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CNN Poll: Health Care & Immigration Top Issues for Voters. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 05, 2018 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:04] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: On the issues health care is the big one. The Democrats, 71 percent of Democrats consider it to be extremely important, compared with 37 percent among Republicans.

For Republicans, 64 percent say immigration is extremely important to them. Just 44 percent of Democrats see it that way.

Sixty percent of Republicans call the economy extremely important. That is what some Republicans want President Trump focused on. Politico reports, in fact, that Paul Ryan called the president, imploring him to focus on that and not immigration and divisive rhetoric that we've heard.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: One senior Republican even told Politico that Trump is hijacking the election, but the president sees it differently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They all say, "Speak about the economy, speak about the economy." Well, we have the greatest economy in the history of our country, but sometimes it's not as exciting to talk about the economy. Right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. Enough talking about the economy.

Joining us now is David Gregory, CNN political analyst; Marc Short, he served as President Trump's director of legislative affairs and is now a CNN political commentator; Nina Turner, she's a former Ohio state senator and is now a CNN political commentator; and Michael Smerconish, the host of CNN's "SMERCONISH" and a CNN political commentator.

It's great to have all of you here. It's great to be in Washington, D.C., with you. It feels very exciting this morning.

So Michael Smerconish, give us the big picture. What is tomorrow's election about? What do you think is going to happen?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the White House would not be surprised by the gender divide revealed in those numbers. That is stunning: 62-35 advantage to the Democratic side of the aisle. I think that's the reason why the president has gone nativist. To his detriment in the House, but I think they look at those numbers, knew that they were going to lose suburb women in particular; decided the House was over and the best they could do would be to salvage a Senate victory.

That explains why he hasn't talked about the economy, because otherwise, this would be political malpractice for him not to be touting what's been going on with unemployment, with the Dow up until recently, with a whole host of things that he could be thumping his chest over.

BERMAN: Well, Paul Ryan thinks it is political malpractice. And apparently, according to Politico, Paul Ryan called the president this week and said, "Hey, Mr. President, I'd like you to be talking about the economy." And also in that article, Nina, apparently there were Republicans saying that the president has hijacked the election.

NINA TURNER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: They knew that from the beginning. I mean, I'm surprised that he's surprised. He was never a real Republican to begin with. He is loyal to only one person -- or three people, him, himself and himself. And that's really all he cares about. And so he doesn't care if he takes the Republican, the brand, everything that it has stood for prior to him down with him. It's all about him.

CAMEROTA: So Marc, when the president says the economy isn't exciting to talk about. Read that for us. He thinks it's more exciting to have incendiary rhetoric and talk about invaders.

MARCH SHORT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: As we've talked before, I think a lot of his rallies are part entertainment, too. I think it shouldn't be an either/or. It should be both. The economy is in a great position, but I think what Republicans' challenge is in a midterm election, there are a lot of voters who are nontraditional voters who came out and voted for Trump. Not Republican, not Democrat, just upset at the system altogether.

How do you get them to turn out when Trump is not on the ballot? And that's what the president is trying to do, is to get them to say, "I am here, too. This is about my legacy. I need you guys to turn out for me." Because the Republicans and Democrats are split and divided.

BERMAN: It's not subtle. It's not subtle, either. We have a little sound here I want to pla you, just to show how un-subtle is it here, with the president saying, "This is all about me."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: A vote for Marsha is really a vote for me.

A vote for Morrissey is a vote for me.

And a vote for Steve is a vote for me.

A vote for David is a vote for me.

A vote for Cindy is a vote for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP

BERMAN: Me, me -- it's not even "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha." It's "me, me, me" -- David.

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure. His retort, by the way, to Paul Ryan is, "Look, I'm the one who got us here into the White House. It wasn't you." And it was the establishment Republicans who had lost their way which is what created a space for Trump to create a Trump brand of Republicanism which prevailed in 2016.

And by the way, which a lot of candidates are imitating. It could be to their detriment around the country, but they are certainly imitating.

