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Hillary Clinton Accepts Trailblazer Award from CBC; Obama Gives Final Address to CBC; Obama Talks About Legacy; Obama Addresses Congressional Black Caucus; Explosion In Chelsea Neighborhood, New York. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired September 17, 2016 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00] DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: -- look at Jennifer Pinckney leaving the stage there, accepting this award. Again, her husband being killed, the pastor of that church killed in January of 2015 inside the Emanuel AME Church. I'm sure the anticipation is building in that room. Give us a quick preview. Tell us what's going on.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It is indeed, Don. It was Jennifer Pinckney as well as other family members of the other eight victims of that shooting were on stage there. Definitely a somber moment here in this evening.
But as President Obama prepares to take the stage -- he is behind the stage right now, as is Hillary Clinton, they're both going to be addressing this audience tonight. I am told by an adviser to Hillary Clinton that she, in fact, will not address Donald Trump directly. She's accepting an award here tonight. Her remarks are going to be brief. She is not going to say any of the things she's been saying about Donald Trump and his birtherism comments, but President Obama is.
He is going to deliver that call for action to Democrats to rise up and awaken and, in one official's words, pay closer attention to this election here. He is going to go directly after Donald Trump's pessimism, as he calls it, and that argument that he made in Michigan about a month ago when Donald Trump stood before Black voters and said, what the hell do you have to lose by staying and by joining the Republican Party here? The President is going to answer that question, I am told.
But he's also, Don, going to talk about the accomplishments of his time in office and why he believes Hillary Clinton needs to be elected to carry on the legacy. This very much has a feel of a passing of the torch moment. We do not believe the President and Secretary Clinton will be onstage at the same time, Don, but they are both backstage now.
But this is a very coming at a moment here, some 50 days before the election where polls are tightening in battle ground states and elsewhere and the Clinton campaign is trying to motivate and energize Black voters and other voters, other supporters here, to rise up against Donald Trump. So the significance of this evening, Don, coming on the heels of yesterday is very high here in Washington. LEMON: Hillary Clinton may not give a political speech this evening.
It will be more of a thank you for this award, but she is certainly well aware of the power of this group, especially in motivating African-Americans and especially women who have been so pivotal and defining in helping to elect the President of the United States in recent history, especially Black women, Jeff. She's very aware of that.
ZELENY: She is aware of that, and she was talking to a group of Black women just yesterday, Don, and she reminded them that they are the demographic group in the electorate that votes in the highest proportion. African-American women came out in high numbers to, A, support Hillary Clinton in her nominating fight with Bernie Sanders. They were critical and, of course, they were so important in both of President Obama's elections. So she is calling on them.
And, Don, this is an example. We talk a lot about battle ground states like Ohio. Republicans know that if Black voters turn out in high numbers in the three Cs -- Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati -- it is hard for them to win. So Democrats are trying to rally their supporters and, you know, be slightly more enthused about Hillary Clinton's candidacy. That's what President Obama will be talking about tonight, why they should support Hillary Clinton. Don.
LEMON: All right, Jeff Zeleny joining us from the dinner. Jeff, thank you very much. As you can see, they're handing out the awards and we are awaiting the President of the United States and also the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as well. He's going to speak in just a moment.
I want to bring back my panel now. Jason Johnson is here. He is a politics editor for theroot.com, a professor at Morgan State University. Also, Julian Zelizer is a historian and professor for Princeton University and author of "The Fierce Urgency of Now." Farai Chideya is a senior writer at fivethirtyeight.com and the author of "The Episodic Career." And Errol Louis is a CNN political commentator and a political anchor of the Time Warner Cable News. Good evening to you.
As you look at these women who are up on stage now, what are you thinking about?
FARAI CHIDEYA, SENIOR WRITER, FIVETHIRTYEIGHT.COM: Well, first of all, I went to Emanuel AME Church during the South Carolina primary, and it was very instructive. It was a trip where, first of all, the death of Reverend Pinckney and the other members of what's called Mother Emanuel helped remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol, so there was a moment of racial unity. And I also talked to Republicans who were very conflicted about Donald Trump at the time. What's interesting is that Evangelicals moved back towards Donald Trump.
So I think that this dinner, this Congressional Black Caucus dinner, is reaching out and bringing people to the stage who have been part of American history, you know, during the, you know, seven-plus years of President Obama's term. And in some ways, this dinner is kind of highlighting how racial issues affect not only Black people but entire communities. Again, that shooting really changed the racial dynamics in South Carolina at least for a time, and we'll see if there's a kind of call to unity.
[21:05:05] This is a Black audience obviously, but will there be a kind of call to the higher nature, call to racial unity in America by either President Obama or by Secretary Clinton?
LEMON: As you can see Trevor Noah who is up there, the host of "The Daily Show" -- relatively new host of "The Daily Show" -- he is the emcee for the evening.
