>>> I HOPE TO BE YOUR NOMINEE. I’M GOING TO WORK AS HARD AS I
CAN TO GET YOUR SUPPORT, BUT
HERE’S THE DEAL.
WHOMEVER THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE
IS, WE HAVE TO STAY TOGETHER AND
ELECT A DEMOCRAT.
>> THIS ELECTION IS NOT ABOUT
ONE PERSON, AND OFFICE.
IT IS ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS A
NATION.
NATION. >> AND WE’RE GOING TO BRING OUR
PEOPLE TOGETHER AROUND AN AGENDA
THAT WORKS FOR ALL OF US, NOT
JUST THE 1%.
>> AND IN OUR AMERICA, WE WILL
HAVE A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES WHO IS IN THE BUSINESS,
NOT OF BEATING PEOPLE DOWN BUT
LIFTING PEOPLE UP.
>> THIS IS OUR CHANCE.
2020.
2020. WE CAN DREAM BIG, FIGHT HARD,
AND WIN.
AND WIN. >> LOOKS LIKE BERNIE SANDERS
DIDN’T GET THE MEMO ON THE T
SHIRT.
SHIRT. WE ARE NOW JUST FIVE DAYS AWAY
FROM THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
ON MSNBC.
ON MSNBC. NBC NEWS AND TELEMUNDO.
TONIGHT 22 CANDIDATES ARE IN
SOUTH CAROLINA FOR JIM CLYBURN’S
WORLD FAMOUS FISH FRY.
THAT’S WHAT THEY CALL IT.
THEY MAKE THEIR PITCHES TO THE
STATE’S AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS.
ABOUT 60% OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTORATE
WILL BE BLACK NEXT YEAR.
TOMORROW THEY’LL GET ANOTHER
CHANCE TO MAKE THEIR CASES.
TONIGHT’S EVENT WAS THE FIRST
TIME THAT FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
JOE BIDEN WAS IN THE SAME PLACE
AS MOST OF HIS RIVALS FOLLOWING
HIS COMMENTS ABOUT HIS PAST WORK
WITH SEGREGATIONIST SENATORS.
THE POLL TAKEN DAYS BEFORE THE
BIDEN CONTROVERSY SHOWS HIM IN
THE LEAD IN THE STATE WITH
ELIZABETH WARREN IN SECOND PLACE
FOLLOWED BY BUTTIGIEG, KAMALA
HARRIS AND BERNIE SANDERS.
WITH US TO TALK ABOUT THIS BUSY
WEEKEND FOR DEMOCRATS,
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR THE
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE AND A
NBC NATIONAL REPORTER.
THE BIG QUESTION HANGING OVER
TONIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND IN
SOUTH CAROLINA IS JOE BIDEN.
WILL THERE BE FALLOUT BECAUSE OF
THE COMMENTS THIS WEEK THAT WERE
REPORTED, THE CONTROVERSY.
WE HAVE SOUND FROM THE GROUND AT
THIS FISH FRY TONIGHT.
VOTERS BEING ASKED ABOUT BIDEN.
LET’S TAKE A LISTEN TO THAT.
>> I LIKED JOE BIDEN WHEN HE WAS
VICE PRESIDENT, BUT I’M NOT SURE
ABOUT HIM AS PRESIDENT.
>> Reporter: WHY DO YOU SAY
THAT?
THAT? >> WELL, I DON’T KNOW.
I’VE GOT TO HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO
SAY ABOUT PRESIDENT.
THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
BEING VICE PRESIDENT AND THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> I THINK WHAT HAPPENED WITH
JOE BIDEN WAS AN UNFORTUNATE
MISTAKE INSO FAR AS PEOPLE’S
ANALYSIS OF IT.
I’M NOT GOING TO FOCUS ON THAT.
I’M GOING TO FOCUS ON THE
SUBSTANCE.
SUBSTANCE. HE HAS A RECORD OF OTHER 30
YEARS OF SUBSTANTIVE
ACHIEVEMENT.
ACHIEVEMENT. I’M FOCUSSED ON THE SUBSTANCE OF
EVERYBODY’S RECORD.
EVERYBODY’S RECORD. THAT’S WHAT I’D LIKE TO FOCUS
ON.
ON. >> BIDEN HAS BEEN LEADING AND
DOING WELL WITH BLACK VOTERS.
ONCE THE CONTROVERSY BEGAN, THE
REFUSAL TO APOLOGIZE.
THERE ARE SOME CALLS FOR HIM TO
DO IT.
DO IT. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF HOW HE
HANDLED THIS.
HANDLED THIS. >> HE MAY BE MAKING A BET ON THE
MAKEUP OF THE ELECTORATE.
MANY OF THE LAWMAKERS COMING TO
HIS DEFENSE, MANY OF THE
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS,
THEY’RE FROM SORT OF EARLIER
GENERATIONS.
