>>> WELCOME BACK. THE PANEL IS HERE.
DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER CORNELL
BELCHER.
BELCHER. HALLIE JACKSON, KIMBERLY AT KINS
AND DAVID BRODY.
ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. DAVID, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.
THIS IS WHAT MICHAEL GERSON
WROTE.
WROTE. AS A POLITICAL MATTER, HOWEVER,
THE FIGHT OVER KENNEDY’S
REPLACEMENT IS A GIFT TO THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. IT IS A REMINDER OF TRUMP’S
ADHERENCE HE MADE WITH
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS AND OTHER
RELIGIOUSLY CONSERVATIVE
RELIGIOUSLY CONSERVATIVE SUPPORTERS.
SUPPORTERS. IGNORE MY BAD BEHAVIOR.
ALL THE KINGDOMS WILL BE YOURS.
PRETTY ROUGH WAY TO DESCRIBE IT.
MICHAEL GERSON’S BEEN CRITICAL
OF EVANGELICALS AND THEIR SORT
OF BLIND SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT
TRUMP OVER CHARACTER BUT IS HE
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >> WELL, HE’S RIGHT TO A DEGREE
AND THE DEGREE IS THIS.
EVANGELICALS VOTED FOR THIS
PRESIDENT PREDOMINATELY,
PRESIDENT PREDOMINATELY, ESPECIALLY ONES ON THE FENCE.
NOT THE ONES IN ALABAMA AT THE
RALLIES, BUT THE ONES THAT CAME
WITH THEIR NOSE HELD TO A
DEGREE.
DEGREE. THEY VOTED FOR HIM FOR THE
SUPREME COURT.
SUPREME COURT. HERE WE ARE.
MANY EVANGELICALS BELIEVE, THIS
IS SHOCKING TO FOLKS, BUT THEY
BELIEVE HE IS GOD’S CHOSEN
CANDIDATE FOR SUCH A TIME LIKE
THIS.
THIS. THIS IS THE WORD ON THE STREET
IN THE EVANGELICAL WORLD.
ALONG COMES A SECOND SUPREME
COURT NOMINATION.
COURT NOMINATION. THEY’RE LIKE, WELL, HERE YOU GO.
WE AS IN EVANGELICALS HAVE A
CHANCE TO SHAPE THIS COURT FOR A
LONG TIME.
LONG TIME. I THINK IT WILL BE INTERESTING
IN TERMS OF RESHAPING THE COURT
MURKOWSKI AND COLLINS.
EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT THE BIG
SUPREME COURT FIGHT TO COME.
I THINK THE FIGHT IS RIGHT NOW.
HOW IS THIS CANDIDATE GOING TO
BE DEFINED IN TERMS OF TRUMP’S
MIND.
MIND. HOW MUCH MURKOWSKI AND COLINS
AND OTHERS.
AND OTHERS. >> IT IS INTERESTING, WE DID
RESEARCH ON ABORTION AMONG
REPUBLICAN SENATORS WHEN KENNEDY
WAS CONFIRMED IN 1988 TO TODAY.
IN 1988, TEN REPUBLICAN
SENATORS, CORNELL, CALLED
THEMSELVES PRO-CHOICE WHEN
KENNEDY WAS CONFIRMED.
TODAY IT’S TWO.
DO YOU BUY THE IDEA THAT THIS
WILL BE THE BE ALL END ALL ON
ROE?
ROE? >> IT IS, YOU KNOW, THE DOG
CATCHING THE CAR.
LOOK, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK
FOR.
FOR. I’VE SPENT SOME TIME IN FOCUS
GROUPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THE
LAST TWO WEEKS, RIGHT?
DEMOCRATS WILL LIKELY LOSE THIS
BATTLE, RIGHT, BECAUSE LIKE YOU
SAID THE NUMBERS JUST AREN’T
THERE.
THERE. THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY TACTICS
YOU CAN TAKE.
ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
CHUCK, I’VE BEEN LOOKING AT
GALLUP DATA OVER THE LAST TWO
DECADES AND NOWHERE IN THIS
GALLUP DATA DO I SHOW ANYWHERE
APPROACHING A MAJORITY OF
AMERICANS THINK THAT ABORTION
SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.
AND GOD HELP THESE OLD MEN IF
THEY TICK OFF THESE SUBURBAN
WOMEN WHO HAVE NEVER REALLY
THOUGHT THAT THEIR REPRODUCTIVE
RIGHTS WERE AT RISK AND ALL OF A
SUDDEN FOR -- IT’S AT RISK AND
IT’S REAL.
IT’S REAL. >> I THOUGHT LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS
TRYING TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE
PRESIDENT WHEN HE SAID,
PRECEDENT MATTERS.
PRECEDENT MATTERS. >> SETTLED LAW.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. >> LINDSEY’S WAY OF SAYING -- HE
DIDN’T WANT THE HEADLINE
"LINDSEY GRAHAM SUPPORTS ROE V.
WADE" SO HE STARTED SPEAKING IN
LATIN.
LATIN. POLITICAL LATIN.
POLITICAL LATIN. I THINK LINDSEY GRAHAM AGREES
WITH CORNELL.
WITH CORNELL. BE CAREFUL HERE.
>> THE PRESIDENT CONFIRMED IT ON
FRIDAY HE IS NOT GOING TO
SPECIFICALLY ASK WHERE SHE’S
CANDIDATES ARE.
CANDIDATES ARE. HE DOESN’T HAVE TO.
THEY WOULDN’T BE ON THE LIST IF
YOU DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW WHERE
THEY STOOD ON THAT PARTICULAR
ISSUE.
ISSUE. ONE WAY THAT I HAVE HEARD THAT
PEOPLE CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT
ARE TRYING TO INOCULATE AGAINST
SOME OF THAT IS PUSH HIM TOWARDS
PICKING A WOMAN.
THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID HE’S
LEANING TOWARDS SELECTING TWO
WOMEN WHO ARE ON THE SHORT LIST
OF MAYBE FIVE TO SEVEN.
INCLUDING AMY BARRETT.
AS ONE PERSON PUT IT TO ME LAST
NIGHT, SHE WAS DINGED BY DIANNE
FEINSTEIN IN HER CONFIRMATION
HEARING FOR THE CIRCUIT
JUDGESHIP.
JUDGESHIP. THERE IS A CALCULATION THAT SOME
PEOPLE CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT
ARE MAKING.
ARE MAKING. I’VE ALSO HEARD THE PRESIDENT
HIMSELF SAID ESSENTIALLY I’M NOT
GOING TO THINK ABOUT GENDER
POLITICS.
POLITICS. I WANT TO PICK THE BEST
CANDIDATE.
CANDIDATE. IF THAT’S A MAN, IT’S A MAN.
>> KIMBERLY, SHE’S GETTING TO
SOMETHING I THINK BOTH SIDES ARE
TORN ON THIS.
DO THEY WANT THE FIGHT OR NOT?
I DON’T KNOW.
I THINK IT’S A WORTHY FIGHT.
I’M NOT SURE THAT DEMOCRATS WANT
THE FIGHT BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE
THE FIGHT TOO HARSHLY, DO YOU
BLOW THE DEMOCRATIC RED STATE
SENATORS, RIGHT?
SENATORS, RIGHT? >> REPUBLICANS AREN’T SURE THEY
NEED THE FIGHT.
THEY THINK THEY’VE ALREADY WON
IT.
IT. THE POINT THAT CORNELL MADE
ASIDE THAT THIS COULD BACKFIRE
IN THE POLLS, I THINK THEY
ALREADY THINK THAT THEY WON IT.
FOR DEMOCRATS THE FIGHT WAS IN
2016.
2016. THEY MISSED THE FIGHT.
THAT IS WHEN THERE WAS A SUPREME
COURT JUSTICE BEING HELD UP.
MAYBE BECAUSE MERRICK GARLAND
WASN’T THE PROGRESSIVE FIRE
BRAND THAT STIRRED THEM UP OR
THEY MISSED A PATHOLOGIST TO
DONALD TRUMP 270, THEY DIDN’T
FIGHT THAT FIGHT NOW.
