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Campbell Brown
Barack Obama Elected American President; Reviewing Election Results
Aired November 05, 2008 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves.
He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him. I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they have achieved and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you have given me.
I'm grateful to them.
To my campaign manager, David Plough, the unsung hero of this campaign who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America. To my chief strategist, David Axelrod, who's been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics, you made this happen and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause. It drew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people, who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the earth.
This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars. A planet in peril. The worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctor's bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build and threats to meet, alliances to repair. The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term.
But America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.
(CROWD CHANTING)
OBAMA: There will be setbacks, and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president and we know the government can't solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block. Brick by brick. Calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change and that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.
Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned the politics for so long.
Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
And all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular but our destiny is shared.
And a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those -- to those who would tear the world down, we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security, we support you.
And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright, tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth but from the enduring power of our ideals, democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
That's the true genius of America.
That America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations, but one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing.
Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation passed slavery, a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky. When someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America. The heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress. The times we were told that we can't and the people who pressed on with that American creed.
Yes, we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.
Yes, we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a new deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose.
Yes, we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.
Yes, we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma and a preacher from Atlanta who told the people that we shall overcome.
Yes, we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes, we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there's so much more to do.
So tonight, let us ask ourselves: if our children should live to see the next century, if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids. To restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace. To reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many we are one.
That while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people.
Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
BLITZER: And that was it. That was Barack Obama, the speech that he delivered a little while ago at Grant Park in Chicago, a speech in which he sought to stress the themes that he's been putting forward throughout this campaign.
But looking ahead now, he appreciates, probably appreciates better than anyone, the enormous challenge that awaits him over this next 75 or 76 days, the transition to power, and then January 20th of next year when he'll be inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States.
We'll take another quick break. But we're here live. We're standing by for more coverage. And we'll do that right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: As we look ahead, let's also look back.
What a remarkable political experience this has been not only for all of us who cover politics, but for all of the United States, indeed, for much of the world as well.
I want to look back right now at some of the sights and sounds going back almost two years when Barack Obama was in Springfield, Illinois, announcing that he wants to be president of the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not running for president to be somebody, but to do something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years.
MCCAIN: Maybe 100.
OBAMA: Fire up.
MCCAIN: Thanks for the question, you little jerk.
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, dear.
OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST, OBAMA SUPPORTER: I believe that Barack Obama will lead with a sense of strength and conviction.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Advocating for women.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brighten up, conservative credentials.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Same guys.
OBAMA: Talk to Iran and Syria.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three-state solution in Iraq.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Bring the troops home.
JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: We must act.
OBAMA: Without preconditions.
GIULIANI: Islamic terrorism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moral authority.
MCCAIN: Mismanaged.
CLINTON: Energy costs and the health care costs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Money from lobbyists.
CLINTON: Strong support.
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Economic stimulus plans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fair tax.
CLINTON: Stimulate the economy.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office.
OBAMA: No, Hillary...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dirty tricks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody seems to care.
OBAMA: Foreign policy.
MCCAIN: Explain.
CLINTON: Blank check.
ROMNEY: Bumper sticker. This is not that time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bilingual nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Immigration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Borders.
HUCKABEE: I love Iowa a whole lot.
OBAMA: Our time for change has come. BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: This whole thing is the biggest fairytale I've ever seen.
CLINTON: Just don't want to see us fall backwards.
MCCAIN: Tonight we sure showed them what a comeback looks like.
CLINTON: I found my own voice.
OBAMA: Yes, we can. Thank you, New Hampshire.
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: It is time now for Barack Obama.
MCCAIN: We are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination...
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If he wants my pretty face standing by his side at one of these rallies, I'd be glad to show up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 3:00 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep.
CLINTON: I remember landing under sniper fire.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Incendiary sermons at his own church threatened to undermine the premise of Barack Obama's campaign.
OBAMA: The remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country.
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, UNITED TRINITY CHURCH OF CHRIST: We both know that if Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected.
