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At This Hour

Democrats Lose Big Under Obama; Obama to Address Dem Midterm Losses; Utahan Mia Love Becomes First Black Female GOP Representative; Can Compromise Happen in Washington?

Aired November 05, 2014 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Hello there, everyone. I'm John Berman.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And I'm Michaela Pereira.

BERMAN: It is an historic morning, and not the kind of history they wanted or were expecting at the White House.

Inside the White House right now, inside that building, President Obama and his team are deciding how they want to approach the next two years and just how they want to respond to a new reality that really can't be seen as anything other than a rebuke of the job they have been doing.

The president will speak just before 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, and we will of course cover it live.

PEREIRA: So the president certainly has a lot to answer for @THISHOUR. Republicans will control the Senate, flipping at least seven seats.

The GOP picked up governorships across the nation. In Massachusetts this hour, Democratic candidate Martha Coakley is set to concede to Republican Charlie Baker.

The Republicans also expanded their majority in the House. The map of the Congressional districts now shows a sea of red.

PEREIRA: Our Candy Crowley, this morning, breaks down the red tide that swept America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It was both quicker and broader than they dared hope, so the Grand Old Party was big time giddy over their big old victory.

SENATOR TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: We are fixing to retake the Senate and to retire Harry Reid as majority leader.

I heard a rumor that there was a capital maintenance man headed to Harry Reid's office now with a screwdriver and a new sign for the door.

CROWLEY: From the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina --

THOM TILLIS (R), NORTH CAROLINA SENATOR-ELECT: We have swept this nation with a compelling Senate majority.

CROWLEY: -- to the Rockies in Colorado and the farm fields of Iowa.

JONI ERNST (R), IOWA SENATOR-ELECT: We are heading to Washington, and we are going to make them squeal!

CROWLEY: Republicans not only took control of the Senate, they strengthened their grip in the House. This will change everything. Or this may change nothing.

SENATOR MITCH MCCONELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: I don't expect the president to wake up tomorrow and view the world any differently than he did when he woke up this morning. He knows I won't, either.

CROWLEY: When Tuesday evening began to take shape, Republicans suggested maybe now the president will start working with them, to which a White House advisor said the question is whether Republicans will work with the president. If voters were hoping for an adult conversation, this wasn't it.

There's also the matter of interpreting the vote.

DAVID PERDUE (R), GEORGIA SENATOR-ELECT: I think Georgians made it loud and clear tonight that we want to stop the failed policies of this administration and Harry Reid.

REPRESENTATIVE SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R), WEST VIRGINIA SENATOR-ELECT: It can be heard loud and clear in the White House, I believe, that this president's agenda just isn't working for West Virginia.

CROWLEY: Though exit polls show an electorate beyond grumpy, the White House in the initial stages of grief denied the night was a rejection of the president's policies.

And election results are like Rorschach tests for the years. Republicans heard voters say, "Stop the president." Democrats heard "work with him."

SENATOR DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: They want a Congress that works with the president to solve problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to hire folks to go to Washington that can work across party lines.

CROWLEY: So maybe Republicans will spend their time sending an unbending president legislation he will veto setting up the next election which is already under way.

SENATOR RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I think in Kentucky it's really a repudiation of the president's policies but also Hillary Clinton.

CROWLEY: Or maybe Republicans will want to show they can lead, and the president in the twilight of his administration will want to enhance his legacy, and they'll work together to meet their dove tailing needs.

Tuesday night, the White House announced the president invited Congressional leaders to the White House Friday for a chat. We shall see.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: As we mentioned, we expect to hear from President Obama this afternoon just before 3:00 Eastern, the day after Republicans took the majority in both Houses of Congress for the first time in his tenure.

BERMAN: Exit polls show that 59 percent of voters say they are angry or dissatisfied with the president.

Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta joins us now. Jim, yesterday was a very, very bad day for the White House. Today is a very big day for the White House. This statement, these questions he will answer will be very key. What do you expect him to say?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's going to be very telling about the next couple of years, John. One thing that I think we're going to hear from the president today is that this is the fourth quarter of his administration.

That is something that we are hearing from White House officials last night, that he is eager to get to work, that he wants to put these midterms behind him.

And they were sounding fairly pugnacious last night over here at the White House, saying you know what? The Republicans need to tell us they want to compromise with us.

There was a slight shift in tone this morning, John and Michaela, when we talked to a White House official early this morning. This official told me, look, they are clear-eyed about this result last night, and when they say "they," they mean the president as well. He's also fully recognizing what occurred last night.

And at the same time the White House is saying that they are prepared to deal with a Republican Congress. The White House chief of staff, Denis McDonough, over the last several weeks, has been very quietly and secretly reaching out to quarters across Washington to start charting a path forward.

And as you mentioned, John and Michaela, it's a path that they are not familiar with, that is, one that is dominated by a Republican Congress.

PEREIRA: It's interesting. You mentioned the tone there. I'm very curious, and I'm sure a lot of people will be watching the tone, not just what the president says when he speaks around 3:00 p.m. Eastern today, but how he says it -- his body language, his energy, his vibe.

ACOSTA: That's right. I agree and, you know, the last time around when this happens in 2010 that's when the Republican wave started. You could say maybe it took a break in 2012 and then it continued last night.

The president back in 2010 called it a shellacking. We'll be looking for a similar adjective today. Perhaps they've got the thesaurus out in the White House communications office.

But beyond the body language, beyond the semantics, I would also look at the policies that will be asked of this president. Last night they said he will take executive action on immigration reform by the end of the year.

You know, there's a lot of Republicans who would like to do immigration reform now, quite frankly, because it would help with the demographics before 2016. If the president can short-circuit that ahead of time, that might poison the well, and when I asked White House officials about this -- will that poison the well -- they said, you know what, Republicans had their chance to do immigration reform.

So there's a combativeness over here at the White House and a sense that they're looking at two more years of gridlock, but no question about it, the president is a lame duck starting today, and he's got to start thinking about his legacy. And that's also something we'll be listening for later on this afternoon around 3:00 here at the White House.

BERMAN: It will be interesting. Maybe a second coat of that shellac is what it calls for.

All right, Jim Acosta, thanks so much.

You know, in 2010, Michaela, he had 2012 for redemption. This time around, the question is, what does he have to look forward to other than policy in the next two years?

PEREIRA: And that legacy point is a very good thing. I'll watch that as well.

BERMAN: It is key. President Obama expected to address all of this. He's at about 2:50 Eastern time. Mitch McConnell the Senate majority leader, we expect to speak at about 2:00 p.m. Eastern. You can watch it all right here on CNN.

PEREIRA: Ahead for us @THISHOUR, though, Republicans making history, the GOP winning the most seats it has held in the House since World War II.

Also making history with this young woman. This is Mia Love. She is the first Republican black woman to be elected to Congress. Look at that smile. She joins us next.

BERMAN: Plus, with the midterms over and this big Republican win, what are potential presidential candidates going to start to do?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (D), NEW JERSEY: There's no rush in making this kind of decision, and I think there's no reason to rush a decision as important as this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We are sure he's not thinking about it. We'll talk about this coming up.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIA LOVE (R), UTAH CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT: Many of the naysayers out there said that Utah would never elect a black, Republican, LDS woman to Congress. Not only did we do it, we were the first to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Yes, they did, momentous for many reasons. That was Mia Love who just won a congressional race in Utah.

She is now part of this new bigger majority for the Republicans in the House of Representatives. Besides gaining control of the Senate, we should note that they have more members now in the House.

PEREIRA: We should tell you -- and this is phenomenal, as we just mentioned -- she is making history. She becomes the first Republican, black American woman ever elected to Congress.

