AUTHOR AND DISTINGUISHED
PROFESSOR AT VANDERBILT
UNIVERSITY.
JOHN, I’M NOT EVEN GOING TO ASK
YOU TO COMPARE THIS TO ANY OTHER
TIME IN POLITICAL HISTORY,
BECAUSE THERE ISN’T A
COMPARISON.
AFTER WATCHING LAST NIGHT, WHAT
DOES IT TELL YOU ABOUT WHERE THE
COUNTRY IS RIGHT NOW AND WHAT IS
THIS ELECTION GOING TO SAY ABOUT
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?
>> DEPENDS ON BOTH THE OUTCOME
OF THE ELECTION AND THEN THE
OUTCOME OF THE TRANSFER OF
POWER, WHICH THE PRESIDENT
MISSTATED AS A TRANSITION LAST
NIGHT.
AT THIS POINT, I DON’T THINK JOE
BIDEN IS ON THE BALLOT.
I THINK WE ARE AS A NATION.
ST. AUGUSTA ONCE DEFINED A
NATION AS MULTITUDE OF BEINGS
WHO ARE UNIT BY THE COMMON
OBJECTS OF THEIR LOVE.
WE HAVE A VERY CLEAR CHOICE IN
FIVE WEEKS TO DECIDE WHAT WE
LOVE IN COMMON.
DO WE LOVE DECENCY, DO WE LOVE
DEMOCRACY, DO WE LOVE THE RULE
OF LAW?
AND IF WE DON’T, THEN WE HAVE TO
CONFRONT THAT AND HEAD OFF THAT
CLIFF TOTALLY.
BUT I THINK THAT -- I HAD A
VISCERAL REACTION TO THE WAY THE
PRESIDENT BEHAVED LAST NIGHT.
Ind, HAVING WRITTEN A LOT OF
HEADLINES IN MY LIFE, THAT YOU
CAN’T CAPTURE EVERYTHING, BUT
I’M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED, I
MUST SAY, IN SEEING THE IMAGES
YOU’VE BEEN SHOWING.
IT WASN’T THAT CHAOS REIGNED
LAST NIGHT.
IT WAS THAT DONALD TRUMP’S CHAOS
REIGNED LAST NIGHT.
HE CAUSED THIS.
I DON’T THINK WE SERVE THE
TRUTH, I DON’T THINK WE SERVE
THE COUNTRY VERY WELL BY SOMEHOW
PRETENDING THAT THE PROCESS IS
BROKEN OR THAT IT WAS A DUMPSTER
FIRE.
IF IT WAS A DUMPSTER FIRE, IT
WAS ONE THAT DONALD TRUMP SET.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE HONEST
ABOUT THAT.
>> ERRIN, YOU HAVE A LOT OF
SUBURBANITES OUT THERE WHO SAY
CIVIL UNREST, THESE RIOTS WILL
BE IN YOUR BACKYARD.
LAST NIGHT HE PUSHED JOE BIDEN
AND SAID TELL ME A POLICE GROUP,
LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUP THAT
ENDORSED YOU AND JOE BIDEN
DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING.
IT ALMOST SEEMED LIKE A
CRINGE-WORTHY MOMENT FOR JOE
BIDEN.
HOWEVER, THE TRUTH IS WHAT
MATTERS.
THE PRESIDENT WASN’T EVEN
TELLING THE TRUTH.
HE SAID JUST YESTERDAY THE
SHERIFF OUT IN PORTLAND CALLED
HIM UP, ENDORSED HIM AND
IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE SAW A TWEET
FROM THAT SHERIFF THAT SAID
ABSOLUTELY THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN
AND IT NEVER WILL.
HOW DOES JOE BIDEN COMBAT THIS
WHEN HE HAS THE TRUTH ON HIS
SIDE BUT PEOPLE KEEP HEARING THE
PRESIDENT’S LIES OVER AND OVER?
>> WELL, THAT CERTAINLY IS THE
CHALLENGE, STEPHANIE, FOR JOE
BIDEN.
YOU SAW HIM STRUGGLING MIGHTILY
AGAINST THE DYSFUNCTION THAT WAS
ON FULL DISPLAY LAST NIGHT TO
JON MEACHAM’S POINT THAT THE
PRESIDENT LARGELY MOSTLY
INITIATED THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.
I HAD A COLLEAGUE THAT OBSERVED
AS HELL THAT CHRIS WALLACE HAD
ABOUT AS MUCH CONTROL AT THAT
STAGE AS A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER IN
A CLASSROOM.
JOE BIDEN, WHO WAS REALLY AT HIS
BEST WHEN HE WAS BREAKING
THROUGH THAT FOURTH WALL AND
KIND OF DIRECTLY ADDRESSING
VOTERS INSTEAD OF GETTING SUCKED
IN TO THE FIGHT THAT DONALD
TRUMP WANTED TO HAVE DIRECTLY
WITH HIM, THAT IS REALLY WHAT I
HAVE HEARD FROM VOTERS,
OBSERVERS AND SUPPORTERS OF HIS,
THAT THAT WAS WHEN HE WAS AT HIS
BEST, SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE
VOTERS AND NOT REALLY DRAEGS THE
PRESIDENT OR RESPONDING TO THE
ATTACKS THAT HE CONTINUED TO TRY
TO LAND WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS, AT
TIMES, ACTING MORE LIKE THE
MODERATOR THAN A CANDIDATE,
POSING QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO JOE
BIDEN AND DEFLECTING FROM HIS
OWN RECORD AND TRYING TO SOW
THAT CHAOS IN REAL TIME.
>> GIVE US SOME POLITICAL
STRATEGY HERE.
YOU WORKED ON CAMPAIGNS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BASE IS
ALREADY FIRED UP.
THEY ARE RIDE OR DIE TRUMP
SUPPORTERS, TRUMP LOVERS.
HOW DOES THE PRESIDENT’S
PERFORMANCE LAST NIGHT HELPED
WITH ANY POSSIBLE SWING VOTERS?
I’M TALKING ABOUT MY SUBURBAN
MOTHER.
>> LOOK, I THINK IT’S FUNNY.
THERE’S A TENDENCY ON THESE
PANELS TO TRY TO ANALYZE DONALD
TRUMP’S ACTIONS AS IF HE’S
ENGAGING IN SOME DEEP POLITICAL
STRATEGY WHEN HE JUST ACTS ON
GUT PRIMAL INSTINCT.
THIS IS WHO DONALD TRUMP IS.
HE’S A BULLY.
HE’S A RACIST AND HE’S GOING TO
ACT LIKE A BULLY AND A RACIST.
SO IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT CHRIS
CHRISTIE TELLS HIM TO DO.
HE’S NOT GOING TO DO IT.
HE SEES EVERYBODY TOLD HIM NOT
TO DO THIS LAST TIME.
EVERYBODY SAID HE WAS GOING TO
LOSE AND HE WON ANYWAY.
SO, WHY WOULD HE LISTEN TO THEM?
LOOK, MAYBE LAST NIGHT CONTINUES
TO HELP WITH HIS STRATEGY, WHICH
IS TO JUICE UP THE TURNOUT AMONG
NON -- AMONG WORKING CLASS WHITE
VOTERS IN THE MIDWEST.
HE SEES THAT AS HIS PATH TO
VICTORY, ALONG WITH THE CHAOS
AMID THE CORONAVIRUS, WHICH
BRINGS DOWN THE TURNOUT AMONG
OTHER GROUPS.
THE STRATEGY WORKED LAST TIME,
WITH THE BENEFIT OF THIRD
PARTIES.
I DON’T SEE ANY PAYOUT COMING TO
THE SUBURBAN MOTHER IN THE NEXT
TWO DEBATES.
REALLY QUICKLY, STEPHANIE, ON
THE SUBSTANCE, HIS BACK-TO-BACK
ANSWERS, REFUSING TO CONDEMN THE
CROWD BOYS, SAYING THEY SHOULD
STAND BACK AND STAND BY AS WE
LOOK AT RIGHT AND FOLLOWING THAT
UP WITH AN ANSWER WHERE HE
TALKED ABOUT A NONEXISTENT COUP
THAT HAPPENED IN 2016 AND THE
FACT THAT WE CANNOT TRUST THE
VOTE IN 2020 BECAUSE OF ACTORS
IN PHILLY.
THOSE ARE THE TWO MOST
DESPICABLE ANSWERS THAT ANY
POLITICIAN HAS GIVEN IN MY
ENTIRE LIFE.
MAYBE SOMETHING HAPPENED IN
1886, JON IS THE HISTORIAN, THAT