>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK!
YOU KNOW MY NEXT GUEST AS THE CO-HOST OF "THE CIRCUS" ON
SHOWTIME.
NOW HE'S CREATED A NEW MEDIA OUTLET CALLED "THE RECOUNT."
PLEASE WELCOME, JOHN HEILEMANN!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.
WELCOME BACK.
>> HI.
>> Stephen: HI, ON THIS MERRY SUPER TUESDAY EVE.
HAPPY SUPER TUESDAY.
>> I'M HERE TO ENDORSE YOU.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
YEAH.
>> Stephen: FOR WHAT?
I REJECT YOUR ENDORSEMENT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> WE HAVE SO MANY ENDORSEMENTS
GOING AROUND IT'S TIME TO LAY SOME ENDORSEMENTS --
>> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENED BACK STAGE?
WE FOUND OUT SOMETHING'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN TEXAS TONIGHT,
RIGHT?
>> AMY KLOBUCHAR AND I BELIEVE PETE BUTTIGIEG ARE BOTH GOING TO
DALLAS TO BESTOW THEIR BLESSINGS AND ENDORSEMENTS, SALUTATIONS
AND SO ON, ON JOE BIDEN.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
DOES THAT -- >> SO THE THING BERNIE SAID WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN, THE WHOLE ESTABLISHMENT IS ALL GOING TO
TRY TO LINE UP AND STRIP HIM OF WHAT IS DUE TO HIM, IS HAPPENING
RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES.
OR YOU COULD SAY IT'S JUST DEMOCRACY IN ACTION.
ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
>> Stephen: TRUE, EXACTLY.
BECAUSE I LIKE SENATOR SANDERS WHO WE'VE HAD ON THE SHOW, LIKE,
TEN TIMES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> SURE.
>> Stephen: BUT TO GET STRIPPED OF SOMETHING, YOU HAVE
TO WIN IT FIRST, RIGHT?
>> THAT'S TRUE.
I SOMETIMES THINK THAT SENATOR SANDERS DOES NOT YET REALIZE
THAT, BUT, OKAY.
>> Stephen: SO DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, A
SHOT IN THE ARM FOR JOE BIDEN?
WILL IT MATTER, THESE INDORMTS?
BECAUSE I DON'T REALLY KNOW A LOT ABOUT POLITICS.
I TALK ABOUT POLITICS A LOT BECAUSE I FIND IT FUNNY AND IT'S
IMPORTANT AND IT HELPS ME SLEEP AT NIGHT.
( LAUGHTER ) OR SHAKE LESS DURING THE DAY.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT EFFECT DO ENDORSEMENTS LIKE THIS HAVE?
DO ALL THOSE FOLLOWERS GO OVER TO BIDEN?
>> WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
I WAS IN SOUTH CAROLINA, YOUR HOME, THE LAST WEEK.
>> Stephen: YEAH, I WAS THERE, TOO.
>> I WAS THINKING OF YOU EVERY DAY.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
THE JIM CLYBURN ENDORSEMENT MAYBE DIDN'T WIN SOUTH CAROLINA
FOR JOE BIDEN BUT CREATED THAT GIANT MARGIN.
SO THERE ARE ENDORSEMENTS THAT MATTER.
THE JIM CLYBURN ENDORSEMENT MATTERED.
WHETHER THESE WILL MATTER THAT WAY IS AN OPEN QUESTION, BUT I
DO THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S HAPPENING IS THE PROBLEM
AS YOU HEADED INTO SUPER TUESDAY WAS IF YOU HAD A GIANT SPLIT
ANTI-BERNIE TAKS, 60% OF THE PARTY AGAINST SANDERS BUT FIVE
CANDIDATES REPRESENTING IT, YOU CAN IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE THEY
SPLIT THAT VOTE UP AND BERNIE GETTING 35% OF THE VOTE COULD
WIN ALL OF THE STATES, RIGHT?