Congresswoman-elect Mia Love joins us right now from Salt Lake City. We have to tell you, first off, congratulations. I want you share with us how you're feeling and tell us why this time around -- because we know you tried in 2012 -- why you won this time.

LOVE: Well, first of all I'm excited. I'm absolutely humbled. I have been able to go out and talk to so many people in the fourth district and listen to their stories, listen to what's happening, and the conversations that they're having at the kitchen table, and listening to how Washington's actually affecting them.

And I've been able to go out and tell their story, and so I've been -- I'm humbled and I'm absolutely inspired by their strength and Their courage. I'm -- I'm so proud to be a Utahan. I'm so proud of this state, I can hardly stand it.

BERMAN: Proud because they made history. You are the first black, Republican woman to be elected to the House of Representatives.

So two questions, what took so long? And what do you think needs to happen? What do you think needs to happen for more perhaps minorities to be elected by the Republican Party?

LOVE: Well, first of all, I think what we need to mention here is this has nothing do with race. Understand that Utahans have made a statement that they're not interested in dividing Americans based on race or gender, that they want to make sure that they are electing people who are honest and who are -- who have integrity, who could be able to go out and actually make sure that we represent the values that they hold dear.

And that's really what made history here. It's that race, gender, had nothing to do with it. Principles had everything to do with it, and Utah values had everything to do with it. And so that's the history that we made here.

PEREIRA: I want to challenge you on one point, though. Because there will be those that will say not so much dividing on the basis of race but just making sure that everybody has a seat at the table, a fair shot at getting a seat at the table.

LOVE: Again, you have to understand, I -- Saratoga Springs, there are very few black members -- black residents there. I wasn't elected because of the color of my skin. I wasn't elected because of my gender.

I was elected because of the solutions that I put at the table because I promised I would run a positive issues-oriented campaign and that's what resonated.

Utah is tired of the bickering. They're tired of Congress not getting anything done. I hear a lot of talk right now about Congress, not wanting to work with the president, the president not wanting to work with Congress. And few people are talking about working with the American people.

The House of Representatives is a branch of government that's closest to people and that's who I am. I am a person of the people, and so my job is to make sure I'm representing them in every turn.

BERMAN: It is the people's House. You have the job, and what are you going to do with it? What's the first area where you think that you can work with Democrats to get something done?

LOVE: You know, I think one of the things that we need to talk about is balance. Right now, there is no balance in government. Washington has gotten too big and people have gotten too small. So we have got to start rolling up our sleeves and making sure that we bring balance back to government. People should have the ability to make decisions in their home, in their communities, and in the areas that they live in, and we're going to do everything we can in every -- at every point to get -- restore power back to the people.

PEREIRA: Congresswoman-elect Mia Love, that must sound really great to hear. Congratulations to you. I know your family and community are very proud. We appreciate you joining us today. Revel in that and then, as you said, roll up those sleeves and get to work.

LOVE: Now the real work begins.

PEREIRA: Absolutely. Enjoy it for a minute. You're allowed to do that. All right, thanks so much.

LOVE: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Later this hour, we should point out, we're going to also hear from Democratic Congressman Chris van Hollen. We're going to hear what he thinks that Congress needs to do, see if we can hear more of that conversation about compromise to avoid gridlock.

BERMAN: Ahead for us @THISHOUR, you may have heard, the Republicans won. So now what? Will we see more compromise in Congress, Mia Love seems to suggest, perhaps, or will there be more gridlock? We are waiting to hear what the president thinks about all of this. This is a very important day for him. He's going to give a very important address and answer some very important questions. That's coming up at about 2:50 Eastern time.

PEREIRA: Also, Bill and Hillary Clinton campaign for a handful of candidates. Many of them lost. What happened to that old Clinton magic? And what does this big Republican upset mean for Democrats in 2016? Our special election coverage continues after a quick break.