OBAMA: Reverend Wright does not speak for me.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How are you going to help the American auto worker?
OBAMA: Hold on one second, sweetie.
I'm calling to apologize for using the word "sweetie." That's a bad habit of mine.
I will be the Democratic nominee. Generations from now we will be able to look back and tell our children this was the moment when the rise of the ocean began to flow and our planet began to heel.
CLINTON: I will be making no decisions tonight.
Today, I am standing with Senator Obama to say, yes, we can. Unity is not only a beautiful place... OBAMA: The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand.
MCCAIN: Not long ago, a couple of hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day, any day, my friend.
OBAMA: This country of ours has more wealth than any nation. But that's not what makes us great. We have the most powerful military on earth, but that's not what makes us strong.
MCCAIN: When you get to know her, you're going to be as impressed as I am.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator, I am honored to be chosen as your running mate.
You know they say, the difference between a hockey mom and pit bull, lipstick.
MCCAIN: We're Americans. And we never give up, we never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.
The fundamentals are our economy is strong, but these are very, very difficult times.
Tomorrow morning, I'll suspend my campaign and return to Washington.
PALIN: I may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record.
BIDEN: The issue is how different is John McCain's policy going to be than George Bush's?
MCCAIN: You know who voted for it? Might never know. That one.
Senator Obama, I am not President Bush.
My old buddy Joe, Joe the Plumber.
OBAMA: I'm happy to talk to you, Joe.
MCCAIN: People like Joe the Plumber. Joe, I want to tell you -- hey, Joe, you're rich.
BIDEN: You can't call yourself a maverick if all you've been the last eight years is a sidekick.
MCCAIN: Joe's with us today. Joe, where are you? Where is Joe? Joe's here with us today. Joe, I thought you were here today. All right. Well, you're all Joe the Plumbers.
Now let's go win this election and get this country moving again.
OBAMA: This is where change begins. MCCAIN: I won't spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been. This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life.
OBAMA: Where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the people, yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And so there you have it, some of the sights and sounds of this truly memorable political season. We're going to take another quick break. When we come back, more results are coming in on those key Senate races, House races, the referenda.
Also, we're going to assess what we just saw. The best political team on television is standing by. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The president-elect of the United States, Barack Obama, and the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. They're all in Chicago, they're getting ready to begin the transition to power tomorrow.
But take a look at these live pictures, Anderson. These are live pictures coming in from San Francisco right now where they're celebrating on the streets there. Lots of other places across the country, as well.
COOPER: Yes, we've been seeing pictures from Seattle. We've been seeing these pictures from Kenya. All over the country.
BLITZER: Outside of the White House, on Pennsylvania Avenue.
COOPER: A huge crowd outside the White House. It seems to be a sort of spontaneous crowd showed up there. I'm not sure how -- if they expected it. But it's quite a scene there as well.
We got a lot to talk about. A lot of coverage. Our coverage continues for the next half hour then "AMERICAN MORNING" takes over.
We got a lot more to talk about with our panel. The best political team on television is here. They haven't started drinking yet. They still got...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About time.
COOPER: ... a few important things to...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-two minutes.
COOPER: ... to talk about. It's interesting looking back at the piece we saw right before we went to commercial break. At all of these moments, these remarkable moments that we've experienced over the last 20 years of this campaign, or so it seems.
What stands out? What now seemed important back then and now just sort of seems like an afterthought?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Well, I'll tell you what seems important is Obama winning the Iowa caucuses. I think that changed everything immediately, because here you had the -- one of the widest states in the union and -- running against the most famous woman in the United States and the former vice presidential candidate of the party, and Obama won and that completely changed the race, particularly when you're talking about black voters.
Remember black voters were overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton at that point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were not on board. They were not on board.
TOOBIN: They switched almost on a dime.
(CROSSTALK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The theory was -- no matter what we do, will white voters embrace him? And when the state which was mostly white...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure.
