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PoliticsNation, Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

Read the transcript from the Wednesday show

POLITICS NATION
November 7, 2012

Guests: David Axelrod, Michelle Cottle, Ed Rendell, Joe Madison, Nia-Malika Henderson, Emanuel Cleaver, Maria Teresa Kumar

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST, HARDBALL: Joe Donnelly, we have to go. Thank
you so much.

That`s "HARDBALL" for now. Thanks for being with us. POLITICS NATION with
Al Sharpton starts right now.

REV. AL SHARPTON, MSNBC HOST: Thanks, Chris, and thanks to you for tuning
in.

Tonight`s lead, yes, he did. This election was a debate over what kind of
country we want. And in winning the national argument about government,
President Obama won a great victory for the forces of liberalism in this
country.

Right now, he and the First Family are on their way back to the White
House, knowing it`s their home for the next four years. We may see them
arrive later this hour.

President Obama now knows that the American people have voted for his
vision, a vision where everyone gets a fair shot. Last night, the American
people said they stand with the President on his vision of a liberal
democratic governance, on taxes, on Medicare, on health care. This was an
election about the fundamentals of our nation, about what kind of people we
want to be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That`s why elections matter.
It`s not small. It`s big. It`s important. Democracy in a nation of 300
million can be noisy and messy and complicated when we make big decisions
as a country. It necessarily stirs passions, stirs of controversy. That
won`t change after tonight. And it shouldn`t.

These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget
that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right
now just for and a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance
to cast their ballots like we did today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Across the country, Americans followed the President`s example,
and chose to be more diverse, more open-minded and more progressive.
Marriage equality had failed 32 times before passing, in three states last
night. In Minnesota, voters rejected a new voter ID law. And last night,
we sent a record number of women to the United States Senate. No wonder
our president is so optimistic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Tonight, in this election, you, the American people reminded us
that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have
picked ourselves up. We have fought our way back and we know that in our
hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.

(APPLAUSE)

SHARPTON: The best is yet to come. This election shows that America has
changed. We saw that in the coalition of President Bill to win the White
House. The most diverse in American history. He won the women`s vote by
11 points. He won more than seven in 10 Latino votes and his campaign
revolutionized how elections are won. All together, he solidified his
place in history as a leader of a democratic movement.

Joining me now is senior strategist for the Obama campaign, David Axelrod.

David, first, thanks so much for coming on the show tonight.

DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CHIEF CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST: Sure. Good to be with
you.

SHARPTON: And congratulations.

AXELROD: Thank you. It was a great, great night.

SHARPTON: Let me ask you something. When did you know for sure that you
could win this election yesterday in.

AXELROD: You`re talking about during the day yesterday or during the
course of this campaign?

SHARPTON: Let`s start within the course of the campaign.

AXELROD: You know, I`ve got to tell you and I know it sounds maybe
preposterous to some, I always had confidence that we would win this
campaign. I was confident because I believe that what the President was
fighting for with garner a majority in the country, the notion that we
should build an economy that`s centered around the middle class and those
that are fighting to get into the middle class, that that`s how you build a
strong economy, not from the top down, not through trickle down and I
believed in him and ultimately, you know, it`s not just about the positions
you take. It`s about the two people who are running. And at the end of
the day, the American people, even those who disagree with him, I think
they respect this president, like him, and trust and one of the big issues
that I think bubbled up in these exit polls yesterday was the issue of
trust.

So, you know, I had confidence, though I knew it was going to be a close
race. Our campaign knew it was going to be close and we built an
organization for that race. So in this battleground states, we had a
tremendous network of people working and knocking on doors, talking to
people. We knew who our voters were. We registered voters at a perfidious
rate and it paid off yesterday.

SHARPTON: Now, you win in the race with nine swing state in play. And if
you win Florida, you have run the table. Did you think it was possible to
do that and what made the difference? Was it money? Was it the amount of
volunteers? Was it you had the time? How did you pull off a foot that was
unthinkable to most of the pundits ?

