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Obama in Spotlight at Democratic Debate; Harry Reid Weighs In; Trump Vows to Curse Less on Campaign Trail. Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired February 12, 2016 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Carol Costello, have a great weekend.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much. NEWSROOM starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, Clinton ties herself to the president.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think President Obama has set a great example. Before it was called Obamacare it was called Hillarycare.
COSTELLO: And excludes Sanders from the circle.
CLINTON: Senator Sanders said that President Obama failed the presidential leadership test.
COSTELLO: But the Vermont senator has a reminder.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Secretary Clinton, you're not in the White House yet.
COSTELLO: Also, Donald Trump, Mr. Nice Guy?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To have children screaming, we want Trump, that's very nice.
COSTELLO: A change in tone.
TRUMP: I won't use foul language. I'm just not going to do it.
COSTELLO: A shift in ad strategy. Can the frontrunner remain positive?
Plus.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're right on the front line in the Syrian government's offensive against the opposition.
COSTELLO: CNN takes you inside the battle for Aleppo, Syria.
Let's talk, live in the CNN NEWSROOM. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.
One stage, two candidates, a lot of talk about President Obama. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battle for the spotlight during the Democratic debate. But like I said, at times it seemed like there were three people on that stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I think President Obama has set a great example. I think he has addressed a lot of these issues that have been quite difficult. President Obama succeeded in doing was to build on the health care system we have. I think under President Obama, we have seen a lot of advances. I understand what President Obama inherited. So I think what President Obama did was to exemplify the importance of this issue as our first African-American president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Hillary Clinton embracing President Obama's legacy and Bernie Sanders ready to create his own, calling for a revolution while Clinton called for a reality check.
CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny has more for you.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. The debate opened the next phase of the Democratic primary fight. Hillary Clinton tried to serve as a big reality check to Bernie Sanders's aspirations.
And it was just the two of them on stage last night but the third man on the field was Barack Obama. And Hillary Clinton hugged him tighter than ever before trying to make her case that she would be his rightful heir.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDERS: Secretary Clinton, you're not in the White House yet.
ZELENY (voice-over): A civil but contentious night for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Side by side on the stage for the first time since Sanders' commanding New Hampshire victory upended the Democratic primary fight.
Again and again Clinton tried making one thing clear -- she is the rightful heir to President Obama.
CLINTON: Today Senator Sanders said that President Obama failed the presidential leadership test. And this is not the first time that he has criticized President Obama. In the past he's called him weak. He's called him a disappointment.
ZELENY: It was a message for Democratic voters of South Carolina. More than half of whom are African-American and widely adore the president.
CLINTON: The kind of criticism that we've heard from Senator Sanders about our president, I expect from Republicans. I do not expect from someone running for the Democratic nomination to succeed President Obama.
SANDERS: That is -- Madam Secretary, that is a low blow. Last I heard, a United States senator had the right to disagree with the president, including a president who's done such an extraordinary job. One of us ran against Barack Obama. I was not that candidate.
ZELENY: Sanders had the final word, but it opened a new chapter in the Democratic duel that may be just beginning. The PBS debate exposed deeper lines in their policy and political differences on healthcare, immigration and Wall Street reform.
Clinton presented herself as the keeper of the Obama legacy.
CLINTON: Before it was called Obamacare it was called Hillarycare.
ZELENY: If elected, Sanders said race relations would be better in his administration.
SANDERS: Absolutely. Because what we will do and say instead of giving tax breaks to billionaires, we are going to create millions of jobs for low-income kids so they're not hanging out on street corners.
ZELENY: Another flashpoint, money in politics. Clinton again tied herself to Obama and rejected the suggestion she would be swayed by campaign donations.
CLINTON: So let's not in any way imply here that either President Obama or myself would in any way not take on any vested interest, whether it's Wall Street or drug companies or insurance companies or, frankly, the gun lobby.
SANDERS: Let's not insult the intelligence of the American people. People aren't dumb. Why in God's name does Wall Street make huge campaign contributions? I guess just for the fun of it. They want to throw money around.
[09:05:07] ZELENY: Sanders ran strong among women in New Hampshire. Clinton was asked why.
CLINTON: I am not asking people to support me because I'm a woman. I'm asking people to support me because I think I'm the most qualified, experienced and ready person to be the president and the commander-in-chief.
ZELENY: On foreign policy, Sanders took a new approach in questioning Clinton's judgment calling out her admiration for Henry Kissinger.
SANDERS: I am proud to say that Henry Kissinger is not my friend. I will not take advice from Henry Kissinger.
CLINTON: Well, I know journalists have asked who you do listen to on foreign policy, and we have yet to know who that is.
