This is very exciting just announce that you're one of the moderators for these two debates that are coming up
We knew the debates are coming up
We didn't know the moderators
But we do know that it's going to be two nights ten candidates each night doubleheader
Doubleheader with ten teams playing each other on both nights and this must be I would imagine, you know
Campaign moderating prep is hard to begin with but you it's this isn't like you have to do a book report
This is like you have to do a book report on all the books
Like we start getting in debate prep materials and it's like here's your booklet on Cory Booker Oh fascinating
I've interviewed Cory Booker before this is gonna be great. And here's your booklet on Elizabeth Warren
Okay, cool and Steve Bullock and Michael Bennett and Marianne Williamson and Andrew. Yang and and there's 23 books
yeah, um and
Then so you start to like think your way out of it
You're like well do I have to read the book on each one of the 23?
Yes
Because it'll be the one that I thought I could skip on it will have the breakout moment and they'll be like that was amazing
Denise
How do you prepare to not only understand all 20 of them but to understand the potential
interactions between
them and I don't know you probably know this better than me because we don't know which 10 are gonna be on which night when
Is it because that's like random lottery draw? So the DNC thank God not us. It is the DNC who decides? Oh
the
Democratic candidates which 20? Yeah the cut so three as of now three, we don't know more people join the race
But three will be on the outside looking in unless more candidates join the race between now and the end of the week
Yes, there might even be more so they either want three to drop out or seven to join
But then once they've got the twenty then they have to decide how they get allocated between the two different nights
And again, thank God not like me and the other moderators who have to decide that the DNC will do it
And I think that'll be some sort of random draw or something
but
whatever happens all hell is gonna break loose you you mentioned breakout moments and I want to ask about that because it seems
Strikes me based on the way you do your show you are will be hopeful for organic conversation
And yet it always seems that debates that you can tell when someone has like a pre-planned
Prepackaged moment that they want to get out there as their breakout moment in the debate
Is there any way around that to warn them right now that they shouldn't do that? Yeah, I mean, that's the thing anytime somebody has
Rehearsed their moment, you know
I will look concerned then appear surprised then raise my index finger then appear to be naturally and organically
Outraged in the moment and then wait for my applause like those moments those canned moments never ever ever ever work. Yeah
I can't imagine that they're not all going to plan one. It does seem like
Audiences now or I should say voters now have a better sense for authenticity and one thing you have to say about Donald Trump
He is authentically himself and was at every debate like there was never a timer
He's like, oh I have to get to my pre-planned line
They were just like I don't think he pre plans anything got to make sure I get the details of this policy job
Yeah, I think instead he's like, I think I'm gonna throw up some word soup
They love it no puppet no, I
Mean the the candidates right now are in the stage of the Democratic primary where they're not like being mean to each other
They're not taking each other down and I think lots of people who want Donald Trump to lose the general election
Hope that the Democratic primary stays like that forever. They're right so mutually supportive
I mean ultimately the Democratic primary should be a hard-fought knock-down drag-out
Contest because you want whoever gets to the general to be tough and to have proven themselves against really difficult
Criticism even unfair criticism because you know, it's gonna be like to run against Trump's like running against a blender. Yeah
I do think that yeah, absolutely and that is a counter-argument to this idea that we all need to be nice to each other
It's not like Donald Trump means another Democratic candidate to point out a flaw in
Somebody that he might one day run against cuz he'll he's very good at finding flaws
even things that aren't true so he doesn't need any help from you know a
You know cory booker to tell him something. He makes that a pee buddha judge about well
Yes, and I mean, honestly
If you look at history in terms of the modern presidential contests
Almost always when there's a big field that has really robust competition not every time almost every time
The candidate from that party to win because primaries that are hard to win make you a better candidate
Yes, and all of these candidate. I mean all the Democrats are interesting
I mean, I think almost all of them would make really good presidents. They've all had interesting careers
They're all into almost all I've met almost all of them. They're all interesting people
They're all competent
But I don't know which of them would make the best president and the best way I know to find out is to see them
Battle it out within an inch of their life the other people who might conceivably be president, too
So I mean, what is the lesson of Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump in terms of how to beat him in a general election?
I don't think anybody has any idea
I think it's got to be something the other thing that's gonna be fascinating to watch is based on how voters
The feedback the first night of those ten people debating
The feedback from that night how it affects the way that people will debate the next night
if everybody says
Oh
It was a little boring because everybody was so friendly you might have the knives out right away on night 2 which would be fascinating
To watch and what makes this year so interesting because there's so many people
Just ok. It's 2 hours for each of those two nights
There's 10 candidates on the stage for those entire two hours
Plus there has to be some time like for the questions to be asked. Yeah
I mean how many minutes are each of them going to get and
For somebody like, you know, Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders who's doing really well in the polls. Do you essentially?
Just want to lie low and hopefully nobody notices you and you can keep writing your name recognition
I feel like how birdie is very bad at that
I'm just gonna stand here and not be noticed
About this idea about electability. Everybody's talking about electability
And I think when you go back to our last two presidents neither of them seemed at all
Electable until they were president
Respect yeah, but there was you know, there were we obviously never
elected a black man president until President Barack Obama and we never elected whatever it is that Donald Trump is
He's the first of it. He's the first of his kind
So what do you think people are too caught up in it?
Or do you think it is just this sort of core fear of the Democratic Party right now not to have the same outcome
I think it's both totally understandable and also a fool's errand. I mean, I think that
Democrats looking they're filled right now. Probably see a lot that they like in that fields
I mean if there's something that you don't like about one of the candidates, there's 22 others to choose from
I mean, there's plenty there's plenty there on offer
I think the unifying thing that does motivate all Democrats and a lot of independents right now is
The desire to get Trump out of there. That's just gonna be the dominating factor in a field this big
it's really therefore hard not to approach the primary process as
something you ought to game out in terms of who's most electable the
problem with that is that nobody can tell and when you try to make your voting decision based on not who you think is your
Favorite candidate but who you think everybody else might think is their favorite candidate?
It's just dumb game theory like it just doesn't work
Mathematically the best thing you can do for your country in the primary is a pay attention be commit to vote and C
Vote for the person you think would make the best?
president any of the other way you try to out think it you're going to undo the but the the the the point of the
Process well, I hope we get a step closer after the debates