WITH THESE PEOPLE DROPPING OUT, IT NARROWS THE FIELD AND ALLOWS
VOTERS NOT NECESSARILY TO GO BECAUSE OF AN ENDORSEMENT, BUT
THEY CAN NO LONGER VOTE FOR PETE BUTTIGIEG OR AMY KLOBUCHAR, SO
WHERE WILL THEY PUT THE VOTE?
THEY'RE MODERATES, THEY WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO GO WITH GOAD THAN
BERNIE SANDERS.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE SHAPING UP TO A BERNIE SANDERS vs. JOE
BIDEN OR ENTERPRISE vs. JOE BIDEN vs. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
CASE.
>> Stephen: SO THREE OF THE OLDEST PEOPLE EVER TO RUN FOR
THE PRESIDENCY OF ALL TIME.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: EACH ONE OF THEM WOULD BE OLDER THAN REAGAN WAS
WHEN HE LEFT OFFICE.
>> SPRING CHICKENST NOT, RIGHT?
>> Stephen: YES.
AND IF YOU ADDED THEIR AGES UP TOGETHER, YOU WOULD HAVE --
>> Stephen: A LOT OF ZEROS.
A LOT OF ZEROS.
I'M TRYING TO DO THE MATH IN MY HEAD AND I CAN'T.
YES, THEY'RE OLD.
THEY'RE OLD.
AND YOU THINK -- AND TRUMP WILL BE THE SPRING CHICKEN IN THE
GROUP, TRUMP WILL BE THE YOUNGEST ONE OF THAT GROUP WHICH
IS KIND OF INCREDIBLE.
>> Stephen: AT 74.
AT 74.
SO IN A COUNTRY YEARNING FOR CHANGE WHAT SAYS THAT MORE THAN
FOUR SEPT SEPTEGENARIAN WHITE ME ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: EVERYONE KNEW SOUTH CAROLINA IS WHERE BIDEN
WOULD MAKE HIS STAND.
HOW BIG OF A DIFFERENCE CAN ONE STATE MAKE?
CAN IT REALLY TURN THE MOMENTUM?
BECAUSE HE HAS NO OFFICES IN CALIFORNIA.
HE SPENT $4,000 ON ADS IN CALIFORNIA.
>> YEAH SNITS A BIG STATE.
IT'S A BIG STATE.
AND I THINK IF YOU ASK THE QUESTION WHO'S GOING TO BE --
THE FRONTRUNNER TODAY IS BERNIE SANDERS.
THE FRONTRUNNER ON WEDNESDAY MORNING IS STILL GOING TO BE
BERNIE SANDERS.
ALMOST CERTAINLY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, BERNIE SANDERS IS
GOING TO FINISH TUESDAY NIGHT WITH MORE DELEGATES THAN JOE
BIDEN.
THE QUESTION IS DOES HE FINISH WITH 400 MORE DELEGATES AND HE'S
THE DE FACTO NOMINEE ON WEDNESDAY MORNING?
IT COULD BE THAT SOON, WE COULD HAVE THAT.
OR IT COULD BE 50.
AND AT 50, YOU'VE GOT YOURSELF A RACE.
AT 400, YOU DON'T.
BUT THE ONE STATE IN THIS CASE FOR SOMEONE LIKE JOE BIDEN WHO
HAD BEEN EFFECTIVELY LEFT FOR DEAD AFTER IOWA AND
NEW HAMPSHIRE, FOR HIM TO MAKE THE CLAIM THAT HE WAS GOING TO
SHOW THE PARTY THAT, WHEN WE GOT TO THE PART OF THE COUNTRY WHERE
THE PARTY LOOKED LIKE THE PARTY, WHERE THERE WERE A LOT OF
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, BASICALLY, THAT HE COULD WIN AND NOT JUST
DECISIVELY, THAT HE COULD DO THAT AND IT WAS A BIG DEAL.
IT HAS A RIPPLE EFFECT.
