This is a rush transcript from "The Story," November 2, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MARTHA MACCALLUM, HOST: Before the big game. Bret, thanks so much. See you later.
So, we've got three days, four hours, and 59 minutes until Election Day officially begins. And tonight we've got two presidents in the middle of it all, battling it out in a blitz to win voter support. On the left side of your screen, that's where in moments we are going to see President Obama in Georgia. He is campaigning for gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. This is a very hot race. One we're watching very closely. That's going to happen in a moment.
Then, on the right-hand side of your screen, another huge race, this one in Indianapolis as President Trump makes stop number two of the day. In Indianapolis, he's going to be there in the Senator Joe Donnelly and Mike Braun race. He's on the Braun side, of course, he is the Republican there. And he was in as I said, West Virginia, earlier this morning.
So, good evening everybody. I'm Martha MacCallum, live in Washington, D.C. tonight. Just a short time ago, the president said something very interesting. He acknowledged the possibility that his party could lose the House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Democrats and it could happen -- it could happen. We're doing very well, and we're doing really well in the Senate. What could happen? And you know what you do my whole life, you'd only to say, don't worry about it, I'll just figure it out.
MACCALLUM: That -- that's an unsurprising comment, right? That it -- that sounds like the way that President Trump goes through a lot of life. And this, of course, is the scene from the caravan. We also know today. And we're going to get to this in a moment.
Very strong economy, which should really in many people's minds be the main story here. But the battle over this caravan and the bruising rhetoric that surrounds it is cutting both ways with voters as some members of the caravan have now found attorneys in the United States to help them sue the White House for entry to America.
Geraldo Rivera on that in just a moment. Plus, Howie Kurtz with his analysis of brand-new polls that show who the American people actually blame for stoking the flames in all of this?
But first, Trace Gallagher has the story from our West Coast newsroom tonight. Hi, Trace.
TRACE GALLAGHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Martha. The class-action lawsuit was filed in federal court against President Trump, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security. It was filed on behalf of six Honduran migrants and their children who are part of the caravan now making its way toward the U.S. border.
The lawsuit is asking the court to declare the president's policies unconstitutional. The president says, he will send up to 15,000 U.S. troops to the border, several hundred of which are already on the ground. And Mr. Trump, says undocumented migrants would be held at the border, many in tent cities. Here's how the president explained it to Laura Ingraham. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to put tents up all over the place. We're not going to
build structures and spend all of this -- you know, hundreds of millions of
dollars. We're going to have tents, they're going to be very nice. And
they're going to wait, and if they don't get asylum they get out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: The president also says that asylum seekers would be blocked
from claiming asylum if they're caught crossing the border anywhere except
legal points of entry. Current law says asylum seekers can make a claim
anywhere in the United States.
Immigrant's rights activists argue that holding migrants in tent cities
violates the Flores Act, which dictates how long and in what conditions the
federal government can detain children. This summer a federal judge
rejected an administration request to modify the Flores Act.
Those who filed the lawsuit also claim, the president's actions are nothing
but a racist political ploy. But the president is not backing down, in
fact, it appears he is doubling down.
At a rally this afternoon in West Virginia, Mr. Trump said, he won't have
caravan after caravan of unvetted illegal immigrants flooding into the U.S.
The president, said Republicans want strong borders, no drugs, no gangs, no
caravans. Martha.
MACCALLUM: Trace, thank you very much. Here now, Geraldo Rivera, Fox News
correspondent-at-large, who is been obviously following this story
throughout. Geraldo, good to see you tonight.
GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE: Hi, Martha.
MACCALLUM: You know, your thoughts on the legal side of this, and the case
that is being made suing -- via members of the caravan suing the United
States for entry and for the possibility of asylum.
RIVERA: First, Martha, let me just tell you where I am. I'm at the
University of Arizona, my alma mater. I'm 60 miles from the Mexican border
here. In a state where there is an absolute heated contentious race, a
battle for Jeff Flake's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.
You've got two candidates who are fighting, both of them are pro -- you
know, strict border enforcement. But one-third of Arizona's population is
Latino. So, it does -- it's the fourth largest Latino population anywhere
in the country.
Davis-Monthan, the big air base just five miles from where I'm sitting
right now is one of the military bases that will be used -- one of the 14
frontier bases that will be used for President Trump's deployment of the --
of the troops.
As I understand, not to your specific question, Martha, as I understand the
lawsuit, what the filers are worried about -- what they are suing the
government for is to ensure that, that caravan when it reaches the border,
that those people are if they appear as the president has required them at
a legal port of entry --
MACCALLUM: Right.
RIVERA: The lawyers want to make sure that those migrants are allowed if
they so choose to request asylum. What happens when they request asylum,
then, the due process of the United States comes into play, and they are
required to be given a hearing before an immigration judge.
What I would like -- and now the some of the stuff in the hurry. What I
would like is rather than the president sending troops to the border, which
I think President Obama did it, George W. Bush did it, to no effect,
meaning, full effect.
What I would like to see is a mobilization of immigration judges to make
sure that those people once they request asylum are given a speedy hearing.
