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D.L. Hughley Breaks The News
Comedian D.L. Hughley Reviews the News
Aired October 26, 2008 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: CNN's regular scheduled program, "White Guys over 50 with Opinions" will not be seen so that we may bring you this special presentation.
From the CNN studios in New York, D.L. HUGHLEY BREAKS THE NEWS.
D.L. HUGHLEY, CNN HOST: Hey now. How are you guys doing?
Well, good evening. I know a lot of regular CNN viewers are looking at the TV and going, wooh, Soledad O'Brien looks weird in high def. That Botox is crazy.
I'm D.L. Hughley, and we're going to break the news. This week, Barack Obama released his medical records. And it shows his cholesterol level is 173. Now, I personally have never heard of a black man with a cholesterol level that low. I walk around with 300 my damn self.
If you could put a scoop of mac and cheese in a blender, that would be my morning smoothie. Brothers, we don't go to Jamba Juice, we go to jambalaya juice. Are you crazy?
Now Obama says there will be a special place for Colin Powell in his administration. That is going to be amazing. There haven't been two people at the White House at the same time since Thomas Jefferson had a three way.
Meanwhile, a lot of people on the right, they're angry about the possibility of a black president. Let's be realistic. There are 43 former presidents, all of whom white so if Obama becomes the first black president it's still going to be 43 to one. And you're mad? That would be like the Globetrotters being mad at the Washington Generals winning for once. It's not like we're going to three-peat or nothing like that. Obama not going to do two terms and hand it over to Flavor Flav, that ain't going to happen.
Now, Obama has raised $710 million. Wow. Wow. A brother with that kind of money, and he don't even have a shoe deal. Lebron is going, I've got to run for president.
Now, of course, you've heard that Obama is only going to raise taxes on people who make over $250,000 a year. And I think that's fair. Wait a second, I make over $250,000 a year. You're talking about me, you commie bastard, what's wrong with them?
Oh, wait a minute. It's only going to raise taxes on the top five percent. And once again, I'm in the minority. I can't get off the back of the bus. I can buy the bus, but I still got to sit in the back.
No matter who you support, nobody can escape the pull of this election. There is a 106-year-old nun who appeared on TV and she endorsed Barack Obama. Now, McCain took this news exceptionally hard when he realized they used to go together in high school. Baby, how could you do this to me?
Well, you've got to feel bad for McCain, because if he loses, nobody will remember he was a decorated war hero, a four-term senator, cancer survivor. No, the first line in his obituary in will be, John McCain, he lost to a black guy. In the high jump? Nope, for president.
Let's face it, Obama's campaign is affecting things that have absolutely nothing to do with politics. A year ago, the Red Sox won the World Series, but look at what has happened since Obama started winning. Now, Boston got their asses kicked. Do you know? In New York that makes you guys say, hey, you know why? Because the starting lineup was all white. See? Not one Jackie or Willie or Reggie. You can't have a baseball team with no Willie. What's that all about? They got a Josh, a Dustin, a J.D., a Kevin, a Jonathan and two Jasons. What the hell you need two Jasons for? These are names you find at the waiting list of presidents (ph).
Then there's a dude, a center fielder named Coco Crisp. You don't want to be a black dude named Coco. Coco did it. On the other hand, a year ago, the Tampa Bay Rays, they finished in last place, and now they are playing the World Series. And you want to know why? Take a look at their lineup. Three black guys, two Lations, one Asian, and an outfielder named Gabe Gross. That's the Jewish dude.
And we can't forget their talented and sexy third baseman Eva Longoria. Now, like Obama, the race symbolizes a multicultural Mecca where anyone can succeeded. I heard the Rays players are so inspired by Obama, tomorrow's first pitch is going to be thrown out by Jeremiah Wright.
Now we've got a great show ahead. Senior business correspondent Ali Velshi is going to be here to explain the economy. And we're also going to stick around to break the news in Russia, India and China.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, D.L. Hughley? Hello? D.L. Hughley?
HUGHLEY: Hey, what's going on?
LEVS: D.L., I'm Josh from CNN's the Truth Squad.
HUGHLEY: The Geek Squad? Wait a minute, I thought you guys were from Best Buy.
LEVS: No, no, D.L., the Truth Squad. We're an in-house fact checking system for stories in the news.
HUGHLEY: I didn't know CNN checked facts. Now, what can I do for you?
LEVS: During your last report there ...
HUGHLEY: You mean, monologue?
