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Paris Dennard and Hilary Rosen Discuss Republican and Democratic Issues in Wake of Vice Presidential Debate Last Night; Michael McDonald, Political Science Professor, Discusses Importance That All Americans Vote. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired October 05, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN HOST: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Just moments ago, Hillary Clinton went to the White Plains Airport and boarded her plane, her campaign plane, and she is off to a bunch of fundraisers in Washington, D.C. She waved to the crowds and she did not stop to talk to reporters. She simply gave the thumbs up, boarded the plane, and off she went. Actually, Hillary Clinton, maybe she doesn't have to say a word because she has an army full of democrats thumping across the country on her behalf. Look at the roster of heavy hitters who have or will hit the trail: Michelle Obama, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and President Obama. Mr. Trump's republican's support is not so robust. While Clinton has Kaine, bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Bernie Sanders out today, Mr. Trump has Mike Pence. Although you could argue Clinton surrogates sometimes fail her like her husband Bill did on Obamacare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: But the people who are killed in this deal are small business people and individuals who make just a little too much to get any of these subsidies. Why? Because they're not organized, they don't have any bargaining power with insurance companies, and they're getting whacked. So you've got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million more people have healthcare and then the people who are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums double and their coverage cut in half. It's the craziest thing in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. So let's talk about that. With me now, republican political commentator and Donald Trump supporter, Paris Dennard, and CNN political commentator and Hillary Clinton supporter, Hilary Rosen. Hilary, some people might thing, "You know what, Bill Clinton just spoke the truth as he knew it and it's a bit refreshing."

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLTIICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, Hillary Clinton is the first person to say that there are problems with Obamacare. President Obama has said it himself that there are always improvements to make. The reason that there aren't more subsidies for small business in the Affordable Care Act is because the republicans limited the amount of subsidies available. Having a democratic congress, another democratic president will help that. So Bill Clinton might have said it inartfully. Later, he said he clearly supports the Affordable Care Act. You know, this is a real policy difference, Carol, between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. He wants to repeal healthcare which has, you know, brought new coverage for more than 25 million people. He doesn't have something to replace it with. Hillary Clinton is saying, let's fix it, let's make it better, but we sure don't want to take coverage away from 25 million people.

COSTELLO: So, Paris, that is true. Donald Trump says he does want to repeal Obamacare. Do you know what he wants to replace it with because he says he'll have something?

PARIS DENNARD, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Yes, look, at the end of the day what Mr. Trump is going to do, and this is why Speaker Ryan(oh) so confidently supports him and has endorsed him because he knows that he is going to be able to work with Speaker Ryan to propose agenda items that are going to be good for the American people. President Clinton's, Bill Clinton...

COSTELLO: So, how is he going to replace Obamacare? What's he going to replace it with? Do you know?

DENNARD: There are a host of bills that have been proposed and ideas that are being proposed by the republican leadership in the house and the senate. Mr. Trump will work with them to propose and to enact positive legislation that impacts the community the way we need it to, but he has made it clear he is not trying to make people out to remove the things that are positive about this law, like the preexisting conditions and things of that nature.

ROSEN: That's not true.

DENNARD: He understands - he understands -

ROSEN: He said he would repeal it.

DENNARD: Right, but what (--)

COSTELLO: He definitely said that.

DENNARD: Right, but repealing it does not mean - repealing it does not mean that there's parts of it that will be in the new piece of legislation that's going to be proposed. That is the truth. And it's interesting to (--)

COSTELLO: Wait, wait, wait, let me - so what you're saying is that Donald Trump will leave it to lawmakers to come up with a plan and then they'll pass it?

DENNARD: What I'm saying is Mr. Trump is an expert negotiator. Mr. Trump is the person that will get things done and he will work with republican congress, the leadership, Speaker Ryan to enact legislation and support it that is good for the American people. President Clinton had it, Bill Clinton, had it right when he was talking about the major failures of Obamacare and you pointed out something that is very interesting, Carol. You said, secretary Clinton was en route to fundraisers and refused to talk to the press after the debate. COSTELLO: Now, I didn't say she refused. I said she just didn't talk

to the press.

ROSEN: Donald Trump (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Wait, wait, she may be on her plane right now talking to the press. I don't know. As she boarded her plane, she didn't report.

ROSEN: Trump hasn't has had a press conference in a month. [10:35:01]

DENNARD: So what we know is that the Clinton campaign can have all the past surrogates that they want, people of the past. This is the change election and he's going to have the future vice president, Governor Pence, out on the road talking directly to the American people because he is about the future and that's a very good thing.

COSTELLO: All right. We were looking at a picture of Youngstown, Ohio. Bill Clinton is going to try to get out the vote there. That's what we're looking at. I just wanted to inform my viewers what that was and he's going to be introduced very soon, so we'll get back to that when Bill Clinton hits the stage. So, you know, Hilary, Paris does bring up - there's a lot of surrogates out there fighting for Hillary Clinton. Some republicans might say, "Why does she need such an army?" But one very effective surrogate has been Michelle Obama. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: When she gets knocked down, she doesn't complain. She doesn't cry foul. We also need someone who is steady and measured because when making life or death, war or peace decisions, a president can't just pop off or lash out irrationally. And I think we can all agree that someone who's roaming around at 3 a.m. Tweeting should not have their fingers on the nuclear codes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSEN: Love her.

