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New Day

Republicans Take Control of Congress; Republicans Oust Key Democrats

Aired November 05, 2014 - 05:30   ET

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

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ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: While you were sleeping, the U.S. Senate turned a deeper shade of red. Republicans grabbing control of the chamber, picking up at least seven seats. Races remain undecided in Alaska and Virginia where the GOP is looking to flip more seats along with Louisiana where a runoff is coming next month -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so we have to go to D.C. We await the reality of where the chips fell in Congress. So let's get some virtual realities while we do that from Tom Foreman. Tom, break it down for us. What is right now, Tom Foreman, and more importantly, what may be?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, what is right now, is a Congress that looks nothing like the Congress that Barack Obama started with. Look at the U.S. Senate first. We fly it up high here. Back when he took over in 2008, the Republicans were on the ropes. They had 41 seats.

The Democrats had 57, plus two independents that caucused with them. In 2010, they lost six seats here in the Democratic side. Gained a little back in 2012, but then came the deluge. Look what happened overnight.

The Republicans 52 at least as we go through the counting here. Democrats down to 43. A couple of independents one of whom changed sides. Nonetheless, Republicans in charge. This chamber has changed in a dramatic way.

If you go across the rotunda in the capitol over to the U.S. House of Representatives, there numbers are even more stark. Let's change everything over here and look at the house and take it up high.

In 2008 when Barack Obama took over, Republicans, 178 seats, Democrats, 257. Then two years later, there was a landslide. The Democrats lost 66 seats. They gained a little bit back, but then the deal was completed last night.

Look at the numbers now because this is where we stand at this hour, as we're adding this up, 242 for the Republicans, 174 for the Democrats. Some still undecided throughout but this is a route. You add it all up and President Obama in his two midterms will end up losing somewhere between 60 and 70 seats in Congress. Compare that to some other presidents out there, Ronald Reagan lost 31 during his midterms. George W. Bush lost just 22 during his midterms. And Bill Clinton lost just 49. All of this means if the numbers keep running true this way, Barack Obama will have ended up losing more seats.

His party will have lost more seats during his midterms than any party has with any president since Harry Truman. So this is a real setback for the Democrats right now. The landscape has changed dramatically -- Chris.

CUOMO: Landscape, that's the right word. Tom Foreman, thank you very much. President Obama making the kind of history you don't want to make. The big question, Michaela, is why this happened, people angry with both houses of Congress, certainly Congress in general? So they're starting to take more attention on those governor races.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: They really are. Let's talk about what kind of changes we'll see in the governors' mansions. Will there be new residents or not. The Republican wave not limited to Congress as we're mentioning. Some real surprises to tell you about in races for governors.

Let's start with Florida, a big expensive campaign. There are $100 million in TV ads. Incumbent Republican Rick Scott staving off a tough challenged by former Governor Charlie Crist, a Republican turned independent, turned Democrat.

As for Illinois, Republican Bruce Rauner defeated incumbent Governor Pat Quinn according to a CNN projection. Another stunning upset in heavily Democratic Maryland with Republican businessman, Larry Hogan winning the governor's race. He defeated Anthony Brown, the state's lieutenant governor.

And another deep blue below for Democrats in Massachusetts, Republican governor races, Charlie Baker winning the governor's race over Democrat Martha Coakley. This comes after eight years of Democratic rule in that state under retiring Governor Deval Patrick.

Now, we want to end on a lone bright spot for Democrats. Businessman Tom Wolf is the new governor of Pennsylvania, the Democrat defeating the Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in his bid for his re-election.

One race that's undecided so far. Colorado Democratic incumbent, John Hickenlooper, is neck and neck with his Republican challenger, Bob Beauprez, you can count on CNN to keep an eye on that race and bring you the results.

It's good to remember as we're looking forward to 2016, governors do well on the national level. Several of them have higher aspirations. We'll keep those names in the back of our mind as we look forward to 2016 -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, well, do, Michaela. Thanks so much. This morning is a day of reckoning for Democrats. Angry voters turn the political landscape in Washington red. Some very big names in the blue column have been upset or even unseated.

CUOMO: A lot of messages from you, the voters, low turnout, high dissatisfaction, the message from you pretty clear to politicians. We don't like your face. So looking at 2016, who's out there that can reenergize people and get us back caring about who our leaders are? We'll talk about it.

