OTHER FACTORS. BUT HE’S CLEARLY GONE BEYOND
EVEN THE BIZARRE BEHAVIOR WE ARE
USED TO IN NEW YORK.
>> AS FOR THE RACE FOR THE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION, THE ABC
NEWS/"WASHINGTON POST" POLL HAS
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
LEADING THE FIELD AT 30% WITH
SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS AT 19%.
SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS AT 13%.
SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN AT 12%
AND MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG IS IN A
DISTANT FIFTH PLACE WITH 4%.
IN THE REAL CLEAR POLITICS
AVERAGE, A RECENT SURGE FOR
SENATOR HARRIS SINCE THE JUNE
27th DEBATE HAS MOVED HER PAST
SANDERS AND WARREN INTO SECOND
PLACE.
PLACE. MEANWHILE, 45% OF DEMOCRATS
THINK BIDEN IS BEST POSITIONED
TO DEFEAT PRESIDENT TRUMP NEXT
YEAR.
YEAR. THE ABC/"WASHINGTON POST" POLL
FINDS 18% VIEW SANDERS AS THE
BEST BET TO WIN AND 9% PICK
HARRIS AND 7% PICK ELIZABETH
WARREN.
WARREN. >> SO REVEREND AL, JUST CURIOUS
WHAT YOU THINK OF THOSE NUMBERS.
AND OBVIOUSLY, JOE BIDEN’S
NUMBERS FLUCTUATE.
NUMBERS FLUCTUATE. I KNOW THAT MICHELLE OBAMA OVER
THE WEEKEND WAS ASKED TO GET
INVOLVED IN THE DEBATE BETWEEN
JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS AND
SHE SAID NOT GOING TO TAKE THAT
BAIT.
BAIT. ALSO, BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT
IT WAS JUST SO EARLY.
THAT THINGS WERE GOING TO CHANGE
SO MUCH AND SHE OF COURSE SHOULD
KNOW BECAUSE THIS TIME 12 YEARS
AGO, MIKA WAS FLYING TO IOWA,
INTERVIEWED MICHELLE THERE WHO
WAS AT THAT TIME ALONG WITH HER
HUSBAND VERY FRUSTRATED WITH
BLACK VOTERS WHO WERE STILL
SUPPORTING HILLARY CLINTON OVER
BARACK OBAMA BY PRETTY GOOD
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS. THAT OF COURSE CHANGED
DRAMATICALLY AND THIS RACE COULD
CHANGE DRAMATICALLY TOO.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ON THE
GROUND?
GROUND? WHAT ARE YOU HEARING IN THE
CHURCHES?
CHURCHES? WHAT ARE YOU HEARING IN PLACES
LIKE SOUTH CAROLINA?
>> WELL, I SPENT THE LAST FOUR
DAYS AT THE ESSENCE FESTIVAL
WHERE IT’S THE LARGEST GATHERING
OF BLACK WOMEN WHERE MICHELLE
OBAMA SPOKE.
OBAMA SPOKE. I HAVE BEEN THERE EVERY YEAR FOR
25 YEARS AND THEY’RE COMING
TOGETHER -- THEIR COMING
TOGETHER WAS DIFFERENT THIS
YEAR.
YEAR. YOU COULD HEAR THE BUZZ FROM ALL
OVER THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE ARE
SAYING IT IS EARLY.
WHEN MS. OBAMA REFERRED TO THE
STATEMENT YOU MADE WITH -- AT
THE ESSENCE FESTIVAL, WHEN SHE
REFERRED TO AT THIS POINT IN HER
AND BARACK OBAMA’S RACE, THEY
WERE TOTALLY LOWER ON THE POLLS
AND THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF
BLACKS SAYING WE DON’T KNOW HIM.
WE CAN HARDLY SAY HIS NAME, SO
YOU CAN’T SAY WHERE IT IS GOING.
YOU CAN MAKE A BIG MISTAKE IN
NOT BEING -- AND NOT BE
FORGIVEN, BUT IT’S MORE
DIFFICULT TO MAKE A GOOD MARK
THAT WILL BE REMEMBERED.
SO I THINK WE ARE AT THE POINT
WHERE PEOPLE ARE SAYING, DON’T
MAKE ANY BIG MISTAKES BUT YOU
HAVE TO GIVE IT ALL FOR THEM TO
REMEMBER YOUR POLICY PROPOSALS
THE VERY NEXT DAY.
>> AND MIKA, IT’S SO IMPORTANT
FOR PEOPLE THAT LOOK AT THE
CANDIDATES, LOOK AT THEIR RACE,
AND TRY TO MATCH THAT UP WITH
THE VOTERS.
