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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Voting in New Hampshire now just four hours away; Rush Limbaugh Came to Marco Rubio's Defense; Clinton On Shakeup Rumors: "We're Going To Take Stock"; CNN/WMUR Poll: Sanders 26 Points Ahead In N.H.; Clinton Vs. Sanders: The Woman Vote; Albright, Steinem Criticized For Message To Young Women Voters; Bloomberg: I'm Considering 2016 Bid; Clinton Struggling With Young, Women Voters; Will Snow Storm Impact N.H. Voting? Aired 8-9p ET
Aired February 08, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:23] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening. Thanks for joining us.
With voting in New Hampshire now just four hours away, begins that early in some places, forget what anyone else says about the calm before the storm. Out on the trail today, it looked more like the storm before the storm. Every major contender blanketing the state evens as a real storm did blanket the state, something that is expected to continue tomorrow with who knows what kind of impact on voter turnout.
Some campaign events are still going. Donald Trump holding a rally this evening. Also Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, Secretary Clinton appearing tonight with daughter Chelsea and former president Bill Clinton. There's that. There is also Marco Rubio coming off a bruising debate over the weekend. The Chris Christie bragging about being the one who did much of the bruising. Ted Cruz managing expectations, the rumblings of a Clinton campaign shake-up.
Breaking news as well, former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg talking about running and fellow Manhattan billionaire Donald Trump returning to full combat tweeting.
On top of that, the final tracking of CNN polls before midnight, when doors open to voters in a tiny towns of Dicksville, not heart's location Millsville, that is out, too. We'll have it out in the next two hours, tonight.
We begin, though, with Donald Trump firing this rocket at Jeb Bush. Quote "Jeb Bush has zero communication skills so he spent a fortune of special interest money on a super bowl ad. He is a weak candidate." To which Governor Bush replied, @RealDonaldTrump, you aren't just a loser, you are a liar and a whiner. John McCain is a hero, over and out.
In a moment, how both candidates are doing the newest CNN/WMUR tracking poll.
But first, Jim Acosta at tonight's Trump rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Does Trump have anything else to say about Bush tonight?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Not so far, Anderson. You know, in addition to the snow here in New Hampshire, there's been a blizzard of insults and put-downs between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush today. He has not mentioned Jeb Bush. He has yet and back to be moments ago, Donald Trump described this rally as the final love fest before the voting begins here in New Hampshire. But his campaign is confident about what we're going to see tomorrow night.
Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told me that they see a big difference between Iowa and New Hampshire. They believe Iowa was more about explaining this confusing caucus process to Iowans. Whereas in New Hampshire is pure getting out the vote. That's why you see this big splashy rally here in Manchester. The entire Trump family was speaking a few moments ago.
Now this approach, Anderson, admittedly did not work in Iowa. But inside the Trump campaign they are looking at the polls and feeling much better about New Hampshire. They think the approach will work here.
COOPER: And what is his overall tone or message in these last couple of hours before votes begin to be cast? Is he going after anybody by name or is he sort of going bigger?
ACOSTA: Well, Anderson, I think Donald Trump just summed up his closing argument a few moments ago. He said, yes, we are angry. This is about a movement that is driven by voter anger. And he is basically saying what he's argued all along. He is hitting the same lines that his audience seemed to expect every time. They can almost recite it himself. He is vowing to build that wall along the Mexican border. Escalate the war on ISIS. Scrap Obamacare and the Iran nuclear deal. The Trump campaigns doesn't do its own internal polling, they say, and that's appears to be why Donald Trump doesn't mind going after Jeb Bush even though Trump considers Bush way down in the polls.
And Anderson, I can tell you that personal vendetta does not alienate a lot of Republicans. Talked too many earlier today who said they have seen enough of the Bushes despite the fact that they have led the presidency -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Jim Acosta. Jim, thanks very much at that Trump rally.
Now, the Bush side, for that we turn to Athena Jones at the Bush rally in Portsmouth. What's Jeb has been talking about in his final pitch in New Hampshire voters.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Anderson.
Well, his closing argument is a lot like the argument he has been making all along. But it's getting a much stronger reception than he has in previous months. What we are seeing the most enthusiastic crown. We have seen a more confident Bush. His argument is that he has a proven conservative record. He has the executive experience to be able to lead on day one and that he has the temperament, the serious, steady hand to be able to lead this country, unlike some of his competitors, he has been tested through his eight years as governor.
He describes Donald Trump as an egotist, who does not have a servant's heart and he says that Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are gifted senators but they are back ventured. And that a good turn of phrase or good speech does not a presidency make. So that's part of the argument we've heard him make tonight before this crowd here in Portsmouth - Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Athena Jones. Athena, thanks.
Now, Marco Rubio took who took a verbal beating fin Saturday's debate for repeating the same campaign catch phrase again and again and again. Governor Christie today commenting on Senator Rubio's debate strategy quote "a heavyweight Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan," he said until they get punched in the face.
As you will see in a moment, though, any damage from that punch has yet to show up in our polling.
CNN's Manu Raju is travelling with Rubio campaign. He joins us now from Nashua.
