MORE IS PHIL RUCKER AND MICHAEL
STEELE, A SENIOR ADVISER TO THE
LINCOLN PROJECT.
PHIL, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.
MIKE MEMOLI JUST MENTIONED THIS.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AS WE
KNOW BY NOW OFTEN SAYS THE QUIET
PART OUT LOUD.
AND DEPARTING ADVISER KELLYANNE
CONWAY DID JUST THAT LAST WEEK
WHEN TALKING ABOUT THIS UNREST.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
>> THE MORE CHAOS AND ANARCHY
AND VANDALISM AND VIOLENCE
REIGNS, THE CLEARIER YER THE CHO
OF WHO IS BETTER ON LAW AND
ORDER.
>> THE PRESIDENT CAN’T CAMPAIGN
ON THE ECONOMY OR HIS HANDLING
OF THE CORONAVIRUS.
SO HE’S APPARENTLY TAKING A PAGE
OUT OF HIS OLD PLAYBOOK WHICH IS
STOKING FEAR AND DIVION.
>> THAT DOES APPEAR TO BE WHAT’S
HAPPENING, GEOFF.
KELLYANNE CONWAY’S COMMENTS
THERE.
SHE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE IN
TRUMP’S ORBIT WHO BELIEVES THAT.
AND IN MY REPORTING OVER THE
LAST COUPLE OF DAYS WITH THE
NUMBER OF TRUMP ADVISERS, THEY
FEEL THAT THIS CONTINUED UNREST
IN KENOSHA, IN PORTLAND,
POTENTIALLY IN OTHER CITIES
LATER INTO THE FALL IS ONLY
GOING TO HELP TRUMP POLITICALLY.
WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO.
AND THEY ARE VERY CLEAR ABOUT
IT.
THEY’RE TRYING TO SCARE WOMEN
VOTERS, WHITE WOMEN VOTERS IN
THE SUBURBS WHO SUPPORTED DONALD
TRUMP IN 2016 BUT WHO, WENT WITH
DEMOCRATS IN THE 2018 MIDTERMS,
AND THEY’RE TRYING TO BRING THEM
BACK INTO THE FOLD AND MAKE THEM
FEARFUL OF WHAT THIS UNREST
WOULD MEAN GOING FORWARD.
AND TO DO SO, THE PRESIDENT IS
GOING TO BE REITERATING THAT LAW
AND ORDER MESSAGE AND MAKE
PEOPLE FEEL LIKE HE’S THE ONLY
ONE THAT CAN BRING SOME ORDER TO
THE STREETS.
OF COURSE, JOE BIDEN IS NOT THE
PRESIDENT.
THIS IS ALL HAPPENING ON TRUMP’S
WATCH AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS
LOOK AT THE PRESIDENT’S TWITTER
FEED TO SEE HOW HE IS TRYING TO
INSTIGATE SOME OF THE CONFLICT
PLAYING OUT ACROSS OUR COUNTRY.
>> MICHAEL STEELE, THIS IS WHAT
THE PRESIDENT DID IN THE RUN UP
TO THE 2018 MIDTERMS.
HE FANNED FEARS ABOUT A MIGRANT
CARAVAN SET TO INFILTRATE THE
U.S.
HE EVEN SUGGESTED THERE MIGHT BE
TERRORISTS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
WHO MIGHT JOIN WITH THE CARAVAN.
VOTERS DIDN’T BUY IT.
DEMOCRATS FLIPPED THE HOUSE.
CAMPAIGNING ON FEAR IS EASY, BUT
WILL IT BE EFFECTIVE?
WILL IT BE EFFECTIVE THIS TIME
AROUND DO YOU THINK?
>> THERE’S A DIFFERENT BETWEEN
CARAVANS COMING FROM THE
MEXICAN/U.S. BORDER AS OPPOSED
TO SEEING FLAMES BURNING, YOU
KNOW, IN A TRASH CAN OR BUILDING
BEING, YOU KNOW -- HAVING
WINDOWS BROKEN IN THE TOWN
NEIGHBORING YOU.
SO THE FEAR FACTOR IS VERY, VERY
DIFFERENT AND SO IT’S CLOSER TO
HOME AND YOU FEEL IT MORE.
YOU FEEL MORE CONNECTED TO IT.
