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Obamacare Hangs Over Virginia Race; Christie Wins across Demographics; Toronto Mayor Admits He Smoked Crack; Interview with Councilor Jaye Robinson; Incognito: This Storm will Pass

Aired November 06, 2013 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The De Blasio signature dance.

BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Make no mistake, the people of this city have chosen a progressive path.

COSTELLO: Oh, but get ready for a tax hike, New York City. Plus Virginia elects a new governor.

TERRY MCAULIFFE (D), VIRGINIA GOVERNOR-ELECT: Thank you for the honor of electing me to serve as the 72nd governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

COSTELLO: Controversial Democrat Terry McAuliffe squeaks by to defeat the Tea Party.

Also Chris Christie squashes the competition in New Jersey, destroying his Democratic opponent to win another term. Now he's sending a message to Washington.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: If we can do this in Trenton, New Jersey, maybe the folks in Washington, D.C., should tune in their TVs right now, see how it's done.

COSTELLO: And smoking pot just for fun is finally legal in Portland, Maine, while out west recreational pot gets hit with a new 25 percent tax.

You're live in CNN NEWSROOM.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me on this morning after some key bellwether elections.

The New York City, the city's next mayor dances and across the country the Tea Party stumbles. Democrat Bill De Blasio coasts to a victory in New York City by a 3:1 margin crushing Republican Joe Lhota who De Blasio linked to Tea Party activist.

Tea Party also lost in Alabama mainstream Republican candidate. Bradley Byrne edged Tea Party candidate Dean Young in the primary race for Congress.

And a big, big victory for Chris Christie, a top party hopeful for president of the United States. He, too, distanced himself from the Tea Party, winning big in a blue state and setting himself up nicely for 2016.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: And I want to promise you tonight I will not let anyone, anything, any political party, any governmental entity or any force get in between me and the completion of my mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: To Virginia now, the botched Obamacare rollout may have hurt Democrat Terry McAuliffe and his race for governor but not badly enough to spell defeat. He survives a nasty slugfest with Tea Party Republican Ken Cuccinelli by three percentage points. Ooh, he just squeaked by.

We've assembled a full roster of correspondents and analysts to walk us through the results and what exactly they mean to the rest of the country. First up, state of Virginia and Candy Crowley.

Welcome, Candy. So Obamacare and the government shutdown surely factors in the Virginia race but so were women.

Here is the winner, Terry McAuliffe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCAULIFFE: The truth is that this election was never a choice between Democrats and Republicans. It was a choice about whether Virginia would continue the mainstream bipartisan tradition that has served us so well over the last decade. At a time when Washington was often broken, just think about what Virginia has been able to accomplish when we work together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, Candy, in the end the Tea Party took a hit in Virginia, but its candidate almost pulled out because of Obamacare. So how worried should the Democrats be despite the win in Virginia?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They were worried before this, they are certainly worried now, so much depends on -- forget about the computer. If they fix the computer by January, it's going to be about, how does this play out? Are people getting better coverage? Are they getting more expensive coverage, less expensive coverage?

I think you really saw in Virginia what will be two of the main themes of the 2014 midterms, and that is Democrats saying these people are obstructionists. They shut down the government, all they care about is partisanship. You need to elect a Democratic House. The Republican theme will be, really? Every single one of these Democratic members voted for Obamacare or most of them and you need to defeat them because it has been a disaster, so those were the two lines playing out.

Cuccinelli, the losing Republican of Virginia, did not play the Obamacare card until late in the race, but there is a lot of evidence in the exit polling that helped bring him within three percentage points of McAuliffe. And remember sometimes the lead that McAuliffe had in those polls was double digits.

So this was losing and certainly is a clear win for the Democrats but Cuccinelli brought it up in the end and that says to Republicans that Obamacare really is still a potent issue they think it is.

COSTELLO: OK. So you mentioned 2014. Let's head on to 2016, because McAuliffe's BFFs, the Clintons, it looks as if Hillary Clinton is going to run for president.

If Obamacare continues to fail, how can McAuliffe help her?