SANDERS: Well, it ain't Henry Kissinger, that's for sure.
CLINTON: I -- that's fine. That's fine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLINTON: She called him a single-issue candidate. He said her comments on President Obama were a low blow. So, Carol, that's where this race stands as it moves forward to Nevada and South Carolina. And then, of course, those all-important contests across the country in March -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jeff Zeleny reporting, thank you.
There is a reason Hillary Clinton is fighting to be the rightful heir to President Obama. He is astoundingly popular in South Carolina among African-American voters. According to an NBC/Marist poll, Obama's approval rating among African-Americans in South Carolina is a whopping 92 percent. Clinton's favorability rating among African- Americans in South Carolina is 74 percent to Sanders' 17 percent. And John Lewis, the civil rights icon, did not help Sanders close the gap.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Well, to be very frank, I don't want to cut you off, but I never saw him. I never met him. I would chaired the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee for three years, from 1963 to 1966. I was involved in the sit-in, the Freedom Ride, the march on Washington, the march from Selma to Montgomery, and directed the Voter Education Project for six years. But I met Hillary Clinton. I met President Clinton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: All right. Let's talk about this and more. I'm joined by Jason Johnson, professor of political science and politics editor at TheRoot.com, and Erin Bilbray, a Democratic National Committee super delegate and Bernie Sanders supporter.
Welcome to both of you.
JASON JOHNSON, POLITICS EDITOR, THEROOT.COM: Good morning.
ERIN BILBRAY, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Good morning. So, Jason, before we get into the Lewis versus Sanders battle, let's talk President Obama. Mrs. Clinton is embracing him. Sanders is trying to. Why is this important and is it effective?
JOHNSON: Look, Carol, if Hillary hugs Obama any tighter I think, like, Michelle's going to get involved. Like it's gotten -- it's gotten ridiculous. I mean, she's just said everything that Obama ever did is fantastic. And the reason is because he's not just popular with African-American Democrats. He's extremely popular with Democrats in general and the Clinton campaign has made a calculated risk that even amongst independents, that connecting yourself to the positive aspects of the Obama administration is somehow going to end up playing out well for her. So she's going to keep hugging him the whole time. It's been very clear throughout most of this campaign.
COSTELLO: All right. So, Erin, you're a Sanders support. Does Mr. Obama enter into the equation for you?
BILBRAY: Well, you know, obviously, we as Democrats are very proud of our first black president but this race is about the future. This race is between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. And I thought it was a little overdone last night. I want to hear what their talking about, I want to hear more about their differences. And I frankly thought Bernie Sanders did a better job of giving us the vision of America when he is elected president.
COSTELLO: Although I will say, Jason, that Hillary Clinton challenged Bernie Sanders in a measured tone this time, not in the tone she did during the last debate, and some people said that was effective.
JOHNSON: Well, yes, she did. I mean, she pointed out the fact that, you know, Sanders has criticized President Obama, Sanders suggested that Obama, you know, should be primaried in 2012. You know, she's basically -- she's continued to sort of promote, I think, this myth that Bernie Sanders is going to tear down the Affordable Care Act and start it from the beginning, because liberals didn't get everything they want.
I don't think her attacks on Sanders as someone who's going to destroy the Obama legacy are necessarily all that effective. I think Clinton is much more effective when she points out that Bernie Sanders, there may be some weaknesses in his foreign policy, there may be some questions about his time and commitment to, say, African-American or Latino American voters. I think those are more substantive critiques. But the idea that he's going to destroy everything Obama's done if elected president, that's completely not true.
COSTELLO: OK. I want to go to the John Lewis thing, Erin, because I think it's fair. Because Bernie Sanders' camp did respond to that. His camp says he did participate in the Civil Rights Movement, even participating in the march on Washington.
This is very harsh criticism coming from John Lewis, though, Erin. Could it hurt Bernie Sanders?
BILBRAY: Well. you know, Congressman Lewis is one of the greatest living civil rights icons in America.
[09:10:04] We -- you know, there's no question what he went through and what he's done. These are amazing things. I think the real issue at hand is that we as Democrats have two candidates that are fighting to say who is going to work harder for civil rights in this country, while the Republican Party is talking about building walls. I mean, there's a huge difference between our party and the Republican Party, and I think it's a positive thing that we're fighting about who's better on civil rights. COSTELLO: So, Jason, I'll pose that question to you. You saw that
stat from the NBC/Marist poll that Clinton is leading Sanders among support -- among support from African-Americans in South Carolina by, look at that, 74 percent to 17 percent.
JOHNSON: Right.
COSTELLO: So how can Sanders overcome that?
