HE ALSO SERVED AS A SENIOR
ADVISER TO THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN’S
FLORIDA RE-ELECTION IN 2012.
STEVE, FOOD TO SEE GOOD TO SEE Y
ARE YOU POPPING CHAMPAGNE THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS COME AROUND
ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS OR IT’S STILL
WEIRD?
>> I MEAN, WHEN YOU’RE A
DEMOCRAT IN FLORIDA, YOU’RE SO
USED TO THE ADVANTAGE THEY GOT
WITH ABSENTEE BALLOTS.
I JUST GO BACK TO THE EARLY DAYS
AND YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO
START THE NIGHT 3,000 VOTES
DOWN.
IN 2008, WHEN HE HAD 600
EMPLOYEES BANGING ON DOORS, WE
GAVE UP COMPETING WITH THEM ON
VOTE BY MAIL.
WE HAD TO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE
ON ELECTION DAY.
TO SEE HOW HE’S TORCHED THIS
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANTAGE
REPUBLICANS HAVE HAD FOR 20
YEARS, IN A MATTER OF WEEKS IS
JUST STUNNING.
JUST TO GIVE YOU A QUICK
EXAMPLE, IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS
WHEN HE’S BEEN ON THIS WAR OF
VOTE BY MAIL, DEMOCRATS HAVE HAD
140,000 MORE PEOPLE SIGN UP TO
VOTE BY MAIL THAN REPUBLICANS
JUST IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS.
SO IT’S NOT HEADED IN A GOOD
DIRECTION FOR HIM RIGHT NOW.
>> THE PRETZEL THAT HE’S
TWISTING HIMSELF INTO BY DRAWING
DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN ABSENTEE
BALLOTING AND VOTE BY MAIL,
WHICH DON’T EXIST, BY SUGGESTING
THAT VOTE BY MAIL IN FLORIDA IS
SOMEHOW SAFE, WHEN IN COLORADO
OR OREGON OR ALL THESE OTHER
STATES THAT HAVE BEEN DOING IT
FOR A LONG TIME, THE FACT IS,
THERE’S VIRTUALLY NO PROVABLE
VOTER FRAUD IN MAIL-IN VOTING.
IT’S JUST A LOGISTICS ISSUE.
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, BEFORE IT’S DONE EXCUSE
FREE VOTE MY MAIL FOR YEARS AGO.
YOU GET YOUR BALLOT, MAIL IT,
SIGN IT, RETURN IT.
THE CANVASSING BOARD REVIEWING
IT TO MAKE SURE THE SIGNATURES
MATCH.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE A SIGNATURE
THAT MATCHES, THEY CALL YOU AND
TELL YOU TO FIX IT.
THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT
FLORIDA GETS WRONG, BUT FLORIDA
DOES ELECTIONS WELL OVER THE
LAST 20 YEARS.
WE PAID A REALLY LOT OF GOOD
FIXES.
SO IT’S NOT FULLPROOF, BUT IS
THERE FRAUD?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR PRESIDENT
TRUMP TO USE.
SO NOT REALLY SURE WHAT THE
ISSUE IS.
BUT I’VE GOT TO SAY, IT’S BEEN
FUN TO PULL UP A LAWN CHAIR AND
WATCH THEM TORCH 30 YEARS OF
WORK.
>> LET’S LISTEN TO A LITTLE BIT
OF JONATHAN SWAN TALKING TO THE
PRESIDENT ABOUT THIS EARLIER.
>> THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS AN
EXTREMELY WELL-FUNDED VOTE BY
MAIL PROGRAM.
YOUR CAMPAIGN PUTS OUT E-MAILS
TELLING PEOPLE TO VOTE MY MAIL.
YOUR DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, LARA
TRUMP, HAD ROBOCALLS IN
CALIFORNIA SAYING IT’S SAFE AND
SECURE.
>> WE HAD NO CHOICE.
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD HAVE A CASE
WHERE THIS ELECTION WON’T BE
DECIDED ON THE EVENING OF
NOVEMBER 3rd.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT?
>> THIS COULD BE DECIDE MD
MONTHS LATER.
YOU KNOW WHY?
BECAUSE LOTS OF THINGS WILL
HAPPEN DURING THAT PERIOD OF
TIME.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE TIGHT
MARGINS.
LOTS OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
>> STEVE, LET’S PUT THAT IN THE
BACK OF YOUR HEAD FOR A SECOND,
AND I WANT TO PULL UP THE LATEST
POLLING IN FLORIDA.
YOU ALLUDED TO SOME OF THIS, THE
INCREASE IN THE SIGN-UPS BY
DEMOCRATS.
WE LOOKED AT THREE POLLS, THE
MASON DIXON POLL HAS BIDEN UP BY
FOUR, CNN POLL HAS BIDEN UP BY
FIVE.
QUINNIPIAC HAS HIM UP BY 13.
THE MARGINS OF ERROR ARE SMALLER
THAN THE INCREASES.
THE MASON DIXON POLL HAS 4%
MARGIN OF ERROR.
BUT BIDEN IS BEATING TRUMP
EVERYWHERE, AND DONALD TRUMP HAS
TO TAKE FLORIDA TO HAVE A CHANCE
OF WINNING THE NEXT ELECTION.
>> YEAH, FIRST OF ALL, I’LL TELL
YOU HAVE VIEWERS TO DISREGARD
THE QUINNIPIAC POLL.
THEY’RE NOT VERY GOOD IN
FLORIDA.
THAT FOUR OR FIVE-POINT MARGIN
LOOKS ABOUT RIGHT.
AND THE LAST REPUBLICAN TO GO TO
THE WHITE HOUSE WITHOUT WINNING
FLORIDA WAS CALVIN COOLIDGE.
SO THE NICE THING ABOUT THE WAY
FLORIDA’S VOTE BY MAIL SYSTEM,
WE’LL HAVE 70% OR SO OF THE
STATE COUNTED BEFORE 8:00
EASTERN.
SO THE PRESIDENT’S CONCERNS
ABOUT HAVING THIS DRAG OUT FOR
WEEKS ARE JUST NOT FOUNDED.
I SUSPECT WE’LL KNOW BY 8:30,
9:00 EASTERN TIME.
WHAT IS IS THE BEST ARGUMENT
NATIONALLY FOR DEMOCRATS, GIVEN
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ARGUMENT
IS REMARKABLY INCONSISTENT ON
THIS?
HE BASICALLY WANTS MAIL-IN
VOTING IN PLACES HE THINKS IT
BENEFITS HIM.
AT SOME JUNCTURE, THE PRESIDENT
IS ENDANGERING THE ELECTION BY
ALL OF THIS CONSTANT TALK ABOUT
THE FRAUD AND DANGER ABOUT
MAIL-IN VOTING.
>> YEAH.
I WORRY ABOUT THAT.
WE CERTAINLY, AGAIN, GOING BACK
12 YEARS TO 2008, WE HAD TO DEAL
WITH THE CHALLENGES OF DEMOCRATS
IN FLORIDA BEING CONCERNED ABOUT
GOING THROUGH 2000 AGAIN.
CAN THEY TRUST THE SYSTEM?
AND IT’S INCUMBENT ON PEOPLE WHO
ARE RATIONAL, REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS, TO STRESS CONFIDENCE
IN THE SYSTEM.
THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IS
FOR DEMOCRATS TO THROW OUT
CONSPIRACY THEORYS OR
REPUBLICANS.
AGAIN, MOST OF THESE
BATTLEGROUND STATES, WE’VE BEEN