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TalkBack Live

What Does George W. Bush Want to Accomplish During His Administration?

Aired December 14, 2000 - 3:00 p.m. ET

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

BOBBIE BATTISTA, HOST: The signs are taken down, the placards laid aside. The battle is over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT-ELECT: I know America wants reconciliation and unity. I know Americans want progress. And we must seize this moment and deliver.

AL GORE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I call on all Americans; I particularly urge all who stood with us to unite behind our next president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: But will there be unity or simply new battles?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MAJORITY LEADER: All that's gone on has made it very difficult. There a great potential for people to have resentment or, you know, we're going to resist this in every way. But it shouldn't be that way. It doesn't have to be that way.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D), MINORITY LEADER: Bipartisanship isn't an option anymore, it is a requirement. The American people have divided responsibility for leadership right down the middle. We must govern from the middle or we will not be able to govern at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Hello, everybody; welcome to TALKBACK LIVE.

Well, we finally have a president-elect. And I guess, after all of the rancor these last five weeks, the question is: Will he be allowed the traditional honeymoon or will some insist on a pre-nup?

Joining us from New York is Katherine Jean Lopez, associate editor of the "National Review." And from Washington, Melanie Campbell; Melanie is executive director of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation.

Welcome to both of you. MELANIE CAMPBELL, NATIONAL COALITION ON BLACK CIVIC PARTICIPATION: Thank you.

KATHERINE JEAN LOPEZ, "NATIONAL REVIEW": Thank you.

BATTISTA: Melanie, let me start with you. Is it going to be that easy to put the pieces back together and move on past this divide?

CAMPBELL: No, it won't be. The reason I say that is that African Americans and many people of color were disenfranchised in Florida and a lot of other places. And I think -- we know that we now have a president, we all want to make sure that things get done, that everyone's issues are addressed; but there's also the issue of people's vote did not count in Florida. All the people who went to the polls were not counted in the election.

So we want to -- and one of the ways to unite us is to identify that as a true fact by our new president and his administration and to try to find a way to resolve what took place so that this does not ever happen again in this country.

BATTISTA: Katherine, what do you think is the best way for Mr. Bush to bring the two sides together or at least address some of these issues?

LOPEZ: Well, it clearly is going to be difficult; and I think the key for Bush is to start doing exactly what he did last night: Be a leader. You know, he is president -- he will be the president of the United States come January, and the key will be to be what he was in Texas as a governor -- democratic-controlled house, as we, you know, saw last night, he obviously chose that venue for a specific purpose.

The man has proven, in the state of Texas, that he can work with Democrats and get people to compromise without compromising his principles. You know, one thing -- when we talk about bipartisanship, people think that that means that we all have to, like, all agree on everything; which, obviously, isn't going to be the case.

People, you know -- a large majority of the country or a large portion of the country voted for George Bush, as we well know. And they voted for him for a reason and they didn't vote for Al Gore for a reason. So he's not going to abandon principles because of the ugliness of the situation. But he is going to be a leader and he is going to bring people together. And that's the key.

CAMPBELL: Well, I understand about the bipartisanship. What I'm talking about is that people's civil rights were violated in the state of Florida. And so the question become, we've made the decision based on the Supreme Court decision; Al Gore conceded on last evening and we now have a president-elect.

But we still have people who are upset and feel that their vote did not count. And so those kinds of things have to be addressed, if we are going to truly talk about uniting. BATTISTA: Let me bring in -- I'm sorry, go ahead, Katherine.

LOPEZ: Well, one problem and one way we're never going to unite is if we don't stop the calls for recounts in Florida. And, although there won't be a recount that will change the course of this election at this point, because of the court rulings that we all know about, there will be independent agencies that have gone down and requested -- media organizations and private organizations that have requested recounts. And this is going to be a very, very ugly situation, as people -- we are going to see the same ugliness that we saw on Saturday and we have seen every time somebody has tried a recount.

People will -- different people will ask to see different ballots. In Palm Beach County, the "New York Times" has already specifically requested only to see 3,300 ballots, the contested ones that the Democratic canvassing board threw out, and said: We can't determine the intent of the voter in these ballots. So we're going to have standardless, God knows how many recounts in the state of Florida. And we're not going to be able to get anywhere until all of that stops.

BATTISTA: For better or worse, though, I think it's going to be next to impossible to stop those recounts from happening now. So we know those are going to go forward.

