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Counties That Could Decide Who Wins; Can Rubio Keep Florida Senate Seat; Clinton's, Trump's Election Day Superstitions. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired November 08, 2016 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00] CORNELL BROOKS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: But what has been done, we reached out to Millennials, to African-American women, we Mobilized our 2,000 units across the country but we've also Mobilized units to phone into Ohio, to phone bank into Ohio Because we're concerned about Turnout. It is to us. But the voter suppression, the Negative of this campaign may Have some effect. We're doing our work.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And Dr. Carson, do you look at this as the opposite side? You say great, black turnout Down, not a problem for Donald Trump less of a problem than he Can use that to his advantage.
DR. BEN CARSON, (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDASTE: I'd like to see everybody enfranchise everybody voting Heavily because, you know, our Country is surrounded by the Will have the people at least The initial intention was for That. But I'm happy to see Donald African-American voters. It's one of the first things we Talked about before i decided to Endorse him. And to hear his views. And he's very enthusiastic about creating Strength in our inner cities Because you can't have a great Country if your inner cities are weak.
So i don't actually think this Is a Democrat or Republican Issue, this is an issue of how Do we strengthen our country. We only have 330 million people. China has 1.4 billion, India, 1.3 Billion. We have to compete with tm to the future. We can't afford to waste any of Our people.
BURNETT: Cornell, here's part of the Issue in Ohio. Martin Savidge, who was just There, spoke to black voters About what is the issue? Why no turnout.
Here's the conversation he had with one of them and i want to Play it. This is specifically about Hillary Clinton.
Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not a huge fan of Hillary myself so i don't -- i think it's -- i think in every community it's going to be that Way.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is there as much Excitement as there was four Years ago?
UNIDENIFIED MALE: I don't believe so. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Interesting, two different Voters. Four years ago, Barack Obama was Running but you heard who the First man said. In every community i think it's Going to be that way. This seems to be that way. This seems to be a Hillary Clinton specific problem.
BROOKS: I don't think that's the Case. The reason i don't think it's the case because Hillary Clinton And Donald J. Trump may be at the top of the ticket but the Fact of the matter is the names of our children, the names of the victims of police Misconduct, we've seen Unprecedented levels of activism in this country, people are Civically engaged. The issue is quite simply Turning them on to voting. We have endeavors to do that. We believe that African-Americans are turning out the vote, the vote may not Be what it was in 2012 but the Issue is whether or not it is Necessary and sufficient. We believe that will be the case in terms of prevailing on the Issues that we're concerned About.
BURNETT: Dr. Carson, when you look at The African-American vote in This country, how it's gone, it Always goes Democratic, but Barack Obama 93 percent last time, 95 percent in 2008.Sure, that was better than Consider Kerry or gore but Frankly not a lot better, 88 percent For Kerry, gore with 90 percent. Hillary Clinton right now, most Recent polls, an NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll put her at 86 percent which is the lowest of It ends up being the Case, but do you think Donald Better than the people who ran Against those other Democrats?
CARSON: Yes, i think he's going to do Significantly better. As you know, there was a Rasmussen poll not long ago that Showed him with 16 percent of the African-American vote but, you Know, polls, really, i think are a lot of people, particularly in Some communities, would not Admit they were voting for Donald Trump because the Narrative has been placed out There that if you're black and You are for Donald Trump then You're an Uncle Tom, you're a Sellout, all kinds of horrible Epithets attached to your name. That's part of the way that you Corral people and put pressure We need to be talking about the issues. Talking about why Is it that income is going down, that we have more people being Incarcerated, more Out-of-wedlock births, more People on food stamps. We need to talk about how do we Solve that problem and as far as I'm concerned it's not a Democrat or Republican issue.
BURNETT: Cornell, let me give you a Chance to respond. Is there a secret black Trump Voter?
BROOKS: If there is a secret black Trump voter it is a state secret Because the fact of the matter Is African-Americans are not the Captains of political Correctness. The first priority of any Candidate is not to persuade but to, in fact, demonstrate that they Can govern, which means that you Have to have specificity of Policy. Mr. Trump has not spoken to the Issues of the African-American Community. He unveils a new deal for African-Americans.
BURNETT: Right, as he called it.