Not the six to eight-month wait that the president has complained about,
but something measured rather in days. Martha.
MACCALLUM: Yes. Well, you know what, I think that you're right about
that. And I think they are going to need an army of immigration attorneys
because of the Flores rule, they're going to have a small window to process
these people in. Because as the president said, they're not going to
release them. They will catch them, and then, they will hold them.
And if they have legitimate asylum claims which we know a very small
percentage of the group generally has once they go through the process,
they have -- that's in my mind, the White House's biggest jam right now.
Because they've got a time clock that will tick on that as soon as it
begins. How do you think they're going to handle that?
RIVERA: Well, I think, first of all, the person, the people coming up in
the migrant caravan, generally speaking, are impoverished people, ordinary
people who want a better life for their families. They're not an army of
MS-13 coming. We've all seen the video. We know that.
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: Yes, but that doesn't mean that they can get asylum. What you
just described is not -- is not eligible for asylum.
RIVERA: You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. Poverty is not
a substantive reason for asylum. If so, as the president said, there are a
billion, 2 billion poor people on earth.
MACCALLUM: That's right.
RIVERA: Under the poverty test, they would all be qualified for asylum.
That's not these, they've got to be, for instance, the gangs killed my
husband and they forced my daughter into prostitution, we had to get -- you
know, there are -- there are legitimate reasons coming from -- you know,
this hotbed of insecurity in Latin America.
But the main thing here coming back to this race between Martha McSally and
Kyrsten Sinema. To -- you know, very highly regarded congresspeople. Both
vying for Jeff Flake's open seat. They are both kind of tough on
immigration, but the notion of using the military, I think is something
that gives people pause.
And I do believe that that's why President Trump in this last -- you know,
rally -- you know, bonanza weekend, before the election. Rally bonanza
across the country, he is not coming here to Arizona where ordinarily, you
would expect him to come. I think he -- even the president is afraid that
here, he could tip this delicate balance now between the Democrat and the
Republican, separated by less than half of percentage point. Martha.
MACCALLUM: Perhaps. Yes. I think he's trying to build essentially a
human wall with the military. And that's his symbolic way of saying to
Congress. You know, either you give me the wall and we fund the wall, or
I'm going to have to have -- you know, a wall created by United States
military.
Because we all know that the places where people sneak in are between the
areas that the Border Patrol is able to cover. So, he's trying to block
those gaps and -- you know, it's going to be fascinating really that she
had this place up.
RIVERA: I don't think they can be used -- I don't think they can be used -
- the military can be used in that fashion. I think the military can that
they want to take water to the Border Patrol, they could provide a vehicle
for Border Patrol.
MACCALLUM: But would they're there -- you know, in a support role.
RIVERA: In a support role.
MACCALLUM: But if they're standing there -- you know, that that's -- yes,
they're going to be standing there. And we'll see how it close.
RIVERA: It's the message they are sending. That's the most important
thing in Arizona, the message.
MACCALLUM: That's exactly right. That's what I'm saying. Yes. Geraldo,
thank you. Always good to see you. Thanks for being here tonight from
your alma mater, University of Arizona.
RIVERA: Thank you, Martha. You too. Thank you.
MACCALLUM: So, the fight has animated the worst on both sides. But a new
poll shows that Americans put the blame just as much on the press for
stoking the flames. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN: This is a very big night for the President of
the United States. He is all in on fear and loathing.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, ANCHOR, CNN: President Trump is ratcheting up his anti-
immigration rhetoric, and using the White House podium to stoked fears and
rally Republican voters.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST, HARDBALL, MSNBC: Stoking fear, anger, and anxiety,
President Trump is going to new extremes to rile up white voters in red
state America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACCALLUM: And you get the idea. And President Trump hitting back at the
media today in another round of blame pointing. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You're creating violence by your questions, you know. You are
creating you. And also, a lot of the reporters are creating violence by
not writing the truth. The fake news is creating violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: Here now at the polls and the analysis, Howie Kurtz, the host
of "MEDIA BUZZ". Howie, good to see you tonight.
HOWARD KURTZ, FOX NEWS MEDIA ANALYST: Hi, Martha.
MACCALLUM: What do you make about the press? He's pointing fingers. What
do you think about all that?
KURTZ: Well, he was in asked a question about a Washington Post, ABC poll
out today, which has a stunning finding. Which is roughly half the
country, 49 percent blames President Trump. And roughly half the country,
47percent, blames the news media for encouraging politically motivated
violence.
But the question from the ABC reporter was only about that blame Trump
part. So, he was punching back. And so now, we have this sort of
spectacle of each side blaming the other. I tend to blame the perpetrators
in these situations. But the media very rarely, except with this poll,
pause to consider their own role in spreading devices.
And as you saw in those clips from other networks, that's all the president
is fear-mongering, the president is race-baiting, the president is tearing
this country apart. A lot of people out there think we are complicit as
well.
MACCALLUM: Yes. And you know, some of the references that we played in
that montage are to immigration. They're about immigration. But the issue
here is about illegal immigration. And I think that people do respond to
that, you know.
