AND I’M SO HAPPY TO BE BACK HERE WITH YOU THIS EVENING.
>> SO THAT’S WHEN THE NOTION,
THE QUESTION OF AGE WAS INJECTED
INTO TONIGHT’S DEBATE.
AND STEVE KORNACKI HAS BEEN
GATHERING ON SAID FACTS.
>> IN THIS CAMPAIGN, THIS
DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN REALLY IS AN
INTERESTING TEST WHEN IT COMES
TO AGE AND THINGS WE HAVEN’T
REALLY TESTED BEFORE, THE THREE
LEADING DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
YOU SAW BERNIE SANDERS THERE.
JOE BIDEN, ELIZABETH WARREN, THE
TOP THREE IN POLLING, ALL WOULD
BE OVER 70 YEARS OLD ON
INAUGURATION DAY IF THEY WERE
SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT AND TWO OF
THEM IF THEY SERVED OUT THEIR
FIRST TERM AS PRESIDENT, SANDERS
AND BIDEN, WOULD BE OVER 80
YEARS OLD.
YEARS OLD. THIS COUNTRY’S NEVER HAD A
PRESIDENT OVER 80 YEARS OLD.
IT’S A QUESTION HOW MUCH IS THIS
ON THE MIND OF DEMOCRATIC
VOTERS.
VOTERS. WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY THINK OF
AGE AS AN ISSUE?
SOME NEW POLLING DATA WE CAN
SHOW YOU.
SHOW YOU. IT’S NOT QUITE A NATIONAL POLL.
THIS IS FROM ALL THE EARLY
STATES.
STATES. ABOUT 18 DIFFERENT STATES.
IT’S A PRETTY BROAD MIX.
THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD POLL HERE
TO LOOK AT ON THIS QUESTION.
SO START WITH ELIZABETH WARREN.
SHE WOULD BE 71 YEARS OLD ON
INAUGURATION DAY IF SHE’S SWORN
IN.
IN. DEMOCRATIC VOTERS WERE ASKED IS
HA TOO OLD?
HOW MANY SAID SO?
4% SAID ELIZABETH WARREN AT 71
WOULD BE TOO OLD.
HOW ABOUT THE NEXT DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE?
CANDIDATE? CONSIDERABLY OLDER.
CONSIDERABLY OLDER. HE’D BE 78 ON INAUGURATION DAY.
REMEMBER, THE OLDEST PRESIDENT
IN HISTORY SO FAR, RONALD REAGAN
WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS SHY OF 78
WHEN HE LEFT OFFICE.
BIDEN WOULD COME IN AT 78.
HOW MANY DEMOCRATS SAY THAT IS
TOO OLD?
TOO OLD? LOOK AT THAT NUMBER JUMPS TO
28%.
28%. MORE THAN 1 OUT OF 4.
AND THEN OF COURSE BERNIE
SANDERS IS OLDER STILL.
79 YEARS OLD ON INAUGURATION
DAY.
DAY. AND COMING OFF THIS HEART
ATTACK, THIS POLL WAS CONDUCTED
AFTER THAT.
AFTER THAT. HOW MANY SAY THAT BERNIE SANDERS
IS TOO OLD?
THAT NUMBER CLIMBS ALL THE WAY
TO 43%.
TO 43%. AGAIN, THIS IS DEMOCRATS IN THE
EARLY STAGE.
EARLY STAGE. NOW, HERE’S THE INTERESTING
THING.
THING. IF YOU LOOK AT BIDEN AND YOU
LOOK AT SANDERS WHERE THOSE
NUMBERS ARE HIGH AMONG DEMOCRATS
AND TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER AND
YOU ASK DEMOCRATS WHAT
SPECIFICALLY IS IT ABOUT THEIR
AGE TO GIVES YOU PAUSE ABOUT
THEM?
THEM? THIS IS SOMEWHAT INTERESTING.
WHEN IT COMES TO BIDEN THE
DEMOCRATS WHO SAY THEY DO THINK
HE’S TOO OLD, WHY IS HE TOO
SNOELD ABOUT 36% SAY BECAUSE HIS
AGE WOULD MAKE IT TOO DIFFICULT
FOR HIM TO DO THE JOB.
