TO BRING SOME RAIN AND DAMAGE TO HIS PALM BEACH CLUB, MAR-A-LAGO.
>> AND KATTY, WHILE WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT THE 2020 CAMPAIGN,
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC
SIDE.
SIDE. JOE BIDEN MAKING NEWS AGAIN IN A
WAY THAT THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN
WOULD JUST AS SOON HE NOT MAKE
HEADLINES OVER.
HEADLINES OVER. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AND
2020 CANDIDATE IS DEFENDING THE
CENTRAL POINT OF A WAR STORY
THAT HE TOLD ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL LAST WEEK.
AFTER A REPORT THAT THE
WASHINGTON -- BY "THE WASHINGTON
POST" CLAIMED MANY OF THE
DETAILS WERE WRONG.
ACCORDING TO "THE POST," DURING
A STOP IN NEW HAMPSHIRE LAST
FRIDAY HE QUOTED QUOTE, JUMBLED
ELEMENTS OF AT LEAST THREE
ACTUAL EVENTS INTO ONE STORY OF
BRAVERY, COMPASSION AND REGRET
THAT NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
>> YOUNG NAVY CAPTAIN -- NAVY,
NAVY, UP IN THE MOUNTAINS IN
AFGHANISTAN, ONE OF HIS BUDDIES
GOT SHOT, FELL DOWN A RAVINE
ABOUT 60 FEET.
THE FOUR STAR GENERAL ASKED ME
TO GO UP INTO THE FOB AND NOW
EVERYBODY GOT CONCERNED OF THE
VICE PRESIDENT GOING UP IN THE
MIDDLE OF THIS.
WE CAN LOSE A VICE PRESIDENT BUT
CAN’T LOSE MANY MORE OF THE
KIDS.
KIDS. THIS KID CLIMBED DOWN IN THE
RAVINE, CARRYING THIS GUY ON HIS
BACK UNDER FIRE.
AND THE GENERAL WANTED ME TO PIN
THE SILVER STAR ON HIM.
I GOT UP THERE AND THIS IS THE
GOD’S TRUTH, MY WORD AS A BIDEN,
HE STOOD AT ATTENTION.
SAID, SIR, DO NOT PIN IT ON ME
SIR, DO NOT DO THAT.
HE DIED.
HE DIED. HE DIED.
HE DIED. >> SO "THE WASHINGTON POST"
REPORT READS LIKE THIS.
IN THE SPACE OF THREE MINUTES,
BIDEN GOT THE TIME PERIOD, THE
LOCATION, THE HEROIC ACT, THE
TYPE OF MEDAL, THE MILITARY
BRANCH AND THE RANK OF THE
RECIPIENT WRONG AS WELL AS HIS
OWN ROLE IN THE CEREMONY.
ACCORDING TO "THE POST," HE
VISITED THE PROVINCE IN
AFGHANISTAN AS A U.S. SENATOR,
NOT AS VICE PRESIDENT.
AND THE SERVICE MEMBER WHO
PERFORMED THE CELEBRATED RESCUE
THAT BIDEN DESCRIBED THERE WAS A
20-YEAR-OLD ARMY SPECIALIST, NOT
A NAVY CAPTAIN.
AND THAT SOLDIER KYLE J. WHITE
NEVER HAD A SILVER STAR OR ANY
OTHER MEDAL PINNED ON HIM BY
BIDEN.
BIDEN. AFTER THAT ARTICLE WAS
PUBLISHED, BIDEN THEN SPOKE WITH
"WASHINGTON POST" OPINION
COLUMNIST JONATHAN CAPEHART AND
HE SUGGESTED HE WAS TELLING THE
STORY OF CHAD WORKMAN WHO
RECEIVED A MEDAL FROM THE VICE
PRESIDENT IN 2011 AND DIDN’T
BELIEVE HE DESERVED IT ALTHOUGH
NONE OF THE DETAILS HE
OFFERED -- ALMOST NONE OF THE
DETAILS HE OFFERED MATCHED WHAT
HAPPENED TO WORKMAN.
