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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Hillary Clinton Becomes First Female Major Party Presidential Nominee; Humanizing Hillary Clinton. Aired 3:30-4a ET

Aired July 27, 2016 - 03:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:32:12] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton makes history becoming the first woman U.S. presidential nominee ever, shattering a new glass ceiling. But can she break through the public's image of her painted as divisive and untrustworthy. Democrats with a lot of work on their hands this morning and they tried their best last night to really humanize this very historic candidate.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: There's a lot of message there with the things shattering there.

ROMANS: It's not very settle (Ph).

Welcome back to EARLY START at the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you. It's 30 minutes past the hour or so. We are live in the CNN Grill. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world.

Hillary Clinton presumptive no more. It is officially historic or historically official, depending on your taste. She's now the first woman to be the nominee of a major political party and she marked the honor by beaming in by video from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CLINTON: What an incredible honor that you have given me and I can't believe we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet.

(APPLAUSE)

Thanks to you and to everyone who's fought so hard to make this possible. This is really your victory. This is really your night. And if there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, let me just say, I may become the first woman president but one of you is next.

Thank you all. I can't wait to join you in Philadelphia. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: That's Hillary Clinton via video. It was a Clinton fest last night because the other Clinton, the one who was already president was the headline speaker of the night.

It was Bill Clinton's job to introduce what he calls the real Hillary Clinton to America. A notable task that she's been in the spotlight for 25 years, but getting with this classic political touch and meticulous detail. For instance, if you have always been wondering where Hillary Clinton was on the afternoon of June 23rd, 1974, you pretty much know that. And you know every minute before and after.

[03:35:01] CNN's Phil Mattingly joins us with more. Good morning, Phil.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John. You don't know the real Hillary, it's something, John, I'm sure you've heard, I've heard repeatedly. Anybody who's covered a Clinton campaign has heard from her closest advisers and friends for the last couple of years.

Bill Clinton's job, a series of speakers on Tuesday night, their job was to tell voters who the real Hillary Clinton was, to reintroduce somebody who's been in the public eye now for decades. As you noted, John, no small task.

And it couldn't have happened sooner enough. The Clinton campaign right now facing the reality that Hillary Clinton in any other year would have historically negatives when you look at how voters perceive her, any other year that didn't include Donald Trump.

But still there's a lot of work to do and that's exactly what speakers were trying to do on Tuesday night, none more so than Bill Clinton who finished his usual rather lengthy remarks with this flourish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. CLINTON: If you love this country, you're working hard, you're paying taxes and you're obeying the law and you'd like to become a citizen, you should choose immigration reform over somebody who wants to send you back.

(APPLAUSE)

If you're -- if you're a Muslim and you love America and freedom and you hate terror, stay here and help us win and make a future together.

(APPLAUSE)

We want you.

If you're a young African-American disillusioned and afraid, we saw in Dallas how great our police officers can be. Help us build a future where nobody's afraid to walk outside, including the people that wear blue to protect our future.

(APPLAUSE) Hillary will make us stronger together. You know it because she spent a lifetime doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And Bill Clinton had really two very clear goals last night. Paint a fuller picture of his wife, the former senator, the former first lady, the former secretary of state. But also, and this was kind of a very important element of it, was to make clear that she's somebody who actually gets things done in an era -- at least in election cycle, guys, where somebody who's been in government for a long period of time probably isn't liked very much.

You see the cycle of Bernie Sanders, the cycle of Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton is not exactly an outsider here, but Bill Clinton making the case that even though she's an insider, she's an agent of change. Something he repeated over and over again throughout the speech.

Clinton aide I can tell you were thrilled by this speech. A lot of people were very clear; the man is one of the more talented speakers in political history. And that was certainly on display last night.

But time will tell whether or not this really connects with voters who as we've all seen over the course of the last year, remain very skeptical of Hillary Clinton as a candidate for the president of the United States. guys?

ROMANS: All right. Phil Mattingly, thanks. Yes. Decades, decades in politics and the public eye but always pushing to change the status quo not a part of the status quo. That's what Bill Clinton is trying to say.

Thanks, Phil.

Joining us to discuss the second night of the Democratic National Convention here, CNN political analyst, Josh Rogin, he is the columnist for the Washington Post. And we've our trio of CNN political commentators, too.

Angela Rye, former executive director for the Congressional Black Caucus; also John Phillips, he's a talk radio host at KABC, a Trump supporter, and democratic strategist, Bob Beckel.

So, how did he do, Bob? I mean, the president in terms of the former president in terms of both, I guess, walking down memory lane and talking us more about the relationship he has with this woman, but also pivoting and saying look, I know her so well, I know her better than anybody else and she is about change.

BOB BECKEL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, think about what he was faced with. I mean, he had a history of presumably straying in that relationship. He pulled that off very well and he pulled off the humanizing side of her, including buying that house for 70 thousand bucks or whatever it was. And then segued into doing a policy stuff and moving the issues

forward. But there's something here we got to keep in mind. There's a certain percentage of women and we keep underestimating the importance of this, first woman candidate for president of major party.

I can tend that there will be 5 or 6 percent of independent women who tend to vote republican who will vote for Hillary Clinton because she's a woman. Nobody talks about that. They all say -- they sort of treat her like a good old boy that somehow this is not unique.

This is a unique historical statement and I think there's a lot of women out there when those booths are closed they're going to vote for her.

BERMAN: Same thing, they are reminding because this is historic, it just objectively is. This never happened before. But you think they are reminding people of this on purpose for that reason?