THE VOTERS. IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO
REALIZE THAT THAT’S JUST NOT HOW
VOTERS VOTE.
VOTERS VOTE. ON A MUCH DIFFERENT SCALE, I
ALWAYS SAID IT WAS WHEN I RAN, I
WAS 29 YEARS OLD.
THE YOUNGER VOTERS WERE THE MOST
SKEPTICAL OF ME.
AND IT WAS OLDER VOTERS THAT
VOTED FOR ME.
IN 2007, 2008, WHICH WITH A HECK
A LOT MORE ON THE LINE, BARACK
OBAMA -- IT’S VERY EASY TO SAY
THAT BARACK OBAMA OF COURSE HE
WON THE BLACK VOTE.
NO, HE HAD TO FIGHT.
YOU REMEMBER YOUR INTERVIEW, THE
FRUSTRATION WITH MICHELLE OBAMA.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> REMEMBER THE TEAM’S
FRUSTRATION THAT BARACK OBAMA
HAD TO CONVINCE BLACK VOTERS
THAT VOTING FOR HIM WAS IN THEIR
PERSONAL INTEREST.
PERSONAL INTEREST. BECAUSE PEOPLE VOTE FOR THEIR
VERY SPECIFIC PERSONAL BEST
INTERESTS.
INTERESTS. THEY DON’T VOTE FOR AN IDEA.
THEY DON’T VOTE FOR A SYMBOL.
THEY VOTE TO MAKE THEIR
HOUSEHOLD BETTER.
HOUSEHOLD BETTER. AND SO I THINK WHAT WE’RE SEEING
RIGHT NOW IN THESE FOLKS IT’S
AWFULLY EARLY.
AWFULLY EARLY. BUT WHAT WE’RE SEEING IN THE
POLLS ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE, IF
YOU PUT UP THE NUMBERS AGAIN
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE HEAD TO
HEADS, RIGHT NOW IT’S JOE BIDEN
WHO’S THE ONLY ONE THAT’S
CLEARLY AHEAD BECAUSE A LOT OF
DEMOCRATS STILL THINK DESPITE
HIS POOR DEBATE PERFORMANCE
BELIEVE THAT JOE BIDEN HAS THE
BEST CHANCE TO BEAT DONALD
TRUMP.
TRUMP. >> AND COUNTER TO THE POINT THAT
IT’S EARLY, I MEAN, THE RATINGS
FOR THE DEMOCRATIC DEBATE WERE
PRETTY HIGH.
PRETTY HIGH. PEOPLE ARE WATCHING.
I THINK THIS IS A PRESIDENCY
THAT HAS PEOPLE ON THE EDGE OF
THEIR SEAT.
THEIR SEAT. THAT’S A LITTLE BIT DONALD TRUMP
DRIVEN, THAT’S THE WAY HE ROLLS
AND PERHAPS SOME ARE VERY
WORRIED ABOUT THE DIRECTION THAT
THIS COUNTRY IS HEADING IN.
AND I THINK THEY ARE TUNED IN.
SO I DON’T KNOW.
I GUESS IT’S EARLY, BUT I STILL
THINK IT MATTERS.
BY THE WAY, AFTER FACING WEEKS
OF CRITICISM AND QUESTIONS OVER
HIS RECORD ON RACE AND CIVIL
RIGHTS, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
JOE BIDEN THIS WEEKEND EXPRESSED
REGRET OVER HIS RECENT COMMENTS
ABOUT HIS PAST WORK WITH
SEGREGATIONISTS.
SEGREGATIONISTS. SPEAKING AT A CAMPAIGN EVENT IN
FRONT OF A MOSTLY AFRICAN
AMERICAN AUDIENCE IN SOUTH
CAROLINA ON SATURDAY, BIDEN ALSO
GAVE HIS MOST FORCEFUL DEFENSE
OF AS THE RECORD YESTERDAY -- OF
HIS RECORD YET AND LEANED ON HIS
TIME AS SERVING AS OBAMA’S
SECOND IN COMMAND.
>> AS IF THE OPPONENTS BELIEVED
I WANT TO SERVED FROM 1972 TO
1978 AND TOOK A HIATUS.
THEY DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
MUCH OF MY TIME AS VICE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I WAS VETTED BY HE AND TEN
SERIOUS LAWYERS HE APPOINTED TO
GO BACK AND TO LOOK AT EVERY
SINGLE THING IN MY BACKGROUND.
FROM FINANCES TO ANYTHING I HAD
DONE.
DONE. EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. AND HE SELECTED ME.
I’LL TAKE HIS JUDGMENT ABOUT MY
RECORD, MY CHARACTER, MY ABILITY
TO HANDLE THE JOB OVER ANYONE
ELSE’S.
