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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Rand Paul Launches Presidential Bid. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired April 07, 2015 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00] KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Prayers are with this family as they continue to recover. Elizabeth, thank you so much.

And thank you all for joining us AT THIS HOUR. "LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Another freshman senator wants to be president. Rand Paul just about to say the magic words at any point now. And you're going to hear him live from that podium in Louisville, Kentucky.

And it is a very big day right now for two trials, both in Massachusetts. Deliberations currently underway in the Boston bombing case. Can a verdict be far away? And after 131 prosecution witnesses and just three for the defense, closing arguments are underway in the Aaron Hernandez murder case.

Hello, everyone. I'm Ashleigh Banfield. And welcome to LEGAL VIEW.

We have a CNN "Key Race Alert" for you. Senator Rand Paul is officially jumping into the race for the White House. Kentucky's junior senator is expected to speak live at any moment from a Louisville hotel ballroom and you're going to see it live here on CNN. Someone who's been there since the set-up began, Dana Bash, is standing by.

So, Dana, here's the issue. Other than saying I'm running for president, what is going to be key in Senator Paul's speech today that will set him apart from everyone else in that Republican roster?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ashleigh, you're actually seeing the answer to that in the speech that's going on behind me. There's a young woman speaking, talking about the fact that as a young person she's drawn to Rand Paul because of his use of technology, because of his ideology.

Then before that we heard from a doctor, a friend of Rand Paul, who traveled with him to Guatemala where he goes and performs eye surgery. And they played a video of that. So those are just two examples of how they are trying to kind of fill out his biography in a way that people don't really necessarily realize when they hear about Rand Paul, the tea partier, or Rand Paul the anti-government Republican. So those are the kinds of things you're going to see. You're also going to see his wife, Kelley Paul, who his campaign will

tell you is his secret weapon. She will be the one to introduce him when he speaks.

One other little bit of information. His father, Ron Paul, who, of course, ran for president more than once, the last time four years ago, is here. He's sitting on this stage with his wife, Rand Paul's mother. But we are told he is not expected to have a speaking role. Very noteworthy because the minute he walked in the door, the whole room kind of erupted because he is a - really a gift to Rand Paul in that he brings a very, very large group of enthusiastic grassroots supporters. But the flipside is that he has and still does have some kind of fringe ideas that Rand Paul understands that he's going to have to distance himself from in order to reach the mainstream of the Republican electorate in order to get that Republican nomination for the White House, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Yes, Dana, that's exactly what I wanted to ask you about, that photo op of the pre-speech behind you with the young social media user suggesting what a key candidate Rand Paul is for her. Those young people aren't the key voters that you need, especially in a primary. Primary are older, hardcore, key Republican voters. And you have to be real far right to make that grade. And if Rand Paul - I mean, look, a lot of people say he's not that different of a Republican. But to Republicans, he is.

BASH: That's exactly right. And what Rand Paul is banking on is that the Republican Party is ready to move on from the traditional way they nominate Republicans, which is exactly as you described. His father had some success. Obviously he didn't go all the way. He didn't win anywhere, but he came in second in the state of New Hampshire, the live free or die state that really is drawn to the libertarian point of view that both Pauls represent. They do very well in organizing states where the caucuses are the name of the game, in Iowa, in Nevada. Those are the kinds of places where they're really going to rely on the young people.

And, again, that is what makes Rand Paul stand different from other candidates in the Republican race because he is hoping to bring new voters into the field, whether it's young people, and you're also going to see him talk about the Republicans needing to reach out to minorities. Whether that is enough to counterbalance the fact that he doesn't necessarily appeal to those traditional, hardcore conservative voters because there are so many other candidates in the field who might be more palatable to them, we'll see.

BANFIELD: All right. Well, get your overtime sheet ready to go because this is only announcement number two in what's going to be a long season in the next year and a half as well.

Dana, stand by for a minute. I want to bring in our political panel from Washington. Standing by live is chief political analyst Gloria Borger, GOP strategist Kevin Madden, and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona.

[12:05:08] And first to you, Gloria Borger, I think the big question, when anybody jumps in the race and gives the big speech and has a big party is, what are the odds, what are the real chances at this point, this early in the game?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Oh, come on, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: I'm going to ask it anyway. Go ahead.

