Transcripts For MSNBCW Deadline White House 20171026 : vimar

MSNBCW Deadline White House October 26, 2017

Over the rise of antiestablishment forces and comes amid escalating frustration over President Trumps conduct. Which has prompted a handful of lawmakers to publicly criticize the president. The campaign will highlight bannons hardline populism and attempt to link him to White Nationalism to discredit him and the candidates he supports. Better late than never, i guess. Lets get to our reporters and guests. Ashley parker, White House Reporter for the Washington Post. And at the table, Heidi Przybilla for usa today, philip bump for the Washington Post, tad devine, democratic strategist and former Senior Adviser to Bernie Sanders campaign and old friend of mine from the campaign trails and david jolly. Ashley parker, let me start with you and some of this great reporting in the Washington Post today about im not sure why this is a new effort or a new idea but it may be the last best idea to try to save some of these Establishment Republicans from retiring. Yeah, i mean, i think what youre seeing is mcconnell world is now sort of very aggressively and now publicly trying to do to steve bannon what hes been doing to Mitch Mcconnell which is we want to make this in some ways a referendum on steve bannon, you know, tie him to the White Nationalist movement, dredge up some of the things that came out of his divorce. Some claims of antisemitism and saying the same way steve bannon is trying to say to republican candidates, Mitch Mcconnell will be an albatross around your neck. They want to say to some of the more fringe candidates, further right candidates, youll be accountable for everything we have on steve bannon. And it just started, as you pointed out. It probably could have started awhile ago. And its unclear how it will work. But you now have two sides basically coming from opposite ends of the exact same playbook. Is it a recognition that they cant take on trump and win because hes too popular with their voters . Or is it an opportunity to take on someone and to really test the theory that trumps resilience doesnt transfer to trumps team . I think its sort of more of the former. The bannon people pointed out, and they may be proven correct, that this stuff about steve bannon is already out there. The democrats tried to raise it. So its unclear how successful it will be. But i think the key thing here is that among trumps base his approval numbers are not that high but among his base, he very well liked. Very well supported. And the idea that these attacks on the president will work in some of these races, hes just so far proven impervious to these sorts of attacks. I think theyll be happy to take on the president if they thought it would be effective. Someone like steve bannon who has been portrayed on saturday night live as the angel of death has made it an easier target. If the republicans cant win a fight about racism, they probably deserve to lose. Let me ask you about something bannon said to a biographer. Populist national simp the winner of what were doing now. Its on the right side of history. The only debate Going Forward will be, will it be Bernie Sanders views of populism or Donald Trumps . I wish we had that debate last november because i know who would have won it, Bernie Sanders. You think bernie would have won in places that hillary didnt . Like wisconsin . Absolutely. I think erie county, pennsylvania. Its not a knock on hillary. Hillary clinton had to go up against so much weight. People were looking for change in the last election. They asked those questions in the exit poll. Whats the most important candidate quality . Change. And trump won it overwhelmingly. Bernie could have won that, too. As a result, would have won the election. So we started here, so im going to have to ask you. Joe biden is out with an interview in instyle and doesnt rule out running. Is bernie running again . A bernie biden smackdown . He believes if were going to rebuild politics you do it from the grassroots up. Thats what hes engaged in now. Thats smart politics. Has he maintained a constant line of communication with his base . Hes been out there. Our revolution is an organization he started. Active in communities across america. Hes traveled extensively 50 in the general election on the half of Hillary Clinton. I think hes an active presence throughout. David, is this the more sort of dire threat to trumpism, Bernie Sandersism, than any sort of effort at trying to repolish the old republican brand . I dont know. Look, if joe biden runs, he would be the strongest democratic candidate to beat somebody stronger than Bernie Sanders . I think so. How do you win the steel belt districts that donald trump took from Hillary Clinton . But lets recognize what just happened this week and with Mitch Mcconnell in particular and his comments. Hes just drawing a line. He doesnt want to see a repeat of Christine Odonnell and angle and aiken where they really could lose the senate. Isnt that whats being set up . Mitch mcconnell went on the white house lawn with donald trump saying he has my full support. Lets stay here. Lets watch that. Heres the i dont know what to call it . A bromance with trump and mcconnell about what good friends they are. We just spent quite a bit of time inside with the Senate Majority leader who has been a friend of mine for a long time. Long before my world of politics. Early into his world