I CAN JUST TELL YOU MY BERNIE VOTER IS SHOPPING FOR OTHER
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> THE BEST NEWS FOR CLARA
McCASKILL WE HAVE SARAH BENNETT
STANDING DOWN WITH CHRIS
MATTHEWS.
MATTHEWS. >> I’M GOING TO ASK YOU TO MAKE
A JUDGMENT ABOUT TONIGHT, THE
TWO-HOUR DEBATE.
TWO-HOUR DEBATE. I THINK YOUR GENERATION WON.
I MEAN YOU AND KAMALA AND KIER
KEERSTEN GILLIBRAND.
KEERSTEN GILLIBRAND. >> SECOND, BERNIE POSED THE
QUESTION AT THE END, HE SAID IF
YOU GUYS ALL WANT TO DO THIS,
HOW CAN FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS WE
HAVE THIS LACK OF ECONOMIC
MOBILITY IN THE COUNTRY TO WHICH
I SAY TO BERNIE, EXACTLY.
MAYBE IT’S TIME FOR NEW
LEADERSHIP TO FIGURE OUT HOW
WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO DRIVE
THE COUNTRY FORWARD.
I THINK IT’S TIME.
>> IT SEEMED TO ME FOR THE FIRST
TIME IT DIDN’T HAPPEN LAST TIME,
THERE WAS SOME PUSH BACK AGAINST
THE HARD LEFT.
HERE’S SOME SHORT HAND HERE.
BERNIE STANDS FOR WHAT HE CALLS
MEDICARE FOR ALL, THAT’S WHAT HE
CALLS IT.
CALLS IT. FINANCIALLY IT’S MUCH MORE
COMPLICATED THAN THAT.
YOU AND THE OTHER CANDIDATES
TONIGHT SAID, NO, I’VE GOT A
DIFFERENT APPROACH.
DIFFERENT APPROACH. SOME SAID FIX OBAMACARE FIRST.
>> WHAT IS TRUE OF BERNIE
TONIGHT HE TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT
HIS PLAN.
HIS PLAN. IT MAKES PRIVATE INSURANCE
ILLEGAL EXCEPT FOR COSMETIC
INSURANCE.
INSURANCE. THAT IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN
SELL IN THE STATE OF COLORADO.
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN
SELL IN ARIZONA OR NORTH
CAROLINA.
CAROLINA. WE NEED TO BEAT DONALD TRUMP.
WE NEED A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
WHO CAN SPEAK TO THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. AND IF WE’RE GOING TO DISLODGE
MITCH McCONNELL AS WELL WE NEED
TO ELECT SENATE CANDIDATES THAT
CAN DO THIS.
>> IN A FREE COUNTRY HOW CAN YOU
SAY YOU CAN’T SELL HEALTH
INSURANCE?
INSURANCE? >> WELL, WHY WOULD YOU?
>> WHY WOULD IT BE -- YOU CAN’T
SAY YOU CAN’T SAY SOAP, YOU
CAN’T SELL CARS, YOU CAN’T SELL
HEALTH INSURANCE.
HEALTH INSURANCE. I DON’T KNOW WHERE IT WOULD FIT.
>> I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU WOULD.
WHAT BERNIE SAYS IS BECAUSE HE
THINKS HE THINKS THE PRIVATE
INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE GOUGING
PEOPLE AND THEY PROBABLY ARE.
THERE ARE PROBABLY WAYS OF
REGULATING THAT, BUT STILL WHY
NOT GIVE PEOPLE AN OPTION AND IF
THEY HATE THEIR PRIVATE INSURER
WHICH I OCCASIONALLY HAVE
MYSELF, THEY CAN MOVE ON.
WE CAN’T WAIT.
THESE IDEOLOGICAL DEBATES THAT
HAVE TAKEN DECADES AND DECADES
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLES TIME
HAVE TO GIVE WAY TO SOMETHING
ELSE.
ELSE. >> I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS
INTERESTING BECAUSE BIDEN, THE
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT, RECALLS
BETTER DAYS IN THE SENATE.
HE TALKS ABOUT BEING ABLE TO
DEAL WITH MITCH McCONNELL.
AND REMEMBER MERITT GARLAND.
YOU SAID SOMETHING TONIGHT ABOUT
GRIDLOCK IS MITCH McCONNELL.
>> LOOK, FIRST OF ALL THERE’S
STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS WITH
CONGRESS NOW THAT THE VICE
PRESIDENT DIDN’T DEAL WITH.
CITIZENS UNITED, THE INJURE
GERRYMANDERING STUFF WE GOT
TODAY AND THE ATTACKS ON VOTING
RIGHTS.
RIGHTS. WHEN THERE WERE BIPARTISAN DEALS
CUT THEY WERE McCONNELL TAKING
EVERYTHING -- I’VE SAID BEFORE
McCONNELL IS IMMUNE TO
GIVE-AND-TAKE UNLESS HE’S TAKING
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. AND ON THAT DEAL McCONNELL TOOK
EVERYTHING AND HE STOLE THE
DEMOCRATS’ ECONOMIC ARGUMENT FOR
IT LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
WE HAD RUN AGAINST THE BUSH TAX
CUTS.
CUTS. THAT DEAL HAD MADE THE BUSH TAX
CUTS, ALMOST ALL OF THEM
PERMANENT.
PERMANENT. WE HAD RUN AGAINST THE SEQUESTER
THAT WAS GOING TO BE SO UGLY
CONGRESS WOULD NEVER PASS IT.
THAT DEAL MADE IT THE LAW OF THE
LAND.
LAND. AND ON TOP OF THAT WE’VE HAD THE
BUSH TAXES.
BUSH TAXES. AND I VIEW IT AS PART OF A
BIGGER ISSUE WHICH IS THAT SINCE
2001 WE’VE CUT TAXES $5 TRILLION
MOSTLY UNWEALTHY PEOPLE, WHICH
MEANS WE EXACERBATE INCOME
INEQUALITY.
INEQUALITY. >> YOUR RECENT COLLEAGUE, THE
ONE YOU WERE PRAISING A MOMENT
AGO WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO YOU.
FORMER SENATOR CLARA McCASKILL.
>> I WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO HER.
FIRST OF ALL, COULD I PLEASE
HAVE YOUR NEW CELLPHONE NUMBER
BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE IT.
>> OKAY, NOT ON THE AIR BUT I
WILL DEFINITELY GET IT TO YOU.
FIRST OF ALL, I THINK IT’S
IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE REALIZE
YOU ARE SOMEBODY WHO’S ACTUALLY
GOTTEN IN THE ROOM WHERE IT
HAPPENS.
HAPPENS. ESPECIALLY ON IMMIGRATION.
YOU REFERENCED IT TONIGHT THAT
YOU WERE ONE OF THE KEY PLAYERS
WHEN WE GOT A BIPARTISAN DEAL ON
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
AND GOT A BOAT LOAD OF
REPUBLICAN VOTES INCLUDING SOME
LUMINARIES LIKE LINDSEY GRAHAM,
CAN YOU IMAGINE?
AND I THINK YOU OUGHT TO SPEAK
TO WHAT THAT BILL DID AND THAT
SOME OF THE PROPOSALS ARE BEING
TALKED ABOUT BY SOME OF THE
CANDIDATES ARE NEVER GOING TO
GET 60 VOTES.
BUT THE PROPOSAL YOU PUT
TOGETHER, IT’S REALISTIC.
WE CAN DO THAT TO HELP THE DACA
KIDS AND TO DO SOME OF THE
PATHWAYESS TO CITIZENSHIP THAT
WE ALL CARE ABOUT.
>> SO TWO THINGS, CLAIRE.
FIRST OF ALL, THAT BILL HAD
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP FOR THE
11 MILLION PEOPLE THAT ARE
UNDOCUMENTED.
UNDOCUMENTED. IT HAD THE MOST PROGRESSIVE
DREAM ACT EVER CONCEIVED OF AND
$46 BILLION IN BORDER SECURITY.
EVERY TIME DONALD TRUMP SAYS
DEMOCRATS ARE OPEN BORDERS,
DEMOCRATS SHOULD TALK ABOUT THAT
BILL BECAUSE EVERY DEMOCRATIC
SENATOR INCLUDING YOU VOTED FOR
IT.
IT. BUT THE SECOND THING I THINK IS
IMPORTANT IS THE PROCESS WE WENT
THROUGH.
THROUGH. SIX MONTHS MEETING TOGETHER
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO FASHION A
LEGISLATIVE COMPROMISE, THEN IT
WENT TO THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE,
THEN WE MARKED IT UP.
THIS IS SENATE CHRIS MATTHEWS
WOULD REMEMBER.
WOULD REMEMBER. THIS WASN’T CUTTING A DEAL AT
2:00 IN THE MORNING ON A PIECE
OF LEGISLATION THAT NOBODY READ,
WHICH IS WHAT THE FISCAL CLIFF
DEAL WAS, AND I THINK THIS IS
THE WAY WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO BUILD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
DO IT IN THE WAY THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE UNDERSTANDS WHAT’S AT
STAKE, FIGURE OUT WAYS OF
COMPROMISING ON ISSUES WITHOUT
COMPROMISING ON PRINCIPLE, AND
LET’S MOVE THE COUNTRY FORWARD
FROM THIS TIRED DEBATE THAT’S
NOT GOING TO GET US WHERE WE
NEED TO BE.
>> WE BE TO SAY GOOD NIGHT, BUT
I WANT TO ASK YOU LAST QUESTION,
YES OR NO.
WAS YOUR COLLEAGUE, KAMALA
HARRIS OF YASH WAS SHE RIGHT TO
GO AFTER BIDEN, THE FORMER VICE
PRESIDENT FOR PRAISING THE
CIVILITY OF SEGREGATIONIST
SENATORS?
SENATORS? >> WELL, I THINK THAT SHE WAS
RIGHT TO DO THAT.
I THINK HE SHOULDN’T HAVE ASKED
CORY BOOKER TO APOLOGIZE.
BUT TONIGHT I ALSO THINK WE
HEARD SUCH A POWERFUL STATEMENT
FROM SENATOR HARRIS ABOUT HER
EXPERIENCE AS A LITTLE KID AND
AS SOMEBODY WHO WAS A
SUPERINTENDENT IN THE DENVER
PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND KNOWS WHAT
THOSE BUSING WARS LOOKED LIKE,
IT WAS BEFORE MY TIME, BUT THERE
WERE PEOPLE STILL AROUND THAT
MADE THAT INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT
DECISION, NEEDED SUPPORT FROM
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
I’M GLAD WHAT KAMALA SAID WHAT