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Establishment, one little word causing a lot of drama; Big, big snowstorm on the way there in Washington, D.C.; 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 22, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] ALICE STEWART, SENIOR ADVISER TO TEN. TED CRUZ: Two Corinthians, for example. I mean, when you first come to church, you certainly are going to make mistake when it comes to quoting by those scripture. And Donald Trump has proven over and over again he is a campaign conservative. He is a campaign social conservative. And that's not going to work. Ted Cruz has talked the talk and walked the walk when it comes to being a conservative as well as the social conservative. And the people across Iowa and faith leaders are standing behind him because they understand it is coming from a true core of Christian values and convictions as opposed to someone who just decided that they wanted to all of a sudden become a social conservative as well as a conservative just to run for president.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Alice Stewart, senior adviser to Ted Cruz, see you in Iowa.

Alice, thank you.

STEWART: Thank you, Brooke, appreciate it.

BALDWIN: Meantime, one little word causing a lot of drama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running for president because I think it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have been running against the establishment ever since I got involved in politics.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Perhaps, one of the reasons that the Washington, the establishment is rushing so quickly behind Donald Trump.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: His new line of attack is that I have become establishment. Give me a break.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I fought here in Washington, D.C. and broke up, you know, the establishment here in this town.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's the establishment. There's the anti-establishment. And then there's the Kasich lane. WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM: Are you the

establishment?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don't understand what that means.

TRUMP: We have received so many phone calls from people that you would call establishment.

PAUL: I would be one of the biggest opponents of the establishment that you probably have up here.

CRUZ: We're seeing the Washington establishment abandoning Marco Rubio.

TRUMP: He is trying to paint me as part of the establishment and somebody said, establish. Well, how come Sarah Palin just backed him? And you know what disappointed which let's get to be a little establishment. We have to get things done, folks. OK?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Got to love a good mash up.

CNN political commentator Michael Smerconish is with me.

Establishment, establish. Establishment. I mean, is that a dirty word or is that (INAUDIBLE)?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: My God. It has become a dirty word in the cycle, yes. And nobody wants to be known as being inly establishment. You want to be against the establishment.

BALDWIN: The one against the grain.

SMERCONISH: You know, what's interesting to me, I think, is that it's become now a matter of who is worse. Who is worse for the GOP brand and who is worse for the future of the Republican Party in the last 24 hours that's what we have seen. Those conservatives who gathered under the umbrella of national review, were not there to say this is our man, that our woman, but rather it can't be him, and him is Donald Trump. And then you get I'm going to use the word, the establishment types who say, well, it can't be Ted Cruz. Bob Dole said he would be cataclysmic for the future of the party.

BALDWIN: But is that part of the problem? I was talking to Michael Medvett (ph) who was saying earlier to me I said, well, why don't you all instead put a picture of somebody on the front of the magazine who would be somebody that the establishment conservatives could sort of all rally behind. And he didn't have an answer for that. You know, instead of saying no to Trump, and by the way, he said he would take Trump over Cruz, which I found interesting, there is no one other guy yet.

SMERCONISH: I'll give you a different answer that he did.

BALDWIN: What?

SMERCONISH: Which is that I think it suits the individuals who were part in parcel to that issue to be against something rather than to be for it. They make their livings based on stirring the pot. This, in the big picture, represents an abdication of the leadership of the Republican Party to, as I put it, men with microphone microphones. I just think that there has been a vacuum created and individuals who talk and try and attract eyeballs and clicks and self-worth for a living, it's not about governing. It's not really about governing. It is about getting them a bigger platform and staying in a position of influence.

BALDWIN: With all this fighting, though, and we keep referring to it as the sort of civil war within the Republican Party, though. When you look on the flipside of the Democrats had the Republicans known that you would have, you know, Hillary Clinton, who is embroiled in this whole FBI investigation who could potentially lose the first two states to a socialist, had they known that wouldn't they have eaten that up and now instead it's like, you know, one after another after another.

SMERCONISH: No. I don't - well, first of all, I don't want to understate it. The Democrats, I think, because of what's what happened with her are in a state a disarray. It's rather shocking as to where she finds herself as Iowa folks are about to go and to caucus. But no, I don't think it would have changed any of this.