There's no question this is about Trump. I said before, I think this election is a lot less about what voters believe and what government should do, as opposed to a real question of who we are.

You know, President Obama is campaigning and said this is about the character of the country. I think Republicans and Democrats would agree with that statement, that what are you afraid of? What is your feeling about the tone and the tenor and the leadership in Washington? I think that really is what is determining the results ultimately.

If you think about Democrats, the energy for Democrats, the fear and the loathing they had after election day that came together in that first march on that Sunday after election day in 2016, this is their opportunity, in their minds, to take it all back from Trump. And that's ultimately the biggest question.

[07:05:05] But you know, to Smerc's point, you know, what the president did, what Republicans did around taxes and around Kavanaugh was unite all Republicans in a way that he had not done before, and yet, he has put that aside.

CAMEROTA: And another that he's done that is very effective, Michael, is bringing up these migrants, who are roughly 1,000 miles away in a different country, and to have in our poll Republicans say that immigration is their top issue. That tells you that the constant drum beat of what he calls the caravan is working.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it's worked with the base but I think that, for every vote that he has garnered by driving the concept of "we need to actually send troops to our border," even though these folks are still 30 days away, he's lost women in suburbia.

If I were -- if I were Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District, which is a bellwether and a very narrow race, I would be livid, because this is no longer about me and what I might be able to do on election day. It's all about the president having offended people who are the independent swing voters in that district.

So when Wednesday morning, if in fact, the GOP has lost control of the House but maintained control of the Senate, it will be because of this strategy.

It's interesting, too, if you look at the president's approval rating over time, when he does well is when it's not all about him. After Kavanaugh, he got a boost, because Kavanaugh wasn't all about him. Tax cuts wasn't all about him. When he allows himself to drift to the back a little bit, sometimes he does better. And Smerc was talking about how he's having a hard time reaching beyond his base. Our poll's got independent numbers. Let's put his numbers up for independents here so we can see how the president's doing there.

And 53 percent of independents say they want to see a Democrat elected; 39 percent of independents say they want to see a Republican one.

TURNER: Yes, I'm not surprised by that. That's how people, normal people win elections.

But this president -- the Republicans are going to have to live with the monster that they helped create. President Trump was their nominee. They knew full well what they were getting, and so they are going to have to live with this.

And to the point about entertainment, you know, I don't consider entertainment at a rally when the president is maligning and stoking racial animus in this country. That is not entertainment. And having people in those crowds yelling, you know, "Lock her up," or clapping or laughing when he's being derogatory to somebody based on their religion or their race or their gender, that is not entertainment.

And not only is the heart and soul of this nation on display here; the fact that Republicans are so close to Democrats, the Democrats are not running away with this, should tell us that the words "in order to form a more perfect union" are in jeopardy right now in this country.

CAMEROTA: Yes, Marc, I mean, listen, I just got back from Pittsburgh. The congregants of the Tree of Life Synagogue don't find it entertaining either. I mean, they actually feel that overheated rhetoric leads to overheated feelings, leads to violence. I mean, they feel that way.

And so the idea that the president is sticking with that and said that those things just got in the way of his momentum, they remember that.

SHORT: I don't think it's just get in the way of his momentum, Alisyn. I think the reality is that he is raising issues that a lot of America is concerned about border security. And I think it is a driving motivator for a lot of voters.

CAMEROTA: But the rhetoric he uses in terms of "invaders" and in terms of, "the press is the enemy of the people." Why -- why go there?

SHORT: Alisyn, as I've said to you multiple times on your show, I don't think the press is the enemy of the people. I think that it's essential to any democracy to have a free and fair press. But I think the president is frustrated with the coverage. I think he

looks at it and says 90 percent of the reporting on him is negative and so, yes, there's concerns about it.

GREGORY: But it's not just the president's core supporters, right? There are a broadband of Republicans out there who hear bashing in oppositional press. Even when he goes too far and says, "It's the enemy of the people," they say, 'Yes, I mean, I wouldn't say it that way, but dammit, he has a point."