LEVS: I believe, yes, you were the only one talking. And you reported some erroneous and misleading information. First you said Barack Obama has a cholesterol level of 173. That is true. However, the second part of your story, where you claim that black people patronize a business called Jambalaya Juice? That is completely false. There's no record of any such business even existing.
HUGHLEY: Wait a minute. It's just a joke, Josh.
LEVS: Here at CNN Center here in Atlanta, we call that lying.
HUGHLEY: Wait a minute. I'm a comedian.
LEVS: Liar.
HUGHLEY: You should be glad you're in Atlanta.
LEVS: You know, D.L., it actually is possible to be funny and completely truthful. For example, did you hear the one about how Henry Paulson became secretary of the treasury?
HUGHLEY: No, I didn't.
LEVS: Well, Paulson was nominated by president bush on may 30th, 2006. And on June 28th of that year, he was confirmed by the senate and he was officially sworn in on July 10th in a ceremony at the Treasury Department.
HUGHLEY: That's not funny, Josh.
LEVS: I disagree. It's funny because it's true.
HUGHLEY: Thanks, Josh. I'll keep that in mind. Josh Levs, everybody.
LEVS: I'll be watching you, D.L. I'll be watching you.
HUGHLEY: It's getting really ugly out there on the campaign trail. You can see, look at this, people are all worked up. Personally, I think these attack ads are to blame. Look at the latest attack ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Barack Obama says he supports the second amendment and the right to hunt, in a jewelry store. And what's his energy plan? Running cars on electricity produced by their own spinning rims. And what about health care? If Obama has his way, we won't get to choose our dental plan. We'll all have the same grille.
If Barack obama is elected, he'll replace the presidential seal with Seal. Barack Obama, you realize he's black, don't you?
Paid for by the committee for responsible racism. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUGHLEY: We've got plenty more coming up. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUGHLEY: Who is to blame for our country's economic crisis? Well, the name that keeps being mentioned by every candidate is the nation's largest source of home financing, Freddie Mac.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bad mortgages were being backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
I also warned about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and all these organizations ...
GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... who pushed so hard with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac measures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUGHLEY: Despite all these harsh accusations, Freddie Mac has refused to respond until now. Joining us live via satellite from his home in McLean, Virginia is Freddie Mac.
Welcome to the show, Freddie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, D.L. I appreciate you having me on your program.
HUGHLEY: Would you prefer to be called Freddie or Mr. Mack or ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can refer to me as Freddie the Mack Daddy of Federal Home Finance.
HUGHLEY: OK. Freddie, as the nation's second largest mortgage buyer, you've been accused of costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars due to shady accounting.
These candidates are trying to ruin my reputation. Shut your mouth, bitches.
How do you respond to these serious allegations?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a message for these candidates trying to ruin my reputation. Shut your mouth, bitches.
HUGHLEY: Wait a minute. All the experts are saying your greedy actions are responsible for the financial crisis. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wasn't me. That was my sister Fannie Mae, man. Or Fannie Mae, or Fannie Mae not, it depends on how much money you've got.
HUGHLEY: OK. But if you and Fannie Mae have done nothing illegal, why were you recently taken over by the feds?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: D.L., when it comes to home loan mortgages, Freddie Mack has always had a philosophy. Green for money, gold for the honey. As I've advised Warren Buffett, pimps up, hos down. And your next move should be your best move.
HUGHLEY: Huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me -- um, let me give you my economic lesson, Freddie Mack style. My business, which is financed in homes, is based upon a program created by Congress, P.I.M.P.
HUGHLEY: PIMP?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Otherwise known as paper in my pocket.
HUGHLEY: OK. But you're responsible for the biggest financial bailout in U.S. history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: D.L., I am not responsible, man. That was AIG, the Lehman Brothers. Those Lehman Brothers are players, man. And those are not even the brothers that I hang with.
HUGHLEY: OK. Can't you understand why the average Americans are angry with you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forget Joe the Plumber, D.L. I'm talking about Joe Mama. Because whether you're a player, or a hater, a hustler or a mack, a spender, or lender, the game remains the same. You got to get paid.
HUGHLEY: Wait a minute, Freddie Mac. Are you saying Washington is controlled by a punch of pimps?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's exactly what I'm saying, D.L. The politicians are the pitches and the voters are their hos. These candidates running for president are pimps man. Senator McCain, a hustler.
HUGHLEY: What about Senator Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Marvelous pimp. D.L., look, Barack Obama came from Hawaii with 42 dollars in his pocket and student loans. Now he's making over $70 million a month. That's big pimping.