WE'VE SEEN CASES WHERE THE SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTORATE LOOKS
LIKE OTHER STATES, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016 WITH
HILLARY CLINTON AND BARACK OBAMA, WHEN SOUTH CAROLINA SPOKE
YOU SAW A LOT OF THE SOUTHERN STATES GO THE SAME WAY.
COULD THAT HAPPEN AGAIN WHERE JOE BIDEN CARRIES A LOT OF THE
SOUTHERN STATES, WHERE HE HAS THE CONNECTION TO
AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS?
YEAH, AND BERNIE SANDERS HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH THAT CONSTITUENCY
THE FIRST TIME HE HAN AND APPARENTLY STILL DOES.
IT'S HARD TO BE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY VOTING FOR YOU.
>> Stephen: HE HAS SOME HIP-HOP COMMUNITY ON SANDERS
SIDE.
NO CONFIRMATION FOR 24 HOURS.
SUPER PAINFUL FOR YOU.
>> SUPER PAINFUL.
>> Stephen: TELL THE PEOPLE WHAT HAPPENED.
>> BERNIE ANNOUNCED HE WAS HAVING EVENT IN LOS ANGELES WITH
PUB BEELIKE ENEMY.
ONE OF THE MEMBERS, FAVOR FLAVE GOT MAD AND SAID HE DIDN'T
WANTED TO.
THE GROUP BROKE UP.
BERNIE SANDERS IS NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR BREAKING UP
PUBLIC ENEMY.
>> Stephen: WOW, WOW.
I CAN LIVE WITH THAT, JUST THE SAME WAY I CAN VAGUELY LIVE
WITH THE NOTION KANYA IS HANGING OUT WITH TRUMP, BUT IF JOE BIDEN
BREAKS UP WU-TANG CLAN, WE'RE DONE.
WE'RE DONE.
I'M DONE WITH JOE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: YOU HAVE A NEW
SHOW.
IS IT A SHOW?
WOULD YOU CALL IT A SHOW?
>> NO, I WOULD CALL IT A PLATFORM.
AN APP, A WEB SITE.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
IT'S CALLED T "THE RECOUNT."
WHAT ARE YOU RECOUNTING?
>> WE'RE PRODUCING A LOT OF VIDEO ABOUT POLITICS.
WE'RE COUNTING THE DAY'S NEWS IN POLITICS EVERY DAY.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT POLITICS AND THE COUNTRY BUT LOOK AT CABLE
NEWS AND WANTS TO PUKE WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE LIKE ME I AMERRING ON
ENDLESSLY ABOUT POLITICS, IF YOU WANTED TO GET SMART FAST ABOUT
POLITICS YOU LOOK AT THE THE DAILY RECOUNT WHERE IN FIVE
MINUTES DURING THE DAY WE GIVE YOU ALL THE IMPORTANT STORIES
ABOUT POLITICS, WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT MATTERS, NO BAD FAITH, NO
B.S., TO POINT, GET SMART ABOUT POLITICS.
>> Stephen: NO ANALYSIS, JUST NEWS?
>> THE DAILY RECOUNT IS A MASHUP OF OTHER COVERAGE, SO YOU CAN
GET DIDDER PARTY SMART ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE DAY IF
YOU'RE NOT FOCUSED ON POLITICS.
WE DO COMMENTARY ANALYSIS, NARRATIVE.
I DO A SERIES THAT'S ABOUT THE 2020 RACE WITH DEMOCRATS.
WE DID A SERIES ABOUT THE IMPEACHMENT DRAMA WITH FLEEL
KATTIAL.
WE'RE DOING A SERIES BLIND THE GLASS, A FOCUS SERIES WHERE
UNDECIDED VOTERS ARE WATCHED FROM BEHIND THE CLASS TALKING
ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
>> Stephen: YOU NEED A SPIT GUARD.
>> THERE IT IS.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, JOHN.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) "THE RECOUNT" IS AVAILABLE
ONLINE DAILY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY JAMES TAYLOR.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )