Princeton Prof.: What Georgia Results Reveal About America

AND I JUST WONDERED IF YOU COULD TAKE WHAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING WITH THE MAYOR OF ATLANTA AND PERHAPS-- I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON CERTAINLY REVEREND RAPHAEL WARNOCK'S HISTORIC WIN.

WELL, YOU KNOW, I KNOW RAPHAEL VERY WELL.

WE WENT TO MOOREHOUSE COLLEGE TOGETHER IN ATLANTA.

THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN GEORGIA OR WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE FULL LIGHT OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS THAT IN SOME WAY ARE CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF GEORGIA POLITICS.

THINK ABOUT IT, COBB COUNTY PRODUCED NEWT GRING RICH, WHO GAVE US THE SOCIAL CONTRACT, THE NEW CONTRACT WITH AMERICA.

IN 1992, BILL CLINTON AND SENATOR SAM NUNN, STOOD BEFORE STONE MOUNTAIN AND THE ROWS OF BLACK PRISONERS, AND IN SOME WAYS ANNOUNCED THE NEW WAY, THE NEW DEMOCRATS AS IT WERE.

AND NOW YOU HAVE A NEW GEORGIA, NOT A CAB COUNTY THAT WOULD PRODUCE A NEWT GINGRICH, WOULD VOTE FOR RAPHAEL WARNOCK, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN CANDIDATE IN SOME WAYS-- NOT IN SOME WAYS, WHO IS.

WHAT WE ARE SEEING I THINK ARE THE EFFECTS OF NOT ONLY THE DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS, ASIAN PACIFIC, A.P.I., A RANGE OF FOLKS.

DEMOGRAPHICS ARE DESTINY, CHRISTIANE, BUT THEY CERTAINLY MATTER, AND WE SAW THAT LAST NIGHT.

Amanpour: I WANT TO ASK YOU, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE CERTAINLY IN GEORGIA, AND MAYBE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, YOU KNOW, AT ONE POINT, THERE WAS SOME QUESTION ABOUT WHAT THE TURNOUT WOULD BE, AND WE ALL HAVE HEARD AND WE'VE ALL FOLLOWED AND REPORTED ON THE INCREDIBLE EFFORTS OF STACY ABRAMS IN GEORGIA TO BRING OUT THE VOTE, NOT ONLY IN HER OWN STATE BUT TO REALLY MAKE THAT HER LIFE'S WORK.

REFLECT ON THAT AND WHAT BROUGHT OUT SUCH HUGE TURNOUT IN THE PRESIDENTIAL AND, YOU KNOW, ODDLY, IN THESE RUNOFFS, WHICH HISTORICALLY HAVE A MUCH LOWER TURNOUT.

I THINK GENERALLY THERE WAS A SENSE ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT AMERICAN DEMOCRACY WAS ON THE BALLOT, THAT THE STAKES WERE HIGH.

AND IT'S ALSO THE CONTEXT OF THIS BROADER RACIAL RECKONING.

FOUR YEARS OF MENDACITY, OF INCOMPETENCE AND CORRUPTION, THAT LED MANY FOLK ACROSS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS ELECTION WAS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT IN THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY, AT LEAST FOR US.

I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT ON-THE-GROUND ORGANIZERS, NOT ONLY STACY ABRAMS, FAIR FIGHT, BUT WE THINK ABOUT BLACK VOTERS MATTER, WITH LATISHA BROWN OTHER ANDS.

WE THINK ABOUT NEW GEORGIA PROJECT, YOU THINK ABOUT HELEN BUTLER AND THE COALITION, GEORGIA COALITION OF PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE.

YOU THINK ABOUT PROJECT SOUTH.

ALL OF THESE FOLKS WERE ON THE GROUND DOING WORK.