Jason, you know, we were talking to Bruce LeVell who is part of the coalition for minorities for outreach for the Donald Trump campaign. And, you know, if it seems like it's, you know, pretty harsh push back for him, it's warranted considering what Donald Trump is doing and how African-Americans feel about it. I mean, the people at home may be watching and saying, oh, you know, why does he get such push back?
The reason I questioned him about being tone deaf is because that is what African-Americans are saying about Donald Trump, his campaign, his surrogates, you know, here in the United States.
JASON JOHNSON, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: Right, right. Bruce is not doing his job, OK. He is not doing his job. Donald Trump is doing worse amongst African-American voters than any Republican candidate has in the last three cycles. There's no excuse for that. He is losing African-American Republicans. There was an exodus of the Black outreach team at the RNC earlier this year.
So, you know, for Trump to claim that he's reaching out to Black voters, no, he's not. He's actually turning off Black voters. And actually, for David Duke to be polling higher for Black voters than Donald Trump is nationally, that's a problem.
LEMON: Is that true?
JOHNSON: That is true. Yes.
LEMON: I have not seen that poll, I guess.
JOHNSON: Yes.
LEMON: So then what is it, then? Why continue to say that, you know, Donald Trump is reaching out to Black voters, Julian? Why continue to give that narrative if you believe it's a false narrative, when he's actually not?
JULIAN ZELIZER, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, obviously, he is continuing his effort to appeal to a broader public than his base. I don't think the goal is actually to win African-American votes. I think most of his campaign knows that's not going to happen given his record, given the kinds of statements we've had, but he's trying to soften his image with a broader base of Republican voters. He's not doing well still in some Republican states, so I think that's partly what this is about. LEMON: Does that make it doubly even more so insulting to African-
Americans that's why the members of the CBC came out this weekend (ph) there? I mean, it was also what he said yesterday about, you know, the birther movement.
ERROL LOUIS, HOST, TIME WARNER CABLE NEWS: Sure, sure. Right, and to the extent that he's talking past Black audiences. He's not addressing them directly but talking past them and about them to another audience because, I mean, I think Julian's exactly right. That seems to be what he's doing, and it's an interesting kind of tactic. It's not the first time it's been done in this country. On the other hand, it doesn't endear him to those voters for sure.
And one thing that he doesn't want to do -- I mean, it's a fundamental mistake that I think a lot of novice politicians make. And to a certain extent, Donald Trump is a novice. He's never run for any office before. You don't want to enrage the base that can deny you the victory, right?
LEMON: Right.
LOUIS: It's one thing to sort of arrive at some kind of a standoff with them, somebody like Ronald Reagan did that, but --
LEMON: So there's -- Hillary Clinton is about to speak. This is the video that is introducing her as you can hear there in the room. And they're showing Hillary Clinton and how she started in, you know, fighting for African-Americans. That's part of her resume.
It's interesting because do people at home see that? I mean, you guys are political experts. We cover this, you know, every day here on CNN. The bulk of us here, African-Americans, we can see that he's speaking past African-Americans to another group --
CHIDEYA: Yes.
LEMON: -- but does the audience see that at all?
JOHNSON: Yes.
LOUIS: Yes.
CHIDEYA: I do think so. But what we have to remember -- like someone watching us tweeted at me, like, why did you call him a powerful speaker? -- it's because political science studies show that nativist and racial appeals work, just the way negative advertising works.
So Donald Trump is, on the one hand, trying to say I'm not a racist but then he's using racial appeals because they work. He is a strategic, you know, navigator of some people who might vote for him who actually like racist talk and some people who don't.
JOHNSON: Look, everybody knows when you're really trying to talk to me or the girl behind me, right? And that's what's happening with Donald Trump. Everybody knows he's not really trying to talk to you.
LEMON: Yes.
JOHNSON: He's trying to talk to the person behind you.
LEMON: Yes.
JOHNSON: And sophisticated voters, they don't have to be on this panel. They realize when they're being pandered to or spoken to.
LEMON: The simple way to do it is, I'm speaking to Julian, but --
JOHNSON: Right.
LEMON: Right, but I'm talking to you --
JOHNSON: Exactly.
LEMON: -- to say, listen, I'm not racist.
ZELIZER: Yes, exactly.
LEMON: Right, you'd get loud -- but the loud voice is going to the person behind you --
LOUIS: Exactly.
LEMON: -- sort of speaking over your head. And that's what people see and it's obvious.
JOHNSON: Yes.
LEMON: They see through it.
JOHNSON: Exactly.
LOUIS: Right.
CHIDEYA: But, again, racial appeals do work.
ZELIZER: It's even like the speech he had where he outlined a number of stereotypes about African-Americans while allegedly making a claim to why they should support him.
And I think he does this all the time. That's why birtherism really struck a chord. He was at the head of a movement that was very explicitly dealing with this issue of race and the presidency, and so I do think it's a problem for him. I think his best bet, frankly, is when he appeals to the base, and I don't think he's going to move that far away from that.
[21:10:09] LOUIS: I think we saw an interesting version of this back in 2008. I remember when Oprah Winfrey came out and said, you know, Barack Obama, he's the one, you know?
