>>> PRESIDENTS RARELY ENDORSE IN THEIR OWN PARTIES, PRESIDENTIAL
PRIMARIES BUT IT COULD FEEL
DIFFERENT WHEN THAT IS THE
PERSON’S RUNNING MATE AND WHEN
IT WITTELS DOWN TO ONE OPPONENT
WHO ISN’T EVEN A LONG-STANDING
MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
NOW, OBAMA DID A FAMOUSLY HIGH
POWERED JOINT INTERVIEW IN HER
PREPRIMARY PERIOD.
PREPRIMARY PERIOD. THE WHITE HOUSE, AT THE TIME
PLAYED THAT DOWN BUT THE
NEUTRALITY OF PRESIDENT OBAMA IS
VERY NOTICEABLE RIGHT NOW.
WE’RE HEARING FROM BIDEN FANS
WHO WOULD LOVE OBAMA TO SAY
SOMETHING PUBLICLY EVEN IF HE
DOESN’T FORMALLY ENDORSE.
AND THEY TOLD US IT’S THE EXACT
OPPOSITE OF HOW OBAMA VIEWS HIS
INFLUENCE AND A THUMB WOULD ONLY
BACKFIRE.
BACKFIRE. WITH SANDERS SUPPORTERS
DEMANDING AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD.
THAT IS THE CONTEXT FOR A NEW
SANDERS’ CAMPAIGN STRATEGY.
WHICH RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHICH CANDIDATES GET TO INVOKE
OBAMA’S LEGACY, WHICH RACHEL
RAISED IN HER INTERVIEW LAST
NIGHT.
NIGHT. >> YOU HAVE A NEW AD OF
PRESIDENT OBAMA PRAISING YOU IN
THE PAST.
THE PAST. IS PRESIDENT OBAMA PART OF THE
DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT?
DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT? >> I’M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU
HE’S MY BEST FRIEND BUT I TALK
TO HIM EVERY NOW AND THEN AND I
HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR HIM.
>> WASHINGTON DEMOCRATS AREN’T
REALLY BUYING THIS LINE AND
ARGUE RUNNING AGAINST THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY ITSELF INCLUDES
RUNNING AGAINST ITS MOST RECENT
AND POPULAR LEADER.
SANDERS ALSO REVEALED A
CONVERSATION HE HAD WITH THE
FORMER PRESIDENT.
FORMER PRESIDENT. >> HE SAID YOU KNOW WHAT,
BERNIE, I’M NOT GOING TO GET
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED. AND HE KEPT HIS WORD.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE OTHER
DAY -- I THINK BIDEN REACHED OUT
AND HE SAID NO, I THINK I’LL BE
MORE EFFECTIVE IN SUPPORTING THE
EVENTUAL WINNER AND NOT GETTING
INVOLVED EARLY ON.
I KNOW THERE’S ENORMOUS PRESSURE
ON HIM TO SUPPORT BIDEN AND THE
FACT HE’S NOT DOING THAT MAKES
ME RESPECT HIM EVEN MORE.
>> NOT GETTING INVOLVED EARLY
ON, IT APPEARS OBAMA WASN’T, AT
LEAST NOT PUBLICLY.
LATELY THERE ARE CLUES HE MAY BE
GETTING MORE INVOLVED.
HIDDEN HAND WORK, NOTING TO SOME
HE SEES BIDEN AS THE CANDIDATE
TO BACK AND TOOK THE TIME TALK
TO BUTTIGIEG AND DISCUSS A
POTENTIAL BIDEN ENDORSEMENT WE
READ AS BEING SUPPORTIVE WITHOUT
TELLING BUTTIGIEG WHAT TO DO AND
OBAMA SPEAKING TO BIDEN AFTER
SOUTH CAROLINA.
SOUTH CAROLINA. ALL OF THIS ADDS UP TO OBAMA
BEING SOMEWHAT INVOLVED WHILE
WALKING A SUBTLE LINE.
THE FACT SANDERS AND BIDEN ARE
CREDITING OBAMA AS HE DOES THIS
AND SEEKING HIS SUPPORT IS A
REINFORCEMENT OF THE DEFT
POLITICAL TOUCH AND OBVIOUS GOOD
WILL HE RETAINS IN THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY. >> GEORGE W. BUSH FOUND HIMSELF
BLASTED IN THE PRIMARIES OF
2016.
2016. IN SOME WAYS THE BASE HAS MOVED
TO THE LEFT OF HIM ON ISSUES.
BUT IS THIS THE APPROACH RIGHT
NOW OR IN A TWO-PERSON RACE, IS
IT TIME FOR OBAMA TO MAKE HIS
VIEWS MORE PUBLICLY CLEAR?
WE TAKE THAT QUESTION TO STEVEN
PHILLIPS WHO FOUNDED "DEMOCRACY
IN COLOR" WHICH FOCUSES ON RACE
AND POLITICS.
AND POLITICS. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I DON’T THINK HE SHOULD PUT
HIS THUM OBTHE SCALE AND DON’T
THINK IT WOULD BE EFFECTIVE.
HE’S THE MOST INFLUENTIAL
DEMOCRAT AND INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
IN THE COUNTRY.
HIS ROLE IS GOING TO BE TO UNIFY
THE ENTIRE PARTY AND REALLY
ENTIRE PART OF THE COUNTRY THAT
WANTS TO GET BACK ON TRACK.