Has Rubio's final message to the New Hampshire voters, has it change it all? What is it today?
[20:05:19] MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Anderson. His closing pitch really all resorts around one word, electability. He has been making that case really ever since he came here to New Hampshire. He is saying he is the one candidate who unite with the conservative wing of the party and the moderate wing of the party and take that message to voter who is don't traditional vote for Republicans in addition to 44-year-old Republican who is trying to make a generational contrast between him and the Democratic candidate as well. But of course the electability argument took a bit of a hit because of his debate performance on Saturday. His rivals, of course, seizing on that to say that's the kind of thing that Democrats will jump on when we get into a general election if Marco Rubio became the general nominee.
Now, as he heads in the polls here in Tuesday, it is very critical for Marco Rubio to made end up ahead of the governors who are running, the Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Chris Christie. If he emerges in front of them, he could more easily make the argument that he's that unity candidate, the party should unite behind him. But if he ends up behind them come Tuesday, this race could go on for a long time because those candidates will be making the same case to the Republican Party - Anderson.
COOPER: Yes, Manu Raju. Manu, thank you.
As we have been mentioning, our final tracking poll before the voting begins, it has just come out. Joining us to break it down is Republicans and Democrats by the numbers, our chief national correspondent John King.
So, clearly Donald Trump still in the lead, right? More good news for him.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More good news in the final tracking poll, Anderson. The question is going to be, much as we had in Iowa, does Donald Trump underperform or over-perform or match his polls. Remember, in Iowa, he well-underperformed his polls. But Trump in our final tracking poll is at 31 percent. That's up three. Tracking polls, some people say they are not so reliable. The thing you want to look for more than anything is the trend line. Trump with the big lead, 31 percent and 17 percent for Rubio and Ted Cruz at 14, Governor Kasich at 10, Governor Bush at seven.
What is more interesting in the trend, for the trend for Donald Trump is good. He is up three points over the past four days. The Rubio campaign putting out our poll numbers today, distributing them to reporters and to their donors because they say, look, the debate didn't hurt. He is flat lined. He hasn't change at all in the past few days. We will see if that number holds up come Election Day. But that was encouraging news for the Rubio campaign.
Senator Cruz up a point. So essentially flat at 14 percent, running third after winning Iowa. The Cruz campaign would be thrilled to come in third in New Hampshire. Of course, they love higher, but that would send them to the south in good shape.
And then you have, as Manu mentioned, the governors, Kasich at ten, Bush at seven, Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie run just behind here with a combined nine percent. And that is the big question. What does New Hampshire do, Anderson, if Trump performs anywhere close to his poll numbers, he will get a win tomorrow night. And then the question will be how is the establishment Rubio, Kasich, Christie, Bush, how does that sort itself out as we head to the south?
COOPER: Before we move on to the Democrats, I just want to ask you, in terms of -- that's done over the 4th to the 8th. So a lot of that was done before the debate on Saturday night, right?
KING: That's right. You're tracking consistently. This goes back to Friday night and then Saturday night and then, of course, the last couple of nights. So some of this is from before the debate and New Hampshire is notorious for breaking late. But, you know, again, there's nothing in our data to suggest the debate harmed Marco Rubio. But, you know, the data that counts comes tomorrow.
COOPER: Yes. What is the tracking poll show to the Democrats?
KING: Yes. One of the quick point about Republicans, too. Only half of Republicans say they are definitely decided, Anderson.
COOPER: Only half?
KING: Only half, 46 percent say they have definitely decided, 24 percent say they are leaning towards somebody and the rest say they are still shopping. So again --.
COOPER: Wow.
KING: We could have some interesting surprises tomorrow. Democratic voters are much more settled in their choice. And if you look at these numbers, it's a blowout for Bernie Sanders in the polling. That doesn't mean it will happen on Election Day, but 61 percent to 35 percent. The trend line is encouraging for Secretary Clinton. She is up four points over the last four days but within the Clinton campaign, Anderson, there are some other tracking polls that show it tighter than this. They say their own number are tighter than this. But they also say they fully expect to lose tomorrow night. Their goal, maybe this is a spin, but their goal they is to keep it in single digits.
COOPER: Right. John, stay right there. We are going to pick it up along with our panel after the quick break.
Coming up next, more on the Rubio's rough debate night and the boost he got today from Rush Limbaugh.
Also, breaking news. The impact of former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg gets in the race. That would be a fascinating development. He got closer late today in that got a lot of people talking.
