Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Democrats Prepare to Debate; CNN Anchors Discuss Moderating Debates. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 13, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:02]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's awesome. I love the partnership with Facebook.

Selfies and skinny jeans not a prerequisite, let's make that clear.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Don Lemon, thank you so much, my friend. I appreciate it. We will see you tonight.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks.

BALDWIN: And we continue on, hour two here. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thrilled to be here in Vegas, baby. Tonight is the big night. Five Democratic presidential candidates about to make their way to right where I am here at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas ready to go head to head for the most powerful position in the United States.

You have the top two contenders facing off for the very first time standing right next to one another on the stage here. You have Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who will be essentially taking center stage, although, to be precise, it's Hillary Clinton who will be standing there front and center as the Democratic front-runner, just as she did in the first debate for the 2008 presidential race.

But this time, she's hoping to hold on until the very end. And then you have the underdogs, three of them, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Jim Webb, former U.S. senator from Virginia, and former Rhode Island Senator and Governor Lincoln Chafee.

For these three, this is make-or-break time.

Joining me now, Jeff Zeleny, our senior Washington correspondent who is standing just outside that Wynn Hotel.

We know these candidates will be walking through and they will be getting the lay of the land. When, Jeff? When do we anticipate them?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke.

They will be getting the lay of the land in not too long actually. In just about an hour or so, the candidates will come through and start looking at that debate stage. I can tell you I have been inside there. It's a pretty intimate space. The stage of course has much more room on it because there are only five candidates, much, much different than the Republican debates that we have seen so far this year.

And there is a pretty sizable studio audience. There will be supporters from each campaign, as well as some Democratic contributors and others. It's really going to be those five on stage alone. I can tell you the excitement is really building here. You're talking to a lot of Democrats, Nevada, of course, a key swing state in the general election, but also an early -- important early voting state. It comes after Iowa and New Hampshire and Nevada.

This is one of the first opportunities that the voters here in this state will have an opportunity to take a look at them. I think the race may seem to be a little more up in the air than a lot of us sometimes think. Some voters are just now tuning into this. Hillary Clinton, without a question, has the most on the line here.

She's been practicing the most and doing all kinds of mockup sessions here. She's at the top of the rung. So a lot of those other candidates will try and make a name for themselves by trying to hit her -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much.

I want to broaden out the discussion here with our panel. I have Gloria Borger sitting with me here, and Michael Smerconish, host of "SMERCONISH" here on CNN and also a CNN political commentator.

Awesome seeing you two. You can feel the excitement building here, by the lagoon at the Wynn under blue skies here in Las Vegas. But I think it's also important before we talk about bold predictions, because I am really interested to hear what you all have, family, in terms of who will be in there tonight, the role of husbands, wives, children in the debate hall.

I want to play some sound because of course the nation knows the Clintons, but we're a little bit learning more about a potential future first lady, Bernie Sanders' wife. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE SANDERS, WIFE OF BERNIE SANDERS: I have always been very interested in policy and always doing a lot of research and thinking and writing. So we have that kind of a relationship where we really discuss things.

I offer advice all the time on almost anything. He will say, OK, good, good, and then I will know when he goes up to give a speech or he's in a debate whether or not he agreed or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Gloria, to you. You have covered so many of these different campaigns. How important is family during this nasty process?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. Oh, it's hugely important. Family is comfort before you go out on that debate stage.

I remember talking to Ann Romney about this in the last campaign. She said out there in the audience, Mitt Romney always looked for her, made eye contact, and then on a piece of paper on his podium before the debate, he would write "dad" to think about what his father,George Romney, would do during a debate. So family is always very much in mind, spouses so important because they are your greatest character witness, right, on the campaign trail as well.

So couldn't be more important to see them in that audience, although of course Bill Clinton I think probably will be watching on TV. Right?

BALDWIN: Yes. Yes. That's what we're hearing.