SO, FOR HIM TO COME IN TOO SOON
I THINK WOULD BLUNT HIS ULTIMATE
INFLUENCE.
INFLUENCE. AND I THINK THAT WOULD NOT BE A
WIEDS TACTICAL MOVE.
>> YOU’RE SPEAKING TO HOW HE
DOES IT.
DOES IT. SANDERS ELUDED TO THE FACT HE’S
KNOWN TO PREFER THE PERSON HE
APPOINTED AS VICE PRESIDENT OVER
SOMEONE WHO HASN’T BEEN IN THE
PARTY.
PARTY. TAKE A LOOK.
>> BERNIE IS SOMEBODY WHO HAS
THE VIRTUE OF SAYING EXACTLY
WHAT HE MEANS, GREAT
AUTHENTICITY.
AUTHENTICITY. >> THEY WANT SOMEBODY WHO’S
GOING TO FIGHT FOR THEM AND THEY
WILL FIND IT IN BERNIE.
FEEL THE BURN.
>> I’M BERNIE SANDERS AND I
APPROVE THIS MESSAGE.
>> NEAL BURN.
YOUR THOUGHTS.
YOUR THOUGHTS. >> YEAH, NO.
ILITIES RR AMUSING AT SOME
LEVEL.
LEVEL. AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE
AND IT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE HAVE
TO COME TO TERMS WITH IS THE
GENERATIONAL ENTHUSIASM PLAYING
OUT IN THIS RACE.
AND THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT THAT
BERNIE IS GETTING FROM YOUNGER
VOTERS ACROSS ALL RACES IS
PHENOMENAL.
PHENOMENAL. IT WOULD BE NOT WISE AT ALL TO
BE TRYING TO DO ANYTHING THAT
WOULD ALIEN ATE THE GROUPING
PREMATURELY.
PREMATURELY. AND AT THE SAME TIME HE DOESN’T
NEED BIDEN’S ENDORSEMENT.
THAT HE WAS THE VICE PRESIDENT
OF THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. THOSE SEND A STRONG MESSAGE ON
WHO HAVE VOTE WHOOD HAVE PUT
BIDEN IN FIRST PLACE.
HE DOESN’T NEED MUCH MORE TO
MOVE THIS THING FORWARD FOR HIM.
>> YOU JUST PUT IT IN A WAY MORE
BLUNTLY THAN JOE BIDEN HAS.
YOU’RE SAYING AN ENDORSEMENT IS
A ONE APPEARANCE A DAYTIME
EVENT.
EVENT. THE ULTIMATE LONGNER DORSEMENT
WAS PUTTING YOU A HEARTBEAT FROM
THE PRESIDENCY.
THE PRESIDENCY. BARACK OBAMA KNOWS HOW TO ROAST,
SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY HAVE
FORGOTTEN.
FORGOTTEN. A LOT OF THEM WORK.
HERE HE WAS HAVING FUN WITH
BERNIE SANDERS AT COMEDY
APPEARANCE IN WASHINGTON.
TAKE LOOK.
TAKE LOOK. >> I AM HURT THOUGH, BERNIE,
THAT YOU’VE BEEN DISTANCING
YOURSELF A LITTLE FROM ME.
I MEAN, THAT’S JUST NOT
SOMETHING YOU DO TO YOUR
COMRADE.
COMRADE. >> THERE IS THIS PART OF IT, I
WONDER -- AND AS MY FINAL
QUESTION TO YOU.
A LOT OF WASHINGTON DEMOCRATS,
WHETHER RIGHT OR WRONG, DIDN’T
TAKE SANDERS SERIOUSLY FOR A
LONG TIME.
LONG TIME. WEEBL COVERED THE SERIOUS
SUPPORT HE HAD A HAS AND PEOPLE
WHO BELIEVE IN HIM AND HIS
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. SANDERS IS NOW CLAIMING HE’S
SIDING WITH OBAMA.
WE DON’T HAVE EVIDENCE THEY WERE
ALL THAT TIGHT BACK THEN.
>> NO, WE DON’T.
AND DON’T THIK IT’S JUST A
QUESTION OF THE RELATIONSHIP.
IT’S WHAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO
THE PARTS OF THE COALITION THAT
PUT OBAMA INTO OFFICE.
AND BIDEN HAS VERY STRONG
SUPPORT AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICANS
AND PEOPLE CANNOT DISMISS BERNIE
HAS DONE WELL LATINOS AND
YOUNGER PEOPLE.
YOUNGER PEOPLE. SO, FOR DEMOCRATS TO WIN, ALL OF
THAT IS GOING TO HAVE TO COME
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. BERNIE AND BIDEN HAVE DIFFERENT
PARTS OF THE OBAMA COALITION AND
THAT’S GOT TO GET UNIFIED TO WIN
IN NOVEMBER.
IN NOVEMBER. >> REALLY INTERESTING POINT AND
YOU’RE SPEAKING ABOUT HOW YOU
COMPETE WHILE SHOWING RESPECT,
WHICH IS A FIECHER OF MOST
SUCCESSFUL PRIMARIES.
SUCCESSFUL PRIMARIES. CAN I GIVE A SHOUTOUT TO YOUR
PODCAST?
PODCAST? >> NEW EPISODE DROPPING.