They say, wait a minute. No, that's not we're talking about. And they can
feel that they're sometimes being kind of bulldozed into thinking of it in
those terms. And I think they do react negatively to that at times.
KURTZ: The press has absolutely been pounding the president as the major
midterm theme. He is using immigration to rile up his base and all that,
and they come out and say some commentators some journalists, race-baiting
and it's inflammatory, and all of that.
But the way in which it's covered is also divisive. And what the message
that the press is sending by putting all the onus on President Trump, is
that a lot of millions of Americans saying, they don't care very much about
the very real problems created by illegal immigration. They just want to
use it as a battering rehab against the president. At the same time, the
president's rhetoric has gotten pretty hot. Sometimes uncomfortably hot.
MACCALLUM: Absolutely. I want to switch gears for a moment and ask you.
Senator Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee is now
investigating two false claims about Judge Kavanaugh during that whole --
you know, brouhaha.
And we remember that at the time, there were a lot of Democratic Senators
who were saying -- you know, there's all these other claims, we're getting
other phone calls that are coming in, and told we investigate every one of
these -- you know, this is not a legitimate vote that we're taking.
Let me put up one of the sort of findings of this investigation that was
released today. This is a woman named, Ms. Munro-Leighton, who claimed to
be the author of an anonymous allegation regarding Justice Kavanaugh,
originally sent to Senator Harris.
When questioned by the committee investigators, she admitted that she had
fabricated the claim, and she confessed to the committee investigators that
she just wanted to get attention. It was a tactic, and that it was just a
ploy.
KURTZ: This is a really serious matter. And I remember when there was a
white-hot debate over Christine Blasey Ford versus Brett Kavanaugh, and a
lot of people took Christine Blasey Ford's allegations seriously, though
they were never corroborated.
But then, with some of these other women jumped in, including Julie
Swetnick, who's their subject the first referral from Senator Grassley.
I think it muddied the waters because their claims were outlandish, didn't
have any backup whatsoever, and now we have the second woman who had been
anonymous saying, yes, I made it up. Which sort of plays into what the
critics of the -- of the people who are going after Judge Kavanaugh, who
were saying, which is you can't necessarily believe anybody who comes out
of the woodwork without evidence.
MACCALLUM: You know, and you had reporters like Jane Mayer -- you know,
publishing stories that were not corroborated.
KURTZ: Yes.
MACCALLUM: Based on the same sort of situations --
(CROSSTALK)
KURTZ: Julie Swetnick ended up backing off in an NBC interview. She said
he spiked the punch, no, I didn't see it. She claimed that she witnessed
all these gang rape parties. It simply was incredible. I don't know what
will happen or the referral to the Justice Department, but it does show you
that in that overheated atmosphere, media in particular and the public and
the politicians have been very, very careful about these explosive claims
if there's no corroborating evidence.
MACCALLUM: He's pursuing it. And it's important, obviously to stick to
the facts. Howie, thank you very much. Good to see you tonight.
KURTZ: Good to see you here in Washington.
MACCALLUM: So, in Florida, two candidates try to win over Miami voters,
where the district is increasingly purple. You've got wealthy
neighborhoods, you have many Cuban Americans there. You have a lot of
folks who fled New York and New Jersey for the Sunshine State. So, it's a
real interesting mix of Florida voters. And it is making for quite a race
between Maria Salazar and Donna Shalala, that's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Hundreds of thousands of children born to illegal immigrants are
made automatic citizens of the United States every year because of this
crazy lunatic policy that we can end, that we can end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: President Trump hammering home his opposition to birthright
citizenship heading into Tuesday's elections and it is front and center in
Florida's hotly contested 27th district. Democrat Donna Shalala is up
seven points over Republican Maria Salazar in the latest New York Times
poll, but only a few days earlier Salazar led Shalala by two points in a
Mason-Dixon poll. So in this heavily Hispanic district, Salazar initially
went after the president in this tweet saying this. President Trump, our
Constitution is sacred. Birthright citizenship is protected and you cannot
change that by executive order. But now says that the 14th Amendment
should "be reviewed."
Here to tell us about that House Republican candidate Maria Salazar. Good
to have you with us this evening. I should mention that we have also
reached out to your opponent and we are hopeful that she will join us on
Monday evening. But you heard the President, he said this is a crazy
lunatic law when he refers to the 14th Amendment. Do you agree with him?
MARIA SALAZAR, R, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, FLORIDA: Well, what I agree is
that we need to look for an immigration reform law and that is one of them
-- my signature plan. Because look what you were talking about in the
previous segment, look at the caravan that is arriving. What are we going
to do? We need to and I have called for an immigration reform law but not
only that, for a summit meeting where President Trump can really show his
leadership, where he should call for a summit meeting between the president
of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala and help them keep their boys home.