BROOKS: He hasn't talked about employment, housing, education with any specificity. He hasn't Made the affirmative case so i Don't believe that there's a Votes for Mr. Trump and we're saying that Not as a matter of partisanship but policy specificity. He's not risen to the standard of a serious presidential Candidate nor has he treated the Intellect and aspirations of African-Americans seriously. If he were to do so, it would Mean speaking to black America with black people in the room About the issues they're Specificity.
BURNETT: Thank you both very much. We will see what the final numbers are, what the turnout is and how it goes with the African- American vote in this country.
Next, we'll go to Florida. In addition to the fact that It's must win for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, there's a bitter Senate battle going on. Can Marco Rubio keep his seat and win the Senate?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Welcome back. Just hours away from when the First polls close and we learn Whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will win the White House. If it's Election Day, that means Both campaigns will be Laser-focused on the results in Florida, the whole world knows that.
Randi Kaye is in Orlando.
Florida was the closest State in 2012. It has been a dead heat between Clinton and Trump. There have been 25 polls taken in recent months.
You're there today. What are you seeing in terms of Turnout and who's showing up in the polls, how long the lines are.
[14:40:06] RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like it will be close. We know Hillary Clinton was here 13 times since the Democratic Convention. Donald Trump has been here 12 Times. And a lot of folks want Their voices heard. In fact, they want them heard so Early that they've all early Voted. 60 percent of this precinct in Orange County has early voted, which may Explain why there's not much of A line behind me.
We pulled a couple of voters. Trisha and Bryan are joining me
And you have been coming to this decision, you decided to vote Donald Trump, why?
TRICIA SEHNERT, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I have. I just didn't want Clinton in There. I think it should be the end of The Clinton era.
KAYE: It's not important to you to Have a first woman president?
SEHNERT: Not with Clinton it's not.
KAYE: And Brian, who are you voting For and why?
BRYAN BUCEK, JILL STEIN SUPPORTER: I voted for Jill Stein and i Like her very much on Environmental issues and what Her domestic policy is. KAYE: And you work at a golf club and you said you haven't heard
anyone there talk about Hillary Clinton in a positive light but a lot of good talk about Donald Trump.
BUCEK: Yes, i work at a golf course where there's a lot of retired military and they're all wanting Donald Trump.
KAYE: Do you have friends voting Hillary Clinton? Are there any women friends that's important to?
SEHNERT: There are a couple but the majority of my friends are Trump voters.
KAYE: What issues important that you went with Trump?
SEHNERT: I just think we need a change. We need a change going in a Different direction.
KAYE: And if you wake up tomorrow morning and Hillary Clinton is president, one word, how will you both feel?
SEHNERT: I'm glad it's over.
KAYE: More than one word. One word?
BUCEK: Oh, well.
KAYE: Two words. They Can't count here.
(LAUGHTER)
Appreciate it.
I know you voted For Marco Rubio as well.
Certainly, that's a big Senate Race folks are following here. He's getting support from the Latino vote, the Hispanic vote, which is up 89 percent, Erin, since it Was last looked at in 2012, so That's certainly good for Marco Rubio.
Back to you.
BURNETT: Thank you very much, Randi.
That will be fascinating if you see people voting for Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio. The point we were making earlier, what does that mean for Down the line? That would be far from a Democratic sweep.
My panel is back with me, along With Trump supporter Scottie Nell Hughes and Paris Dennard.
Let me start with you, Angela Rye.
You heard that woman. She voted for Marco Rubio and Donald Trump and she said she Didn't want the first woman President to be Hillary Clinton. It sounded like she actually Was pretty pragmatic. She said if Hillary Clinton wins Tomorrow she's fine with it. But she wanted change. In a word, she wanted change.
ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, i think there have been A lot of voters throughout the Primary that talked about that. There have been things that have It's time for Dynasties to end, no more Bushes, they didn't want Clintons either. But i think i would push back on What she wants in terms of Change. She said we want a different Direction. I would argue that's not a Positive direction for the Country to go in. I don't think there is going to Be much surprises here, i think There will be instances where People split their ticket. Meaning they support Hillary Clinton as their presidential Candidate and may also support Marco Rubio. Unfortunately for the Democrats I don't think Patrick murphy was A strong senatorial candidate. There are other states that are still in play.
BURNETT: When you talk about the Senate, Nia, this is a crucial Issue. Charlie Cook from the "National Journal" said he thought Democrats could pick up four or Five seats.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: That's what they need.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Is that the likelihood?