Melanie, are you satisfied -- or do you trust -- maybe that's a good word to use after this election -- but do you trust the Justice Department to look into these allegations of voter disenfranchisement in Florida?

CAMPBELL: Well, I think that the Justice Department waited a little late to go down to Florida. I think they should have been down there the very first time they heard about it. I think there will be many other organizations, many civil rights organizations who will also be down there looking into the allegations. I think that the NAACP is doing a wonderful job, and the lawyers committed to civil rights under the law, and various organizations to try to address the issues.

In a -- it's not about bipartisanship, or trying to make it an ugly event. If there are thing that needs to be addressed, if there were people who were turned away from the polls, if those kind of voter-intimidation activities are still going on -- and this is 2000, this is not 1960 -- we have to address them, and try to resolve them, so that this does not happen again. You have ballot machines, voting machines, that are antiquated in minority communities disproportionately.

Those things have to be addressed. So it's not that, if you address the count of those ballots and why the machines kicked them out and didn't count them, would mean that we would further divide. Hopefully, it will unite us.

BATTISTA: Well, let's talk a little bit more quickly here before the break about how these things might be addressed through the persona of George W. Bush. Please welcome Wayne Slater. Wayne is in Austin, Texas. He is the Austin bureau chief for the "Dallas Morning News." And he has covered George W. Bush since 1993, when Mr. Bush began his first campaign for governor.

Wayne, much has been said -- of course mostly from friends and supporters -- about George W. Bush's ability to reach across the aisle and to bridge the gap and bring people together. Is that -- are those compliments -- shall we say -- or is that well-founded?

WAYNE SLATER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Well, certainly, he thinks so. He thinks he's able to do it. Look, the fact is that, as governor, beginning even when he, in the first session, after he was elected in 1994 -- and the first session was 1995 -- he made extraordinary efforts to reach out to Democrats and to others.

And he was very, very successful. You had to work with Democrats in the Texas legislature, or otherwise you didn't get anything done, because the Texas Democrats control the House. That, as Katherine said, was one of the reasons, in terms of symbology last night, that the governor was in Texas in the House chamber making a speech. But that said, we also have to note with honesty that a Democrat in Texas is often a Republican somewhere else.

When the governor came to office here in Austin, he found a group of like-minded political figures, other legislators who were conservative like he was, in many cases, who embraced many of the same ideas that he had. So he had a fairly easy go of it in that regard.

BATTISTA: And it certainly might be a different story in Washington, D.C.

SLATER: Well, Bobbie, that's the question. Will he be successful there? What I know is that the governor has enormous confidence in his ability to win people over. People who have watched Bush over the last six years as governor of Texas know that his method is first to try to win you over with his personality. He's a very agreeable guy. He is a gracious guy. He is a friendly guy. He is a fun guy to be with.

He will take you fishing. He will smoke cigars with you in your office. He will know the names of your children. He will know personal facts about you. He will certainly remember your name. He starts with building a personal relationship with you. That is what he tries to do, and certainly did with Democrats in Texas. And then and only then does he press his policy initiatives. He's been successful in Texas. We'll see how successful he is with Dick Gephardt and Tom Daschle and others.

BATTISTA: Those sound like strengths, at least in the state of Texas. What would you say would be George W. Bush's weaknesses?

SLATER: You know, there are two or three areas that could be weaknesses. Let me mention one. One of the things that is not being talked about very much: The experience that the Governor had in Texas with the Democrats was largely successful. He was very favorably exposed to deal with them and they with him. Where he ran into trouble time and time again was with members of his own party. It was the Republicans, especially in the Texas Senate, who doomed his tax plan in 1997, which was the most significant, bold initiative of his entire administration as governor.

It were Republicans, Christian conservatives -- religious conservatives on the board of education who caused problems for him and bedeviled his administration throughout. The governor himself may find himself moderately successful in dealing with moderate Democrats in the Congress. But if he does so, the question is: Will he have caused a problem for himself with Republicans in the Congress?

The social conservatives and very conservative Republicans here in Texas can be tough people to deal with here in Texas. And, as we have watched here in Congress, they can be very, very difficult.

BATTISTA: I got to take a quick break. As we do, some e-mails: David in Massachusetts says: "If you think that there will be peace and harmony now that the election is over, you have another think coming. The power struggle has just begun."