O'BRIEN: ... embraced him, I mean, that really was a symbol.
TOOBIN: That, I think, was the turning point of the election.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Well, and for John McCain, the turning point was September 24th when he suspended his campaign and rushed back to Washington.
COOPER: Sort of. I mean technically in his words...
BORGER: And rushed back to Washington.
MARTIN: That was even remotely suspending the campaign.
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: Well, we don't know what suspension it was and Obama didn't know what suspension was.
MARTIN: It was a P.R. ploy.
BORGER: Right. But for John McCain, that was the moment when Americans looked...
MARTIN: That's right. BORGER: ... at his leadership in a crisis and looked at Obama's leadership in a crisis...
MARTIN: That's right.
BORGER: ... and decided, wait a minute, one of them was more steady, because the polls immediately started shifting.
TOOBIN: I'm actually not sure I agree with that. Because just to finish the thought, I think the -- the less his reaction. It was more the fact that the economy was going down. And this was a Republican administration. And for -- fairly or not, he was judged responsible.
BORGER: But...
COOPER: Had John McCain not supported the bailout, that that would have made a big difference?
HOLMES: I think that was dammed if you do, damned if you don't sort of thing. That we were being told by, in a bipartisan way, by George Bush and also Democratic leadership, that we needed to do this. We were looking into the abyss, and it could have appeared that it was irresponsible not to support this.
But a moment that seemed so important at the time that we don't remember was Hillary's triple flip-flop on the driver's licenses for illegals. We thought the illegal immigration issue would be huge. It was something -- it was something that had dogged John McCain during the Republican primary.
And by the way, Barack Obama said he was for driver's licenses for illegals. A lot of people were like, boy, that's not going to fly. We're not talking about that today.
COOPER: It's amazing how the immigration issue basically dropped off the table and from the discussion.
MARTIN: Because again, I mean, no one wants to touch it. You talk about the third rail of politics. I mean, I guess that's probably the fourth one.
When you're talking some of the stuff that was just absolutely nuts, how stupid was the flag pin controversy? Think about it. You go back and look at all these major issues that we were looking at, the economy and the war and stuff. Imagine the amount of ink and conversation that took place over stuff like a dumb lapel pin. And what's amazing is Hillary Clinton never wore one. Sarah Palin rarely wore one. John McCain never wore one. It was a huge deal, a lapel pin.
BORGER: But this is the way you get to know your candidates. This is a really long election, and people didn't know anything about Barack Obama. And it wasn't about the pin. It was we don't know him.
MARTIN: It was stupid, sorry.
TOOBIN: I'm with Roland. I think that thing was stupid, period.
BORGER: What I'm saying is...
COOPER: He didn't change his mind on it, because tonight he's wearing a flag pin.
MARTIN: Because it was so -- it was so stupid, end the conversation, put one on.
BORGER: It's about getting to know him.
SANCHEZ: It wasn't about the pin. It's about what it symbolized about being an American, period.
COOPER: We'll bring in some others. Carl, what for you were some of the moments? What made the difference?
BERNSTEIN: He discombobulated two of the most formidable politicians of the age, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. That they utterly did not the know what to do in the face of his calm and his consistent message.
We got to know him through the course of campaign -- the campaign, and we didn't know the Hillary Clinton and John McCain we started to see as they fell apart.
And on top of that, I think the pivotal moment is the pick of Sarah Palin. That turned out to seal, in retrospect, the election. There was no way...
COOPER: Well, it mobilized many conservatives among independents, among Democrats who might have voted for him.
BERNSTEIN: It pushed so many people away in terms of thinking that McCain was not acting on principle, that he was moving to the right ideologically instead of going by the principles that had guided him magnificently through a political lifetime.
And I think one of the things we're going to see as Barack Obama moves on his promise to defuse the cultural warfare of the last generations, he's going to reach out to John McCain, and John McCain is going to help him do it. And that's going to be John McCain's road back.
SANCHEZ: That may be the only part of what he said that I agree with.
