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New Hampshire Primary; Clinton and Women Voters; New Hampshire Voters on the Democratic Race. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired February 08, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:32:22] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, if you looked at the polls and after what happened Saturday night, you've got to start looking at the governors differently. Chris Christie was going after Marco Rubio on stage. The polls show both Kasich and Bush making a move here in New Hampshire. How much of a move? We won't know till tomorrow, but we can talk about it right now.

Let's bring in David Gregory, former moderator of "Meet the Press," current big brain on politics.

So what did you see and hear in those two interviews, my man?

DAVID GREGORY, FORMER MODERATOR, "MEET THE PRESS": Hey, good to see you guys.

Well, I mean I think they were both important because just as you said - and these governors now have this new life, especially after Saturday. Remember, we came out of Iowa and we said, hey, Rubio's the big winner there, even coming in third with a strong third, almost second. He's going to consolidate that conservative vote.

Well, not so fast, because this poor debate performance means that Rubio has lost some of that momentum. He has not consolidated the conservative vote. And at least one of these governors is going to live to go on to South Carolina and maybe even farther from there. So Kasich has an opportunity to say to those Democratic voters up in New Hampshire, hey, come vote in the Republican primary, which, as you know, they can do. This is a race that - where you can really make an impact this go around. He's got a more independent minded message, more of a crossover message. And Bush, I think, has distinguished himself, particularly in your interview this morning, by keeping the fire on Donald Trump as the guy who can take down Trump from the establishment and can be tough enough for Clinton. You notice he was more hands off when it came to Marco Rubio this morning.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, David, is there any way that all three governors, Kasich, Bush and Christie, all live to fight another day after New Hampshire?

GREGORY: I think it's going to be tough. I mean if you're Chris Christie, you had a good debate. You want to demonstrate that instead of just taking down Marco, that you can actually build yourself up. And where's the game moving forward? You look at on this list, you've got Bush at 10 percent, Kasich at 11 percent. They're kind of knocking on the door. If Christie's out of here at 5 percent, he's been living up in New Hampshire, it's simply a money issue. Where does the money come from?

You go down to South Carolina, you go toward March 1st and beyond, you're playing more regionally. You've got to be up on the air with ads. You've got to travel around a lot. So you can't really do that hand to mouth.

This is still a pretty big race and there's going to be a lot more pressure in the Republican Party to consolidate this thing. You still have - you have these various lanes. You know, I call Trump kind of the reality star who's in the alternative reality lane in politics. And you've got this question of who's going to consolidate this Republican vote. Cruz is out there. He's going to do well in the south perhaps and he's won Iowa. So there's a lot of sorting out that has to be done. And I think it's a money issue and some pressure from within the party to tell some of these other governors, look, we've got to get this thing smaller if we're going to have an effective nominee.

[08:35:03] CUOMO: David's pointing to the key word, consolidate. It's about how you do. It's also how everybody else does. Whatever the margin of separation is in this race -

GREGORY: Right.

CUOMO: Is going to wind up having as big an outcome as any in terms of who decides they have the momentum to continue, and the money, as you point out.

Look at the other side of the ball for us, David. What do you make of Bill Clinton coming in strong against Bernie Sanders? What's the plus/minus on that?

GREGORY: You know, it's - it's a little bit risky, especially with Bill Clinton, who got into some trouble with all this back in 2008. I don't think he's the same kind of candidate, the same kind of figure but, of course, we know how popular he is on the Democratic Party on the Democratic side. I think they're - they are trying to get a little bit of this youth vote on their side. They're also trying to send a bigger message to more of the establishment of the party, which is this swooning going on for Bernie Sanders has to be rethought as a kind of reality check, what it means to the party, whether she's hurt as a nominee.

So we'll see. We'll see what the plus/minus is on this as - as we look at the vote. Sanders is obviously in a good position there, but I think they're making kind of a broader statement about the longer term in this party. As we've said before, she has a lot of running room here as she keeps going deeper into this race and their whole mindset is different. They know that they are preparing for a long game here. It may be a surprise to them, but they're prepared to do that in a way that I think they weren't prepared in 2008.

