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American Morning
Strong Coattails
Aired November 06, 2002 - 07:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Kelly Wallace back on the Front Lawn of the White House, fresh back from Crawford, Texas from yesterday.
What's the mood there today -- Kelly? Good morning to you.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bill, good morning to you.
Fair to say the mood here: ecstatic. Bush aides absolutely delighted.
Ari Fleisher, the White House press secretary, doing a conference call with reporters at 1:30 in the morning, declaring that the president has really made history. His party picking up seats, as you said, in the House and in the Senate in this, his first off-year election.
Now, the president watched the election returns with Republican leaders, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert and the man who will soon become Senate majority leader, Trent Lott.
He also called some 30 candidates who won in the House and in the Senate, and also a call to brother, Jeb, who, as you said, won re- election -- this, an especially wonderful victory for the president. The president calling it big. He obviously was very much looking forward to seeing his brother re-elected.
Now, aides are already saying that the president deserves some of the credit here. They say this is a president who had no coattails after the disputed election of 2000, that he put his prestige and political standing on the line, traveling to some 40 states, raising more than $140 million. And that all helped lead Republicans to victory.
We expect to hear from the president sometime today. He was up rather late, though, so it might be a bit later. He is likely to say that he will call on this Republican-controlled Congress to act quickly on his priorities.
But, Bill, this administration already thinking about 2004. That was clear when you heard Congressman Saxby Chambliss, who won the Senate race in Georgia. He came out talking to his supporters. He said he had just talked to the president, and that the president told him to tell his supporters that two years from now, he hopes they are all on his team -- Bill.
HEMMER: Kelly, thanks -- Kelly Wallace at the White House. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired November 6, 2002 - 07:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Kelly Wallace back on the Front Lawn of the White House, fresh back from Crawford, Texas from yesterday.
What's the mood there today -- Kelly? Good morning to you.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bill, good morning to you.
Fair to say the mood here: ecstatic. Bush aides absolutely delighted.
Ari Fleisher, the White House press secretary, doing a conference call with reporters at 1:30 in the morning, declaring that the president has really made history. His party picking up seats, as you said, in the House and in the Senate in this, his first off-year election.
Now, the president watched the election returns with Republican leaders, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert and the man who will soon become Senate majority leader, Trent Lott.
He also called some 30 candidates who won in the House and in the Senate, and also a call to brother, Jeb, who, as you said, won re- election -- this, an especially wonderful victory for the president. The president calling it big. He obviously was very much looking forward to seeing his brother re-elected.
Now, aides are already saying that the president deserves some of the credit here. They say this is a president who had no coattails after the disputed election of 2000, that he put his prestige and political standing on the line, traveling to some 40 states, raising more than $140 million. And that all helped lead Republicans to victory.
We expect to hear from the president sometime today. He was up rather late, though, so it might be a bit later. He is likely to say that he will call on this Republican-controlled Congress to act quickly on his priorities.
But, Bill, this administration already thinking about 2004. That was clear when you heard Congressman Saxby Chambliss, who won the Senate race in Georgia. He came out talking to his supporters. He said he had just talked to the president, and that the president told him to tell his supporters that two years from now, he hopes they are all on his team -- Bill.
HEMMER: Kelly, thanks -- Kelly Wallace at the White House. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
