WE DIDN’T WATCH THE DEBATES SO WE CAN’T DO IT.
>> THANKS TO LAWRENCE O’DONNELL,
AND A WELCOME TO ALL OF THOSE
VIEWERS JOINING US AT THE
CONCLUSION OF THE DEBATE.
GOOD EVENING FROM OUR NBC NEWS
HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK.
BRIAN WILLIAMS ALONG WITH
NICOLLE WALLACE, THE THIRD
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY DEBATE HAS
JUST WRAPPED UP AT HOUSTON’S
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, AMONG
THE LARGEST HISTORICALLY BLACK
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN OUR
NATION.
NATION. TONIGHT WAS THE FIRST DEBATE AS
YOU KNOW WITH THIS CROWDED
ELECTION CYCLE IN WHICH ALL TEN
TOP CONTENDERS SHARED ONE STAGE.
IT MEANT THAT FRONT AND CENTER
WERE JOE BIDEN, ELIZABETH
WARREN, AND BERNIE SANDERS
FINALLY FACING OFF FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN A SHOWDOWN ON THE MOST
IMPORTANT ISSUE TO DEMOCRATIC
VOTERS.
VOTERS. AMONG THE MOST DIVISIVE TOPICS
OF THE EVENING, IN FACT, WAS
HEALTH CARE.
HEALTH CARE. MORE ON THAT IN A MOMENT, BUT
FIRST, THE NIGHT GOT UNDERWAY
WITH SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS
SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO ONE VIEWER.
>> HERE’S WHAT YOU DON’T GET,
WHAT YOU DON’T GET IS THAT THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE SO MUCH
BETTER THAN THIS, AND WE KNOW
THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF US
HAVE SO MUCH MORE IN COMMON THAN
WHAT SEPARATES US, REGARDLESS OF
OUR RACE, WHERE WE LIVE, OR THE
PARTY WITH WHICH WE’RE
REGISTERED TO VOTE, AND I PLAN
ON FOCUSING ON OUR COMMON
ISSUES, OUR COMMON HOPES AND
DESIRES, AND IN THAT WAY
UNIFYING OUR COUNTRY, WINNING
THIS ELECTION, AND TURNING THE
PAGE FOR AMERICA AND NOW
PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU CAN GO BACK
TO WATCHING FOX NEWS.
>> AT THE CENTER OF THE STAGE
TONIGHT, THE FRONT RUNNER AND
THE BIGGEST TARGET OF THE
EVENING, JOE BIDEN.
AT ONE POINT JULIAN CASTRO
APPEARED TO TAKE A SWIPE AT
BIDEN OVER WHAT HE SEEMED TO
REGARD AS SOME SORT OF SENIOR
MOMENT.
MOMENT. >> THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT I
SUPPORT AND WHAT YOU SUPPORT,
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN IS THAT YOU
REQUIRE THEM TO OPT IN, AND I
WOULD NOT REQUIRE THEM TO OPT
IN.
IN. THEY WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE
ENROLLED.
ENROLLED. THEY WOULDN’T HAVE TO BUY IN.
THAT’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BECAUSE
BARACK OBAMA’S VISION WAS NOT TO
LEAVE 10 MILLION PEOPLE
UNCOVERED.
UNCOVERED. HE WANTED EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN
THIS COUNTRY COVERED.
MY PLAN WOULD DO THAT.
YOUR PLAN WOULD NOT.
>> THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BUY IN.
THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BUY IN.
>> YOU JUST SAID THAT.
YOU JUST SAID THAT TWO MINUTES
AGO.
AGO. YOU JUST SAID TWO MINUTES AGO
THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BUY IN.
YOU SAID THEY WOULD HAVE TO BUY
IN.
IN. >> IF YOU QUALIFY FOR
MEDICAID --
MEDICAID -- >> ARE YOU FORGETTING WHAT YOU
SAID TWO MINUTES AGO?
ARE YOU FORGETTING ALREADY WHAT
YOU SAID JUST TWO MINUTES AGO?
I MEAN, I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT YOU
SAID TWO MINUTES AGO THAT THEY
HAD TO BUY IN AND NOW YOU’RE
SAYING THEY DON’T HAVE TO BUY.
YOU’RE FORGETTING THAT, I MEAN,
LOOK.