CAMEROTA: But, David, back to the Bill Clinton factor here. Given that it didn't go over so well in 2008 when he went after Barack Obama and it sort of backfired, why are they trying that again?

GREGORY: Well, look - look what happened in 2008. Let's not forget, Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire. She had a real kind of heart moment when she was speaking back in 2008, talking about what was at stake for her. She showed a little bit more of herself and she got a little bit more of that - that constituency back. She ended up winning. And that was a huge upset for the Obama campaign.

We don't know if that's going to happen here but, obviously, they're looking for some surprise. And I think she's made the decision that she needs to really pin his ear back - I'm taking about Bernie Sanders - taking him on where he may be a hypocrite on taking money from Wall Street, taking him on, on this notion of kind of smearing her, saying, oh, just because I've taken money from the banks, that I can't be tough on the banks. But there's a populism in the party that they're trying to speak to, to say, look, we've got to be realistic about it.

CUOMO: David Gregory, thank you very much for making us better. Always great to have you on the show, my brother. Thank you.

GREGORY: Thanks, guys. All right, see you tomorrow.

CAMEROTA: We'll see you tomorrow. All right.

CUOMO: All right, so there's no question, you know, you have just two people in the race on the Democratic side.

CAMEROTA: Sure.

CUOMO: But there is a lot of unknown in the outcome, even in New Hampshire. What's the margin going to be? That margin will mean a lot going forward. Sanders is certainly keeping his focus on one thing, Clinton's ties to Wall Street. Clinton is trying to reverse that. Can you make a compelling case that Sanders is someone to be thought of as too attached to big money? We'll discuss with voters coming up.

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[08:42:14] CUOMO: The senator from neighboring Vermont, Bernie Sanders, leading in the polls here in New Hampshire, continuing to attack Hillary Clinton's ties to Wall Street. Now comes the counter attack from the Clinton campaign in the form of former President Bill Clinton, saying, hold on a second, Sanders has ties to Wall Street as well. You'd need a write in candidate if you want somebody with no ties to Wall Street and also accusing of sexist attacks.

How is this working? What does it mean for the state of play now in going forward? We've got somebody with great insight for you, New Hampshire Senator, former governor, Jeanne Shaheen has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

Senator, thank you for joining us.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Nice to have you all here for the primary. A lot of excitement.

CUOMO: It is great. It is a wonderful state and it is good to focus on it now and always.

So, let's take a look at the state of play. One of the things that was taken as a given, right, wrong, good, bad, women for Hillary. The history of it. She'd be the first female president. And yet in Iowa, in the polls, young women love Bernie Sanders. Why? What does it mean for the secretary's chances?

SHAHEEN: Well, you know, you'll have to ask them why they're supporting Bernie, but -

CUOMO: All of them? What's your take?

SHAHEEN: I'm sure you'll have a representative sample.

You know the fact is, I'm supporting Hillary, not because she's a woman. I'm supporting her because she's the smartest, most experienced. She has the best proposals of any candidate in this race, Democrat or a Republican. And that's the - the criteria which I would suggest people judge when they decide who they're going to vote for.

CUOMO: Is there a fear - or a concern about shaming on this issue? What - everybody respects Madeleine Albright, or they should, but what she said about a special place in hell. Context - maybe taken out of context, but powerful words.

SHAHEEN: Well, I -

CUOMO: Hearing Gloria Steinem, well, girls who are for Bernie Sanders, they're looking for boys. Again, Steinem, you know, has such profile, she can say what she wants. But is there a risk in those kinds of statements?

SHAHEEN: Well, you know, I've heard Madeleine Albright say that for years and -

CUOMO: Right.