George in California says, "Al Gore was dignified and gracious in the face of what was a great injustice to him. Last night, he showed us that he would have been a fine president."

We'll take a break and be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have discussed our differences. Now it is time to find common ground and build consensus to make America a beacon of opportunity in the 21st century. I'm optimistic this can happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Let me take a look at one more sound bite from Governor Bush's speech last night before we continue here. Let's roll that one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Our nation must rise above a house divided. Americans share hopes and goals and values far more important than any political disagreements. Republicans want the best for our nation. And so do Democrats. Our votes may differ, but not our hopes. I know America wants reconciliation and unity. I know Americans want progress. And we must seize this moment and deliver.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Before I bring Melanie and Katherine back in here, let me ask Wayne if you think that President-elect Bush is in inclined, or will make it a priority to address the issues that are of a concern to African-American voters, as well as some Democratic voters across the board. SLATER: I have to say that the governor's position throughout has not -- the way that he talks about things, is not to divide them and to say: African-American voters have different issues. His position throughout -- and this is what he's talked about -- is that when you improve the economy for everybody, you improve the economy for everybody. The governor himself got in trouble in the campaign, as you remember, on the hate-crimes issue.

He opposed the hate-crimes bill in Texas, one that would have made the bill stronger, and caught a lot of heat for that. After all, this is a state where, in Jasper, Texas, a man was dragged do his death. At the same time, the governor has been very, very bullish throughout his administration -- and I think we are going to see that with the appointments in the days ahead to the Cabinet and others -- in trying to bring African-Americans and Latinos into his inner circle and as part of his government and part of his administration.

I think that he is sensitive to this issue. But I think that could be a problem for him.

BATTISTA: Let me go to the audience quickly.

Greg, your thoughts?

GREG: Yes, it was discussed earlier that President-elect Bush had some strong -- he felt that he was strong in dealing with people. He was confident. His techniques of cigar-smoking and fishing trips -- I feel that, while in office on Capitol Hill, it's going to be very different. I feel that because, in Texas, I feel that government is very different than in Washington, D.C.

BATTISTA: Melanie and Katherine, let me ask you if -- I am losing my train of thought here now. But -- oh, yes. What would be the smarter move on the president-elect's agenda, shall we say? I mean, in other words, when he gets into office, he starts working with Congress -- which will be difficult, as we know -- but does he try to accomplish something like tax cuts first, or does he try to tackle something like election reform, which is very fresh in people's minds?

And we know, of course, John McCain is going to be putting campaign finance reform right at the top of the agenda. Which direction does he go that would best behoove him?

CAMPBELL: Well, I think that he should reach out to the congressional Black Caucus. We have leaders on the Hill, who are Congressman Rangel, Congressman Conyers. Those folks on the Hill are there. They know that the agenda for the African-American community and the community as a whole.

And so I think, as he reaches out to all of the Congress persons on the Hill that he should take the time to reach out to the congressional Black Caucus and talk with them about the issues of concern to the African-American community.

BATTISTA: Katherine? LOPEZ: Well, reports today are that one of the first things he's going to tackle is education, which, you know, is an issue with everyone from Hillary Clinton to George Bush. So I think that he's going to try to go for a policy issue like that that everyone can agree on. I think, you know, he will reach out to all of the different coalitions in Congress. But, as Wayne said, he -- he's very big on -- and especially at the time -- not focusing on one particular group, but bringing us all together. That's what last night was about, and I think that's what it's going to continue to be about. So we're not going to see...

BATTISTA: But a lot of people would argue, I think, that election reform is something that affects perhaps every American in light of what we have been through in the last five weeks so. So do you think that is likely to come at the top of the agenda?

LOPEZ: I think, undoubtedly, it will. And whether that comes -- and odds are, as we have heard, you know, John McCain may wind up being the bigger problem before a member of the congressional Black Caucus is, or a Democrat, because -- because, as we know, that's what the primaries were all about. This was a big issue.

So, no, clearly that's going to be out there. But the question is, when we are talking about the election reform -- which we are going to be talking about for a very long time -- are we going to be, you know, Chris Dodd -- who used to be general chairman of the DNC and is now senator from Connecticut still -- is talking about: There is a whiff of larceny in the air.