BECKEL: Sure, of course. I mean, look. This has never happened before. It's our first time. And what do we talk about? We talk about all of her problems, all of her history.

[03:40:01] This is the first female candidate for president of a major party in a country that's 51.5 percent of the people are women voters.

BERMAN: So, you brought up their relationship. Look, I mean, this speech was going on I think 150 different levels. Some that political scientists will analyze for a long time and I think some of the psycho analysts will look at for a long, long time.

But he talked about the house, he talked about their engagement. He talked about what he calls their love story. Let's listen to a little more of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. CLINTON: I was driving her to the airport to fly back to Chicago when we passed this little brick house that had a for sale sign on it and she said "Boy, that's a pretty house." It had 1,100 square feet, an attic fan and no air conditioner in hot Arkansas and the screened in porch.

Hillary commented on what a uniquely designed and beautiful house it was. So, I took a big chance. I bought the house.

(APPLAUSE)

My mortgage was $175 a month. When she came back, I picked her up and I said "You remember that house you liked?" And she said, "yes." I said "while you were gone I bought it. You have to marry me now."

(APPLAUSE)

The third time was a charm.

(APPLAUSE) We -- we were married -- we were in that little house on October 11th, 1975.

(APPLAUSE)

I married my best friend. I was still in awe after more than four years of being around her and how smart and strong and loving and caring she was, and I really hoped that her choosing me and rejecting my advice to pursue her own career was a decision she would never regret.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. Just so you know, Christine Romans, said during that, she said all love is rooted in real estate.

ROMANS: Well, there's a real estate transaction in almost every relationship.

BERMAN: Angela Rye, you know, he's talking about a relationship that people know, at least a little bit about, you know, famously and not in a great way from the '90s.

He's talking about a relationship where they had been making a lot of money, you know, giving speeches and he's talking about buying a house with the woman he calls his best friend in the 70s, why?

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think this is again, we talk about this several times that this is about humanizing her. But I also think it's about making their relationship tangible. Because what we have -- what we do know about the Clintons relationship is not positive.

And in so many ways I've thought it seems transactional. Do they even live in speech, or do they even live in the same house? Do they sleep in the same bed? You know, and these aren't things that we would normally talk about in political analyst -- analysis but I've thought them.

I think that today if you're in a relationship, you could identify with the fact that every relationship has its ups and downs. And Bill Clinton made it very clear that they have a friendship that will -- it will sustain beyond, you know.

ROMANS: And most relationships don't last 40 years, by the way. I mean, they really endured.

RYE: Exactly.

ROMANS: Look, can I please -- I want to ask about the Bill Clinton legacy though here. Because you were talking about Ohio voters in this focus group who were saying my job's gone, I'm not making as much money as I'm used to because of the -- and America was great in the '90s before we did or start doing all these trade deals, the banks got really, really and it was, you know, go, go, go under bill Clinton. What is the Bill Clinton legacy on trade, Bob? And does that hurt her here?

BECKEL: Well, it does in certain parts of the country. But let's remember that it was inevitable. You're going to have world trade and NAFTA was something that people liked, including Donald Trump, I might add.

I think Clinton's legacy will be it looks the number of jobs he created. I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

ROMANS: Twenty four million (TECHNICAL PROBLEM).

[03:45:00] (TECHNICAL PROBLEM)

[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROMANS: That is lot of fun.

BERMAN: All right. Just like we are the world.

ROMANS: I don't like that pop culture actually.

BERMAN: Yes, a star studded version of our fight song that aired last night at the democratic convention. A lot of stars, a lot of Hollywood stars here. The host for night two was Elizabeth Banks, her entrance she sort of spoofed Donald Trump's Smokey silhouette as we walk down to the stage. She seemed to, you know, rejoice in the moment right there.

ROMANS: That's "We are the champion." That's the Queen Song. When he did it, remember Queen sent out, put out a statement saying, you know, you don't have permission to use our song.

BERMAN: Also a performance by Alicia Keys and there was an endorsement from Meryl Streep as well. So, a lot to talk about. Let's bring back the panel right now. Christine Romans, I'm paraphrasing Christine Romans during our commercial.

ROMANS: This is -- the best stuff comes in the commercials.

BERMAN: Does this matter? I mean, does anyone care?

ROMANS: Stars matter.

BERMAN: Does anyone say, you know, oh, the democrats had Meryl Streep. That's better than Scott Baio.

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, there is a contrast between all the star power at the democratic convention versus the republican one. But I was sort of curious about some of the female stars they put out. Because if they're trying to appeal to those moderate republican voters, the choice of putting Sarah Silverman and Lena Dunham out there who are known for very crass controversial material, you know, a lot of people think it's funny, to me to put them on the stage and give them that kind of platform...

(CROSSTALK)

RYE: Targeting millennials, I think.

BERMAN: Yes.

CARPENTER: I'm a millennial, guess what?

RYE: Well, there are millennials who think differently than you.

CARPENTER: Sure.

RYE: And then they are not republicans, they may be more independent leaning or they may be democrats who are very pro-Bernie. And so, the idea I think there was to try to get folks who still may be on the fringe (TECHNICAL PROBLEM).

[03:55:00] (TECHNICAL PROBLEM)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: ISIS claims responsibility for the latest gruesome attack at a French church that leans an elderly priest dead. At least one of the suspects was known to authorities and was under house arrest.

In Venezuela, long lines have become the way of life for most things even to claim the loved ones lost in the country's ongoing murder epidemic.

And history is made in the United States. Hillary Clinton officially becomes the first woman to be nominated by a major party as their presidential nominee.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Max Foster in London. This is CNN Newsroom.