Transcripts For CNNW Crossfire 20140514 : vimarsana.com

On the left, Stephanie Cutter. On the right, s. E. Cupp. In the crossfire, hilary rosen, a democratic strategist, and kevin madden, a republican strategist. Are all eyes on the clintons . Or the alternatives . Tonight on crossfire. Welcome to crossfire. Im Stephanie Cutter on left. Im s. E. Cupp on the right. In the crossfire tonight a pair of top political strategists. Have a message for karl rove, thanks but no thanks. Bill clinton took your silly softball pitch and knocked it out of the ballpark. Look, its neither sexist or out of bounds to raise serious legitimate questions about hillarys health. So i appreciate the effort, but imposing a ridiculous conspiracy theory, all you did was buy her a week of sympathy. And karl, you turned it into a punch line that gave bill clinton a perfect setup. Now they say shes really got brain damage. You think theyre just trying if she does, i must be in really tough shape because shes still quicker than i am. Hardyharhar. Lets not make a habit of gifting singers to bill clinton. Well take it from here, karl. You know, actually, i dont disafr agreagree with a thing y i bet you dont. Kpexcept for this that karl rove should not go away. Democratic strategist hilary rosen, republican strategist, kevin madden. Kevin, well start with you. Theres Something Else that bill clinton said today about the absurdity of karl roves question. I want you to listen to this. I got to give him credit, you know, that embodies that old saying that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. The consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. Explain to me how this wasnt a smallminded attack on the part of karl rove . Well, i think in order it to be an attack, i think it has to be premeditated and there has to be some sort of conspiracy there. I just happen to dis agragree w the democrats who believe that were sitting around conspireing to introduce things like Hillary Clintons health into a 2016 conversation and karl rove is, like, you know, the one with the starters gun on this. I think that this was dr. Roves comments. Dr. Rove. I think they were awkward and i think they ultimately were erroneous but they were about an obvious point which is that theres a difference between being a technical noncandidate and a candidate and the level of scrutiny you get and ultimately i think that Hillary Clinton as she goes to sequence of deciding whether or not she wants to run, shes considering those issues, and i think that youre saying its erroneous but not small i dont think that karl rove into that event wherever this news was made with the design on sort of introducing this element to the conversation. I absolutely disafree with that. I think one of the reasons that were continuing to talk about it today, and i dont mean this in a criticism way, i mean it in a clinical observation, which is that the clinton operation smartly seized upon it. She may not be a candidate, but her operation is operating like she is a candidate. Hilary they worked very quickly to engender sympathy like you said. You hear brain damage, of course, youre going to act on it. First of all, they had to respond and respond fast. Yeah. I think it escalated as it went. As a matter of cant let that sit out there. Really the thing im questioning of that you said is that this wasnt calculated. It seems to me that this whole effort by the house gop to create the Benghazi Committee fell flat. The media ridiculed it. The public yawned. It just went nowhere. And so, you know, they keep needing to come up with sort of the next page in the antihillary playbook because they know shes about to go on her book tour. There are so many pages in the antihillary playbook. They know crowds are going to come to her events and get a lot of funding and want to do as much damage as possible before she gets out there publicly. Well get to benghazi. Before we do that, i want to talk about your bench, the democrats bench just for a little bit because if hillary doesnt announce soon, i dont know what the prospects are. Joe biden is a great guy but, like, 100 years old. Martin omalley, maryland, known to three people outside of his home state. Elizabeth warren i think is far too extreme. Shes left of left. If hillary doesnt announce soon, hasnt she taken up all the oxygen from these other players who i think would need a significant amount of time to engender the kind of support that she already has . First of all, joe biden as Vice President has a lot of support in the democratic party. Id almost put him in a special category. But with other people, theres no question that theres no oxygen in the room to get a lot of attention, and i but that doesnt mean theres not talent there. That just means theres no oxygen. So, you know, if hillary decides not to run, i think people going to very quickly look at the rest of our talent. And it seems odd that we should worry about somebody being too left when youve got a guy like marco rubio or ted cruz. Look, the republican bench is great. Weve got rising stars. Theres no coronation on our side. Im not worried at all about that perception. Hillary clinton isnt giving any of these including joe biden isnt giving any of these guys a real chance. First of all, Hillary Clinton suspect doing anything. We in the media are doing this to say whether shes