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Interview with Rep. Max Rose (D-NY); Texas Businesses Continue to Struggle; Early Voting Record Turnout Continues. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired October 27, 2020 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, well, stimulus talks are still just that, talk in Washington, even as millions of Americans are struggling to stay in their homes, to pay their bills, to put food on the table. It has been 12 weeks -- 12 weeks -- since the stimulus funding, increase in unemployment benefits ended -- that was the end of July -- and to date, more than 11.8 million people in this country are still out of work.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke for nearly an hour yesterday, and a spokesman for Pelosi says they remain hopeful a deal can be reached by Election Day. Let's see.
Democratic Congressman Max Rose of New York is here. Good morning, good to have you.
REP. MAX ROSE (D-NY): Morning.
HARLOW: OK, so you told Wolf -- my colleague -- just about a week ago, quote, "The Democratic Party needs to learn how to declare victory and go home." Is Speaker Pelosi making a mistake not taking the White House now-$1.9 trillion offer?
[10:35:02]
ROSE: Yes, she most certainly is making a mistake here. I mean, let's remember, the Republican Party, the president, Mnuchin, two months ago, they didn't want to do anything. Certainly, they didn't want to do any state and local aid, no more direct stimulus checks, extended unemployment.
And now, because of the sheer force of our argument as well as the obvious pain of the American people, they have moved up to $1.92 trillion. It's a tremendous bipartisan framework for action that's commensurate with the scale of the crisis that we're facing.
But let's not forget about the fact that the Senate Republicans have yet to sign up for this --
HARLOW: Yes. ROSE: -- the Ted Cruzes of the world have said that they don't want
to do anything --
HARLOW: So I hear you --
ROSE: -- Mitch McConnell has spoken about this like it's a blue state problem. I believe that if we can pass this bipartisan bill out of the House, we will put the focus of the nation on the Senate Republicans where it deserves to be --
HARLOW: Sure.
ROSE: -- and they should be shocked into action.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: But it's not there right now. It's not there right now because --
ROSE: It's not.
HARLOW: -- as you said, the speaker hasn't agreed to this deal. You clearly think she's making a mistake. Listen to what West Virginia Senator Democrat Joe Manchin told Jim just yesterday about maybe putting in new negotiators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I'm saying whoever Nancy, whoever Schumer and them have as their team that's negotiating, maybe ought to look out. Sometimes there's personality conflicts. Let's put some new people involved and see if we can make something happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: You need new people in there? Is Pelosi not getting it done?
ROSE: Well, look, I think now we're getting into some, you know, palace intrigue here. If they have some staff that's messing up, we'll obviously get the staff out of the room. But the truth of the matter is, is that it is clear what the American people need. They need action right now, and they cannot wait until the next election.
So certainly, if there are any elected officials or any staff members that are secretly thinking or saying, oh, let's wait until the next election. Because we don't want to give Donald Trump a win. That is wrong, and that's why people hate politics.
HARLOW: So look, yes, it is why people hate politics. I mean, I think the last approval rating I saw for Congress was like 17 percent. Republican governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu doesn't think any of you should have your jobs. Listen to him yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Fire them all. I mean, I really mean that sincerely. No one in the Senate or Congress can say that they've shown leadership on the COVID crisis. What have they done since March? Like, literally nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Why do you guys deserve to keep your jobs?
ROSE: Yes, I mean, I'm not going to get into a debate with a governor of a small state who I've never heard of, but --
HARLOW: Come on.
ROSE: -- will tell you this.
HARLOW: Come on, Max, let's not make it personal.
ROSE: No, no --
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: But seriously, he --
ROSE: -- he is (ph) -- Poppy -- Poppy --
HARLOW: -- is expressing concerns --
ROSE: -- here's -- here's what I --
HARLOW: -- that people have about a lack of action. OK.
ROSE: -- here's what I will tell you that's very clear, is that the calls for action are clearly coming from across the political spectrum. And this is a problem with leadership at the highest levels of our political system, at this point, is that they have become so detached that they are not hearing or seeing the pain of the American people, folks who cannot wait until February or March for another stimulus check or extended unemployment or state and local aid.
And by the way, when we talk about state and local aid, that's not something that's theoretical. That's jobs on the line, that's social services on the line, infrastructure, things like toll (ph) discounts. It runs across the gamut.
HARLOW: So --
ROSE: So that is why it is so critical that we take action now. And it's certainly the case that Democrats and Republicans are calling for it.
HARLOW: I know you were making that comment, I hope, about New Hampshire in jest. But in all seriousness, he's talking about constituents who are in pain in that state just like they are across the country.
ROSE: Absolutely. HARLOW: So -- all right, so I hear you on Speaker Pelosi. If
Democrats maintain control of the House, and she -- we know she's going to seek another term as speaker, do you support that? Will you vote for her?
ROSE: No, no, I'm not -- I didn't vote for her last time, I won't vote for her again. But with that being said, I do think -- and I will not give up hope -- that the first thing that we should be doing, the first call for action has got to be addressing this pandemic and addressing COVID relief. This cannot wait, it can't wait for us to wait until new people are installed, it can't wait for a new president to be inaugurated, it has to happen as soon as possible.
