.
. >>> WELCOME BACK.
IT IS NO SECRET OUR POLITICS ARE
POLARIZED AND FRANKLY GROWING ON
WHAT IS A DISAPPEARING MIDDLE.
POLITICIANS ACHIEVE SUCCESS
BECAUSE OF THEIR ABILITY TO BE
LIKED BY THE OTHER SIDE.
JOINING ME TWO OFFICE HOLDERS,
FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CLAIRE
McCASKILL LOST HER SEAT AS
MISSOURI BECAME MORE
CONSERVATIVE AND TOM DAVIS GAVE
UP HIS SEAT BEFORE THE 28
ELECTIONS AS HIS DISTRICT HAS
BECOME A LOT MORE LIBERAL.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT
SO-CALLED DISAPPEARING MIDDLE
BECAUSE LET’S BE FRANK HERE,
IMPEACHMENT IS BREAKING CONGRESS
AS WE KNOW IT FOR NOW.
THE CENTER IS WHO PUTS HUMPTY
DUMPTY BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.
YET IT FEELS LIKE THIS WILL BE A
LOT HARDER.
LOT HARDER. SENATOR McCASKILL.
SENATOR McCASKILL. HOW DOES THE CENTER?
DOES IT HAVE TO BE REP ASSERT
ITSELF TO SORT OF FIX THE
SENATE?
SENATE? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK
THE SENATE WAS BROKEN.
CONGRESS WAS BROKEN BEFORE
IMPEACHMENT CAME ALONG.
>> FAIR.
>> FAIR. >> MY FIRST YEAR IN THE SENATE,
I VOTED ON 306 LEGISLATIVE
AMENDMENTS.
AMENDMENTS. THIS YEAR THERE IS FEWER THAN
30.
30. MITCH McCONNELL PRESIDED OVER,
ABSOLUTELY DESTROYING SENATE
NORMS FROM MERRITT GARLAND TO
KILLING LEGISLATIVE DEBATE.
THE SENATE IS NO LONGER WHAT IT
WAS AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS
COUNTRY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE
THE ONES POLITICALLY TO PUT
PRESSURE ON THIS DYSFUNCTION AND
SAY WE WANT UNITY.
WE WANT STUFF TO GET DONE.
WE WANT YOU TO QUIT THE PARTISAN
FOOD FIGHT.
FOOD FIGHT. >> TOM DAVIS, THERE ISN’T A
POLITICAL CONSTITUENCY THAT
REWARDS THAT RIGHT NOW.
>> NOT AT ALL.
IN FACT, WE’VE DEINVOLVED INTO
BASICALLY PARLIAMENTARY BEHAVIOR
IN A BALANCE AND POWER
STRUCTURE.
STRUCTURE. AND IT DOESN’T WORK.
REMEMBER THAT FOR ABOUT 80% OF
THE HOUSE AND THE MAJORITY OF
THE SENATE, THE ONLY RACE THAT
COUNTS IS THE PRIMARY ELECTION.
TO THESE MEMBERS, NOVEMBER IS
JUST A CONSTITUTIONAL FORMALITY.
THE VOTE VERSE SORTED THEMSELVES
INTO BASICALLY MAKING MOST█ç OF
THESE SEATS SAFE.
THE NUMBER OF MARGINAL SEATS
HAVE DECREASED.
HAVE DECREASED. THEY’RE THE ONES WHO DECIDE WHO
IS THE MAJORITY.
>> WHAT’S INTERESTING IN OR NEW
POLL IS HOW CERTAIN SOME PEOPLE
ARE OF THEIR VOTE ALREADY.
WE ASKED THIS QUESTION ABOUT
2020.
2020. STRN TO VOTE AGAINST TRUMP IS
ALREADY UP TO 48%.
IT’S UP 2 POINTS FROM LAST
MONTH.
MONTH. CERTAIN TO VOTE FOR TRUMP IS
34%.
34%. DEPENDS ON THE NOMINEE IS 18%.
THIS IS WHAT I’D LIKE TO IF
FOCUS ON, THIS IS THE SWING
VOTER FOR THIS ELECTION.
IT LOOKS LIKE NO SWING VOTER ANY
OF US HAVE TALKED ABOUT IN 30
YEARS THIS SWING VOTER IS MALE,
YOUNGER, WHITE.
YOUNGER, WHITE. I WANT TO SHOW THEY APPROVE
SOMEWHAT OF THE PRESIDENT’S JOB
RATING.
RATING. THEY PREFER A REPUBLICAN
CONGRESS OVER A DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. BUT THEY BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT
DID SOMETHING WRONG EVEN IF
THEY’RE NOT READY TO IMPEACH
HIM.
HIM. SENATOR McCASKILL, THIS IS A
DIFFERENT TYPE OF SWING VOTER
THAN WE ARE USED TO NORMALLY
IT’S THE SUBURBS.
THE SUBURBS ARE MOVED IN ONE
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. YOU HAD A█ç HARD TIME DOCK IT.
IS IT CULTURALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR
DEMOCRATS TO REACH OUT TO THESE
FOLKS?
FOLKS? >> I DON’T THINK IT IS,
ESPECIALLY IF THE CANDIDATES GET
BACK TO FOCUSING ON WHAT’S
PRAGMATIC, PRACTICAL, UNIFYING
THE COUNTRY AND THE BIG ONE
HEALTHCARE.
HEALTHCARE. THE REPUBLICANS ARE IN A BAD
POSITION ON HEALTHCARE.