The part that surprises me is that on the Republican side, practicality doesn't seem to set in. It's not about winning. I would think that by this stage they would be saying we're mad and not going to take it. But which one could beat her or beat Bernie Sanders. And that hasn't yet kicked in. And they might give away a golden opportunity because her negatives are so high.

BALDWIN: Michael Smerconish, thank you very much.

SMERCONISH: OK.

BALDWIN: Watch Michael Smerconish tomorrow morning 9:00 eastern here on CNN.

Thank you, sir.

Coming up next, back to this massive storm here. The store shelves wiped out. Washington, D.C. essentially shut down right now as a potential historic storm is rolling in. We'll take you there live as our breaking news coverage continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:39:21] BALDWIN: Big, big snowstorm on the way there in Washington, D.C. Live pictures. I mean, rarely do you see this, right, all quiet in Washington. They wanted folks off the streets by 3:00 eastern. And so, far, at least from this picture it looks like to be so.

We do have Brian Todd this a car in Arlington, Virginia just over the key bridge there.

Brian Todd, I see you. How are conditions looking on the streets?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, they are getting worse as we speak. We are heading into the crucial period of the snowstorm now. The snow has been coming down in earnest in the northern Virginia area for a little over four hours now and conditions are getting worse.

We are on Arlington, Virginia, on Columbia pike. We are going to take you up to a snowplow and salt truck depot appear to our right. We have three camera capabilities in this vehicle. We are going to be roving around here all night finding some of the problem areas where some of the vehicles may be getting stuck and some whiteout conditions may occur. And we are expecting whiteout conditions within a matter of hours.

The crucial snowfall is going to come in the next few hours. The heaviest stuff is going to come down according to the national weather service between midnight and about 9:00 a.m. eastern time.

Showing you the capability now of our vehicle, you have the camera on me here in the passenger's seat. Then we have a dash camera where you can see out the front. And you can already see from this dash camera, Brooke, that we're approaching whiteout conditions already because they told us earlier that the visibility is going to be maybe a quarter mile at its best. That's what the national weather service told me a couple hours ago. And where it really isn't too much better than that right now. It is about a quarter mile, but it's getting worse as you can see at the dash cams.

Now I'm going to get out of the vehicle, go to the front here, and you can see some of our capabilities. I can talk to the dash camera as I move out here. And you can see me out here.

This is one of the salt truck and snow truck depots here in Arlington, Virginia. This is at a really crucial spot because it's right by 395 that runs north/south into Washington, D.C. That's a crucial artery. And despite the fact that people have been warned to stay off the roads, there are still a lot of cars on the road.

Now, you see me here on portable camera. We have had trucks coming in and out of this depot all day. I just spoke to a truck driver, a snow truck driver, who is also spreading salt and he said he's been out here for seven hours already. They are prepping the roads, they are plowing where they can, but they are going to have a tough time today, Brooke, keeping up with this volume. They are going to be coming in and out of here all night long. You have some of these guys staging out over here. A big salt depot just around this corner. And a major highway, this is why this is such a crucial spot for them to deploy from. That's 395 south and we're going to be heading down there in just a bit.

But the roads are getting worse. They have, of course, been warning people to stay off the roads. And here's another warning that I got from the national weather service. Even when the snow starts to end tonight, if you're in this area and you see it maybe tapering off, don't get complacent. Hunker down because it doesn't mean it's over. It is not over. This is going to ebb and flow all night long, Brooke.

[15:42:29] BALDWIN: Two feet, that's what they are calling for.

Please, stay safe. Drive safely. Brian Todd and Crew, thank you so much. We will check in with you through the evening hours.

Let's also stay in Washington and go to Jake Tapper, who is just outside of our D.C. bureau.

And in it terms of politics, let me ask you this. We know that, you know, yesterday Chris Christie, who arguably, you know, made his name by responding to super storm Sandy. He was campaigning in New Hampshire when he made the decision to stay put. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The lieutenant governor is there. And she is handling things on the ground there. And if I needed to go back, I would. But at this point, it's too speculative to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: He changed his mind. He tweeted, I'm sorry, New Hampshire, but I have to go home. We have snow coming, #Jonas. Your response to that?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a criticism that's been going his way and it is the problem for any sitting governor or sitting senator is that you miss things going on in your day job. And it is interesting because, of course, some of the senators have been criticized by some of the governors for missing votes. And here you have Governor Christie going through this.