HUGHLEY: No, that's called campaign contributions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: D.L., same thing, tomato, tomato. Bitch better have my money.
HUGHLEY: Thank you, Freddie Mac.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mack is back.
HUGHLEY: Now, to really explain things, CNN's senior business correspondent, Ali Velshi.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: D.L., how are you doing.
HUGHLEY: I don't know. You are a financial analyst. You understand the ramifications of what's going on. Are we in a recession, are we in a credit crisis? What exactly would we call this?
VELSHI: We're probably in a recession. It is a credit crisis. The bottom line is these discussions are academic to the Americans who are having trouble paying their bills, paying their credit cards, who might be losing their house who have been suffering through all of this. It kind of becomes a, you guys on this TV can have that discussion, what's going to help me out of this mess?
HUGHLEY: How did we get in this position?
VELSHI: Well, there are a lot of people to blame. A lot of it was greed. It was greed at every level, starting from the banks who needed to make more money when they lent you money. So where do you get more money from? They sold your loan to someone else. Your buddy Freddie and Fannie. And they took a cut. Freddie and Fannie gave the bank more money, so they had more money to loan somebody else.
HUGHLEY: I remember when I was around the house with my wife and I remember having to say, we can't go to dinner. I remember having to fill out loans. There would be a glitch in the credit and you had to call the guy to take it off and get letters. It was an arduous process. It took nine months to get approved. I remember my mother saying something, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
VELSHI: Right. It was that instant gratification. It wasn't work hard and get a new house, it was, I can get this now.
HUGHLEY: Who thought it was good to give somebody making $3.35 an hour to buy a million dollar home? I call live in Beverly Hills. Yeah, for a month.
So we see the market fluctuations and they're horrifying.
VELSHI: Yeah.
HUGHLEY: What do we do?
VELSHI: Nothing. Ignore those. If you are getting close to retirement ...
HUGHLEY: Wait a minute, that's easy for you to say. I've got (inaudible).
VELSHI: You got to return that.
HUGHLEY: You've got to return those. You've got to return those.
VELSHI: Look, you can't control the market. You can make smart decisions only about a few things in life. I think I told you the other day, there are only five ways to get rich in this country. Marrying Madonna, divorcing Madonna, your retirement savings going up, the home -- the price of your home going up or your wage going up.
HUGHLEY: There's another way to make money.
VELSHI: Lottery. Only five ways we can talk about.
HUGHLEY: You can call it a lottery if you want to.
VELSHI: So you can only control some of those things. You can make the right investment decisions but really, the main thing you can do is curb your spending and pay off your debt. That is of the one thing you can control. The third thing you have to control is keep your job. Because what we are seeing is jobs being lost left, right and center. We've lost three-quarters of a million jobs this year in America. Those are people who are not paying taxes. They are not buying things. They might be receiving money from the government. So if you've got a job, try to keep that. Make sure you're up to speed with what you can do if you lose your job.
HUGHLEY: So let me be clear. So your suggestion is that we stop spending money and save.
VELSHI: Yeah.
HUGHLEY: How long do I have to stop spending money? Because I like ...
VELSHI: See, that's the problem. You've got to bust out of the habit. What happens is, you stop spending money and do that for eight or nine months, and all of the sudden you're so pent up you go out and buy what you want to buy.
HUGHLEY: I can get rid of my keys (ph), I promise.
VELSHI: You need six to eight months' of your monthly expenses saved up.
HUGHLEY: You know, that's funny, because everybody calls it a credit crisis or recession or depression. You know what black people call it? Broke as hell is what we call it. Thank you. Ali Velshi, everybody. Thank you.
We've got a whole lot more coming up. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUGHLEY: Sarah Palin is on fire. She fills stadiums, she gives speeches, she buys clothes. I had to see this for myself. So I went to a Palin rally in North Carolina. You guys check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HUGHLEY: We are here for the Sarah Palin rally now. I normally would like to go someplace called a rally, particularly in the South. But I'm here, because Sarah is running for vice president. And she has galvanized an entire base. So we are coming to see what's got everybody so excited.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rally towels! Rally towels!
HUGHLEY (voice-over): As I approached the venue, I could see the crowd was very diverse. White people with mustaches and white women with visors. I learned that Palin supporters, although not the best spellers ...
(on camera): Where's the A at?
(voice-over): ... they're doggone committed to their candidate.
(on camera): What did she say to you that made you be able to connect with her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly I like her because she -- she can get down on my level a little easier.