NOW IT’S TOO LATE AND THEY CAN
ONLY MESSAGE THE WAY WE SAW
SENATOR CANTWELL DO AS BEST SHE
COULD, BUT THAT’S ALL THAT
DEMOCRATS HAVE RIGHT NOW.
>> SOMETHING THAT STRIKES ME SO
MUCH, ESPECIALLY SOMEONE WHO
COVERED THE CAMPAIGN IN 2016.
YOU LOOK AT THE EXIT POLL DATA
AND HOW MUCH THAT SUPREME COURT
OPENING WAS SUCH AN ISSUE FOR
THE REPUBLICANS.
THE REPUBLICANS. >> IT WAS 1 IN 5 VOTERS SAID THE
COURT WAS THEIR NUMBER ONE
ISSUE.
ISSUE. TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE
PERCENTAGE WAS.
PERCENTAGE WAS. AMONG THOSE VOTERS, 56% WERE
TRUMP VOTERS AND ONLY 41% WHERE
CLINTON VOTERS.
CLINTON VOTERS. >> THAT’S THE PROBLEM THAT
DEMOCRATS HAVE NOW.
YOU HAVE GROUPS LIKE DEMAND
JUSTICE THAT ARE MOBILIZING NOW
BECAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY SEE
THAT THE SUPREME COURT IS, IN
FACT, IMPORTANT.
FACT, IMPORTANT. YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THAT NUMBER
GROW FOR DEMOCRATS.
>> NOWHAT THERE IS NOTHING
THAT THE DEMOCRATS CAN DO TO
STOP IT.
STOP IT. WELL, LOOK, YOU WERE TALKING
ABOUT THE SUPPORT OF
EVANGELICALS, DONALD TRUMP IS
TERM LIMITED.
TERM LIMITED. THEY HAVE HIM AT MOST FOR EIGHT
YEARS.
YEARS. NOT JUST THE SUPREME COURT BUT
THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY.
IT WILL TAKE A FULL GENERATION
TO TURN AROUND THE COURT THAT
THE JUDICIARY THAT’S BEING
SHIFTED SO FAR TO THE RIGHT --
>> AND THAT’S WHY THIS IS A
40-YEAR DECISION, IS WHAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT HERE.
I WOULD ALSO SAY THIS, VERY
IMPORTANT, AMY BARRETT, AS YOU
MENTIONED.
MENTIONED. EVANGELICAL SOURCES TELL ME
THAT’S THE NUMBER ONE PICK FOR
THEM, FOR SURE.
AMY BARRETT.
AMY BARRETT. BEYOND THAT, WE KNOW DONALD
TRUMP LIKES OPTICS.
COULD YOU IMAGINE ROE V. WADE,
WHATEVER IT HAPPENS TO BE, FIVE
MEN ON 5-4 DECISIONS, WHETHER
IT’S ROE V. WADE OR SOMETHING
ALONG THOSE LINES.
IT’S AN OPTICS THING AND IT
BODES WELL FOR THE PRESIDENT IF
HE CARES ABOUT OPTICS, AND HE
DOES, TO GO WITH A WOMAN HERE.
>> WHEN HE WAS SELECTING HIS
CABINET, THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK
ABOUT OPTICS, WOULD HE PICK MORE
MALE CANDIDATES OR FEMALE
CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. THIS IS A PRESIDENT WHO DOESN’T
LIKE TO BE TOLD HOW THE OPTICS
MAKE HIM LOOK.
HE WILL ASSESS BUT I’M NOT SURE
THAT IS THE TOP MOTIVATING
FACTOR FOR HIM.
>> THERE IS A POLITICAL
CALCULATION HERE.
CALCULATION HERE. MIDTERMS COMING UP.
HEY, I PICKED A SUPREME COURT
NOMINEE WHO IS A WOMAN.
LISTEN TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA
SAYING I’M ANTI-WOMAN.
FAKE NEWS.
FAKE NEWS. THINK IT PLAYS FOR HIS BASE.