LOOK. >> ANY GRANDMOTHER WHO HAS NO
MONEY --
MONEY -- >> WE NEED A HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM --
SYSTEM -- >> YOU’RE AUTOMATICALLY
ENROLLED.
ENROLLED. >> YOU HEARD THE CROWD REACT IN
REALTIME, CONTROVERSIAL MOMENT
FOR SURE.
FOR SURE. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO FIND
OUT WHAT SANDERS SAID TO BIDEN
THERE BETWEEN THE TWO MENTAL,
BUT
BUT T -- MEN, THE ACCUSATION FROM
CASTRO CALLS FOR A FACT CHECK.
IT APPEARS BIDEN DID NOT SAY
AMERICANS WOULD HAVE TO BUY IN
TO HIS HEALTH CARE POLICY.
HERE’S WHAT HE DID SAY.
>> MY HEALTH CARE PLAN DOES
SIGNIFICANTLY CUT THE COST OF
THE LARGEST OUT-OF-POCKET
PAYMENT YOU’LL PAY IS A THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
DOLLARS. YOU’LL BE ABLE TO GET TO GET INT
ANYONE WHO CAN’T AFFORD IT GETS
AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED.
AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED. GUESS WHAT.
GUESS WHAT. OF 160 MILLION PEOPLE WHO LIKE
THEIR HEALTH CARE NOW, THEY CAN
KEEP IT.
KEEP IT. IF THEY DON’T LIKE IT, THEY CAN
LEAVE.
LEAVE. >> INFIGHTING WAS A TOPIC ON
STAGE.
STAGE. AND IT CALLED -- IT BROUGHT
ABOUT CALLS FOR UNITY AND
CIVILITY WITH MAYOR PETE LEADING
THE CHARGE.
THE CHARGE. >> THIS REMINDS EVERYBODY OF
WHAT THEY CANNOT STAND ABOUT
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. SCORING POINTS ABOUT EACH OTHER,
POKING AT EACH OTHER AND TELLING
EACH OTHER THAT MY PLAN, WE
ALL --
ALL -- >> THAT’S AN ELECTION.
THIS IS WHAT WE’RE HERE FOR.
IT’S AN ELECTION.
>> A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND.
>> SO AIRING A LITTLE BIT OF THE
LAUNDRY PUBLICALLY ON STAGE
TONIGHT, IT WAS INTERESTING.
IT WAS AS IF SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE
TOLD THEM PRIOR TO THIS EVENT
HERE IS THE DEAL.
OBAMA GOOD, TRUMP BAD.
>> I DON’T KNOW WHO THAT IS OF
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
IF YOU HAD TO STICK ONE HEADLINE
ON THIS NIGHT, YOU SHOWED THE
MOMENT THAT IF HE FALLS FROM
WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MONTHS AND
MONTHS, THIS RACE IS NOT THAT
FLUID AT THE TOP.
I DON’T THINK ANYTHING THAT
HAPPENED WILL MOVE JOE BIDEN
POUT OF THE TOP THREE SPOTS.
I THINK THE ONLY THING IF YOU’RE
LOOKING FOR SOME SORT OF ACTION
OR ANYONE THAT CAN BE IN MOTION
AFTER TONIGHT, I THINK BETO
O’ROURKE WHO FOUND HIS VOICE, HE
STILL SPOKE WITH CLARITY.
HE SEEMS TO HAVE GAINED SOME
CONFIDENCE BETWEEN MATCHING THE
MOMENTS.
MOMENTS. HE TENDS TO USE SALTY LANGUAGE.
I WORK FOR JOHN McCAIN.
I FIND THAT FAMILIAR AND
REFRESHING.
REFRESHING. HE STILL HAS THAT SORT OF
CLARITY THAT HE REALLY SHOWCASED
AFTER EL PASO.
HE HAD SOME MOMENTS.
WHETHER IT JOSTLES HIM OUT OF
THE BOTTOM OF THE TOP TEN, I
DON’T KNOW.
DON’T KNOW. I THINK PETE BUTTIGIEG WAS VERY
MUCH ON BRAND TONIGHT.
WHOEVER MERGES AS THE NOMINEE,
BUTTIGIEG WILL BE NAMED AS
SOMEONE WHO WILL BE IN HIS
CABINET.
CABINET. >> LET’S GO TO OUR MAN IN
HOUSTON, TEXAS.
