WHERE DID THIS COME FROM," HE’D
ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HIS DAD.
>> ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTING
THERE.
HERE TO SHARE HER THOUGHTS ON
THE ROLLOUT, FORMER MISSOURI
SENATOR AND NBC NEWS ANALYST
CLAIRE McCASKILL.
SENATOR, ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE
YOU.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING.
>> SURE.
GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, CRAIG.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ROLLOUT
THERE IN DELAWARE YESTERDAY.
THE FIRST OFFICIAL APPEARANCE
TOGETHER, THAT VIRTUAL
FUNDRAISER LAST NIGHT.
HOW DO YOU THINK THEY’RE
HANDLING THE ROLLOUT SO FAR,
AGAIN, AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF
THIS PANDEMIC?
>> YEAH, I WAS WORRIED,
HONESTLY, BECAUSE I KNEW THERE
WASN’T GOING TO BE AN AUDIENCE.
THERE WASN’T GOING TO BE THE
ENERGY IN THE ROOM YOU TYPICALLY
HAVE FOR A ROLLOUT.
BUT I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.
I THOUGHT BOTH OF THEIR SPEECHES
WERE POWERFUL, BOTH POIGNANT AND
POINTED, IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS
COUNTRY NEEDS.
FRANKLY, THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN
OVERWHELMING FOR THEM.
THINK ABOUT THIS, CRAIG.
THEY HAD A VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER
LAST NIGHT THAT HAD OVER 200,000
PEOPLE WHO DONATED, OVER 40,000
PEOPLE WERE LIVE ON THE LINE FOR
THEIR VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER,
RAISING ALMOST $10 MILLION.
THEY RAISED, LIKE, $24 MILLION
IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS.
SO THAT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE
GIVING $10.
THAT’S A LOT OF PEOPLE GIVING A
LITTLE BIT OF MONEY BECAUSE
EVERYONE IS ANXIOUS TO HAVE
GROWN-UPS IN THE WHITE HOUSE
AGAIN.
>> WHAT DO WE MAKE OF HER ROLE
IN THE CAMPAIGN, SENATOR?
BY THAT, I MEAN, I KNOW A LOT OF
DEMOCRATS WERE EXCITED BECAUSE,
YOU KNOW, KAMALA HARRIS IS ONE
OF THOSE FOLKS THAT CAN REALLY
GET A CROWD RILED UP.
WELL, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE
CAMPAIGNING IN THE TRADITIONAL
WAY.
DOES THAT CHANGE IN ANY
REMARKABLE WAY HER ROLE OVER THE
NEXT FEW MONTHS IN THE CAMPAIGN?
>> WELL, KAMALA’S PAST AND
PUBLIC SERVICE BEGAN IN A
COURTROOM AS AN ASSISTANT DA.
WHEN YOU ARE IN THE COURTROOM,
IN FRONT OF A JURY, YOU HAVE TO
BE SURGICAL AND YOU HAVE TO BE
READY FOR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT
COME YOUR WAY.
SO I THINK HER ROLE WILL BE TO
MAKE THE CASE, CALMLY, WITH
FACTS, ABOUT THE FAILURES OF THE
CURRENT WHITE HOUSE.
OBVIOUSLY, THE BIGGEST EXHIBIT
OF THAT IS WHAT WE’RE SEEING
EVERY DAY WITH THIS VIRUS.
THEY’VE GOT A LOT OF FACTS ON
THEIR SIDE, AND I THINK SHE WILL
DELIVER THEM WITH A SMILE ON HER
FACE BUT WITH SURGICAL
PRECISION.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE REPUBLICANS
HAVEN’T FULLY SETTLED ON THEIR
LINE OF ATTACK, ALTHOUGH IT DOES
SEEM THAT THE PRESIDENT IS GOING
TO USE THE WORDS "MEAN" AND
"NASTY" TO CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE
HER OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
HOW SHOULD SHE HANDLE THESE
ATTACKS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION? >> SHE SHOULD IGNORE THEM.
>> SHE SHOULD IGNORE THEM.
MOST AMERICANS WILL.
THIS IS SCHOOLYARD STUFF.
BY THE WAY, HE IS DOING REALLY
BADLY WITH WOMEN RIGHT NOW, AND
CALLING A WOMAN A NAME DOES NOT
HELP HIM WITH WOMEN.
CALLING HERMINE AND NASTY
DOESN’T GET HIM ANYWHERE.
CRAIG, THEY’RE HAVING A HARD
TIME LANDING A PUNCH.
THEY CAN’T MAKE UP THEIR MIND.
IS SHE TOO CONSERVATIVE, TOO
LIBERAL, LOVE COPS, HATE COPS?
IS SHE, YOU KNOW, MEAN TO BIDEN
OR IS SHE CONTROLLING BIDEN?
I MEAN, IT IS REALLY INTERESTING
TO SEE.
FOR A CAMPAIGN THAT KNEW THIS
WAS PROBABLY COMING, I THINK
THEY ARE REALLY CAUGHT
FLAT-FOOTED IN TERMS OF ANY LINE
OF ATTACK THAT’S GOING TO BE
EFFECTIVE AGAINST KAMALA HARRIS.
>> YOU SPENT SOME TIME WITH HER,
SERVING IN THE UPPER CHAMBER.
HER FAILED PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN, SENATOR, ANY IDEA WHAT
SHE MAY HAVE LEARNED FROM THAT
CAMPAIGN THAT SHE MAY TRY AND
APPLY HERE?
>> I THINK SHE LEARNED A LOT.
YOU KNOW, I’VE GOT TO SAY, UNTIL
SOMEBODY HAS RUN FOR PRESIDENT,
I THINK IT IS VERY HARD TO
COMMENT ON WHAT IT’S LIKE.
BUT JOE BIDEN HAS.
JOE BIDEN KNOWS WHAT HE LEARNED
IN HIS FAILED ATTEMPTS TO GET
THE NOMINATION.
I THINK HE SEES THAT SHE HAS
PROBABLY LEARNED SOME OF THOSE
SAMELESS LESSONS.
SHE IS A DEAR FRIEND.
SHE WAS ONE AMONG MANY THAT WERE
VERY QUALIFIED.
BUT I DO THINK HE’S PICKED
SOMEBODY WHO IS READY FOR THE
PRESSURE OF THIS JOB.
HIS PATH, GOING THROUGH THE SAME
PROCESS, I THINK, TOLD HIM THAT
SHE WOULD BE THE RIGHT PICK.
>> FORMER MISSOURI SENATOR,