I THINK THERE IS A SENSE, CERTAINLY AMONG DEMOCRATS, THEY
THINK IF THEY GO DOWN THE ROAD,
IT’LL REMIND REPUBLICANS WHY
THEY’RE REPUBLICANS, THE SAME
WAY THE BRETT KAVANAUGH FIGHT
DID, AND THEY’LL BE ON THE
LOSING END OF IT.
>> CAMPAIGNING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
SAID HE BELIEVES REPUBLICANS
WILL FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO
WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE AFTER
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS OUT OF OFFER
OFFICE.
OFFICE. >> I JUST THINK THERE IS A WAY
AND IT WILL FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE
THINGS.
THINGS. WHEN DONALD TRUMP IS OUT OF THE
WHITE HOUSE, YOU’LL SEE AN
EPIPHANY AMONG MY FRIENDS.
IT’S HAPPENING IN THE HOUSE.
PEOPLE WERE NOT WILLING TO VOTE
FOR ANY DEMOCRATIC INITIATIVE,
EVEN IF THEY AGREED WITH IT,
BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT TO BE
THE ODD PERSON OUT OF IT.
THERE’S NO SENSE IN GETTING
POLITICALLY BEATEN AT SOMETHING
THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
IF IT CAN’T CHANGE, WE’RE IN
TROUBLE.
TROUBLE. THIS NATION CANNOT FUNCTION
WITHOUT GENERATING CONSENSUS.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. SO MUCH THERE THAT I’M GLAD HE
SAID.
SAID. JOE, IS IT POSSIBLE THE FEVER
WILL BREAK?
WILL BREAK? A LOT OF THESE REPUBLICANS PUT A
LOT OF CORE VALUES -- THEY’VE
CROSSED THEM IN ORDER TO STAY
WITH TRUMP.
WITH TRUMP. WILL IT GO AWAY?
>> IT CAN.
IT CERTAINLY CAN.
IT’S INTERESTING THAT TALKING
ABOUT CONSENSUS, TALKING ABOUT
BIPARTISANSHIP, SOUNDS LIKE A
RADICAL MESSAGE.
RADICAL MESSAGE. THAT’S HOW BAD THINGS HAVE
GOTTEN IN 2019.
WILLIE, IF YOU GET SOMEBODY WHO
KNOWS HOW WASHINGTON WORKS,
LET’S -- YOU KNOW, BILL CLINTON,
FOR INSTANCE.
FOR INSTANCE. BILL CLINTON WAS FORCED TO
SUPPORT A LOT OF REPUBLICAN
INITIATIVES THAT BILL CLINTON
DIDN’T LIKE BECAUSE THEY WERE
VERY POPULAR.
VERY POPULAR. EVERYBODY TALKED ABOUT THE
CONTRACT ON AMERICA.
WELL, IT WAS CONTRACT WITH
AMERICA.
AMERICA. A LOT OF TIMES, YOU HAVE
DEMOCRATS VOTING FOR IT BECAUSE
THE WAY THE ISSUE WAS FRAMED.
THEY HAD NO CHOICE.
BILL CLINTON AFTER THAT SPENT
THE REST OF HIS TERM COMING UP
WITH PLANS THAT REPUBLICANS
COULD WORK WITH, AS WELL.
HE HAD GOVERNED FOR A LONG TIME
AND ALSO KNEW WASHINGTON, D.C.
WE’VE HAD PEOPLE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE THAT HAVEN’T KNOWN HOW
WASHINGTON WORKS OVER THE PAST
15, 20 YEARS.
I THINK SOMEBODY LIKE BIDEN
ACTUALLY HAS THE ABILITY TO GET
THINGS WORKING IN D.C. AGAIN.
I LOVE WHAT HE SAID AT THE END.
WE HAVE NO CHOICE.
WE’RE IN TROUBLE IF WE CAN’T
START WORKING TOGETHER AGAIN,
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ALIKE.
THAT’S A HOPEFUL MESSAGE.
AMERICANS WANT COMPROMISE.
AMERICANS WANT BOTH SIDES
TALKING WITH EACH OTHER AND
WORKING WITH EACH OTHER.