And when he attacks the caravan, again, that's not a serious way to talk about the very real issue of immigration and border security, but a lot of people say, "Yes, at least he's doing two things. He's giving Washington a kick in the butt," which they still support, and is calling out issues that other people would be afraid to call out.

And unfortunately, too many of his supporters across the spectrum will say, "Yes, again, I wouldn't say it that way. That's -- that's really, you know, inappropriate," but he's making a big point. And I don't think we should lose sight of it.

BERMAN: Tell me what the point is he's making here, David, if you will. He brings up former president Barack Obama, and he does it in a very special way. So let's play that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's no surprise that Joe Donnelly is holding a rally this weekend with Barack H. Obama. Barack Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So David, you say the president is making a bigger point with his speech? What's the point there?

GREGORY: You're setting up a little bit there, my friend. No, he's not. That just stoking, you know, racial fears about Barack Hussein Obama, which is something that Hillary Clinton did, too, and her team when they first faced Obama. Obama, by the way, prevailed. It didn't seem to be a big issue. But that's exactly what the president's doing there.

[07:10:08] So no, I think we can make a distinction between the president when he is stoking racial animus and when he's taking on real issues in a kind of caricature way. I think there are two different things. Unfortunately, whether it's, you know, using you know, racially incendiary language or anti-immigration language, you know, it's reaching people.

CAMEROTA: I was surprised that he didn't say, "Hussein." I didn't know he had any boundary in terms of just planting the "H" seed. I don't know why he was being coy about that after all the other rhetoric.

TURNER: Yes, it doesn't make sense. And David is actually right. It wasn't the first time that the president, Obama, had to deal with that.

But we are at a particular moment in this country's history that, you know, not only candidates like, you know, Stacey Abrams that's running in Georgia, or -- or Gillum, Andrew Gillum. I was just in Florida just yesterday campaigning for Andrew Gillum. And to see lines in the northern part of Miami where the predominant population is Haitian- American, and lines wrapped all around, 500-something people in line, where the polling center, the machines break down; they don't have enough polling stuff -- literature enough for them, that really says to us that we have a really -- a problem in this country.

Republicans who cannot win races straight up, so they've got to cheat and try to suppress the vote. The president understands this. That's exactly what he's doing, and the Republicans who have benefited from his wrong-headed behavior, his behavior that stokes hate and fear, now their chickens are coming home to roost.

SHORT: You know, Alisyn, I don't think that Barack Obama is really a victim here. I think he's pretty much taken the gloves off, too, in a pretty unprecedented manner for a former president.

CAMEROTA: I just mean that language. I just mean that language, you know. What is the president -- what do you think the president was doing by saying so coyly, "H"?

SHORT: I think we know what he was doing. I think he's part entertaining the crowd. He partially reminds people his name is Hussein. But look, this is the nature where we are right now, Alisyn. It's not as if Barack Obama is victimless here. He is -- he himself was out there --

BERMAN: What's his crime there? What's his crime there? What's his crime there?

SHORT: I'm not saying it's a crime. I'm simply saying that our politics is pretty tough right now. And Barack Obama, where previous presidents have stood aside, is very actively engaged, not just in the campaign for Kenneth but very much a campaign against Donald Trump right now.

CAMEROTA: What incendiary, toxic language is Barack Obama using?

SHORT: He's talking about that the rationale, so many people in the Trump administration having indictments is never before, that this is an unusual --

CAMEROTA: It's true.

SHORT: A lot of it is true. There's a lot of things that Donald Trump is saying about Barack Obama, and where the economy is, and where the situation is on the border. There's truth, too, Alisyn.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Do you ignore the other language, though? And David talked about -- SHORT: I'm not ignoring the language. I mean, I'm agreeing with where David was.

BERMAN: Is it racist?

SHORT: No, I don't --

TURNER: It is racist.