AXELROD: Well, you know, the interesting thing on money, and I think this
is a good thing for our democracy is, there was more money on the other
side, you know, particularly at the end of the campaign. We saw the
Republican forces spend over $100 million just in the last week on TV which
is good for your, probably for bosses, Rev., but not necessarily for
democracy.

And, you know, the great thing about this is that when you think about it,
these billionaires, these special interests, they poured billions of
dollars, not millions but billions into defeating the President, in turning
the house and turning the senate, keeping the House and turning the Senate.

And what we saw was not just the President re-elected but we have more
Democrats in the senate. We got more Democrats in the House, even though
they retain control.

So, what do they get for all of that money? And tweeted out today, I bet
there are a lot of angry billionaires who are looking for their refund
window. And, you know, that - so, I was hardened by that.

But really, at the end of the day, we have the right message, we had a
great messenger and we had millions of committed volunteers in this across
this country in the great organization in these states and we executed
well, not just off Election Day but in the year and a half leading up to
Election Day.

SHARPTON: Now, let me push you on that. What did they get from that? You
heard senator McConnell last night saying that, well, the American people
voted that they wanted to see certain things basically along partisan
lines. Then, you had today, Speaker Boehner that made a statement saying
that the Republicans were ready to come to the table.

What do you think is going to happen and we have heard this before. Let me
play to you Boehner and get your reaction. Let me play Speaker Boehner to
you.

AXELROD: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Mr. President, this is
your moment. We`re ready to be led. Not as Democrats or Republicans but
as Americans. We want you to succeed. Let`s challenge ourselves for the
common ground that has eluded us and do the right thing together for our
country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Now, Speaker Boehner seems to have a different posture that
McConnell`s statement. But we have heard Boehner say things before that
didn`t end up being where he and Republicans in the House where at.

Is the fact now that the President is not running for re-election, does
that change things? Has the fever broken? Do you think that they are at a
place now where we can get something done or is the gridlock going to
reappear?

AXELROD: Well, I hope not. You know, only time will tell. But this is a
welcome tone. You know, four years ago on the night of the inauguration,
15 Republican leaders, mostly in the house, got together to talk about how
they could bring down the administration and defeat the President. If they
start this new administration with a different attitude, I think that would
be very, very positive because ultimately the American people want us to
get things done. They are not interested in hyper partisanship. They are
not interested in these kinds of search and destroy missions, one party
against the other. They want progress.

And so, we`ll see. There will obviously be a series of issues that will
come up. And we will see. One thing I would say about the Speaker`s
remarks, though, you know, in our democracy, the responsibility is shared.
And so, it`s not enough to sit back and say to the President, we want to be
led. The President has made a proposal, for example, on deficit reduction
that is substantive and meaningful. And he`s willing to entertain other
ideas. But if your attitude is we`re simply going to oppose, then it`s
hard to get things done. So we`ll see, as I said, time will tell.

SHARPTON: You mentioned the word trust, the American people trusting the
President. Can the President trust this crowd? Can he trust Speaker
Boehner after what happened last time?

AXELROD: Well, what is it that Ronald Reagan said about the soviets?
Trust but verify? I think that`s probably a good policy here because it`s
not -- words are not enough. Actions are what matter. The President has
had some success over the last four years on some issues putting together
bipartisan coalitions. That was certainly true on ending don`t ask, don`t
tell, on cutting taxes for small businesses.

There`s a number of things in which there has been some cooperation and now
the question is, can we build on that? So, like I said, those words are
well-received and now we just want the actions to follow the words.

SHARPTON: What do you feel will be the things the President wants to
achieve? What will be his priorities in the next four years? Where do you
think he want to go and bring the country?

AXELROD: Well, you know, I don`t think you should expect the President to
deviate from the fundamental principles from what he`s campaigned on. We
want to continue to build up our education system so it`s the best in the
world and make access to higher education or some kind of technical
training available to every American so that they can earn good middle
class salaries and support their family as and have some measure of
security. We want to promote research and technology and innovation
because that`s where the good jobs come from.