ZELIZER: Yes.
LOUIS: He's the guy. And there was some talk about, well, is this going to guarantee that, you know, lots of Black women come vote for Obama? It's like, no, he already had all of them.
LEMON: Right.
CHIDEYA: Yes.
LOUIS: This is for sort of the white women who are a big, huge part of Oprah's base. And she was bringing them along.
LEMON: I need to get in, I'm sorry. There is Hillary Clinton, Congressman James Clyburn introducing her. Let's listen in. She's getting the Trailblazer Award. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello. It's so great to be back here with all of you tonight. I want to thank my friend, Congressman Jim Clyburn, Don Peebles, Representative Butterflied, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and congratulate all of the honorees.
On a personal note, I want to recognize a dear friend who is retiring after 46 years, Congressman Charles Rangel.
(APPLAUSE)
He is one of a kind, and we are grateful for your years of service. And what can I say about one of the best presidents this country has ever had, Barack Obama?
(APPLAUSE)
All through this campaign, I have made the point over and over again. President Obama saved our country from a second Great Depression, he brought Osama bin Laden to justice, and so much more. I, for one, don't think he gets the credit he deserves for doing what he's done on behalf of our country and the world.
(APPLAUSE)
And it's not just the President he's been, but the man he is. Even when hateful nonsense is thrown their way, Barack, Michelle, their two beautiful daughters, have represented our country with class, grace, and integrity.
(APPLAUSE)
As Michelle says, when others go low, we go high.
(APPLAUSE)
I know I speak for not just everyone in this room but so many tens of millions of Americans. Mr. President, not only do we know you are an American, you're a great American.
(APPLAUSE)
And you make us all proud to be Americans, too. Let me thank the leadership of the CBC Foundation for this great honor, and to thank all of my friends in the Congressional Black Caucus for it as well.
I dedicate it to all the trailblazers who came before me, who blazed trails that I could follow in their footsteps, Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm. I would not be standing here without them, generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and cleared the path for all of us.
This award is also for everyone out there helping to break down the barriers holding Americans back, to leaders like all of you and to a rising generation of young activists, to all those on the front lines dedicated to the proposition that, in America, every single child deserves the chance to fulfill his or her God-given potential.
[21:15:00] This has been the cause of my life ever since I went to work for the Children's Defense Fund all those years ago, and I'm going to close my campaign the way I began my career and the way that I will serve as your President, focused on opportunities for our children and fairness for our families.
(APPLAUSE)
We have so much work do together. I've heard many heartbreaking stories over this campaign. One was from Tianna Gaines-Turner, a working mother to three children from northeast Philadelphia. She testified at the DNC platform meeting in June and told us how her husband had been laid off and she worked in a part-time job. She said she'd been hungry more times than she could count and that life felt like a maze because she faced barriers no matter which way she turned.
But despite all of this, Tianna has hope. She still believes that her 8-year-old daughter will be President one day, and she believes that this election can make all the difference in the world to her and her family. Let's prove her right.
As a country, we have a moral obligation to give her family and every family a chance to rise up and reach their dreams. That is what's at stake in this election. It's not about golf course promotions or birth certificates.
(APPLAUSE)
It comes down to who will fight for the forgotten, who will invest in our children, and who will really have your back in the White House. We need ideas, not insults. Real plans to help struggling Americans and communities that have been left out and left behind, not prejudice and paranoia.
We can't let Barack Obama's legacy fall into the hands of someone who doesn't understand that.
(APPLAUSE) Whose dangerous and divisive vision for our country will drag us backwards. Instead, we need to come together, to get incomes rising with a higher minimum wage, to invest in neglected communities with efforts like Jim Clyburn's 10-20-30 plan, to get guns out of the hands of dangerous people, to fight for a criminal justice system that actually delivers justice, and to make sure that all kids have good schools and good teachers, no matter what ZIP codes they live in.
(APPLAUSE)
When you really think about it, the choice this November is about so much more than Democrats and Republicans. As Michelle Obama said at the Democratic Convention, it's about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four years of their lives. It's also about the kind of country we want to be and what we want to leave behind for future generations.
I thank everyone here who has been fighting for this vision over so many years. I thank all who have supported me. I want you to know I'm not taking your vote or anyone's vote for granted. I'm working every single day to earn your support, and I need your help over the next 52 days to bring our campaign across the finish line together.
(APPLAUSE)
Barbara Jordan famously said that a government is invigorated when each of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation. So to everyone here tonight, please keep doing what you're doing but also help to register voters. Tell others about the clear choice in this election.
In some states, early voting is nearly here so we need to keep the pressure on. Let's send a loud and clear message once and for all, we are stronger together. And no matter what, remember this, love trumps hate. Thank you all very much.
(APPLAUSE)
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: There is the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, current Democratic candidate for the presidency of the United States, accepting her award, the Trailblazer Award, there this evening.
As we prepare, in just moments from now, in just a short time, the President of the United States is going to step up to that podium there in Washington and give his remarks, his final time addressing this crowd, the seventh and final time.