HENDEROSN: It seems to be more the Likelihood than not. If you look at Illinois, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, it seems like Those are strong possibilities. It looks like that Nevada seat With Cortez. It's Harry Reid's seat. It's hard to see him giving up That seat to a Republican so it Looks likely.
One of the narratives, and we'll have to see if this is true, is That the FBI's initial announcement, the vague letter Comey sent out seemed to maybe Hurt those down-ballot races a Lot. And you saw the Republicans Being much more bullish on their Chances after that.
RYE: Can i add quickly to that? I would not sleep on Missouri. Jason Candor is the Democratic secretary of state there and Even though Missouri tends to be red, they have launched a hell of a campaign against Roy Blount.
BURNETT: Paris, this isn't how you Think it will go. When you look at someone voting For Hillary Clinton at the top And Marco Rubio at the bottom, that does open the door to the White House if she wins.
PARIS DENARD, CNN POLITICDAL COMMENTATOR: i have never bought into this Idea of this down-ballot issue As going to be as strong as it Is with respect to people Believing that Mr. Trump is Going to weigh down.
Illinois, for instance, that Senator was always going to vote The way he does because of the District, because of the state. I believe Is there are going to be people Who look at this election and Vote on change and they're going To vote for Mr. Trump and then Say, you know what, Speaker Ryan is voting for Mr. Trump, Mitch McConnell is voting For Trump, and if i want the change i need in Washington i Need to have Mr. Trump are have Support and they'll vote down Ballot.
(CDROSSTALK)
[14:45:28] BURNETT: So how crucial is the Senate Race here, David? The balance of power, if you're Watching this around the world, You'll look at the House.
(CROSSTALK)
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The House has veto power and The Senate in order to get Things done you need 60 votes.
BURNETT: So on a practical basis --
(CROSSTALK)
GERGEN: Having 51 or 52 isn't that Meaningful but you get the Investigatory power which is Extraordinarily important. Look at what Jason Chaffetz is Threatening in the House. Powers are important. It helps on every vote that Comes up about the Supreme Court To get that one or two extra and This may be the best window. If Hillary wins, this may be the Best window for her getting Things done because in 2018 There's a good chance the Senate Will go back to the Republican Side.
BURNETT: You've been through this. How significant would this be to Have it by a tiny margin versus having it.
DAN PFEIFFER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's critically important. A Democratic Senate six years, Republican for two. Her appointments, her ability to Get her cabinet, the secretaries Confirmed.
BURNETT: Supreme Court.
PFEIFFER: Supreme Court. There will be a huge different. When the Democrats had the Senate they changed the rules to Allow 50 vote on cabinet and Non-Supreme Court judges. Many i suspicion is if they take The Senate back they'll do it Again so she can get her cabinet appointed. Makes a huge difference.
MAEVE RESTON, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: None of this is a sure Thing, though.
PFEIFFER: Not at all.
(CROSSTALK)
RESTON: It's exceedingly close and you Look at the establishment Candidates, you know, Ayotte and Rubio and Portman and Grassley and even john McCain in Arizona They have been outpolling Donald Trump. The most fascinating thing to Watch is what that tells us About the strength of the Republican brand and whether it Was a good, idea, in fact, to Distance yourself from Donald Trump and what the long-term Damage is or do people see this as two distinct things? In Arizona, we're not expecting Hillary Clinton is going to pull That off but you have sheriff Joe on the ballot there and a Lot of Latinos turning out and It will be a fascinating window into 2020.
(CROSSTALK)
DENNARD: Obamacare premiums at 116 percent Increase in Arizona, so the big Question is, did everyone misread The American people the Republican base and the voters and misread how they feel about Mr. Trump?
(CROSSTALLK)
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And the races that are the Most contentious for the Senators are the ones that came Out against Trump a long time. Now Kelly Ayotte, she was in a Tough race, now she's able to Sleep but she started going Along with the crew.
(CROSSTALK)
HUGHES: he's kept her mouth quiet. She's not publicly criticized.
(CROSSTALK)
HUGHES: That was weeks ago.
(CROSSTALK)
HUGHES: But she still said she voted For Donald Trump. You saw it come together in the End. That's what we're talking about.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: I'm going to pause. I'm going to pause.
I'm going be clear. She said she wouldn't let her daughter in a room with Donald Trump or Bill Clinton.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Up next, Hillary Clinton's and Donald Trump's Election Day superstitions. We'll take you Live to their headquarters.