THAT’S BIDEN’S MESSAGE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. BIDEN WAS CRITICIZED BY MANY
PROGRESSIVES FOR SAYING THAT.
PEOPLE SAYING HE SOUNDED NAIVE
IN THE AGE OF TRUMP.
>> OH, MY GOSH.
>> ALL THESE REPUBLICANS WHO
PLEDGED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES THE LAST COUPLE
YEARS MIGHT COME BACK AND WORK
TOGETHER WITH DEMOCRATS SOMEDAY.
IF THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE, WHAT ARE
WE DOING HERE?
I THINK THAT’S SORT OF THE POINT
THAT JOE BIDEN WAS TRYING TO
MAKE.
MAKE. AS YOU SAY, HE’S BEEN DOING IT
FOR 36 YEARS OR SO IN THE UNITED
STATES SENATE, THEN AS VICE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. AMNA, YOU WERE IN IOWA TALKING
TO VOTERS LAST WEEK.
NINE MONTHS FROM THE CAUCUSES.
I UNDERSTAND YOU INTERVIEWED
CASTRO AND O’ROURKE, WHO
CANDIDATES RUNNING TO BECOME
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. WHAT DID YOU FIND AS YOU TALKED
TO VOTERS MORE BROADLY, ABOUT
WHAT EXACTLY THEY’RE LOOKING
FOR?
FOR? ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT DONALD
TRUMP?
TRUMP? ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT WHO CAN
BEAT HIM?
BEAT HIM? DO THEY HAVE SPECIFIC ISSUES
THEY WANT TO CHECK BOXES WITH
EACH CANDIDATE?
EACH CANDIDATE? OR ARE THEY TESTING THE WATERS?
>> IT IS A REALLY INTERESTING
THING BECAUSE THE HEAD OF THE
IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY THERE
BASICALLY SAID, LOOK, WE STOPPED
TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE
KANDCANADAKANDCANDIDATES COMING
KANDCANADAKANDCANDIDATES COMING IF WE HEAR ABOUT THEM, WE CAN
ACT LIKE THE WELCOME WAGON,
GREAT.
GREAT. THE PACE OF CANDIDATES COMING
THROUGH IOWA IS ALREADY WORKING
AT SUCH A CLIP.
THE VOTERS WE TALK TO WHO, BY
THE WAY, CONSISTED OF
SELF-IDENTIFIED DEMOCRATS BUT
ALSO REPUBLICANS AND
INDEPENDENTS WHO SAID THEY WOULD
BE OPEN TO VOTING FOR A DEMOCRAT
THIS TIME.
THIS TIME. CAUCUSING FOR A DEMOCRAT IN THE
CAUCUSES AND POTENTIALLY VOTING
DOWN THE LINE IN A GENERAL
ELECTION.
ELECTION. THEY’VE BECOME UNHAPPY WITH THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY SO FAR.
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THEY’RE
LOOKING FOR AT THIS STAGE,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO, IOWA
VOTERS TAKE THEMSELVES
SERIOUSLY.
SERIOUSLY. THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IS THE
FIRST NOMINATING CONTEST.
THEY ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT
RUN THE GAMUT.
HEALTH CARE.
HEALTH CARE. CAMPAIGN FINANCE.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE. NATIONAL SECURITY.
NATIONAL SECURITY. IMMIGRATION.
IMMIGRATION. I SAW BOTH O’ROURKE AND CASTRO
AT WORK, IN ACTION, TAKING
QUESTIONS ACROSS ALL OF THOSE
ISSUES.
ISSUES. THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT ALL
THE VOTERS I TALKED TO SAID THEY
WANT TO SEE AMONG THE DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES RIGHT
NOW IS CIVILITY.
THEY SAID, LESSONS LEARNED FROM
2016, WE WANT TO SEE THESE GUYS
TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES.
WE WANT TO SEE THEM TALK ABOUT
WHAT THEY WOULD DO IF THEY WERE
ELECTED.
ELECTED. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE IS A
TENSION THERE.
TENSION THERE. THE NEXT THING THEY SAY THEY
WANT TO SEE IN SOMEONE THEY
COULD SUPPORT IS SOMEONE WHO
COULD BEAT DONALD TRUMP.