>>> IT IS 35 PAST THE HOUR. WELCOME BACK TO "MORNING JOE,"
ALONG WITH WILLIE, JOE AND ME,
JOINING US NOW, DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FORMER
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG OF SOUTH
BEND, INDIANA.
BEND, INDIANA. GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK ON THE
SHOW ON THIS MONDAY MORNING.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> MAYOR PETE, I WONDER, I WILL
START WITH A QUESTION ABOUT THE
FUND-RAISING EMAIL I AM LOOKING
AT THAT CAME FROM YOUR CAMPAIGN,
FROM YOUR DEPUTY CAMPAIGN
MANAGER, WHICH SAYS A LOT OF
THINGS, BUT ALSO THIS.
BERNIE SANDERS PERFORMS THE
WORST AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP
COMPARED TO ALL MAJOR
CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. I GUESS MY QUESTION TO YOU IS
HOW SO?
HOW SO? >> WELL, WE’VE SEEN POLLING DATA
COME BACK SHOWING THAT I WOULD
BE THE BEST CANDIDATE TO TAKE ON
DONALD TRUMP, AND I THINK ONE OF
THE THINGS MANY VOTERS I HAVE
ENCOUNTERED ON THE TRAIL HAVE IN
COMMON.
COMMON. BY THE WAY, NOT JUST TRUE BLUE
DEMOCRATS, BUT INDEPENDENTS AND
REPUBLICANS SICK OF THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. ONE THING IN COMMON THE
IMPORTANCE F DEFEATING THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. IT IS NOT JUST IDEOLOGY, IT IS A
LOT OF THINGS.
WHAT WE KNOW FOR SURE, WE ARE
NOT GOING TO BEAT DONALD TRUMP
BY RECYCLING THE SAME POLITICAL
MIND-SET THAT BROUGHT US TO THIS
POINT, WHAT I AM OFFERING IS
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
AND I AM INSISTING WHAT IT TAKES
TO GOVERN IS ALSO WHAT IT IS
GOING TO TAKE TO WIN.
I AM THE BEST CANDIDATE TO TURN
THE PAGE, MOVE US INTO A
DIFFERENT FUTURE.
DIFFERENT FUTURE. THAT’S SUCH A PRIORITY RIGHT
NOW, KNOWING THAT THIS IS OUR
ONE SHOT, OUR ONLY SHOT TO
DEFEAT THIS PRESIDENT.
>> MAYOR BUTTIGIEG, TALKING
ABOUT POLLING THAT HAS A TIGHT
CLUSTER FROM POLL TO POLL,
BETWEEN SANDERS, BIDEN, YOU,
ELIZABETH WARREN THERE TOO.
IT COULD BE ANY FOUR OF YOU, AMY
KLOBUCHAR HAD ONE GOOD POLL
YESTERDAY AS WELL.
WHAT’S THE SEPARATION POINT FOR
YOU.
YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN IN IOWA A LOT,
TALKED TO PEOPLE, BEEN TO VFW
HALLS.
HALLS. WHAT WILL SEPARATE YOU, A YOUNG
MAYOR FROM SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
FROM SENATOR SANDERS OR SOMEONE
ESTABLISHED AS FORMER VICE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?
>> WELL, I THINK AGAIN IT IS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TURN THE PAGE AND
IT IS THE IMPERATIVE TO WIN.
REMEMBER, IN THE LAST HALF
CENTURY EVERY TIME THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAPTURED THE
WHITE HOUSE, CERTAIN THINGS HAVE
BEEN TRUE ABOUT THE NOMINEE,
WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
WITHOUT EXCEPTION. IT HAS BEEN SOMEBODY WHO IS NEW
ON THE NATIONAL SCENE, HASN’T
RUN FOR PRESIDENT BEFORE, DOES
NOT HAVE AN OFFICE IN WASHINGTON
OR HASN’T HAD IT FOR VERY LONG,
IS OPENING THE DOOR TO A NEW
GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP.
THAT’S BEEN TRUE 100% OF THE
TIME WHEN WE HAVE WON.
WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT TO
BE SURE WE DEFEAT DONALD TRUMP.
AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT THAT,
THAT MEANS TURNING THE PAGE,
MOVING TO THE FUTURE FOR THE
PURPOSE OF GOVERNING IS NOT ONLY
COMPATIBLE WITH WINNING, IT IS
THE BEST STRATEGY.
MY JOB OVER THE NEXT WEEK IS TO
GET THAT MESSAGE OUT, SO WE’RE
GOING TO CONTINUE HAVING THOSE
ENCOUNTERS WITH VOTERS, WE’RE ON
THE AIR WAVES, ORGANIZERS,
VOLUNTEERS ARE POUNDING THE
GROUND.
GROUND. I ALSO VERY MUCH NEED A
FUND-RAISING SURGE TO BE SURE WE
CAN POWER THROUGH.
IF SOMEBODY IS INTERESTED OR
SUPPORTIVE OF THAT VISION AND
WANTS TO MAKE SURE WE WIN,
COUNTING ON THEM TO GO TO PETE
FOR AMERICA.COM AND CHIP IN.
>> MAYOR PETE, DONNY DEUTSCHE.
GREAT TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN.
WE ARE TALKING BACKDROP AGAINST
THE IMPEACHMENT, LOOKS LIKE HE
WILL BE ACQUITTED.
HOW DO YOU KNOW KNOWING THAT’S
NOT KITCHEN TABLE ISSUES FOR
VOTERS, YET AT THE SAME TIME WE
HAVE A CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
WHO WILL GET AWAY ALMOST WITH
MURDER BUT CERTAINLY WITH
ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR.
ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR. HOW DO YOU THREAD THE NEEDLE,
NOT WALK FROM IT, NOT OVERPLAY
IT AND MAKE IT RELEVANT TO
VOTERS?
VOTERS? >> I RARELY GET QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS.
I DON’T THINK IT IS BECAUSE
PEOPLE DON’T CARE, I THINK
BECAUSE OF THE SENSE CREATED BY
THE SENATE GOP IT IS A FOREGONE
CONCLUSION, ALMOST DESIGNED TO
MAKE US FEEL DISEMPOWERED.
IT IS DISSPIRITING TO SEE THIS
IS NOT GOING TO BE A TRIAL WITH
WITNESSES OR EVIDENCE, AT LEAST
IF THE SENATORS GET THEIR WAY,
AND THEY SEEM TO BE SENDING A
MESSAGE TO US THAT WE HAVE TO
ACCEPT IT.
ACCEPT IT. THE GOOD NEWS IS WE CAN TAKE
THAT VERY FRUSTRATION OF
WATCHING THAT PROCESS AND TURN
IT INTO A KIND OF ENERGY ON THE
GROUND BECAUSE THE THING ABOUT
BEING ALIVE IN 2020 AND ELIGIBLE
TO VOTE MEANS AT THE END OF THE
DAY WE HAVE A SAY ON THIS.
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS ON THE
FLOOR OF THE SENATE, BEGINNING
WITH THE IOWA CAUCUS, THIS IS A
CHANCE TO SEND A MESSAGE THAT
THAT WON’T BE TOLERATED, THAT IT
IS NOT OKAY TO LIE OR CHEAT OR
TO INVOLVE A FOREIGN COUNTRY IN
YOUR DOMESTIC POLITICAL
PURPOSES, AND THAT’S SOMETHING
THAT MOST AMERICANS ABSOLUTELY
GET.
GET. IT IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY CASES