He's expected to talk about his legacy, which is important, but also, as our Jeff Zeleny said, who is in the room, it's going to be an extremely, he believes -- mostly, I should say, political speech.
Let's talk about what the Secretary said. She thanked, of course, the CBC members. You know, what was interesting, she talked about President Obama's legacy, that he doesn't get enough credits, she believes, in her estimation. She said that the family has handled the past eight years with class, grace, and dignity. You can't argue against that. There has not been an Obama, you know, scandal -- family scandal at all, well, since they've been in the White House.
And then I thought this was important, Farai. She talked about, when she was accepting the Trailblazer Award, Barbara Jordan and Shirley Chisholm. That was important because?
CHIDEYA: Because Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to run for -- well, the first woman and first Black woman to run for President on the Democratic ticket. She, of course, didn't win but she was unbought and unbossed, her campaign slogan. And she was a maverick.
Shirley Chisholm does not get enough recognition, but by acknowledging Shirley Chisholm's influence to a Black audience and then saying, very importantly, I don't take your vote for granted to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, she was basically -- I think Secretary Clinton was acknowledging she still has some work to do, but she's listening and she knows Black history.
LEMON: It is interesting, Julian, how she snuck in the political because she said -- when she talked about her history with the Children's Defense Fund and how she started when she first started working for African-Americans under Marian Wright Edelman.
And then she said, this is not about golf courses or promoting your hotels or promoting your golf courses, it's not about birth certificates. We're here to fight for the forgotten. We need ideas, not insults. She said we don't need prejudice and we don't need paranoia. And so she said she wasn't taking anyone's vote for granted, but she did get her barbs in when it comes to Donald Trump. And this was -- although it was an acceptance speech and she was thanking people, she got it in.
ZELIZER: Well, I think at this point in the campaign, she's not going to let any opportunity go by where she doesn't take some shots. A lot of this campaign, Trump and the Republicans have been defining who she is, and I think she wants to start to change the narrative and tell people who she is and what she's about.
She might not be able to change her appearance in front of the cameras. We talked about that earlier. I don't think you can. The television cameras can be cruel.
LEMON: Right.
ZELIZER: But on the other hand --
LEMON: Meaning not how she looks but how she relates to the audience. That's what we're talking about --
ZELIZER: No, absolutely. But the --
LEMON: -- how comfortable she is with the audience. ZELIZER: You know, they presented her as someone who's corrupt, or
they presented her as someone who's not trustworthy. She wants to link herself to the civil rights movement, she wants to link herself to the progressive agenda, and she wants to tell voters more about who she is. And that's what she did in this speech.
LEMON: At any moment now, the current President of the United States Barack Obama is going to get up on that stage and address this audience for the very last time. The video that introduces him is playing now in the room. We will discuss as soon as he gets up there. We will go right to the President of the United States.
So, Jason, talk about what the President is going to say. He is expected to, you know, mention this birther controversy but also talk about what's important and his legacy going forward.
JOHNSON: This is going to be President Obama's nicer version of the "take off your house shoes" speech that he gave back in 2011.
LEMON: Right.
JOHNSON: He's going to remind everyone, I have a legacy at stake. And I think what he also wants to do is he's going to sprinkle some of that Obama magic on Hillary Clinton. He's got to remind people that all the enthusiasm you have for me, it has to go to her as well.
The greatest weakness that Hillary Clinton has in this campaign is not reminding people of how unqualified Donald Trump may be, it's giving people a reason to vote for her. And I think that's what President Obama's going to do. I wouldn't be surprised if he sang at the end too. That always works.
LEMON: I'm getting the five-minute warning, so it could be a little bit sooner. But, Errol, can he, as he said, sprinkle some of that Obama magic on Hillary Clinton this evening enough that it will stick for 52 days?
LOUIS: Well, that's the question. This is the most politically active group of Black folk you're going to find anywhere in the country, the most sophisticated. This people, you know, if you look at Charlie Rangel who's been through, what, 22, 23 elections for his own seat as well as any number of presidential races, these are folks who know what this business is all about.
[21:24:59] And I think we can expect to hear President Obama speak to them as fellow political professionals. He doesn't need to sort of rouse them and get them on their feet, although that might happen. He needs to sort of appeal to them and say, look, we've got a lot of work to do.
And this is a kind of an argument that he's made in a very subtle sort of way, saying to people over the years, look, I'm a better speaker than you are, I've got more power than you are, and look how they're treating me. If I get treated this way, what do you think's going to happen to you and your politics and your legacy? So I am looking to hear him say, we're all in this together. This is
our movement, and if you want this to continue, I'm going to be fine in my post-presidency. You know, if you and your community are going to be fine, it's up to you and the time to act is now.
LEMON: Go ahead. What do you want to say?
JOHNSON: And one other thing that's key, we have to member that most of these people supported Hillary Clinton. President Obama doesn't have to sell the Congressional Black Caucus.