54% SAY HIS AGE JUST MAKES HIM
OUT OF TOUCH.
10% SAY HE’S BEEN IN POLITICS
TOO LONG.
TOO LONG. HOW ABOUT FOR BERNIE SANDERS?
VERY DIFFERENT, ACTUALLY.
VERY DIFFERENT REACTION.
TOO DIFFICULT TO DO THE JOB, 82%
WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT BERNIE
SANDERS’ AGE SAY THAT IS THEIR
SPECIFIC CONCERN ABOUT HIS AGE.
ONLY 10%, LOOK, COMPARED TO 54%,
SAY HE’S OUT OF TOUCH.
8% SAY HE’S BEEN IN TOO LONG.
JUST A VERY INTERESTING
SITUATION.
SITUATION. I CAN’T THEY’VE A SINGLE RACE
FOR PRESIDENT IN EITHER PARTY
WHERE THE THREE FRONT-RUNNERS
WERE ALL OVER 70 YEARS OLD.
AND YOU CAN SEE THERE’S SOME
VERY DIFFERENT ATTITUDES AMONG
DEMOCRATS WHEN IT COMES TO THESE
CANDIDATES AND THEIR AGES.
>> FASCINATING STUFF AS ALWAYS.
STEVE, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND NICOLLE, WE’VE TALKED ABOUT
THIS, THAT IT’S A FINE LINE
BETWEEN STRAIGHT UP AGEISM AND
THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED
TO ASK BECAUSE WE ARE THE
CONSUMERS HERE.
CONSUMERS HERE. O’
O’ >> YEAH, I WORKED FOR A
CANDIDATE WHO WAS A CANCER
SURVIVOR.
SURVIVOR. JOHN McCAIN.
JOHN McCAIN. HE WAS A CANCER SURVIVOR, SKIN
CANCER.
CANCER. THERE WERE A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT HIS AGE AND HIS HEALTH.
IT WAS A DIFFERENT TIME.
WE DISCLOSED EVERYTHING.
SANJAY GUPTA CAME DOWN TO
ARIZONA.
ARIZONA. WE WENT THROUGH -- JUST A
TOTALLY DIFFERENT TIME.
DONALD TRUMP BASICALLY TURNED
THE WHITE HOUSE DOCTOR INTO A
SHOW AND LIED ABOUT HIS WEIGHT.
WE’RE IN SUCH A DIFFERENT PLACE.
I THINK POLLING ON THIS WILL BE
AN INTERESTING THING TO WATCH
BECAUSE I THINK WHEN YOU SEE
AMERICAN ALLIES GETTING
SLAUGHTERED IN THE MIDDLE EAST
THE WISDOM CARD BECOMES A MORE
IMPORTANT ONE TO BE ABLE TO PLAY
AND NO ONE GETS TO PLAY IT THE
WAY JOE BIDEN GETS TO PLAY IT.
AND I THINK HIS ANSWER TONIGHT,
I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE
TRANSCRIPT, VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN, IF YOU’RE ELECTED YOU’LL
TURN 80 DURING YOUR FIRST TERM.
LAST MONTH JIMMY CARTER SAID HE
COULD NOT HAVE UNDERTAKEN THE
DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENCY AT 800
YEARS OLD.
YEARS OLD. WHY ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE CAN?
AND BIDEN SAYS BECAUSE I
WATCHED, IT I KNOW WHAT THE
JOB-S I’VE BEEN ENGAGED.
LOOK, ONE OF THE REASONS I’M
RUNNING IS BECAUSE OF MY AGE AND
MY EXPERIENCE.
MY EXPERIENCE. WITH IT COMES WISDOM.
AND IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT
WHOMEVER THE DEMOCRATS SETTLE ON
CAN TAKE TO THE ENTIRE
ELECTORATE
ELECTORATE ELECTORATE, IT’S WISDOM.
>> I JUST PUT A 6 IN FRONT OF MY
AGE.
AGE. I’M BIG ON WISDOM SUDDENLY.
BUT EUGENE, THIS IS IN THE EYE
OF THE BEHOLDER.
>> NO, IT IS.
