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At This Hour
Will Candidate Video Wars, Club for Growth Ads Work; Breaking Down the CNN Debate Rules; Will There Be More, Less Name Calling in Debate; 5 Debate Matchups to Watch; A Look at Reagan Library. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired September 15, 2015 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:32:43] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. It's now just one day before the CNN Republican presidential debate. The polls, the new ones out this morning, Donald Trump and Ben Carson pretty much neck and neck. Two outsiders, the two candidates to beat, way ahead of the more experienced politicians.
Now, while this is going on, there is a new campaign afoot. We're seeing the video war. Really a new here. The Rubio campaign put out a pretty entertaining video with the candidate to coincide with the beginning of the football season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More nervous before first presidential debate or first college football game?
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was more nervous before my first college football game, because you were actually going to get hit. No one's going to hit me at the debate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: At a minimum, Marco Rubio can catch a football.
Now, in addition to that, there is an air war, television ads. The conservative group, Club for Growth, just put an ad up in Iowa, $1 million worth of advertising against Donald Trump. Trump just responded, he said, "Little respected club. They asked me for $1 million. I said no. Now they are spending lobbyist and special interest money on ads."
Having a hard time reading that tweet. I think that's roughly what he said.
Joining me now, Republican strategist, Kevin Madden; and former Obama adviser, Dan Pfeiffer, former Democratic strategist, now a CNN analyst as well.
Two separate things here. These videos the campaigns are putting up for free and then the advertising out there. I want to start with the videos first because we saw it with Marco Rubio, the super PAC backing Carly Fiorina, with Jeb Bush yesterday. They are trying to frame their candidates in a certain way heading into this debate, Dan.
DAN PFEIFFER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think what every candidate wants, for every campaign is to go viral. If you have a video that is catchy and can get shared on social media, that's free publicity. The Rubio video is the best of the cycle.
BERMAN: It was terrific.
PFEIFFER: It shows us a side of him we haven't seen. It shows the political skills everyone talks about that I don't think we've seen a lot in this campaign. It was smart. I thought the Fiorina video was also a great video.
[11:35:06] BERMAN: Yeah, the Carly Fiorina super PAC ad showing the many faces.
Kevin, I was surprised to know that Rubio was at the 1985 game where the Dolphins beat the Bears in that great season.
Let's talk about the paid media. Jeb Bush's super PAC, $100 million in the bank. Going up with some their first big advertising in Iowa. We showed it earlier on this show. A very positive message talking about Jeb Bush, the governor. Does that resonate with voters?
KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, the idea here is to introduce his record as a conservative. And also align him with some of the issues that voters care about, particularly in the primary. You saw a lot of talk in that ad about spending, about cutting taxes, and about reforming government. Those are all sort of animating issues when you talk to voters about what they want to see out of their next candidate Jeb Bush has been out of the political game for close to 10 years so not as many are as readily informed. This is an attempt to educate those voters and to engage those voters on the issues.
BERMAN: When will we see the super PACs backing candidates, not the outside groups like Club for Growth? Will do you think we will see them start to go negative? Is it time?
PFEIFFER: We may have crossed the point where it was time. I'm surprised by how little the super PACs have done. I understand their logic about, if we go after Trump, we're reinforcing Trump's message, which Trump did with great skill in that tweet about Club for Growth. He immediately, they backed lobbyists and special interests. But it is -- like the establishment candidates are getting more defined. In the age of social media, it is harder to change impressions. They've waited very long. And Trump has a historically significant lead. No one has been up by as much as Trump in the early states has lost.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: He hasn't spent a cent. Donald Trump hasn't spent a cent on television ads.
MADDEN: And he's got millions and millions and millions in free media.
BERMAN: We think he does.
MADDEN: And he's got millions and millions in free media, yeah.
BERMAN: Is he willing --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: -- and really to spend money?
MADDEN: Oftentimes, you use advertising to change the conversation, to create a new dynamic to give your candidate a better environment to thrive in. Donald Trump is doing that with free media right now. And so, that's why a lot of these other campaigns. And Dan's right. We may have passed the point to go negative. And many of the super PACs, one of the great advantages of the super PACs would be that the super PACs could go negative on another candidate while the campaigns don't actually have fingerprints on the crime scene. It's interesting that the first ads from some of the super PACs are positive.
BERMAN: And one thing I've learned, it's never too late to go negative.
(LAUGHTER)
PFEIFFER: Too late effectively.
BERMAN: Too effectively.
Will Donald Trump spend money on ads?
PFEIFFER: I'm fascinated to see how Donald Trump will respond to this Club for Growth ad. Will he use actual money to do it? Right now he doesn't need to. He's dominating the entire conversation without spending a cent.
MADDEN: And all he has to do is sent out a tweet and that tweet will respond to that all day long.
BERMAN: Kevin Madden, Dan Pfeiffer, great to have you with us. Appreciate it, gentlemen.