>> I WAS MAKING THE POINT HOW
COURAGEOUS THESE PEOPLE ARE.
HOW INCREDIBLE THEY ARE.
THIS GENERATION OF WARRIORS.
THESE FALLEN ANGELS WE HAVE
LOST.
LOST. AND SO THAT -- I DON’T KNOW WHAT
THE PROBLEM IS.
I MEAN WHAT IS IT THAT I SAID
WRONG?
WRONG? >> BIDEN ALSO DEFENDED HIMSELF
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE POST
AND COURIER, AND HE SAID IT WAS
ACCURATE, AND BIDEN DID
ACKNOWLEDGE THERE ARE TWO
DIFFERENT STORIES THAT HE LIKES
TO TELL.
TO TELL. HE SAID QUOTE THERE WAS ONE THAT
RELAYS TO -- RELATES TO THE
FORWARD OPERATING BASE AND A
SEPARATE ONE WHERE I WENT ON THE
STREETS OF AFGHANISTAN WHERE A
YOUNG MAN PULLED SOMEONE FROM
THE BURNING HUMVEE.
BUT ASKED IF HE CONFLATED THE
DETAILS OF THOSE STORIES, BIDEN
SAID NO.
SAID NO. I DON’T THINK SO.
JOE, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THESE SORT OF
STORIES ARE FOLLOWING JOE BIDEN
AROUND A GOOD BIT.
NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THIS
CAMPAIGN BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF
PAST CAMPAIGNS.
PAST CAMPAIGNS. I’M SMILING BECAUSE POLITICIANS
AND PREACHERS AND HOLLYWOOD
SCREENWRITERS HAVE OFTEN JUMBLED
THE BEST OF TWO OR THREE STORIES
INTO ONE STORY THAT THEY USE TO
MAKE A MUCH LARGER POINT.
THAT DOESN’T FORGIVE IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, GENE ROBINSON,
SOMEBODY COMPARED THIS TO WHAT
HILLARY CLINTON DID IN BOSNIA
WHERE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT
TAKING GUN FIRE OR MANY OF THE
LIES DONALD TRUMP TELLS ABOUT
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. THE ONLY THING -- ONLY
DIFFERENCE AND PERHAPS IT’S AN
INSIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE
LARGER SCHEME OF THINGS.
HERE BIDEN TELLS THE STORY TO
LIFT UP OTHERS.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> TO GLORIFY OTHERS.
IN THE CASE OF HILLARY IN BOSNIA
OR DONALD TRUMP EVERY DAY ON
TWITTER, THOSE EXAGGERATIONS ARE
TO LIFT THEMSELVES UP.
MAYBE THAT’S TOO FINE OF A
POINT.
POINT. I JUST DON’T THINK MANY VOTERS
ARE GOING TO SAY I’M NOT GOING
TO VOTE FOR JOE BIDEN BECAUSE HE
JUMBLED UP TWO OR THREE ACTS OF
HEROISM BY TWO OR THREE WOMEN TO
PRAISE THEM.
PRAISE THEM. BOY, I’M SHOCKED AND DISGUSTED.
>> I DON’T THINK THAT’S A SMALL
OR INSIGNIFICANT POINT, THE
DISTINCTION BETWEEN TRYING TO
MAKE YOURSELF LOOK BRAVE AND
HEROIC WHEN YOU WEREN’T AND
CELEBRATING AND RECOGNIZING THE
HEROISM OF SERVICE MEMBERS IN
THESE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS.
AND BIDEN WAS TRYING TO DO THE
LATTER.
LATTER. I FRANKLY DON’T THINK THIS HAS
ANY IMPACT AT ALL REALLY ON
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS AT
THIS POINT.
THIS POINT. FOR TWO REASONS.
FIRST, BIDEN IS GOING TO BE
BIDEN.
BIDEN. I MEAN, THIS IS JOE BIDEN.
AND SECOND, LOOK, I’LL JUST BE
HONEST.