We want to lead the world in clean energy because that`s a way that we can
get control of our energy future and also create good jobs. And we want to
end the war in Afghanistan and do nation building here at home.

So he`ll follow, I think on all of those things, a near term challenge
which is to deal with the fiscal issues that we`re going to be confronting
at the beginning of the year. I think that work begins immediately and
there`s one issue, Reverend, that I think we ought to be able to move on
very, very quickly, and that is immigration reform.

You know, when I came to Washington with the President in 2009, he sat down
in a room with members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, who had
supported comprehensive immigration reform in the past and he said, I want
to work with you. Let`s lock arms and get this done.

And then a policy decision was made by the Republican leadership that they
were not going to play and they didn`t want to move on this issue because
they didn`t want to antagonize the most strident voices in their party.
They paid a big price for that yesterday. You mentioned the overwhelming
vote that the President got among Latino voters. I think that they are
going to re-think that issue and I think there is going to be an
opportunity to move on that and move on that fairly soon.

SHARPTON: David, I`ve been around the President five or six years.
Certainly you`ve been around them more than most. The thing that strikes
me is how cool he is under fire. He never -- with all of this ugliness and
acrimony, he`s never at one time responded and played into the ugliness
during this campaign.

And the other thing is that he seems to be a big picture thinker. In all
of the meetings, so rosily he shifted as had whenever that I have been
there and he always is kind of above the minute minutia, the day to day
transaction of things.

You`ve been around him 20 years. You know him better than anyone. What
has the journey been like and what kind of person is he? Is he what we see
at that big thinker who really does lose his cool and really self-assured?
Tell us about the --

AXELROD: You know, your observations are absolutely right. He doesn`t get
-- he`s never too high and never too low when things go badly, he`s the
first person to get up and say, OK, how are we going to move forward?
Here`s how we need to go, which is a great leadership quality. He keeps
his eye on the ball and on the long term. He doesn`t get all distracted by
short term static, you know. He has goals and he keep pressing forward and
he compels those around him to keep pressing forward to achieve those
goals.

But I would add a third quality and I`ve seen it -- I`m struck by it mainly
because I saw it again today when he spoke to these young staff people to
thank them at the campaign headquarters. He`s an idealist. He believes,
as you said last night, that politics is more than a game. Politics is the
means by which we improve our future and make opportunity broadly available
and do the things that are necessary to secure a better life for folks and
give them the opportunities to do that for themselves.

And so, what is remarkable about him is that after nearly 20 years now,
maybe a little bit less, 15 I guess in public life, he are retains that
quality. And, boy, this interaction between him and his idealistic young
kids today was a moving thing for him to see.

So, the sum total that is, he`s the most consistent human being that I
know. The guy I met 20 years ago is the guy who I know today. And it`s
comforting when you work for someone, particularly the President, to know
that every day when you walk into that oval office you`re going to be
greeted by the same qualities, the same consistent performance. That`s a
great quality in a leader.

SHARPTON: Obama campaign senior strategist, David Axelrod. The President
said last night you put together the best team ever been in politics.

Thanks for your time this evening and congratulations again.

AXELROD: Thanks, Rev. Good to be with you.

SHARPTON: We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: That`s a live picture of the First Family arriving back at
Andrews Air Force base on the way to the White House. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Hussein Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are now calling the election for --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are happy. God bless. God bless. We continue in
this walk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really believe in him as an African, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations to Barack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: It`s the biggest story in the world. The re-election of
President Obama. And it`s on front pages all across the globe.

From Germany: "Yes, He Can, Again."

In Sweden, a beaming President Obama on the front a page.

Down in Panama: "Four More Years."

And in Montreal, the headline simply says, "American President Obama Re-
elected."

Al Qaeda has even weighed in, vowing revenge for the death of Osama bin
Laden. One pause of terrorist Web site says quote, "Do not be joyous with
your win of the presidency for a second term Obama."