That is the only way my said that is going to prevent another caravan from
occurring. Because as you were saying before, the Honduras is one of the
most explosive countries in the hemisphere. It has one of the highest
murder rates in the world. So what do you think those people are going to
do? And I'm not saying that we need to allow them in, I'm not saying that
we cannot protect or we should not protect our borders, what I'm saying is
that we need to find a solution. And since I am from Miami, and we have
hundreds of thousands of undocumented aliens in my town, and I know them
very well, I know what the solution is.
At one point I was the Central American Bureau Chief for Univision. I
lived in Guatemala, I lived in El Salvador, in Nicaragua, and in Honduras,
and I know what they need. And I saw President Reagan showing leadership
in helping those people, in helping their governments to have to keep their
boys home.
MACCALLUM: Understood. You know, when you look at your district though,
and you know, I mean, people have been trying to do what you're suggesting
and come up with comprehensive immigration reform for decades and I think
it's one of the greatest frustrations that the American people have because
both sides just like using it against each other too much in elections
essentially to get anything done, but talk to me really quickly about your
district. I only have about a minute left, because it was a Republican
district, a lot of Cuban Americans live there. However, it also has you
know, a lot of you know, northeasterners who've moved to that area. So
what do you think is the most important thing for them? What are they
going to use to decide between the two of you?
SALAZAR: Well, the fact here is that I was born, raised, and I have worked
on television in this town for 35 years. And that's why I'm sure the
voters are going to prefer me over my opponent because Mrs. Shalala does
not belong to the melting pot. See Miami is the ultimate melting pot in
the United States and you need to be part of that social fiber. You need
to be part of the ultimate melting pot in order to be able to represent
them in the House of Representatives. I mean the name says it, the House
of Representatives. And in reality, I am -- I am the person that could
represent them the best because not only I speak the language but I they
get me and I get them. You cannot come from outside and just want to help
-- won a review of the representative from Miami.
MACCALLUM: We're going to be watching it very closely on Tuesday night as
all these returns come in. Thank you very much, Maria. Good to see you
again.
SALAZAR: Thank you.
MACCALLUM: Maria Salazar joining us from Florida tonight. So a big win
for the White House with less than four days to go until the Midterms. You
got these brand-new jobs numbers that show a very healthy economy as
America heads to the polls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: More American today, right now, this hour are working than ever
before in the history of our country. How good is that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACCALLUM: So while there is a lot to argue about out there, it's pretty
tough for either side to not like the economic numbers that came out today.
Today's announcement included soaring jobs numbers of 250,000 jobs in
October. Unemployment at 3.7, haven't been there since 1969, and wages for
workers rising 3.1 percent. That's a big part of that number, that's a
nine-year high. So here now Economist Art Laffer who served on President
Ronald Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board and did a pretty good job
there and then later as an economic adviser to president Trump's 2016
campaign. New book Trumponomics is out now. Art, good to see you tonight.
ART LAFFER, ECONOMIC ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP'S 2016 CAMPAIGN: Good to
see you, Martha.
MACCALLUM: You know, obviously those numbers look really good. Are you
surprised this isn't more of a focus of the Midterm discussions?
LAFFER: Not really. I mean, I think people are well aware of the
economics. It may not be the hyperactive conversation you want to have but
I think they're very well aware. It's just amazing. And the changes in
tax policy, Martha, have been incredible. I mean the tax bill was amazing.
He got it through. It's just the foundation of his policies. And if you
look at the deregulation, I mean amazing here as well. If you look at the
monetary policy with Powell, I mean, he's doing a great job on that. And
the trade is --
MACCALLUM: So why is the president keep yelling at it him, Art? Because
the presidency you know, keeps saying that he shouldn't -- he doesn't like
the suggestion that he's going to continue to raise interest rates and the
market was down a little bit today. I mean, that's what -- that's what
some market prognosticators are saying as you well know, that this is --
that we've had the high in this GDP. What do you say?
LAFFER: Well I don't -- can't explain all of Donald Trump's conversations,
to be honest with you. He does it -- he does it so forgive me, Martha --
MACCALLUM: We need a longer show.
LAFFER: Yes, we need a longer show but Powell is doing a good job. And
Trump is doing a great job on trade. I mean it's working progress right
now but Xi and he are going to meet in Argentina and there's a very good
chance we get good trade deals with China and we need China badly because
without China, Martha, there is no Wal-Mart. And without Wal-Mart, there
is no middle class or lower class prosperity. The U.S. needs China and
China for goodness sakes really needs us and I think we're moving along on
that very well. And then look at our GDP numbers growth. I mean, those
are pretty astounding --
MACCALLUM: Let's put the GDP number up, guys.
LAFFER: Yes, and it's just great. You got to -- I don't know if you --
MACCALLUM: So -- yes, we have it up. And so you know, obviously, very
strong growth in the last two quarters in particular. What's your outlook
for the next two?
LAFFER Well, I hope it continues. I mean, we need about --
MACCALLUM: Well, we all hope it continuous but you're the economists so
what do you think it's going to do?