COOPER: Where does Sarah Palin now go? What does she do?
SANCHEZ: Well, we know, regardless, she's going to be the front contender in 2012 if she wants that opportunity, win, lose or draw.
COOPER: You believe she will be?
SANCHEZ: Yes. That's the opportunity. That's the advantage you have of being a vice president on the ticket. She still has some growing to do. She has some work to do in that space. But definitely, there's a Palin effect. There's a rise of this kind of conservative feminist.
And people had to argue whether or not she really stood a chance. I think she was savaged by many in the media, but she will rise again as somebody who's going to be a strong contender and influence on the party.
COOPER: What do you see as the key moments?
ROSEN: Well, I think the big picture for me, really, is that voters this time chose hope over fear. You know, when George Bush was re- elected, he was really re-elected based on people being afraid of what was happening in the world and afraid of what was happening in this country.
John McCain ultimately ended up with that message. Be afraid, be afraid, be afraid, and that's why you need to elect me. Barack Obama had the opposite message, and voters responded to it.
But the issue that I was reminded of, when I was looking at this screen, you know, I think if you -- if we're all realistic, two years ago we just assumed that there would likely be the first woman president before there would ever be the first African-American president, maybe three years ago.
And now you have sort of a scenario where women are a majority of the vote, over 52 percent of the vote, and the two women who were running are not going to wind up in the White House or the vice president's office.
And I think in some respects, the way this became a post-racial election, it also because kind of a post-gender election. And women, I think, you know, ultimately we benefit from that, but it's remarkable how it turned out.
Donna has come home. She is here. We welcome her. Donna...
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I wasn't far, Anderson.
BERNSTEIN: Just a few channels.
COOPER: You're never far from our heart.
BRAZILE: Someone has organized those rallies in front of the White House.
COOPER: You were the one behind that?
BRAZILE: That was, you know, to get the crowd up there, Time Square.
COOPER: The second it was declared Barack Obama to be the next president, what went through your mind?
BRAZILE: I thought about all of the people who risked their lives on the Pettis Bridge. I thought about just the sheer number of people who really paved the way. But I also thought about Barack Obama, who just a few years ago came on the national scene, and he promised a new politics. And I thought about all of the kids, and I say kids, because I'm one of those kids. But kids in terms of this new generation of people who said, "I'll take the baton. I want to create this movement. I want to create the change."
And so when I thought about, you know, the old, the new, I saw Barack Obama bringing the country together. So this is a terrific moment to just be alive and to witness history being made.
COOPER: And what did you think of his speech tonight?
BRAZILE: I thought it was perfect. It was short. It was to the point. He basically said to the country, "I'm ready to extend an olive branch, not just to John McCain but to those who disagree with me."
I thought he was talking more about reconciliation, not what he accomplished but what the country can accomplish if we come together.
COOPER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) was talking about there being a somberness to it, I mean, almost sort of a recognition of what lies ahead.
BRAZILE: Two wars, an economy in turmoil. I think Senator Obama -- well, President-Elect Obama -- I have to get used to it myself. I thin he recognized that this is a very important period in our history. And rather than celebrate tonight, he basically says it's time for us to come together so that we can begin to work on some very difficult projects.
SANCHEZ: You know, it's really interesting, especially if you talk to so many of -- I would call them the technocrats, the people that were the original believers in Senator Obama, that he could actually do this. And they almost willed it to happen. Unless you met with them and talked with them, they were people that didn't come from campaign backgrounds. We didn't know them in Washington. But they came from business and different types of industry, from the Internet, and they built the campaign just out of grit and on the message of hope. And it's really an amazing story, how all of that and the right candidate came together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
MARTIN: I'm thinking about Pataki, Palin, Giuliani. I go back to mocking a community organizer. You look at how they put this whole thing together, they got beat by a community organizer. They focused on the ground, the ground troops, how they raised money, how they got volunteers, how they put it all together. And just like a person who's working in any neighborhood who wants to go after city hall, go after a big corporation, that's exactly how they did it. And they got beat.
