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Carson's Debate Performance; Entire House Votes on Ryan as Speaker. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired October 29, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:29:50] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was very happy with my performance and everybody seems to be very happy with what I did.

I think it was much different than the Hillary debate. They were all softballs. This was much different. But I actually enjoyed it. I mean I had a good time. It was tougher than probably the other debates in a certain way but I loved it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As for Ben Carson, who's leading the pack, listen to how he responds when a reporter asks him about his favorite debate moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your greatest moment of the night?

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When the debate was over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Refreshingly honest.

With me now, Andy Smith, he's director of the Survey Center at University of New Hampshire. He's also an associate professor. Welcome.

ANDY SMITH, SURVEY CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (via telephone): Good afternoon. Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. In your mind, who won the debate?

SMITH: I'd have to agree with the conventional wisdom on this that the winners were Cruz and Marco Rubio, simply because they're getting the best press afterwards. Even though a lot of people watched these debates, it's more the aftermath and how it's been perceived and how the press covers it that's what more important than what actually happened on the screen.

COSTELLO: You're probably right about that. Let's talk specifically about Ben Carson because he came into this debate as the front-runner.

Nobody threw any hard balls at him. Nobody attacked him on stage. He sort of just sailed through.

SMITH: Yes, I think -- that's probably a good position for him to be in right now. Because the reason that he got to the top of the pack isn't because of any policy proposal, specifically. It's more his demeanor and personality and the fact that he can, more than anybody, credibly claim that he's outside of the Washington and government circles.

And the other thing about Carson is that his personality is so different from everyone else on the stage that it really sets him apart. And I think it's a comforting thing for people who are viewing this and looking for something other than attack politics to see somebody like Carson speak the way he does.

COSTELLO: And he magnifies the role so well. His opening salvo he kind of told viewers that he was kind of pushed into being president -- or wanting to become president. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: Probably in terms of applying for the job of president, weakness would be not really seeing myself in that position until hundreds of thousands of people began to tell me that I needed to do it. I do, however, believe in Reagan's 11th commandment and will not be engaging in awful things about my compatriots here and recognizing that's so important in this election because we're talking about America for the people versus America for the government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ok. So, he says, oh, I was pushed into like running for president because I didn't realize what a great man I actually am.

SMITH: Well, that's a long tradition in American politics. And actually, prior to the 20th century, that was typically the way you went about it, or at least you made yourself look like you were being called to serve in office. Not that you were running for election.

Running for election was always seen as somehow demeaning, that it was craven. It was much better to be seen having your fellow countrymen really asking you, begging you to serve.

COSTELLO: The other thing is, I thought that the moderators, or the other people on stage, would push Ben Carson to talk about his economic plan or his tax plan. He did talk about it for a bit, but the answer he gave, he just threw a lot of figures out. You know, the average viewer was probably left going, well, that sounded really good, but what?

SMITH: Well, you know, tax plans are actually something that -- first off, they're complicated in the sense that anybody who looks at those tax plans is going to have to make an enormous assumption to try to score them to figure out if they're going to work on paper or not. And it's also important to remember that any tax plan that is

proposed by a candidate is not going to end up the way they proposed it, once it gets through the sausage grinder of congress. That said Republicans love to hear about flat taxes and tax cuts. And the mere fact that you can say that you have a tax plan that will cut your taxes and leave it at that is going to be good enough for a lot of Republicans.

COSTELLO: Really? Because I think Carly Fiorina said she wanted to like, you know, her tax code would be three pages long. I was wondering, come on, somebody say one page and probably somebody did and I just missed it.

SMITH: That was Steve Forbes a few years ago. He wanted you to mail it in on a postcard.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

In the end when all is said and done, did this debate help Ben Carson? Will he remain at the top of the pack in some polls?

SMITH: I don't know if any particular debate will help or hurt him. He's got -- he's got a reservoir of goodwill that's been built up over years and years and years of writing books and giving talks to Evangelical Christians across this country. And they're going to support him if he looks credible regardless of what he says in the debate.

[10:35:02] I think that they see him as a different person. They feel they know Ben Carson already. It's a matter for him of expanding that support. But in a nomination cycle, you don't have to expand it too far.

So, if you're in Iowa, which has a heavily Evangelical Christian Republican electorate, he's in really good shape there. In New Hampshire -- much more difficult because we just don't have that religious electorate in New Hampshire. So, he's got to look at the states after Iowa and really decide where he wants to go. Assuming that he keeps his position like he currently has.

COSTELLO: All right. Andy Smith -- thanks so much.

SMITH: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM -- you're welcome. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the latest diplomatic push to end the Syrian civil war begins soon in Vienna. Can it succeed?

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[10:40:09] COSTELLO: All right.

Let's head to the House of Representatives right now because lawmakers have been for the past hour or so voting in a brand new speaker of the house. That would be Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. You see the soon-to-be former house of speaker there standing up at the desk in front of the microphone. We're expecting him to announce at any moment that Paul Ryan is the new speaker of the house.

Let me listen to a little bit of what's going on.

Jeff Zeleny, our political correspondent is going to pop in, too. They're still calling the roll, aren't they?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are -- Carol. They are still calling the roll but Paul Ryan has surpassed the majority that he needs to become the next house speaker. (CROSSTALK)

It's extraordinary, Carol. Only a handful of Republicans declined to vote for him here, so he is even winning over some of the Tea Party conservatives who did not vote for him yesterday, so he is getting nearly the full unanimous call of support from this House Republican conference.

COSTELLO: Yes. I saw Paul Ryan earlier on the house floor before the vote began, before this roll call began, talking with some members of the Freedom Caucus, including Congressman Jordan from Ohio. They appeared to be having a very fun conversation.

ZELENY: No question. He's so popular among the rank and file on both sides, certainly Republicans. But even Steve King, that firebrand conservative from Iowa, who's such an outspoken critic of the establishment, he voted for Paul Ryan. So a lot of these Tea Party members are trying to get off on the right foot by voting for Paul Ryan.

COSTELLO: Let's listen.

Jeff -- we thought the moment had come, but John Boehner's still waiting. I think the roll was done, though, right? The roll call's done.

ZELENY: The roll call is done -- Carol. He was voted by only nine Republicans. There are 247 Republicans in the house conference. Only nine Republicans voted for someone other than Paul Ryan, so he really is winning the overwhelming majority here.

They're doing some bookkeeping there, tallying everything up. And of course, this is a constitutional office. The speaker of the house is voted on by both sides. Of course, Democrats voted for Nancy Pelosi -- that is very pro forma. They always put their own leader up.

But Republicans almost unanimously, with the exception of nine, voted for Paul Ryan as speaker. They're almost finishing the paperwork here. He will be named speaker and speak, you know, coming up in the next several minutes here on the house floor.

COSTELLO: I know that Mitt Romney and his wife are in attendance today in support of Paul Ryan, as is his family.

ZELENY: Yes, they are. And it's so interesting, Carol. Of course, Paul Ryan was introduced to the country here when he was named Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012. Mitt Romney picked him for a lot of the same reasons that House Republicans are turning to Paul Ryan.

He's been referred to as the intellectual core of this Republican Party. He's a fierce conservative, but also a deal-maker. He wants to reshape some government programs and the budget and other things like that.

So, he definitely is -- he's going to be the first Generation X speaker as well -- Carol. He was born in the early 1970s. He's 45 years old. So, this is not only a changing of the guard, it's really a passing of the torch of a new era and age of leadership here on Capitol Hill.

COSTELLO: Well, going back to Mitt Romney for just a second. I thought it was very interesting that he decided to be present today because I know he's there to support Paul Ryan, his friend and former running mate, right? But isn't it more than that?

ZELENY: Mitt Romney cares deeply for Paul Ryan. He was viewed -- of course, Mitt Romney has plenty of sons. He has a very big family. But he views Paul Ryan as close or nearly as close as one of his many sons. He grew very close to both Paul Ryan, his wife Janet, and their children during that debate in 2012.

[10:45:02] And he -- he's one of the reasons that Paul Ryan decided to accept the call and accept the decision to run for speaker. Paul Ryan did not want to do this. He was not eager to do it. But Mitt Romney is one of the people a month or so ago who called him and said, this is your calling, you should accept this. So he's exceptionally close to Mitt Romney -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I wish I could read John Boehner's mind, don't you?

ZELENY: Sure. I think he's so wistful. We know how emotional he is. We know that he's taking all this in.

Carol -- he was elected in 1990. There are not many members who he's looking out at right now on the house floor who were here -- who have been here as long as he has. Look, he's taken that seat during so many state of the union addresses. He is taking all this in at this moment.

But I can tell you he's also eager to be sort of finished with this chapter of his life. The Republican conference is difficult to deal with, he says, on no -- you know, with no apology. And I think he's eager to move on here.

But this -- at this moment, he's definitely soaking all this in here. He's a very emotional guy. But he could not be happier he's passing this on to Paul Ryan.

COSTELLO: All right. I just want to -- let's hear what John Boehner has to say before I go to the next -- paperwork still being done, it appears.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), OUTGOING SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number of votes cast is 432, of which the Honorable Paul D. Ryan of the state of Wisconsin has received 236. The Honorable Nancy Pelosi of California has received 184, the Honorable Daniel Webster of the state of Florida has received 9, the Honorable Jim Cooper of the state of Tennessee has received 1, the Honorable John Lewis of the state of Georgia has received 1, and the Honorable Colin Powell has received one.

Therefore, the Honorable Paul D. Ryan of the state of Wisconsin, having received the majority of the votes cast is duly elected as Speaker of the House.

The chair appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker- Elect to a chair. The gentleman from California, Mr. McCarthy; gentlewoman from California, Miss Pelosi; the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Scalise; the gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Hoyer; the gentlewoman from Washington state, Miss McMorris-Rogers; the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Clyburn; the gentleman from Oregon, Mr. Walden; gentleman from California Mr. Becerra; the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Messer; the gentleman from New York, Mr. Crowley; the gentlewoman from Kansas, Miss Jenkins; the gentleman from New York, Mr. Israel; the gentlewoman from North Carolina, Miss Foxx; the gentleman from New Mexico, Mr. Ben Ray Lujan; gentlewoman from Missouri, Miss Wagner; gentlewoman from Connecticut, Miss DeLauro; the gentlewoman from Maryland, Miss Edwards; gentleman from Texas, Mr. Sessions; gentleman from Maryland Mr. Van Hollen; gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. McHenry.

And the members of the Wisconsin delegation: Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Kind, Miss Moore, Mr. Duffy, Mr. Ruble, Mr. (inaudible), Mr. (inaudible). From California Miss Mimi Walters. The committee will retire from the chamber to escort the Speaker-Elect to the chair.

[10:50:19] COSTELLO: All right. I want to bring back Jeff Zeleny while we await these two minutes or so before Paul Ryan is escorted. I would suppose up to where John Boehner is now, right, Jeff?

ZELENY: That's right. John Boehner is still in his seat there, but the escort committee is a group of both sides who brings in the new speaker here. Just like during the state of the union address, there's a committee of members who bring them in. So, it's just a bit of formality.

But Carol -- I've been looking through some of the biography of Paul Ryan. And I've covered him for a long time shortly after he was elected here. And I think I'm pretty safe in saying that he's the first speaker of the house to ever have worked at McDonald's as a high school -- as a young man, at 16 years old. His father actually died when he was 16. He's from Janesville, Wisconsin and he got a job working at McDonald's.

I think we're pretty safe to say that he's likely the first speaker of this U.S. House to ever work at McDonald's. He also -- he was a waiter and a bartender on Capitol Hill while he was working up here as a young staffer, so. Even though he goes home every weekend, he's an active hunter, active fisherman. He really has come of age in Washington. He was a protege of

Jack Kemp and he's been around here for really more than two decades or so here. Of course, he has a new -- his work is cut out for him here. How is he going to corral all of these, you know, factions inside this Republican Party. But there's a dose of goodwill for him that I haven't seen in a fair while up here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, when he was deciding whether to run for the speaker of the house, Paul Ryan said one of the requirements was time with his family because his children are young. He wants to watch them grow up. Do you know if his fellow lawmakers agreed to give him that time?

ZELENY: They did, Carol. They told him that they would take some of the fund-raising burden away from him. That's one of the things that John Boehner spent a lot of time doing, traveling across the country, raising money for legislators. But they said they would take some of that burden from him.

What he wants to do, what he really loves doing, is being the messenger of the party. He wants to craft policy for this party. And he can sort of do that remotely. So they did agree to take some of that workload away from him. He does have a young family. Again, he goes back to Janesville, Wisconsin every weekend without fail.

He's one of those legislators who actually lives in his office. There's a group of a couple dozen or so Republican legislators, to save money, to show how conservative fiscally they are, live in their own offices here. So, I'm not sure if that will change or not as house speaker, but he's very much a family man. And he said he's going to try and keep that up.

So, it raises questions of work-life balance, of course, what policies he's supported. We debated this for the last couple of weeks on air. Certainly, that is one of the things that makes him a new generation of speaker that he is a man and wants to spend time raising his family.

COSTELLO: Manu Raju is also covering this on Capitol Hill. Manu, I know during the -- leading Republicans were talking with Paul Ryan about whether he would be a great speaker of the house. I know that Daniel Webster also ran for speaker of the house and he did get these nine votes. How will that factor into things, do you think?

MANU RAJU, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: You know, it's interesting, actually, when Webster was put up for speaker in January against John Boehner, he got 12 votes. So, actually Webster has lost three now, so some of those members of the House Freedom Caucus ultimately voted for Paul Ryan just now.

Now Paul Ryan had 236 votes -- you needed 218 to be elected. That was -- even though it seems like a close margin, it's actually relatively comfortable margin. One thing that Kevin McCarthy, who is the house majority leader, who was considering running for the speaker position right after Mr. Boehner announced his resignation, he did not want to run because he was worried he would only get 219, 220 votes. So the fact that Ryan was able to get some of those folks on the right to back him is significant.

Now, yesterday I had a chance to speak to one of those leaders of the House Freedom Caucus, Raul Labrador, who did vote for Paul Ryan today. He said, look, we're going to give him some space. We're going to let him legislate. But they're going to give him some space. We'll have to see how much space they actually give him when it comes time for him to cut deals.

COSTELLO: Let's enjoy the moment -- Manu.