WE HAVE JEREMY BASH. AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE
"WASHINGTON POST" EUGENE
ROBINSON.
ROBINSON. LET’S START WITH YOU, EUGENE.
LET’S KEEP THE DISCUSSION ON THE
MID-TERMS GOING HERE.
YOUR LATEST IN "THE WASHINGTON
POST" IS A PEP TALK FOR
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. AND YOU WRITE IN PART, DEAR
DEMOCRATS, YOU CAN DO THIS.
STOP FRETTING AND SECOND
GUESSING.
GUESSING. GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY.
CONCENTRATE ON TURNING OUT THE
VOTE.
VOTE. AND REMEMBER YOU HAVE EVERYTHING
TO GAIN IN THIS MID-TERM
ELECTION AND NOTHING TO LOSE.
I SAY YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE
BECAUSE THAT IS LITERALLY TRUE.
REPUBLICANS CONTROL BOTH
CHAMBERS OF CONGRESS.
MOST GOVERNORSHIPS.
MOST GOVERNORSHIPS. MOST STATE LEGISLATURES.
AND, OF COURSE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WHICH ISN’T UP FOR GRABS AT THIS
TIME.
TIME. THE GREAT BLUES ARTIST MUDDY
WATERS PUT IT BEST, YOUR CAN’T
SPEND WHAT YOU AIN’T GOT, YOU
CAN’T LOSE WHAT YOU NEVER HAD.
SO STOP WORRYING DEMOCRATS THAT
YOUR HOUSE MAJORITY MIGHT BE
SLIPPING AWAY.
SLIPPING AWAY. YOU DON’T HAVE A HOUSE MAJORITY.
BUT THE ODDS OF YOU WINNING ONE
LOOK EXCELLENT IF YOU STEP UP
AND GRAB IT.
SO, GENE, CONTINUE WITH THE
THOUGHT.
THOUGHT. HOW?
HOW? HOW, JOE?
HOW, JOE? >> GENE, I WAS TALKING TO HEALTH
CARE PROFESSIONAL A COUPLE OF
DAYS AGO.
DAYS AGO. A PERSON WHOSE BEEN A FRIEND FOR
A LONG TIME.
I SAID WHAT IT?
SHE SAID PEOPLE THAT WERE COMING
IN, WERE SO DEPRESSED ABOUT
DEMOCRATS AND WE WENT THROUGH
THIS.
THIS. I SAID WHAT IS IT WITH DEMOCRATS
THEY ARE SO DEFLATED.
SO BATTERED.
SO BATTERED. YOU BEAT A CONSERVATIVE AND YOU
KNOW WHAT WE DO?
WE’RE LIKE ROCKY AND ROCKY I.
WE EAT RAW EGGS AT 4:00 IN THE
MORNING.
MORNING. WE CHASE CHICKENS BLINDFOLDED.
HE RUN UPSTAIRS.
WE HAVE PEOPLE COME UP AND PUNCH
US IN THE FACE AND WE DRINK THE
BLOOD AND SPIT IT OUT.
YOU BEAT A CONSERVATIVE, AND A
CONSERVATIVE GOES HOME AND JUST
GETS REALLY, REALLY ANGRY AND
SAYS HOW AM I GOING TO DESTROY
THEM AT THE POLLS?
THESE DEMOCRATS, I’VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS, I JUST WANT
TO GO HOME.
I’M SAD.
I’M SAD. HISTORY DEPENDS ON WHAT THEY DO
OVER THE NEXT 12 DAYS, GENE.
>> IT DOES.
LOOK I SPENT A LOT OF TIME, JOE,
DOING WHAT I TRIED TO DO.
JUST GRABBING PEOPLE BY THE
SHOULDERS AND SAY, LOOK, YOU’RE
THE MAJORITY.
THE MAJORITY. YOU ARE THE MAJORITY.
YOU JUST VOTE.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS VOTE.
YOU GET YOUR FRIENDS TO VOTE.
STOP MOPING AROUND.
THEIR ENTHUSIASM IS UP.
THERE’S AN ELECTION COMING AND
THEY VOTE IN MID-TERMS ELECTIONS
AND YOU SHOULD TOO BECAUSE
YOU’LL WIN.
YOU’LL WIN. LOOK, MAYBE -- I HOPE, I’M
HOPING IT WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS
TIME.
TIME. IT NEEDS TO BE DIFFERENT THIS
TIME.
TIME. GET OUT AND VOTE.
EVERYTHING YOU SAID IN THAT LAST
HOUR, EVERYTHING DONNIE SAID IN
THAT LAST HOUR GET OUT AND VOTE
AND YOU WIN.
IT’S THAT SIMPLE.
>> YOU KNOW, ELISE, A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS, FORMER REPUBLICANS
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU --
WE’VE HUNG AROUND CONSERVATIVES
OUR WHOLE LIFE.
WE KNOW HOW CONSERVATIVES FIGHT.
WE KNOW HOW CONSERVATIVES WIN
CAMPAIGNS ESPECIALLY ON THE
LOCAL LEVEL.