HUGHLEY: She gets down on your level? We are in trouble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a person, a leader that's a Christian.
HUGHLEY: Didn't we just -- but we just had a leader that was a Christian.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we need more and more.
HUGHLEY: So we've got to keep doing it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
HUGHLEY: How many more do we need before we get the best guy?
What did she say that has drawn you here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work here, so ...
GOV. SARAH PALIN, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not a man who sees America as you and I do.
HUGHLEY: How do you think Sarah Palin sees America?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she sees America as Alaska.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a hunter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a fantastic supporter of clean coal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She has really connected with the base well.
HUGHLEY: What is the base? How would you describe the base? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The base would be ...
HUGHLEY: Would I be the base?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hah!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I forgot the question.
HUGHLEY: How do you think Obama sees America?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not too sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama's probably a non-Christian.
HUGHLEY: His America looks more what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, OK. Black.
HUGHLEY: They put the Obama supporters on time-out. You are a dangerous group. You're a dangerous group with your reading and your education. Your equal rights and your hope.
(voice-over): Governor Palin arrived and electrified the crowd.
PALIN: I'm here to ask you, are you ready to help carry this state to victory?
HUGHLEY: Now the polls are saying she might not prevail this time. But there's always (inaudible).
(on camera): When I look forward to 2012, what do you think of her having a black running mate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who? Palin?
HUGHLEY: Say for instance Sarah Palin and McCain doesn't work. What do you think of her having a black running mate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Um. Well.
HUGHLEY: Would you consider somebody that was an outsider?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It depends on who her running mate is.
HUGHLEY: What do you think of me as vice president for Sarah Palin 2012.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know who Hughley is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I know you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am thinking of who you are.
HUGHLEY (voice-over): I was getting some resistance. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll pass.
HUGHLEY: But I knew my platform would change hearts and minds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe in cutting taxes?
HUGHLEY (on camera): Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You would cut our taxes?
HUGHLEY: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Abortion?
HUGHLEY: I would never have one.
(voice-over): We look different. But if you dig deeper, you can see we have a lot of similarities.
(on camera): I come from Smalltown America. It's Compton, California. That's a small town, too. It's far away from DC, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: True.
HUGHLEY: She likes guns, I like guns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love guns.
HUGHLEY: I own guns. Sarah Palin ran the state police in Alaska. I've run from the state police in Los Angeles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has a record.
HUGHLEY: I have a record.
(voice-over): Now that people knew me, they were getting hyped about our chances in 2012.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you guys would rock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll back you.
HUGHLEY (on camera): You're my brother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got it.
HUGHLEY: Will you wear my button? Palin/Hughley 2012. Palin/Hughley 2012. Act like you mean it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Palin/Hughley 2012.
HUGHLEY: Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Palin/Hughley, 2012.
HUGHLEY: Come on, give it to me, Palin/Hughley 2012. Palin/Hughley 2012.
CROWD: USA! USA! USA! USA!
HUGHLEY (voice-over): What a day. Everyone had a great time at the Sarah Palin rally. And even learned something.
(on camera): Did you learn anything?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did.
HUGHLEY: What did you learn?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I learned America is a great place.
HUGHLEY: You didn't know that before you came to the rally?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did. But it just reinfirmed it.
HUGHLEY: Ah. It reinfirmed it for me, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUGHLEY: Well, this race certainly isn't over. And Sarah Palin is a fierce competitor. No one knows this more than our next guest, Maryline Blackburn. She actually beat Sarah Palin in the 1984 Alaska beauty pageant. What are you doing, baby girl?
MARYLINE BLACKBURN, 1984 MISS ALASKA: It is so good to see you.
HUGHLEY: It's good to see you, too. You're beautiful.
BLACKBURN: You're still as handsome as you were last year when I saw you in Atlanta.
HUGHLEY: Talk to me, girl, talk to me. You won the 1984 beauty pageant in Alaska. Can I ask you one question?
BLACKBURN: Of course.
HUGHLEY: Black people in Alaska. Were you in the witness protection program or something?
BLACKBURN: I wasn't in the witness protection program. I'm not afraid to say what I have to say.
HUGHLEY: Absolutely. Now, you competed against Sarah Palin in a beauty pageant. What was she like?
BLACKBURN: Oh, she was a very nice young lady. But at the same time you could see she was very competitive. The look in her eye was like, I'm going to get you, girl.
HUGHLEY: Now, when you saw her in the debate, what did you think?