LAFFER: I think it's going to continue, how's that? I think we're going
to have a very good prosperity for the next six or seven years. I think
it's very much like the Reagan period, like the Kennedy period, and like
the Clinton period, not Hillary, Bill. It's -- I think we're going to have
a very strong economic growth for the next five or six years and we'll get
back to the types of prosperity we really would need and want. And I think
he's doing a great job on the economy and I'm an economist. I can't tell
you about everything else but on the economy, he's as good as I've ever
seen in the first term and he's not even halfway through it yet.
MACCALLUM: All right, so in the 30 seconds I have left, what would be your
one thing you would say to him, but don't do this, you know, because that
would be problematic.
LAFFER: Don't raise taxes, don't increase regulations. But the thing I
hope he does do is where we haven't succeeded which is government spending.
MACCALLUM: Yes.
LAFFER: We need to get control of government spending, entitlement
programs, and government spending and I think that's what he is going to do
in his next six years.
MACCALLUM: All right. And so, Art, thank you very much.
(CROSSTALK)
LAFFER: Thank you, Martha. It's great. I love your show by the way.
MACCALLUM: Thank you.
LAFFER: I really do.
MACCALLUM: You can come back anytime.
LAFFER: Any time you want me I'm here.
MACCALLUM: It's always good to see you.
LAFFER: Greta to see you.
MACCALLUM: It's going to be very interesting to watch with this economy
go. It's definitely not the top of my topic, but as you say, people feel it
in what they're doing every day.
(CROSSTALK)
LAFFER: Only four days left.
MACCALLUM: And we'll see what happens when they walk into this voting
booth.
LAFFER: Yes.
MACCALLUM: Art, thank you very much. Art Laffer joining us tonight.
LAFFER: Thanks, Martha.
MACCALLUM: So, coming up this evening, what an interesting story Missouri
is. Watching this race, Claire McCaskill going after a fellow Democrat for
what she said about President Trump, and she is not alone as Democrats
fight to win in red states. They have some very surprising messages out
there.
Former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile is here with a message for them tonight
on the Story, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACCALLUM: Some red state Democrats, if you listen closely, sound a bit
like Trump supporters in this election. Among them, at risk Indiana Senator
Joe Donnelly with this morning on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The radical left wants to illuminate ICE.
SEN. JOE DONNELLY, (D) INDIANA: I support ICE, funding Trump's border
wall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: There you go. So West Virginia's Joe Manchin split with his
party voting yes for Brett Kavanaugh, while Montana's Jon Tester tells the
Hill that Democrats botched the debate on the new Supreme Court justice.
Chris Stirewalt, Fox News politics editor joins us. What are you doing in
New York, I came all the way to Washington to see you.
CHRIS STIREWALT, FOX NEWS DIGITAL POLITICS EDITOR: I must owe you money,
I'm hiding out. I knew you are coming to town so I'm laying low up here.
MACCALLUM: Good move, my man. Good move. All right. So, you know, I mean,
obviously they are running in red states but, you know, there's all this
sort of idea that there are so many progressive candidates out there, but
that is certainly not what these folks think is going to win the day for
them, Chris.
STIREWALT: Well, look, I should start out and say, I think that these
people are sincere, right. I think they are not saying things that they
don't mean. But I do think this. Democrats by and large took the wrong
lessons from Barack Obama's election and it was that they don't need white
working-class voters anymore, right?
When in fact, Barack Obama did really well with white, working-class
voters. There were millions of Americans who voted both for Barack Obama
and Donald Trump. There is a culturally conservative fiscally liberal
streak that runs through a huge chunk of this electorate in states like
these.
This is the old new deal, Democratic coalition, and these were their
grandchildren. And there are -- non-issues like immigration and others they
are not liberal. They are actually quite conservative, and Democrats are
coming around to having seen the electoral college consequences in 2016,
and now looking at the Senate map in 2018. Some Democrats are understanding
that they need these culturally conservative voters and they can't do it
without them.
MACCALLUM: Yes. I mean, it so interesting because the message, you know,
certainly in the presidential candidates that seem to be lining up for
2020, it's completely the opposite of that. So, you know, when we
obviously, when we see the results on Tuesday night, it's going to send a
very big message out one way or the other to those future candidates. Won't
it, Chris?
STIREWALT: Well, it should, but it won't. It should if there were smart
they would pay attention to what got results and how to win. Democrats have
to have back the upper Midwest. They have to have that back if they want to
be competitive, they've got to rebuild the blue wall and they can't just
leave these voters follow.
Now they are expecting a good night on Tuesday but it isn't whether they
win or not, it's the lesson that they take from the victories that they do
obtain and if they say, we are fine, we don't need to change anything, they
are not paying attention.
MACCALLUM: All right. I want to take a look at the Arizona race and an
interesting back and forth. This is obviously this is a very tight race,
Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally. Listen to this exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYRSTEN SINEMA, D, ARIZONA SENATE CANDIDATE: You know in Arizona it's not new to have
military deployment to the border to provide a support role for our customs
and border agents who are down there. So, we wish them well and tell them
to stay hydrated.
REP. MARTHA MCSALLY, R—ARIZONA: Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. Wow.
Well, my message to them is, thank you for service and your sacrifice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: I mean, this is in many ways sort of the essence of the
difference between these two candidates, Chris?