HARLOW: Final question to you, Congressman, and that's on voting lines here in New York City. They've been three, four hours in some places. I'm sure you saw the big piece in the "Times" yesterday about the Board of Elections.
And not getting too much into that, but your favorite mayor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, said yesterday on this network that the Board of Elections in New York needs to, quote, "get it in gear" and he warned of intimidation and voter suppression. Do you think there's voter suppression going on in New York City?
ROSE: I haven't seen signs of voter suppression. But what I will say is that we have seen an extraordinary turnout in early voting, and it is clear as day that this is something that we have got to invest in, going forward. The easier that it is for people to vote, the better.
[10:40:12]
And the calls for action that we are hearing from folks across my congressional district, as well as across the city, is truly inspiring. The Board of Elections has significant room for improvement, I think everybody agrees on that and we have to continue to push them to do so. Our city and state should do that.
HARLOW: I'll wait however long I need to in line, but people shouldn't have to wait three or four hours. Congressman Max Rose, let's hope Congress gets something done on this front, and fast --
ROSE: Amen.
HARLOW: -- I appreciate your time.
ROSE: Thank you so much again.
HARLOW: Thank you. Yes -- Jim.
ROSE: Bye-bye.
HARLOW: Yes -- Jim.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, shot across the bow to the speaker there, no question, from a fellow Democrat.
Well, coming up, we're hearing from some of the families struggling under the pressure of this pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHONDA JOHNSON, OWNER, ANOINTED HANDS SALON: I don't know what God is doing, but I do trust him and I know that he is strengthening me to be able to put on all of these different hats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:46:00]
SCIUTTO: As the number of new coronavirus infections rises across the country, so is the fatigue many Americans, many of us are feeling.
HARLOW: That is right. Our Ed Lavandera joins us this morning from El Paso. Ed, good morning. So you spoke with some people who -- you can feel their pain through the television as they try to hold on.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, we've focused a lot on this over the last couple of weeks. And you know, extraordinary stories of people dealing with this pandemic that, in many ways, they're extraordinary because they're so ordinary, something everyone can relate to.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, Doug Sahm and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Big names were born on this little stage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was (ph) so much good music here.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Live music has rattled the walls of the Hole in the Wall bar in Austin, Texas since 1974. But in March, the COVID pandemic forced owner Will Tanner to unplug the music.
WILL TANNER, OWNER, HOLE IN THE WALL BAR: Oh, it's sad, man.
LAVANDERA: Do you find yourself getting down?
TANNER: Everybody's a little down. I don't think I've got it much worse than anyone else.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Just before the pandemic, life was great. Jimmy Fallon featured the Hole in the Wall bar on "The Tonight Show."
But this year, Tanner says he laid off almost 20 employees. He's fighting to keep the bar alive, going into debt. He misses the magical nights, deeply woven into the city's cultural soundtrack. The silence isn't right.
TANNER: Everything's starting to fray, the cracks are starting to show, you know? So yes. LAVANDERA: Does the iconic kind of nature of this venue make you want to protect it and fight for it? Is that one of the things that's driving you?
TANNER: Yes. I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure this exists.
TAYLOR JOHNSON, SON OF SHONDA JOHNSON: I know, I'm saying they're right there.
S. JOHNSON: OK, I was looking at the wrong thing.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Shonda Johnson symbolizes the daily struggles of millions of Americans. For her, the pandemic is a test of emotional endurance.
S. JOHNSON: I don't know what God is doing, but I do trust him and I know that he is strengthening me to be able to put on all of these different hats.
S. JOHNSON: Control, you've got to have ball control.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Johnson is diabetic, and a single mother of an eighth grade boy with Asthma, who is attending school virtually and misses his friends.
T. JOHNSON: I honestly don't even know what they look like any more. Like, I've forgotten.
S. JOHNSON: Just hearing what he has to endure, as a mother, you want to be a protector. I see the frustration.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Johnson is a self-employed hair stylist. Her salon was shut down for two months, and she's still trying to recover financially, only serving about half the clients she used to. And Johnson is also caring for her elderly parents. Mother is in a wheelchair, and her father is stricken with Alzheimer's. She's juggling it all by sheer force of will.
S. JOHNSON: You just keep going, you just keep going and try to survive.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Perhaps many Americans find themselves thinking about the end of the COVID pandemic. Will Tanner likes to think it will look and feel a lot like those iconic images of Americans celebrating the end of World War II.
TANNER: It's going to be just -- you know, people in the streets and people making out and hugging their friends, you know what I mean? It just -- I think it's going to be awesome and that's what I'm hanging onto, you know?
LAVANDERA (voice-over): It's those fleeting dreams that help us see the end of this dark tunnel.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LAVANDERA: But Jim and Poppy, seeing the end, especially in places like El Paso where we are this morning, is just extremely difficult. This is a city that has seen a tremendous surge in just the last few weeks, and they are in the heart -- the worst of this pandemic right now -- Jim and Poppy.