But it was interesting sort of what you didn't see on television at least for the Simi Valley debate at the Reagan Library. In those commercial breaks, those family members were coming up on stage and saying hello and giving some love and some squeezes before heading back into the audience.

(CROSSTALK)

[15:05:03]

BALDWIN: So, family aside, bold prediction time, Mr. Smerconish.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, boy.

BALDWIN: Bold prediction number one from you, sir, what is that?

SMERCONISH: I remember when we were together at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley and we talked about how there were really two debates playing themselves out on the stage.

In that case, you had the establishment candidates and the mavericks, the mavericks, those three who are still leading the pack. I'm thinking about tonight in similar terms, not because of establishment vs. mavericks, but because it's really two-tiered. It's Bernie Sanders and it's Hillary Clinton and then it's the three other guys.

Someone among the three other guys I think has an opportunity to break out tonight. I will go with the wild card of Jim Webb.

BALDWIN: Really?

SMERCONISH: Yes, I think he's so ill-defined on the national platform.

He's hard to categorize and he's very nuanced. Here's a guy who was Ronald Reagan's secretary of the Navy, very successful as an author, I think 10 different works of fiction, two nonfiction, plus a screenplay. He's a Marine veteran, fought in Vietnam, highly decorated for his

country,and yet opposed going into Iraq, a really hard guy to peg. Where's he coming from tonight? I don't know. Let's find out.

BALDWIN: Impressive resume, but what does he do on the stage to get noticed?

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: He could attack. That may be one way some of these sort of lesser-known candidates will get noticed.

I think my prediction is that Bernie Sanders is not going to go directly after Hillary Clinton. If Hillary Clinton starts sort of talking about, oh, Bernie, where are we going to pay for all of your ideas, he will then go back at her. That's what I'm told.

BALDWIN: Who wins that between the two of them?

BORGER: Well, it depends how you do it in a debate. It's very difficult to attack and still be well-liked. Right? So we're going to have to see how that happens, particularly if you're attacking a woman, by the way. And it can be a little tricky there.

I think Webb and Chafee are going to be the ones doing most of the attacking, though.

BALDWIN: What about Martin O'Malley? Standing right next to Hillary Clinton. He's already attacked her on...

(CROSSTALK)

SMERCONISH: He has, but it hasn't gotten any traction.

BORGER: He's already been doing it, right?

SMERCONISH: Yes, unsuccessfully.

BORGER: Right.

SMERCONISH: And I would just say to your point about Bernie, I think he shows up tonight with a couple one-liners in his hip pocket and reveals a very dry Brooklyn sense of humor.

He's perceived by some as being the curmudgeony uncle. I think with some self-deprecation and a funny line or two, he can change that look at him quite easily.

BORGER: The thing about Bernie Sanders is, people know his policies, but they don't know anything about who he really is. This is a guy who has a long history in the civil rights movement, for example, has to start appealing to African-American voters.

He doesn't like talking about himself. He hates profiles. Talk to anyone on his staff and they will tell you, oh, Bernie doesn't want to talk about his life. He has to do that. (CROSSTALK)

SMERCONISH: Yes, not a chitchatter. A very hard interview. And, probably, you have been in that position.

BALDWIN: But we have seen that. I think it was Van Jones who made an excellent point yesterday. He was saying, listen, Bernie Sanders is the guy who has packed all these arenas, 20,000 people, and he knows how to kill on stage.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: But when you're standing up there -- and he's done well succinctly and to the point on talk shows recently.

But it's very different when you're on a stage with four other candidates speaking to them, potentially attacking them. It's different.

BORGER: Right. He's more comfortable talking about policy than talking face to face about you or about you or this voter or that voter. That's something a presidential candidate has to be able to do, which is to connect individually.

And I will be interested to see how Bernie Sanders does that tonight and also how Hillary Clinton does that tonight, because she's got the same problem to a degree.

SMERCONISH: That's my third prediction, because I think Bernie Sanders comes with a one-liner. Webb distinguishes himself relative to Secretary Clinton.