Before we go, let's listen to a bit of Donald Trump speaking now in Manchester.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, China and plenty of others. Then you have third world countries and number 30 is the United States. So we are 30 in the world in education. And we are number one per pupil in course by far. Number two isn't even close. That's the way it is. It's not going to happen that way anymore, folks. Not going to happen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:13:32] COOPER: Live picture of Manchester there. You get a sense of the snow. We are trying to figure it out, of course, how bad is going to affect votes in New Hampshire tomorrow, less than four hours to go before voters in the nation's first primary state begin casting ballots. We are talking about all the factors, big and small, that could sway the outcome tomorrow in New Hampshire. One, which is going plenty of buzz, as you've been seeing, Marco Rubio's performance at the debate and Manu Raju talked about just a few minutes ago and as John King noted it did not seem to move the polling, although some of that polling is taken before the debate. Rush Limbaugh came to his defense. Take a listen to what Limbaugh said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I this is what I was talking about earlier when I say, I think some of these professional media analysts, God bless them and they do hard work and many of them, they are fine people. But I don't know that they have the ability to see these debates the way people watching the debates on TV see them. Meaning, I don't know how big a faux pas this was for Rubio. Clearly it was not a positive. Clearly it was not his best. But I don't think it ruined his chances and wiped him out like some in the media opine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, before we go to the professional opiners to my left, let's bring in our chief political analyst, Gloria Borger, John king, senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson and senior political commentator and former top Obama advisor David Axelrod and then we get to the political commentators Jeffrey Lord, Amanda Carpenter and Paul Begala. They are in order. A Trump supporter and former Reagan White House senior advisor, former Cruz communications director, and a senior advisor to pro-Clinton super PAC and last in this intro, but often first in our hearts (INAUDIBLE), thank you to you all.
I mean, David, how bad was that debate for Rubio? And is Limbaugh right that people watching at home don't see it as the sort of the chattered class?
[20:15:24] DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, we will know tomorrow like I said. I think that it was bad. And I think it was bad for two reasons. One is the thing you don't want is to make a gaffe or a mistake that underscores a narrative, a negative narrative about yourself. And there was this narrative that Marco Rubio was a good speech with not much behind it.
COOPER: Right.
AXELROD: And Chris Christie just brutally exposed him in that debate. The second is, as Manu said, he is making the case about electability and all of a sudden he didn't look all that formidable. And it would give people who are concerned about electability some pause and maybe reason to look at some of the other candidates. So I don't think it was a great night.
COOPER: I mean, so many - I mean, to John's point earlier, some of the Republican voters are undecided at this point. I mean, these polls, we have no idea, really, what is going to happen tomorrow.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: We don't. And you know, I was talking to people and a bunch of Republican campaigns today have been outdoor knocking and they are saying, we have been knocking on all of these doors and people that actually are saying, I'll decide the minute I get inside the booth.
AXELROD: All over New Hampshire, Republicans are going to be up all night.
BORGER: Right.
AXELROD: Thinking about their choices.
BORGER: So, you know, so it's anywhere between, what, 35 and 40 percent undecided, basically, maybe more. So I think it is difficult. But to the point about Marco Rubio, I agree with Rush Limbaugh. We really don't know. But I think it wasn't so much what Rubio said, which was, by the way, Barack Obama knows exactly what he's doing, because that has been the thesis of his entire campaign. I think it's the way he said it, which was robotic, over and over again and when Christie -- to use Christie's face, punched him in the face, he didn't know how to respond to that. And I think that's what people saw and could respond to.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: But I think it's good for Rubio that he has Rush Limbaugh out there sort of blocking and tackling in front of that really big audience that Rubio is going to need if he's going to win this thing and Rush Limbaugh has done that before, defending Marco Rubio. So I think that's what you have that other conservatives which I think smaller platform who really been really tearing into him, Laura Ingraham, for instance, and Rich Lowry. But I think it is notable that were somehow would come out.
KING: That to me is the bigger question here is not so much did as it knock him down, but did it stop him? He was clearly moving up. And did it just flat that does it flat line after that and stay at 17 which could be in second place? But he was going up.
COOPER: And all of that talk about momentum after Iowa.
KING: If the conversation in New Hampshire was of Trump underperforms again, if Trump falls into the mid-20s, could Rubio actually get there? Could he get to Trump or could he get very close to Trump, one or two behind Trump, that would have changed the conversation late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Now it looks like -- and again, let people vote tomorrow and this late -- New Hampshire is notorious for late breaking. It looks like there's going to be a cluster of the moral core mainstream establishment candidates and the conversation of week ago that New Hampshire will give us the alternative to Trump and Cruz, probably have a ways to go.
COOPER: There's a lot more tickets out of New Hampshire perhaps now than there was.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I think for the mainstreamers, let's say Rubio stays second or third. The one who comes after him or right with him is going to be able to raise money. The other ones, if Christie falls, IF Christie stays is right down there, I don't think he is not going to raise any money. If Bush comes below Cruz, Rubio, Christie and Kasich, I'm not saying he will get out before South Carolina, but it is going to make it really hard to --
AXELROD: One of the winners, if that's the case and you have a cluster and you more people moving on and the circus moves on to South Carolina, it is Donald Trump. Because I think the larger the field, the better his 35 percent stands up. The field shrinks, he's got problems.
BORGER: If you look at polling, though, you see maybe what Christie did was the sacrifice fly and that the people who could benefit from it is Kasich and Jeb Bush. COOPER: I hear some grumbling over there.
Jeff, I mean, how confident are you in your candidate, Donald Trump?