Jesse Jackson said last night that the election was stolen. We are not going to get anywhere on the issue of election reform or any other issue if we don't stop talking like that. Now, undoubtedly, there are irregularities. There were problems. There are things that we have to look into not just in Florida, but everywhere in the country. You know, in Wisconsin, there were reports -- well-based reports -- that homeless people were given cigarettes by the Democratic Party in Wisconsin so that they would go and vote for Democrats.

BATTISTA: Yes. I...

LOPEZ: There were problems all over the country. So -- so like the name-calling in Florida has to stop before anything can -- we can move on from there.

CAMPBELL: Well, I don't think it's name-calling.

BATTISTA: Melanie, I am sorry, but I got to take a break here, but I will let you respond as soon as we get back. And, as we do, it's time for you to take part in our TALKBACK LIVE "Online Viewer Vote." The question today: Bush and Congress: How long will the honeymoon last: six months, two years, or the entire four years? Cast your vote at cnn.com/talkback.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BATTISTA: I promised to get back to Melanie in just a moment here, but this is our last segment with Wayne Slater, and I did want to ask you a couple of more questions, Wayne. First of all, talk to us a little bit about George Bush's style of governing.

SLATER: You know, as I said, he's an extraordinarily friendly guy. He likes to win with you over and at least make you think that you like him even if you disagree with him ideologically. The other thing about him is that he likes to delegate. That's kind of a cliche, but it's absolutely true.

He surrounds himself with a handful of loyalists, people who have no agenda but that. If you look at his political consultants before this started, he had the political consultant sell his business and work only for George Bush. His media leader move from his business and start up the media business only for George Bush. His chief of staff, his wife was not allowed to lobby, but work only for George Bush. He demands loyalty around you, and then once he gets someone who he believes is loyal and who he trusts, he dispatches that person to handle things.

Again, in George Bush's mind, based on the people I talk with and my experience as watching him, he believes that part of the decision- making process, let's say you're dealing with a tax issue or whatever issue with members of Congress, part of that issue is when he dispatches someone to work with a member of Congress and then to report back and give him the 15-minute summary, and he likes 15-minute -- five, 10, 15 minute summaries -- then he thinks much of his work has been done.

And make no mistake, the governor makes final decisions, but he takes enormous influence from other people who are around him whom he trusts.

BATTISTA: That's what I was going to ask, whether he makes the big decisions or not.

(CROSSTALK)

SLATER: He does.

BATTISTA: Yes -- who will he take with him, do you think, from Texas?

SLATER: You know, there are -- his small, intimate coterie of staffer, the woman named -- a man named Karl Rove and a woman named Karen Hughes will go. His best friend in the world is a guy named Don Evans. I remember going to the Republican National Convention in San Diego, as I recall, and going up to the room and there were Bush and Evans out on the veranda with their feet up on the rail, smoking cigars and just talking about whatever they were talking about. This a guy he feels very comfortable with. He is a confidant, and whatever official role Donny Evans has in the administration, he is nevertheless the insider's in a Bush administration. He's also going to bring a number of Texans. I mean, I look at someone like Charlie Stenholm, a member of Congress, as a potential member of the say -- on the Cabinet for the agricultural commissioner -- agricultural secretary. There are a number of people.

At the same time, he understands that he can't surround himself with a bunch of people from Texas for fear that he looks like that gang that came in from Georgia with Jimmy Carter or to a lesser extent with Bill Clinton. So, he's reaching out. He has a number of friends around the country.

BATTISTA: All right, last question, then. What do you think will be George W. Bush's biggest challenge?

SLATER: I think the biggest challenge that this man will have is something we all know, and that is the ability to turn down the volume in Washington, to actually win over at least some members, moderate members of the House and the Senate -- especially the House -- so that he can accomplish something.

The other challenge is, in that regard, his ability to deal. He largely has had things his way in Texas, moved with people who feel light-minded. He's going to have to understand how to get half a loaf, not just the whole loaf and once he understands that, I think he'll be pretty successful.

BATTISTA: All right, Wayne Slater, thanks very much for joining us. Very interesting, I appreciate your insight into all of this. And let me get Katherine to respond to that challenge question very quickly before we go to break here, whether or not you think he'll be able to do that and then we'll pick up with Melanie after the break in just a second, but what do you think, Katherine?

LOPEZ: Well, I think not only will he be able to do it, he'll have to and it's contingent upon whether members of the House and the Senate are willing to do it, and frankly members of the Senate have no choice. With the split in the Senate, if they're not willing to work with members of the other side, the we're not going to get anything done. And both Houses are looking toward their next elections, and they're not going to want to be accused all -- you know, in both houses, all around the country of causing the stalemate in Washington. So...