SHORT: No, come on.

TURNER: It is racist.

SHORT: I worked for the president. And I had -- I had African- American women on my staff the president respected and listened to.

TURNER: It's racists. It's like saying you've black friends, OK? It's flat-our racist.

SHORT: Well, that's so ridiculous.

TURNER: We have a president that took out full-page ads --

SHORT: I worked with the president side by side.

TURNER: -- on the Central Park Five.

SHORT: To say that he's racist, there are so many people who would have left the White House if they ever thought for a second he was racist.

TURNER: No, it's racist.

CAMEROTA: And by the way, let me just say that I don't think that we're saying the president is racist. We don't know what's in his mind --

SHORT: Your guest is.

CAMEROTA: We're saying the --

GREGORY: Don't -- I think, you know, when you call out "Barack H. Obama" to suggest -- to make an issue of his otherness, and that's -- there's the -- you know, there's no other way around that. I think we should focus on something bigger here.

You mentioned Georgia. You mentioned Florida. You have two candidates there who both happen to be African-American who are running very strong who will become, if they win, big national candidates, right, winning statewide in a state like Georgia and Florida, which will both be big battlegrounds in 2020. There's no question that the White House and the president have to be rattled about that, both of them going against candidates who are very much in Trump's image, and who seem to be faltering against these Democratic candidates. These are going to be races to watch. TURNER: But they don't happen to be black. They are black. So

America, get -- they are African-American. They run a very strong -- races.

And to you, if it quacks like a duck and acts like a duck, it is a duck.

CAMEROTA: Michael, your thoughts?

SMERCONISH: Well, my thought is that, if you're the attorney general of the state and your responsibility -- I'm speaking of Georgia now, is to manage elections, if you're running in an election, you've got to recuse yourself --

CAMEROTA: As secretary of state.

SMERCONISH: Yes, secretary of state. Yes, you cannot -- cannot be in that role. To me, as an attorney, it's as if a judge in a particular case has some axe to grind in it and refuses to recuse themselves.

CAMEROTA: Well, the conflict of interest is just right out there.

SMERCONISH: Yes. And Alisyn, what I was thinking as I was watching the events in Georgia unfold, is that what if the allegation is legitimate? I think there's a tendency of many of us to say, "Well, it's probably bogus" and --

CAMEROTA: Because he hasn't presented evidence.

SMERCONISH: Correct.

CAMEROTA: That's why.

SMERCONISH: But what if it's legitimate? It will not be treated as if it were legitimate. So he's actually harming his own case by not getting out.

BERMAN: Smerc, can I ask you one last question, because I so vividly remember you sitting on the election set the night of election night --

SMERCONISH: Thank you, John. Yes, I got it wrong. Alisyn likes to remind me. So did everybody else.

[07:15:07] BERMAN: No, no, no. But as we sit, you know, 24 hours before the polls --

SMERCONISH: Everybody is going after me, been going after me for two years. In 2020 do I get to come back, and I have to discuss this?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BERMAN: I want to know what it feels like to you, as you're looking at these polls for the 13-point Democratic edge. Does this feel like something that we're all about to be shocked by the end results? Or how does this feel today? SMERCONISH: It feels to me as if it's relatively straightforward. I

had the same feeling two years ago. I'm willing to take that hit. But it would seem as if the situation is poised for a Democratic takeover of the House and that the Republicans hold on by the thinnest of margins in the United States Senate. But nothing will shock me any longer.

CAMEROTA: Michael, I find your guilt and mea culpa enduring, which is why I bring it up so often.

SMERCONISH: Here I am. I'll be back in two years, maybe.

CAMEROTA: You'll be back sooner than that.

Thank you all, panel, very much for all of your insights.

Coming up in just minutes, Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams, will be here with us. And in our next hour, we have Republican House candidate Dan Crenshaw. He's at the center of that controversy over comedy on "Saturday Night Live." He's going to joins us with his thoughts.