COOPER: Donna, what do you think was, for you, a turning point in this? Before you came, we looked at sort of the retrospective of all the moments, the great moments in this campaign. What do you think was a turning point for Barack Obama and for John McCain?
BRAZILE: Well, clearly, I thought Barack Obama did well in those three presidential debates. The whole country was looking to see, if he was commander in chief, he had the right experience. He did well. He won all three debates.
I also believe that another turning point clearly was the night he won the Iowa caucuses. There's no question that prior to that, that caucus, African-Americans didn't really know if he could, in fact, become president. They were still, you know, with Hillary Clinton. And after he won the caucuses, they said, "Yes, we can."
ROSEN: There were two points -- his two lowest points, I think, ended up being his two highest points. I think the first low point was after he lost New Hampshire. And he did not go back and have recriminations with his staff. He didn't go and do this public mea culpa. There was no back biting. He gave a graceful speech. It was probably the same speech he would have given if he had won. And he went on, and they persevered.
The second moment, which could have been the lowest moment, was the Reverend Wright scenario. And there just was no -- you could not ask for a more graceful response and a more heartfelt response than what he did with that -- his speech and the way he handled that. That could have killed this race for him, and instead, he let it be a symbol of how he was changing the politics of this race.
COOPER: Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Simply underscored the promise of America. The other night I was at an event, and one of the Little Rock 9, Stu (ph), who's an older man now, spoke. And he talked about how his parents sacrificed, and he faced a school full of armed soldiers because his parents believed in the promise of America, that America was better than that. He wanted to go to the best schools, like everybody else.
And in many ways Barack Obama has echoed that, the promise of America for everybody, across all racial boundaries, for everybody. There's great promise in this country. We have to come together and make it work for everybody.
MARTIN: That's why I kept talking about this whole issue of the flag pin is stupid. Because what happens is we get so caught up in things like that, that it somehow defines one's patriotism, somebody's belief in the country, when it's -- no, it's the life that you lead.
When you look at his life, where he started, how he ended up, working through school, going to Harvard, going to these schools. His wife, you know, growing up in a two-bedroom bungalow with her brother and parents. Dad having a -- you know, a -- this disease, going to work every single day.
Their deal was, "We're not going to sit here and wear our patriotism or talk about being patriotic. We have lived an American life."
And I think throughout this campaign they showed America that here is a different view that you may not be aware of, that it's just as you authentically American as your story. And I think that is what was so amazing about that. You saw that image tonight. I mean, a lot of people -- I mean, look, that was the image of the first family.
And imagine what that is now going to mean. Imagine what it now means to the rest of the world when that is the image of the first family of the United States of America. People are going to now have a different understanding of what it means to be African-American, what it means to be a woman, what it means, the whole experience that, you know what? We're just like you. Simple as that.
COOPER: When we come back, John King is going to be at the magic wall. We're looking at some very close Senate races that we're still covering. Still have some ballot initiatives, the Proposition 8 initiative in California still launching. A lot ahead, stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. We're here at the CNN election center.
I want to show you the numbers right now. Eighty-seven percent of the precincts in the United States, all of the United States, have now reported. And look at this, Barack Obama with 52 percent to 47 percent for John McCain. He's ahead right now by 5,600,000 votes. But still, 13 percent of the vote remains to be counted. Fifty-two to 47 percent.
Look at the Electoral College. These are the all-important numbers that you have to see: 338, we projected, electoral votes for Barack Obama to 160 for John McCain.
To give you some perspective, remember, back in 2000 George W. Bush was elected president with 271 electoral votes. He was re-elected in 2004 with 286 electoral votes. Right now we have Barack Obama with 338, and there still are a few states that are still up in the air. We're watching those states very, very closely.
