Has been emceeing the proceedings, eva longoria, julia louis Julia Louisdreyfus demonstrating the democrats commitment to racial diversity. The stage managings been to designed to create the image of a party thats united and rides the mainstream of american politics. Finish this message that you can trust joe biden, the candidate, to heal a hurting and divided country, was the theme of the nominees acceptance speech on thursday night. If you entrust me with the president she su, i will presidency, i will draw on the best of us, not the worst. Ill be an ally of the light, not the darkness. Its time for us, for we the people, to come together. Gerry but what we didnt hear from mr. Biden was much of anything on policy or substance. That might be because the democratic platform, influenced by leftwing members like Bernie Sanders and alexandria ocasiocortez, is the most radical weve seen in at least a generation on issues like health care, the Green New Deal and crime, its well to the left of even president obama. The democrats are also aggressively playing the race card. For some of the most prominent speakers, we were told again and again that the prom problem with this country is its full of bigots and white supremacists. Michelle obama suggested the only reason people could disagree with her was because they were racist. Now, i understand my message wont be heard by some people. We live in a nation that is deeply divided, and i am a black woman speaking at the democratic convention. Gerry and then there was this from kamala harris, the Vice President ial nominee, who gave a speech to an almost empty room. There is no vaccine for racism. Gerry its an interesting strategy, and it may have more to do with insuring the partys base of africanamerican numbers come out in large number members that come out in large numbers this fall. But its also part of the larger position the democrats have have adopted since the nations cities erupted in protest this summer. The argument from the radical left in this country, that americas fundamentally sinful, oppressive, discriminatory, that its entire history is define by toxic white privilege. That seems radical and dangerous stuff. Most people would agree that more needs to be done to promote equality and in its history the United States hasnt lived up always to the ideals expressed by its founders. Democrats are making this, in some ways, the defining principle of its platform, issues that cut across race and ethnicity. Its particularly dangerous because it risks further dividing americans, not uniting them. Next week the republicans will give their response and nominate President Trump at their convention. Later in the program ill be talking to a rising young star of the party, an africanamerican woman whos running for congress and making a name for herself. But first, im joined by a familiar guest to the program, mark penn was a key poll isster for bill clinton and was, for a time, chief strategist for Hillary Clintons 2008 president ial bid. Mark, thank you for joining us. Thank you. Gerry so lets start, if we may, with Vice President biden on thursday night. Tell us what, in your view, what did he have to do with that big acceptance speech, and how successful was he in doing it . Well, i think he did exactly what he set out to do. First, i think he had to show that he was all there. Could he deliver an effective oratory, read through the speech in, i think, an effective way, and he did, right in certainly, that was goal number one. Number two, he had to call for unity around his character and values, the better for light versus darkness, and he had to avoid the pitfalls of the policy Division Within the Democratic Party to paper that over and bring the Party Together along against donald trump. So from the perspective of objectives set out to objectives met, i think theyre uncorking the champagne over there. As they should be. Gerry but as you said, he didnt talk a lot about policy and, in fact, sort of glossed over the divisions in the party. It is true, and we saw earlier in the week Bernie Sanders, we saw very briefly you blinked and you missed it alexandria ocasiocortez. But we know the partys adopted a platform which is reflective of many of the things that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have been campaigning on for some time. Its a pretty radical platform. Are they going to be able to continue to avoid really focusing on that and discussing that . Well, thats the real question. It will be up to the republicans to put those policies front and center. Is 4 trillion of a tax increase, is 1 is. 75 1. 75 trillion of a Climate Change plan, do those policies make sense, are they what the American People want. Is it about policies or is out about character. They said, look, its about character. Well worry about the policies. Well come together, well get things done, and its going to be up to the republicans to say, no, no, no, its not about character alone, it is about, it is about the policies that create the direction for the country. Thats going to have to be their argument. Remember, whats so great about the conventions, as you pointed out, is that they have become infomercials, so they become the parties opportunity to put their best message out there. Sometimes conventions, as they did in 68, you know, end in chaos and division, and sometimes theyre remarkably well scripted and deliver a message. This one was in the later category. Gerry what did you make of the very interesting, i thought at times, discussion of race. You had Michelle Obama kind of implying that if people disagreed with her, its because she was a black woman. Kamala harris talking about there being no vaccine for racism. Obviously, this was taking place against this background of extraordinary protests and unrest weve seen over the last few months. What are the democrats trying to do here, do you think, by handling the race issue in this way . Well, i dont know that theyre trying to do anything, this is what they believe. I mean, i do think 25 of the party and about 90 of black voters in this country are democrats, and i think that theyve taken a strong position that there is systemic racism in this country. And to the extent that they may have not put up front the 4 trillion tax increase, they did put up front that this is what they believe americas like, and this is what they believe needs to be done to fix it. And i think you have to just say at the end of the day that this is one not of strategy, but of belief. Gerry and is that, but, i mean, maybe not strategy, is that, do you think, going to help them win the election, or do you think people will be maybe turned off by the idea that race is front and center and somehow if you dont vote for the democrats, youre a racist . Well, i think there are two pieces to the question that you ask. In the first piece, do americans think theres a lot of racism in yes, they do. Do they think theres a lot to be done to address it . Yes, they do. But americans also think that the police need probably as much if not more funding. They do also back law and order. So its a false choice to have just one of those things. And itll be interesting to see whether the republicans weave them together or whether the democrats take the position lets talk about systemic racism, and the republicans say take law and order when the public really wants both. Gerry very quickly because weve got to take a break, but kamala harris, you know, its the old rule that the Vice President ial picks dont help you much, but they can do you harm. Whats your take on her performance this week . She clearly did no harm. I think to the extent that she was the logical choice, i thought he should have picked her weeks earlier, and i think shes been a good pick so far. Of shes generated a lot of favorable publicity. I think shell be a very strong debater. I think for the first time we will have a very vigorous Vice President ial debate from two people who can talk very intelligently about the issues. Gerry weve got to take a very quick break. When he come back, a look at how President Trump and the republicans are going to respond to the democrats agenda and what they plan to do to defend their own. Their own. Stay with us. These days, businesses are adapting to new ways of working. And innovation is at the heart of it. 