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CUOMO: So what's the reality? The reality is this happens. Parties swap seats in Congress, but it does not often happen like this, 2014 belongs to the GOP. That is the headline. Don't let anybody convince you of otherwise and as part of that, some big time Democrats were swept out of office. So, who was kicked out? What does it mean going forward?

Let's bring in our steamed panel, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, Carl Bernstein and Marc Lamont Hill. Marc, I'll start with you, big name Democrats who had you crying hardest last night?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: They all did. I was crying a bunch, but not so much for the Senate, but for gubernatorial races and mainly because of the impact it's going to have on labor. When I saw Quinn go down, when I went down the list and saw Illinois, Michigan, where else?

Wisconsin obviously, those were tougher ones. Three years ago I would have said these are very winnable. States that Obama won, again, Obama's home state. That's a big name state.

CUOMO: John Avlon has his hand up in a disclaimer.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, two weeks ago they looked winnable. How about that reality check? The fact that centrist Republicans actually won in these blue states actually is a positive sign. If you care about breaking gridlock, those are interesting sign.

Charlie Baker in Massachusetts, you know, in Illinois, who would have thought the president's home state you'd have a Republican. Saying, look, I'm here to work with the Democratic legislature, but not give them a blank check. That's a powerful sign.

Similarly the loss of centrist voices in the Senate like Mark Pryor is a loss if you care about finding a way to bridge that gridlock that Mitch McConnell swears he's going to.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What is shocking to me is all of this Democratic analysis and all the big names that went down, I haven't heard once heard somebody say, well, what about Harry Reid?

I mean, Harry Reid was the major big name loss of last night. He's no longer the majority leader of the United States Senate and the end of an era has really happened.

AVLON: One parliamentarian for another. CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You think the United States is the functional dysfunctional body not quite as bad as the House?

HOOVER: How so?

BERNSTEIN: We have 300 bills to do what --

AVLON: Passing bills is nothing.

CUOMO: To follow up on that, Carl, I want to enhance your own point. You say they passed a lot of bills, numerically, you're right. I think this is an important point. We're going to hear a lot of this in weeks ahead. Republicans are saying we reason been getting it done in the House. We have been obstructionists. Do you think there's a bill you can be proud of?

HOOVER: Certainly on fiscal issues, the Senate hasn't appropriated a single bill in the last session. At least the House is appropriating. The process is working in the House. Its open amendments are getting done. There's a living, breathing vital force in the House. You may not agree with all of the socially conservative. You may not agree with all of policies.

CUOMO: Why do you have one of the greatest journalists and your husband disagreeing with you?

HOOVER: Because they're wrong. What can I say?

BERNSTEIN: The process would be working, if either party or either House of Congress where dealing in a meaningful way -- let me finish, dealing with the problems of the country and those problems have not been addressed for a long time now.

Twenty five years this goes from election to election to election. We're in a kind of trough in this country in terms of dealing meaningfully with our political process to meet the problems in the country and the people.

That's, to some extent, what this reaction is against. Let's not forget that this is a huge expression of dissatisfaction with the incumbent president of the United States and we're -- and the Congress at the same time.

HILL: But here's what's confusing to me, if you're saying as a voter, voters have the right to do what they want that we want to end gridlock so we give the keys to Mitch McConnell, we give power to Ted Cruz more?

We bring in people that -- it's not going to happen even if they want what those people offer as a practical matter. These extremist marginal bills are not getting through.

HOOVER: Historically, when most has gotten done is when the president's party is different from the party running the legislature. That's when welfare reform. AVLON: I want to point out that we had divided government in the past, but it wasn't dysfunctional government.

HILL: There's nothing wrong with healthy tension between what's going on in the executive branch and the legislative branch. I think that's what makes the system unique and sometimes functional.

AVLON: Right.

HILL: But right now, that's not what we have, we have one side committed to obstruction.

CUOMO: All right, now, let's see what happens going forward. Now you have a control shift. Do you believe that your team will do what the Republicans are doing and block everything or do you think they'll take it differently because they are going to be taking the high road?

HILL: I just think certain things are just who we are right now. The filibuster matters differently now than it did ten years ago regardless of who's in power. The notion of obstruction, it's obstruction where you don't agree with them, right. That's typically --

CUOMO: But you are going to do it differently now?

HILL: I'd like to think so. Not because Democrats are better. Not because Democrats are more principled, but because I think they have a vested interest in making something happen right now because in 2016, an ambition to what's going in the White House. There are 24 Republican Senate seats up, 10 Democrats. They want to position themselves.