YOU’RE NOT CONNECTED TO A
CARAVAN COMING ACROSS THE BORDER
IF YOU’RE IN WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA.
BUT IF YOU SEE THE KIND OF
VIOLENCE THAT’S TAKING PLACE IN
PORTLAND AND KENOSHA AND
ELSEWHERE, SOMEHOW YOUR VISCERAL
REACTION TO IT IS DIFFERENT AND
THAT’S WHAT TRUMP IS PREYING ON.
HERE’S THE PART THAT RUBS ME RAW
ON THIS, AND THAT IS WE ARE YET
AGAIN IN A SITUATION WHERE IN
TRUMP -- AND THIS IS WHAT TRUMP
IS PICKING AT -- THAT WHEN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY SAYS
ENOUGH, YOU’VE GOT TO PAY
ATTENTION TO THE PAIN THAT WE
ARE EXPERIENCING.
YOU’VE GOT TO LISTEN TO WHAT
WE’RE SAYING.
SUDDENLY WE PIVOT TO WHITE FEAR.
WE’RE NO LONGER TALKING ABOUT
THE UNDERLYING CAUSES FOR THIS
CONTROVERSY, FOR THESE ACTIONS
THAT ARE HAPPENING ON THE
STREET.
WE’RE NOW CONCERNED ABOUT WHITE
PEOPLE BEING AFRAID.
AND SO THAT’S THE PIVOT THAT
TRUMP WANTS TO MAKE.
TO YOUR VERY POINT THAT, YOU
KNOW, THOSE WHITE SUBURBAN WOMEN
ARE NOW MORE CONCERNED OR AT
LEAST THIS IS THE TRUMP
THINKING, WILL NOW BE MORE
CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR OWN SAFETY
AS OPPOSED TO THEIR UNDERLYING
CONCERN ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON,
REALLY, IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY,
WHICH THEY ARE GENERALLY
INTERESTED IN DOING SOMETHING
ABOUT.
SO WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN FOR BIDEN
IS HE’S GOT TO COME OUT AND
PIVOT US OFF OF THIS NOTION THAT
WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF EACH
OTHER.
NO, WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF TRUMP
BECAUSE THIS IS HIS UNIVERSE.
THIS IS HIS WORLD THAT HE’S
RATED, AND AS WE WITHINED FROM
THE TWEETS THIS WEEKEND, THIS IS
THE WORLD THAT HE’S STOKING
EVERY DAY WITH MORE AND MORE
FEAR.
>> TO MICHAEL STEELE’S GREAT
POINT, THIS IS ACTUALLY BORNE
OUT IN POLLING DATA.
NEW POLLING THAT SHOWS WHITE
AMERICANS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES
LIKE WISCONSIN MAY NOT BE AS
SUPPORTIVE OF THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER MOVEMENT AS THEY WERE
EARLIER THIS SUMMER IN THE
IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THE
POLICE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD.
PART OF THIS, AND THIS IS MY OWN
OPINION, IS THAT BLACK LIVES
MATTER, THAT MOVEMENT, IS BEING
APPLIED TO PROTESTERS BROADLY
AND INAPPROPRIATELY.
AND THE ACTUAL MESSAGE IS BEING
DROWNED OUT BY PEOPLE WHO MIGHT
BE SOCIAL JUSTICE DEMONSTRATORS
BUT THEY’RE NOT REALLY BLACK
LIVES MATTER AFFILIATED.
BUT WHAT IS THE RISK HERE?
WHAT IS THE POLITICAL RISK FOR
DEMOCRATS IN A STATE LIKE
WISCONSIN?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, GEOFF,
YOUR THEORY SOUNDS JUST ABOUT
RIGHT BECAUSE THERE’S BEEN
WIDESPREAD SUPPORT IN THIS
COUNTRY FOR THE IDEALS AND
VALUES OF BLACK LIVES MATTER,
AND IT’S WORTH POINTING OUT THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP, ACCORDING TO
ALL THE POLLING DATA IN THE
SUMMER WAS VERY MUCH ON THE
WRONG SIDE OF THAT ISSUE.
BUT THE FEAR FOR DEMOCRATS IN
THOSE UPPER MIDWESTERN STATES,
IN WISCONSIN, ALSO IN MICHIGAN
AND ALSO NOTABLY IN MINNESOTA,
WHERE MY REPORTING SHOWS SOME
DEMOCRATS ARE INCREASINGLY
NERVOUS ABOUT SOFTENING THERE
FOR BIDEN.