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Hes right here. Hi hi. Hey thats totally him. Its him thats totally the guy. Safe drivers do save 40 . Click or call for a quote today. Gerry im back with pollster mark penn. Mark, you said now President Trump and the republicans get their chance to respond. What do they need to do . President s behind in the polls anywhere 5, 6, 7 Points National polls. What does he need to do next week to start turning this around . Well, i think the president s got a few big jobs to do. I think, number one, the biggest problem the president s had is that his ratings on the virus went south. They went south as the virus had sort of a second wave. He seemed to take his eye off the ball on the virus, and so he went from 51 approval in my polls to 41 approval on the virus. Hes got to redelegate himself. Hes also bet on the vaccines. Hes got to show that he has a real plan to get the country out of this current state. Two, hes got to put the economy front and center. He has a Real Advantage as someone who is seen as the person who can fix this economy, whos done out in the past done it in the past. In every poll he gets better ratings than biden on the economy. Biden did little in this convention to really fix that. And third, you know, the republicans and the president are going to have to deal with these other issues of the police and law and order in a balanced way where they dont come off as too far to the right and too divisive for a country that really does want unity. Gerry does the president , as you said, he does get poor ratings on the coronavirus issue. Does he kind of just sort of try and focus on other issues, the economy, this issue of crime and law and order, is the very leftwing agenda of the democrats . Is there anything he can do to repair his record on the coronavirus, or does he just need to change the subject . Well, i do think hes got to explain what is happening, what is clearly his policy. He does have some advantages that i think, as ive seen karl rove point out more effectively than anyone else in terms of biden having opposed the china ban and having and democrats generally not having taken the virus as seriously in the beginning. Whether or not he can bring that to the fore, whether its a lost cause, i think thats the Stage Management that theyll have to do. But i do think we shouldnt abandon the virus. Were doing this interview by skype for the very reason that every aspect of American Life being changed by the virus. You cant ignore that as the most important issue. Gerry as you say, vaccine, measures to deal very striking from the democrats, we didnt hear anything at all other than criticism of the president and sort of bringing the country together, no plans, no specifics. And as you say, quite a lot of blame can be laid at the door of quite a lot of democrats for this. Well, maybe. And i think that people look to the president as the central leader. The president made a fundamental mistake here in shifting things to the governors at a time when people really looked for president ial leadership through this. And i think thats where hes got to make up lost ground. And then hes got to shift this thing to the economy where he has an advantage. Gerry and on the economy, he does clearly have, you know, a solid majority. And, again, he beats joe biden in the opinion polls. For someone who, you know, before this virus happened, people really approved of this president s record. Just very briefly, because weve got to wrap up. Yes. Absolutely, the president has an advantage on the economy, but the economy is not the issue today. The virus is the issue, and the virus is the key to a better economy. The voters do understand that. Gerry mark penn, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. Coming up, ill be joined by someone whos challenging the liberal orthodoxy about black voters. Stay with us. 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They think they can control us forever, that we wont demand better and that well keep voting for them forever. Despite what theyve done to our families and their communities. Are they right . Gerry kim claysik joins me now. Thank you for joining me. Thank you. Gerry weve been told its all the fault of is systemic racism, white prim, the privilege, the republican party. Why do you say the democrats are to blame for the situation like in baltimore . Yeah. Like many inner cities, its not unique, but youve had democrat leadership for many years. Weve had democrat leadership in baltimore for 53 years and, you know, for someone to say its about racism, i have two points to that. There are nothing but black leaders, and it has been for two decades. If its systemic, why havent those black leaders for two decades changed some of the policies expect laws that affect those communities . Im just not buying it. If you can see a pattern, democrat leaders like to leverage the urban struggle annually to request federal funds, but than they dont remedy the problem. Were dealing with a lot of people of poverty with poor education, theres problems there. I want to know where the federal funds have gone and hold people accountable. Gerry what do you people say to you when you take these issues to them, what do voters say . Why are they still seeming to be willing to support the democrats . Yeah. So this is kind of on the republican side. This is what ive been telling people. When we go into these communities, were canvassing five days a week. People tell us, theyre like, look, we would vote for republicans if republicans actually came into the neighborhood and told us what they stood for. Thats something we have to do op our end. This is an uphill battle, im in a plus 26 democratic district, but im not going to give up. Gerry and what is the message . What can republicans offer that democrats have failed to deliver . We do not have career opportunities. And as we saw with the pandemic, weve relied on a lot of countries for ppe. Why not bring that billion dollar medical Equipment Industry back to america and why not back to the Baltimore City port . We can do apprenticeship programs in the schools, we can do job training, entrepreneurship. Theres so much that we could do that democrats have been basically intellectually lazy in implementing, but we can do it on our end. Gerry very, very quickly, because we have got to wrap, the black lives Matter Movement and a lot of democrats think, again, the problem is systemic racism, that something needs to be changed. Whats,es what is your response to the argument that actually american america is a fundamentally racist country . Id say, you know what . We had president obama for two terms, and i dont think a racist country would have chosen a black president eight years in a row. And also to that i would ask people if you like black lives matter, please go to their web site and lo