>>> WELCOME BACK TO THE
PANELIST.
NBC NEWS WHITE HOUSE EXPAND
AECHT HEWETT JACKSON, JAKE
SHERMAN, SENIOR WRITER OF
POLITICO, MARIE TERESA.
AND I WANT TO START WITH PEGGY
NOONAN, AND WHAT SHE WROTE, A
VERY ELEGANT WAY TO TRY TO WRITE
ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF
POLITICS.
NO ONE WILL TALK ABOUT IT IN
PUBLIC BECAUSE THEYRE NOT
IDIOTS.
JOURNALISTS DONT WANT TO BE
EMBARRASSED IF THEY GOT IT
WRONG.
REPUBLICANS DONT WANT TO
DEMORALALIZE THE TROOPS AND THE
NETWORKS HAVE TO KEEP EVERYBODY
HOPPED UP ON THE HORSERACE.
I WILL TAKE A SMALL OFFENSE TO
THE LAST PART OF THAT COMMENT.
BUT JAKE SHERMAN, IS THIS THE
THING EVERYBODYS WHISPERING
ABOUT ON CAPITOL HILL IN
WASHINGTON AS FAR AS YOURE
CONCERNED AS WELL THESE DAYS?
>> YES, IF YOU LOOK ACROSS THE
BOARD, POLLS OUT HAVE DONALD
TRUMP DOWN BY 12 POINTS, LOSING
ALMOST EVERY STATE IN THE
MIDWEST.
I HAVE TALKED TO PEOPLE IN THE
LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, AND I WILL
WRITE THIS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS, REPUBLICANS WILL LOSE
SEATS IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, WHO ARE AT RISK
OF LOSING THEIR SENATE MAJORITY.
YES, ABSOLUTELY, I THINK ITS
UNDOUBTEDLY TRUE THAT
REPUBLICANS AT THIS POINT IN
THIS CLIP, MIGHT BECOME FAMOUS
IF IM WRONG, ARE IN A REALLY
TOUGH SPOT.
>> HALLIE JACKSON, HOW
SELF-AWARE -- LET ME ASK IT THIS
WAY -- HOW SELF-AWARE OF THIS
CURRENT SITUATION ARE THE PEOPLE
AROUND THE PRESIDENT?
>> THATS A GOOD QUESTION,
CHUCK, AS FAR AS THE DISTINCTION
BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND PEOPLE
AROUND HIM.
I WOULD SAY THIS, THERES AN
ACKNOWLEDGMENT THE PUBLIC
POLLING IS NOT OBVIOUSLY GOING
THEIR WAY.
I STILL HEAR THINGS FROM FOLKS
AROUND THE CAMPAIGN, CLOSE TO
THE CAMPAIGN, INTERNAL POLLS
SHOW THEM DOING BETTER.
THERES A SENSE PEOPLE AROUND
THE PRESIDENT FOUR YEARS AGO IN
2016 SAW THE POLLS MAYBE NOT
MOVING THEIR DIRECTION YET.
OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A LOT DIFFERENT
LANDSCAPE THAN 2016 BUT FOR SO
MANY OF THESE FOLKS UNDERDOG
FIGHTER SENSE THEY HAVE
LINGERING FROM THE LAST FOUR
YEARS.
I WILL ALSO SAY THIS, CHUCK,
FROM THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF, I
THINK HE KNOWS IF THERES A WAY
FOR HIM TO CHANGE SOME OF THIS,
RIGHT, TO CHANGE THE SLIDE THAT
HE SEEMS TO BE ON, ITS BY
GETTING
GETTING OUT.
GETTING OUT AND DOING RAL YILS.
HIS CORONAVIRUS DIAGNOSIS MEANS
HES NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT.
I CAN TELL YOU BASED ON SOURCES
I TALKED TO THIS WEEKEND, HES
CLIMBING WALLS TO GET OUT OF THE
WHITE HOUSE COMPOUND.
HES IN A MODE WOULD HES IN
NOBODYS LISTENING TO ME, IM
RIGHT AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS
WRONG ATTITUDE.
HE FEELS HE WANTS TO BE FLEXING
HIS MUSCLES, GETTING OUT,
DICTATING SOME OF THESE THINGS.
THE CHALLENGE, OF COURSE, HE HAS
A TEAM OF PEOPLE AROUND HIM WHO
ARE TRYING TO CHANNEL SOME OF
THAT ENERGY, IF YOU WILL, INTO A
WAY THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY
PRODUCTIVE AND THERES A REAL
QUESTION MARK WHETHER THE
PRESIDENT IS WILLING TO GO ALONG
WITH THESE THINGS OR NOT.
BOTTOM LINE HE HAS RALLIES SET
UP MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY IN
VARIOUS KEY GROUND BATTLE STATES
OF FLORIDA, PENNSYLVANIA.
TO HIM, THAT WILL MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE.
>> HUGH HEWITT, HEESHZ A
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST WHO TOLD
US FRIDAY REPUBLICANS HOPED WE
WOULD WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT
SENATE RACES IN COLORADO,
ARIZONA AND MAINE INSTEAD THERE
ARE OUTCOMES IN STATES LIKE
SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA AND
KANSAS.
THE POINT BEING ABOUT THIS TIME
IN OCTOBER OF 1996 WHEN THE WORD
WENT OUT, ITS EVERY REPUBLICAN
FOR THEMSELVES.
DONT WORRY ABOUT BOB DOLE
ANYMORE.
HOW CLOSE ARE REPUBLICANS TO
THAT MINDSET?
>> A WEEK AGO THEY WERE CLOSE,
CHUCK.
BUT THIS IS A WEEK OF ENORMOUS
RELIEF.
I INTERVIEWED A DOZEN REPUBLICAN
SENATORS.
THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
REALLY TURNED IT AROUND FOR A
LOT OF REPUBLICANS.
AS DID THE PRESIDENTS SORT OF
POWERFUL ENERGY ON CONSERVATIVE
MEDIA GETTING BACK OUT THERE.
THEYRE NOT AFRAID HE WILL BE
OUT OF THE PICTURE GENERATING
BASE ENTHUSIASM.
I REMEMBER 96 WHEN JACK KEMP
JUST GOT COMPLETELY CREAMED BY
AL GORE IN THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL
DEBATE.
THIS TIME VICE PRESIDENT PENCE
PLAYED DIRECT TO PENNSYLVANIA ON
FRACKING, DIRECT TO PENNSYLVANIA
ON THE SUPREME COURT.
SO I THINK ACROSS THE SENATE
MAP, I BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT IS
DOWN IN DOUBLE DIGITS BUT
CLOSING NATIONALLY.
BUT ACROSS THE SENATE MAP, THIS
WAS A VERY GOOD WEEK AND THATS
NOT EVEN COUNTING THE KYLE
CUNNINGHAM COLLAPSE IN NORTH
CAROLINA.
>> MARIA TERESA KUMAR, I WILL
SAY THIS, I WAS SURPRISED BY THE
LACK OF ENTHUSIASM I HEARD FROM
TED CRUZ ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS
POLITICAL STANDING.
>> HE SAID HES EXPECTING A
BLOODBATH, RIGHT?
AND I THINK THATS EXACTLY WHY
YOU HAVE INDIVIDUALS NOW SAYING,
SHOOT, WE BASICALLY GAVE OUR
REPUBLICAN PARTY OVER TO DONALD
TRUMP AND HE HAS SUCH AN
OUTSIZED FIGURE, OUR DESTINY IS
INTERTWINED.
YOU SHOWED A CLIP OF McSALLY.
SHE COULDNT DISTANCE HERSELF
FROM THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE IF
SHE DENOUNCES HIM, SHES ON HIS
BAD LIST.
YET THE PEOPLE OF ARIZONA
RECOGNIZE SHES NOT THIS PERSON
WHOS GOING TO GET HIM OUT OF
THIS RAT.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE POLLS AND
SEE 79% OF INDIVIDUALS ARE
FEARFUL FOR THIS ELECTION, ITS
NOT THEYRE FEARFUL OF COVID OR
HEALTH CARE OR ENVIRONMENT,
THEYRE FEARFUL FOR THE PERSON
AT THE TOP, THE PERSON AT THE
WHITE HOUSE MAKING THESE
DECISIONS.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A AN
ELECTION FOLKS ARE GOING OUT
BECAUSE THEYRE FEARFUL AND
FEAREST ABOUT THEIR SAFETY.
AND WHAT KAMALA HARRIS DID SO
BRILLIANTLY DURING THE VICE
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IS SHE WAS
TALKING TO SUBURBAN WHITE WOMEN
SAYING, YOUR LIFE DOES NOT HAVE
TO BE THIS WAY.
YOURE RIGHT NOW FEELING
INSECURE.
COME BACK TO THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY, LIKE YOU DID DURING THE
2018 ELECTION.
THATS WHO SHE NEEDED TO WIN
OVER AND I THINK SHE DOES AN
EXCELLENT JOB.
>> MARIA TERESA, YOU DID A GREAT
SEGUE FOR A GRAPHIC I WANT TO
PUT UP.
THIS ISSUE OF WHOS HOPEFUL AND
WHOS FEARFUL.
THIS WAS FASCINATING.
YOUR FEELINGS ON THE STATE OF
THE COUNTRY AND THEY ASKED A
GENERAL QUESTION, ARE YOU
FEARFUL, OR ARE YOU HOPEFUL?
WHAT WAS INTERESTING WHILE THE
MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY SAID
THEYRE FEARFUL, BIDEN
SUPPORTERS, HALLIE JACKSON, WERE
MORE LIKELY FOR FEARFUL.
79% OF BIDEN SUPPORTERS CALL
THEMSELVES FEARFUL, TRUMP
SUPPORTER CALLED THEMSELVES
HOPEFUL.
I WILL SAY THIS, FEAR MOTIVATES.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS WERE MORE
FEARFUL FOUR YEARS AGO AND THAT
WORKED.
>> AND YOURE STARTING TO SEE
THAT.
I WAS STRUCK BY SOMETHING
SENATOR CRUZ SAID, CHUCK, WHICH
HES BEEN TALKING ABOUT IF FEAR
MOTIVATES ITS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT
FROM THE SENATOR THE DEMOCRATS
WOULD LIKELY DO BETTER.
YOURE SEEING REPUBLICANS TRY TO
TAKE THAT AND SPIN IT AS
DEMOCRATS ARE THE ONES PAINTING
A DARK AND DYSTOPIAN MESSAGE TO
MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO COME OUT
POLLS.
IN REALITY SOME OF THE LANGUAGE
AND RHETORIC WE HEARD FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHAT HES BEEN
RUNNING ON SO FAR, HAS BEEN THIS
MESSAGE OF LAW AND ORDER WHICH
HIS SUPPORTERS APPRECIATE.
CRITICS SAY LISTEN, YOURE
TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO SCARE
SUBURBAN WOMEN AND SOME OF THE
KEY VOTING CONTINGENCIES WITH
THE LANGUAGE YOURE USING AND
PICTURE YOUR PAINTING.
I THINK THAT WILL BE CRITICAL