HONEST. I HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF
GIVING A SPEECH TO A GROUP AND
TELLING, YOU KNOW -- TELLING A
STORY AND THEN LATER LOOKING
BACK AT NOTES OR FIGURE -- OR
FIGURING OUT SOMEHOW, WOW, YOU
KNOW, I KIND COMBINED STUFF.
I WASN’T ACTUALLY YOU KNOW IN
THIS PLACE THAT DAY, I WAS IN
THE OTHER PLACE.
BUT BASICALLY I WAS KIND OF
TELLING THE TRUTH.
I DON’T -- SO I DON’T THINK THIS
IS A BIG DEAL.
KIND OF -- IT’S KIND OF
INTERESTING, BUT BIDEN IS RIGHT
THAT THE THRUST OF THIS STORY
AND WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO SAY
ABOUT THE BRAVERY OF OUR SERVICE
MEMBERS CAME ACROSS.
THAT’S WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO
SAY.
SAY. HE SHOULD MAYBE GET A STAFF
MEMBER TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH
ON SOME OF THESE STORIES.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. MAYBE SO.
MAYBE SO. I THINK ALSO FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT HAVE TOLD -- AS WE -- AS
MANY SPEECHES AS YOU HAVE GIVEN
AND AS MANY SPEECHES AS YOU HAVE
GIVEN, ONCE OR TWICE I HAVE
TAKEN A LITTLE OF THIS OR THAT
AND ESPECIALLY ON
SELF-DEPRECATING STORIES AND
MAYBE IT WASN’T MY DAD THAT
MOCKED ME.
MOCKED ME. MAYBE IT WAS MY SON THAT MORNING
THAT MOCKED ME.
BUT IT FIT BETTER IF ANOTHER
SORT OF FAMILY MEMBER WAS
MOCKING ME --
>> SOMEONE WAS MOCKING YOU.
>> AS I RUN FOR CONGRESS.
>> NEVER LET THE FACTS GET IN
THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY.
I MEAN --
I MEAN -- >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. THE IMPORTANT THING HERE, WALTER
ISAACSON, IS WE’LL GET TO MIKE
MEMOLI IN ONE SECOND WHO IS
FOLLOWING JOE BIDEN FOR SOME
TIME.
TIME. BUT WALTER ISAACSON AGAIN,
NOBODY HERE IS TRYING TO FORGIVE
JOE BIDEN.
JOE BIDEN. BECAUSE JOE BIDEN HAD THE
PROBLEM WITH THE NEIL KINIC
STORY, BECAUSE HE HAD PROBLEMS
IN THE PAST OF EXAGGERATING, IN
THAT CASE IT WAS TO GLORIFY
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. IN THIS CASE IT WAS TO GLORIFY
THE U.S. TROOPS.
BUT EVEN THAT BEING SAID, IT
SEEMS THE BURDEN IS MUCH HIGHER
ON JOE BIDEN TO BE EXACT, EVEN
IN THE STORIES HE’S TELLING TO
GLORIFY OTHERS.
GLORIFY OTHERS. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE’RE DOING AN UNFAIR NARRATIVE
HERE WHICH IS WE’RE SAYING,
OKAY, JOE BIDEN DOES GAFFES SO
WE CAN JUMP ON ANYTHING IN A WAY
TO BE BALANCED.
THIS IS NOTHING LIKE WHAT TRUMP
IS DOING WHICH IS TELLING AN
UNINTENTIONAL UNTRUTH.
UNINTENTIONAL UNTRUTH. AS A HISTORIAN AND BIOGRAPHER,
TRUST ME, I TALK TO SO MANY
PEOPLE WHO CONFLATE STORIES NOT
TO GLORIFY THEMSELVES BUT THAT’S
THE WAY OUR MEMORY WORKS.
MALCOLM GLAD WELL DID A
WONDERFUL PODCAST ON THIS, BUT
I’M HERE IN NEW ORLEANS.
