MARIA: WELCOME BACK M NOW 25
DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE MIDTERM
ELECTIONS AND SKY HIGH INFLATION
REMAINS ONE OF THE TOP ISSUES
FOR VOTERS.
PRESIDENT BIDEN IS TRYING TO
SPIN THE NEWS AND OF OF COURSE
IT WAS WORSE THAN EXPECTED
YESTERDAY.
NOW HE’S CLAIMING REPUBLICANS
ARE ACTUALLY THE ISSUE.
>> TODAY’S REPORT SHOWS THOUGH
SOME PROGRESS.
OVERALL, INFLATION WAS 2% OVER
THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
THAT’S DOWN FROM 11% OVER THE
PRIOR THREE MONTHS.
THAT’S PROGRESS.
REPUBLICAN WINS INFLATION IS
GOING TO GET WORSE, IT’S THAT
SIMPLE.
MARIA: JOINING ME NOW, FOX NEWS
CONTRIBUTOR AND HARRIS POLL
CHAIRMAN, MARK PENN.
HE KEEPS BLAMING REPUBLICANS FOR
EVERYTHING HE DESPITE THE
HORRENDOUS POLL CIVIL HOW
IMPORTANT ARE THESE ISSUES --
POLICY, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THESE
ISSUES FOR MIDTERM ELECTIONS.
GIVE US A SENSE OF WHERE POLLING
IS.
>> WE’RE COMING OUT OF THE
FIELD WITH THE HARRIS POLL THIS
MORNING AND INFLATION IS THE
NUMBER ONE ISSUE ALONG WITH
IMMIGRATION AND CRIME AS TWO AND
THREE AND 73% OF THE PEOPLE NOW
EXPECT THAT WE’RE GOING INTO A
RECESSION AND 55% BLAME
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HIS POLICIES
FOR THE INFLATION.
SO HE MAY BE TRYING TO DEFLECT
IT BUT HE REALLY NEEDS TO MEET
IT HEAD ON, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY,
AND GIVE A PLAN OF ACTION
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW HE IS FAILING
ON THEY THAT ISSUE WITH THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC, NO QUESTION
ABOUT IT.
MARIA: INSTEAD, HE’S ACTUALLY
MISLEADING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
EVERY DAY WITH COMMENTS LIKE
IT’S THE REPUBLICANS’ FAULT.
THAT’S NOT GOING TO FLY, DON’T
YOU THINK?
>> WELL, YES, HE KEEPS SAYING ON
THE ONE HAND THERE’S INFLATION
AND AS HE SAID JUST 2% INFLATION
OR OF LAST MONTH HE SAID THERE
WAS NO INFLATION.
I MEAN, HIS COMMENTS ARE JUST
NOT CREDIBLE ON THE ISSUE.
WHEN WE ASK VOTERS WHAT ISSUE
ARE THE DEMOCRATS TALKING ABOUT,
THEY SAY JANUARY 6th.
SO WHEN THE PUBLIC REALLY WANTS
TO TALK ABOUT INFLATION,
IMMIGRATION AND CRIME, THE
DEMOCRATS ARE SEEN AS NOT REALLY
EVEN PLAYING ON THE MAIN ISSUES
AND THE PRESIDENT PRESIDENT IS
NOT BEING CREDIBLE ABOUT THOSE
ISSUES OR RESPONDING IN A
FORCEFUL WAY.
DAGEN: RIGHT, TRUMP AND
ABORTION.
MARK, IT’S DAGEN McDOWELL.
BUT THESE CONCERNS THAT YOU TALK
ABOUT FOR VOTERS AND THE
DISASTROUS STATE OF THE ECONOMY,
IS IT ACTUALLY PLAYING OUT IN
THE WAY THAT THEY WILL VOTE AT
THE -- FOR CONGRESS AND A FOR
SENATE?
BECAUSE IF IT WAS A PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION, THAT MIGHT BE ONE
THING.
BUT ARE THERE CONCERNS AND THE
BLAME THAT THE DEMOCRATS
DESERVE, IS IT ACTUALLY SHOWING
UP IN THE NUMBERS?
BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE
SENATE, IT’S EXTREMELY TIGHT
BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND L
DEMOCRATS IN THE CLOSELY WATCHED
RACES AND EVEN ON THE --
REPUBLICANS SHOULD BE MUCH
FURTHER AHEAD, YOU WOULD THINK,
IN THE HOUSE RACES.
>> WELL, CNN HAD A POLL WHEN
THEY LOOKED ACTUALLY AT THE
HOUSE RACES THAT ARE CONTESTED.
THEY HAVE REPUBLICANS AHEAD BY 5
POINTS IN THOSE DISTRICTS.
LOOK, I THINK IF YOU WENT BACK
BEFORE LABOR DAY, I THINK
DEMOCRATS HAD SOME MOMENTUM.
I THINK SINCE THEN THE MOMENTUM
HAS CLEARLY SHIFTED.
I THINK THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY
FOR DEMOCRATS WOULD HAVE BEEN A
REALLY A CHANGE IN INFLATION AND
WE DIDN’T SEE THAT.
QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
I THINK IT’S UNDERSCORED AS THE
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE.
I THINK NOW WE ARE SEEING IN THE
THE POLLS DEMOCRATS PAYING A
PRICE FOR THE TRILLIONS OF
DOLLARS THAT WERE SPENT COMING
OUT OF THE PANDEMIC FOR BIDEN’S
POLICIES RELATED TO THAT AND TO
ENERGY AND I DO DO THINK THAT
YOU SEE THE MOMENTUM HERE AND
THE ENERGY ON THE REPUBLICAN
SIDE AND IF YOU HAD ASKED ME A
FEW WEEKS AGO I WOULD HAVE SAID
THE OPPOSITE.
DAGEN: IT’S NOT JUST THE BLAME
AND WOULD CAUSED THE INFLATION
AND THE DECLINING WAGES.
IT’S THE FACT THAT THE DEMOCRATS
CAN’T ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT’S A
HARDSHIP, THAT THERE’S A
DECLINING STANDARD OF LIVING IN
THIS COUNTRY.
MARIA: YEAH.
ABSOLUTELY.
WE WERE GOING TO SHOW THESE
COMPETITIVE RACES AND I FIND IT
SURPRISING THAT THE REPUBLICANS
ARE NOT ACTUALLY WINNING MORE
GIVEN THE FACT THAT EVERYWHERE
YOU LOOK THERE’S ANOTHER FIRE TO
PUT OUT.
JOE CONCHA, JUMP IN.
>> THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.
OBVIOUSLY, MARK, THE GOP WILL
LIKELY TAKE BACK THE HOUSE, THEY
HAVE TO FLIP SOMETHING LIKE FIVE
SEATS.
BILL CLINTON LOST 54 SEATS IN
1994, BARACK OBAMA 2010 LOST 63. IN THE SENATE, REPUBLICANS ARE
IN THE SENATE, REPUBLICANS ARE
STRUGGLING MANYARESTRUGGLING, IS
NOT ARTICULATING WHAT THEY WILL
DO DIFFERENTLY IN TERPS TERMS OF
INFLATION, CRIME, THE BORDER.
HAVE REPUBLICAN SENATE
CANDIDATES BEEN ARTICULATE
ENOUGH AS FAR AS WHAT THEIR
MESSAGE IS, WHAT THEIR BUMPER
STICKER IS TO IMPROVE MATTERS IN
THOSE BIG ISSUES.
>> SOME REPUBLICANS HAVE,
OTHERS HAVEN’T.
SOME REPUBLICANS CAME OUT WHO
WERE VULNERABLE, DIDN’T SEEM AS
QUALIFIED, WEREN’T AS WELL P
KNOWN.
YOU KNOW THAT EVERYBODY IN THE
PLANET IS WATCHING WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN PENNSYLVANIA AND IN
GEORGIA.
AND IN THAT WARNOCK SEEMS TO
HAVE STRENGTHENED AND OZ SEEMS
TO HAVE STRENGTHENED AS WELL.
THE SENATE RACES ARE NOT GOING
TO BE A RUN-AWAY.
THERE’S HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS BEING SENT IN SOME OF
THESE RACES, PEOPLE LOOK A
LITTLE MORE AT THE B CANDIDATES.
LOOK, I THINK AT THE END OF THE
DAY THERE WILL BE SOME VOTERS
WHO JUST VOTE ON THESE ISSUES
REGARDLESS WHO THE CANDIDATES
ARE AND THAT’S USUALLY WHAT
HAPPENS IF THERE’S A WAVE AND A
WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO A WAVE
HERE, ELECTION, AS THESE POLLS
EDGE UP.
MARIA: WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO
A WAVE ELECTION YOU JUST SAID.
>> WHAT ABOUT ENERGY POLICY?
ARE VOTERS CONCERNED ABOUT
ENERGY POLICY, HOW THAT’S
PUTTING UPWARD PRESSURE ON
GASOLINE PRICE AS WELL AS
CLIMATE CHANGE, DO THEY HAD HAVE
ANY PASSION ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE?
>> WELL, THEY DO CARE ABOUT
ENERGY.
BUT THEY DO CARE MORE ABOUT
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE RIGHT NOW
AND WOULD SLOW THE TRANSITION
FROM FOSSIL FUELS.
LOOK, I THINK THAT INFLATION AND
ENERGY AND FOOD PRICES ARE ALL
PLAYING TOGETHER AS THE NUMBER
ONE ISSUE.
BUT IMMIGRATION AND CRIME ARE
THE TWO AND THREE ISSUES.
WHEN WE ASKED THEM WHAT ARE
DEMOCRATS FOCUSING ON,
JANUARY 6th, WOMEN’S RIGHTS,
CLIMATE CHANGE MANY CLIMATE
CHANGE IS AN ISSUE.
WOMEN’S RIGHT IS AN ISSUE BUT
NEITHER OF THEM ARE IN THE TOP
THREE AND JANUARY 6th IS NOT
IN THE TOP FIVE OR 10.
MARIA: THAT’S NOT GOING TO PAY