Before I go over to John King, I want to show what's going on in these four Senate races that we're watching very closely. I'll begin with Georgia right now: 98 percent of the vote has now been counted in Georgia, and Saxby Chambliss is ahead 50 percent to 46 percent. Look at that, 50 percent. Remember, it's very important, because in Georgia, if you don't have a majority, you have to have a revote in early December.
So that's why we're looking at this so closely. We can't project a winner. If he doesn't get that majority he's not going to be re- elected yet. He would have to have a revote, a recount -- not a recount, a revote in early December against Jim Martin, the Democratic challenger.
Look at how close it is in Minnesota right now. Ninety-five percent of the precincts have reported, 42 to 42. Forty-two percent for Norm Coleman, the incumbent Republican. Al Franken at 42 percent. Coleman is ahead by only 1,409 votes. The third party candidate, Dean Barkley, with 15 percent. You do not need in Minnesota a majority to be elected. Still, 5 percent of the vote outstanding.
In Oregon, this is a very a close race, as well. The incumbent Republican, Gordon Smith with 47 percent, the challenger, Jeff Merkley, with 47 percent. But right now, with 45 percent of the vote counted, Gordon Smith is ahead by only 471 votes. Wow, this is very, very close.
And in Alaska almost half of the precincts have been counted. The incumbent Republican, the convicted felon, Ted Stevens, with 49 percent to Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, 46 percent. Stevens is ahead by 4,443 right now, even though he was recently, in recent days, convicted of seven felony counts of concealing funds that apparently he received. He was convicted of gifts, in effect, remodeling his home up in Alaska.
But he's ahead by 3 points. But right now, 49 to 46 percent. But almost half of it, more than half of the vote, still remains to be counted.
Now let's walk over to John King and talk about this. That Alaska race is pretty amazing when you think about it, but he's the longest serving Republican in the Senate, and he's got a lot earmarks, a lot of pork-barrel spending he's brought home to Alaska over these years.
KING: And with that narrow lead you just showed, well, he just told supporters, Ted Stevens there in Alaska, not long ago that he thinks this count to go at least late into the week, maybe into next week, because of absentee and military ballots. So we'll continue to keep an eye on that.
And it matters, and it matters quite a bit, because here's where we have it right now. Democrats began the night at 51. We now have them up to 56 seats in the Senate. Sixty is the magic number. That means you can break a filibuster in you have the majority.
But to get to that 60, the Democrats would have to win all four of the races you just talked about. And they're all very close. Al Franken, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Norm Coleman winning, but just barely at the moment. That one's very close. That could be a recount state.
The Georgia race, as you just noted, it all comes down to whether Saxby Chambliss can have 50 plus one at the end. And Alaska, as you noted, that one's going to go on a little while. And this one in Oregon very, very close.
So the Democrats have to run the board to get to sixty. There are all very, very close. It's a coin toss as to whether they will. They'd need a big break to get all four of them. But we're going to watch them, and I think the sun might come up tomorrow and maybe even the next morning before we know the answer to these Senate race.
No I want to quickly quick over to the House, Wolf. This is where we started the house, 236 Nancy Pelosi had for the Democrats as a majority in the House. We now project they will get it between 254 and 260 seats.
So that's a bit of a pickup. Twenty-four would be 60. That would be the minimum of what Republicans thought they were going to lose.
Most Republicans, they won't be happy if the Democrats get to 260. Don't get me wrong. But if they lose two dozen seats, most Republicans will say it could have been worse than that. We still have a ways to go: 435 House races. And count those numbers throughout the life. That would be a minimum of what they thought they would lose. If they lose two dozen seats, most Republicans will say it could be worse, but we have a ways to go. We will count the numbers throughout the night and by tomorrow afternoon we will have a better sense, but it looks as if the Democrats -- our projection now is between 254 and 260. We'll see if that goes a little higher.
BLITZER: There have been some relatively well-known names, members of the House who have been defeated, including Chris Shays, the moderate Republican from Connecticut. He's been fighting for a long time. Right now there are no Republicans left in the House of Representatives from New England. I believe that's right. I don't know if you've checked.