running or not. But nobodys saying whether theyre running really. Its 2014. It is 2014. We still have another election to go before we need to have a candidate declare. Candidates are made overnight. I dont think anyone at this table believes Martin Omalley can wage a significant opposition to any of the republican contenders in a year. Has anybody declared a the fact of the matter is as soon as if Hillary Clinton were to step aside, as soon as she did, there would be plenty of attention and plenty of time for somebody else to i want to change gears a little bit. Im not sure who said it, but somebody said wed get to benghazi later. Well, its later. Kevin . President clinton also made a point today about the benghazi investigation agreeing with many of us this is not about protecting embassies for the future, this is a gotcha game. Listen to what he said. Most americans dont know how Many American diplomatic personnel were killed when president bush was president. There were 13 attacks on u. S. Diplomatic facilities during george bushs administration. Many americans died. Unfortunately. But i dont remember any outcries from republicans when that was going on. Where was the investigation . And there was none, let me save you the time. Lets just agree on what this is. This isnt about getting to the bottom to ensure that we prevent attacks in the future. This is a gotcha game. Im not familiar with some of the facts related to some of the events that did take place in the bush administration. I to thido think the problem wi argument that president clinton makes, hes arguing we should always look forward yet at the same time he introduces a comparison that looks backward. Except before that he talked about the multiple investigations. I think whats driving the benghazi issue right now is that there are members of the house of representatives that feel that the Administration Just has not answered crucial questions or has stalled along the way on crucial questions that deserve answers and that the families an those of the victims that they deserve answer. Dozens of parents there was one email that was critical thats missing. Ever prepped anybody for a sunday show . Pardon me . Ever prepped anybody for a sunday show . Are you kidding me . Thats the one show i hated. Were not going to say that because somebody missed an email over sunday show talk points. It was a critical email. This is what was critical. What was critical is what actually happened and that has been well documented. We have the bipartisan Pickering Mullen report from wellestablished Public Servants looking at these issues. We have significant number of hearings. We had the secretary of state, herself, go to the congress. Theres nothing that evaluating an additional email by a White House Press staffer they have an important oversight role here and those members s on that committee who believe they dont have enough answers want more. Theyre making the argument we should have Additional Information and have those hearings. Theyre not satisfied given the level of oversight charge that they have that they have those answers. Lets talk about the politics of it. I mean, the politics of it, i believe that there are a lot of base republicans that its a very important issue for them. There are a lot of base democrats where they figure, they say, lets move on. Quite frankly, i dont think it motivates that many people in the middle. To always blame somebody on the politics of it i think is not i think in this case theres a legitimate members of congress who take their job serious lly were going to come back to this. Chris christie was also here in washington today. I dont know if you knew that. And kevin, it may surprise you, but i think he got something half right. Ill ask you about it after the break. First, heres todays crossfire quiz. Which republican president ial candidate did Hillary Clinton publicly support . Is it Barry Goldwater . Nelson rockefeller . Or Richard Nixon . Well have the answer when we get back. Welcome back. Now the answer to our crossfire quiz. Hillary clinton was a goldwater girl in is the1964. Oh, i knew it. That a girl. Lets fast forward to today. Here in Washington Republicans and the media are obsessed with the clintons. Heres the real story i think everybody is missing. The Republican Party is lurching to the right. Dont believe the headlines about the tea partys time being over. Consider this. The republican establishment spent millions of dollars to ensure their Senate Nominee won in North Carolina, but their candidate, tom tillis, Still Believes in abolishing the department of education and outlying contraception. In iowa, the establishment has embraced joni ernst who turned herself into sarah palin in order to win that primary. We all know how mainstream that is. So the tea party is not dead. It renamed itself. Its now called the Republican Party. The crossfire tonight, hilary rosen, and republican strategist kevin madden. Kevin . Hasnt the you agree, right . Endorse. Thank you for your agreement here. Hasnt the tea party i do. Pushed republicans away from the mainstream . Alienated them from the center of this country . The majority of American People . No, look. I mean, what the tea party has done inside the party i think is a great thing on things like accountability and responsibility on issues like spending, deficits and