BERMAN: And remember: NEW DAY is on early tomorrow and Wednesday. It will be starting at 5 a.m. Eastern Time. That's the special David Gregory time slot.

And CNN's "ELECTION NIGHT IN AMERICA" coverage begins at 5 p.m. tomorrow, although we'll be talking about the elections quite a bit before 5 p.m. tomorrow.

CAMEROTA: Set your alarm clocks.

All right. President Trump has three rallies today where he will likely push again his immigration message. Will it work in a state like Ohio? Jim Renacci, one of the Senate candidates President Trump will stump for today, is going to join us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:44] CAMEROTA: President Trump continues to ratchet up fears about the Central American migrants in the days before the midterms. This is his message at campaign rallies across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Last week I called up the United States military. We're not playing games, folks. There's no game. Because you look at what is marching up, that's an invasion. That's not -- that's an invasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Joining us now, we have Republican Ohio Senate candidate, Congressman Jim Renacci. President Trump will be campaigning for him later today. We also did invite Renacci's opponent, Senator Sherrod Brown, to join us, but he declined.

Morning, Congressman.

REP. JIM RENACCI (R-OH), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning, Alisyn. How are you?

CAMEROTA: I'm doing well. What do you think of the president's language there in the days before the midterms? Are you comfortable with "invasion" and that "immigrants infest this country" and that kind of rhetoric?

RENACCI: Well, first off, I would tell you America is a welcoming country, but that's not -- coming up in a caravan is not the way to enter the United States. We do have legal ways of doing it. And it does appear to be an invasion. I've used that word, as well, because there's just too many coming at one time. But again, we need to make sure that the process is working.

CAMEROTA: And Congressman, what is illegal about coming to this country and applying for asylum?

RENACCI: Nothing -- nothing illegal about coming. It's how you come in. You just can't come in and droves. You've got to go through the system. And I think that's why -- look, I blame Congress. For the last 20 years, the system has been broken. Let's make sure that Congress gets the blame here, because they need to fix it. I'm supportive of a couple bills.

CAMEROTA: Congressman, you do know that this actually is the system for seeking asylum. Somebody seeking asylum can present at the border, present themselves to a border agent and say that they're seeking asylum. That is the system.

RENACCI: Yes, but Alisyn, what we've seen is many of these individuals have been interviewed. They say they're coming for a job, and I think that's the difference. It's not for asylum. They're coming for a job. I agree. We do need --

CAMEROTA: Understood, but that's the investigative portion. I mean, this is -- this is the process. You're -- you're clamoring for a process, and this is the process. They can claim that they want asylum. It doesn't mean that they'll get asylum. If they're only here for economic reasons, they'll be denied asylum. This is the process.

RENACCI: Well, but the process isn't working today. We can't have a catch and release process. We can't have them, you know, say, "Come back in three months or two months. What we have to do is make sure we have a border. And then we need to make sure we protect that border. And at the same time, we do have to have a legal process.

So look, these people will be welcomed if they -- if they've officially become individuals who are claiming asylum, but they can't come here illegally. And I think that's the issue. And Ohioans here don't want that to occur either. So --

CAMEROTA: Of course.

RENACCI: -- you know --

CAMEROTA: Nobody wants people to -- to sneak in illegally. These folks are hardly sneaking in. There's cameras following their every move. But I guess what I'm getting at, Congressman, is you have said everything the president has done in the last two years is working for the country. And I just want to know if you still feel that way.

RENACCI: Well, look, I look at the economy growing. I look at wages going up. I look at the jobs report last week. These are things that are working.

Look, some people even in the state of Ohio may not like some of the things he tweets or some of the things he says, but in the end, they have to love what he's doing. There's more money in their paychecks because of the tax cut and jobs bill. So in the end, let's look at the economy. Let's judge him based on what's happening with the economics of this country.

CAMEROTA: And understood. That's interesting, Congressman, you say that, because that's not what the president is campaigning for you and for other people on. He's not dealing with the economy.