SHAHEEN: But, again, the fact is, I think Hillary put it very well. She said, you know, I understand there are a lot of young people and young women who are with Bernie and I hope that eventually they're going to be with me because I'm always going to be for them. And I think that's an important way to talk about it. And, again, the issue here is not, is Hillary a woman or is she a man? The issue is, she is the best person to get the Democratic nomination. She is the best person to be president because she doesn't need any on the job training. She's had the foreign policy experience. She understands what's going on domestically here in this country. And I want somebody who doesn't just talk about those issues, but somebody who knows how to get things done.

[08:45:02] CUOMO: All right, so we'll get to that. One more beat on the state of play, though, in the campaign. 2008, you lived it, you knew the situation very well against then Senator Barack Obama and then Senator Hillary Clinton. The president came out, Bill Clinton. Came strong. There was controversy about the strength of it. Your family got involved on talking about Barack Obama. There was controversy. What is the risk in coming up hard and heavy against Bernie Sanders right now?

SHAHEEN: Well you know, he stated the facts that Bernie Sanders has gone to Wall Street and solicited for Democrats and you know, I understand he is Hillary's husband. My family gets upset when I'm attacked, too. So I think people appreciate that and understand it and they are going to make a decision not based on what Bill Clinton says. They're going to make a decision based on who Hillary is, what she has done and what she is proposing for the country.

CUOMO: You Democrats, you love to dream. You love to inspire people to think big and go big. That is what Bernie Sanders is doing. And the theory of the case for the Clintons -- for Hillary Clinton. She deserves to be named her own way. See how confusing it is when you bring in Bill Clinton? But make that compelling you know, because it is being reported by Sanders' side as so she doesn't want you to dream. She's saying we can't do anything big. That's how you inspire people and they are saying that is the energy behind their momentum.

SHAHEEN: Hey, listen. I have seen Hillary Clinton do big. When she was in the White House and she worked to get children's health insurance through it meant that we in New Hampshire could -- I wad governor then -- that we can ensure tens of thousands of kids whose families had never been able to get them health insurance. So I think that's a pretty big dream. And I think that is what Hillary has done.

So -- But I think it comes with not just the dream, but with saying I want to do these things but I also know how to get them done. And I also think we are looking at a national security election come November. We are already seeing that from the Republicans. We need somebody who understands the threats that this country faces. Hillary Clinton understands. She is recognized around the world. She has credibility. She knows who the North Korean dictator is and the response that we should be giving to Russia to the ISIS threat. So I want somebody who can also be commander in chief.

CUOMO: Message from the campaign. It's not who Hillary Clinton is, it's what she is that makes her the best. Senator, thanks you so much.

SHAHEEN: Great to be here.

CUOMO: Appreciate having you here. Great state you have, by the way.

SHAHEEN: Good. Well I hope you enjoy the snow today.

CUOMO: What's not to like?

All right. So in just hours the voters are going to decide who matters and who doesn't and by how much here in New Hampshire. The question, can Hillary Clinton pull off a surprise victory? In quotes, "Can she do much better than people think and why?" What determines it? Panel of Democratic voters gives the answers coming up.

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[08:51:31] CAMEROTA: Welcome back to NEW DAY here at the Waterworks Cafe. Earlier this morning, we spoke with some Republican voters here in New Hampshire. Now it is time to hear from the Democratic voters.

So let's bring in Hillary Clinton supporter, Julia Holup. Bernie Sanders supporter and campaign volunteer Jeremiah King. And undecided Democratic, Daniel Forbes.

Guys, great to have you here to talk to you.

Daniel, you have got less than 24 hours. What are you waiting for?

DANIEL FORBES, UNDECIDED VOTER: You know, it's -- I'm more focused on the outcome of a Democrat being elected than I am on a particular candidate. I think it is critical given the major issues, you know, action on climate change and issues of foreign policy, et. cetera. So the question for me is really who can not only win the primary, but who can win the general election.

CAMEROTA: And are you leaning in any particular direction?

FORBES: I guess what makes me even more undecided was the strength of Bernie's campaign. I think it is great and good for the party. I think it is good for the process. But I'm surprised actually but his fundraising and his -- yeah.

