>>> WELCOME BACK.
THE PANEL IS WITH US FROM THEIR
REMOTE LOCATIONS.
MSNBC ANCHOR JOSHUA JOHNSON.
NBC NEWS CAPITOL HILL
CORRESPONDENT KASIE HUNT AND
RICH LOWERY, EDITOR OF NATIONAL
REVIEW.
THE NBC NEWS POLITICAL UNITS
FIRST BATTLEGROUND MAP OF 2020,
FULL DISCLOSURE, I AM A MEMBER
OF SAID POLITICAL UNIT SO IVE
CONTRIBUTED TO THIS MYSELF.
WE BEGIN WITH WHAT HILLARY
CLINTON WON?
2016 ALL OF WHICH REMAINS THE
SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
WHICH TRUMP CARRIED IN 2016 WE
ARE CURRENTLY CLASSIFYING AS A
TOSS-UP WHICH IS WHY YOURE
SEEING STRIPES.
SIX TRUMP 2016 STATES THAT WEVE
BEEN CONSIDERING THE KEY SIX
BATTLEGROUND, WISCONSIN E,
MICHIGAN IN THE NORTH AND ALL
HAVE BIDEN WITH A CONSISTENT
LEAD AND RIGHT NOW BEFORE WE GET
TO
TO THE TOSS-UP STATES AND BIDEN
WOULD HAVE 320 ELECTORAL VOTES.
FAR MORE THAN THE 270 HE NEEDS
ON PAR WITH THE BARACK OBAMA
ELECTORAL NUMBERS OF 2008 AND
2012.
PRESIDENT TRUMP LEADS IN 20
STATES, GOOD FOR 125 ELECTORAL
VOTES AND NEBRASKAS SECOND
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WE HAVE
AS LEANING BIDEN RIGHT NOW.
FOUR STATES, GEORGIA, OHIO, IOWA
AND TEXT TEX ALLAS ALL OF WHICH
TRUMP WON LAST TIME, IF THOSE
ARE THE TOSS-UP STATES YOU KNOW
WHERE THE MAP IS.
RICH LOWERY, I START WITH THIS,
A BACKDROP BECAUSE I ASKED THIS
SIMPLE QUESTION.
WHY IS THE PRESIDENT NOT TAKING
THE DEMOCRATS DEAL AT THIS
POINT?
BECAUSE IT SEEMS IT PROBABLY
WOULD HELP HIS RE-ELECTION
PROSPECTS?
>> CHUCK, THERES SOME DISPUTE
ABOUT HOW REAL THE REDUCED
SPENDING IS IN THE LATEST
DEMOCRATIC OFFER, BUT THE WHITE
HOUSE DEFINITELY HAS BEEN
REDUCTANT TO GET MUCH ABOVE $1
TRILLION AND ITS WITH AN EYE TO
RENEWED REPUBLICAN CONCERN ABOUT
THE DEFICIT AND I VERY MUCH GET
CONCERN ABOUT THE DEFICIT AND
THE REAL SIN HERE ISNT DEFICIT
SPENDING IN THE MIDST OF MAJOR
ECONOMIC DISLOCATION.
IT WAS ALL OF THE DEFICIT
SPENDING THAT TOOK PLACE WHEN
THE ECONOMY WAS GOOD.
>> JOSHUA JOHNSON, I HAD ONE
DEMOCRATIC AID, THATS BEEN
WHATS MADE THESE NEGOTIATIONS
SO ODD IS THE NORMAL RULES OF
POLITICS THEY THOUGHT WOULD
APPLY TO THE OTHER SIDE WHICH IS
THE POLITICAL PRESSURE AT THE
MOMENT HAS NOT IMPACTED THEM
YET.
>> YEAH.
ITS KIND OF INTERESTING.
THE WAY THAT THE POLITICAL
PRESSURE HAS SHIFTED OVER THE
COURSE OF THIS PANDEMIC.
MITCH McCONNELL WAS INTERVIEWED
BY POLITICO THIS WEEK AND ITS
HARDER THAN IT WAS FOUR MONTHS
AGO AND WERE THAT MUCH CLOSER
TO THE ELECTION.