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm confident. I mean, he has got Corey Lewandowski who is from New Hampshire, who has been through this a thousand times. That exactly the kind of person you want have in New Hampshire. In terms of Marco Rubio, I would say it's always good to have Rush Limbaugh blocking and tackling for you. Maybe he over messaged a little bit.
COOPER: Right.
LORD: But the fact of what he was saying is something that Rush Limbaugh has been talking about for years.
COOPER: Right.
LORD: So to get to the point of what the audience hears, what Gloria was talking about and what Rush was talking about, they are hearing this. I mean, this makes sense to them. So, you know, I'm not sure that that is as much of a negative as they think.
AMANDA CARPENTER, FORMER CRUZ COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Yes. And to Jeffrey's point and Gloria is right early. It wasn't the substance of Rubio's talking point. It was the presentation of it.
[20:20:05] BORGER: Right.
CARPENTER: But listen, he has had great debate performances before. It didn't help him in the polls. It's not clear a bad performance will hurt him but in between campaigning really hard in New Hampshire, he has to get rid of that speeching (ph) tic before the next debate on Saturday night because if it happens again, it will hurt.
COOPER: I mean, do you -when you look into the money, Paul, that Jeb Bush has put into in and certainly the super - that's the money that's been raised for Jeb Bush, it is extraordinary how poorly he is doing. Do you see him moving out of here?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Because of the money, yes. But do I see him moving to the nomination? No. Because money can sustain him to keep him winning but can't make him win. These things we are One thank we are learning even more initiated any cycle I have seen are being determined in the free press, not in the paid media. Donald Trump has probably said less in the paid media than anybody in the race and he is going to win, I think, a huge victory tomorrow.
And connecting at this point, Marco Rubio has done very well in the free press. We were all, you know, excited when he bet an expectation in Iowa. And he rode this kind of surge to New Hampshire. That's why this gaffe hurts, not probably for tomorrow. Usually it takes a few days with these things to work through the system. But tomorrow is not the last primary. It's the first.
This is going to hurt more because of what Jeffrey said, you know, he is going to come back to those talking points. It is what he does and it thieves its preexisting narratives as Axe talked about. In the same way -- remember when poor Rick Perry couldn't count to three? Well, it is like a narrative. And he is a dope because he is. And Marco is a talking point machine. He is. And so, the gaffes -- not all gaffes are equal. Barack Obama in May of '08 said I'm campaigning in all 50 states. It didn't hurt. Nobody was worried that Obama was stupid. The people are worried that Marco Rubio is just kind of an empty suit. He kind of chokes.
COOPER: Well, also, New Hampshire papers were pretty tough on Marco Rubio for not spending a lot of time in New Hampshire whereas you look at Kasich, you know, he has had more than 100 town halls. Jeb Bush has certainly spent a lot of time there. Christie has been there a lot.
BILL PRESS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No. And I think Marco Rubio was very smart to spend a lot of time in Iowa. It certainly helped him. As surprise to us, he only speak Donald Trump and they gave him a great boost in New Hampshire.
But, you know, at first, Paul and I don't have a dog in this fight which is what it makes it so fun to talk about these guys. But I think Rubio did hurt himself. By the way, I don't think Rush's endorsement was very, very strong.
He didn't endorse but he said, well, it wasn't as bad as people thought. It was pretty bad. I mean, I watched it all. We all watched it.
COOPER: He survived the walkout.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Pretty painful.
PRESS: First time I didn't really understand his point. The second time, I thought he just exact same words, the third time, the exact same words. The fourth time, the exact same words. To me, the tragedy was, I think Marco Rubio lost but I don't think Chris Christie -- he did not win.
BORGER: No.
PRESS: So he did the beating up and it looks like he is not going to benefit from it. It will be Kasich.
AXELROD: You think it was a tragedy? I don't believe you think that.
PRESS: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For Chris Christie it was a --
BORGER: This narrative didn't just start with Marco Rubio's mistake ring the debate in his robotic performance. It really started, I think, when Rick Santorum in endorsing him couldn't name a single thing that he had accomplished. So that got a lot of attention you add --
BEGALA: It could back to the state of the union respond a few years ago. He couldn't give a speech without --
(CROSSTALK)
AXELROD: That's the thing about presidential races. These are -- there's a nonlinear component to this. These are tests. They are serial tests and people look at you and they try and assess, can you stand up to the pressures of the presidency. And when you're on a stage and a guy dresses you down and you seem to wilt under that pressure, that is a very damaging thing, especially for a guy who is depicted as a Calo (ph) youth.
COOPER: John, go ahead and we got to go.
KING: Well, I don't - the Calo (ph) youth choir, I'm not sure. But that's what the Democrats want to call him. And some of the Republicans. I go back to the 2008 analogy in that Barack Obama then like then, like Marco Rubio now is the best athlete on the field with potential. The question is, does he need a little more time in AA and AAA or is he ready for the major leagues. And Barack Obama crew, even though his polls said, made some mistakes. He is to forget the committee he was on sometimes in the Senate. I was going to name all 57 states.