CROWLEY: I've always been a little skeptical of the real power of governors regardless of where they are, to actually deliver a state to a candidate. Governors can be helpful in that they have a built-in machine, they know the state, they know people they can call in and say, do you have some folks to get out, to knock on the doors, but there -- I mean they're what, 30 -- there'll be 29 when McAuliffe is sworn in but there's 30 Republican governors right now, a dozen of them, are in states that Barack Obama won.

So certainly he can help her and will help her. They're very close friends, but it's really about the candidate and there is some machinery that McAuliffe can use but a lot of it was the Clinton machinery, so they're kind of using one another which is not unknown in politics.

COSTELLO: All right, Candy Crowley, thanks for your analysis this morning. We appreciate it.

CROWLEY: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about Chris Christie now. He easily won a second term as governor of New Jersey. He absolutely blew away his Democratic opponent, winning about 60 percent of the vote.

It is a notable feat for a Republican in a blue state. Christie has also distanced himself from the Tea Party, but he told CNN's Jake Tapper that the Tea Party is actually good conservative Republicanism. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: Well, I tell you something, I think that there's elements of the Tea Party that are Republicans at their best, you know, limited government, in favor of individual liberty and freedom, tough on government spending, questioning taxes and whether you need to expand them or grow them, so I think there's the core of the Tea Party movement as I understand it, I think is very consistent with good conservative Republicanism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Jake Tapper has more of his exclusive interview with Governor Christie on Election Day -- Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, ANCHOR, "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER": Greetings from Asbury Park, New Jersey, Carol, where last night Governor Chris Christie delivered a crushing blow to his Democratic opponent by more than 20 percentage points but perhaps more important than the number itself is the Democratic group's traditional ones that Governor Christie was able to make inroads with, winning women voters in a blue state, even though he was running against a Democratic woman, winning the Latino vote, winning all income brackets.

Governor Christie will be able to make a case to Republicans looking to recapture the White House saying look, I'm the guy that can win over voters in blue states. I'm the guy who should be your presidential nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER (on camera): I heard a criticism from a Democrat about you and actually more about the media, and the public, which is that if Christie wins in their view, this Democrats' view, it's a triumph of personality over policy. Is that a fair criticism?

CHRISTIE: I think that voting is much more visceral. People say, can I trust this person? I say this to folks in town hall meetings all the time. If you're looking for the candidate you agree with 100 percent of the time, go home and look in the mirror because you're it. You're the only person you agree with 100 percent of the time.

And if we demand that of candidates, then you know what they're going to do? They'll just lie to you. So I don't think people want that. And I think that's why I've gotten some leeway from people in New Jersey about areas where we disagree. Because at least they know I'm telling the truth.

TAPPER: I was think about your style and I was thinking about President Obama earlier today, because the president's trying to explain what he meant in 2009 and 2010 when he said if you liked your plan you can keep your plan, if you liked your doctor you can keep your doctor. Obviously that's not entirely true for millions of Americans.

What advice would you give him, not that he's seeking your advice, but what advice would you give him?

CHRISTIE: Here's what my suggestion would be to him? Don't be so cute, and when you make a mistake, admit it. Now listen, if it was a mistake in 2009, if he was mistaken in 2009-2010 on his understanding of how the law would operate, just admit it to people. So you know what? I said it, I was wrong. I'm sorry, and we're going to try to fix this and make it better. I think people would give any leader in that circumstance a lot of credit for just, you know, owning up to it.

TAPPER: What did you think of President Obama's leadership during the government shutdown?

CHRISTIE: I didn't think he showed much. You know, he kind of was sitting back, letting things happen. I thought it was very political. I think everybody was playing politics because you're the executive. If you're waiting for Congress to lead, you're going to wait for a long time. The executive needs to lead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God bless you.

CHRISTIE: Thank you so much.

TAPPER (voice-over): In the finals hours of his re-election campaign Christie stopped at this diner where I asked him about his personal and highly publicized weight loss battle.

(On camera): You have a couple of people back there talking about you look great. How do you feel? How is your health?