BLACKBURN: She's a great public speaker. That's what the Miss America Pageant teaches young women to do. We're great public speakers.
HUGHLEY: Wait a minute.
BLACKBURN: You have to have some substance, come on.
HUGHLEY: You don't have to be substance. You can be mute in a thong and you can win. I'm not saying that that doesn't help. I'm just saying, if you had a thong and couldn't talk, you would still get my vote. That's all I'm saying.
BLACKBURN: OK. Bless you.
HUGHLEY: Now, you beat her. You obviously beat her. Do you have any advice for Obama as to how he can beat the Palin mystique?
BLACKBURN: You know, the advice that I would give to Obama and Biden is to do exactly what they're doing right now. They are so cool.
HUGHLEY: In addition to being a beautiful woman, you are a singer. You actually did an album live from Russia.
BLACKBURN: I did. The third CD. Which is entitled "Russian Rhapsody." And I'm actually singing a song on there in Russian. So I do believe I have some foreign policy experience. Thank you very much.
HUGHLEY: You know what's hilarious from you guys from Alaska, that's hilarious, you know, that's hilarious. I'm an expert on foreign affairs, because from Alaska I can see Russia, but from my house I can see the moon, that doesn't make me an astronaut.
Very talented woman. Give it up for Maryline, thank you for joining us, baby girl.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
We'll get back to D.L. Hughley in a moment. There's lots of news we're working on for you at the top of the hour, including this. An Arkansas TV anchor woman has died after being found beaten in her home on Monday. Twenty-six-year-old Anne Pressly worked for our affiliate KATV. Police have not identified a suspect. We'll update that for you at the top of the hour.
There is incredible anguish for actress Jennifer Hudson, her mother and brother found shot to death in the family's Chicago home yesterday. Her seven-year-old nephew is still missing at this hour. And police are working on this case. We are live at the Chicago Police Department at the top of the hour on this.
Frustrations boiling over inside the McCain campaign. Several advisers to John McCain have suggested to CNN that they are increasingly frustrated with Sarah Palin quote "going rogue" on the trail and openly disagreeing with campaign advisers. More on that, of course, at the top of the hour. We'll have a live talk with Dana Bash, who is on the campaign trail.
Also at 11:00, Barack Obama live. He will take the stage at the University of New Mexico. One of the battleground states that will decide the presidential election. It's just 10 days from now. We'll bring that to you as well.
I'm Don Lemon. What's on your mind? We're reading your comments live at the top of the hour. Back now to D.L. HUGHLEY BREAKS THE NEWS after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUGHLEY: OK. Now, many of you are probably familiar with Sarah Silverman's video "The Great Schlep", which she gets Jews to gown to Florida and convince her grandparents to vote for Barack Obama. This is really working.
So now I have my own video. I'm asking black women who are cleaning ladies for old Jews to go to Florida and guilt them into voting for Barack. It is called the great Shabbat Shalom As Salaam Aleikum. This is Miriam Seid (ph). And her former cleaning lady, Claudine Wilson.
Take it away Claudine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think I enjoy Christmas just because you don't celebrate it? It's payback time, Miriam. Vote Barack, or I'll clean your clock.
HUGHLEY: It's that simple. Don't forget to vote. And don't forget to take your pill.
Well, Election Day is coming, and Obama is in the lead. But some folks still can't imagine what a black president will be like. Which is silly, because people have been imaging black presidents for decades. And usually this is done through movies. Here is how they've see them. Take this for example. This is a film from 1933, "Rufus Jones for President."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to say something to your constituency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUGHLEY: I know, I know. That is little president Sammy Davis Jr. And that is a pork chop in his hand. And those are his advisers, who happen to love pork chops, too. Check out the swearing-in ceremony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, first of all, from now on pork chops will be free. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUGHLEY: Damn! Well, maybe that's where they got the pork barrel spending from. By 1972, James Earl Jones, he gets to be president, but only because the president, V.P. and speaker died of a freak accident. Even he can't believe he got the job. No one takes him seriously, not even this lady with the big afro.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A privileged black man paid off and not having to live in the ghetto.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A house (EXPLETIVE DELETED), right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right on!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUGHLEY: After that they go to an Earth, Wind and Fire concert, so it's all good.
In 1997, the "Fifth Element" finally brings us a competent president elected by the people. Which you've got to admit is a step forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to take the lives of my fellow citizens. General, you may fire when ready.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUGHLEY: That's a bad ass dude right there. That's former wrestler Tiny Lister, who, of course, could only get elected in the 23rd century. You need science fiction.