THEY HAVE TRIED TO TAKE AWAY THE
PROTECTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE
REALLY GROWN TO BE REALLY
GUARDING.
GUARDING. THEY DON’T WANT THAT PRE
EXISTING CONDITION PROTECTION
GONE AND I THINK IF, IN FACT,
THE DEMOCRATS NOMINATE SOMEONE
WHO CAN TALK ABOUT UNITY, TALK
ABOUT GOING AFTER DRUG
COMPANIES, TALK ABOUT
STABILIZING HEALTHCARE COSTS,
THEN I THINK DONALD TRUMP WILL
NO LONGER BE PRESIDENT IN
JANUARY OF 2021.
>> TOM DAVIDS, THERE IS ANOTHER
FASCINATING ASPECT OF THIS
GROUP, THEY’RE MORE
UNCOMFORTABLE WITH JOE BIDEN
THAN BERNIE SANDERS.
BERNIE SANDER’S SCORES FAIRLY
WELL, THIS THIS GROUP OF VOTERS
BECAUSE ANOTHER DYNAMIC IN THEM
IS THEY’RE NOT FULLY HAPPY WITH
THIS SYSTEM AS IT WAS.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SANDERS
MIGHT BE THE BEST PERSON TO TAKE
TRUMP VOTERS AWAY FROM TRUMP?
>> WELL, I THINK IT DEPENDS
WHERE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
LOOK, I THINK THIS RACE IS GOING
TO BE A RACE TO THE BOTTOM TO
ANY EXTENT WHERE PEOPLE ARE
HOLDING THEIR NOSE, A LOT OF
SWING VOTERS AND TAKING THE
LESSER OF TWO EVILS.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAS GOING FOR
H@M RIGHT NOW IS THE LOWEST
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN 50 YEARS
AND A STOCKMARKET THAT’S GOING
THROUGH THE ROOF.
SO HE’S GETTING GOOD RESULTS ON
THE GROUND THIS PAST TRADE
AGREEMENT.
AGREEMENT. THAT’S GOING GOOD FOR HIM AT
THIS POINT.
THIS POINT. IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND IF THE DEMOCRATS RUN AGAINST
HIM ON THE ECONOMY.
I THINK THAT’S A TOUGH SELL AT
THIS POINT.
THIS POINT. YOU WANT TO GET TO THE MID TO
HIM APPEAL TO THESE SWING VOTERS
AND GIVE HIM A REASON.
BUT THE NOMINATION PROCESS
DRIVES THE DEMOCRATS LEFT AND
THE REPUBLICANS RIGHT.
THAT’S THE DILEMMA THAT BOTH
PARTIES FACE.
PARTIES FACE. >> SENATOR, WHAT DID YOU MAKE IN
THE DEBATE THE OTHER NIGHT?
LOOK YOU CAN COME TO THE
CONCLUSION OVER THE LAST FOUR,
FIVE DEBATES THE PORTE LOOKS
LIKE THEY’RE ARGUING NOW,
THEY’RE MOVING TOWARDS THE
MIDDLE.
MIDDLE. BABE THAT’S BECAUSE BUTTIGIEG IS
THE GUY THAT’S GETTING TRACTION
IN IOWA MORE SO THAN WARNER OR
SANDERS.
SANDERS. DO YOU SEE THAT AS, HOW DO YOU
VIEW THAT DEVELOPMENT?
>> WELL, I SAW A VERY RECENT
SURVEY AMONG DEMOCRATIC VOTERS.
IT’S REALLY INTERESTING, THEY
REALLY DON’T LIKE THE IDEA OF
THE GOVERNMENT PAYING FOR
COLLEGE FOR RICH PEOPLE.
THEY REALLY DO.
THE MAJORITY OF THEM WANT TO
HOLD ONTO THE OPTION OF PRIVATE
INSURANCE.
INSURANCE. IF PEOPLE WANT THAT.
BUT THEY CERTAINLY WANT A
GOVERNMENT OPTION ALSO.
SO I THINK THAT WHERE MOST
DEMOCRATIC VOTERS ARE, ARE,
FRANKLY, CLOSER TO MAYOR PETE OR
JOE BIDEN OR AMY KLOBUCHAR THAN
THEY ARE.
THEY ARE. THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE
PROPOSALS BOTH ELIZABETH WARREN
AND BERNIE SANDERSS ARE PUSHING.
>> WOULD YOU HAD ADVISE
DEMOCRATS TO SPEND TIME WOOING
REPUBLICANS LIKE YOURSELF?
I’M PRESUMING THAT, NOT MEANING
MORE RIGHT OF CENTER REPUBLICAN,
NOT PRESUMING WHERE█ç YOU ARE ON
PRESIDENT TRUMP PERSONALLY, BUT
A REPUBLICAN LIKE YOURSELF?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE IN THESE SWING STATES,
IT’S REALLY IN THE SUBURBS, THE
REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN LOSING IT.
THEY LOST IN THE MID-TERMS, BUT
REMEMBER THE MID-TERM ELECTION
WAS MORE ABOUT PUTTING A CHECK
ON THE PRESIDENT RATHER THAN
GIVING HIM A BRANK CHECK.
THAT’S TRADITIONALLY WHAT WE
SEE.
SEE. I THINK THE VOTERS ARE UP FOR
GRABS AND WILL MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE OVER TWO CARRIES
THESE SWING STATES.
>> SENATOR CLAIRE McCASS SELL,
FORMERS ON BOTH OF THEM, THOUGH,
PEOPLE WHO BRING A REASONABLE