AND THAT’S WHY THOSE NUMBERS ARE
REALLY, REALLY FASCINATING
BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE’S
LIVED EXPERIENCE OF AGE.
THAT’S WHAT I THINK PEOPLE ARE
BASING THIS ESTIMATION ON.
AND 70 TODAY ISN’T WHAT 70 WAS
70 YEARS AGO.
>> THANK GOD.
>> THANK GOD.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. PEOPLE ARE A LOT HEALTHIER, A
LOT LONGER IN THEIR LIFE.
PEOPLE EXERCISE, PEOPLE EAT
RIGHT.
RIGHT. PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GO ON MUCH
LONGER.
LONGER. BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN PEOPLE
SURVIVE HEART ATTACKS AND GO ON
TO LIVE LONG LIVES.
AND EVERYBODY KNOWS SOMEBODY
WHO’S HAD A HEART ATTACK.
AND SO PEOPLE MAY BE BASING
THEIR VIEW OF BERNIE SANDERS’
ABILITY TO DO THE JOB ON THEIR
EXPERIENCE OF A FRIEND OR
RELATIVE WHO HAD A RECENT HEART
ATTACK.
ATTACK. AND THEY MAY SEE, YOU KNOW,
UNCLE FRED WOULDN’T BE UP TO
THIS IN THAT STATE, HAVING HAD A
RECENT HEART ATTACK.
THAT MAY BE THE WAY PEOPLE ARE
THINKING.
THINKING. BUT I DO THINK FROM PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE IT TOUCHES US ALL.
WE ALL GET OLDER.
>> IT WAS AN ISSUE ON STAGE
BEFORE CNN ASKED IT AS A
QUESTION.
QUESTION. IT’S SOMETHING I THINK EVERYONE
WAS THINKING ABOUT.
>> WELL, AND I THINK MAYBE
BERNIE’S HEART ATTACK SORT OF
BROUGHT IT OUT.
>> IT DID.
IT MADE IT AN ISSUE ISSUE.
>> BUT I THINK THE TRUTH IS THE
TOP THREE CANDIDATES ARE ALL --
THE THREE OLDEST CANDIDATES.
>> AND THE PERSON --
>> THE TOP FOUR CANDIDATES IF
YOU COUNT THE PRESIDENT.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. THEY’D BE RUNNING AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT IN HIS 70s.
>> YOU’VE GOT PRESIDENT THAT IS
OLDER THAN ELIZABETH BUT
SLIGHTLY YOUNGER THAN BIDEN AND
BERNIE.
BERNIE. SO THE TOP FOUR PEOPLE THAT ARE
COMPETING FOR THIS THE MOST
DIFFICULT ABSOLUTE EXHAUSTING
JOB ON THE PLANET ARE ALL IN
THEIR 70s.
THEIR 70s. >> AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU HAVE
A SLATE OF VERY YOUNG
CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. YOU HAVE GABBERT.
YOU HAVE BUTTIGIEG, YOU HAVE
BOOKER, YOU HAVE CASTRO, ALL OF
WHOM COULD CLAIM THE MANTLE OF A
YOUNGER, NEXT GENERATION OF
LEADERSHIP.
LEADERSHIP. AND WHAT I FOUND SO INTERESTING
WHENEVER BUTTIGIEG -- HE INVOKED
IT TWO, MAYBE THREE TIMES
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. WHERE HE SAID GROWING UP I
WATCHED WHAT THEY DID IN
WASHINGTON AND IT DIDN’T WORK.
WHICH IS CLEARLY MEANT TO BE A
GENERATIONAL ARGUMENT.
GENERATIONAL ARGUMENT. BUT YOU ALMOST EXPECT THE PIVOT
THERE TO BE I WATCHED WHAT YOU
DID, IT DIDN’T WORK SO, LET’S
BLOW IT UP.
AND THAT’S NOT IT.
IT’S I WATCHED WHAT YOU DID, IT
DIDN’T WORK, AND SO WE’RE GOING
TO THREAD THE NEEDLE AND TRY TO
ACTUALLY FOCUS ON RESULTS AND
GETTING THINGS DONE RATHER THAN
A PURE IDEOLOGICAL MOLD.