BORGER: I would - look, I would have to say that Rand Paul is somebody who a year ago looked a lot more in tune with certain parts of the Republican Party because he was a candidate that was less muscular on foreign policy than he looks right now, with the threat of ISIS hanging over people's heads, with the question about an Iran nuclear deal, you know, Rand Paul may be out of sync with that wing of the Republican Party. However, however, this is a candidate who is running on a small government platform, who also understands that the Republican Party has to grow. As Dana Bash was just talking about, he wants to bring in minorities. He wants to bring in younger voters. He's gone out of his way to try and do that.

So the challenge for him is to keep the enthusiastic libertarian base that he's got because of his dad, bring in minorities and younger voters and let the establishment know that he is not out there on national security and foreign policy. It's very difficult, but he's a very agile politician. So we're going to have to keep an eye on him. I can't tell you what tier he's in right now. Polling wise, he might be in the top tier, but that's all about name recognition.

BANFIELD: And polling wise, Barack Obama wouldn't be president if we were considering the polling two years prior to his election.

BORGER: Exactly. Exactly. Exactly.

BANFIELD: Maria Cardona, jump in on that, if you would for me, because last week we saw - actually was it a week or two ago, the weeks go so quickly - Ted Cruz with his big Liberty University announcement.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right.

BANFIELD: Two weeks ago I'm being told. And, you know, if the Democrats at that point were saying, Ted Cruz, really, that hardcore Republican who may, you know, do well with the red meat, bring him on -

CARDONA: Right.

BANFIELD: Because against Hillary Clinton, sure-fire bet Clinton will win when you get to the general election and people are a lot more moderate. And now you've got a guy like this who is not hardcore, who is more moderate, who might just appeal to some of Hillary Clinton's voters.

CARDONA: Well, it's interesting, Ashleigh, because I actually do think that Rand Paul is going to be a very fascinating candidate. And, in fact, if you recall the 13-hour filibuster that he had on the floor, that was a very attractive moment for even many progressives and friends of mine who were like, wow, this is a guy who is really standing up for his principles, I like that. And so I think in that sense he is a, quote/unquote, different kind of Republican.

But I think to the challenge that Gloria talked about, I think when you talk about what he wants to do in terms of growing the Republican Party - and I give him tremendous kudos for going to talk to minorities. He's the only Republican who is acknowledging that that needs to be done and is actually doing it. He runs into things that he has said in the past that he's going to have to confront. So, for example, with African-Americans, he got in trouble in 2010 for talking about a part of the Civil Rights Act that he didn't agree with. He talked about how the Voting Rights Act perhaps wasn't needed anymore because we had Barack Obama as president. When he talks about wanting to focus on immigration reform, who is one of the people that he campaigned for most last year? Steve King, the most anti-immigrant congressman in the House right now. And so I think while he may say he's a different kind of Republican, he has a lot of things that he has said and a lot of policies that he has put out there that don't really mesh with the people and the demographics that he wants to go after.

BANFIELD: All right, on - on that same vein, Kevin -

KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

BANFIELD: Why don't you maybe dovetail onto what Maria was just saying about the wishy-washy factor of what some people criticize Rand Paul for being. And I'm going to go on foreign policy here. He has been very isolationist and now yet, you know, has talked about boning up on military spending.

MADDEN: Right.

BANFIELD: He's stayed fairly quiet on Iran. Kind of excited about what might happen today, if anything. But isn't this problematic for this senator?

MADDEN: Well, look, what makes Rand Paul very interesting to so many of us is that he is - he doesn't really fit into a lot of these neat little boxes that we usually fit him into. On some issues, he's very libertarian. On some issues, he's very conservative. And I think that is what makes him a very unconventional politician. And right now there are many voters who are looking for an unconventional leader in the Republican primary context.

But to your main point, Ashleigh, the main question that he's going to have right now is that the Republican Party, because of the rise of ISIS, because of national security becoming so prominent in people's - and factoring in who they want to support, the party has become much more hawkish and he has a resume of statements and a resume of positions that might be out of step with many national security conservatives. And that going to be one of his main challenges. If I'm watching for one thing in this announcement speech, it's how he begins to redefine that profile he has on foreign policy and national security from the get-go.