COSTELLO: I knew you were going to say that.

ROSEN: She doesn't complain.

COSTELLO: Well, Paris, I do find it --

DENNARD: Doesn't complain...

COSTELLO: I do find it interesting that Donald Trump never hits back at Michelle Obama, not one single Tweet maligning her.

ROSEN: What are you going to do? You can't hit back at Michelle Obama. You know, she has a lot at stake in this election as well and she's really articulate about it. Because the Obamas have worked really, really hard to encourage this - to move this country forward in a progressive agenda. And one of the things I thought was most interesting about last night - that Barack and Michelle Obama will be, are most effective on the campaign trail - is that, this has been sort of a campaign of insults, but they are real policy differences between these two tickets. There, you know, Hillary Clinton is for women's right to choose. Donald Trump and Mike Pence are against it. Hillary Clinton is for making more progress on climate change. Donald Trump and Mike Pence are against it. They're for LGBT rights. Donald Trump and Mike Pence are against it. These are causes that Barack and Michelle Obama have been fighting for for the last eight years. They don't want to see this reversed.

COSTELLO: Well, interestingly enough - I want to ask Paris about climate change, because that's why Al Gore is going out. He's going to talk to young people because climate change is an important thing in their minds. So, Paris, Mr. Trump has said some things about climate change, but he hasn't gone into it. We know that at one point he said that it was a hoax created by China, but he's since walked those comments back. So where does your - where does your candidate stand on that issue?

DENNARD: You know, I think that what's important is that Mr. Trump is focusing on issues that he believes the American people are really concerned about. So while Secretary Clinton and President Obama may say the biggest issue facing the world today is climate change, Mr. Trump believes the issue facing the world today is the threat of ISIS and the terrorist threat, and that's why CNN - CNN viewers and poll watchers have said that Mr. Trump is the candidate whom they trust the most as it relates to terrorism. And so the issue of climate change is relevant to the conversation, but it is not the overwhelming issue that Americans are staying up and thinking about right now. They are concerned about jobs, the economy, and, quite frankly, national security. And that is what he is choosing to focus on. And Hillary was right, last night it was a campaign of insults and that's what you hears on the Clinton side. Tim Kaine just spent the entire time interrupting, being rude, and focusing on attacking Mr. Trump instead of talking about the issue and talking about the differences and looking forward.

COSTELLO: OK, thanks to both of you.

ROSEN: You know, (--)

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: I've gotta wrap things up here in regard (--)

DENNARD: Well (--)

COSTELLO: I've gotta wrap it up here. Paris Dennard, Hillary Rosen, thanks to both of you. Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: You might be turned off, but they want you to turn out. Up next, how President Obama and George Bush are putting politics aside ahead of election day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [10:40:00]

COSTELLO: All right, welcome back. You see Bill Clinton there in Youngstown, Ohio. He's actually there for a voter registration breakfast, but right now he's talking to supporters. Actually, he's going to be in Ohio for six days. That's ahead of Ohio's Tuesday deadline to register to vote. Early voting in Ohio starts October 12th, so you can see why it's so very important for democrats to make a presence there in the state of Ohio. OK, let's talk about the election in general, shall we? Because this election has turned off many, many voters. How many times have you heard someone say, "Both candidates are so awful. I'm not voting at all." Of course both candidates are struggling to change the narrative. As you saw, Bill Clinton is in Youngstown. He's trying to convince people to register to vote. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the guy who wrote the musical Hamilton is behind this PSA. He's trying to get people to vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Vote, vote, vote.

UNKNOWN MALE: Hearing your voice is the most important thing.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Stay involved in the political life of our country.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Our future depends upon you casting a ballot.

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, BARACK OBAMA: If you're inspired by Hamilton, if you're inspired by our founders, understand that the system of government they designed only works if you participate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I know some of you may be sitting back and saying, "Whatever. I'm not voting." Well, as USA Today put it, you have to ask yourself this question: Is it ethical to not vote this year? So let's talk about that. With me now is Michael McDonald. He's an associate political science professor at the University of Florida. Welcome, Micheael. [10:45:12]

MICHAEL MCDONALD, ASSOCIATE POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: Great to be with you.

COSTELLO: Great to have you here. So really? It's unethical not to vote?

MCDONALD: Well, I wouldn't say it's not ethical not to vote. I mean, of course we live in a free country and it's a person's right to choose if they wish to vote or not. But you have to remember that that choice, the fact that you even have that freedom of choice is something that's a gift to you by a lot of people who went before you to make sure that you had that right. So African Americans, literally thousands were killed or beaten or jailed during the Jim Crow era specifically to prevent people from voting. Women were jailed and put in prison to keep them, when they were agitating for the vote. And then we have young people, age 18 to 21, many who were dying during the Vietnam war and that's how we got an extension of our voting rights for 18- to 20-year-olds. If you stop and think, I mean 18- to 20-year-olds, that's very important. Our military is out there. People are fighting and dying for our right to be a free country. So is it ethical not to vote? Well, you know, that's a personal choice, but I would say that a well-functioning democracy works when people vote. And if your're not voting, then there's some problem.