ELSE’S. WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF THE DAY
LYNDON JOHNSON SIGNED THE CIVIL
RIGHTS ACT, THEY AND EVERYTHING
THEY STOOD FOR HAD BEEN REMOVED
FROM THE SENATE.
AND FROM THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
OF AMERICA.
OF AMERICA. BUT THAT’S NOT THE REAL WORLD.
FOLKS, NOW WAS I WRONG A FEW
WEEKS AGO TO SOMEHOW GIVE THE
IMPRESSION TO PEOPLE THAT I WAS
PRAISING THOSE MEN WHO I
SUCCESSFULLY OPPOSED TIME AND
AGAIN?
AGAIN? YES, I WAS.
I REGRET IT.
I’M SORRY FOR ANY OF THE PAIN OR
MISPERCEPTION THAT MAY HAVE
CAUSED ANYBODY.
CAUSED ANYBODY. >> SO AL, REVEREND AL, PRETTY
STRONG LINE THERE ABOUT BARACK
OBAMA.
OBAMA. THAT BARACK OBAMA VETTED ALL THE
CANDIDATES AND OF ALL THE
CANDIDATES LOOKING AT ALL OF
THEIR BACKGROUNDS, HE CHOSE JOE
BIDEN AND JOE SAYS HE’LL TAKE
BARACK OBAMA’S OPINION OF HIM ON
CIVIL RIGHTS OVER ANYONE ELSE’S.
WHAT DO YOU THINK -- IS THAT A
STRONG LINE FOR THE CAMPAIGN AND
MORE IMPORTANTLY DID JOE BIDEN
TAKE CARE OF SOME IMPORTANT
BUSINESS IN THAT SPEECH THIS
WEEKEND OR DOES THE CONTROVERSY
CONTINUE?
CONTINUE? >> I THINK IT IS A VERY STRONG
LINE BECAUSE CLEARLY EVERYONE
KNOWS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS
DELIBERATE AND WOULD HAVE VETTED
ANYONE.
ANYONE. AND I THINK IT IS A STRONG LINE.
I THINK THAT HIS APOLOGY OVER
THE WEEKEND ONE HAS TO WONDER
WHY HE DIDN’T DO IT TWO WEEKS
AGO WHEN MANY OF US WERE RAISING
IT.
IT. I PERSONALLY ON "POLITICSNATION"
TRIED TO GET HIM TO DO IT
BECAUSE I HAD WORKED WITH HIM
DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
ON EVERYTHING FROM THE TRAYVON
MARTIN CASE TO OTHER SITUATIONS
THAT WE AS CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS
WOULD MEET WITH THE PRESIDENT
ON.
ON. SO IT HURT US BECAUSE THE WORDS
WAS BEING SAID BY SOMEONE THAT
WE FELT WAS MORE SENSITIVE, BUT
I THINK THAT IT WILL MOVE ON
FROM HERE.
FROM HERE. BUT IT WAS A TWO-WEEK STORY THAT
HE MADE.
HE MADE. HE GAVE THE OPENING TO SENATOR
HARRIS.
HARRIS. HE CREATED THE STORY.
HAD HE SAID TWO WEEKS AGO WHAT
HE SAID SATURDAY, IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN FORGOTTEN THE NEXT DAY.
AND SAID JOE JUST MESSED UP IN
LANGUAGE WHICH MANY OF US DO.
I THINK THOUGH THAT HE CAN MOVE
ON AND I THINK THE FACT THAT HE
WAS VETTED AND DID WORK CLOSELY
WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA HELPS HIM.
THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT OBAMA IS
GOING TO WEIGH IN AND ENDORSE
HIM BY ANY STRETCH BUT I THINK
IT’S CERTAINLY PART OF A RESUME
THAT HIS COMPETITORS IN THE
FIELD CANNOT MATCH.
>> ALL RIGHT.
STILL AHEAD ON "MORNING JOE," HE
RECEIVED ONE OF THE MOST LENIENT
SENTENCES FOR A SERIAL SEX
OFFENDER IN U.S. HISTORY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED
BY THAT.
BY THAT. NOW, MULTIMILLIONAIRE JEFFREY
EPSTEIN HAS REPORTEDLY BEEN
ARRESTED OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK.
WE’LL TALK TO "THE MIAMI HERALD"
REPORTER WHO HAS BEEN COVERING
THIS STORY FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING.
BEGINNING. >> THAT REPORTING, MIKA, NO
DOUBT, THAT REPORTING MADE A
HUGE DIFFERENCE IN PUTTING THIS
STORY FRONT AND CENTER AND I
BELIEVE FORCED THE FEDS TO