Obama made exactly what he was.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: To his credit, when Obama fell down, he got up. And his team, when they fell down, they got up and they recovered. So let's just see what happens with Rubio here as we go forward.
COOPER: We have got to take a quick break.
Just ahead, inside the final stretch for the Democrats, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton hitting the trail hard today. You're looking at Bill Clinton warming up the crowd at a live event right now in Hudson, New Hampshire. The Clinton camp sharpening their attacks on the front-runner. Bernie Sanders facing back lack for the comments of two Clinton supporters. Details ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm very grateful to him. Look, tonight my job is to introduce Hillary. Sometimes when I'm on a stage like this, I wish we weren't married. Then I could say what I really think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:28:53] COOPER: Well, as we said, the latest CNN/WMUR tracking poll shows Bernie Sanders with a 26-point lead over Hillary Clinton on the eve of New Hampshire's primary.
You're looking at live pictures from a Clinton rally in Hudson. Miss Clinton getting assisted from her husband. Her daughter Chelsea just left the stage. All three have been stumping hard across New Hampshire on their own and together. Over the weekend and all day long, team Clinton sharpened their attacks on Bernie Sanders. Our senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns joins me now tonight.
So, what has Clinton's message been in these final hours?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: You know, like them or hate them, Anderson, I think you can say this is what we have come to expect from the Clintons. When the polls are down, when they are pushed into a corner, they fight. And that's what we have seen over the last 24 hours or so. That's what we're seeing right now with Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton and Hillary Clinton coming.
They have a whole cast of characters out here, the female senator, the female governor of New Hampshire, Ted Danson, Mary Stein, Burr John, the Hollywood actors. A long list of people all to tried to close the gap between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, which sounds right now like a very tough job.
[20:30:02] From the perspective of the Clinton camp, Bernie Sanders has used a lot of very sharp rhetoric and now they say they're responding to him and Bill Clinton has been leading the charge, Anderson.
COOPER: There's been some reporting that there's internal discord between the Clintons and their campaign. What are you learning?
JOHNS: We're hearing a couple things. Bill Clinton behind me, I'm told, it has been concerned about the campaign. And the question of whether there's enough creativity in it, the question of whether they are looking forward as opposed to looking backward. And Hillary Clinton herself has said they are going to take a look and an accounting of you will of the situation and why they were so close in Iowa, for example, why she's behind here in New Hampshire, but no big changes in the campaign.
There are concerns from Democrats about the fact that Bernie Sanders has been able to out-fundraise them and they are concerned generally about the whole situation going forward. So they're going to take a look at it but apparently no big changes they say in the campaign structure at least for now.
COOPER: All right Joe, thanks very much.
It's been a full day of campaigning for Bernie Sanders as well. The Senator squeezed in three rallies in a concert, he who has a 26-point lead in the just released CNN/WMUR tracking poll, he's clearly not resting on those poll numbers.
New Hampshire voters, as we talked about are known for waiting until the last minute to make up their minds. In the new poll, just 64 percent said, they definitely decided who will get their vote. CNN Political Correspondent Brianna Keilar joins us now. So what's he been talking about in this final push?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We're actually waiting him at his final event. We do think he'll be coming out soon. Actually the band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has been killing time because it appears that Sanders has been a little behind schedule. But he's pushing what he's really consistently they're pushing all along talking about income inequality, a rigged economic system that favors the wealthy.
And this is the University of New Hampshire. So we also expect that he'll be talking about free public college, something that certainly is going to resonate with this crowd. It is interesting though Anderson, sometimes you'll hear a Sanders rally is likened to a fish concert and actually that sort of came true tonight. Jonathan Fishman of Fish was here performing with a folk band from Vermont.
COOPER: And so have they responded, either the candidate or the campaign, to former President Clinton's sharpening attacks on the Senator today and over the weekend?
KEILAR: Yeah, they have. And they're trying to sort of throw it back on the President Clinton and under the Clinton campaign. One spokesman, Anderson, said that it was disappointing what he had said and really trying to say that it's basically desperation. They say the race has been changing here in New Hampshire. It's changing in other places and so they say that this is the Clinton campaign, as President Clinton trying to distract from some of the issues.
It is of note, Bernie Sanders was asked about these so-called Bernie bros or accused of trolling Clinton supporters online saying, mean things to them, sometimes sexist things to them. He did denounce that but, again, one of his top advisers saying this focus that President Clinton made on this Bernie bros is just an attempt to really distract.
COOPER: All right Brianna, thank you.
In 2008, women in New Hampshire helped Hillary Clinton pulled off an unexpected primary victory over candidate Barack Obama. Tonight the latest CNN/WMUR tracking poll, shows Sanders leading Clinton among women by 11 points. What's more, his support among 18 to 34-year-old women is overwhelming. He leads Clinton 87 percent to 9 among that age group.
That is the generational gap to high-profile Clinton supporters fell into over the weekend. And here's what Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Glori Steinem said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FMR SECRETARY OF STATE: And a lot of you younger women don't think you have to-- this has been done, it's not done and you have to help Hillary Clinton will always be there for you and just remember, there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.
