CRITERIA, BEATING DONALD TRUMP, HELPING DOWN BALLOT RACES AND
ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHING A VERY
AMBITIOUS AGENDA.
AMBITIOUS AGENDA. >> CONGRESSMAN A VERY
FULL-THROATED ATHLETIC
FULL-THROATED ATHLETIC ENDORSEMENT OF JOE BIDEN LAST
NIGHT.
NIGHT. THE ARMS FLAILING ON THE STAGE,
GOING BACK AND FORTH.
THE FULL BETO O’ROURKE TREATMENT
YOU GAVE HIM, BUT WITH REGARD TO
SENATOR SANDERS YOU JUST
MENTIONED THE WORD WOULD, YOU
DON’T WANT TO SEE ANYBODY
DIMINISH ANY OF THE OTHER
CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ARE YOU NOW AN ESTABLISHMENT
DEMOCRAT GANGING UP ON BERNIE
SANDERS AS A RESULT OF YOUR
ENDORSEMENT?
ENDORSEMENT? SOME OF THE LANGUAGE HE EMPLOYED
IN HIS RAILS LATELY INDICATES HE
THINKS THERE IS A DIVISION IN
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY A PORTION
OF THE PARTY, THAT WOULD NOW
INCLUDE YOU AGAINST HIM, TRYING
TO STOP HIM, AS HE PHRASES IT.
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
WHICH PART ARE YOU A PART OF?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I AM WHO I AM.
SAME GUY, BELIEVE IN THE SAME
THINGS, AND JUST WANT TO BE
THERE FOR MY COUNTRY AT THIS
DEFINING MOMENT OF TRUTH, AND
YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT THE
CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. LISTENING TO THEM.
THIS IS A DECISION THAT I CAME
LATE TO.
LATE TO. REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT
I MADE THE RIGHT ONE.
DECIDED THAT JOE BIDEN’S THE
BEST PERSON TO BE AT TOP OF THE
TICKET, AND TO YOUR POINT, MIKE
I JUST DON’T KNOW THAT IT HELPS
WHEN ANY OF THE CANDIDATES
DISMISS THE OTHER CANDIDATES OR
THEIR SUPPORTERS OR WRITE THEM
OFF OR WRITE THEM OUT.
WE NEED AS MANY PEOPLE ON OUR
SIDE GOING IN.
CERTAINLY EVERY DEMOCRAT, NO
MATTER WHAT YOUR STRIPE OR WHAT
PART OF THE PARTY YOU EXIST IN,
BUT WE ALSO NEED INDEPENDENCE,
AND I’D GO AS FAR AS TO SAY WE
NEED MODERATE DEMOCRATS.
IN 2018 WHEN I TOOK ON TED CRUZ,
HALF A MILLION PEOPLE VOTE FORD
ME ON THE SAME BALLOT.
IF WE’RE GOING TO WIN IN STATES
LIKE TEXAS AND I THINK WE MUST,
38 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES IN
THE STATE.
THE STATE. IMAGINE IF THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINEE WON THOSE?
DONALD TRUMP IS OVER.
BUT TO WIN TEXAS, YOU’VE GOT
HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN BRING
EVERYONE IN.
EVERYONE IN. SO I WOULD JUST CAUTION ALL THE
CANDIDATES TO MAKE SURE THAT
YOU’RE TALKING INCLUSIVELY ABOUT
YOUR FELLOW DEMOCRATS AND YOUR
FELLOW AMERICANS FOR THAT
MATTER.
MATTER. >> BETO, IT’S CLAIRE McCASKILL.
LISTEN, FIRST OF ALL, KUDOS TO
YOU FOR TRYING TO KEEP OUR PARTY
TOGETHER, AND YOU’VE BEEN VERY
CAREFUL THIS MORNING AND VERY
SKILLFUL IN TALKING ABOUT HOW WE
CAN’T DEMONIZE ANYONE.