In a movie made the next year, "Deep Impact", it shows us a black president finally getting the dignity he deserves. Look at all that gravitas. Just as Morgan Freeman is ready to lead the nation, he has to deal with this one small issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: The comet is still headed for earth. And there's nothing we can do to stop them. So this is it. The world does go on. Will not go on for everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUGHLEY: The moral of that story? You elect a black president, this happens.
Whoo. And you know what? I hope President Freeman handles that better than bush did Katrina.
Here to discuss this asteroid situation is Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium. It's really nice to have you here.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, DIRECTOR OF THE HAYDEN PLANETARIUM: A pleasure.
HUGHLEY: I'm sure everybody wants to know this. Let's get this out of the way. You're the expert, right?
TYSON: Just on the universe, yeah.
HUGHLEY: If we elect a black president, is an asteroid going to destroy the world?
TYSON: The last I checked, I can be pretty sure that the universe does not care about our election.
HUGHLEY: Oh, thank God.
TYSON: Now, there are asteroids out there who are coming towards Earth.
HUGHLEY: They're not coming on the 4th, are they?
TYSON : No, there is one that's headed for a close approach in 2029.
HUGHLEY: What's it called?
TYSON: 2029. It's called Apophis, named for the Egyptian God of death and darkness.
HUGHLEY: What the hell is wrong with you?
TYSON: I'm just saying.
HUGHLEY: Like you were cussing (ph) and said Apophis.
TYSON: Let me tell you how it works. You discover a new asteroid. This was discovered back in December 2004. You discover it, you check out its orbit. This one had a really bad orbit. This one was headed toward Earth. It was called Apophis.
HUGHLEY: I'm going to get his album.
TYSON: So Barack is cosmically safe. Other stuff I can't control.
HUGHLEY: Was Morgan Freeman overreacting? If an asteroid hit Montana, would we freak out?
TYSON: No, that one, that -- you don't wait to be around for that one.
HUGHLEY: What would it really do?
TYSON: They had good science advisers on "Deep Impact". You create a tsunami that takes out New York. Apophis is the nearest next danger we have. These things are out there. The last bad one that came out took out the dinosaurs. Seventy percent of all species on earth went extinct because of that incident. That was an asteroid the size of Mount Everest that came down.
HUGHLEY: That's like, damn! Apophis is no joke.
TYSON: Where it hits, you're vaporized and you die quickly. If you're not where it hits, flash fires around the world create a layer of soot in the atmosphere blocking sunlight.
HUGHLEY: Do you ever just like hang out with a chick, and drink some wine, and get you a little bit? I'm just saying. You can play some Apophis. And then dust and soot ...
TYSON: No. It's ...
HUGHLEY: I ain't going over to your house.
TYSON: This is the universe. There's other disasters. There are super nova that could take out the ozone layer and fry everybody who doesn't have dark skin. That would be bad.
HUGHLEY: Oh my goodness. Wait, wait, so if you have dark skin, you're protected?
TYSON: More so than if you don't. If you take out the ozone layer, the ultraviolet ...
HUGHLEY: Dark skin protects you from a nova, but not the police. How is that possible? How is that possible?
TYSON: It's pretty bad for the food chain. It's bad. It's bad. But I'll try to protect Obama's time as president. We're looking up. We've got people -- top people looking at the universe.
HUGHLEY: You got it all done. You are an expert. I just want to ask you one question. You're an expert in outer space. Is "Homeboys from Outer Space" ever going to come back?
TYSON: I hope not. I mean, we've got to draw the line somewhere.
HUGHLEY: You know, I can't help but wonder, how would President Sammy handle this?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUGHLEY: We have a breaking news story. The Obama campaign took a huge hit today. Take a look at this stunning development.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My fellow America, Senator John McCain is a decorated war hero and a true maverick. But these are difficult times. And that's why I'm endorsing Barack Hussein Obama for president. When I look at Obama, I see myself. And I believe he will continue every one of my policies and wars. I watched him on the campaign trail, and all I can say is, Brownie's doing a heck of a job.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUGHLEY: Speaking of President Bush, my next guest, Scott McClellan served as the White House press secretary from 2003 to 2006. More recently he took time off to write a book about "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception." I love that title. The sequel will be called, "Huh?"
Now, that obviously started a lot of controversy.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It did.
HUGHLEY: Have you been to the White House since?