DR. NAVARRO SAID YOU DONT
NEGOTIATE IN PUBLIC AND THAT MAY
BE PART OF WHY THIS IS SO HARD.
I THINK IT IS ALSO TELLING THAT
BOTH SIDES CANT SEEM TO COME TO
AN AGREEMENT PERHAPS BECAUSE OF
THE PUBLICITY AROUND THESE
NEGOTIATIONS.
IT MIGHT BE BET OR BOTH SIDES IF
THEY JUST SENT DELEGATES AND IF
ALL OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS STAYED
HOME AND STAYED AWAY FROM
CAMERAS FOR A WHILE, BUT YEAH,
AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE
ELECTION, UNFORTUNATELY, IT
SEEMS LIKE LESS AND LESS IS
GETTING AGREED TO BECAUSE EVERY
SOUND BITE AFTER EVERY
NEGOTIATION BECOMES SOMETHING
THAT CAN END UP IN AN OPPONENTS
CAMPAIGN AD.
>> CASEY, I LOOK AT THIS
SITUATION AND I THINK THEY HAVE
TO COME TO AN AGREEMENT.
THERES JUST NO CHOICE.
THE ECONOMIC FALLOUT IS TOO
GREAT NOT TO AND YET, DO YOU SEE
THEM LANDING THIS PLANE THIS
WEEK?
>> THINK THE BLAME GAME HAS MADE
THAT POTENTIALLY VERY DIFFICULT
AT THIS POINT, CHUCK, AND
REPUBLICANS ARE ESSENTIALLY
MAKING A BET THAT THE DEMOCRATS
ARE NOT GOING TO GO OUT THERE
AND TRY TO KNOCK DOWN THE
PRESIDENTS UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE EXECUTIVE ORDER
BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY CANT BE
SEEN DOING THAT, AND I THINK
THERE ARE REAL QUESTIONS ABOUT
MARK MEADOWS, THE WHITE HOUSE
CHIEF OF STAFF AND HIS ROLE IN
THESE NEGOTIATIONS BECAUSE STEVE
MNUCHIN SEEMED RELATIVELY
WILLING TO CUT THIS DEAL WITH
DEMOCRATS AND THERE DOES SEEM TO
BE THIS OVERARCHING BET ON THE
PART OF DEMOCRATS THAT THE
PEOPLE THAT WILL PAY THE
ULTIMATE POLITICAL PRICE FOR NOT
DOING A DEL WILL BE THE
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE OR THE
WHITE HOUSE AND WHETHER THATS
THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION IN THE
COUNTRY IS UP TO OUR VIEWERS TO
DECIDE.
>> HEY, RICH, IS THE REAL
PROBLEM HERE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
THE FACT THAT ANY DEAL THAT
CONGRESS CUTS IS GOING TO BE
MAJORITY DEMOCRATS HAVING TO
VOTE FOR BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE
SENATE?
>> YEAH.
THATS ANOTHER CONSTRAINTS, BUT
ITS DEFINITELY IN HIS POLITICAL
INTEREST TO DO THIS AND GET A
DEAL.
THESE EXECUTIVE ORDERS ARE
NEBULOUS, THEYRE CONFUSED AND
POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR LAW MAKING
AND I SHOULD NOTE, EVEN IF
THEYRE TECHNICALLY LEGAL, THIS
IS NOT HOW OUR SYSTEM IS
SUPPOSED TO WORK WHERE CONGRESS
AFFIRMATIVELY DECLINES TO DO
SOMETHING AND THE PRESIDENT
RUMMAGES AROUND FOR AUTHORITY TO
DO IT ON HIS OWN AND THIS IS
PART OF A LONG-RUNNING TREND OF
AN EXECUTIVE TRAMPLING ON AN
EFFECTLESS CONGRESS.
>> ARE YOU IN THE BEN SASSE
CAMP, RICH, WHAT DO YOU CALL
CONSTITUTIONAL SLOP?