HOUSTON, TEXAS. CHRIS MATTHEWS IN THE SPIN ROOM
ADJACENT TO THE VENUE TONIGHT.
WHAT WAS THE VIEW FROM THERE?
>> YOU KNOW, I AGREED WITH
EVERYTHING THE CALLER SAID.
I THOUGHT THE EVENING BEGAN WITH
CALLS FOR UNITY.
I’M NOT INTENDING TO BE PRESENT
FOR HALF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BUT
ALL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IT WAS A PUSHBACK AGAINST HARD
IDEAIOLOGY FROM THE DEMOCRATIC
LEFT.
LEFT. CERTAINLY MEDICARE FOR ALL, NO
MORE PRIVATE INSURANCE.
BERNIE AND HER COMPETED ON
PAYING OFF ALL THE STUDENT
LOANS.
LOANS. ALSO A SORT OF PURITY TEST, BETO
SAID HE IS GOING TO NOT JUST BUY
BACK, BUT DEMAND THAT THEY SELL
THEM BACK.
THEM BACK. I NOTICED THAT -- THIS WOULD BE
AN EXTRAORDINARY RULING BY THE
SUPREME COURT THAT WOULD ALLOW A
PRESIDENT TO USE EXECUTIVE
ORDERS TO DEMAND THE END OF
OWNERSHIP BY AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
BY SEMI-AUTOMATIC ASSAULT
WEAPONS.
WEAPONS. I THINK THESE ARE THREE OR FOUR
CASES OF EXTREME POSITIONS.
GENERALLY, I THOUGHT THERE WAS A
PUSHBACK ON THAT STAGE AGAINST
THE HARD LEFT.
I HEARD A LOT OF CALLS FOR
UNITY.
UNITY. I THOUGHT THERE WAS A LOT MORE
PUSHBACK ON ALLOUT HEALTH CARE,
MEDICARE FOR ALL WITHOUT HEALTH
INSURANCE FROM THE PRIVATE
SECTOR.
SECTOR. ON BORDER ISSUES, FASCINATING.
LAST TIME AROUND PEOPLE WERE
TALKING ABOUT CERTAINLY
DECRIMINALIZING ILLEGAL BORDER
CROSSINGS.
CROSSINGS. I THINK THAT WAS A CHEAP SHOT.
THE FACT IS HE GOT HIS FACTS
WRONG.
WRONG. IN TERMS OF COMPETENCY, HE
RISKED HIS POSITION TONIGHT.
>> I CAN’T HELP BUT NOTICE
SENATOR KLOBUCHAR OVER YOUR
RIGHT SHOULDER.
RIGHT SHOULDER. >> SHE’S RIGHT HERE AS WE SPEAK.
>> WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU.
OUR FREQUENT VIEWERS KNOW THE
DRILL.
DRILL. WHEN CHRIS GETS A CANDIDATE
WIRED UP AND READY TO GO, WE’LL
GO TO CHRIS IN HOUSTON.
WITH US HERE, MEMBERS OF OUR
STUDIO.
STUDIO. EUGENE ROBINSON AND JOY REED,
THE HOST OF A.M. JOY AT THE BICK
BOARD TONIGHT OUR NATIONAL
CORRESPONDENT STEVE KORNACKI.
WELCOME TO YOU ALL.
SENATOR, WE’RE GOING TO BEGIN
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU. WERE KINGS OR QUEENS MADE OR
DESTROYED ON THAT STAGE TONIGHT?
WHAT’S YOUR HEADLINE?
>> I THINK CASTRO IS HURT.
I THINK HE WAS TRYING TO SWING
FOR THE FENCES.
PEOPLE KEPT TALKING ABOUT THE
TENSION BETWEEN WARREN AND
BIDEN.
BIDEN. THE TENSION I FELT ON THE STAGE,
THIS WAS THEIR -- IN SOME WAYS
THEIR LAST MOMENT TO MAKE A
LASTING IMPRESSION TO TRY TO GET
IN TO THE KIND OF DEBATE THAT
WILL PROBABLY MOVE THE NEEDLE
SOME DOWN THE LINE.
I’M NOT SURE ANYTHING TONIGHT
MOVED THE NEEDLE EXCEPT I THINK
CASTRO OFFENDED PEOPLE THE WAY
HE DID THAT.
AND IT WON’T SURPRISE ME IF IT
HELPS BIDEN.
HELPS BIDEN. >> I TOTALLY AGREE.
FOR LONG STRETCHES THE DEBATE
SEEMED LIKE BIDEN VERSUS THE
FRINGES.
FRINGES. THEY WERE TRYING TO GET SOME
SORT OF PURCHASE.
I THINK YOU UNDERSTATE THE
DAMAGE THAT CASTRO DID.
HE WOULD HAVE LOST A LOT OF
SUPPORT IF HE HAD A LOT OF
SUPPORT TO LOSE.
HE DIDN’T.
HE DIDN’T. HE HAD A LITTLE SUPPORT.
I THINK IT’S BASICALLY OVER.
HE TOOK A SHOT.
IT WAS NOT A GOOD SHOT.
AND IT JUST REALLY WENT OVER
LIKE A BALLOON.
THAT WAS A BAD MOMENT FOR HIM.
I THOUGHT CORY BOOKER AT TIMES
SORT OF LOOKED WISE AND
PRESIDENTIAL.
PRESIDENTIAL. AND HE PRESENTS HIMSELF IN A WAY
THAT YOU CAN SORT OF IMAGINE.
I THINK HE MIGHT HAVE DONE
HIMSELF SOME GOOD TONIGHT IN THE
DEBATE.
DEBATE. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ISSUES HE
WASN’T PRESSED ON.
MAYBE HE WILL BE IN FUTURE
DEBATES.
DEBATES. OTHER THAN THAT, I DIDN’T SEE A
LOT OF MOVEMENT.
>> IT’S INTERESTING WHAT WAS
SAID.
SAID. >> THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE
PLACE TO BE.
>> WE DID HAVE A GREAT TIME.
>> I THINK BECAUSE YOU RUN IN
CAMPAIGNS YOU KNOW THE
LIKABILITY ARGUMENT IN POLITICS
GETS THROWN AT WOMEN.
WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING A CAMPAIGN
HAVING WORKED ON THE PRESS SIDE,
YOU HAVE TO ALWAYS REMEMBER WHO
IS LIKABLE AMONG YOUR OPPONENTS.
I THINK THAT GOING AFTER BIDEN
IS SMART IN THE SENSE THAT HE IS
AT THE TOP.
IF YOU WANT TO GET AT THE TOP
YOU HAVE TO TAKE HIM ON.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER PEOPLE LIKE
JOE BIDEN.
JOE BIDEN. JOE BIDEN IS NOT DONALD TRUMP.
PEOPLE LIKE JOE BIDEN.
THEY MAY NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT
JOE BIDEN TO KNOW THE DINGS IN
HIS PAST.
HIS PAST. WHEN THEY FIND HIM OUT THEY MAY
BE DISAPPOINTED.
BE DISAPPOINTED. FUNDAMENTALLY DEMOCRATS LIKE
HIM.
HIM. >> DEMOCRATS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY
HORRIFIED AND TERFIRED.
>> FOR THE SAME REASON THEY ARE
TURNED OFF BY PRESIDENT OBAMA.
IF YOU’RE GOING TO COME
FRAPRESIDENT OBAMA THEY WOULD
DEFEND HIM.
DEFEND HIM. HE IS ON THEIR SIDE
FUNDAMENTALLY.
FUNDAMENTALLY. I THINK WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO
TAKE OUT A FRONT RUNNER, YOUFR
DON’T DO IT IN A WAY THAT
PRESUMES PEOPLE DON’T LIKE THIS
PERSON.
PERSON. I THINK THAT WAS TOO HARSH ON
HIS PART.
HIS PART. I THOUGHT BETO HAD A GREAT
NIGHT.
NIGHT. NOW I CAN SEE IN HIM THE
CONFIDENCE.
CONFIDENCE. HE JUST WANTS TO SEND A MESSAGE
THAT I THINK IS AUTHENTIC.
AND THEN MY LAST IS THAT WARREN,
NO ONE TOUCHED HER.
SHE HAS BEEN COHERENT ON
EVERYTHING SHE SAID.
>> DID SHE GET ENOUGH AIR TIME?
>> NO ONE DID.
IT’S THE SAME NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
>> I KNOW WE HAVE TO GO.
NOBODY SAID A WORD ABOUT SENATOR
HARRIS.
HARRIS. AN ATTACK ON TRUMP IS EXACTLY