(CROSSTALK)

BATTISTA: But on the other hand, the conservative wing of the Republican Party, the Dick Armeys and the Tom DeLays, these sort of people

(AUDIO GAP)

LOPEZ: ... he'll put some Democrats in the cabinet to make the Democrats happy. You know, Floyd Flake might be education secretary; we've heard John Breaux's name tossed about; Sam Nunn, if he were willing, but he sounds like he won't; and then Colin Powell who, just, you know, everyone loves. So, I think all of that will help. I think if he started out, and didn't appoint any Democrats to his cabinet and, you know, threw in a couple of pro-choice Republicans in, you know, in spots where right-wingers would like them, then he's going to have a problem with his party, too.

BATTISTA: All right, we'll take a break here; then we'll revisit the issue of voter disenfranchisement when we come back. You might be surprised at who George W. Bush met with today. We'll tell you right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was upbeat, nicer about it than one who lost in such an unfair way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their speeches were very conciliatory. You know, I think the country wants to move ahead. And both candidates -- you know, both guys can understand where the other one is coming from.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that Bush was the right choice. And I think that it's about time Al finally gave up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's done is done. And what's happened has happened. And, you know, it's time for us to move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Welcome back.

President-elect George W. Bush apparently spent a good part of his morning working the phones. And one of people that he spoke with was the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Reverend Jackson called him, apparently wanting to talk about healing the nation and bringing the country back together. They did talk about election reform. And the governor said he would be happy to meet with Reverend Jackson, and described the call as very gracious.

We were talking just a few minutes ago about the rhetoric that did get rather heated during the last five weeks on the issue of African-American voter disenfranchisement.

And, Melanie, you wanted to respond to that. And it does sound like some of the leaders like Reverend Jackson are toning it down a bit and looking for ways to find concrete answers.

CAMPBELL: I think that one of things we have stop and remember, that you had lot of young people, a lot of first-time voters who were also out there, who went to the voting booth for the first time, so that to discount those people, and say "Well, you didn't know how to use machine, that's your problem," that's not the way that I think this country, anyone wants to look at democracy in this country.

And so it's not, for us, about rhetoric. It's just saying: We are ready to move on, just like everyone else. We are a part of this whole melting pot, just like everyone else. The thing is, if there were things that you found out that were done incorrectly, they just need to be corrected. And so, to me, that's not a dividing issue. And I'm glad to hear that that meeting, that conversation, that dialogue did take place today. I think that's good step in the right direction.

BATTISTA: Let me bring in CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider as well on this.

And, of course, that is just one sensitive issue that the new president is going to have to deal with, Bill. What is going to be like for him going into this office without the popular vote, without a clear mandate and with a deeply divided Congress, and some of the things that are in the wake of this election?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, what is it like to have a honeymoon without a wedding?

BATTISTA: Yes, there you go.

SCHNEIDER: You can you call that an elopement. A lot of people think he eloped with the voters. The fact is, it not going to be as easy as it is for most incoming presidents. You'll get a kind of honeymoon effect. Everyone has good will. A lot of Americans do. But there is about a third of the country who are rather unreconciled to the new president. And it will take some effort to bring them around, which means he is going to have be careful what he does, whom he appoints, what messages he sends.

And I think he got off to a good start last night.

BATTISTA: Does this make him a weakened president? Can you use that word, do you think?

SCHNEIDER: Not necessarily. In other words, if you say, this makes him a weakened president, no. It could if he is not careful. But what he has to do is clearly make his -- stake out claim, make his agenda, not try to interpret this, I think, as a partisan mandate. That would be a mistake, because, look, this country did not give either party a clear mandate in this election. The presidential vote was about as close as you can you get.

Congress is neatly divided. Even in the states, the balance between the state legislatures is closer than it's been in almost 50 years. So there was no mandate here for any particular political party. he has to see that. I think he said that last night. And his job is to define a program, an agenda on issues that everyone cares about, like prescription drug and education, that both parties can rally around.