I think tonight is an opportunity to get back to policy, to get back to substance, because the individuals on that stage are not the ones who have been critical of Benghazi. They are not the ones who have been critical of her server. I doubt they will bring it up. CNN will probably have to bring up some of those issues.

I think it's an opportunity for her to distinguish herself as an individual who has a broad-based resume and really is unmatched in terms of where she's been.

BALDWIN: But also show her heart.

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: Right.

And so the e-mail issue is not going to be so predominant. That is -- and I'm sure we will ask about it, although we don't know.

But what we're going to see is among the Democrats for a change, usually doesn't happen with Democrats -- the differences are not as stark as the differences among Republicans.

(CROSSTALK) SMERCONISH: Yes, it's to degrees.

BORGER: So, this is -- right, it's to degrees.

SMERCONISH: It's the antithesis, I think, of what we saw in Simi Valley.

BORGER: Yes.

BALDWIN: Michael Smerconish and Gloria Borger, the antithesis.

We are five hours away from that.

BORGER: And no Donald Trump.

(CROSSTALK)

SMERCONISH: He will be tweeting. He will be tweeting.

BALDWIN: Stand by for that.

Thank you two so much.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, they are back and forth already about tonight. Hillary Clinton also going after Carly Fiorina, saying she should not get a free pass because she's a woman. We will give you the context of those comments ahead.

[15:10:02]

Also, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel blames the crime wave in his city on police second-guessing themselves. How will candidates respond tonight on crime, on police brutality? It's been a massive part of our national conversation over the last year.

And you know what? I couldn't come to Vegas without speaking to the one and only, Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton. He will be joining me live.

This is CNN's special live coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

We're live under the beautiful blue skies in Las Vegas just moments away from those candidates appearing here at the Wynn Hotel, getting the lay of the land before the big night tonight.

[15:15:07]

And while the only Democratic candidates will be the ones on stage, all five of them, it's pretty likely that the name, the man Donald Trump will certainly come up in some sort of conversation, and already Hillary Clinton is not wasting any time in going after him here in Las Vegas. Without much warning, actually, yesterday, she stopped by this union

rally at the doorstep of Trump's hotel just off the Las Vegas Strip and she did not hold back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some people think Donald Trump is entertaining, but I don't think it's entertaining when somebody insults immigrants, insults women.

If you are going to run for president, then you should represent all the people of the United States. And that includes hardworking people. And you should not stand in the way of the right to organize, because that's what built the middle class of America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right, let me bring in CNN political commentator and Democratic strategists. I have Donna Brazile with me and Hilary Rosen.

So, ladies, I want to move past Hillary Clinton at that union rally at the Trump Hotel and just get more into her being the lone female on stage. I have had a couple of other people up here saying it will be interesting to see how, if people do attack, how they attack, because she's a woman.

She addressed this. Let me forget my long-windedness in this, but she talked to "TIME" magazine. She was asked about Carly Fiorina. She says she's always in favor of women running, but shouldn't get a pass because you're a woman.

Hillary Clinton said this -- quote -- "But people need to hold women's policies up to light and determine what their answers to problems would be before deciding to support them."

Do you think that as women they will be getting a pass or do you think there is extra scrutiny out there?

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think anyone could argue that Hillary Clinton has gotten a pass on anything in this last year.

She's -- the attacks on her are as tough as they could possibly be. Carly Fiorina is a whole other bucket of problems for women, and Hillary is pretty clear. Donna and I have both written about this. Carly's issue with women is her policies, that she's not for women's health, that she's not for equal pay.

BALDWIN: That's what Hillary Clinton continues to point out.

ROSEN: And Hillary Clinton is going to stand on strong ground, I think, with all women voters pointing those issues out.

BALDWIN: What do you think?

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, since 1796, we have had 55 nominees for president of the United States. All of them have been male.

While we have had had two women to serve on major party tickets, of course, those tickets lost. So this is an opportunity to lift up women. We're the majority of voters, the majority who will go out and support candidates. On the Democratic side, half of our delegates will be female.

So, I really do believe it's the policies, it's the issues. I'm glad that Carly Fiorina put Mr. Trump in place when she gave him that kind of look, but it's important to lift up women, especially low-income women. I was proud of Hillary Clinton going down on that picket line, because when women make what I call living wages, they support their families.

It's important to talk about equal pay. It's important to talk about work/life balances, fair pay. So we have a woman who knows these issues and she has been a fighter and a champion for women and girls throughout her entire life. And I'm glad that she will be on that debate stage tonight.

BALDWIN: Obviously, if she were to be elected, she would be the first female president of the United States. The big if factor is the if Joe Biden runs. You were making a point to me in commercial break that he may be perceived as...

ROSEN: Joe Biden is going to be the elephant in the room tonight for a lot of reasons, looking for some vacuum, some air, some pathway for his candidacy.

And I have long said he can't be depending on Hillary Clinton faltering. He has got to be -- have a compelling reason of his own. On the other hand, I'm hearing from more and more Hillary supporters that they are not going to be happy if Joe Biden just comes for -- looking to put down Hillary Clinton and becomes the spoiler for a race that is potentially women's best chance to reach the presidency in many, many years.

BRAZILE: Joe Biden is saying now -- and I quote -- "I want to get out of the way to allow for history to be made."

He said that in 2008. Joe Biden has been a champion for women's rights, women's equality, the Violence Against Women Act. Joe Biden was right there fighting for women's equality. I hope, if he decides to run, and we don't know, because it's about Joe Biden and his decision, that he has a compelling reason why he wants to run.

Look, he's done a fantastic job as vice president. I believe that he's been very supportive of the president.

(HORN HONKING)

BRAZILE: They were looking at you, but they were waving at me. (LAUGHTER)

BRAZILE: But the truth is, is Joe Biden needs a compelling reason to run. If he decides to run, come on in, the table is open.

ROSEN: Yes. And it's not Joe Biden's fault he's an old white guy. He's walked the talk -- and walked the walk and talked the talk, as Donna has said. But that doesn't mean that there are not a lot of consequences for women in this campaign.

BALDWIN: Can we -- can I ask you all a question? I never thought I would be talking about rapper T.I. with the two of you, but I want to go there.

(CROSSTALK)

[15:20:02]

BALDWIN: I want to go there, because this Atlanta-based rapper, T.I., and he has apparently come out, and he essentially was saying that this country is not ready for a woman president, saying, in part -- quote -- "I can't vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman. I think a woman could do well, but the president, I just know that women make rash decisions emotionally. They make permanent decisions and then later it's like it didn't happen."

I'm just continuing to quote this man. He goes on -- quote -- "The world ain't ready yet. I think you might be able to get the Loch Ness Monster elected before you could get a woman."

My goodness, T.I., I wish you were calling in. We would love to talk to you right now.

Go ahead, Donna Brazile.

BRAZILE: T.I., with much love, Germany, OK? Brazil, a country named after my own family. South Korea, Liberia, there are countries all over this globe that are being led by women.

Look, your momma took time to put you into this world. Comments like that could take you out.

ROSEN: Here's the thing. Hip-hop has always been the lyric of truth that people don't want to say. Right?

So we know there are people who feel the way he does. They are not the majority of us. I liked better what Pharrell Williams said yesterday. When he endorsed Hillary Clinton, he said, I like women leaders because women think about things more holistically than men. And I'm thinking Pharrell has sold a few more records this year T.I.

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: And I'm happy. I'm happy. T.I., really, you need to...

ROSEN: Rethink that. BRAZILE: Rethink that.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Donna and Hilary, thank you both so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

BRAZILE: I love you, T.I.

BALDWIN: T.I., call us.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We will talk to you about that.

Coming up next, he will have a direct chance to ask questions to the candidates tonight. Juan Carlos Lopez joins me to live to talk about how he's preparing ahead of the big evening here in Vegas.