[10:50:00]
SCIUTTO: Yes, the real financial suffering from this, it's just hard to hear those stories, so many folks have stories like it to share. Ed Lavandera, thanks for bringing us some of them.
HARLOW: Yes, thank you, Ed.
Well, both candidates have just one more week to convince you to vote for them. We'll talk strategy, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: This is a staggering number, almost 47 percent of all registered voters in the state of North Carolina have already cast a ballot.
SCIUTTO: And we're seeing it around the country. I mean, early voting far outstripping records from previous years, and well ahead of 2016 already. Brittany Shepherd, Jackie Kucinich joining us now.
Jackie, let me begin with you. What does that signal exactly? I mean, the interest in the election plus reaction to the pandemic? I mean, what are the principal drivers here?
[10:55:06]
JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, yes, both of the thigs that you said are driving this election. The fact that you have people waiting in line already, the interest is at an all-time high, and in part because of the pandemic, because more people are going to be voting early, perhaps because they don't want to wait in long lines on Election Day.
But it's also where we're seeing these record turnouts, places like Georgia where Joe Biden is heading this week, places -- I mean, across the entire country, Iowa, North Carolina, just these record turnouts. It is shaping up to be quite the Election Day. You know, just one week away.
HARLOW: So, Brittany, shaping up to the quite the Election Day -- as Jackie just said -- Republican Senator Ted Cruz told "Axios on HBO" last night that he doesn't think the Hunter Biden attacks that the president and his team have made have worked.
And then he went on to say, "I think we should be unifying, lifting people up. It's a turnout election." And he goes on to say, "My assessment of turnout is the left is going to show up no matter what. Those people who hate Trump will crawl over broken glass to vote against him." That's quite a warning from Ted Cruz.
BRITTANY SHEPHERD, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, YAHOO NEWS: Absolutely. And there's anecdotal evidence to support all of that. And Frankly, what Ted Cruz is saying kind of sounds like Joe Biden's closing messages, right? We have seven days left.
And what we're hearing on the trail are two very different promises to the American people. Joe Biden, for all the criticism he's getting both from Trump campaign and from other Democrats is that he is really focusing on being bipartisan and unifying. And what we're hearing from the president is a lot different, talking about familial spats, Hunter Biden, this aforementioned laptop, and essentially campaigning on fear.
They've both been doing this since the beginning of the primary, and I think the question is, what is really going to resonate with all of those folks who haven't voted already in these critical states? Joe Biden really thinks he's in striking distance in states that would be kind of unthinkable for Democrats: Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio, even Georgia.
Today, I mean, did you ever think a Democrat would be spending all this time --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
SHEPHERD: -- in a state that red? I mean, three out of the 20 counties that flipped from Republican to Democrat last time around, they're in the Atlanta area. Biden is going to basically take what Ted Cruz is saying and say, look, you want even Republicans want to be unified, it just -- the question is, like, is that going to resonate? Like is fear more engaging or is like hope more engaging? I don't think we really know.
SCIUTTO: Jackie, campaigns aren't dumb, right? And you might even say that the Biden campaign is probably nervous post-2016 because they saw the mistakes made then, the assumptions that turned out not to be true. But I have to think that they are seeing numbers, right? Which inform their decision to allocate scarce resources, candidates' time. And in a state like Georgia --
SHEPHERD: Right.
SCIUTTO: -- I mean, what are you hearing exactly?
SHEPHERD: Well, I mean, as you said, Jim, the most precious commodity for a candidate, particularly this late in the game, is tie. And we can see where Joe Biden has decided to spend that time. And it is mostly still in the Midwest, he's going to -- he's in Wisconsin and several of the states he needs to lock down.
But the expansion to Georgia, the visit to Iowa, those are -- I mean, that is showing that they think that perhaps a visit from Joe Biden could push not only Joe Biden over the line -- because he's been running very close to the president in both of those states -- but the competitive Senate campaigns that are just downballot, perhaps that'll give those candidates a push right over the line.
The big question is, is he going to go somewhere like Texas? Kamala Harris is going. But I don't think that -- there is the specter of 2016 ever lingering, that infamous Hillary Clinton last-minute trip to Arizona, which I believe would have been a week -- the Wednesday before the election. So they don't want to have that hanging over their head, it's very much, you know, always in the background, always there.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HARLOW: Brittany, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said over the weekend that if Biden wins, he's got to bring in a lot of real progressives into his team and his cabinet. And then Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said essentially the same thing last night on Axios, she said that she and other members of the Squad would expect Joe Biden to make a liberal turn if he wins. Not exactly helpful to him in the final push here?
SHEPHERD: I mean, I think it can and can't be. We just heard Max Rose saying he would support Nancy Pelosi, right? Like there is a certain -- there's a growing appetite for progressive Democrats -- not just young ones -- that the platform is shifting left. Like Democrats are moving left.
And we're seeing a record turnout for young people in these last days. I mean, I think this crucial seven days -- like the folks who were maybe unreliable voters, black men and young people.
[11:00:00]