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BERMAN: In just a few hours, a huge moment for President Obama. He will speak for the first time since the beating that Democrats took last night. You know, he surprised many by not releasing a statement overnight. He, of course, was forced to sit on the sidelines for so much of the midterm buildup, sat on the sidelines again to watch the Democrats get steamrolled in state after state by Republicans.

PEREIRA: Many are wondering what is it that he is going say in that statement. Of course, we'll bring it to you live.

But before that, let's talk about it with the Tracy Sefl; she's Senior Advisor to Ready for Hillary and Ron Bonjean, former Communications Director for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Thanks so much to both of you for joining us on this big day here.

Tracy, I guess, we'll start with you as we wait for the president's comments a little later today. What does all of this mean now for the president? Is he going to become the lame duck president of a do- nothing Congress?

TRACY SEFL, SENIOR ADVISOR, READY FOR HILLARY: Well, the question, I think, fits also on the Republican Congress and what they're going to do. For the president, who's made clear -- and I think it was Vice President Biden who said very specifically that he is looking forward to compromise and looking forward to a path toward an agenda that helps the Americans who need the help. Will those Republicans be willing to do that? McConnell seems to have an obstructionist aura around him. Is that something that is permanent? Is he willing to change? I expect the president to make clear that there is compromise that must occur and there is progress that the American people are demanding.

BERMAN: It may not be an obstructionist aura, it may just be the tan that he always seems to have as the Speaker of the House. Listen, Ron, enough about 2014, let's talk about 2016 here. One man who worked very, very hard to get Republican governors elected was Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, the Chair of the Republican Governors' Association. A lot of people saying this morning that he is sitting pretty heading into 2016 as a potential presidential candidate. Let's listen to what he said to "NEW DAY" this morning about all the speculation about his candidacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: What I found being in 37 states in the last 11 months is this country is much more alike than it is different and people always say, well, will you play here or play in the South? You know, any place other than New Jersey or New York they think, well, you won't possibly play. It's wrong. It's just wrong. I got great reactions from people all over this country in the last 11 months and what they say to me most of the time is, we like the way you act like yourself. Be direct, give them hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, Chris Christie, Ron, how much did he help himself this election?

RON BONJEAN, PARTNER, SINGER BONJEAN STRATEGIES: Well, obviously Republican governors did very well last night and Chris Christie gets to take a lion's share of that credit because he's head of the Republican Governor's Association and, of course, he's a candidate -- going to be, likely, a candidate for the 2016 elections. We have others, as well, who may throw their hat in the ring, such as governor Scott Walker.

The list can go on and on, but I have to take issue with what Tracy had to say. You know, voters voted against gridlock last night. Voters voted against, you know, the strategy that Senator Reid took when he went to the house floor on a daily basis attacking Charles and David Koch of Koch Industries. They don't care about any of that stuff. They want to see us getting things done and that's why my hope is that Mitch McConnell and John Boehner will come out with a unified agenda so we can start moving things forward rather quickly.

SEFL: And Ron, you're right that there is this discontent with leaders on both sides and you did see that in the voting. You also saw, in the voting, overwhelming support for progressive ballot measures on things like increasing minimum wage, or defeating the personhood amendments, so the substance of it is very much toward progress. The leaders in both our parties, I think, have a lot of self-reflection to do and a lot of sleeves to roll up.

PEREIRA: All right, so the both of you -- I think we're hearing that we all feel that compromise needs to be made. Now, the question is if we can actually make that happen. Tracy Sefl, Ron Bonjean, we appreciate you both joining us today. Thanks so much.

BONJEAN: Thank you. BERMAN: Ahead for us @THISHOUR, Republicans, they took the Senate, Mitch McConnell will be the next Senate Majority Leader, but can he keep the rank and file in line? We're going to hear from the people of Kentucky, next. We're going live from a diner. It's a scientific study.

PEREIRA: Are you putting in an order with Joe or --?

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