LOCAL LEVEL. AND WHETHER I’M TALKING TO
WHOEVER, YOU LOOK AT DEMOCRATS
SHAKING YOUR HEAD GOING NO!
NO, THIS IS NOT THE WAY YOU
RESPOND TO A LOSS.
YOU RESPOND TO A LOSS BY, BY
DOUBLING DOWN YOUR EFFORTS.
BUT RIGHT NOW THEY ARE SO
DEFLATED, IT’S JUST REALLY --
IT’S PRETTY STUNNING.
>> WELL, DEMOCRATS JUST NEED TO
GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY.
THE MOMENTUM REALLY SEEMED TO BE
BEHIND THE BLUE WAVE AND THEN IN
THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS I’VE
BEEN LUCKY TO GET OUT ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH LORD
ASHCROFT POLLS AND DOING FOCUS
GROUPS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND NEW
JERSEY AND IOWA AND WE JUST LEFT
MINNESOTA.
MINNESOTA. IT’S BEEN INTERESTING TO SEE THE
SO-CALLED KAVANAUGH EFFECT AND
HOW IT HAS IMPACTED THE
ELECTORATE.
ELECTORATE. ON THE ONE HAND YOU GOT
REPUBLICANS AND RELUCTANT TRUMP
SUPPORTERS WHO ARE REALLY
ENERGIZED FROM IT AND I EXPECTED
THE SAME FROM DEMOCRATS.
BUT YOU DON’T REALLY SEE THE
SAME INTENSITY FROM THE LOSS AND
NOW THIS COULD JUST BE THE
VOTERS THAT WE ENCOUNTER BUT I
ACTUALLY WAS SURPRISED THAT A
WIN STILL SEEMS TO BE CARRYING
REPUBLICAN ANGER AND GIVING A
SENSE OF MISSION TO VOTERS WHO
HADN’T, YOU KNOW, BEEN THAT
SUPER CHARGED ABOUT THE
MID-TERMS.
MID-TERMS. >> SO, ELISE, TELL US WHAT ELSE?
OTHER THAN THE KAVANAUGH EFFECT,
WHAT ELSE ARE YOU HEARING IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE, IOWA, ACROSS THE
COUNTRY?
COUNTRY? >> NEW HAMPSHIRE WAS INTERESTING
BECAUSE I DIDN’T EXPECT TO
HEAR -- WE HEARD FROM SOME
REPUBLICAN VOTERS WHO, YOU KNOW,
THEY WOULD ENTERTAIN THE OPTION
OF A PRIMARY CHALLENGER TO
DONALD TRUMP, AND ANYONE WHO
WANTS TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE
VOTERS THEMSELVES YOU CAN
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST.
IT’S ASHCROFT IN AMERICA AND GO
TO iTUNES AND DOWNLOAD IT AND
LISTEN AND HEAR IT DIRECTLY FROM
THE VOTERS BECAUSE THAT’S SO
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. SOMETIMES WE’RE JUST, WE’RE
TALKING AMONGST OURSELVES AND
GREAT TO HEAR ACTUALLY HOW
VOTERS ARE RESPONDING TO THESE
ISSUES THAT ARE DOMINATING AND
DRIVING THE NEWS CYCLE.
AT THIS POINT, I’M IN
MISSISSIPPI FOR THE WEEKEND.
I SAW YOUR BUDDY ROGER WICKR
LAST NIGHT AND TALKED ABOUT HOW
THE TWO OF YOU STARTED OUT IN
CONGRESS, JOE, AND I’LL
INTERVIEW HIM LATER TODAY.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO HEAR HIM
TALK TO AN AUDIENCE AT A BAPTIST
CHURCH IN MY HOME TOWN ABOUT HOW
HE SEES DONALD TRUMP AND THE
MID-TERM CHALLENGES AND YOU
JUST -- YOU KNOW, YOU SEE HOW
DEMOCRATS ARE ON ONE SIDE,
REPUBLICANS ARE ON ONE SIDE.
THE DEMOCRAT GRASSROOTS WANTS
MORE LIBERAL, MORE LEFT WING
OPTIONS.
OPTIONS. THEY DON’T THINK MODERATION IS
SUCCESSFUL.
SUCCESSFUL. THEY ARE TORN ABOUT THAT.
REPUBLICANS FEAR THE COMING BLUE
WAVE AND TAKE OVER OF THE HOUSE
AS MORE GRIDLOCK AND JUST
NOTHING IS GOING TO GET DONE.
IT COMES DOWN TO THIS
FRUSTRATION WITH GOVERNMENT AND
STAGNATION AND THE FIGHTING AND
NO ONE IS SEEING REAL RESULTS
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY SEEM TO
BICKER.
BICKER. I DO THINK THERE’S AN OPTION
POTENTIALLY DOWN THE ROAD FOR
PEOPLE WHO WANT TO, YOU KNOW,
LOOK TOWARDS POTENTIALLY A
THIRD-PARTY.
THIRD-PARTY. >> ONE MEASURE OF ENTHUSIASTM IS
THAT EARLY VOTING HAS PRECEDED