GLORIA STEINEM, FEMINIST/ACTIVIST: And first of all, women get more radical as we get older. When you're young, you're thinking, you know, where are the boys? The boys it was Bernie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Ms. Steinem later apologized both comments for anger at the time when Mrs. Clinton clearly has to work cut out for her among young women. Here's Gary Tuchman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A college gymnasium with many young women, self-described progressive Democrats. People Hillary Clinton wants and needs for her presidential bid. But these female millennial aren't here for Hillary Clinton. They're here for Bernie Sanders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to see women in the White House, to Hillary Clinton, no.
TUCHMAN: Entrance polls taken at the Iowa Caucuses showed Democratic women under the age of 30 favored Bernie Sanders by an overwhelming margin.
[20:35:04] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of what I hear Bernie Sanders speaking about is for college kids, helping them out once they graduate.
BERNIE SANDERS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDISATE: What we're talking about is free tuition at public colleges and universities.
TUCHMAN: The free tuition proposal resonates for many young women who are chooses Sanders over Clinton. But those here have other reasons, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought because somebody is a woman doesn't fairly mean that they're right for the job. I want to make sure they have the right, you know, qualifications and the right standards and they have the right morals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't really trust in what she has to say. It's like I don't really believe in her.
TUCHMAN: At this rally, New Hampshire's Daniel Webster College, and the later rally at the Manchester Theater, there were other reasons these young women who very much want to see a woman president, say they are willing to wait for that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the end, you have to vote for your interest and right now Bernie gets my interest better than Hillary does.
TUCHMAN: Susan Elsass is over 30 years old, but dean of students at the college and supporting Hillary Clinton.
SUSAN ELSASS, DEAN OF STUDENTS, DANIEL WEBSTER COLLEGE: It's just tie.
TUCHMAN: So what do you say to the younger women you see here you say no, it's not her time?
ELSASS: Yeah, that's confusing to me. I'm excited that they are involved in the process but it's very confusing to me and I don't understand what those issues are and how Hillary hasn't been able to make that case to those women.
TUCHMAN: But some of the young women hearsay she has made her case and it's probably not enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would love to see a woman in the White House. I don't know if Hillary Clinton is that candidate. I don't know if she is that person to break that barrier because of the different strings that come attached with Hillary.
TUCHMAN: The United States turns 240 years old this July 4th. And after two centuries and four decades of independence, not only has there never been a female U.S. President, there's never been a female Democratic or Republican Presidential nominee.
History will one day be made but it's clear there are many female Democrats who are very loyal to the party who prefer it not be this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And Gary joins us now. So in all of the young democratic women, the Democrats you talked to today, did you talk to anyone who felt that a woman in the White House is not necessarily an important goal?
TUCHMAN: No. Everyone I talked it to, Anderson, every young woman wants to see a female president. But today's 20-year-old voter has grown up a lot in a different time and place than today's 50-year-old voter and those young voters I talked to, those young female voters think this will happen sooner rather than later and, therefore, they are more patient the people I talked to today.
I should mention though, Anderson, that if Hillary Clinton win the Democratic Presidential Nomination, these women are not Republicans, they will most likely be voting for Hillary Clinton anyway for the President of the United States.
COOPER: All right Gary, thanks. We'll get the panel's take on this. Also, our breaking news, a possible new wild card in a race that has already rewritten the political play books. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg goes on the record, confirms he is considering jumping into the race.
And Bernie Sanders just now on the stage in Durham, let's listen to that as we get a break.
SANDERS: And I believe that you understand, that while the decisions that are made in Washington today impact every American, they impact the younger generation even more. Because you are going to have to live with those decisions for the next 60, 70, God willing, 80 years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:42:19] COOPER: And you're looking at two live events going on right now. Bernie Sanders in Durham, New Hampshire and Hillary Clinton in Hudson, both making final pitches tonight before voting begins, now just over three hours in a couple places in New Hampshire.
One thing that could shake up that side of the race and the whole race in general is a possible new entering, former New York Mayor and media mobile Michael Bloomberg, told the Financial Times, he is looking into jumping into the primary. He says he's looking at all the options. It's the first time he is confirmed reports that he's eyeing a White House bid.
Last month "The New York Times" said, he was thinking about running as an independent. He reportedly, he's troubled by the lead that Trump and Sanders have in New Hampshire.
Back with our panel, a lot to talk about. First of all, Gloria, I understand you have some new reporting based on conversations about a possible shake-ups or trouble in the Clinton camp?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I do. There are -- I was talking to a Clinton source who said to me, look, they are -- what they are looking for in the Clinton campaign is what this source called a more disciplined process which they haven't had.
And that they believe there's a couple of mistakes the campaign has made. First of which is not taking Bernie Sanders more seriously this past summer because I was told, you know, it's hard -- his supporters now are so passionate that it's hard to change their minds and it's hard to change to fight passion with reason is what I was told.
And secondly, they believe that she's not connecting, obviously, her heart with the voters and they need to do something to fix that. You can't fire the candidate in these kinds of situations. So you have to fix the campaign.