COSTELLO: But here's the thing, Michael. Here's the thing. This is from a recent Pew survey. It found the top three feelings most Americans have about the election are frustrated, disgusted, and scared. So those people have to overcome those feelings to go to the polls and then cast their ballot and somehow feel good about that.

MCDONALD: Well, and ironically you don't have to feel good to go vote either, so those are all very important emotions that can drive people to participate, actually, instead of turning them off. There's a myth that says that negative campaigns have a decrease in turnout. And undoubtedly that's true for some people that they'll be turned off, but the actual evidence is that negative campaigns where people are seeing lots of negative news about both the candidates, that actually increases turnout. It gives people something to talk about, it engages them. And you know all those people saying they're not going to vote, but they're talking about this election. And so they're talking about the candidates. So I think they're engaged and I hope that they will actually end up voting.

COSTELLO: No, no, you bring up an interesting point, because if 80 million people watched that first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, you're right. They are engaged. So do you think that they're, like, not really telling the truth when they say, "Oh, I'm not going to bother to vote." Because you're right, they are engaged and you have to, like, act when you're that engaged, don't you?

MCDONALD: Well, I think there are some people who are not engaged at this point and probably feel the way in which you're saying. And so you hear these anecdotes. But I think many more people are engaged at this point. And I think some of those people may hold their nose and they will go out and vote. And keep in mind, it's not just the presidential candidates that we have on the ballot. We have lots of lower ballot election candidates running too. It's important to vote for those races and if there's a real crisis in our democracy, it's a lack of participation in those lower ballot positions. So I really encourage everyone, not just to think about the president but all of the offices that we have and consider voting for all of those candidates.

COSTELLO: Michael McDonald, thanks so much. I'll be right back.

MCDONALD: You're welcome.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [10:50:00]

COSTELLO: Checking some top stories at 52 minutes past. More than two years after it became the center of a healthcare scandal, many of the same problems remain at the Phoenix VA Medical Center. That's according to a new federal report that found patients are still unable to get timely appointments and delayed care, laying the blame for at least one more veteran's death. A 2014 CNN investigation found dozens of vets died waiting for treatment at this very facility. A potentially huge discovery in remote Northern Alaska: A Texas drilling company says it found a massive amount of oil. The company is saying its find could yield as much as 10 billion barrels of light oil. The home and recording studio of Prince will become public tomorrow, but only for a limited time. Paisley Park was said to begin daily tours this week, but those plans were scaled back after city council tabled a request to turn the property into a museum. Until the council makes a decision, it agreed to allow tours of the property this Thursday and Friday and on October 14th. Oh Canada, it's not just for hockey anymore. The Toronto Blue Jays winning a wild one against the Baltimore Orioles to advance in the playoffs. Hines Ward has more on today's BLEACHER REPORT. Hi Hines.

HINES WARD, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: How you doing, Carol. You know this time of the year in Canada, fans are usually gearing up for the hockey season but also they love their Blue Jays and last night they came to play. In a crazy moment in the seventh inning, outfielder Hyun-soo Kim was going for a routine pitch out in left field, when a fan throws a beer can close to him. Now the fan wasn't ejected from the game because he took off before the security could find him. But the play of the game came down in the bottom of the 11th, game tied and Edwin Encarnacion exactly three runs, home runs to win the game. Game over. Blue Jays going to win 5 to 2. They advance to play the Texas Rangers next. In tonight's game, you have the Giants and the Mets, they'll face off International League wild card game.

Now after coming off one of his worst performances of his career on Monday night football, Odell Beckham says he's not having fun anymore playing football. What? Are you crazy? And he's even saying that the refs are in - they're in on him, they out to get him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ODELL BECKHAM JR.: I just gotta know that, you know, it's on against me. It's going to be that way. I have to assume I'm always in the wrong no matter what, and that's just - it's something that's, you know, it's a tough pill to swallow. But you have to understand it. You have to be able to cope with it and just keep it moving. [10:55:12]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: Now, I understand there's frustration when things aren't going well, but he needs to be held accountable. He's too talented to be blaming others and making excuses. My advice - my advice, Odell Beckham, just play ball and everything else will work its way out.

And I love showing you great catches from all different levels, Pee Wees (INAUDIBLE). Check out this wide receiver catcher Jayden Wilson from the Pro Titans in Wellington, Florida. Something about keeping the eye on the prize. The guy is juggling. He gets up and he scores the touchdown. Congratulations, Jayden, what an awesome catch.

COSTELLO: That is awesome. I love that. Hines Ward, thanks. And thanks for joining me this morning. I do appreciate it. Thank all of you too for joining me. I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:00:02]

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: I'm Christiane Amapour and this is CNN.

TIM KAINE, VICE PRESIDENT CANDIDATE: The thought of Donald Trump as commander in chief scares us to death.