LEMON: The president being introduced right now. Let's listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DON PEEBLES, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, THE PEEBLES CORP.: -- and the first lady of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: So, as you can see now, they're doing the introductions. And it's a crowd -- obviously, they're in a crowd who is very favorable. The first lady, by the way, looking extremely beautiful this evening, yes. And there is the President stepping up to the mike.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, CBC.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you, Don, for the great work you are doing and that kind introduction. I love you, too.
(APPLAUSE)
I want to thank the CBC Foundation, Chairman Butterflied, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the whole CBC family. It's always good to be with the conscience of Congress. I also want to congratulate tonight's honorees beginning with Charlie Rangel, a founding member of the CBC, an outstanding public servant who, as we just talked about, we'll be riding off into the sunset together. Representative Marcia Fudge.
(APPLAUSE)
Robert Smith, the Mother Emanuel family, and your Trailblazer Award recipient, my friend, a champion for change, Secretary Hillary Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
There's an extra spring in my step tonight. I don't know about you, guys, but am so relieved that the whole birther thing is over. (LAUGHTER)
I mean, ISIL, North Korea, poverty, climate change, none of those things weighed on my mind like the validity of my birth certificate. And to think that with just 124 days to go, under the wire, we got that resolved. I mean, that's a boost for me in the home stretch. In other breaking news, the world is round, not flat.
(LAUGHTER)
Lord. This is, of course, my last CBC dinner as President. Next time I show up, I have to buy a ticket.
(LAUGHTER)
Now, don't get me wrong though. We still got so much work to do, and we are sprinting all the way through the tape. But the days are winding down. I've noticed that whenever Michelle or I travel around the country, folks come up and they say, oh, we're so sad to see you go. And I really appreciate that. And Michelle says, that's right.
(LAUGHTER)
She gave a speech yesterday. A bunch of young people were chanting, "Four more years," and she said, "Nope. No. No." She's ready. But we do want to take this opportunity just to say thank you, to say thank you for your support over the years, to say thank you for your friendship, to say thank you for your prayers.
[21:30:00] As I just look across this auditorium, there are so many people here who lifted us up, who steadied us when things got tough. When we began this journey, coming on ten years now, we said this was not about us. It wasn't about me, it wasn't about Michelle, it wasn't just to be a black president or the president of black America.
We understood the power of the symbol. We know what it means for a generation of children of all races to see folks like us in the White House. And as Michelle says, we've tried to be role models, not just for our own girls but for all children, because we know they watch everything we do as adults. They look to us as an example. So we've taken that responsibility seriously. And I've been so blessed to have a wife and a partner on this journey who makes it look so easy.
(APPLAUSE)
And is so strong and so honest and so beautiful and so smart. But we're all -- we'e just thankful, because you guys have lifted us up every step of the way. Now, we know, however, that what matters most for our community is not just the symbol, not just having an African- American president. It's having a president who's going to do his or her darnedest to make the right decisions and fight the right fights.
And think about the fights we've waged together these past eight years. Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years. Turned an economy that was in freefall. Helped our businesses create more than 15 million new jobs. We declared that healthcare is not a privilege for a few but a right for everybody. Secured coverage for another 20 million Americans, including another 3 million African-Americans. Our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high, including for African-American students. More African- Americans are graduating from college than ever before.
(APPLAUSE)
Together we've begun to work on reforming our criminal justice system, reducing the federal prison population, ending the use of solitary confinement for juveniles, banning the box for federal employers, reinvigorating the Justice Department Civil Rights Division, pushing to make sure police and communities are working together to make sure that our streets are safe and that our law is applied equally. We're giving opportunities for kids so that they don't get in the criminal justice system in the first place. And I want to thank all of you who have helped us reach more than 250 of my brother's keeper communities across the country.
(APPLAUSE)
Just this week, we learned that last year, across every race and age group in America, incomes rose and poverty fell. Folks' typical household incomes rose by about $2,800, which is the fastest growth rate on record. Lifted 3.5 million people out of poverty, including 1 million children, the largest one-year drop in almost 50 years.
By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was eight years ago. And none of it's been quick. None of it's been easy. None of it has come without a fight. And so much of our work remains unfinished. But then we knew that we would not solve all of our challenges in one year or one term or even one presidency. Not even in one lifetime.
Because we understand better than anybody that this is the story of America. That the project of America is never finished. It is constantly a work in progress. And what has always made us unique is our capacity to change.
[21:34:58] Our conviction that change doesn't come from some ruler but it comes from the bottom up, from us, from the actions we take, whether it's women seeking the right to vote or a young John Lewis leading a mighty march in Selma, we do our part to slowly, steadily make our union a little bit more perfect. We know that. And that's what we've done these past eight years. And now, that's what we have to keep on doing.
You may have heard Hillary's opponent in this election say that there's never been a worse time to be a black person. I mean, he missed that whole civics lesson about slavery and Jim Crow.
(APPLAUSE)
But we've got a museum for him to visit.
(CHEERING) So he can tune in. We will educate him. He says we've got nothing left to lose, so we might as well support somebody who has fought against civil rights and fought against equality, and who has shown no regard for working people for most of his life.