I HOPE SOME OF THAT BLEEDS OVER
TO THE BERNIE CAMP AND THE
BERNIE SUPPORTERS BECAUSE THE
GOING TO BE A PROBLEM IF THEY
KEEP DEMONIZING ANYONE WHO’S NOT
FOR THEM.
FOR THEM. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY IN AMERICA
WOULD CALL YOU AN ESTABLISHMENT
POLITICIAN OR A CORPORATE
INTEREST OR INSTITUTION.
YOU ARE A CANDIDATE WHO GOT THE
GROUND GAME IN TEXAS.
YOU DID IT LIKE NO ONE HAD EVER
DONE IT BEFORE.
BLOOMBERG HAS SPENT JUST A LOT
OF MONEY ON TELEVISION.
IN TEXAS, CAN YOU TELL US, DOES
HE HAVE A GROUND GAME?
IS THERE A GROUND GAME?
IS THERE ORGANIC SUPPORT FOR HIM
ON THE GROUND, HAS HE REALLY
GINNED THAT UP WITH MONEY?
OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT IS
REALLY NOT THERE AND IT’S JUST
ABOUT THE TV ADS?
>> YOU KNOW, MIKE BLOOMBERG HAS
OPENED I THINK 19 OFFICES IN THE
STATE OF TEXAS.
I DON’T THINK THERE’S BEEN A
PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER TO OPEN
EVEN HALF THAT NUMBER OF OFFICES
IN THE STATE.
INCLUDING IN EL PASO, WHICH HE
VISITED OR FOR WHICH I’M
GRATEFUL.
GRATEFUL. HE HIRED A LOT OF REALLY GOOD
PEOPLE INCLUDING PEOPLE THAT
USED TO WORK FOR ME NOW MAKING
TWO OR THREE TIME WHAT’S THEY
MADE FOR ME.
HE’D MADE AN INVESTMENT IN A
STATE, A STATE YOU ALL KNOW IS
USUALLY AN AFTER THOUGHT IF
THOUGHT OF AT ALL.
IT’S SO BIG.
MEDIA MARKETS SO EXPENSIVE.
PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS JUST
DON’T PLAY HERE.
FOR ALL OF THAT I’M GRATEFUL.
CLAIRE, TO YOUR QUESTION, I
THINK THOSE ARE PURCHASED ASSETS
IN TEXAS, AND IT DOESN’T
DIMINISH THEIR EF CASSEFFICACY B
NOT AS A GRASS ROOTS EFFORT I
SEE ON BEHALF OF JOE BIDEN AND I
SEE ON BEHALF OF BERNIE SANDERS.
REALLY PASSIONATE SUPPORTERS
WILLING TO DO THE VERY TOUGH
LEGWORK OF KNOCKING ON ONE DOOR
AFTER ANOTHER.
AFTER ANOTHER. MAKING ONE PHONE CALL AFTER
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. EVEN SENDING OUT TEXTS TO
CONNECT WITH THE TEXAS VOTERS
HERE.
HERE. SO I DON’T SENSE THE GRASS ROOTS
SUPPORT FOR BLOOMBERG CERTAINLY
HAVE ENCOUNTERED A LOT OF PEOPLE
WHO ARE SUPPORTING HIM, BUT I
THINK THE REAL FIRE, THE REAL
ENERGY STARTS TO DEVELOP WHEN
YOU’VE GOT THOSE GRASS ROOTS
LEADERS AND I REALLY SEE THAT IN
BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN.
BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN. IN SANDERS, AND EVEN IN WARREN’S
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. WE TRAVEL THE STATE, AS YOU KNOW
AND ARE SEEING FOLKS SUPPORTING
ALL THE CANDIDATES, BUT I THINK
YOU’LL SEE THAT ESPECIALLY PLAY
OUT FOR BIDEN AND SANDERS.
>> BETO O’ROURKE, GREAT GUY.