He went through this before about five years ago. He was vacationing with his family at Disney World in Florida when a blizzard hit the garden state. But ultimately, I think the governor realized that the political consequences were stronger for him to stay in New Hampshire than to go back. And his argument that he's the governor, he can be governor wherever doesn't provide reassurance to the citizens of New Jersey. So that's why in one of the tweets he wrote he is there to reassure the people of New Jersey, not so much that there's anything he can do in New Jersey that he can't do from New Hampshire.

BALDWIN: All right. Jake Tapper, we'll see you at the top of the hour. Stay warm. Got a lot to talk about from top of the hour there in Washington, D.C.

Thank you, my friend. And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:48:31] BALDWIN: Breaking news from the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences. The board of governors has unanimously committed to make its membership more diverse by year 2020. The change will include doubling the number of women and minorities as well as restructuring the voting rights of lifetime members. The academy's changes come amid-backlash over the lack of Oscar nominations for minorities.

And now to this. All this week, we have been sharing stories about people who have changed the lives of, you know, us anchors here at CNN. And right now I want to share the story of my colleague and friend, Poppy Harlow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were central to his being (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At trial he used to call home and read to you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He adored you. He just adored you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: I'm going to the childhood home where I grew up with my mom and dad in Minneapolis. When I got this assignment, he just immediately came to my mind. Of course, my dad, of course who change me.

When I tell people my dad died at 49, they say I'm so sorry you were so young. I say to them I had more of a dad in 15 years than a lot of kids ever get.

MARY HARLOW, POPPY'S MOTHER: He managed to pack 100 years of living into 50 years. He was just a wild man. He had lots of energy.

P. HARLOW: What in him do you see in me?

[15:50:00] M. HARLOW: You were both dedicated workers. You were just, you know, ever since you were a little girl you were a hard driving little charger. It was a challenge to pry -- it is a challenge still to pry you away from your work. And it was a challenge to pry dad away from his work too.

P. HARLOW: My dad was a trial lawyer. And he loved it. The work was all consuming, but he prioritized us, family. Managed to hold on to the most important things in life. Every morning he would wake up 4:30, 5:00 a.m., drive me to skating practice, and then he would go to work, you know. It didn't matter what he had going on, how tired he was, he was always there for me.

M. HARLOW: This is the picture of your third birthday party.

P. HARLOW: He's still in his suit.

M. HARLOW: And he's still in his suit.

P. HARLOW: Like he just ran in the house.

M. HARLOW: That's right. He ran across three airports and he kept saying to these people who were with him I have got to make it home for Poppy's birthday. I have got to make it home for her birthday.

P. HARLOW: He took me to the office a lot, right? M. HARLOW: He did. And that's a picture you made one Saturday

morning at the office. He saw every piano recital you did, every skating show. And he was a wonderful father. He was really your model. I mean, you are your father's daughter without a doubt.

P. HARLOW: This is Columbia where I went to college. It's where my dad went to school. And I wanted to follow in his footsteps and be like him. I even found my college application essay that I wrote about him.

I learned what mobility really means from watching my father struggle so hard to live, never complaining, never lashing out in his pain and always thanking everyone for their help. In the end my father taught me the answer to a question I had never posed, how to die. My father died with dignity and love knowing that he had left nothing undone.

TOM HATCH, JIM HARLOW'S FORMER LAW PARTNER: Welcome back to St. Paul.

P. HARLOW: Thanks. You guys all look the same.

HATCH: Of course we do.

P. HARLOW: My dad's partners at the law firm were like a second family to us, especially after he died.

HATCH: You say about everybody, well, there's no one like him. I mean, you can't even get anything close to Jim, seriously.

MIKE CIRESI, JIM HARLOW'S FORMER LAW PARTNER: In those days you just sort of put your head down and follow forward. But Jim was different. He actually made the time to make sure that he was there for you.