Well, we do have challenges. But we're not stupid.
(APPLAUSE)
We know the progress we've made, despite the forces of opposition, despite the forces of discrimination, despite the politics of backlash. And we intend to keep fighting against those forces. When governors refuse to expand Medicaid that hits the folks most in need, we'll fight. When folks block an increase to the minimum wage or refuse to expand paid family leave or won't guarantee equal pay for equal work that hurts the pocket books of every family and African- American families, we will fight.
When we're not investing in the schools that our kids deserve. When one group of Americans is treated differently under the law. When there are those who somehow think it's wrong to make sure that folks have access to affordable housing or are unwilling to do what it takes to make sure our veterans get the benefits that they've earned, or aren't helping to sign folks up for health insurance.
We will not stop our march for justice. We will not stop pushing for the security and prosperity of all people. That doesn't stop with my presidency. We're just getting started.
(APPLAUSE)
And when people -- when across this country, in 2016, there are those who are still trying to deny people the right to vote, we've got to push back twice as hard. Right now in multiple states, Republicans are actively and openly trying prevent people from voting, adding new barriers to registration, cutting early voting, closing polling places in predominantly minority communities, refusing to send out absentee ballots, kicking people off the rolls, often incorrectly.
This should be a national scandal. We were supposed to have already won that fight. We're the only advanced democracy in the world that is actively discouraging people from voting. It's a shame.
Then they try to justify it by telling people that voter fraud is rampant. Between 2000 and 2012, there were 10 cases of voter impersonation nationwide. Ten. People don't get up and say, I'm going to impersonate someone and go vote. They don't do that.
Meanwhile, some of the same folks who are trying to keep you from voting turn a blind eye when hundreds of thousands of people are killed by guns. Imposing voter ID restrictions so that a gun license can get you on the ballot but a student ID can't.
[21:40:07] Apparently more afraid of a ballot than a bullet. No, our work's not done. But if we are going to advance the cause of justice and equality and prosperity and freedom, then we also have to acknowledge that even if we eliminated every restriction on voting, we would still have one the lowest voting rates among free peoples. That's not good. That is on us.
And I am reminded of all those folks who had to count bubbles in a bar of soap. Beaten, trying to register voters in Mississippi. Risked everything so that they could pull that lever. So if I hear anybody saying their vote does not matter, that it doesn't matter who we elect, read up on your history. It matters. We've got to get people to vote.
(APPLAUSE)
In fact, if you want to give Michelle and me a good send off, and that was a beautiful video, but don't just watch us walk off into the sunset now. Get people registered to vote. If you care about our legacy, realize everything we stand for is at stake, All the progress we've made is at stake in this election. My name may not be on the ballot, but our progress is on the ballot.
(CHEERING)
Tolerance is on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot. Justice is on the ballot. Good schools are on the ballot. Ending mass incarceration, that's on the ballot right now. And there is one candidate who will advance those things. And there is another candidate whose defining principle, the central theme of his candidacy is opposition to all that we've done.
There's no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter. It all matters. And after we have achieved historic turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the African-American community, I will consider it a personal insult, an insult to my legacy if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election.
(APPLAUSE)
You want to give me a good send-off? Go vote. And I'm going to be working as hard as I can these next seven weeks to make sure folks do.
Hope is on the ballot. And fear is on the ballot, too. Hope is on the ballot and fear is on the ballot, too. A few days ago, Michelle and my mother-in-law and the girls and I, we snuck over and got an early look at the new Smithsonian National Museum of African-American history and culture.
(APPLAUSE)
We looked at the shackles that had been used to bring folks over. We saw the shacks where slaves had been trying to make a way out of no way. And then with each successive level, we saw the unimaginable courage and the struggles and the sacrifices and the humor and the innovation and the hope that led to such extraordinary progress, even in our own lifetimes.
[21:45:02] And it made us proud. Not because we had arrived, but because, what a road we've had to travel. What a miracle that despite such hardship, we've been able to do so much.
And I know everybody in this room understands that progress is not inevitable. Its sustainment depends on us. It's not just a matter of having a black president or first lady. It's a matter of engaging all of our citizens in the work of our democracy.
It was that slave who said, you know what, despite the risk of a lash, I'm going to learn how to read. It's Harriet Tubman saying, despite the risk to my life, I'm going to free my people. It's Fannie Lou Hamer saying despite the ostracism, the blowback, I'm going to sit down here in this convention hall and I'm going to tell people what it's like to live the life I've led. I'm going to testify to why change needs to come.
It's a young John Lewis saying, I'm going to march despite those horses I see in front of me. All those ordinary people. All those folks whose names aren't in history, they never got a video providing a tribute to them. That's why we're here. That's how progress is sustained.
And then it's a matter of electing people to office who understand that story. Who feel it in tir hearts, in their guts, and understand that government can't solve all our problems but it can be a force for good.