GENERATIONS. THEY WERE THE LEADERS OF THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
CLYBURN, JOHN LEWIS AND MANY OF
THE VOTERS IN THE SOUTH MAY ALSO
BE OF THAT GENERATION.
AND THEY MAY HAVE A REACTION
THAT IT’S NOT QUITE AS SHOCKING
TO THEM TO SEE JOE BIDEN WHO
CAME UP THROUGH THE 70s.
THIS IS SORT OF THE ERA THAT
THEY WERE ALL A PART OF.
NOW, TO YOUNGER VOTERS PERHAPS
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS LESS
FAMILIAR TO THEM.
AND THEY DID NOT GROW UP WITH
IT.
IT. THERE MAY BE A BIT OF A
CALCULATION.
CALCULATION. IS THE DEMOCRATIC ELECTORATE
GOING TO LOOK MORE LIKE THIS
OLDER GENERATION OF VOTERS OR
ARE THERE YOUNGER VOTERS THAT
RESPOND TO THIS AS MAYBE AS
QUESTIONING WHAT’S IN JOE
BIDEN’S HEART NECESSARILY BUT
LOOKING AT HIM AS SORT OF A
PRODUCT OF AN OLDER ERA?
THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THE
BIG CONCERNS FOR THE BIDEN CAMP.
WHEN HE GETS ON THE STAGE WITH
SOME OF THESE YOUNGER
CANDIDATES, IS HE GOING TO LOOK
OUT OF TOUCH?
THIS IS -- THIS SEEMS TO BE
ANOTHER SORT OF BRICK IN THAT
WALL.
WALL. BUT HE MAY NOT BE WRONG IF YOU
THINK ABOUT WHO VOTES, IT TENDS
TO BE THE OLDER GENERATIONS.
WE STILL SEE HIM HOLDING ONTO
THAT LEAD.
THAT LEAD. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER IT’S A
CEILING INSTEAD OF A FLOOR.
>> YOU MENTIONED JOHN LEWIS,
CLYBURN COMING TO HIS DEFENSE.
LET’S PLAY WHAT THEY’VE SAID.
>> HE IS KEEPING WITH THE
PHILOSOPHY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. WE REACH OUT TO PEOPLE.
WE TRY TO WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS.
WE DON’T GIVE UP ON ANYONE.
THAT’S WHAT WE DID DURING THE
60s.
60s. WE MET WITH PEOPLE LIKE GOVERNOR
WALLACE IN ALABAMA.
WE MET WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT
INDIVIDUALS, EVEN WITH PEOPLE
WHO HAD ARRESTED US AND JAILED
US.
US. >> SO YOU WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO
YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH IN ORDER
TO GET THINGS DONE FOR YOUR
CONSTITUENTS.
CONSTITUENTS. I DON’T BLAME JOE BIDEN FOR
THAT.
THAT. >> CORY BOOKER IN PARTICULAR HAS
TRIED TO MAKE THIS ISSUE GOING
AFTER THE VICE PRESIDENT ON THIS
THIS WEEK.
THIS WEEK. AND THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
AND THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
FIRED BACK AND TOLD HIM THAT
CORY BOOKER SHOULD APOLOGIZE
INSTEAD.
INSTEAD. THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE
LUMINARIES LIKE JOHN LEWIS WHO
APPARENTLY HAVE JOE BIDEN’S BACK
ON THIS, DOES THAT CUT INTO THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ATTACK THAT
CORY BOOKER WAS LAUNCHING THIS
WEEK?
WEEK? >> SURE.
>> SURE. IT’S ALWAYS WORTH LISTENING TO
THIS CONGRESSMAN LEWIS HAS TO
SAY.
SAY. I MEAN, THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO HAS
BEEN FOR GENERATIONS NOW
IDENTIFYING FRIEND AND FOE TO
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
SOMEBODY WHO LITERALLY BLED FOR
HIS RIGHT TO VOTE, NOT FOR SO
MANY MILLIONS OF OTHERS.
WORTH LISTENING TO AND SOMEBODY
WHO HAS A VERY STRONG VIEWS ON
THIS, AND SOMEBODY WHO HAS
CREDIBLE VIEWS ON THIS.
ALL THAT SAID, I THINK ONE OF
THE QUESTIONS ABOUT AGREEMENT OR
ABOUT THE AGREEMENT THAT JOE
BIDEN WAS TALKING ABOUT AND
DISAGREEMENT JOE BIDEN WAS
TALKING ABOUT WITH REGARD TO JIM
EASTLAND IS JOE BIDEN BELIEVES
HE DIDN’T AGREE WITH JIM
EASTLAND BECAUSE JOE BIDEN WAS
NOT AN UNRECONSTRUCTED BIGOT
WHICH JIM EASTLAND WAS.