In fact, here's what he says about people like you, I suppose, who suggest that he speak about the economy. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They all say, "Speak about the economy, speak about the economy." Well, we have the greatest economy in the history of our country. But sometimes it's not as exciting to talk about the economy, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Do you wish that he would speak more about the economy and less about the incendiary rhetoric about the migrants?

RENACCI: Well, look, immigration is also an important issue. Jobs and the economy is an important issue. There are a lot of things that have been left behind over the last -- last 20 years because of many career politicians in Washington like my opponent.

So in the end, I think we've got to talk about the economy. We've got to talk about immigration. People in Ohio are not happy with the immigration system either. People are not -- in Ohio are not happy about the health care system either.

[07:25:03] So there are a lot of issues that need to be fixed, and there's a lot of things that need to be done. And this president is starting to move that forward.

That's the one thing I do appreciate. He's not afraid to say we've got to get some things done, versus always worrying about the next election.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about health care. Why should any voters trust you and Republicans to preserve pre-existing conditions?

RENACCI: Well, because we've already said we're going to continue to make sure pre-existing conditions are covered.

CAMEROTA: I know you say that. I know you say that, Congressman, but you haven't voted that way. You've voted to repeal Obamacare wholesale, which would have gotten rid of pre-existing conditions. So that's why I'm asking how you can be trusted.

RENACCI: But Alisyn, that's not true. We voted for a bill out of the House that actually protected pre-existing conditions and moved it over to the Senate, only to see it die in the Senate, which is one of the big problems we have in this country right now. The Senate doesn't get anything done. They're too partisan. They shouldn't be, but they are. So we passed a bill that protected pre-existing conditions out of the House, and I passed that one, as well.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I understand. I mean, that is one bill, but there have been also multiple other times the Republicans have voted that didn't protect pre-existing conditions. So I just want to know what do you say to voters to convince them that it's not just lip service?

RENACCI: Well, the actions stand for themselves. We passed a bill to protect it, and we moved it over to the Senate, only for it to fail in the Senate.

Everybody wants to go back with the rhetoric of, "Well, you voted to repeal and repair and replace. In the end we know that the Affordable Care Act is not working. It's not working for the middle, the hard- working Ohioans who -- you know, they have two or three children. They can barely pay the premiums.

Then -- then they have a deductible that doesn't work. We have to fix this system. We can't just keep saying, "Oh, and by the way, my opponent" and some of the Democrats want to say, "Well, wait a minute. They just want to get rid of pre-existing conditions." That's the scare tactic which just isn't working. Republicans have already said there's not a Republican or a Democrat that wants to get rid of pre- existing conditions. And that's what's sad --

CAMEROTA: I know -- Congressman, I know that you keep saying that, and I think it's possible that some voters will believe you. But Republicans have voted for other bills than the one that you're talking about that would have just repealed Obamacare without anything else in place.

RENACCI: But we voted for a bill that came out of the House that repealed and maintained the pre-existing conditions.

So again, that's what we moved on. That's what moved over to the Senate. And that's what we tried to get done.

And I've already -- look, when you talk about bills, I've already signed off on letters, and I've signed off on a bill a couple months back that said we're going to continue to make sure pre-existing conditions are covered. Look, I keep saying this. Not a Republican or a Democrat wants to

eliminate pre-existing conditions. We've got to quit talking about it. It's a Democratic talking point. The truth of it is everybody wants to have health care that's affordable that includes coverage for pre-existing conditions.

CAMEROTA: All right.

RENACCI: Republicans and Democrats want that.

CAMEROTA: All right. Congressman Jim Renacci, we will see whose message resonates loudest, obviously, tomorrow. Thank you very much for joining us.

RENACCI: Thank you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: John.

BERMAN: So from racist robocalls to allegations of hacking into the voter registration system, Georgia's governor's race quickly turning into one of the nastiest in the country. The Democratic candidate, Stacey Abrams, joins us live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)