taxes, right . I think what its done electorally is, you know, and i would say theres a legitimate criticism or legitimate analysis that said, like, about a couple months ago that there was big splits and faction within the party. Right now i think everybody is starting to come together and form a grander coalition thats actually helping the Republican Party. All of those positions are moving to the right. Whats happening with immigration . Look in the North Carolina race, i mean, we had three conservative candidates down there and the best campaign won. I think the same has been in place thats the point same position. And theyre going to beat hagan down there because theyre talking about issues that matter. Theyre talking about what these these candidates are talking about what theyre for. Theyre talking about what theyre for when it comes to patientcentric health care, Economic Growth thats going to create jobs and bring up wages. The reason the Tea Party Still has power, and youre right, it is the Republican Party, is because its not really about their candidates. Its about their Firm Commitment to this, like, take no prisoners politic that has thats an absolutely simplistic view of whats always been a reform element inside the Republican Party. They have driven the Republican Party away. One at a time. One at a time. Theyve driven the Republican Party away from compromise on things like es, on things like jobs, things even like bipartisan let me immigration. They absolutely have. A different interpretation here. Honestly i wish you and stephanie were right. I see the complete opposition happening. I actually see republicans softening on son of their principles to sound more appealing. Rand paul this week, for example, told republicans essentially to ocool it on vote i. D. Because it sounds offensive. Ive seen a number of examples of this over the past few months. Now, hes also talk about Prison Reform which i happen to like, but doesnt it worry you that some republicans are kind of stealing your best stuff and really trying to soften their message . Actually it doesnt because and by the way, voter i. D. Doesnt just sound offensive, it is offensive. 80 of the country support voter i. D. Laws. Well, they dont support republican legislatures stopping people from voting. So youve got me wrong if you think that it wouldnt be good for democrats if we could come to a compromise on immigration. If we could come to a compromise on education reform, if we could actually come to a compromise on something as business oriented as tax reform. I think actually you have a whole host of democrats in washington who would really like republicans to soften not just their image but actually their position. Well, i would disagree with the idea i would even disagree with you, s. E. , on the idea that theyre softening their principles. I think theyre doing a much better job of clarifying our principles and aligning ourselves with the larger electorate. Let me argue with kevin for a second. Rand paul did not change his mind on the principle of voter i. D. He said we need to talk about it less because it sounds offensive. Hes not changing the principle. He wants to change the rhetoric. I dont mind, i dont mind changing rhetoric, but in saying we should walk back our values because it sounds offensive, no, lets find better ways. Im going beyond on issues like Economic Growth, Economic Opportunity, education, even on issues like immigration and health care. Republicans are doing a much better job. The reason were going to win, were going to win very big in 2014 is because were doing a much better job defining kevin, Economic Opportunity . Mitt romney, rick santorum, tim pawlenty all suggest we raise the minimum wage. Nobody, nobody on our side of the aisle thinks that is good for jobs. That is not true. I think what santorum and pawlenty and others have said is yes, you have to strike a balance. Oftentimes when youre looking at an issue like the minimum wage, you can strike that balance. But were doing a much better job as a party, and so are many of the candidates. Were drawing the contrast against the failed policies of democrats. The failed policies of the obama administration. If that were true why is president obamas average Approval Rating at 40 . That were true, if republicans really did have a positive proactive message, then all these campaign ads that are actually hurting democrats in all these states would be about that. But theyre not. All they do is they absolutely are. Theyre drawing contrast. For policies, hillary, theyre drawing contrast with the policies that havent worked and drawing a vision for what they woo do. Theyre trashing the president and senators associated with the president. Theyre not trashing. Hillary, pointing out the president s record on a failed economy is not trashing the president. Thats introducing facts to the voters. First of all, the economy has not failed. We have had 30 months of we havent had the were not so were living up to our economic potential right now . No, tlofk is more to do. But were so far ahead of where the republicans took us that to even go back would be crazy. Well see at the ballot in november. Well come back here afterwards, and well talk about it. And see how many voters think its because of those issues versus the president. Okay. Well, stay here. We want you at home to weigh in on todays fireback question. Is the tea Party Getting stronger or weaker . Tweet stronger or weaker. Well have the results after the break. We also have the outrages of the day. I am outraged about a socalled ethics pledge that is anything but ethical. Americas newest Real Estate Brand is all ready the brand of the year. Berkshire hathaway home services. Good to know. How did i know . Well, i didnt really. See, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive. But when i started losing energy and became moody. Thats when i had an honest conversation with my doctor. We discussed all the symptoms. Then he gave me some blood tests. Showed it was low t. Thats it. It was a number not just me. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1. 62 testosterone gel. The 1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy, increases testosterone when used daily. Women and children should avoid contact with application sites. 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Change your number. Turn it up. Androgel 1. 62 . Get the blood tests. Change your number. Turn it up. At any minute. You could be a victim of fraud. Most people dont even know it. Fraud could mean lower credit scores, higher mortgage rates. And not getting the home you really want. Its a problem waiting to happen. Check your credit score, check your credit report, at experian. Com. Americas number one provider of online credit reports and scores. Dont take chances. Go to experian. Com. Female narrator its posturepedic versus beautyrest its posturepedic versus beautyrest with up to 400 off. Serta icomfort and tempurpedic go headtohead with three years interestfree financing. Mattress price wars are on now at sleep train. Your ticket to a better nights sleep welcome back. Now its time for outrages of the day. Nebraska republicans just nominated a u. S. Senate candidate who thinks that religious freedom gives you the right to break any law that you want. Ben sasss website says, quote, government cannot force citizens to violate the religious beliefs under any circumstances. Really . Any circumstances . Are honor killings now okay . How about polygamy. Seriously, though. The reallife implications of what he is saying and what he means is that he doesnt believe women should have access to contraception or reproductive health, or that lgbt americans receive the same protections against discrimination. I think its outrageous. I think its International Program cal extremism. Its way too typical of the republican right wing right now. Okay, well, on my side, hollywoods got a short attention span. The hullabaloo around the Beverly Hills hotel boycott is dying down. But if hollywood is looking for another nearby protest opportunity, may i suggest nearby ucla. There pro palestinian groups are trying to keep students who visited israel with pro israel groups from participating in campus government. Students for justice in palestine has drafted an ethics statement requiring candidates running for undergraduate Student Government to pledge not to travel to israel with proisrael sponsorship. Propalestinian travel is just fine, however. Frighteningly, the university has decided not to take a side in what amounts to blanket discrimination and rank antisemitism. Hollywoods own dark history clouds antisemitism and blacklisting of this sort. So i imagine this should hit close to home. So come on, celebs, ucla is just right around the corner. What are you waiting for in . Lets check back on our fireback results. The tea Party Getting stronger or weaker . 34 say stronger. 66 say weaker. Yeah, i got to agree. Kevin, why dont you take the first crack at that. Somewhere in between . I would say that the reform element of accountability and responsibility inside the american electorate has aligned itself with republicans and is very strong. Hillary . I think its sort of wishful thinking. We talked about this before. The Republican Leadership in the house and the senate and across this country have so bent over to make the tea Party Positions their positions that its absolutely indistinguishable from the rest of the Republican Party now. So i think its kind of irrelevant. Why do you think that the house hasnt brought up Immigration Reform yet, out of curiosity . I think right now you have the focus they want a comprehensive approach. I think that is big and quote, comprehensive is really hard to get through right now. I think there are a lot of folks right now that would rather see legislation in smaller chunks get through. And that would be easier to get through. I love how strong you guys think. The tea party. Im seeing im seeing a shift. Used to be tea partiers and used to talk tea Party Language move to enthusiasm, then youre not going win in november. Thanks to hilary rosen and kevin madden, the debate continues online. C cnn. Com crossfire. Erin Burnett Outfront starts right now. Next, breaking news. At least five wildfires burning out of control at this moment. Tens of thousands evacuated. Were live on the scene. Plus, unleashing bill, the former president of the United States jumps to his wifes defense, firing back at karl rove. But did he do a lot more harm . And christopher columbuss flagship, the santa maria. How much is it worth . The man who discovered it and a star from the hit show antiques road show here to tell us. Lets go outfront. Good