Be sure to tune in for tomorrow night's debate right here on CNN. The main event, the top 11 candidates begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern. Before that, the four other candidates, Pataki, Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, they face off at 6:00 p.m. eastern.
But, Kate, you're right, the fun has already begun. You don't want to turn away for even a second -- Kate?
BOLDUAN: Not even a second, don't even blink, if it's impossible to avoid it.
Coming up for us, no phones, no notes, no props, folks. So, what are the candidates allowed to have on stage with them during the showdown tomorrow night? We'll break down the all-important debate rules.
This is CNN's special live coverage.
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[11:42:35] BOLDUAN: The stage is in place, the candidate list is set, so what could go wrong? The rules, my friends. They matter in every debate and they will matter very much tomorrow night.
Tom Foreman is taking a look for us on what to expect when the candidates enter the ring for the main event.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The same 10 candidates we saw last time around will be on stage with the addition of Carly Fiorina, who was in the earlier so-called happy hour debate, who's now jumped up to the bigger group.
What are they going to have to work with in this contest? They can't bring any phones with them, no tablets, no notes, no props. Each candidate will have a pad of paper and a pen and a glass of water.
And what will they be facing? Well, our panel will be comprised of our moderator, Jake Tapper, also CNN's Dana Bash, and Hugh Hewitt from radio. They will be posing questions, along with some confess that will be taken from social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so forth.
The subject matters are going to be foreign policy, domestic policy and politics. Big, broad topics.
With so many people on stage, they will have narrow windows in which to answer. One minute per answer, 30 seconds if it's a rebuttal to something else that was said about you. And we will use timing lights to show the candidates if they are running out of time.
Lest you think the people in the earlier debate are at a huge disadvantage, yes, they may very well have a smaller audience, but they'll have a whole lot more time to express their ideas. And under the rules, if one of them says something that's particularly sharp or interesting, that video clip can be played in the larger debate, and those candidates will have to answer to it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Tom Foreman, thanks so much.
That's how Carly Fiorina broke out in the first debate. Food for thought. We will see.
So beyond the rules, what will happen when the candidates go toe to toe? Once again, name calling has become, for better or worse, a mainstay of the Republican primary so far. If it's anything like the first debate, you can expect a little or a lot more of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think you're on the wrong side of this if you're still arguing for a single payer.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think you heard me. You're having a hard time tonight.
PAUL: I don't trust President Obama with our records. I know you gave him a big hug. If you want to give him a big hug again, go right ahead.
(CHEERING)
CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R), NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And, you know -- you know, Senator Paul -- Senator Paul, the hugs I remember are the hugs I gave to families who lost heir people on September 11th.
[11:45:] TRUMP: Most of the people on this stage I've given to, just so you understand, a lot of money.
RUBIO: Not me.
(LAUGHTER)
Not me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: The match-ups. So what about this time around, what can we expect?
Joining me to discuss CNN political director, David Chalian.
David, what do you expect? I asked you earlier for a list of what you think will be the match-ups or maybe what you hope will be some of the match-up moments that we're going to see. Three of your five match- ups include, surprise, surprise, Donald Trump.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Donald Trump, that's right, Kate. This debate is about Donald Trump. It's about how he handles all the attacks and how all the other candidates calibrate against him.
Three specific Trump matchups I'm most interested to see. Trump versus Bush. To me, that's the main event. That's what the entire political universe is tuning in to see after the relentless attacks from Donald Trump to Jeb Bush. We've seen Jeb Bush step up on the campaign trail a little bit to step back. When he's standing next to him, will he take Trump on? Does he have the fortitude, the strength to do so? That will be a big match-up.
Then Trump versus Fiorina. Carly Fiorina new to the stage, as you heard Tom Foreman mention there. These are the two best performers of the entire group. They clearly have been skirmishing in the pre- debate days. How they take it to one another will interesting to watch.
This is a different one. Trump versus Carson. Yes, it's still Donald Trump. These are the two front-runners. Carson surging in the polls to a solid second place and he's the clear, non-Trump, anti- establishment alternative that conservatives are sort of parking their support with right now. He already backed down and apologized for questioning Donald Trump's faith recently. I'm curious to see if he really tries to sort of lower the temperature on the debate stage.
BOLDUAN: They have two completely different styles. They will be standing right next to each other, so it sure will be interesting to see exactly how -- where the fire is in terms of that match-up.
You also are looking for, I think -- everybody is -- when you see the match-up we played just before we came to you, Chris Christie and Rand Paul, back at it again maybe?
CHALIAN: Listen, these two clearly have no love loss for each other.
(LAUGHTER)
I mean, for the better part of a year and a half, they've been going at it across the air waves, then in the FOX debate. Remember the physical distance that they have, Kate. They are at opposite ends of the stage. So, they can really launch those barbs back and forth. I hope these two mix it up.