CAMEROTA: Jeremiah, let me bring you in because you are not surprised. You are a Bernie Sanders supporter so much so that you have begun knocking on doors and trying to bring other people around. What about Hillary Clinton's argument against him? Which is yes, it's fine to dream, but you really got to be able to get things done and only I know how to do that.

JEREMIAH KING, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: Well, I don't think that any of the things that Bernie is talking about are, you know, pie in the sky utopian ideas. These are things that we can make happen if we work together. You know, if you go to any of his rallies, the point that I hear time and time again is, you know, no one single person can make this happen, not me as president, not Hillary Clinton as president can get the things done unless we all work together and say enough is enough and things have to change and that people in Washington have to represent us.

CAMEROTA: Julia, you support Hillary Clinton. You have for a long time. Have any of Bernie Sanders' attacks or criticisms of her begun to kind of challenge how you think of her, particularly, say, ties to Wall Street?

JULIA HOLUP, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: No. They haven't. I have sort of enjoyed this campaign, I've enjoyed how competitive it's been. I think a general is a good thing. I'm glad Hillary has been able to be challenged. So I think overall it helps make her progressive policies even stronger and her performance at the debates have really increased my support for her and no, that hasn't taken away.

CAMEROTA: How do you explain, Julia, that women -- more women are supporting Bernie Sanders than Hillary Clinton?

HOLUP: I think it's a combination of a lot of, you know, there's a lot of enthusiasm for Bernie right now. But in my opinion, if you really look at the issues, I mean, Hillary is strong for women. She will fight for women and a lot of the issues with labor rights and equal pay, things that I care deeply about, I think she is the best candidate for us.

CAMEROTA: Daniel, you say that you are also interested in general electability and you have been impressed by Bernie Sanders, the energy around his campaign and how he seems to be doing. Do you think that nationally beyond Iowa and New Hampshire he will have that same resonance?

FORBES: Well, I think that the Republican playbook of late really since Clinton has been to attack the president -- the Democratic elected president before he even took office. So they did that with Clinton. They certainly did that with Obama. I worry a little bit what the right-wing reaction will be to a Bernie Sanders candidacy and how he will deal with that and how he will bring Congress together on some of his agenda. I think Hillary -- I don't -- yeah. That's where I am stuck.

[08:55:14] CAMEROTA: Yeah. I mean, what about that, Jeremiah? That Bernie Sanders is seen as being more to the left-wing of his party and given how hard it has been for the president to work with Congress, how would that work if Bernie Sanders were to make it to Washington?

KING: Well, I'm not particularly worried what is going to happen because with any president, if the people stand behind them we can get things done. I think Barack Obama had a lot of difficulty working with the Senate and the House just because we weren't pushing the people that we have elected to go with the president. You know, not a lot of us were writing to our congressman saying, you know, this is exactly what we want or I don't agree with this. And I think we need to be more involved in the process when we want anything done.

CAMEROTA: Do you think the level of engagement that Bernie says -- that you're seeing with Bernie Sanders, that that will help? And are you seeing that -- When you knock on doors, what are you being greeted with?

KING: Well, sometimes you get greeted with stray chickens in (inaudible) if you are in the middle of some more rural areas. And sometimes you get some really nice people. You know, there are certainly people when you talk to them that they have never even heard of Bernie. This is a fantastic opportunity where you get to talk to them and, you know, get people to realize that there are options out there and I think that is really important.

CAMEROTA: And Julia, I know you are doing the same thing with your own relatives. You're not knocking on doors, but you're certainly to cajole all of your relatives to your side with Hillary.

HOLUP: Yeah.

CAMEROTA: Julie, Jeremiah, Daniel, thanks so much for sharing where you all are. We will be watching over the next 24 hours. It's fascinating to be in New Hampshire. Thanks so much for being with us. KING: Thank you.

HOLUP: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Thanks to all of you for watching us this morning. Time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello right after this break. We'll see you tomorrow.

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