And here in the United States, they are celebrating a rejection, a
rejection of an extreme vision for America. Voters chose President Obama`s
vision for the future. They chose to reject an extreme ideology, to reject
a meanness that dominated politics for two years. Joe Walsh, Allen West,
Todd Akin, and Richard Mourdock were all sent walking. And there`s a whole
new crop of victorious Democrats handed to the city, after the feeding
Republicans who were simply too extreme for America. After two years of
Tea Party talk, American voters said, they`ve had enough.

Joining me now is former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, now an MSNBC
political analyst and Michelle Cottle, Washington correspondent for
"Newsweek" and "the Daily Beast."

Thank you both for being here.

MICHELLE COTTLE, WASHINGTON REPORTER, "THE DAILY BEAST": ,Thanks, Rev.

SHARPTON: Governor, the America spoke loud and clear last night. What
impact does this say about the rhetoric be that we`ve seen over the last
two years?

ED RENDELL (D), FORMER GOVERNOR, PENNSYLVANIA: Well, I think if the
Republican party is smart, they are going to take control of the extreme of
their party. They are going to take control of divisiveness. But they`ve
also got to take control of themselves because this was, too me, a moral
victory in many ways.

But, you and I discussed this and you deserve abundant credit, Rev., for
getting this done. But, you know, all of the voter suppression tactics
they tried, shortening the days, voter IDs, all of those things backfired
tremendously.

I was in Philadelphia and appeared in four black churches on Sunday and the
voters there, the congregation, they were angry. They were angry because
they thought someone was trying to take away their right to vote and they
would have stood online for five hours to vote. That`s how angry they
were.

And the Republicans got hoisted on their own meanness, on their own attempt
to chip away at the American democracy. So it was a great day for so many
reasons but to me that was one of the best.

SHARPTON: Well, Michelle, and I agree with the governor there, but the
President, also, Michelle, dominated some demographics that I don`t think
the Republicans understand a democratic shift in this country. The
President put together a coalition, 95 percent of the African-American
vote, 71 percent of the Latino votes, 73 percent of the Asian vote, 54
percent of women. At least ten points more than Romney. I mean, the
coalition he put together was diverse and broad, something the Republicans
have not been able to appeal to a diverse body of American -- of the
American electorate.

COTTLE: Exactly. And you see a lot of Republicans out there who are
nervous about this themselves. You know, Jeb Bush and others have talked
about how the party needs to stop playing the short game and they need to
wake up and think about the fact that this country`s getting more diverse
and that playing for old, white guys in particular is not a winning
strategy if you expect to go into Texas in a few year. You`ve got the
Latino population growing. I mean, you`re going to stop having problems in
even really red states if you don`t try to start broadening your coalition.

SHARPTON: Now, let me ask you this. When you see 13 Republican running
for the senate who said there should not be any exception for abortion even
in the case of rape, ten of them lost last night, Michelle. What does that
say to you?

COTTLE: It says to me that if you`re a moderate Republican, if you are
still out there, you should take a little bit of comfort in the fact that,
for instance, Mourdock lost, you know. He had all of the Republicans
worried these days about primary fights, getting attacked from their right
and that is what happened in that scene. You know, Lugar left. We had
Mourdock and it looked like he was going to prevail. And by losing with
these kinds of more extreme candidates, it suggests there is still some
room for moderate Republicans to kind of regroup and take back the party.
You know, I think that it`s going to be a challenge for them because you
are not going to see the Tea Party backing down. But, it`s got to be done
unless this wants to become a really French party.

SHARPTON: But governor we saw last night Joe Walsh, Allen West, tea
partiers losing. Will this give room for Republican -- now more moderate
Republicans to come forward and take leadership. And as the President goes
forward, how does he make sure that extreme leftists do not come at him if
he goes to the center in his negotiations in dealing with going over the
nick cliff?

RENDELL: Well, first of all, I think you`re going to have trouble finding
any moderate Republicans to take charge. That`s the problem, Rev. There
are hardly anybody left. Really think about it. No moderates in the
Senate, maybe Jon Huntsman out there, couldn`t take the mantel of being a
moderate Republican, Jeb Bush, a few of them. They`ve got to assert
control quickly.

In terms of our left, the President has got to be strong. He`s got to be
strong. He`s got to say, look, the mission is important here and the
mission is to get this country back on track, to get our economy working
again. And if that means we have to make some compromises to get the debt
under control, to reduce the deficit, we`re going to have to do it and
we`re going to only do it by forming a coalition because the Republicans
control the house and we`ve got to understand that.

So, he`s got to be able to deliver a strong message to our left. And, by
the way, all of us have to be on his side on that and there are going to be
things that you`re not going to like. If we`re going to solve this debt
crisis, Rev., I guarantee there will be things you don`t like but you`re
going to have to say, I understand why the President is doing it.

SHARPTON: Well, and we`re watching as the President arrives in Washington.
Air force one has landed and we`re watching the arrival of the President
and the First Family in Washington, D.C., headed back to the White House as
they, again, know that that is their residence for the next four years.

Governor, I think that you are right, there are going to be some things
that all of us don`t like. I think the question is, there are some core
values that people are not going to want to compromise and that people
voted for. But will that be easier on the things that they will understand
if the ugly rhetoric is not there, governor?

RENDELL: Absolutely. And I think the President`s not going to stray from
the core values. The President may say to us, look, I have to do this to
get at the core value and to protect the core values and you have to
understand. And we`ve got to be there for him, including those of us who
consider ourselves progressive. We have to understand what the President
has to do. He has to make the government work.

SHARPTON: Here is the President and Sasha and Malia and Mrs. Obama as they
now arrive in Washington, D.C., coming in from their home in Chicago after
winning a decisive victory for re-election as the 44th president of the
United States. You`re watching this live arrival of the Obamas returning
to Washington and headed to the White House as they prepare, I`m sure, to
get ready to find the second inauguration and in terms of the President,
clearly, to prepare while he`s going to deal with the Congress and other
matters as the head of state and as the commander in chief of the armed
services.

Governor Ed Rendell and Michelle Cottle, thanks for your time.

Coming up, their plan to destroy President Obama didn`t work. So they are
pointing fingers. You won`t believe who they are blaming. It`s not a
Democrat.

This is POLITICS NATION on the place for politics, MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: They say there are five stages of grief. But for right wingers,
last night there is only one: denial. Here is FOX News contributor Dick
Morris on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK MORRIS, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: We`re going to win by a landslide. It
will be the biggest surprise in recent political history. My own view is
that Romney`s going to carry 325 electoral votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Three hundred and twenty five electoral votes. Not even close.
But now he says we ended up with an Obama squeaker. And as tension built
last night, they started to talk about the popular vote, trying to say even
if the President won, it was not legitimate. The Drudge report blasted out
headlines showing Governor Romney getting more votes. And Donald Trump
tweeted quoted, "He lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election.
We should have a revolution in this country."

But, of course, President Obama won the popular vote. And the biggest
denial of all came after FOX News called Ohio for the President. Truly
must see TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You went through this in 2000, almost in
2004. Do you believe that Ohio has been settled?

KARL ROVE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: No, I don`t.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: So you`re not saying that Obama isn`t going to
win?

ROVE: No. I think this is pre-mature. I don`t know what the outcome is
going to be. But we`ve got to be careful about calling things when we have
like 991 votes separating the two candidates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Now, we know Rove isn`t an objective analysis and he had plenty
to be upset about last night. The sunlight foundation studied the rate of
a return tax ad used in 2012. Rove`s American cross road super PAC only
had a one percent success rate. And Cross road`s GPS can do much better,
13 percent rate of success.

But the gang at FOX took Rove`s concern seriously. And what happened next
was straight out of "Saturday Night Live," anchor making jelly
interrogating the FOX pollsters who called Ohio for President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are way down the hall so we`ll do a little
interrogation and see if they stand by their call notwithstanding the
doubts that Karl Rove has attempted to place.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the decision desk. Now, we are in the heart
of the decision desk room. You tell me whether you stand by your call in
Ohio given the doubts Karl Rove`s just raise?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re actually quite comfortable with the call in Ohio.
Basically, right now, there`s too much Obama vote that`s outstanding there
that we know is going to come in, that is going to be Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Did they think we wouldn`t in the lengths they go to, to avoid
the truth? Nice try. But we got you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: The Republican party is in crisis. From day one, they have done
everything to destroy President Barack Obama. From saying he wasn`t born
in this country to calling him un-American. It all started the day he was
sworn in.

While he was dancing at the inaugural ball, Republican leaders were about a
mile away plotting and planning to bring him down. They couldn`t even say
the word compromise. Mitch McConnell says his number one goal was to make
President Obama a one-term president. But they failed.

President Obama took every punch they threw. He landed the political
knockout last night and he`s still standing.

Joining me now is Joe Madison, nationally syndicated radio host of
"Mornings with Madison" and Nia-Malika Henderson, national political
reporter for "the Washington Post."

Thank you for joining me tonight.

JOE MADISON, HOST, MORNINGS WITH MADISON: Thank you, Reverend Sharpton.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": It`s good
to be here.

SHARPTON: Joe, is the Republican party broken? Is this a party in crisis?

MADISON: Yes, it is a party in crisis. And one of the things is that the
adults simply have not shown up to the party. You know, this goes back to
one, the southern strategy, Richard Nixon`s administration when the
Dixiecrats were tossed out or left the Democratic Party they were received
in open arms by the Republican party and that`s why you saw the south all
red yesterday.

The other thing, it continued -- if you remember, Lee Atwater and the Willy
Horton fiasco, even to the point that at his death bed Lee Atwater
apologized to the late Ron Brown for the strategy that he used. So, the
reality is that they are in disarray. And we talked about this yesterday
during the whole election return and that is that it`s not about including
the art of inclusion.

You know, you can`t get -- like Newt Gingrich said, five white guys get in
a room, decide what they are going to do and their idea of outreach is to
invite some black Hispanic or woman in telling them what we`ve decided to
do. That`s not inclusion.

SHARPTON: No.

MADISON: That`s not inclusion.

SHARPTON: Not at all. Nia-Malika, though, there`s a lot of finger
pointing going on. What do you think?

HENDERSON: There is. I mean, as Joe said, there is a lot of finger
pointing and this is a party that is in disarray. You saw over the last
many years not only the southern strategy in play but a declining reliance,
I think, on a realization that America is a diverse country. There was an
over reliance I think on the white football. We saw a decline of 72
percent. Although, there was a sign among Republicans that this was still
Reagan`s America where there is 88 percent of the share of the vote was
white Americans and that is just not the way that America looks right now.

And you saw it. If you went to either of this, if you went to a Romney
rally, you went to an Obama rally, very different crowds. Romney rallies,
much whiter, older American. And in turn, I think at the Obama rallies,
much more diverse. And I think people are surprised that Obama was able to
run the table on the strength of African-American voters. 15 percent in
Ohio, 20 percent in Virginia. Even when you talk to Republicans now, they
do talk about wanting to make inroads into the Latino community but you
don`t hear them say they want to make inroads into the Latino community.
Joe Madison mentioned Nixon. Nixon did pretty well among African-American.

SHARPTON: Affirmative action started under Nixon under art Fletcher.

But Joe, let me show you what a lot of people on the right are saying
today. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kelly, you`ve got Bobby Jindal, Nikki Haley (INAUDIBLE)
and it`s going to come from them and I think it will be a fairly Reagan
night and a conservative one. I think the future of the party is quite
bright.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The idea that we have to become more moderate to win
an election, that`s a pig in a Pope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are 50 percent of the voting public who want
stuff. They want things. And who is going to give them things? President
Obama.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: If we`re not getting the female vote,
do we become pro choice? Do we start passing out birth control pills? Is
that what we have to do?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: So, that`s between last night and today, their reaction and
these are the reactions of some of the right wing, most high-profile
people, Joe. They don`t seem to get it.

