we may be able to help.
>>> WELCOME BACK.
>>> WELCOME BACK.
WITH THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL
CONVENTION SET TO BEGIN
VIRTUALLY HOURS FROM NOW, THE
LATEST "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL"
POLL SHOWS ENCOURAGING NEWS FOR
JOE BIDEN ENTERING THE
CONVENTION AND TROUBLING NEWS
FOR THE PRESIDENT.
HE STILL HAS A 50% PROBLEM AS WE
CALLED IT THIS MORNING IN FIRST
READ.
50% OF REGISTERED VOTERS
CURRENTLY SUPPORT BIDEN, LEADS
PRESIDENT TRUMP BY NINE POINTS.
52% HAVE A NEGATIVE VIEW OF THE
PRESIDENT, INCLUDING 44% WITH A
VERY NEGATIVE VIEW OF HIM, AND
53% EVER THOSE SURVEYED
DISAPPROVE OF THE JOB HE IS
DOING, INCLUDING 47% THAT
RONGLY DISAPPROVE.
BIDEN HAS HIS OWN CHALLENGES AS
WELL WHEN IT COMES TO A FEW KEY
ISSUES.
THE PRESIDENT HAS AN EDGE OVER
BIDEN, INCLUDING ON HANDLING THE
ECONOMY, WHERE IN OUR POLL, WE
HAVE THE PRESIDENT WITH A TEN
POINT ADVANTAGE ON THAT ISSUE.
LET’S KICK THINGS OFF WITH DAVID
PLOUFFE, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN
MANAGER, NOW NBC NEWS
POLITICALLY ANALYST.
DAVID, THIS IS A UNIQUE
EXPERIENCE ENTERING A CONVENTION
IN A PRETTY STRONG POSITION
WHERE JOE BIDEN IS, IT MEANS THE
CONVENTION NEEDS TO, QUOTE, DO
NO HARM BECAUSE IT IS HARD TO
IMAGINE A BOUNCE BECAUSE I THINK
HE’S OUT OF OR CLOSE TO THE
CEILING FOR ANY DEMOCRATIC
NOMINEE AT THIS POINT.
SO WHAT IS THE JOB OF THE
CONVENTION THIS WEEK?
>> WELL, CHUCK, THAT’S AN
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT POINT YOU
JUST SAID.
I THINK HE IS CLOSE TO A
CEILING.
YOU WON’T SEE THE TRADITIONAL
THREE TO FIVE POINT BUMP.
HE HAS TWO MAIN JOBS, MAIN
REQUIREMENTS THE REST OF THE
CAMPAIGN.
HOLD ONTO AS MUCH SUPPORT AS HE
CURRENTLY HAS WITH SWING VOTERS
AND INCREASE BOTH THOSE THAT
NEED TO REGISTER IN THE NEXT 45
DAYS, MAKE SURE THEY’RE TURNING
OUT.
THE ECONOMIC QUESTION IS ONE YOU
HAVE A DECENT CHUNK OF VOTERS
UNSURE WHO THEY TRUST ON THE
ECONOMY.
THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO
TALK ABOUT LEADERSHIP OF THE
RECOVERY ACT IN THE PAST, WHAT
HE WILL DO IN THE FUTURE.
PART OF THE CONVENTION HAS TO BE
ELEMENTAL, MAKE SURE PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND HOW TO VOTE.
THERE HAS TO BE EDUCATION DONE
IN THE NEXT FOUR DAYS AND THE
NEXT FEW WEEKS.
>> INTERESTING, TWO WAYS TO LOOK
AT THE NUMBERS, FRANKLY ALL OF
THE NUMBERS WE’RE SEEING.
LOOK AT IT THROUGH THE PRISM OF
THE ECONOMY AND SAY WOW, BIDEN
IS IN AN AMAZING PLACE, EVEN AS
HE IS LOSING ON THE ECONOMY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU COULD SAY
THAT’S THE PRESIDENT’S PATH BACK
TO RELEVANCY IN THE CAMPAIGN.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS WAY.
2008, YOU HAD ONE SIGNATURE
ECONOMIC IDEA YOU THREW OUT,
MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT, YOU HAD
THAT PLEDGE, YOU WEREN’T GOING
TO CUT, IN FACT, MIDDLE CLASS,
NOBODY MAKING OVER $250,000 A
YEAR, IT WAS A KEY PART OF YOUR
SORT OF ECONOMIC PLEDGE TO THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC IN ’08.
DOES JOE BIDEN NEED SOMETHING
SIMILAR TO HANG HIS HAT ON,
SOMETHING TANGIBLE PEOPLE CAN
CONNECT ON THE ECONOMY, ONE
SIMPLE THING THEY’LL BE ABLE TO
HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE FOR AS
PRESIDENT?
