year, that's getting a little bit out of control. But when it comes to cutting spending, how do you cut -- how do you cut to the bone but not to the point where you need a bone marrow transplant?
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: You have to cut to the bone, John. Robert can call me an extremist, but the truth is, if anyone is serious about deficits and cutting back on spending, you cannot do it. And you're just not paying attention if you think you can without cutting --
(CROSSTALK) HILL: -- that's where the rubber meets the road. That's the problem with the Tea Party, that's the problem with the Republican rhetoric for the last six months. On one hand they want to reduce taxes, they also want to reduce the deficits, they want all these bloated benefits like veterans' benefits and Medicare and Medicaid, those things don't jive. At some point, when it's time to govern and not campaign, you have to make tough decisions and I don't think they have any answers, quite frankly.
CAIN: I think they just elected a host of candidates that talk about entitlements.
(CROSSTALK)
CAIN: And both parties better find the answers.
SANCHEZ: Agreed. Agreed. For the financial health of this country and certainly for these states, we have to do that.
HILL: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: Well, guess what? We have come to the end of our nine- hour run. We want to thank you so much for being with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cannot believe you survived this one.
ROBERTS: Come on in, Wolf. Nine hours ago, we shook Wolf's hand and said go to the hotel. Go to sleep.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: No kisses for you.
ROBERTS: You're not going to kiss me?
BLITZER: you did an excellent job.
kiss me good night.
CHETRY: This is the handing off of the baton, the proverbial baton, but this is the Red Bull because you're going to need it.
BLITZER: This is it.
CHETRY: So this is Wolf's. He got four hours of sleep, what did he do? He ran for an hour on the treadmill this morning. You are an iron man.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: I went to sleep watching you guys, and here we are.