BOLDUAN: How do they -- they mixed it up on the issues already that we're going to be talking about in the debate tomorrow night. What's left for them to mix it up on?
CHALIAN: Well, they ideologically are in different places entirely.
BOLDUAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
CHALIAN: They can talk about civil liberties and national security. That can go to a whole host of issues. But they are two totally different types of Republicans. Excuse me.
BOLDUAN: Let me lead up to this. Tell me if you're OK, believe me, I know what it's like to get a frog in your throat in the middle of live TV.
CHALIAN: I am.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: The thing I wonder, though, David, does it help? There are definitely viral moments we talk about later, but when you talk about the polls, Rand Paul was kind of the chief instigator in really taking people on head-to-head in the last debate and you don't see it. You don't see it -- it didn't help him gain ground in the polls.
CHALIAN: No, he has definitely lost some of his support. I think Rand Paul's mission heading into the debate now, Kate, is sort of get back to his base, get back to the sort of Ron Paul support that existed there, that Libertarian support that sort of propelled him to a major contender when we were looking at the race at the outset. I think he has to get back to that place to fuel his rise again.
BOLDUAN: Here's your sleeper match-up, Cruz versus Kasich. I'll give you what I think my wishful match up is. Why Cruz versus Kasich?
CHALIAN: Well, because I think these two are the best examples of representing two totally different lanes or paths to the Republican nomination. Ted Cruz is sort of the diehard anti-establishment guy. Went to Washington really to shake things up inside the Republican Party. John Kasich is really trying to say, hey, if you don't think Jeb has the goods to the establishment, to all those donors, to the establishment Republican crowd, John Kasich is saying, look at my record in Ohio, I'm the guy that can do that and do it in a compassionate way. I just think these guys have two totally different approaches to what they think the Republican Party is about right now. And I would love to see them sort of hash that out.
BOLDUAN: That is fascinating. In terms of -- you talked about Trump and Fiorina being the two best performers and you want to see them clash. I would say the two best debaters maybe would be Trump and Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz is a skilled debater. I would love to see them go toe to toe. But they've been really playing nice to this point. So, maybe it remains Kate's wishful thinking. We'll see.
David, it's great to see you.
(LAUGHTER)
See you out there a little later.
CHALIAN: Thanks, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Thank you.
[11:50:07] Straight ahead for us, we're going to take you inside the Reagan -- Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for a sneak peek at the stage where Republican presidential candidates will be facing off tomorrow night in the big CNN debate. John is going to walk us through there, live. Hope he doesn't break anything.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Welcome back to our special live coverage alive of the big debate tomorrow night.
John Berman has gotten up to stretch his legs a little bit, went inside the big debate scene.
What are you seeing, John?
BERMAN: Hello, Kate. I am up here on the debate stage and it is pretty cool. This is what you might recognize as Air Force One, the very plane that Ronald Reagan used as Air Force One, right behind the candidates here, and the reminder of the portentous nature of the debate.
And I should show you that we are very, very high here right now. We're going to point down here so you can see it, and we are high above the ground.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: I know, right? It is making you a little nervous to be up here, and look at where the podiums are here.
I want to walk over to where the podiums are. And Chris Christie is here, and John Kasich, and Donald Trump over there in the middle, and you can see how close they are to the moderator. Jake Tapper over there, the panelists, Dana Bash and Hugh Hewett will be standing right there. So when the candidates, like Chris Christie, are standing up here, they'll be pretty close. And you know, Jake, you can't handle the truth! Or John Kasich, I disagree with you, you know. Kate, and if Chris Christie wants to get into a row right now, that could get dicey, Kate.
And the audience here, Kate, it is different than the first debate. Remember in Cleveland, you had five or six people yelling and screaming?
[11:55:19] BOLDUAN: Right. Exactly.
BERMAN: This is more intimate setting, 500 people. The RNC is brining people. The Reagan Library is bringing people. The candidates are bringing their families and such, but they're sitting really close by. And I don't expect it be the sort of the raucous thing that we saw before.
But you will be here tomorrow, Kate, what do you think? Not bad, right?
BOLDUAN: Not bad at all. And it is up close and personal. And everybody has like personal space issues, and many people do, and if they want to get in a fight, they are very close on the podiums, and even closer than you and I are on se set, and we are not fighting that often.
BERMAN: Yes, and everybody has personal space issues, and by that, I know you mean, you.
(LAUGHTER)
I will say, one of the things is that there may not be a raucous setting, but in a small gathering, the tension can be even higher.
BOLDUAN: Right.
BERMAN: I have been to some of the debates before, and there are some of the most intense ones that I have ever seen.
BOLDUAN: Get excited, get excited. We will be there together. The band is getting back together, folks.
Thanks for joining us AT THIS HOUR. Join us tomorrow for our special coverage, John and I, back together, coming to you from the debate site ahead of the big debate.
"LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield, though, starts right after this.
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