Also ahead, Bernie Sanders having some trouble connecting with African-American voters -- how his campaign says he will try to fix that on the stage here in Las Vegas this evening.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:21]

BALDWIN: And we're back in Vegas, baby.

Ahead, tonight's Democratic presidential debate. The candidates will face, of course, a slew of pretty tough questions, policy questions, but how will they handle all these issues and of course address one another, perhaps attack one another as well? May well answer some overarching questions about the tone of their campaigns and where they're headed for the future.

Here with me now, our CNN chief Washington correspondent, host of "THE LEAD," "STATE OF THE UNION" host as well, Jake Tapper. Also with me, CNN en Espanol anchor Juan Carlos Lopez, who will be asking some of these questionates...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Let me -- I think I made candidates and questions one word there -- will be asking some of the candidates questions tonight.

Great to see both of you guys.

Tapper, beginning with you, since you were the last moderator of the Republican debate back in Simi Valley in California, you still have some unanswered questions. Specifically, can those translate for, say, Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton and what are they?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think each candidate comes to tonight's contest with a goal.

For Hillary Clinton, I would say she really needs to generate excitement. That's really been lacking. Obviously with the registered voters of the general electorate, she's got bigger issues. But for now, she needs to get Democrats excited.

Can she excite Democrats?

BALDWIN: How does she do that?

TAPPER: Can she deliver a knockout performance that really has people wanting to be excited about her? There are a lot of people around this country who support her, but aren't excited about it. She really needs to generate excitement.

Bernie Sanders, he's been able to do that. He's been able to generate excitement, but the question for him is, can he expand his appeal beyond the white progressive base? Can he reach out? Can he be not just a candidate, but a nominee? Can people see him in that role, yes, I actually can see him as a nominee, not just somebody who is an ideological voice for me?

And then for the other three guys, I have to say, they have an opportunity tonight.

BALDWIN: Is that horrible that that is how we address the other three guys?

TAPPER: James Webb, former senator, Lincoln Chafee, former senator and governor, and Martin O'Malley, former governor and mayor.

The three of them, and I have interviewed all three of them, but let's face it, people are going to be tuning in tonight to watch mainly Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, as well as Anderson and Juan Carlos, of course.

So, with that opportunity, what are they going to do with it? Can they break out? Can they inspire people? Can they pop? Because, right now, even though all three men have been campaigning for months and months and months, nobody is buying the dog food.

So they really need to seize this opportunity, whatever -- however many millions of people are watching, and grab it.

BALDWIN: You, sir, will be on the stage this evening. You have been prepping. You have been in the room under lock and key. I know you can't divulge any of your questions, but how have you been preparing and what are some key issues you want them to address?

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: The interesting thing about this whole process, and Jake knows it well, it's a very big team effort, a lot of people involved researching, reading, going over questions, going over what the candidates can say.

So, that's what we have been focusing on, to be ready, to bring up the issues that you were mentioning, to respond to what people are expecting from us. And on the issues, I can't tell you.

BALDWIN: Or else you would have to kill me. No, I understand.

LOPEZ: Exactly. But we're in Vegas.

BALDWIN: We're in Vegas, baby. Anything goes. Anything goes.

LOPEZ: Yes, exactly.

BALDWIN: So you were on that stage. It was a much different ball game, though. You had 11 candidates at one point and the biggie for the three-hour debate.

But what advice, what guidance, Yoda, would you have for this man right here?

TAPPER: Well, I know that they don't need my guidance.

BALDWIN: But we're asking for fun. Play along.

TAPPER: I think that there is -- every moderator has to come to the debate and figure out what's the best way to work with the candidates they have.

As Donald Rumsfeld said about the Army once, you don't go to war with the Army you want. You go to war with the Army you have. I would never say that. But you have to do that with candidates.

BALDWIN: OK.

TAPPER: So, I had 11 candidates who were all, most of them, eager to debate on issues, on leadership, on personality, and it had been a very exciting and intense debate already. So I just wanted more of that.