of politics, i think. But weve been friends for a long time. We are probably now, despite what we read, were probably now, i think, at least as far as im concerned, closer than ever before. And the relationship is very good. I have a very good relationship, as you know, with steve bannon. Steves been a friend of mine for a long time. I like steve a lot. Steve is doing what steve thinks is the right thing. Some of the people that he may be looking at, im going to see if we talk him out of that because, frankly, theyre great people. I love Mitch Mcconnell so much, and i love steve bannon, who has got like a bazooka aimed at all of Mitch Mcconnells members. What was that . And what you saw Mitch Mcconnells face was resignation. As much as those who concerned n critical of President Trump this week found solace in what corker did and what flake did. The reality is they sounded more like concession speeches and not nomination speeches, and what we know for republicans, there is no pathway to win an election in the gop primary if you are critical of this president. And it is forcing a lot of conservatives who are critical of this president to decide, are they going to fall in line or not . This may be the breaking point. As much as wed like to say breaking point for those critical of trump. This may be where trump takes over the part and those who are critical have to decide, are they staying in or leaving . Because what we have seen this week with Lindsey Graham backing donald trump, this renegotiation of their political conviction that goes against everything theyve said this past week. These arent policy differences. Flake doesnt have profound policy differences with President Trump. He has a he sees a fundamental obstacle to supporting a man whose character does not match the job he has. Bob corker thinks he debases the office. We had an Inflection Point over policy, are we . 50 other senators stayed quiet or says we stay with the president. Paul ryan said we stand with the president. Nobody cares what jeff flake says. Its a moral failure of the party and of paul ryan and Mitch Mcconnell. Those who have fought for so hard for a year to say donald trump does not represent the Republican Party, eventually have to face the question whether they stay with the party or not. Phil bump, i see it exactly the same way. And when someone sticks a poll in my face and shows me how popular donald trump is with his voters, i want to do bad things. I want to rip that but can you talk Steve Schmidt on this program yesterday said that a shrinking party is always more extreme than a wider party because it has fewer people to satisfy. So as it contracts, it in essence radicalizes itself. Im trying to do this in fewer words than we gave Steve Schmidt. Can you talk about this dynamic of intensity not equalizing broadness. The first is that this is to the point being made. This is a longer term trend of the Republican Base rebelling against republican establishment. We saw it first erupt with the Tea Party Movement in 2009, 2010. This is a continuation of that. What bannon is doing thats smart politically is he sort of seized that mantel as breitbart shaped the flow of that. Bannon seized upon this thing that became trumpism and this is my tool by which ill take out the republican establishment, even though hes never demonstrated he can take anyone out in politics. Stop, stop, stop. Its a brilliant point. Bannon has never won anything except the accidental victory of donald trump. Thats right. His only victory he lost by 3 million votes. Its not nothing but Kellyanne Conway was the campaign manager. But bannon has never won. Is it the trump bases belief in this populism . Is it their tolerance of White Supremacy . Why are flake and corker and all these guys running for the exit . Fascinating result from a Pew Research Study found that the nationalistic arm of the trump base, the people who are antiimmigration and think we shouldnt be global ift. These people are less supportive. And what those people are is, there certainly is this fervor, this antiestablishment fervor that manifests itself in all sorts of different ways but what happens is the support for trump overlaps heavily with the staunchest, most conservative arm of the Republican Party which everyone on capitol hill knows are the people that come out and vote more in the primaries. To the point about Lindsey Graham and so on and so forth, its going to be fascinating what happens next may. Absolutely were in a position where people are pandering and making sure they are doing Everything Possible to keep those trump voting supporters out for the primary. But after the primaries are over, its going to be fascinating that theyve been pulled so far to the right and have to win the general election. Pandering is the right word. Lindsey graham stood for things. He used to stand with john mccain proudly on matters of National Security. He was for going into syria. He now stands and brags about Donald Trumps golf game in the wind and the rain. Donald trump is a selfdescribed isolationist on National Security. Its precisely this. A lot of people who have parted ways or nonpracticing republicans, as i describe myself, are happy to see it happen. But youre also comparing the donald trump that was promised on the Campaign Trial with the donald Trump Presidency that has materialized, which are two very different things. When you look at the numbers, for example, jeff flake is not alone. Many republicans have voted 91 of the time with donald trump because, as much as he has been out there with a bombast in the rhetoric, he does not know enough about policy to have steered us in a meaningfully populist direction when it comes to policy. Weve seen Obamacare Repeal and replace. Were now seeing a traditional form of republican tax cuts. All of the things he promised like infrastructure, meani meaningfully changing our trade policies have gone by the waughside. Some of these ardent National Populists are starting to become disaffected. All of the things that fed that feeling of displacement are the things that are now being pursued by this administration. Wage stagnation. Tax cuts. Im an isolationist. Lets have a military buildup and poke kim jongun and possibly get involved in another war. Im going to protect your social security. And yet they are going for a plan that would cut health care. Let me bring Ashley Parker back in. Ive admitted to being a romcom fan. Theres a scene in jerry maguire. He stood on the floor and said, i will not be complicit and everyone went back to their office. No one following him out the door, it looks like . It doesnt seem that way. Watching that happen, it sort of reminded me of bob corkers words where he said, look. The white house is an Adult Day Care Center and Everybody Knows it. So there is this huge divide when you talk to lawmakers, when you talk to republican operatives of what people will tell you privately and what theyll say publicly. So i think there were a lot of people who privately watched and respected jeff flakes speech, liked it, felt he was giving voice to something they may personally feel but youre right. They sort of said, good for you, jeff. But were sort of sticking here. And tad, this profoundly disappointing as it is to me, the u. S. Senate is not a romcom. They want to keep their jobs. They dont want to have to get retrained for real jobs. What do the democrats do in this moment . Do they cheer on jeff flake, or do they try to build a coalition or does Bernie Sanders try to meet him halfway on some of this economic populism . What do the democrats do . When your opponent is digging their own grave, you get out of the way. The worst possible thing democrats could do right now is politicize this, get in the middle of it. Trump is looking for every opportunity to turn to politics and we should stay away from it. The democrats need to talk about the future. A future to believe in. Thats what all those signs said. Real economic policies. Jobs. Wages. Health. Infrastructure. How to really achieve it. All of these things, if we do it people will listen. I was going to point out to what heidi was saying. The base of Donald Trumps supporters and people who buy into the bannon spin trumpism line of thinking, what motivates them is it is the way that donald trump handles himself. So theres a lot of they love it. Jeff flake about the way he behaves and so forth. They eat it up. I went out and interviewed three dozen of them. They like that he talks the way they do. All right. Ashley parker, thank you for starting us off. Sorry for the romcom reference. The picture emerging from a new report on general kelly is not the one many of us projected on to the fourstar general. The New York Times reporting that hes a hardliner just like his boss on many of the president s most controversial policies. Also ahead social dysfunction. How did americas social Media Companies help operationalize foreign intervention in the 2016 election, and why arent they being forced to do more to make sure it doesnt happen again. Everyone deserves attention, whether youve saved a lot or just a little. At pnc investments, we believe youre more than just a number. So we provide personal Financial Advice for every retirement investor. Your bbut as you get older,ing. It naturally begins to change, causing a lack of sharpness, or even trouble with recall. Thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. The secret is an ingredient originally discovered. In jellyfish. In clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve shortterm memory. Prevagen. The name to remember. The last man standing with any moral authority in the entire Trump Administration, secretary of defense jim mattis. Thats according to New York Times columnist tom friedman who went on to say this. So we have a president who is still president of the United States but has no moral authority. Id tell you Sarah Huckabee sanders has mow moral authority. That debate with kelly, he blew up his moral authority. She took out his uniform and said, no, but he has this formal authority. A lot of people says when you blow up your moral authority you cannot use a marine fourstar generals june form to clean up the president s mess. Joining me is juan zarate. Thanks for joining our merry gang here. Let me start with you on this question of just how precious jim mattis is to the Trump Administration and the country. I think secretary mattis holds a great degree of moral authority. Obviously, a career of service to the country, to the military. Great credibility abroad. So you see that in all of his trips and everything hes doing. He also speaks with independence. What youve seen in his interactions within the administration and publicly is an independent voice. I think thats whats being reflected. Nicolle, one thing to be careful about, though is the

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