JOHNSON: Well, he's not going to. He's not going to, and that, Carol, is why this John Lewis thing comes into play. The Sanders campaign has had to go back to the 1950s to say, well, I marched with King, et cetera, et cetera. You had tons of people marched with King. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have a connection to the concern of African-American voters today. And that's why you see, say, both campaigns running around trying to get the endorsements of, like, you know, Trayvon Martin's mother or Eric Gardner's family or things like that.
Because there's this disconnect between the Clinton campaign and the Sanders campaign with black voters, they're all chasing these sort of symbolic connections but I think they both really have to show policy- wide, what do they have to offer the black community other than just symbols and black and white photos from where they supposedly marched with somebody.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Jason Johnson, Erin Bilbray, thanks to both of you.
JOHNSON: Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: You're welcome.
As tensions heat up between Clinton and Sanders, Senate minority leader Harry Reid says he doesn't see the race cooling off anytime soon. During a one-on-one interview with CNN Reid said that could mean the possibility of a brokered convention.
I want to bring in CNN political reporter Manu Raju. He sat down with Senator Reid. What else did he have to say?
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, carol. It's really been interesting, as we've seen the party establishment really coalesce behind Hillary Clinton. One person is not and that is Harry Reid. One reason why is because the Nevada caucuses are the next race in this Democratic primary fight, and he's doing everything he can to show neutrality, in a really surprising comment yesterday he said, he said, look, this race could go for a long, long time, and all the way to the Democratic convention in July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: We have had these races go on for long, long time.
RAJU (on camera): Do you think there is a possibility we could be going into a Democratic convention without a consensus nominee?
REID: I don't know, but it could be kind of fun.
RAJU: I mean, is it possible for a brokered convention?
REID: Sure, sure. I -- seriously, some of the old conventions produced some pretty good people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Really -- the comments really reflect a surprise among party leaders that this race has gotten so close. Of course, they have thought that Nevada and South Carolina by that point, Hillary Clinton would be running away with this race, but clearly is not.
Now Harry Reid was very critical in our interview of the Hillary Clinton campaign for suggesting that the Nevada electorate is 80 percent white. He said that that is absolutely not the case. This is a very diverse state that really represents the Democratic coalition. He said they are way behind the times on that issue. So some very interesting frustration that we are hearing from a powerful Democrat just shows how much work Hillary Clinton still has in front of her, not only to get the party behind her, but also to alleviate some concerns on Capitol Hill about her candidacy -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Manu Raju reporting live from Washington, thank you.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, attack ads? Cursing? Donald Trump says no more. Can the GOP frontrunner really play Mr. Nice Guy?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:17:56] COSTELLO: GOP presidential candidates canvassing South Carolina ahead of next week's primary. And today, a few of them are taking part in a faith and family forum. In the meantime, the Ohio governor, John Kasich, is banking on a positive approach to help him sway voters. Look at his newest ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When my father was a postman that told me, Johnny, you stand on your own two feet. You go out there and change the world. I believe the Lord put us on this earth to used gifts that we've been given to bring about a healing, and --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And guess what? It looks like Mr. Trump, Donald Trump, may be taking a page out of Kasich's playbook.
Here's CNN's Sara Murray.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right, Carol.
John Kasich's stunning message hedged him land a second-place finish in New Hampshire and now, the Trump campaign is saying they think a positive message could he them do well in South Carolina, too. They're pulling down an attack ad against Ted Cruz in South Carolina and instead putting up a positive spot where voters talk about why they're supporting Donald Trump.
Now, that spot aired late in New Hampshire and they said they think it help it's Donald Trump win there. Now they're trying out that strategy in a more rough are and tumble state, South Carolina.
But what's not clear is whether Donald Trump is really ready to stick to such an approach. He was campaigning here in Louisiana last night and he took some tough swipes at his rivals saying Ted Cruz was like a child, and he went after George W. Bush for joining his brother on the campaign trail, sort of mocking Jeb for bringing his brother and mother's help along the way.
We'll have to see if he carries over this positivity heading back to South Carolina. At least for today, he'll be campaigning in Florida.
Back to you, Carol.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: All right. Sara Murray, thanks so much.
So, Trump is mixing negative ads, but what about all the cursing?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I won't use foul language. I'm just not going to do it. I'm not going -- they're all saying do it, do it. No. I'll never do it again, actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, but then just 20 minutes later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Radical Islamic terrorism, we got a problem.
[09:20:03] We've got a problem. And we damn well better figure out what the problem is. I backed McCain and I backed Romney. McCain lost. Romney lost. I said, dammit, the next time I'm just going to do it myself, right? Right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So what is Trump actually meaning when he says he's going to go positive?