BATTISTA: And, once again, as we were talking about earlier, there was an issue that came out of the last five weeks that I don't think anybody would have dreamed about six months ago. Let me quickly run a sound bite with Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, when he spoke earlier today with CNN's Frank Sesno. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MAJORITY LEADER: I think that that would be something that Governor George W. Bush, president-elect Bush, might want us to do. And we ought to think about that, because we want to do it while it's fresh on people's minds and while the American people say: There's something that we need to do to do this better. And we might want to look at doing that early, right out the gate, maybe not the first day, but within the first month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Election reform is what he talking about, Bill. Would you that that's at the top of agenda most likely?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I think, most likely, people are a little nervous about the economy right now. And they want to get some reassurance that the country isn't going to slide into a recession. But, yes, they want to see some electoral reform. I mean, this country believes in an old principle: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, you know what? It is broke. And it needs fixing. And we are going to do it.

BATTISTA: What about the people around George Bush that he'll be taking to Washington with him, that he will assign to his Cabinet? His vice president may clearly have more clout than vice presidents of the past. How can they help him with this unification or reconciliation process?

SCHNEIDER: Well, certainly, Dick Cheney is going to be important here because he has experience in Washington. My goodness, he was chief of staff in the White House under President Gerald Ford. He was a member of Congress. He was a member of the Cabinet. So he has a lot of experience to draw on, which George W. Bush really doesn't, except vicariously through his father's administration. His experience is mostly in Texas.

And I'll tell you something: While Texas is a great state, Democrats in Texas are not Democrats in Washington. Democrats in Texas are pretty moderate to conservative, for the most part. So Bush is going to discover, when he comes to Washington, and he has to deal with a Congress that is very closely divided, it's a much tougher task the one he described that he achieved in Texas.

BATTISTA: I got to take a quick break here. And as we do, let's take Debbie on the phone call from Florida. Debbie, go ahead.

(INAUDIBLE)

BATTISTA: All right, Debbie, thanks very much. We will be back in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think George Bush is more experienced in politics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, politically, Bush is a lightweight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Republicans has dealt with the issues in the Middle East much better Democrats in the past.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that the relations with the United States will continue to be a good relationship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Andreas is from Finland.

ANDREAS: Yes. I feel that, even though, America is a house divided, I feel that American politics are not. I think, from a European point of view, there are -- there is a centrist party and maybe a more right-wing party. So I feel that, maybe in six weeks or so, this whole media hype will be blown over and people will forget about this division. I mean, after the holiday season, who will remember this.

BATTISTA: And Gary from England.

GARY: Hello, yes. You were also saying earlier on that people in England think what has been happening about the election is typical of America. You know, it's crazy goings-on. But we're just so happy it's all been resolved.

BATTISTA: Well, speaking of Europe, President Clinton is there, as we know, in Ireland.

And Bill Schneider, let me run another sound bite past you. This was from President Clinton last night after the speeches -- or this morning, I guess, really. And it included a bit of advice for new the president-elect. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I wish president-elect Bush well. Like him, I came to Washington as a governor, eager to work with both Republicans and Democrats. And when we reached across party lines to forge a vital center, America was stronger at home and abroad. The American people, however divided they were in this election, overwhelmingly want us to build on that vital center without rancor or personal attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Bill, the thing about the center is that it seems like you have to be there in order to govern. But it doesn't seem like you accomplish very much when you are you there.

SCHNEIDER: Well, it really depends on what the circumstances are. If there is a time of crisis in the country, as there was when Clinton came in as president, then you can accomplish a great deal. You know, the opportunity is really given by the circumstances. I think the president is trying to argue here that he created a new consensus in American politics, which, in a way, he did. He brought Americans together around economic policy.

And he hopes the new president will follow and continue to maintain that consensus. There is every indication that Bush generally will. The problem is, Clinton divided the country, not on economic policy, but on values. And there was a big division. And that has been at the heart of the impeachment controversy, and now at the heart of the controversy over the Florida recount.

BATTISTA: There always seems to be a reason for this country to be divided in one way, shape or form.

SCHNEIDER: That is right.

BATTISTA: Lest we forget about Al Gore too quickly, how do you think that the vice president's speech last night and his meeting on Tuesday with president-elect Bush will help heal the nation?

SCHNEIDER: Well, it's very important that he send a signal that he regards Bush, and his supporters should regard Bush as the legitimate president. This is one country, with one president. He's Gore's president. He's the Democrats, as well as the Republicans' president. Bush did what he could last night when he said: I intend to be president not of the party, but of the entire country. And I am going to govern as if everyone voted for me. He's not -- he knows that he doesn't have a partisan mandate. And it's very important.