I HAVE TOLD THE STORY OF COMING
BACK IN THE HELICOPTER WHEN I
WAS PART OF THE LOUISIANA
RECOVERY AUTHORITY RIGHT AFTER
THE STORM AND CIRCLING AND
SEEING THE WATER AROUND THE
SUPERDOME.
SUPERDOME. I JUST ASKED A FEW NIGHTS AGO
SOME FRIEND OF MINE, SARAH,
REMIND ME WERE THERE STILL
BODIES AROUND THE SUPERDOME AND
YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE STORY
STRAIGHT.
STRAIGHT. SOMETIMES THINGS CONFLATE.
I HAVE SEEN THAT IN HISTORY, I
TOLD HARRY TRUMAN NOT TO DROP
THE BOMB, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW
ABOUT JOE BIDEN HE DOES CARE
ABOUT TROOPS.
ABOUT TROOPS. HE VISITS TROOPS.
HE GOT IN TROUBLE FOR MIXING UP
SANDY HOOK AND PARKLAND BUT HE
CARES.
CARES. HE MEETS WITH ALL OF THE STUDENT
SO I THINK THE ESSENTIAL TRUTH
HERE IS THAT HE REALLY CARES
ABOUT THE BRAVERY OF OUR
SOLDIERS.
SOLDIERS. HE CARES ABOUT KIDS EXPOSED TO
GUN VIOLENCE AND THE FACT THAT
HE DOES WHAT YOU AND I AND ALL
OF US DO IS MISH-MASH UP SOME
STORIES THAT MAKES HIM HUMAN,
NOT A BAD PERSON.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. YOU CAN SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT
9/11.
9/11. YOU TALK TO REPORTERS WHO WERE
DOWN ON 9/11 AND THEY HAVE
CERTAIN MEMORIES OF THAT DAY.
THAT SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO
CHECK AS WELL.
AGAIN, ALL OF THIS IS NOT TO SAY
THAT IT’S FINE THAT JOE BIDEN IS
CONFLATING TWO OR THREE STORIES.
AS I HAVE SAID THE BURDEN IS A
MUCH HIGHER BURDEN FOR THE VICE
PRESIDENT BECAUSE OF HIS PAST.
JUST SAYING THIS IS NOT THE SAME
AS SAYING YOU WERE UNDER FIRE IN
BOSNIA OR SAYING ALL THE THINGS
THAT DONALD TRUMP SAYS ABOUT
HIMSELF ON TWITTER EVERY DAY.
LET’S BRING IN RIGHT NOW NBC
NEWS CORRESPONDENT MIKE MEMOLI.
MIKE, YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING
JOE BIDEN FOR A LONG TIME.
JOE IS NOT ONLY A POLITICIAN,
NOT ONLY AN IRISHMAN AS HE WOULD
SAY WHO LOVES TO TELL STORIES,
HE IS A BIDEN.
THAT IS A TRIPLE PLAY WHEN IT
COMES TO BEING A COLORFUL
STORYTELLER.
STORYTELLER. I MEAN, THOSE THREE THINGS ARE
LINED UP.
LINED UP. BUT IT’S GOTTEN HIM IN TROUBLE
IN THE PAST.
DOES HE UNDERSTAND IT COULD
REALLY GET HIM IN TROUBLE THIS
YEAR AS WELL?
>> YEAH, JOE, I THINK WE HAVE TO
ESTABLISH WHAT THIS STORY IS AND
WHAT THIS STORY ISN’T.
IT’S NOT AS YOU RIGHTFULLY POINT
OUT THE HILLARY CLINTON
RECOUNTING OF LANDING UNDER
SNIPER FIRE IN BOSNIA.
WE KNOW THAT THE FORMER VICE
PRESIDENT BOTH AS A SENATOR IN
2008 TRAVELED TO THE COE GNAR
VALLEY AND ALSO TRAVELED TO THE
FORWARD OPERATING BUSINESS IN
THE PROVINCE.
THE PROVINCE. THIS IS OFTEN SOMETHING THAT THE
PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT
DOESN’T LEAVE BAGRAM AIR FORCE
BASE OR THE PALACE.