>> WELL, IT IS HELPFUL, CHUCK,
ALTHOUGH I THINK BIDEN TOWN
HALL, IT WAS LESS THAT SIGNATURE
IDEA, WHO DID YOU TRUST MORE,
OBAMA OR McCAIN TO RIGHT THE
SHIP, PARTICULARLY AFTER LEHMAN
PROSECUTORS COLLAPSED.
THE PANDEMIC, DISTRIBUTION OF
THE VACCINE, THE ECONOMY, ALL OF
THESE WHAT SEEM LIKE INDIVIDUAL
ISSUES ARE TIED TOGETHER.
I THINK THE SENSE IS YOU WANT
COMING OUT OF THURSDAY NIGHT FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO HAVE A
SENSE OF, THIS GUY CAN DIG US
OUT OF THE HOLE, HAS GOOD IDEAS,
FOCUSED ON THE MIDDLE CLASS,
PEOPLE IN POVERTY, GOING TO LIFT
THEM UP.
IT IS LESS ONE IDEA THAN JUST A
SENSE TRUMP HASN’T BEEN UP TO
THIS.
THAT’S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY,
PEOPLE DON’T TRUST HIM ON THE
PANDEMIC.
BIDEN CAMPAIGN HAS TO LINK IT TO
THE ECONOMY.
IF YOU CAN’T TRUST HIM ON THE
PANDEMIC, NO WAY YOU CAN TRUST
HIM TO REBUILD.
ECONOMY.
I STILL THINK THERE’S A LOT OF
WORK TO BE DONE THERE.
I THINK YOU’LL SEE SPEAKERS
HAMMER THAT POINT HOME,
INCLUDING JOE BIDEN THURSDAY
NIGHT.
>> SO AS WE DEBATE HOW IMPORTANT
THE CONVENTIONS ARE, MARK MURRAY
AND I WERE DISCUSSING HOW NOBODY
HAD A WORSE TWO WEEKS OVER A
CONVENTION PERIOD IN THE MODERN
ERA THAN DONALD TRUMP, HIS
CONVENTION WAS A DISASTER, TED
CRUZ, THAT WHOLE MESS, THAT WAS
NOT A PARTY UNITED, AND THEN THE
PRESIDENT ENDED UP PICKING
FIGHTS WITH DEMOCRATIC SPEAKERS,
GOLD STAR PARENTS.
IT WAS A DEPACKBACLE.
HE HAD TO CHANGE CAMPAIGN
MANAGERS, YET WON THE ELECTION.
ARE WE TO LOOK BACK AT THAT
EXPERIENCE AND SAY BE CAREFUL
PUTTING TOO MUCH STOCK IN THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS?
>> YEAH, I THINK WE SHOULD BE
CAREFUL ABOUT THAT.
YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE MATTERED
HISTORICALLY OBVIOUSLY, EVEN IN
2012 THE CLINT EASTWOOD MOMENT
WITH MITT ROMNEY WASN’T A GREAT
MOMENT, CONVENTIONS ARE LIKE
FREE THROATS, YOU HAVE PAT
BUCHANAN’S SPEECH DURING GEORGE
H.W. BUSH’S TIME, IT CAN HURT
YOU.
THAT RACE WAS DIFFERENT.
50-41 IS DIFFERENT THAN 2016
WHICH WAS HILLARY HAD A LEAD,
BUT IT WAS 44-41.
YOU’RE SO SMART TO FOCUS ON THE
50% QUESTION.
THAT’S ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.
SHOW ME ANY BATTLEGROUND STATE
30 DAYS FROM NOW, IF THE BIDEN
LEAD IS 46-44, I WILL HAVE ZERO
COMFORT.
BUT IF HE HAS A LEAD LIKE THIS
WHERE YOU’RE KNOCKING ON THE
DOORSTEP, THIS IS A NATIONAL
POLL, BUT IN A BATTLEGROUND
STATE HIGH 40s, LOW 50s, THAT’S
THE KEY THING.
CONVENTIONS ARE IMPORTANT, I
LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT FOUR
NIGHTS.
OF THE TWO, MUCH MORE IMPORTANT
IS THE TRUMP CONVENTION.
DOES HE TRY TO APPEAL TO MIDDLE
OF THE ELECTORATE, TELL A
COHESIVE ECONOMIC STORY OR IS IT
A BUNCH OF INSULTS.
THIS CONVENTION IS MUCH MORE
IMPORTANT TO DONALD TRUMP THAN
THE ONE IN ’16.
>> EXCELLENT POINT AND ONE A LOT
OF FOLKS NEED TO FIGURE OUT.
TRUMP IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS THIS
CONVENTION, BIDEN DOESN’T,
THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE WHAT
YOU’RE SAYING THERE AS WELL.
>> YES.
>> DAVID PLOUFFE, THANKS FOR