The message of the voters was, essentially, they wanted a change of leadership, not a real change of direction in the county. It's not like when Reagan got elected or when Clinton got elected. I think president-elect Bush understand that.

BATTISTA: Speaking of Ronald Reagan, comparisons have been made, after Governor Bush's speech last night, that he was very Reagan- esque. Is that a fair comparison?

SCHNEIDER: I don't think anyone is Reagan-esque except Ronald Reagan. He is president. He was unique. And I'll just stop it at that. I don't think -- I think Clinton is very effective in his way. And Bush, in his much more low-key way, can be a very effective speaker.

BATTISTA: I think, perhaps, it might be a fair comparison to say that he would govern a bit more like Ronald Reagan, would you say?

SCHNEIDER: Reagan was very much an ideological president. And I don't see the quite those same qualities in...

BATTISTA: The Delegation and surrounding himself.

SCHNEIDER: Oh, the delegation style?

BATTISTA: Yes. Yes.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. You are quite right, Bobbie. George Bush is -- the best thing you can say about George Bush is the thing that people often said about Ronald Reagan: psychologically secure, comfortable in his own skin, able to delegate without feeling threatened. That's very important in a president.

I have been observing politics for 30 or 40 years. And if I had to name one quality that Americans should look for in a president, it's a sense of psychological security. I think Bush had it. I think Reagan had it. Some presidents who didn't do so well did not have that quality.

BATTISTA: All right, Bill Schneider, thanks very much for helping us out today. We really appreciate it.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

BATTISTA: A couple of e-mails before we go to break here. Kay in Wisconsin: "If the rest of country works half as hard as President- elect Bush will to unite our country, we will be just fine. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem."

Melissa in Georgia: "It's insulting that our politicians are trying to smooth over the disenfranchisement of not only black Americans, but all Americans. We won't get over this so quickly."

And we will go to the audience when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BATTISTA: OK, to the audience and Dan first.

DAN: Yes, I believe George Bush can and will pull the country together. His strongest point is his ability to delegate and a good example of that is choosing Dick Cheney as vice president. America gets its strength from its diversity and I think people if they're open-mined will be pleasantly surprised at George Bush's Cabinet selections and his ability to pull people together and get things done.

BATTISTA: And Rich, who's from Texas who has some concerns.

RICH: I'm kind of concerned about the idea of a presidency by memo, and that is if the president-elect is saying to us that he takes these reports in 15-minute increments and makes decisions on things like education, I feel those things deserve more study and I think the presidency is a position where you have to be a student of history and what's happening in the world versus delegating these decisions to people who may have different agendas we didn't vote for. So, my concern is that he needs to be an active participant in learning and be an activist when he makes decisions on those policies.

BATTISTA: Melanie and Katherine, after hearing all this in the last hour or so, what would you say is the first thing that President- Elect Bush needs to do in order to show the American people or give them that sense that we're back on track -- Katherine.

LOPEZ: Well, I think the first thing he needs to do is do what he's doing. You know, as a candidate for president, conservative Republican, he spoke to the NAACP and shocked everybody. That's the kind of leader he's got to be, reaching out to everybody.

The next week Dick Cheney's going to meet with Joe Lieberman. Bush is going to meet with Al Gore. That's the kind of things people are going to want to see. And as for the first legislative thing on the agenda, he's got to work with Congress to figure out what that's going to be and I think that style of governing is going to be key for him.

BATTISTA: OK, Melanie.

CAMPBELL: I think that President-Elect Bush should reach across the aisle the way he's doing. I think that he should acknowledge the fact that there should be election reform in the country to be a uniting force. I think that would be step in right direction and to also not just talk to people, but also listen to hear about issues of concern to all Americans so that it's not just about the people who voted for you, but that you're speaking on behalf of all Americans.

BATTISTA: All right, Melanie Campbell and Katherine Jean Lopez thank you both very much for joining us.

LOPEZ: Thank you.

BATTISTA: As we leave you, we take a quick look at our poll. The question today was -- what was the question? Oh, how long will the honeymoon last? Six months, most of you say -- 65 percent. We're out of time. Our guests tomorrow are some of our CNN anchors and reporters who covered this five-week long election deadlock for days on end. It'll be your chance to talk to some of them, including our own Bill Hemmer, who I think is practically a Floridian by now.

So join us tomorrow at 3:00. We'll see you then.

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