CHRISTIE: I feel really good. You know, I mean, like, we're a little bit more than halfway to my goal in the last eight months so that's really good. It's a great feeling and it's -- you know, it's hard work but I feel like for the first time I've got a pathway, which is really nice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Carol, you may remember this little chapter in the 2012 presidential race, there were a number of well healed Republicans looking for a savior, a candidate on a white horse who would be able to defeat President Obama and they've lobbied hard for Chris Christie to enter the race. He said no then but a lot of those same donors were here last night celebrating with Chris Christie with other things on their minds as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jake Tapper, many thanks to you.

There is one more set of numbers we want to share with you this morning and the news is not so good for President Obama. His approval rating has dipped to 39 percent, near an all-time low. That's according to Gallup, which found that 53 percent of Americans disapprove of the way he does his job. By comparison President Obama's approval rating was in the low 50s right after his re- election.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, suspended Miami Dolphins lineman Richie Incognito is talking, and CNN's John Zarrella is covering it.

Good morning, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm John Zarrella.

The Miami Dolphin Richie Incognito isn't saying much, but he is talking. I'll have that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Toronto, weeks of speculation and accusations have finally ended with a stunning admission. The embattled mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, says yes, he has smoked crack cocaine. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ROB FORD, TORONTO: I know what I did was wrong and admitting it was the most difficult and embarrassing thing I have ever had to do.

Folks, I have nothing left to hide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ford's comments come nearly a week after Toronto's police chief said his department had a video showing the mayor smoking what appeared to be a crack pipe. For anyone expecting Ford to resign -- well, think again. Not only is Ford not stepping down as mayor, he plans to run for re-election next year.

But my next guest says it is time for ford to go right now.

Jaye Robinson is a Toronto city councilor.

Good morning.

JAYE ROBINSON, TORONTO CITY COUNCILOR: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

I'm sure you watched the mayor's announcement. What went through your mind?

ROBINSON: Well, we were shocked. We expected him, given all the controversy that's swirling around him and swirling around city hall and the city, we were expecting that he would step aside. We knew he wouldn't, Carol, step down, he's very strong-minded but thought he'd step aside, take a leave of absence which I've been asking him to do for actually six months and to address these personal issues that he clearly has along with all the allegations. It's a chaotic time here in Toronto.

COSTELLO: Well, I must say we have word his poll numbers actually went up after he admitted certain things. So what's that about?

ROBINSON: Well, we have in Toronto, a group of residents that are called Ford Nation. They're very committed to the mayor, very loyal to the mayor and so there was apparently one poll did indicate there was a small spike in his popularity, but that was prior to the announcement of him actually smoking crack cocaine, just prior to it. It was after the Chief Bill Blair indicated that there was a video, which he had been denying for months, along with smoking crack cocaine.

COSTELLO: Why do you think he won't step down as mayor?

ROBINSON: Well, he's a very strong-minded mayor. He always has been that way. He's not one to consult. He's one just to kind of push ahead and that's not changing. He loves the city, and he wants to represent the city as mayor, and he's not going to step aside. We've asked him multiple times, I was on executive committee when I asked him to step aside and deal with his personal issues. I was removed from executive committee. Other members have now stepped down from executive committee.

As I say, it's a very big controversy and we're getting unfortunately negative international media attention on this issue.

COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you, what do you think this is doing to the image of Toronto?

ROBINSON: Well, formerly, I was director in the economic development division. So, I worked on tourism and the economy in the city. And we're worried this is harming the city's reputation.

This is a dynamic cosmopolitan city, a terrific city to live, work and play in, and we feel it's affecting our image internationally.

COSTELLO: I know, because to an outsider as I am, you get this image of the mayor going to like these wild drunken parties where there's crack and that's just a strange thing to hear.

ROBINSON: Yes, it's very unsettling, Carol. There's constant issues with apparently drugs and alcohol. There's been many incidents in his public capacity in his official capacity as mayor where he's been at functions and been intoxicated. So, unfortunately, it doesn't really reflect well on the city, and the residents, many of the residents, most of the residents are fed up and they would like to see him resign.

I feel he should just simply -- you know, step aside, take a leave of absence, address his personal issues and get some resolution around this criminal investigation that's ongoing.

COSTELLO: Toronto City Councilor Jaye Robinson, thanks for joining us this morning.

ROBINSON: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Still to come: a Miami Dolphins lineman speaks out for the first time being suspended amidst a bullying investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHIE INCOGNITO, MIAMI DOLPHINS LINEMAN: I'm just trying to weather the storm right now and this will pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And there are new accountability questions surrounding the Dolphins coaches.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: There are new questions over what role the Miami Dolphins' coaching staff may have played in the alleged bullying of Jonathan Martin. "The South Florida Sun Sentinel" reports that Dolphins coaches asked Richie Incognito to toughen up Martin after he missed a voluntary workout last spring. NFL coaches expect players to show up for those voluntary practices.

CNN has reached out to the Dolphins about that report. The team says it could not comment because of an ongoing NFL investigation into the case.

We're also hearing from Incognito for the first time since he was suspended for detrimental conduct.

CNN's John Zarrella has the story from Miami.

Good morning, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

You know, we have still not heart anything from Jonathan Martin, the Miami Dolphin who allegedly was bullied and Richie Incognito, the Dolphin player who allegedly did the bullying, isn't saying much.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Leaving a doctor's office, Richie Incognito had little to say over the firestorm of allegations that he bullied a Miami Dolphins teammate.

INCOGNITO: I'm trying to weather the storm. And this will pass.

ZARRELLA: In his first comment about the controversy, he was calm, even-tempered.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

ZARRELLA: A far cry from the shirtless Richie Incognito screaming racial slurs and profanities at a south Florida bar.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

ZARRELLA: He prances around the table. At once point he hugs Mike Pouncey who seems unfazed by the slurs. Incognito representatives would not comment. But what you see here is an example of former Dolphin Channing Crowder of what likely happened in the team locker room.

CHANNING CROWDER, FORMER MIAMI DOLPHIN LINEBACKER: There's nobody there to tell him what's too far. There's no other alpha males to stop him. And he's running crazy.

ZARRELLA: Crowder, now a radio talk show host in Miami.

CROWDER: You're expecting out this media thing.

ZARRELLA: Played with Incognito. Crowder says strong personalities on those Dolphin teams kept him under control until now.

The NFL is investigating whether Incognito bullied another player, Jonathan Martin, into leaving the team.

Incognito's reputation goes all the way back to his college days a decade ago. He was suspended twice in Nebraska, and dismissed at Oregon.

Tony Dungy who was then the coach of the Indianapolis Colts says Incognito was not on his draft board in 2005.

TONY DUNGY, FORMER HEAD COACH, INDIANAPOLIS: We had the category DNDC, do not draft because of character. Richie Incognito was in that category for us.

ZARRELLA: Controversy follows Incognito. Last year on a radio show, he talked about getting then rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill to get him and Pouncey jet skis.

INCOGNITO: This is how it works -- he's going to buy us a gift because we protect his butt.

ZARRELLA: But here's the irony -- if either Incognito or Martin ever play again, Crowder believe it's Martin who will be shunned by teammates.

CROWDER: If he goes to a team, the word "snitch" will be thrown around. You made a fellow frat member, as we are a frat, you made him lose his job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now, Joe Philbin of Miami Dolphins head coach, has press availability this afternoon and the dolphins locker room is expected to be open to the media as well. But it's not clear whether Philbin or any of the Dolphins will talk about these latest reports that the coaches had told Incognito to toughen up Martin -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, it leaves you wondering if the NFL could discipline the coaches, too, for this.

ZARRELLA: Oh I don't think there's any question that that could be the case but you have to remember, as we've said right along, all of this is part of the culture that has been in the NFL for years and years and years. The question is, going forward, will rookie hazing no longer be allowed? Will this kind of behavior no longer be tolerated at all in the NFL, and that certainly could be something that comes out of the NFL's review of this Miami-Dolphins case.

John Zarrella reporting live from Miami this morning -- thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: Democrats score big in New York City, and in the state of Virginia, with two very different campaigns. But what do those victories mean for the party's future? We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)