BERNSTEIN: Let's look at the question of the Republican caucus and what they're going to do, is Rob Portman, for instance, who is a tremendously constructive senator, who believes in getting things done, is he going to be a real major player who's going to be able to bring together member of his party, to get things done? He can work with Obama.

HOOVER: Sure.

BERNSTEIN: Is that going to happen or is Ted Cruz going to cut a swath through there with his --

HOOVER: I don't know.

CUOMO: What's the answer to your question, Carl?

BERNSTEIN: I don't know.

HOOVER: Here's my prediction. My prediction is Ted Cruz is going to be as obstructionist as he possibly can but he's one senator. But you have seven senators from Republicans from blue states that are up in two years. This is going to be a moderating force on the Senate. I think you are going to have more --

HILL: I think you're right.

CUOMO: How do you control Ted Cruz? He's got the Tea Party.

(CROSSTALK)

BERNSTEIN: But that doesn't matter. What happens -- let's talk about the Supreme Court. What's going to happen with the Supreme Court nomination? I don't know the answers, but what's going to happen --

CUOMO: What's going to happen with any of the administration nominations?

HOOVER: Look, what we know, is that the Republicans have two years to set the table for 2016. They can continue to look like obstructionists or get something done. They can send bills to the president's desk, maybe one that they can sign. But it's their interests to do that that's why I think the forces of interest are lining up in a way that may advantage the American people --

HILL: No. The only advantage to the American people is if we've got bills or legislation. The Clinton era showed us you start getting welfare reform, you get three strikes.

HOOVER: Come on.

HILL: No, my point is I hope Obama doesn't become Clinton two, and begin pushing forward a centrist policy.

(CROSSTALK)

BERNSTEIN: Never forget that Obama has real centrist instincts.

HILL: That's why I'm scared.

BERNSTEIN: Particularly on fiscal -- on fiscal questions, Obama has some real instincts that would love to compromise.

HILL: Maybe.

BERNSTEIN: If you could have real, quote, "entitlement reform," in exchange for tax reform that would, you know, raise the taxes on the rich.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Well, we've got to leave it right there for now. There are a lot of what ifs to fill out. All we know is what's happening. We don't know what it will mean yet, Alisyn, and that's part of the test, part of the mystery.

CAMEROTA: Yes, and part of the fun of reporting this morning. Meanwhile, a wave of red sweeping across America, Republicans seizing their largest congressional majority since World War II. So is America a more right-leaning country than pundits claim or did the Obama effect prove too toxic for Democrats? We will debate that ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Here is your overnight headline. The midterm elections have brought us an epic transformation in the balance of power in Washington. Republicans have picked up at least seven seats, North Carolina, Iowa, and Colorado, to seize control of the Senate from Democrats.

The GOP is now enjoying its largest majority in Congress since World War II. Republicans are also wrestling at least four governor seats from Democrats. So let's get over to John Berman right now. He's looking at the exit polls. They tell a very interesting story, my friend.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": They sure do, Chris. The question is how much of an impediment was President Obama, the Democrats in this election? The answer is a pretty big one.

Let's look at North Carolina where a Democratic incumbent fell, 56 percent of voters in North Carolina said they disapprove of how the president is handling his job. If you look at those who disapprove they broke heavily for the Republican challenger, Thom Tillis, who won that race.

Look at a bunch of other races here that are really fascinating. Colorado, this is a state that President Obama won twice, 56 percent of voters there say they disapprove of the job the president is doing. Again of that 79 percent voted for the Republican Cory Gardner.

Iowa. Iowa is the state where President Obama launched his career into the stratosphere when he won the caucuses in 2008, 60 percent in Iowa disapproved of the president's job there. Again, Joni Ernst, the Republican, the big beneficiary there.

I wanted to put up Virginia here because Virginia is the only race in the country that we still haven't declared a winner in the Senate. Louisiana and Alaska also they're still counting votes in a runoff. But Virginia's still too close to make a projection right now. Why?

Well, 58 percent of voters in Virginia say they disapprove of the job the president's doing. If you look at them, 81 percent are going to the challenger, Ed Gillespie, and not the incumbent Democrat Mark Warner there. It really tells a story here of just what role the president is playing in the election -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All right, John, thanks for that. The voters have spoken and the political landscape in Washington turning red with Republicans snatching control of the Senate and beefing up their majority in the House. What does this mean for the last two years of the Obama presidency? We'll take a closer look.

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