THAT’S THE EPICENTER OF THIS
MOVEMENT.
MINNEAPOLIS BEING WHERE GEORGE
FLOYD WAS KILLED SEVERAL MONTHS
BACK.
THERE IS CONCERN THERE THAT
THESE IMAGES AND THIS LAW AND
ORDER MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
IS WORKING TO START TO PRY AWAY
SOME OF THOSE WHITE VOTERS.
I WAS TALKING TO CONGRESSWOMAN
DEBBIE DINGELL THE OTHER DAY.
SHE REPRESENTS A SUBURBAN
DETROIT DISTRICT.
SHE DRIVES AROUND HER DISTRICT
AND HAS SEEN A LOT OF BLUE LIVES
MATTER SIGNS POPPING UP AND
THAT’S GIVEN HER SERIOUS PAUSE
AND SHE’S BEEN COMMUNICATING
THAT WITH THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN.
>> PHIL, AS YOU HAVE BEEN
SPEAKING, THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
TWEETING.
HE SAYS PORTLAND IS A MESS AND
THE MAYOR CAN’T CLEAN IT UP.
WE’LL CLEAN IT UP FOR THEM.
MICHAEL STEELE, JOE BIDEN PLANS
TO ASK VOTERS TODAY, DO YOU FEEL
SAFE IN DONALD TRUMP’S AMERICA?
IS THAT A STRONG ENOUGH
COUNTERARGUMENT?
HOW SHOULD JOE BIDEN ADDRESS
THIS ISSUE WITHOUT PLAYING ON
TRUMP’S TURF?
>> THAT’S ALWAYS THE TRICKIEST
PART BECAUSE TRUMP WANTS YOU TO
PLAY ON HIS TURF.
SO, YEAH, I THINK THAT’S THE
BEGINNING OF AN IMPORTANT
MESSAGE BUT I THINK THERE HAS TO
BE A HIGHER LEVEL OF EMPHASIS
AND CONDEMNATION OF THE VIOLENCE
THAT WE’VE SEEN SO FAR.
WHAT MAKES THE WHITE FEAR
NARRATIVE WORK IS THAT THEY FEEL
THAT THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN OR
DEMOCRATS OR WHATEVER, AREN’T
ADDRESSING THAT.
THAT THEY’RE JUST ALLOWING IT TO
HAPPEN WITHOUT RECOURSE OR
WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF RESPONSE.
SO THAT’S GOING TO BE THE FIRST
IMPORTANT STEP IS TO
DECLARATIVELY STATE EXACTLY WHAT
YOU THINK AND FEEL ABOUT THE
VIOLENCE.
AND THEN TO EMPHASIZE WHAT THAT
VIOLENCE IS DOING AND WHY, AS
PRESIDENT, YOU WOULD HAVE A
BETTER HANDLE AND CONTROL OVER
MITIGATING THAT VIOLENCE AS
OPPOSED TO WHAT TRUMP IS DOING
WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGING
IT BY, YOU KNOW, PRAISING THE
PEOPLE IN THEIR CARAVANS AND
GOING ON TO PROTEST IN PORTLAND.
WE KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
SO THE -- THAT’S GOING TO BE A
HARD THING TO DO BECAUSE, IN MY
ESTIMATION, THEY’VE WAITED TOO
LONG.
THEY WASTED LAST WEEK.
THEY’VE WASTED THE WEEKS BEFORE
LEADING UP TO THIS.
PRETTY MUCH REMAINING SILENT.
THEY’VE ALLOWED THIS NARRATIVE
TO SETTLE IN WITH A LOT OF THE
WHITE SUBURBAN VOTERS WHICH
EVERYONE AND THEIR BROTHER KNEW
IS GOING TO BE THE FOCAL POINT
OF THIS ELECTION.
NOW THEY HAVE TO UNRING THAT
BELL IN A WAY THAT BENEFITS
BIDEN AND THAT’S GOING TO BE
TOUGH TO DO.
ONCE THE FEAR SETS IN TO GET
PEOPLE TO BE UNAFRAID, JEFF, AS
YOU KNOW, IS NOT THE EASIEST