STIREWALT: Well, yes, but. And I think the but here is, Kyrsten Sinema is
an effective campaigner.
MACCALLUM: Yes.
STIREWALT: And she has demonstrated that she has turned around
substantially on these issues. But this is somebody who was an anti-war
protester during the Iraq war, she was very left, left, left. But as she
has represented a swing suburban district outside of Phoenix, what she's
figured out is that doesn't play in Arizona. That's not what winds up with
Arizona voters so she has recalibrated.
And here is, she's doing the same smart thing that Claire McCaskill did in
Missouri which is, you don't -- if Trump is trolling you on sending up a
jillion troop to the border, you don't have to take the bait. You're not
oblige to oppose him. You can say, yes, cool border security is good, it's
fine, and take the issue away from Republicans and that's what smart
Democrats do, they don't squeal.
MACCALLUM: And remind them to bring their water when they go to the
border.
STIREWALT: And -- it's very dry out there. It's you who were just there,
it's very dry.
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: Yes, it's very dry out there. Chris, thank you so much, we'll
be spending a lot of time together over the next few days. I look forward
to it.
STIREWALT: See you soon.
MACCALLUM: So why is Nancy Pelosi taking heat from Michael Moore for
saying her party is going to win it, and that she will be back? Former
Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile joins me next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: A Democrat--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MOORE: -- who just automatically announced, we are going to win. And it's
like, my God, that's what happened in 2016.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D—CALIF., HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Up until today, I
would have said if the election were held today, we would win.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened today that change that?
PELOSI: Now what I'm saying is, we will win.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: Nancy Pelosi saying she will win it, her bold assertion about
winning back the house not sitting well with outspoken activist filmmaker
Michael Moore who is worried that she is getting ahead of herself. Watch
this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOORE: A Democrat--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MOORE: -- who just automatically announced, we are going to win. And it's
like, my God, that's what happened in 2016. Everybody was throwing the
party for Hillary before the election.
Don't think for a second that come Tuesday, they don't have every intention
of holding onto the House and of the Senate. That is -- and they are good
at what they do and you should respect the fact that they are able to get
away with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: He saying, you got to fight until the very bitter end. Joining
me now, Donna Brazile, former DNC chairs and co-author for the new book,
"For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics." Donna, good to have you
with us.
DONNA BRAZILE, FORMER CHAIR, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: It's great to
see you. Welcome to Washington, D.C.
MACCALLUM: Thank you, it's great to be here tonight.
BRAZILE: Thank you.
MACCALLUM: So which camp are you in? Are you the optimist like Nancy
Pelosi or the it's not over till it's over Michael Moore?
BRAZILE: I'm in both camps. Look, I come from the school that you have to
work until the polls are closed across the country. I also believed that
Nancy Pelosi has a real good gut instinct about what's happening out there,
good quality candidates. She's been crisscrossing the country raising money
but at the same time, Michael Moore is so right.
You have to keep knocking on doors. We know that during midterm elections,
Democrats tend not to turn out. We are more infrequent voters. Republicans
treat every election like the World Series, Democrats like the World Cup.
MACCALLUM: Well, you know, we heard the opposite for so long in this
campaign, that Democrats were super fired up and that they were trying to
get Republicans more fired up.
But I want to play this interesting sound bite from Claire McCaskill who is
obviously in a neck and neck race--
BRAZILE: Yes, sure.
MACCALLUM: -- with Josh Hawley in Missouri right now. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL, D—MO.: The crazy Democrats are people who
walk in restaurants and scream in elected officials faces. The crazy
Democrats are -- we have a state senator here in Missouri that actually
advocated for the assassination of President Trump. That's a crazy
Democrat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: What do you think about that, Donna?
BRAZILE: Well, there's a lot of people out there today that I would label
as, let's just say, not civil. But the truth is, we have to tone it down.
It's important that Democrats, Republicans and independents, that we find a
way to tone down the rhetoric, it is hot out there. It is, as we call it in
Louisiana, it's a nasty hot.
But at the same time people are very passionate. They are passionate about
healthcare, they are passionate about immigration. We need to allow people
to speak their minds without confronting them. Look, I have Republican
friends, I have Democratic friends and friends who are independents. And
yet, you know what I want to do at the end of the day? I want to have a
good glass of wine, I want to watch football and drink beer.
MACCALLUM: You know, that's the old way of Washington. It certainly
doesn't feel like that anymore.
BRAZILE: Yes. And by the way, are you wearing crimson red? Because you
know I'm LSU. Are you not trying to send a signal here? Because go Tigers,
go Tigers. And you see, we could talk about football without getting into a
fight. I'm trying to put on my best shade of purple.
MACCALLUM: There you go.
BRAZILE: Yes.
MACCALLUM: So, you know, speaking of how nasty it gets, as you said.
BRAZILE: Yes.
MACCALLUM: This is Maria Chappelle-Nadal who is a state senator. I mean,
she went after Claire McCaskill. Look at this tweet that she put out there.