Let's talk about that. With me now is Jamie Weinstein, senior editor at "The Daily Caller", and Matt Lewis, a senior contributor at "The Daily Caller". "Daily Caller" is a politically conservative website offering news and opinions.
Good morning to you both.
Jamie, what do you think -- do you think Donald Trump is serious when he says he's going to go positive in South Carolina?
JAMIE WEINSTEIN, SENIOR EDITOR, THE DAILY CLALER: Maybe his campaign was serious when they said that, but they didn't give the memo to Donald Trump. Earlier this morning, he's already tweeted that Ted Cruz is a liar and how can he possibly be an evangelical Christian if he's lying about his record?
The truth is that Donald Trump isn't capable of going positive when other people attack him. That's his natural propensity to drop kind of rhetorical nuclear bombs on anyone who challenges him. So, no matter what his campaign is saying, he's not going to go fully positive.
You know, maybe he'll cut back on cursing in South Carolina killer and save it for New Jersey, but he's certainly going to go after his rivals with the full force of his rhetorical power.
COSTELLO: So, Matt, listen to what John Kasich told Erin Burnett about Donald Trump going positive last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASICH: Donald Trump saying he's going to go positive. I sort of predicted that if we could show that positive works, it might change the tenure of the campaign. So, all of these people that want to go negative, how are you going to sell anything? How will you bring people together when all you're doing is trashing somebody else? Why don't we just have people talk about what they're for?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Matt, do you think that Donald Trump ripped a page from John Kasich's playbook?
MATT LEWIS, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, THE DAILY CALLER: I think Donald Trump is a political chameleon. It's not because the campaign believes that America needs a positive vision or that that's what political rhetoric should be, optimistic. It's because they think it might win.
So, I think Trump will do what he thinks will help him win in a given situation. I have to say, John Kasich was a distant second to Donald Trump in New Hampshire. So, the notion that positivity and optimism all of a sudden is selling, I think it's a little bit dubious, you know?
There was a time I think when, when conservatism could be more optimistic and that was a selling point. Right now, we've seen anger, frustration, indignation be what moves voters. I hope the corner has been turned but I'm skeptical about that. COSTELLO: Well, particularly in the state of South Carolina, Jamie,
known for its kind of rough and tumble politics. Don't you need to be -- where every ad you see on television is negative?
WEINSTEIN: Sure. In fairness to Donald Trump, he's not the only one going negative in South Carolina. You have a lot of the other candidates, from Rubio to Ted Cruz already attacking each other in ads on the air. John Kasich and Ben Carson may be the exception.
I just think that, you know, even if Donald Trump's campaign wants him to go positive, the man for 40 years has never allowed anybody to say a nasty word about him and let it roll off his back. If someone goes after him, he's going to go after them back, no matter if the strategy is to be positive or not.
COSTELLO: And Ted Cruz has god negative against Donald Trump, right? How are they running? So many polls so different things. Who do you think will come out ahead?
LEWIS: You know, I've been right in Iowa, picked Ted Cruz. In New Hampshire, I picked Donald Trump to finish first and Kasich to finish second. I'm not going to mess up my predictions right yet because we haven't seen any polling. It's still early.
But, look, let me just say I think these are two very good campaigns. Donald Trump is running a tough campaign. Ted Cruz is running a good campaign. Donald Trump has Corey Lewandowski. Ted Cruz has Jeff Roe. These are both little Lee Atwater disciple.
I think it's going to end up being vicious. South Carolina always gets nasty. Remember back to 2000 what happened to John McCain down in South Carolina? I think that this hope that this might be an optimistic and uplifting campaign, maybe that will last a day or two, but I don't think it's going to last too long.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Matt Lewis, Jamie Weinstein, thanks to both of you for stopping by.
LEWIS: Thank you.
COSTELLO: You're welcome.
Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: another battle at the southern border. Donald Trump takes on the pope, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:29:00] COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.
Pope Francis is in the air over the Atlantic right now and look at him. He's wearing a sombrero, while making his second trip to Cuba this time for an historic meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
But the controversial part of his journey and the reason he was wearing that sombrero, when the pope touches down in Mexico. On Wednesday, the pope travels to the border town of Suarez, where he's expected to pray for the thousands who have died trying to cross the border into the United States. The pope is even holding a cross- border mass that hundreds of thousands are expected to attend on both sides of the border.
The Republican front-runner Donald Trump is weighing in on the pope's visit to Mexico, calling the pope political, and saying Pope Francis doesn't understand border safety.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, I think that the pope is a very political person. I think he doesn't understand the problems our country has. I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico. And I think Mexico got him to do it, because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is, because they're marking a fortune and we're losing.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: With me now to talk about this, Representative Xavier Becerra.