KING: That is right and the moderate Republicans in New England used to be the dominance. They used to be the Republican Party in New England, whether it was Senator John Chafee and his son, Senator Lincoln Chafee. Whether it was Chris Shays or Nancy Johnson in the state of Connecticut. John Roland, who was a congressman and went on to become the governor of Connecticut.
Up through, up in Vermont and Maine. If you went back 15 years and looked at the map of Congress and New England, you would find quite a number of moderate Republicans, a dying breed for the next decade. Chris Shays just hung on last time and obviously not this time.
BLITZER: Yes. All right. So let's talk bit about the support that Barack Obama received as opposed to what his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and House have received.
KING: Some key points to make. Some of this will take a minute or so. But I want to make this point, and let's go first to that point you make about the Senate. One of the questions is, does Barack Obama have coat tails. And impressive win tonight for Barack Obama, without a doubt. He is going to win 52 percent of the vote, maybe a little more. Eighty-eight percent is counted.
I want to show you a few things that I think are quite instructive. In North Carolina it looks Barack Obama. We haven't called this yet. It looks like he might win North Carolina, which would be a huge win, Wolf, but a very narrow margin. That's about 11,000 votes right there.
OK. Keep an eye on this now: 50 percent the Democratic presidential candidate gets. Let's switch over to the Senate race. Excuse me for walking across. The Democratic Senate candidate is getting 54 percent. That's just one state. So Kay Hagan does not necessarily her job to Barack Obama.
Let's go out here to the state of Colorado. The Democratic Senate candidate at 55 percent. Excuse me again for reaching across; need to touch this. The presidential has 53 percent, almost parity. But again the Democratic Senate candidate outrunning, running stronger than the presidential candidate.
Much the same down here in New Mexico. Barack Obama gets 57 percent. That's a huge number in New Mexico. But again, let's switch to the Senate race. The Democratic candidate getting 61 percent.
So across the country, Wolf, Democratic Senate candidates running stronger than Barack Obama in some of those battleground states.
I want to make one other point as we go. This is a full county map. This is the presidential race by county across the country. I'm going to walk across and draw this line, because I want show and go back in time. Now we take this off. Look at the south. Now look at the north. We're going back to George W. Bush four years ago.
John Kerry did better across the south -- about even out here. Barack Obama did a little better. But across the south John Kerry did better than Barack Obama did, as did Al Gore and, of course, as did Bill Clinton.
So as we celebrate the election of the first African-American president tonight, we should also say if you look at these results in the south, there is still -- previous Democrats ran stronger than him. Many will draw a racial comparison to that.
The most significant thing Barack Obama did is he ran up the numbers in the suburbs, the big Latino swing vote. But this will be studied for quite some time. This is Clinton. This is Gore. This is Kerry and this is Obama across the south. And Obama not doing well at all in the south.
And Wolf, maybe later on if we have some time, you can go to some of these very close states where money definitely played a role in this race. Tonight, if nothing else, is the death of public financing of presidential elections.
BLITZER: He did get the biggest prize in the south with the exception of Texas, and that would be Florida, although some would suggest maybe Florida is not necessarily typical of the south.
KING: He does get the state of Florida. We'll see if we can bring that up. I'll get right of this slide for you, Wolf. He does get the state of Florida. Again, that's one of the states I was going to mention. Thirty five million dollars -- $35 million he spent there compared to $8 million for John McCain.
BLITZER: All right. We're going to leave it right there. You know, Anderson, "AMERICAN MORNING" is going to be starting, John Roberts and Kiran Chetry. They're getting ready to continue our live coverage.
COOPER: John King is going to be chained to the magic wall.
BLITZER: He's not going anywhere.
COOPER: Not going anywhere. We're leaving, but we'll be back. Yes, we'll be back tomorrow night.
BLITZER: It's been an exciting, historic night. A pleasure working with you, as usual.
COOPER: Great. It's been a remarkable night. Our coverage continues live on CNN. Stay tuned.