COOPER: But in the real T.V. news, they change the set and then they fire their producer and then finally they will announce (ph). Maybe the anchors, is the problem.
BORGER: But you can't fire.
COOPER: Just for those who were watching ...
(CROSSTALK)
DAVID AXELROD, FRM OBAMA SENIOR ADVISER: This is suddenly turned into group therapy.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: My question is, I mean, at a certain point, is it the candidate or is the campaign? JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Look, there are some things that they can do better and they acknowledged that. Bernie Sanders targeting at young people with digital advertising, digital messaging. He's been superior to the Clinton campaigns and they know that and they're trying to fix it.
But part of this is the environment and the candidate. Just ask Jeb Bush. It is hard if you are a brand to run in an environment where people want something new and different. And the Clintons are a brand. They are yesterday to a lot of people. And I know Bernie Sanders is older and this makes almost no sense, but he's new and he's different and he is speaking to them.
And one of the things Hillary Clinton does that she did a lot in 2008, is she says, "You know, I don't need to tour the Oval Office. I have the experience. I'm ready on day one.'' Nine campaigns out of 10, that's a pretty good message. But this is the one where that's not what people are looking for. It's a Republican ...
AXELROD: Well, you know, I said -- I said last week that, this experience message is troubling because by definition, when experience is your argument, you're talking about yourself.
[20:45:07] I mean, Bill Clinton says, "We should be talking about the future'', but when Hillary Clinton gets asked by a young person why they should beef for her, she starts reciting her life of achievement and trying to persuade them on the basis of her biography and it's all about her. Bernie Sanders is not talking all about himself in his speeches.
And I think that particularly with these younger people, that's made a difference. But the one thing that strikes me is, there is a kind of Groundhog Day quality that's going on right now.
COOPER: Right. I mean, we could have said this was the set in 2008 about underestimating ...
AXELROD: You know, look at this weekend. Bill Clinton lashing out in a kind of harsh way at Bernie Sanders last night. Stories the day before the primary about a shake-up in the campaign. I don't see how this helps.
The thing I don't understand is, she is still a solid favorite to be the nominee. Once you get past these two races, she's in pretty good shape. If I were around there, I would say, "Everybody chill, man."
BORGER: Yeah: But how do you get Bill Clinton to chill if you ...
AXELROD: Well, that's an issue. I don't know, Paul Begala knows.
(CROSSTALK)
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: And they seem to go from 0 to 60 very quickly. I mean, they were laying off Bernie Sanders and then they just like attacked him. And then you had days in Iowa where they felt like they wanted to be more optimistic and then they turned again to attacking Bernie Sanders. And then they have the surrogates out here, whether it's Gloria Steinem or Madeleine Albright.
(CROSSTALK)
AXELROD: And sending out, sending out, set the generians and active generians to lecture 20-year-olds on what their responsibilities are to ...
COOPER: 20-year-olds love that.
(CROSSTALK)
AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm really curious to see how that matches up in the general election because I think Hillary will still be the nominee. But, I mean, we're in the environment now where they get really angry if you criticize the way that she speaks. They are upset about internet trolls. They're telling young women to fall in line, essentially, as respect your elders.
We have gone through a Republican primary where political correctness was rejected wholesale. People will be very excited to continue campaign against that in the form of the Hillary Clinton candidacy.
COOPER: It does seem weird to be complaining about internet trolls.
CARPENTER: Yeah.
COOPER: I mean, yeah. Who isn't to set by internet trolls ...
(CROSSTALK)
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, one of the things that occurs here, the old Winston Churchill saying, that if you're not a liberal when you're 20, you have no heart. And if you're not a conservative by the time you're 40, you have no brain.
You think back to the McCarthy campaign against Lyndon Johnson in the establishment or the McGovern campaign against Edmund Muskie or arguably the Gary Hart campaign against Walter Mondale.
Young people in the Democratic Party, when they're young and liberal, they are really young and really liberal. I don't think this has to do with them necessarily being women. I think it has to do that they've moved left and they look at Hillary Clinton as an earlier generation, looked at Edmund Muskie and said no thanks.
COOPER: Bill?
BILL PRESS, SANDERS SUPPORTER: First of all, breaking news, Bernie Sanders is not going to win by 30 points in New Hampshire but he is going to win by double-digits, I believe. And if you look at that, plus almost winning in Iowa, I think the Clinton campaign, if they're not thinking about reassessing particularly the message, that they ought to be because Bernie is getting through and that she isn't. And I think where he's getting through is he's lifting the aspirations of these young people and say, "We can have free community college. We can have universal health care in this country. We can have a living wage.'' And she comes along like to scold saying, "Lower your expectations. Let's be pragmatic.
CARPENTER: Right. Exactly.
PRESS: Let's be practical.'' That doesn't so. You know, Charles Blow in "The New York Times" this morning I thought it a great piece, that Hillary's theme is, "I have half a dream." Nobody wants to hear that.
COOPER: Paul, I mean, you worked for a pro-Clinton Super PAC.