"Claire McCaskill is desperate. She is a piece of S. You know what, instead
of knowing what people of color are angered by this administration, she
chooses to put us and our families in harm's way. If my family is harmed,
blame it on Claire McCaskill. She deserves to lose. She is not a Democrat."
Your thoughts?
BRAZILE: I don't know who this person is. I know who Claire McCaskill is.
MACCALLUM: She is the state senator that Claire McCaskill is referring who
called for the Assassination of President Trump--
(CROSSTALK)
BRAZILE: Well, come on.
MACCALLUM: -- which by the way she said was a mistake.
BRAZILE: Look, Michelle Obama was attacked. Barack Obama was attacked. The
first lady has been attacked, Mrs. Trump, the president, OK? Cut it out,
it's not what we do. These are people that we have elected to lead us,
people that are serving as spouses. It is important that every--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: Well, I mean, Hillary Clinton called for a no stability until
after the election. Eric Holder said kick them in the knees. So you're
against all that?
BRAZILE: I am against what the president of the United States says every
day when he tweets. I'm against any elected officials using their job that
we hired them to do to--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: But you are saying I want to be friends with everybody. So, are
you also against Hillary Clinton calling for a no civility and Eric Holder
saying kick them in the knees?
BRAZILE: You know, I don't want to sit here and name calling, what are we
trying to prove by calling out Hillary and Eric? President Donald Trump--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: I'm just saying be fair on all sides when somebody is out of
line we have to call on all sides.
BRAZILE: I have -- I have been fair. But you know what, my job is, my job
is a citizen because I'm no longer chair of the party, is to I go out there
and to build hope. It's to inspire the next generation to vote. I'm worried
that we have a lot of millennials who have not yet decided to vote. This is
-- this election impacts their future, that's what I'm worried about.
MACCALLUM: Oprah was certainly doing a good job getting out in Georgia.
(CROSSTALK)
BRAZILE: I love what she did yesterday, you know.
MACCALLUM: But you know, I want to bring this up. Because the economy is
doing so well.
BRAZILE: Yes. Yes.
MACCALLUM: And Jared Bernstein who was Joe Biden's former economic advisor
tweeting today, "Pretty much everything you could want in a monthly jobs
report. Payroll gains way up better than expected, nice pop in labor force
participation, wage growth continues, finally beating inflation."
BRAZILE: Yes.
MACCALLUM: You know, so he's very positive on the economy.
BRAZILE: Right.
MACCALLUM: So, you know, when you look at that, is that a difficult
argument for Democrats to make in terms of, you know, rolling back some of
these tax cuts, rolling back some of the regulatory changes that have
helped to create this economy?
BRAZILE: The Democrats what they've been saying and I've looked at a lot
of the ads. They want an economy that works for everyone. Whether you are
making $100,000 per year, are your--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: This is what everybody is unemployment numbers are the lowest
they've been in decades.
BRAZILE: -- are you getting paid. But you know, when Barack Obama was
president Republicans had a hard time saying good news. I'd like to good
news, good news. I wouldn't care if it's good news that come from a
Democrat or Republican or independent. Good news. We want people to have
jobs.
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: So you think President Trump has done a good job with the
economy?
BRAZILE: President Trump is not out there campaigning on the economy. He's
campaigning as if people who are (Inaudible).
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: No, but that's not my question. My question is, do you think
the president has done a good job with the economy so far.
BRAZILE: I think that the overall the structure of our economy is good.
And while the White House is claiming credit just like Barack Obama claim
credit for turning the economy around. Give credit where credit is due. We
should not undermine people confidence in their country or the economy
simply because they have a R or D behind their name. That's where I come
down on all of this.
MACCALLUM: Donna Brazile, thank you very much.
(CROSSTALK)
BRAZILE: I want everybody to have jobs. I want to keep my job by the way.
MACCALLUM: Good to see you tonight. The book is "For Colored Girls Who
Have Considered Politics."
BRAZILE: Thank you, Martha.
MACCALLUM: Thanks for being here, Donna. Come back.
BRAZILE: I will.
MACCALLUM: Great having you here.
BRAZILE: Thank you.
MACCALLUM: So, it has been a while of high-profile celebrity endorsements
for candidate across the country but does the average American care about
celebrities and whether or not they will influence their vote? And it's
Friday, it means it's time for our ladies' night panel here to weigh in,
that's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This midterm election, exercising your right to vote is
as important as ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very close to election day, I just want to make
sure that everyone knows how important it is for you to get out and vote
early.
OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: Vote, vote!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to do that. November 6th, please vote.
WINFREY: Vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: So those are just some of the celebrities that are pushing
voters to get involved in this election, some of them even going door-to-
door to spread their message, but can Americans really be persuaded by the
celebrities showing up at your door? It's a question even comedy central
had a little bit of fun with.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How will I know that I should vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If celebrities don't tell me to?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does Emily Stone think I should vote?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about John Krasinski?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you seen a quiet place?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, but that isn't what this is about right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about celebrities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Telling regular Americans that they have to vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many millennial Americans like us don't know what we
should do until celebrities tell us what to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: Here now ladies' night. Jenny Beth Martin, Bre Payton, and
Marie Harf. Ladies, so has there ever been a celebrity, anybody like that
who sort of made you inspired to vote for someone?
JENNY BETH MARTIN, CO-FOUNDER, TEA PARTY PATRIOTS CITIZENS FUND: Not for
me personally to vote for someone but I can imagine it might make an
average voter, I would say not exactly average, because I live, breathe,
and sleep politics.
MACCALLUM: What do you think, Bre?
BRE PAYTON, STAFF WRITER, THE FEDERALIST: Yes. I'm going to say no. I want
to say a hard pass. I think this is condescending and I think that we have
proof of this. Taylor Swift came out and endorsed a Democratic candidate
for Senate in Tennessee and it hasn't moved the needle at all. His
Republican opponent is up by something about seven points according to Real
Clear Politics average. Blackburn is leading that race over there.
So, I think, you know, and this is supposed to like, melts everything, this
is supposed to be a game-changer there and it wasn't.
MACCALLUM: Yes.
PAYTON: So, I think it doesn't--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: You know, they are just sending -- first of all, if Will
Ferrell showed up at my door I would just laugh hysterically. And I would -
- if he gives me that serious message about voting, I'm just thinking that
like, somewhere in there he's kidding actually, because I think he's
hilarious.
PAYTON: Yes.
MACCALLUM: All politics aside.
PAYTON: Yes.
MACCALLUM: But Marie, you know, Oprah Winfrey was very powerful the other
day.
MARIE HARF, FOX NEWS RADIO CO-HOST: Yes.
MACCALLUM: I mean, I could definitely see her having an impact on that
race.
HARF: And we saw in actually 2008 Oprah endorsing Barack Obama and then
campaigning during the primaries, particularly in South Carolina, actually
it appears to have made a big difference in that primary. People love
Oprah. And she doesn't get out there and talk about the Democratic Party,
she talks about the candidate and certain principles, so I actually think
that Oprah in a race that is as close as it's going to be in Georgia might
make a difference.
And look, in Tennessee, I think it's still an open question. Tens of
thousands of new voters registered in the 48 hours after Taylor Swift--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: Yes. But it was the last day -- I mean, it was the last day you
could register right before she said it.
HARF: That was -- sure, but we will see if -- she seems to have inspired--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: So we will see.
HARF: -- a number of people to register. I think that a lot of these
races, Martha, are going to be so close that even if celebrities only move
the needle a little bit, a little but could actually matter.
MACCALLUM: Yes, absolutely. I think there are going to be a lot of very
tight races. I think we're going to see contested races.
HARF: Yes.
MACCALLUM: I think a lot of races aren't going to be done on Tuesday
night.
HARF: I agree.
MACCALLUM: Speaking of celebrities, Alec Baldwin got in trouble again in
New York City. Now I'm sort of sympathetic because of someone steals your
parking spot in New York City, it's like, you can't do that! The president
came out today, there he is. He always looks like he wants to punch
somebody, right? Pretty much always has that look on his face, but
apparently, he punched a guy over a parking spot. The president was asked
about it today and here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Who was arrested?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alec Baldwin. He punched someone out during a parking
dispute.
TRUMP: I wish him luck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: And Alec Baldwin had this to say when asked to comment on what
happened. He said, "My comment is that my show aired Sunday at 10 p.m."
MARTIN: You now, it would be, seem to be a little bit sympathetic, he's
got four kids under the age of five, and there's a parking space in New
York. If he didn't have a history of this, but he has a history of punching
people, photographers flight attendants.
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: This could get ugly for him. He could be facing as much as a
year in jail apparently, Bre.
PAYTON: Yes, I mean. Sadly, this is kind of a cycle for him. Whenever he
catches a break, that he does something like this. I think the timing is
also kind of interesting. You hear just as the show that launched, then
he's out here doing this. I mean, I'm just saying, I think it's
interesting.
MACCALLUM: You think, he's like I think I'm going to punch someone today
because it will be good publicity?
PAYTON: No, not on punching. I just think that this tends to happen
whenever he catches a big break. I don't know if it's a self-destructive
tendency that he tends to have--
(CROSSTALK)
MACCALLUM: it could be.
PAYTON: -- words like, I'm doing well, got to mess it up. I don't know.
HARF: I'm going to say, I am a hugely competitive parker in Washington,
D.C., which isn't as bad as New York, but I have never punched someone. But
like you, Martha, I can sympathize with people getting very upset about a
parking spot. It is awful.
MACCALLUM: Yes. I have to cut to a tiny bit of road rage at times.
(CROSSTALK)
HARF: Me, too. I'm with you.
MACCALLUM: I can't help it. Somebody steals my parking spot, no, no!
(CROSSTALK)
HARF: I'm with you.
MACCALLUM: But time to punch anybody so far. Thanks, ladies. Great to see
you all tonight. That is our Story on this Friday night. We'll see you
again here on Monday which is election eve. Have a great weekend,
everybody. Tucker Carlson coming up live next from D.C.
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