To experience this incredible new monument, this museum, is to be reminded, we're just a small part of a long chain. Generation after generation, striving against the odds. What an inspiration they are. And what an inspiration all of you are, especially the young people who are here. That's why I'm still fired up. That's why I'm still ready to go. And if you are too, if you're ready to continue this journey that we started, then join me. Register folks to vote. Get into the polls. Keep marching, keep fighting, keep organizing. If we rise to this moment, if we understand, this isn't the end point, this is the beginning, we're just getting going, we're just getting moving, then I have never been more optimistic that our best days are still ahead. Thank you for this incredible journey, CBC. God bless you. God bless this country that we love.
(CHEERING)
We love you.
(MUSIC)
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, giving a very rousing and moving speech there. Pretty close to a preaching, I would say, when it comes to this speech. And there is the first lady of the United States on the stage. Both of them, regardless of your ideology, representing this country over the last eight years with class, grace, and dignity, as the former secretary of state said. One cannot deny that.
Again, if you're a Republican, Democrat, independent, or what have you, and now they're going into the crowd to do this rope line. I want to bring in my panel and discuss something that the President said. If we could turn around that sound where he said, I will take it as a personal insult, because I thought that was the line of the evening. When people were concerned, we said, can he sprinkle some of that magic, Obama magic on Hillary Clinton, I think that was the biggest moment. That was not sprinkle. That was a whole bucket of Obama magic that he tried to sprinkle on Hillary Clinton and onto young people who have not bee so enthusiastic, at least we're hearing from pollsters, to vote and from people that we have been speaking to.
[21:50:00] I want to share a story, but I'll share the story after I get your thoughts on this speech. First to you, Jason.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very powerful. He was -- I mean, everything that President Obama said tonight was so passionate, so relaxed. You could put a track on the back of this and make it a dis track for Donald Trump and an anthem for what his presidency has been.
I think that this is going to be replayed. I think it's going to resonate a lot. I'm surprised he didn't actually say Hillary Clinton's name. But I think he did a very good job of galvanizing, and galvanizing an audience that's already on his side to really get active.
LEMON: But he did say that was one person that he knew to carry that on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
LEMON: Julian --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a very powerful speech. It connected his own legacy to the history of the civil rights movement with some very specific issues that are on the table right now such as voting rights as a response to Donald Trump's speech. And he also made a very passionate and very clear appeal to Democratic voters about why voting for Hillary Clinton, without naming her, is in fact sustaining, again, not just his presidency but a movement for social justice that has been ongoing, at least since the 60s, if not longer.
LEMON: The story that I want to share, because we're going to have to move on and get to some breaking news now -- as this was happening, my mother texted me and talked about, there were days where there were tests to vote. She was part of that era where she had to go in and recite parts of the Constitution in order to vote. She said they stopped that. And then they were allowed after that to go in, for people who could not read, which was my grandmother, and then to vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's powerful.
LEMON: So know your history, as the President said. Thank you, panel. I appreciate it. We've been watching that coverage.
I need to get to breaking news. This is out of New York City. There's been an explosion that has taken place in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan here in New York. Happened just a couple of miles from here, from where I sit here at the Time Warner Center in New York City. Several ambulances, fire trucks at the scene now. Authorities say that at least two people are injured. Other -- officials say there are multiple injuries. And as of right now, the cause of that blast is unknown.
Again, there have been -- there's been an explosion in New York City. Multiple injuries. And again, that is according to dispatch, and it has been confirmed. Authorities are confirming that.
I want to get to CNN's Jean Casarez, also live on the phone with us right now. Jean, what are you seeing?
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Don, I am seeing many, many ambulances. I'm in the Chelsea district of New York City. I'm seeing multiple fire trucks. Hooks and ladder. But really multiple, for blocks and blocks, we're seeing ambulances and fire trucks. A lot of people are just watching. But what we can confirm at this point, that there was an explosion. We do not know how large. But we can confirm multiple injuries at this point. It is believed that there was some type of a device in a trash can or in a dumpster. We don't know at this point how serious those injuries are. But I can tell you there are r6 helicopters that are flying above us.
We do know the counterterrorism unit is en route and on scene from the New York Police Department. But police are not allowing anyone anywhere near the scene because they just yelled out that it is still extremely dangerous here. So what we're seeing is a controlled situation. People are calm. Law enforcement is calm. But obviously something that we're right in the midst of and they're working it very hard right now, Don.
LEMON: All right, Jean, I want you to stand by, because we have several CNN personnel, producers, and correspondents on the scene, and I want to bring in now Shimon Prokupecz, who is a CNN Crime and Justice Producer in Washington, D.C. Has some information. What are you hearing, Shimon?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: So Don, I think right now I think what's important for folks to know is that the NYPD, the FBI, and other law enforcement officials don't exactly know what caused this explosion. Could it have been a device? Could it have been something else? We just don't know. All we really know right now is that something exploded inside a dumpster.
There was a dumpster on the corner somewhere around 23rd street and 6th avenue. It's in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. And it exploded. It caused an explosion.