>> ITS AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF
THE SYSTEM AND WHAT MANY OF US
INVADE WITH US AND ITS AN
EXTENSION OF THAT.
>> I WANT TO PIVOT TO
VEEPSTAKES.
>> JOSHUA, THE DAY THE AXELROD
TWEET THEYAT I ASKED SENATOR
DURBIN ABOUT, IT IS AN INSIDER
CONVERSATION, BUT THIS IDEA THAT
ARE SOME CANDIDATES RUNNING TOO
AGGRESSIVE A CAMPAIGN FOR THIS
NUMBER TWO SLOT.
>> THATS THE THING.
I DONT KNOW HOW TO READ THE
CAMPAIGN.
IF YOU WERE ASKING ME WHO WAS
GOING TO WIN THE NBA
CHAMPIONSHIP I KNOW THE RULES OF
THE GAME AND I KNOW HOW THE
PLAYERS HAVE DONE.
NO ONE KNOWS THE RULES OF THIS
GAME.
NONE OF US KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT
THE CAMPAIGN STRATEGY IS, WHO
THE PLAYERS ARE OR WHAT THE
LEADERBOARD IS.
SO THIS KIND OF NO WAY FOR US TO
KNOW WHICH MAKES THIS WHOLE
POLITICAL SEASON EVEN MORE
OPAQUE, FORGIVE ME, CHUCK, BY
THE WAY, BUT I DO WANT TO
MENTION BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR
OUT THAT NAVARRO DID SAY
SOMETHING TO YOU THAT WAS A BIT
DECEPTIVE IN THE WAY THAT THE
PAYROLL TAX IS BEING VIEWED
WHICH MAKES NEGOTIATIONS HARDER.
HE SAID NANCY PELOSI APPROVED
IT.
THAT WAS A PAYROLL TAX CUTS OF
TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS AND NOTA
PAYROLL TAX CUT AND THAT WAS
DECEPTIVE IN WHAT HE SAID.
>> THERE WAS A PLAN TO RESTORE
SOCIAL SECURITY.
YOU GET TO THE CHALLENGE OF
TRYING TO FIT AN HOURS WORTH OF
TELEVISION IN.
>> RIGHT.
EXACTLY.
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT I
HAD TO UNPACK ON THAT ONE.
KASIE HUNT, WERE GOING TO HEAR
FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT AT SOME
POINT ABOUT HIS RUNNINGMATE,
MAYBE TOMORROW.
IT DOES FEEL AS IF WERE STILL
SITTING ITS KAMALA HARRIS
VERSUS THE FIELD.
BIDEN WORLD SEEMS DIVIDED.
SOME THINK ITS THE PERFECT PICK
AND SOME THINK CAN YOU TRUST HER
TO BE YOUR LOYAL NUMBER TWO?
>> WELL, DAVID AXELROD DIDNT
NAME NAMES, BUT THE UNDERLYING
SUGGESTION HAS BEEN THAT ITS
KAMALA HARRIS CAMP THAT IS
PLAYING HARD -- POLITICAL HARD
BALL BEHIND THE SCENES HERE IN
TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT HER WAY
TO THIS PICK IS RELATIVELY
CLEAR.
IM NOT SAYING THAT WE HAVE
REPORTING ON THAT, BUT THE
SUGGESTION FROM PEOPLE IN PUBLIC
IS VERY STRONG, AND I THINK
THATS WHAT WOMEN OPERATIVES
IVE TALKED TO HAVE LOOKED AT
THIS PROCESS AND FEEL WERE
EXPERIENCING MORE OF WHAT
HILLARY CLINTON WENT THROUGH,
THAT THIS PROCESS IS THIS WAY
PARTLY BECAUSE ITS WOMEN
FIGHTING IT OUT AND PEOPLE ARE
LESS COMFORTABLE WITH WOMEN IN
THAT ROLE, BUT I THINK AT THE
END OF THE DAY THIS WILL COME
DOWN TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND THE
PERSON THAT HE ULTIMATELY PICKS
SO ONLY HE KNOWS THE ANSWER TO
THAT QUESTION.
>> AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER WE