MCCLELLAN: I've not been back to the White House in a while. I don't expect to be on the White House holiday invitation list this year.
HUGHLEY: You can be on mine.
MCCLELLAN: Truth is not something that Washington tends to embrace, if you haven't seen recently.
HUGHLEY: That's so funny to me. Because when I watch the campaigns, I think politicians lie primarily because America doesn't want to hear the truth. If a politician actually gave a true speech, it would sound like, we're screwed. I approve this message. Nobody's going to do that.
But you've been in politics a long time. You're from Austin, Texas.
MCCLELLAN: I was born and raised in politics, really. My mother, when I was nine years old, was elected the first woman mayor of Austin. So I kind of grew up in a Democratic household at that point.
Before that she was on the school board. Then I got involved in politics after graduating from the University of Texas, in Texas politics. Hooked up with President Bush when he was governor. And followed him to Washington.
HUGHLEY: How did that work out?
MCCLELLAN: Not quite the way we expected.
HUGHLEY: You know what, I read something interesting. You said you were very idealistic. You believed that he had the potential to change the world.
So you see him ...
MCCLELLAN: I wouldn't go that far. I did believe that he was a uniter, not a divider, as he said he was. When he was governor of Texas, a lot of people forget he had 70 percent-plus approval rating, the opposite of what his approval ratings are today. He was somebody who brought people together to get things done. I thought he really wanted to come to Washington and change the tone, change the way Washington works and get things done for the people. But unfortunately it didn't turn out that way. HUGHLEY: At CNN they recently published a poll saying that 72 percent disapprove of the way George Bush has done his job. I know you worked for him but isn't he pretty am the worst president ever? It's pretty bad when the whole country says, we're going to try the black guy next.
MCCLELLAN: He certainly has become - that's one of the things I wanted to do in the book is look at how the popular bipartisan governor of Texas become the most controversial and polarizing presidents in modern history. I don't know what history is going to say 40 or 50 years from now, but it doesn't change the conclusions that I came to and he's got to accept responsibility for some of the policy decisions he made that were misguided. There are also some good things that he has done but it has been overshadowed by the big policy decisions, such as the decision to rush to war in Iraq.
HUGHLEY: That's interesting. I read what you said and you said that you don't believe he deliberately misled the American people.
MCCLELLAN: You get into an argument here about whether it was sinister or not. I don't believe Colin Powell, and I know this from my own experience, and others were sitting around in a room and say, let's go out and deliberately mislead the American people. What happened was you have this permanent campaign culture in Washington where governing is based on trying to manipulate the media narrative to your side of the advantage. That's what it's about, the electoral victory and control of power instead of focusing on a reasonable, rational, honest discussion of the issues and getting to compromise and getting things done.
HUGHLEY: I read in the "Washington Post" where you said that you still believe at heart he's a decent human being. And I'm not going to dispute that. And you also said although you didn't believe he deliberately misled the American people, you believe he engaged in self-deception.
MCCLELLAN: I do. I think that happens to a lot of people in Washington.
HUGHLEY: The difference is, self, I got a GED, so you have to work with me on this. Self means me, deception means lie. He will lie to himself but not the American people? I never understood that. To me, a liar is what a liar does. And I've never appreciated -- the one thing that I've never appreciated is, there seems to be this culture that is more pervasive now where no one takes responsibility for anything. No one says, look, I did it, I'm responsible. It was him, it was them. Like even when I watch what's going on now, there seems to be no coming together, like this week, you know, that Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama.
MCCLELLAN: Right.
HUGHLEY: And I thought that was extremely brave, because he crossed party lines. But what happened was that a lot of members of the -- particularly Rush Limbaugh comes on and he said he voted for him or he gave him his endorsement because he was black. MCCLELLAN: That's shameful. It's outrageous.
HUGHLEY: I bet you, I'm not like a statistician, but I'll bet Colin Powell has voted for more white guys than Rush Limbaugh has voted for black guys. He's made his mind up. I don't understand where this pervasive attitude of them versus us, and we're right came from.
MCCLELLAN: Absolutely. It's part of the culture in Washington, this philosophy of politics is war. The other side is the enemy. We need to get beyond that. We need a president who is willing to rise above the politics of left and right, the partisan warfare that has dominated the country for the last 20 years, and take us forward and bring us on common ground to get things done and solve the big issues. Right now, because there's so much bitterness, so much hyperpartisan in Washington, it limits our ability to get things done on the big issues, on energy, on education, on health care. Unless it's a crisis situation like we've seen with the economic crisis.
HUGHLEY: This is just my estimation. We're broke as a nation. I saw two Mexican dudes swim over to Haiti. And when you're broke, it seems like a great time to have a black president, because nobody does more with less than us.
You are going to learn a lot about layaway.
But you haven't endorsed anybody? You haven't endorsed anybody. And it's McCain and Obama, you know, I'm -- I'm a new show. It would probably mean a lot. Don't look at the fact that I'm black. No pressure. Endorse somebody, damn it. Endorse somebody.
MCCLELLAN: From the very beginning I said I'm going to vote for the candidate that has the best chance in changing Washington and getting things done. I will be voting for Barack Obama.
HUGHLEY: Oh! I've got one, if I can just get 60 million more. Scott McClellan, everybody. Thank you for coming.
MCCLELLAN: Thank you.
HUGHLEY: Scott McClellan. We'll be right back after this message.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUGHLEY: You know, even though in America we're all obsessed with the election, in other parts of the world they have their own big stories. And we have been completely ignoring them. One of the great things of being at CNN is we can check in with international reporters who cover the important news that's going on outside the U.S. Joining me tonight are three international journalists, from Beijing we have Jaime Floracruz. From Mumbia, India, we have Mallika Kapur and from Moscow we have Matthew Chance.
Now, Matthew, you're stationed in Moscow. I understand Vladimir Putin is no longer president, buy he's serving as the premier. Can you tell us what the difference is? MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a good question. Because it doesn't seem to make any difference at all to who's making the decisions.
It's certainly true that Vladimir Putin, after eight years, he isn't the president. He stepped aside and helped the elections in the country. But the person who won is the one he hand-picked as the successor, the man who has been his kind of protege for the past decade or more, Dimitri Medvedev. And the sense is it's Vladimir Putin is still the guy who's really pulling the strings when it comes to the most important decisions.
And when it comes to meeting foreign leaders, they roll out Dimitri Medvedev, the president.
HUGHLEY: So he has the job but he won't leave. Kind of like Mayor Bloomberg, right?
CHANCE: That's right. He didn't even go for it. He wanted to play by the books, he said. And so he stepped aside, let this other president take over. But he's not really kidding anyone.
HUGHLEY: That's interesting. You're an international correspondent. You're an expert on Eastern Europe. Who do you think is going to win the World Series, the Phillies or the Rays?
CHANCE: It's -- who?
HUGHLEY: From Beijing, we have Jaime Floracruz. I have a follow-up question. If McCain ran against Obama in China, who would win?
JAIME FLORACRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was told there was a public opinion poll revealed yesterday which shows that 75 percent of the Chinese respondents are in favor of Obama. Analysts say they like Obama, perhaps because he is young and he's energetic. And that supporters of McCain like him because he's mature.
HUGHLEY: Mature, OK. Fair enough. Let's move on. Mallika, yesterday India lost its first successful lunar mission, is that right?
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Everyone here is really proud of that. It has been the big focus this week, of course, yes.
HUGHLEY: Can I ask you something? Who would make a better astronaut, Obama or McCain?
KAPUR: Well, you know what? Astronaut? That's a good question. Because when it comes to determining who would be the better president, I have to tell you that the Indians, they just really doesn't care. I know that will shock you guys.
HUGHLEY: Hold on a minute!
KAPUR: No, hold on, seriously, 90 percent of Indians polled said they don't care. Nine out of ten people just don't care. We have had too much going on here. We sent a mission to the moon. And guess what, we even won a very huge and important cricket test match this week. That's where our focus is. I know you don't care about cricket, but it's religion for us here.
HUGHLEY: Oh my goodness. Cricket. You guys play cricket. You tell a black man, cricket, we get a can of Raid. So in other words, we don't give a damn about the elections. We got things to do. But who would make a better astronaut? In your estimation, would it be McCain or Obama?
KAPUR: You know what? I'll hit the streets tomorrow and take my own poll and get back to you.
HUGHLEY: All right. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Matthew, thank you, Jaime, thank you Mallika.
Now we're caught up in what's happening outside America. We're going to be right back. Thank you, guys.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUGHLEY: All right. The Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series, and to show support their players and fans have all started wearing mohawks. To support my first episode, my team here at CNN, they got my back, too. I got to get some keri (ph) oil or something like that.
Thanks for watching. Thanks to the studio audience. And thanks to Scott McClellan for endorsing Barack Obama for the first time on this show.
See you next week. You guys are great. Thank you.