That explosion -- we don't know what caused that explosion. People were injured. We have anywhere from 15 to 20. We're hearing different numbers. The initial injuries do not appear to be life- threatening, but that can change. Several folks have been taken to different hospitals. And I think right now for the NYPD and the FBI, which is also on scene, it's really about figuring out what caused this explosion. But the bomb squad is there. They're looking. They're trying to find remnants of a bomb, if this was a bomb, but right now they just don't know what caused this explosion.
Obviously, this is a scary situation. A lot of fear here right now. Sort of in the heart of Manhattan. Lots of people out. So there is some concern. And earlier today, as you know, a similar incident occurred in New Jersey where a pipe bomb detonated outside of a race. There was a race for a charity event. And a device exploded there.
[21:55:04] So everyone here is a little excited trying to figure out exactly what caused this. But we just don't know right now. We just don't know what caused this.
LEMON: All right, Shimon, I want you to stand by again. I want to update our viewers if you're just tuning in. We have some breaking news here on CNN that's out of New York City. There's been an explosion that has taken place. It's in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan here in New York City. That explosion, as you can see from the map there, 23rd Street and 6th, near 23rd Street and 6th Avenue. Between, we're hearing from people, between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue.
There are several ambulances, fire trucks at the scene. Authorities say that at least two people are injured. At least. Other officials say there are multiple injuries. And as of right now, the cause of that blast is unknown.
Get back now to CNN's Jean Casarez, who is on the ground. These are the live pictures now that we're getting from our affiliate New York 1. You can see their correspondent there on the scene. But as you can see, the Chelsea neighborhood this evening very busy. It is one of the busiest neighborhoods in the evening. Very close to the Greenwich Village neighborhood that many people know about. And just below really Midtown proper.
But again, an explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood. That number could be between 10 to possibly 20 people, we're told as of right now. Again, the cause of that blast is unknown. Jean Casarez at the scene. What do you know?
CASAREZ: Don, I want to tell you something that I've been watching. A bomb-sniffing dog has been just several feet away from me. They are taking it from building to building to see if it reacts, if it hits, which is the terminology on anything. But they have been taking this dog.
And I have walked from 5th Avenue on 24th Street to 6th and now to 7th and they're long blocks, and at every intersection, there are a very large amount of ambulances and fire trucks. So it's not only on 23rd Street in the Chelsea area, but the ambulances and the fire trucks are also every block in between. So this is a very large diameter and radius that they are working on. But just spotted a bomb-sniffing dog. So when we hear the bomb squad has moved in, that includes the canines. Don --
LEMON: OK, Jean, stand by. Get as much information for us as possible. Again, you're looking at a map. This is New York City, Manhattan. It is West 23rd Street and 6th Avenue that we're pointing out here specifically. I don't know if we have that New York 1 shot, our affiliate there, even if the reporter's on the scene. But -- there we go.
That's the scene there on 23rd Street and you can see, if you know Manhattan, that's the Chelsea cinema. This is right at -- this is 8th Avenue. And if you see the Boston Market there, 8th Avenue. And right on the corner right there is the BBQ or whatever.
And so on a Saturday night, this would be a very busy time for that neighborhood. There has been -- this is the breaking news. An explosion has taken place in the neighborhood that you're looking at. The Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan here in New York City, just a couple blocks from the Time Warner Center where we are, a mile or so from where I sit.
Several ambulances and fire trucks are on the scene. And you can hear, as you heard from our Jean Casarez, the scene, as we see the emergency vehicles going by with flashing lights and the police tape there -- she said that the crime scene spanned a couple of blocks, couple of avenues as well between maybe as far over as 5th Avenue to 8th Avenue here in Manhattan.
We're also hearing that there are now multiple injuries. Just how many, we don't know. But there could be between 10 to possibly 20 people who have been injured here. And as of right now, the cause of that blast we just don't know.
Authorities have been updated on this. The President of the United States just speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C. I would imagine the President has gotten -- has been briefed on this particular situation. We have also gotten word that the Republican candidate for the presidency, Donald Trump, has also been briefed as well.
And again, of course officials from New York City have been on the scene and are sending in information that we have for us.
Errol Louis, who works for Time Warner News and is associated with New York 1, joins me here on the set. And as you can see, the reporters are out on the scene. We're getting this information coming in and I'm seeing it and getting much of it just as you are seeing it as well. This is a reporter from New York 1 that you're looking at.
Again, you can leave him up. He's there doing his job. He's one of our affiliates and we'll keep an eye on the scene here. But again, an explosion taking place in the Chelsea neighborhood, which is between -- Errol -- which is between Greenwich Village and Midtown proper.
ERROL LOUIS, JOURNALIST, NY1: That's right.
LEMON: -- starting after the 20s and going into the 30s where we have Midtown. Very busy time.
LOUIS: Very, very busy. Especially on a Saturday night. Chelsea, one of the hottest neighborhoods, actually. Comes in year after year as one of the places where everybody wants to be. Housing prices are rising and so forth. Very trendy area. I've been to that cinema that was in the shot many, many times there. 8th Avenue, 23rd Street.