HE IS NOT INVENTING A MEMORY OUT
OF WHOLE CLOTH.
IF YOU READ FURTHER IN THIS
STORY AS YOU POINT OUT ARMY
SERGEANT CHAD -- STAFF SERGEANT
CHAD WORKMAN, WORKMAN HIMSELF IS
QUOTED AS SAYING THAT HE
REMEMBERS THIS MOMENT WHEN THE
VICE PRESIDENT PINNED A SERVICE
MEDAL ON HIM TELLING HIM HE
DOESN’T DESERVE IT.
THAT’S WHAT WE SEE.
BUT IT’S OF COURSE AS YOU SAY HE
APPEARS TO BE CONFLATING
DIFFERENT STORIES AND HE TENDS
TO RELATE TO HIS AUDIENCES BY
COLLECTIONS OF ANECDOTES.
YOU SAW HIM, IT WAS A VERY
INTENSE BIT OF STORYTELLING AND
HE’S PACING AROUND THE ROOM,
DRAMATICALLY TELLING THIS STORY
AND THE ATTENTION ON THIS
REFLECTS SOMETHING I HEAR FROM
DEMOCRATS ALL THE TIME WHICH IS
THAT WE HAVE NO MARGIN OR THE
ERROR IN TAKING ON DONALD TRUMP.
THEY’RE CONCERNED THAT WHOEVER
THE NOMINEE IS, THAT THEY HAVE
TOO MANY FLAWS TOO MANY
VULNERABILITIES THAT THE
PRESIDENT CAN EXPOSE.
THE HEADLINE THAT A LOT OF US
WERE WRITING ABOUT IMMEDIATELY
WAS THE STORY HE WENT ON TO TELL
ABOUT WHERE HE ASKED THE
AUDIENCE TO IMAGINE WHAT WOULD
HAVE HAPPENED IF BARACK OBAMA
HAD BEEN ASSASSINATED, SOMETHING
THAT WAS JARRING TO US IN THE
ROOM.
ROOM. A DAY LATER THE VICE PRESIDENT
SAID HE WAS IN VERMONT, RATHER
THAN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
THE MOMENTS ARE MAGNIFIED
BECAUSE OF THE CONCERN THAT THE
DEMOCRATS HAVE AND THE MARGIN
FOR ERROR ON WHOEVER THE NOMINEE
IS.
IS. >> LET ME BRING IN GENE AND
WALTER.
WALTER. YOU TWO AND I ARE THE ONLY THREE
PEOPLE WHO WERE PROBABLY OLD
ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THIS.
BUT THIS REMINDS ME OF ANOTHER
IRISH POLITICIAN WHO WOULD DRIVE
HIS STAFF CRAZY BY MAKING UP
ANECDOTES, EXAGGERATING THINGS
THAT HE READ.
IN READER’S DIGEST.
>> WHAT A GREAT POLITICIAN HE
WAS.
WAS. >> RONALD REAGAN.
REAGAN BELIEVED, YOU KNOW, IN
STORYTELLING AND SOMETIMES HE
DIDN’T GET THE FACTS EXACTLY
RIGHT.
RIGHT. HE FAMOUSLY I THINK IT WAS 1976
WHEN HE WAS RUNNING AGAINST FORD
SAID THAT TREES ARE THE BIGGEST
EMITTERS OF CO2 IN THE WORLD AND
PEOPLE -- HIS OPPONENTS WOULD
HANG SIGNS AROUND TREES WHEN
HE’D GIVE SPEECHES THAT SAID,
STOP ME BEFORE I KILL AGAIN.
BUT GENE ROBINSON, I MEAN, IT
SEEMED TO HAPPEN EVERY WEEK WITH
REAGAN AND AGAIN I’M NOT SAYING
IT’S RIGHT.
IT’S RIGHT. I’M JUST SAYING THAT THE BIGGER
TRUTHS FROM THE STORIES HE TOLD
CONNECTED WITH AUDIENCES MUCH
LIKE JOE BIDEN TALKING ABOUT THE
VALOR OF MEN AND WOMEN IN
UNIFORM.