MADISON: No. And I`ll tell you what I said and I`ll say it again, they
really need to put a muzzle on all those folks you just saw and even some
more. Put a muzzle on them. Because in this day in age, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week news cycle, these individuals have become the face and
the voice of the Republican party and quite candidly what is happening even
their children are rejecting them. your children, my children, competes
side by side. They don`t compete. They don`t think that man have to be on
top of women. Why it has to be on top on black and they don`t think like
that.

SHARPTON: Let me ask you this, Nia-Malika, in the time lift. There`s
another person being blamed, Chris Christie. When you look at all of the
right-wing blogs and twitter from the Atlantic saying that Chris Christie
backlash machine revs into high gear. FOX News Web site blame shoved down
Chris Christie`s throat, from Business Inside, a Dick Morris blames Chris
Christie. Is Christie going to take a big political hit on this?

HENDERSON: Well, it could be that that happen. I think that he`s probably
is eyeing 2016, but he is also eyeing his own re-election in New Jersey.
And he realizes, I think, that this is a diverse country, certainly New
Jersey. And it is a very diverse, lot of soul searching going on among
Republicans. I think it`s the initial stages.

There is a model here. The Democrats also suffered some setbacks after
that Dukakis loss and they looked at their party and looked it tried to
expand their party and you`ve seen that that`s paid off in this election.

SHARPTON: Joe Madison, host of Sirius XM`s "The Power," and Nia-Malika
Henderson, thank you both for your time tonight.

HENDERSON: Thank you, Reverend.

SHARPTON: And for joining us tonight.

MADISON: Thank you, Reverend. Anytime.

SHARPTON: Coming up, on the night of big victory, we are learning about
then a meetings that President Obama had with presidential historian. You
will want to hear what he said about his legacy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: In the hours since President Obama`s victory, he`s already
called both Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress to say it`s time
to work on bipartisan solutions. So will Republicans be open to that
dreaded word "compromise"?

Joining me now is Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Democrat from Missouri and
Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino and an MSNBC
contributor.

Thanks to both of you for being here tonight.

MARIA TERESA KUMAR, PRESIDENT, CEO, VOTO LATINO: Thank you, Reverend.

REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER (D), MISSOURI: Good to be with you, Reverend.

SHARPTON: Congressman, first of all, congratulation on your re-election
last night.

CLEAVER: Thank you.

SHARPTON: Congressman, do you think Republicans will work with the
President on a second term agenda?

CLEAVER: Well, you know, I`m not calling anybody a name. Let me just say,
I`m using imagery as you and I do in the real world, the ministry. But if
a snake does not cast its skin, the snake will eventually be cast into the
reptile cemetery. You have got to change or you are going to die. And
that`s the reality.

However, keep in mind that the 87 Tea Party Republicans are still there and
having heard earlier today of the Tea Party spokesperson saying that they
lost because they nominated a moderate and a bad candidate and that they
need to be more conservative does not bode well for what the nation says it
wants, this nation is going to continue to have major economic problem.

SHARPTON: Now, I read you tweeted that the saying is offering together we
stand, divided we fall. In Congress is together we stand, divided we
stall.

CLEAVER: Absolutely.

SHARPTON: That was good.

CLEAVER: Well, I`m a preacher, Reverend.

SHARPTON: I`m a witness. You are definitely there. Let me ask you, Maria
Teresa. The Speaker though, John Boehner, in his statement today was
sounding very nonpartisan in his speech that he gave this afternoon.
Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOEHNER: Mr. President, the Republican majority here in the House stands
ready to work with you to do what`s best for our country. That is the will
of the people and we will answer to them. Shoring up entitlements, and
reform the tax bill, closing special interest loopholes and deductions and
moving to a fair and simpler system will bring jobs home and result in a
stronger, healthier economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Is this a new leaf for John Boehner? Is it a new John Boehner
or should we not trust it?

KUMAR: I think if John Boehner had his way, he would actually get the 87
Republicans that ever since clear discussed on his side to actually do
something. I don`t think that by nature, Boehner is actually an
obstructionist.

However, I do think that there`s an incredible opportunity for the
Republicans right now and for the President. They have the hard work to
do, right? They have to talk about the fiscal cliff. They have to go
ahead and talk about a lot of the entitlement programs. But they should
talk right now about immigration. And I think that this is an opportunity
for the Republican party to have a come to Jesus moment and try to win back
the Latino group that they lost. And also, it solidifies President Obama to
say, you know, I am the president of the civil rights first talking about
don`t ask -- repealing don`t ask, don`t tell, now talking about
immigration, our second civil rights movement, and it also solidifies
Congress - I think it also solidifies the Latino vote for the Democratic
Party for years to come.

SHARPTON: I noticed tonight we had Mr. Axelrod on and he mentioned
immigration and 71 percent of Latinos did vote for the President yesterday,
a very large number.

Congressman Cleaver, when you look at the issues facing the Congress and
this administration, deficit deduction, tax reform, climate change,
alternate energy, what do you think is the possible bipartisan en tray to
begin this conversation of new spirit in Washington?

CLEAVER: Well, I think that we`ve got to be very careful when we start off
after we go back next week and that we ought to -- my suggestion to the
President and to the leadership in the house is that we not bring up any of
the incendiary issues, that we do something rather simple and that
everybody can agree on. We should be able to agree on a farm bill having
had the worst drought since the dust bowl so it`s going to be difficult to
come up with that.

Let me just say, I agree that John Boehner wants to make the trains run on
time and I think he is an old time Ohio politician. It`s not him. It`s
the Tea Party guys and if they are coming back after this break saying, we
are not ready to compromise, we believe that compromise is capitulation,
then ladies and gentlemen, around this country, it`s going to be a rough
ride between now and January one.

SHARPTON: Let me ask you, Maria, a lot of it is that I don`t think that
there`s a realistic view of how America has shifted. When you look at the
fact that in 1953, 98 percent of the house Democratic caucus were white
males, today is 53 percent. Next year less than half the caucus will be
comprised of whites. That`s just in the Congress, not even dealing with
the electorate. I think that some of them are looking at an America that
does not exist anymore.

KUMAR: Yes. I actually think that we have to stop keeping, you know, we
have to stop to try and keep the GOP and to get them off the hook. I think
they actually know exactly what they are doing and that`s one of the
reasons when we started talking about when it comes to voter ID laws and
voter suppression laws, they did it very calculated. They knew that they
had limited time. We don`t have a Latino vote. We don`t have a black
vote. Let`s wait our time. Let`s make sure they don`t participate in this
election. Let`s try to figure them out in the next election.

So, I think that they have stop doing that.

SHARPTON: What is treated wrong.

KUMAR: Right. Is that exciting?

SHARPTON: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and Maria Teresa Kumar, thank you
for your time tonight.

We will be right back.

CLEAVER: Good to be with you, Reverend.

KUMAR: Thank you, Reverend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Moments ago the President and First Lady arrived back at the
White House. They are home for the next four years. In this election, the
GOP did everything they could to suppress the vote. ID laws, cuts to early
voting, intimidating billboards. They tried it all but it didn`t work.

All over the country you responded, waiting in the cold, waiting in the
heat, waiting for hours to carry out your right. In Florida, voters waded
through thunderstorms, many waited more than three hours after the polls
were supposed to close.

And in Ohio, the turnout caused lines to snake well for over two hours.
But the anti-vote forces woke up a sleeping giant. Voting turnout is
expected to be 119.5 million. Voting is a right, not a privilege. Your
right to vote wouldn`t be denied or taken away. I`m proud of everyone who
refused to be suppressed. They will keep trying their ways, but they fight
goes on. We have come too far to stop now.

Thanks for watching.

END

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