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah. And by the way, I'm for her anyway. I love her. I've known her most of my whole lifetime and I love her. And that just there is a certain element in this conversation, you can't win for losing.
Oh, she ignored Bernie Sanders, it's not true. She ignored (inaudible), oh, now she's attacking. She's too negative. Well, now, she's shaking up her step. But she's shaking up her step.
She gave an interview today where she said "I'm not her campaign (inaudible).'' Everybody should do with access and just chill the heck out. She's going to lose tomorrow by 26 points, if our poll is accurate. But she's still going to be the Democratic nominee. She very likely could be president. I'm going to have to make access of my dates to (inaudible) poll.
So I'm happy to bring David. If I keep talking like this, I'm not going to get invited to ...
AXELROD: Well, you'll be my plus one, as Steinem is going to kill me though.
BEGALA: But no, it's hard to ...
AXELROD: She should chill. And Bill should chill. That's where they ...
BEGALA: She's running for president and it's not the time to chill.
AXERLOD: No. But sending him out as an attack dog is the wrong thing, the wrong message.
BEGALA: Well, we knew this was just great. What he is doing -- Bill points out, Senator Sanders is raising people's aspiration. That's a lovely thing. I think it's perfectly fair for somebody to hold him to those same standards.
So, drove me crazy, you could see Bill Clinton talking about it. His campaign -- I believe Sanders knew nothing about this. But his campaign reach the day they will and stole data. So pretty scummy thing because the Democratic Party overreacted so ridiculously, he actually won that. He raised money off of his own staffer's theft.
[20:50:05] Now, that's in the Catholic Church, we call chutzpah. OK. So I think it's ...
AXELROD: It's not the kind of know how we need them ...
BEGALA: That is a kind of thing young people who believe in idealism are going to be ...
BORGER: But can I just say ...
BEGALA: ... and I think that's a fair thing to raise. He did not pay a political price for that fact. It was not his fault first ma'am I want this to stress that, I don't believe he's a very honorable guy. But somebody on his team did that.
BORGER: The last thing passionate, young voters want to hear is, be practical, dear.
AXELROD: Yeah. That's right.
BEGALA: But should she lie you think who she is, Gloria. What she is she supposed to lie she spoke pretend she's a second coming of Barack Obama? She's pragmatic.
BORGER: No, no, I understand that. But I think it does account for some of her problems against Bernie Sanders and she says, look, he has all of these great ideas and she said about Barack Obama, he gives a great speech. He has all of these great ideas but he can't get anything done and here's appeal to younger voters is, yes, we can. Right?
BEGALA: Yes, he's not just pie in the sky. He's a whole floating bakery. And she is going to say, no you eat that, you're going to get fat. And, you know, what wait young people may not like but we have good time on that.
PRESS: What Bernie says you mean Sweden can do it. Canada can do it, France can do it. Germany can do it and we can't do it we're greatest country on the earth. It is not a message ...
COOPER: We going to take this conversation coming up. We had at least an hour and 10 more minutes.
So as of time as we mentioned, snow is falling in New Hampshire. Of course is coming, we answer question could the storm impact voting some inside of that one. When we continue a lot more with our panelists.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [20:55:03] COOPER: Well, there's a slippery end to the campaign trail in New Hampshire, literally, all due to Mother Nature. A winter storm dropping snow on the state right now. There is a -- here is what it looks like in Manchester voting starts there tomorrow morning, but some tiny towns will cast ballots in just about three hours from now, leading some to wonder if this weather, to keep voters away from the polls tomorrow.
Meteorologist Jennifer Gray is tracking the storm joins us now. So, what's the latest on the storm what's should going to be like tomorrow?
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Anderson, this is one a big one. It dumped a lot of snow. Not necessarily in the New Hampshire. They didn't get the highest totals but places like the Cape and points to the south definitely did. The good news is for New Hampshire and the surrounding areas, this storm is pretty much over. All of the energy quickly moving to the north and east.
We still have a couple of lingering showers across the state. All of New Hampshire still seeing flurries Maine as well even the Cape. We had blizzard conditions across the Cape earlier today with totals of eight to nine inches of snow. Areas around coastal portions of New Hampshire saw about five inches but majority of the state saw less than two inches of snow.
We still have those winter weather advisories in place through tomorrow morning. Luckily, that blizzard warning has been canceled and so we are going to still continue to get some of those flurries, Anderson, as we go through the overnight hours and even into tomorrow for New Hampshire. So we could pick up an additional two inches of snow over the next 12 hours or so. It will be tapering off as we get into tomorrow though. So that is the good news. They are sandwiched right in between these two systems. Basically, one is exiting and another one is coming tomorrow.
But luckily, that one is going to pass to the south of New Hampshire. So they should steer clear. However, the Mid-Atlantic States are going to get a little bit of rain and even snow from that. But New Hampshire should be good to go for the primary. Anderson?
COOPER: All right well that's good news for people turning out to vote. Jennifer Gray thanks.
Up next, Donald Trump back on the attack taking the verbal assault to a whole new level. Well that and much more when "360" continues.
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