UNIFORM. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. YEAH, DIDN’T REALLY HURT RONALD
REAGAN.
REAGAN. HE DID RATHER WELL IN POLITICS
AND I JUST -- I DON’T THINK THIS
INCIDENT, THIS IS NOT GOING TO
HURT JOE BIDEN, I DON’T THINK.
THIS IS WHO HE IS, HE WAS MAKING
A POINT THAT WAS A VALID POINT
FOR HIM TO MAKE OUT OF -- AND HE
WAS -- HE’S DOING THIS OUT OF
HIS VALID TRUE EXPERIENCES.
HE WAS JUST SORT OF, YOU KNOW,
SORT OF A MASHUP OF SOME
EXPERIENCES.
EXPERIENCES. YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BEHOOVE HIM
TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
SO -- YOU KNOW, HYPER ALERT TO
THIS.
THIS. PARTICULARLY WITH HIM.
SO YOU KNOW, I THINK HE OUGHT TO
FACT CHECK HIMSELF SOME.
BUT I DON’T THINK IT’S A BIG
DEAL.
DEAL. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WALTER?
WALTER? >> I WAS COVERING RONALD REAGAN,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THAT’S HOW
OLD I AM.
OLD I AM. I WAS WORKING FOR "TIME"
MAGAZINE AND AT THE RISK OF
BEING FACT CHECKED AND FOUND OUT
I WAS WRONG I THINK I REMEMBER
BEING THERE WHEN HE WAS TALKING
ABOUT TREES CAUSING POLLUTION.
I THINK ONE OF MY FIRST STORIES
FOR "TIME" WHERE DID HE GET
THOSE FACTS?
THOSE FACTS? BUT WHEN I WATCHED RONALD
REAGAN, HE CONNECTED WITH
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. WITH THOSE ANECDOTES.
IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE CARED ABOUT
THE PEOPLE HE WAS TALKING TO.
AND JOE BIDEN IS JUST THAT WAY.
AND WHAT I REALLY DON’T LIKE IS
THIS SORT OF SELF-PERPETUATING,
JUSTIFYING WAY OF THINKING WHICH
IS TO SAY, WELL, EVERYBODY IS
WORRIED ABOUT JOE BIDEN CAUSING
GAFFES THAT MIGHT BE BAD.
SO LET’S COVER EVERY SINGLE
GAFFE HE COVERS WHETHER -- YOU
KNOW, THAT HE MAKES.
WHETHER IT’S GOING THIS WAY OR
WHAT SIDE OF THE BORDER OF A
STATE LINE HE IS.
IF SOMEBODY COVERED ANY OF US
THAT WAY IT WOULD CAUSE CONCERN.
SO I THINK WE SHOULD GET OFF THE
HIGH HORSE AND SAYING WE’RE
DOING THIS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT, NO, WE’RE
MAKING INTO SOMETHING THIS
SHOULD NOT BE.
JOE BIDEN IS FUNDAMENTALLY AN
HONEST AND A DECENT PERSON WHO
CARES.
CARES. JUST LIKE RONALD REAGAN WAS
CARING AND DECENT AS A PERSON.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. SO SUSAN DEL PERCIO THOUGH,
AGAIN, IT SEEMS THAT BECAUSE OF
JOE BIDEN’S PAST HE HAS A
RESPONSIBILITY.
RESPONSIBILITY. I MEAN, HE’S POLITICALLY A
MEMBER OF A SUSPECT CLASS AS A
POLITICIAN FIRST OF ALL.
AND SECONDLY HE HAS HISTORY FROM
THE ’88 CAMPAIGN AND EVEN FROM
2008 OF SAYING THINGS THAT HE
SHOULDN’T HAVE SAID.
DOESN’T HE HAVE TO SHOW EXTRA
CARE?
CARE? >> HE DOES, AND THE BIDENISMS
ARE FINE AND THEY HAPPEN AND I
GET IT.