JOE BIDEN CAME INTO THE SENATE
AS PART OF A WAVE OF MODERATE
RIGHT DEMOCRATS REPLACING OLDER
BORDER STATE AND SOUTHERN
SEGREGATIONIST DEMOCRATS AND IN
SOME CASES SOME REPUBLICANS WHO
WERE PRO CIVIL RIGHTS, BUT ALSO
HAD A LIMIT TO WHAT THEY WANTED
TO DO TO USE THE GOVERNMENT TO
FORCE INTEGRATION.
FORCE INTEGRATION. SO THERE WERE PLACES WHERE JOE
BIDEN WAS IN AGREEMENT IN POLICY
WITH EASTLAND.
WITH EASTLAND. FOR INSTANCE ON SCHOOL BUSSING
WHICH WE’VE HEARD A FAIR AMOUNT
ABOUT ALREADY IN THIS CAMPAIGN.
AND THAT WAS NOT A SMALL PLACE
OF AGREEMENT.
OF AGREEMENT. JOE BIDEN WAS NOT SOMEBODY WHO
VOTED WITH EASTLAND ON BUSSING.
HE WAS SOMEBODY WHO LED THE
ANTI-BUSSING NOOUCHLTMOVEMENT.
ANTI-BUSSING NOOUCHLTMOVEMENT. HE TALKED ABOUT BUSSING BEING A
BANKRUPT CONCEPT AND DIDN’T WANT
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO GET SO
DEEP INTO FORCING INTEGRATION IN
SCHOOLS AS TO BE ABLE TO BUS
STUDENTS FROM ONE DISTRICT TO
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. AND THAT WAS A DEBATE THAT WENT
ON FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
THAT’S NOT JUST LIKE ONE VOTE.
THAT IS THE 70s AND EVEN INTO
THE EARLY 80s.
THIS IS SOMETHING JOE BIDEN IS
PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO TALK
MORE ABOUT.
MORE ABOUT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOTALITY OF
HIS CAREER, HE’S ALSO EXTREMELY
STRONG ON THE VOTING RIGHTS
EXTENSIONS.
EXTENSIONS. VOTING RIGHTS ACTS EXTENSIONS AS
CHAIRMAN OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE AND RANKING MEMBER.
BROADENING RIGHTS TO OTHER
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES. THIS IS A COMPLICATED ISSUE THAN
MOST PEOPLE ARE GIVING CREDIT TO
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> WHAT’S YOUR SENSE OF ALL THE
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES.
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES. PARTICULARLY THE ONES ON STAGE
WITH BIDEN NEXT WEEK.
WHETHER IT’S THIS ISSUE OR ANY
OTHER.
OTHER. THE APPETITE THE OTHER
CANDIDATES HAVE, HIS OPPONENTS
HAVE TO DIRECTLY TAKE HIM ON ON
THAT STAGE NEXT WEEK?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I WAS TALKING TO ONE OF THE
CAMPAIGNS TODAY ABOUT THIS VERY
ISSUE.
ISSUE. AND YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE
THINGS YOU’RE SEEING WITH SOME
OF THESE CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS
COMING TO BIDEN’S DEFENSE, THERE
IS NOT MUCH OF AN APPETITE AMONG
DEMOCRATS TO REALLY GO AFTER
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. WE HAD A NASTY PRIMARY IN THE
2016 CYCLE, AND THEY DON’T WANT
TO HAVE SORT OF THAT KNOCKDOWN
DRAGOUT FIGHT AGAIN.
MANY OF THEM ARE GENUINE
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. AT THE SAME TIME, WE’VE ALREADY
SEEN WITH CORY BOOKER AND KAMALA
HARRIS CONDEMNING THE COMMENTS,
THEY’RE GOING TO GO AFTER
SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES THAT THEY
SEE WITH THESE CANDIDATES.
SO I DON’T THINK YOU’RE GOING TO
SEE A REAL SORT OF SHARK PILE ON
ATTACK ON BIDEN ON THAT DEBATE
STAGE.
STAGE. I THINK THERE’S A FEAR THAT THAT
MIGHT REALLY BACKFIRE.
AT THE SAME TIME, THESE
CANDIDATES ARE GOING TO HAVE TO
DRAW DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. AND WHEN THEY SEE AN OPPORTUNITY
TO GO AFTER SORT OF AN IDEA
INSTEAD OF A PERSON WHICH IS
SOMETHING CORY BOOKER TALKED
ABOUT.
ABOUT. ONE WHO HAS REALLY PREACHED
BEING FRIENDLY AND AMICABLE
THROUGH THE PROCESS.
WHEN THEY CAN GO AFTER THE IDEA
AND CONCEPT INSTEAD OF HAVING TO
ATTACK THE CANDIDATE DIRECTLY,
THAT’S WHERE THEY’LL FEEL ON