JAN CONION, JIM HARLOW'S FORMER LAW PARTNER: He knew when he was spending time with you to devote 100 percent to it. And he knew when he was working to devote 100 percent to it. Even though he was, you know, well respected partner, high up in the organization, nothing was beneath Jim. We were trying a case once and Jim walked in to the work room it was about 2:00 in the morning. He just picked up a stack of papers and started copying. And the paralegal had to say, you know, go back to bed, Jim. You need to be on your feet in the morning. But that's what he would do. I mean, nothing was above him. And nothing was below him.

P. HARLOW: Hey, you --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, you, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your interviews are really a reflection of your dad, I think. I mean, I see some of the same things, you know, the persistence, the nuance. You catch things that other people wouldn't catch. Watching you today, I mean, he would have been -- it would have been incessant. He would have been in the office, did you see poppy last night?

CONION: We would have had a CNN TV channel on in every room in the office. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

CONION: You know, he would want you to enjoy life as much as he did. He would want you to find joy in everything every day. He lived 49 years, but my goodness he had more fun than probably 100 people in a hundred lifetimes.

SALLY SPECTOR, MENTORED BY JIM HARLOW: This is where I worked with your dad. I first started working with him before I even went to law school right after I graduated from college. I wanted to tell you what your dad has done for me and the gift he gave me. I think there are some people that come into your life and help you learn how to be a human being, a better human being. And I really think your dad was one of those people for me.

P. HARLOW: Do you see any of him in me?

SPECTOR: So much. You know, your dad is extraordinary listening comes through in you. Your dad let his heart be a part of his passion. And I think you do that too.

M. HARLOW: Hi everyone. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.

Every day I want to make him proud because he did so much for me. His death spurred me to want to do better. His death made me want to achieve. I remember going into my freshman year of high school nine days after he died. And the school said, well, you don't need to come. You can take some time off. But I just wanted to dive in.

FRANK SACHS, COLLEGE COUNSELOR, BLAKE HIGH SCHOOL: Does it feel smaller?

P. HARLOW: It doesn't feel smaller. I feel a little bit older.

Frank Sachs was my high school college counselor.

SACHS: I have a copy of my recommendation that I wrote for you when you applied to college. I said you had real inner strength, self- discipline. That you had overcome tragedy because, you know, your dad had just died. That's actually when we connected. Can I give you a hug?

[15:55:01] P. HARLOW: I'll never forget the day that I found out I got into Columbia. I jumped around my house. And I was so thrilled.

M. HARLOW: Almost identical. You are simply passing and Dad's 1965. You made your dad proud.

P. HARLOW: I wanted to be a lawyer just like my dad. I was so set on being like him that I forgot for a while to be my version of him.

M. HARLOW: Girls who lose a father young tend to do extremely well, tend to be very ambitious because they are trying to offer this as a gift to their father who's gone. And you definitely did that. And you're still working hard, just like he did. P. HARLOW: What would he tell me at 33 years old?

M. HARLOW: Relax and enjoy life. A little more. Life is short and precious.

P. HARLOW: To live in the moment. That may be the core lesson my dad has left behind for me. And it is still one I'm trying to learn.

I still live a lot for what I need to accomplish. It's a good reminder to me just to maybe focus me again on what matters. Because he was only 16 years older than I am now when he died.

M. HARLOW: Quite a legacy, big guy. Quite a legacy. We're so happy that he lives on in you.

P. HARLOW: A total original, witty, honest and kind. My dad was my cornerstone and the person who changed my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Poppy.

P. HARLOW: He was great.

BALDWIN: I mean, I've watched so many of these and yours got me. You know, like I mean, you're such a friend. And just like seeing --

P. HARLOW: And I found out that I am pregnant two weeks after I shot that. And it was such a wonderful sort of full circle. And I had this amazing producer who put all those interviews on a hard drive for me and said one day you can show this to your child she can learn about her grandpa. No one knew I was pregnant then. And it is -- I hope I can be half the parent that he was. And he was --

BALDWIN: You are. You are. Just knowing your soul and as a human being.

P. HARLOW: He was remarkable.

BALDWIN: Thank you for sharing that. To see that and -- I knew you would talk about your father, but I had no idea. So there. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing that.

P. HARLOW: He was super. Thank you.

BALDWIN: And make sure you tune in Sunday for this incredible special that's been compiled by the phenomenal people here at CNN. It's the person who changed my life from so many of us here at CNN. It is Sunday night 8:00 eastern only on CNN. And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)