Just about three hours away from the first polls closing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:52:11] BURNETT: Welcome back to CNN's Special Election Day coverage.
Just hours away few the first polls closing and what begins the agonizing wait for results for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Hours ago, Donald Trump revealing he is superstition and hoping history will repeat itself this evening. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CDANDIATE (voice-over): I'm a little superstition so when you said, please call, i said I'll call. But I've won many primaries speaking to you first thing in the morning so I'll keep that string going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. Two men who know all about these extremely tense hours. The former senior advisor to Mitt Romney, Kevin Madden; former senior advisor to President Obama, Dan Pfeiffer.
The superstition you heard Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton has her own superstitions. Let me play hers, she has something specific she does, too, it's not calling into FOX News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIASTE: I've worn the same bracelet, the same necklace. I am not talking to anybody About what they're hearing in terms of early votes because i am superstitious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Same bracelet, same necklace.
Mitt Romney, did he have something he did?
KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Superstitions are good. You get more superstitions as You do more campaigns.
BURNETT: Why do i buy Mitt Romney would be the one guy who isn't superstitious.
(LAUGHTER)
MADDEN: Different from a superstitious, he had a routine. He liked to vote early and spend I -- when i worked on campaigns, back in the analog area, i would Go to the movies. Because the anxiety --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: You can't do anything. You don't want to watch this all day.
MADDEN: Right now, the work is done and you're waiting for returns. So, unplugging for three to four hours because when the returns Come in there will be a lot of anxiety and anticipation and it drives you crazy. But a lot of campaigns, when you work on many of them, off rue Teen. I expect President Obama did the same in those campaigns he worked on.
BURNETT: He had a routine?
PFEIFFER: He did. President Obama on Election Day, he started this in the primary in 2008 and continued through -- the 2008 general election and 2012, and today as he plays basketball on Election Day. He is a very cool guy but he's superstitious and Election Day is hard for candidates because they have had not a moment to themselves for years now and Suddenly there's almost nothing he can do -
(CROSSTGALK)
BURNETT: Would he read a book?
PFEIFFER: Well, you sit around, maybe You hear anecdotal stuff that Means nothing and President Obama would do television Interviews to battleground Markets and do phone calls to Radio stations to turn out the Vote but that takes up two hours of your day. The rest is sitting around Twiddling your thumbs but a lot of pacing.
MADDEN: Imagine driving in the Stuck in traffic. You go through a breakneck pace for anywhere from a year and a Half to two years then on one Day it becomes 24 hours of Reflection and that's the Hardest part.
[14:55:14] BURNETT: How do you deal with winning and losing. Mitt Romney had a victory speech Prepared and not a loss speech. I remember that night i was in Ohio and getting e-mails from People close to Romney saying "we've got Ohio" and that's not How he went and he lost. How do you deal with that?
MADDEN: One of the myths of the 2012 Campaign is that the Romney Campaign expected to win. I don't think that's true. When you go through the type of Campaign you go through and you Have an investment of time and Energy and emotion you believe You have a chance to win on Election Day and what's most important for the candidate is the message you send with your Behavior and attitude that day. The campaign volunteers across the country and staff feed off of that so you have to have a Sense of optimism until the Polls come in.
BURNETT: Of victory.
MADDEN: Of victory. That's why governor Romney Prepared an acceptance speech Concession because who wants to knock on doors for a guy That's already written a concession speech.
BURNETT: And you don't know what it's Like to lose?
PFEIFFER: Well, I've worked on losing campaigns.
MADEN: We beat him in 2004. I want to remind everybody.
PFEIFFER: Winning campaigns, losing Campaigns, it's so hard, you're in shock because the candidate and staff and volunteers have Given their entire life for Sometimes up to two years and it Goes one way or the other. Either you're going to win and Work in the White House and Serve your country or be Unemployed the next day so it's Very hard, it takes a long time to get over it and you have to Be sympathetic for the people Going through that today.
BURNETT: More reasons we might want to Consider a parliamentary system.
(LAUGHTER)
BURNETT: I find it straight 51 percent of the People get to decide 100 percent of the outcome.
(CROSSTALK)
But that's way beyond the scope of today's Conversation.
Trump, Clinton holding their Election party a mile and a half apart. They'll billion in the middle of New York City tonight. We'll take you there live.
And a surge in Latino voting since 2012. You've heard the stunning statistics. Will it make the difference in Florida? We're live there next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