[12:10:26] BANFIELD: OK, well you mentioned the support and oftentimes money is what support means in the first go-around anyway. MADDEN: Yes.

BANFIELD: We're talking about upwards of $50 million. So, coming up after the break, we're going to talk a little bit about the money. How can this guy haul in the big cash that Republicans and Democrats alike need to run a presidential campaign?

In the meantime, we are waiting live at that podium. Rand Paul about to take to that mike live and announce to America, vote for me, folks, I want to be your commander in chief.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Welcome back, everybody.

This is a big day for one Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky because, well, he's already announced on his website that he's going to run for president in 2016. He's making a big splash down in Kentucky at the Galt House, the Galt House Hotel in Louisville. And right now, lots of his supporters are gathered and waiting for him to take to the microphone.

They're running a video right now, so it's not extraordinary television. But one of the things that will be extraordinary is how he bobs and weaves his way through the next phase of the candidates who choose to announce. He's only number two. Ted Cruz first. Now Rand Paul.

[12:15:08] I want to bring in all of our experts here. I've got a great panel. Dana Bash, our chief congressional correspondent is standing by. She's at the event where it is nice and dark behind her because they're watching a quite video. Gloria Borger is with us, our chief political analyst. And I've got with me as well, Maria Cardona, CNN's political commentator, a Democratic strategist as well, and Kevin Madden, a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist.

Gloria, first to you. I went to break suggesting you need a whole lot of money to get elected in this country. It is no secret. It's the ugly little non-secret of American politics. And when I talk about a whole lot of money, most of the assessments are, you need about $50 million.

BORGER: You need more.

BANFIELD: Can Rand Paul haul in that kind of money? Because those young people, while they're adorable, they don't really have deep pockets.

BORGER: Look, right now in the money game it looks like it's Jeb Bush and then everybody else is kind of an also ran, OK? So it looks like Jeb is making the big-time haul right now.

What Rand Paul does have is a built-in activist base. And the importance of that cannot be underestimated in a state that takes a lot of organizing, like those Iowa caucuses that Dana was talking about earlier, a small state like New Hampshire. So he does has a built-in activist base.

He's got to raise an awful lot of money. He may have some problems doing that with the Republican establishment. But I - you know, again, I think early on this is about grassroots organizing and he has this kind of built-in infrastructure from his father there that he doesn't want to alienate that can be very, very useful to him in early states and give him a push.

BANFIELD: OK, I want to talk about that - that momentum, the early state issue. Kevin Madden, he may be inheriting that campaign infrastructure of his father -

MADDEN: Right.

BANFIELD: But those votes are not a guarantee for sure. However, what might be different, and I think you're going to know a lot more about this, is the momentum that he might get from going to a place like New Hampshire, which, you know, the slogan is "live free or die."

MADDEN: Right.

BANFIELD: And you can't get more libertarian than that.

MADDEN: Right.

BANFIELD: While his dad could not haul in a primary state, an early primary state or a caucus state, there's some talk that he just might be able to and that that could start an upward spiral for him. Do you think that's true?

MADDEN: Well, I think that's right. I think, look, where the infrastructure matters the most will probably be Iowa, given that the caucuses are - that your grassroots folks, the people that are most inspired, are usually the ones that show up to caucus in gymnasiums, in town halls all across Iowa. So I think that's one particular state that works well for him.

One of the states that people forget on the early primary calendar is Nevada. And Nevada is a state where a lot of the GOP Republican infrastructure there was organized by the Rand Paul - I'm sorry, the Ron Paul folks back in 2008 and 2012. So I think that represents another opportunity for him for a win.

So I think if all the other candidates, while they may, you know, question whether or not there's a long-term viability to the Rand Paul campaign, many of these other campaigns do recognize that Rand Paul does have an opportunity to really catch fire early on in the calendar and so they have to take notice of that.

BANFIELD: And then there will be those who are waiting in the wings for the announcement because that's when the counter-campaign begins. So, Maria Cardona, I was reading this morning sort of this big headline suggesting, now how different is he really? Well, he's making himself out to be the anti-establishment candidate. And granted he is somewhat different. Look at this list right here. I'm just going to read it off for you. He's for tax cutting, anti-gay marriage, anti- Obamacare, pro-Israel, pro-life. That sounds like every other Republican out there. So is that what the Democrats will zero in on, he ain't that different, it's really a lot of the same?

CARDONA: Well, that is certainly going to be the focus if Rand Paul is going to be the one to break out because if you look at his policies, to what I was talking about earlier, they really aren't that different from other Republicans out there. And they're actually - they speak contrary to what the self-interest is of all of these demographics that he wants to reach out to. So his policy stances will certainly be something that he's going to have to contend with should he break out.

But I also want to mention something that I do think works in his favor in these early states. Even though the Republican Party is moving towards a more hawkish stance because of everything that's going on on the international scene, I think the fact that Rand Paul is much more of an isolationist, let's remember, there's a huge Tea Party brand out there that is anti-war, that is still very war weary and I think could really listen to a candidate who talks about how we should actually be spending our money here at home. So I think it's going to be really interesting the kind of debate that he is going to spur within the Republican Party moving forward.

[12:20:02] BANFIELD: All right, I just want to go to - to Dana Bash who's standing by sort of with the tick tock on things. How long until the good senator who now calls him doctor on his website, not Senator Rand Paul, he calls himself Dr. Rand Paul. That did not go unnoticed. How long until he's going to step up to the podium?

BASH: Well, there's a video playing right now from his wife, Kelley Paul. She's expected to speak and she's the one who's going to introduce him. So that could happen momentarily.

One other quick point I just wanted to add to what you were talking - well, actually here is Kelley Paul. Ashleigh, interrupt me if you want to listen to her, otherwise I'll keep making my point. But, briefly, it is on the money. Certainly he has his father's network, but he's also being very aggressive in reaching out to Silicon Valley executives, people who he believes are much more like-minded and much more potential - have much more potential to give him money than other Republican candidates who are more traditional.

BANFIELD: Let's -

BASH: And the other point I wanted to make -

BANFIELD: Oh, go ahead. Go ahead.

BASH: That's all right.

BANFIELD: Go ahead, Dana.

BASH: The other point I wanted to make - sure. The other quick point I wanted to make is about what Kevin was saying is about the fact that he certainly has access to all of these new voters, these Ron Paul voters, his father's voters. But the very open question is whether or not he can get them back to the polls because many of them were first- time voters, they only voted because they were really, really enthused by Ron Paul. And they might be turned off if they see Rand Paul, the son, go more mainstream. So that's why he has to walk such a delicate balance in keeping that coalition alive but also expanding it to more traditional Republican voters, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: And, you know, let me - let me get Kevin Madden to talk about that for a moment as well, because I know you want to listen in as well and not disrupt the people who are close behind you, Dana.

Kevin, you know, Dana was just talking about those young voters, that demographic that he's so popular with and yet the polls are clear, younger voters do not like anti-gay marriage stances. Is he going to move at all from that? Because he's been pretty darn strident about being against gay marriage. That does not wash well with the kids.

MADDEN: Well, you know, if he runs the campaign that his father did and he only relies on that base of support, he won't win. So he's going to have to move beyond it. And I think one of the ways he hopes to move beyond it is to build a coalition of not only those libertarian voters, but also add into that a lot of - a lot more younger voters and a lot more evangelical voters. The big challenge he's going to have is exactly that, is how does he balance an effort to sort of woo more conservative evangelicals, social conservatives while at the same time not alienating so many of these younger voters who that's not an animating, motivating issue for them? And that's going to be one of his big challenges. I think we'll see that his first attempt to try and walk that fine line in his announcement speech.

BANFIELD: OK, Gloria, help me navigate this issue. It bothers me every time we get to an election and it's almost universal, most candidates will say, I'm not from the circle. I am - I'm anti-establishment. And he epitomizes the message anti-establishment.

BORGER: Yes.

BANFIELD: I just mentioned it, he's taken "senator" off of his website. He's Dr. Rand Paul.

BORGER: Well, it's different -

BANFIELD: How do you do that though? How do you come across as a senator and say, I'm anti-establishment?

BORGER: Well, you know, first of all, Ronald Reagan always ran against Washington, even after he was president. People who run for re- election as president run against Washington, you know, even - even though there are -

BANFIELD: It's like snake oil sales. It kills me.

BORGER: Even though there are - even though they're a part of it. The thing about Rand Paul, though, is that he is different in lots of ways. I mean not too - not too long ago he offended, apparently, some Wall Street folks by talking to them, trying to raise some money, and coming in, in his blue jeans with a sport jacket, right? He's brought back the kind of mock turtleneck look, right, on Capitol Hill. He's - he's - he's unpredictable.

And "New York" magazine did kind of a funny piece on him calling him sort of the most interesting man in the world because the word everybody seems to use about him is interesting because he doesn't - he doesn't fit in any particular category. So people are - people are going to give him a close look.

The question that I have when we ask him the questions about how he's different from his father, or whether he really is of Washington - don't forget, he endorsed Mitch McConnell in Mitch McConnell's close race for re-election and now Mitch McConnell is the leader of the Republicans in the Senate. When we start asking him whether he's turned establishment, let's see what his answers are to those questions. When we start asking him what his position is on religious freedom, we still don't really know about that. And that encompasses all of the issues that you were just talking to Kevin Madden about. So there's a long way to go in this process.

[12:25:06] BANFIELD: All right, Maria, I want you to weigh in on something, and that is the Iran question because he was noticeably fairly silent on the issues of this deal with Iran and obviously we are all waiting to see how it's going to be received on Capitol Hill when it gets back here. In the meantime, speaking of those on Capitol Hill, I'm just going to do a little housekeeping of the picture that you're seeing to the right of me, and that's inside the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. More than likely, within those ranks are a lot of the Capitol Hill contingent. The congressmen and senators from Kentucky who are probably in that midst. I'm talking about Thomas Massie, Andy Barr, Brett Guthrie, Ed Whitfield, Hal Rogers, and Senator Mitch McConnell, all of whom have said in one shape or form that they are supportive of him or just might be there for this big announcement.

But how do you solve a problem like Iran? I was going to say, how do you solve a problem like Maria, but I know how you feel about him. How do you solve a problem like Iran? What's he going to do?

CARDONA: Well, I think that is -

BANFIELD: You know what, Maria, hold your thought.

CARDONA: All right.

BANFIELD: Hold your thought, because Kelley's folded up the book announcing and introducing her husband. And here comes Senator Rand Paul with the big announcement.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I have a message, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We have come to take our country back.

(APPLAUSE)

We have come to take our country back from the special interests that use Washington as their personal piggy bank, the special interests that are more concerned with their personal welfare than the general welfare.

(APPLAUSE)

The Washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped.

(APPLAUSE)

Less than five years ago I stood just down the road in home town in Bowling Green and said those same words. I wasn't supposed to win, no one thought I would.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We did.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I do.

PAUL: Some people asked me, then why are you running? The answer is the same now as it was then. I have a vision for America. I want to be part of a return to prosperity, a true economic boom that lists all Americans, a return to a government restrained by the Constitution.

(APPLAUSE)

A return to privacy, opportunity, liberty. Too often when Republicans have won we have squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine. That's not who I am.

(APPLAUSE)

That's not why I ran for office the first time just a few years ago. The truth is, I love my life as a small-town doctor. Every day I woke up, I felt lucky to be able to do the things I loved. More importantly, I was blessed to be able to do things that made a difference in people's lives.

I never could have done any of this, though, without the help of my parents who are here today. I'd like you to join me and thank my mother and dad.

(APPLAUSE)

With my parents help, I was able to make it through long years of medical training to become an eye surgeon. For me there is nothing that compares with helping someone see better. Last August I was privileged to travel to Guatemala on a medical mission trip together with a team of surgeons from across the U.S.

We operated on more than 200 people who were blind or nearly blind from cataracts. I was grateful to be able to put my scrubs back on, peer into the oculars of the microscope, and focus on the task at hand, to take a surgical approach to fix a problem.