GET IT. BUT THE PROBLEM THAT’S HAPPENING
TO JOE BIDEN IS THAT IT’S
CUMULATIVE.
CUMULATIVE. SINCE HE’S LAUNCHED HIS
CAMPAIGN, HE HAD ONE POOR DEBATE
PERFORMANCE AND ONE NOT OKAY
DEBATE PERFORMANCE.
DEBATE PERFORMANCE. SO IT’S TAKING A LOT OF ENERGY
TO EXPLAIN JOE BIDEN TO
EVERYBODY ELSE AND THE MISTAKES
HE MAKES.
HE MAKES. MEANWHILE, ON THE OTHER SIDE,
YOU HAVE FOLKS LIKE ELIZABETH
WARREN OR KAMALA HARRIS, CORY
BOOKER, SANDERS, THEY’RE ALL
GOING OUT THERE AND THEY’RE NOT
UNDER THE SAME SCRUTINY BUT
THEY’RE NOT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN
THIS.
THIS. JOE BIDEN HAS TO WORRY MORE
ABOUT DONALD TRUMP.
HE HAS TO GET THROUGH THIS
PRIMARY AND I WONDER HOW LONG
THE OTHER CAMPAIGNS WILL ALLOW
BIDEN TO KEEP WALKING AWAY FROM
THESE MISTAKES WITHOUT CALLING
HIM OUT ON IT.
>> WELL, MIKE MEMOLI, LET ME ASK
YOU IF THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN
BELIEVES THEY’RE UNFAIRLY
TARGETED, THAT THE PRESS IS
LOOKING FOR EVERY LITTLE GAFFE
AND HOLDING HIM ACTUALLY TO A
HIGHER STANDARD THAN THEY HOLD
MOST OTHER POLITICIANS?
>> YEAH, THAT’S ABSOLUTELY THE
CASE.
CASE. WE SAW KATE BETTING FIELD, THE
DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER PRESSING
ANDREA MITCHELL ON THE VERY
POINT, YOU OUGHT TO BE GIVING
THE SAME KIND OF SCRUTINY TO
OTHER CANDIDATES.
OTHER CANDIDATES. BUT I CAN ONLY SPEAK TO THE
PERSON I COVER WHICH IS THE
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT.
I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS
OF HIM RELATING TO THE AUDIENCE
THIS WAS A MOMENT IN THE ROOM
WHERE IT BEGAN WITH A QUESTION
SIMPLY ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH.
AND THE PRESIDENT COULD HAVE
RESPONDED WITH, YOU KNOW, A DRY
RECITATION OF HIS POLICY
PROPOSALS BUT HE WANTS TO
PERSONLIZE THE ISSUES.
HE WENT ON TO TALK ABOUT HIS SON
WHO SERVED IN IRAQ.
I TRAVELED TO IRAQ WITH THE VICE
PRESIDENT IN 2016 AND HE
REPEATEDLY REFERRED TO HIS SON.
SO THIS IS JUST THE WAY THAT JOE
BIDEN CAMPAIGNS BUT I REMEMBER
ALSO AS SOON AS HE TOLD THIS
STORY WITH ALL OF THE DETAILS IN
IT LOOKING TO A COLLEAGUE AND
SAYING THIS IS GOING TO GET HIM
IN TROUBLE JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT
YOU SAY, WHAT IS THIS INTENSE
SCRUTINY ON HIM AND PROBABLY NOT
EVERY SINGLE DETAIL OF THE STORY
GOING TO LINE UP.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. ALL RIGHT, MIKE MEMOLI, THANK
YOU AS ALWAYS.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING WITH US.
I HOPE YOU’LL COME BACK VERY
SOON.
SOON. AND STILL AHEAD ON "MORNING
JOE," AXIOS DIGS INTO THE WARREN
WAVE AND HOW SHE HAS BEEN ABLE
TO MAKE THAT STEADY CLIMB IN THE
POLLS.
POLLS. MIKE ALLEN WILL JOIN US WITH
THAT IN A MINUTE.
YOU’RE WATCHING "MORNING JOE."
WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK.