The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell 9/12/24 | 🅼🆂🅽🅱🅲 Breaking News September 12, 2024

well there is important new polling tonight showing that kamla Harris has expanded her possibilities of winning the Electoral College and this polling was done before the presidential debate in which KL Harris crushed Donald Trump like no one has ever been crushed in a presidential debate before so the polling could become even better for KL Harris once the effects of the debate register in the next wave of polls Carl Ro saw this coming 14 years ago Carl Ro saw this coming long before any other Republican Carl Rove was the first Washington Republican to fear kamla Harris and an oped piece for the Wall Street Journal under the headline a catastrophic debate for Trump Carl Ro writes quote Tuesday's debate between kamla Harris and Donald Trump was a train wreck for him far worse than anything Team Trump could have imagined President George W bush privately used nicknames for people around him he called Vice President Dick Cheney Big Time George W bush called his treasury secretary Paul O'Neal Pablo the most well-known nickname in the bush White House was one that George W bush didn't come up with and did not like Bush's brain that is what everyone else in Washington called Carl Ro the senior adviser in the bush White House who masterminded George W Bush's winning presidential campaigns early glowing profiles of Carl Ro during the Bush Administration eagerly platformed Carl Ro's theory that he was building a permanent Republican majority in the Congress and a permanent Republican Electoral College hold on the White House Carro was repeatedly presented in major media profiles as a Visionary Republican strategist who was far far ahead not just of other Republican strategic thinkers but all political strategic thinkers in Washington in both parties those profiles were the product of the Standard Group think of the Washington press Corps and they all wildly exaggerated Carl Ro's genius but but what was true was that Carl Rove really was thinking about electoral politics for republicans in a more careful and data-driven way than any other Republicans it was also true that Carl Rove had a pretty good eye for potential political Talent Carl Ro signed up with George W bush in Texas because Ro believed correctly that George W bush could go all the way to the White House and as soon as Carl Rove saw KLA Harris 14 years ago in 2010 he was very worried about her we are the state that creates leadership for the rest of this country based on our belief that we can be tough and we can be smart and all the time be dedicated to our history while being empowered to know our destiny that was night in 2010 when San Francisco district attorney KL Harris won the Democratic nomination for Attorney General of of the State of California and that video was not seen anywhere outside of California Carl Ro saw it and that is when Carl Rove got scared because Carl Rove saw the same track to the White House for KLA Harris that I saw beginning with her winning her first Statewide race as attorney general in California that would leave KLA Harris perfectly positioned and it did leave her perfectly positioned to run Statewide again for United States Senate which became possible when Senator Barbara Boxer decided not to run fre election in 2016 once in the Senate comala Harris would obviously be a star who everyone would then expect to run for president the key for Carl Ro was preventing kamla Harris from winning Statewide in the first place stopping her in that attorney General campaign Carl Rove needed to turn kamla Harris into a loser then so that she couldn't follow an obike trajectory through the United States Senate to the presidency it was that obvious to Carl Rove then and so Carl Ro helped fund a negative advertising campaign against kamla Harris in 2010 joining me now from Los Angeles California's Democratic attorney general candidate k Harris kamla can you get tell uh the country the story behind that ad that Carl Rove is running against you well Lawrence about a week ago we learned that uh Carl Rove and Gillespie put together about $1.1 million in um money to fund an independent expenditure attack ad against my campaign focused on Los Angeles uh we also learned that the expenditure was funded by tobacco oil and insurance companies and um as you have mentioned there's a lot of speculation about why uh but what that tells me is that they clearly know that we can win and they obviously don't like uh our position on many of the issues that I believe are important clearly not only to California but but the rest of the country Carl Ro was right they needed to stop KLA Harris then or someday Republicans were going to be very worried in a campaign for president against comml Harris as they are worried tonight con Harris won that first Statewide campaign by less than 1% of the vote in California and that is why she is where she is tonight she is polling four points ahead of Donald Trump in the latest Wisconsin poll the Marquette University law school poll the most trusted poll in Wisconsin shows that among likely voters kamla Harris is polling at 52 in Wisconsin and Donald Trump was polling at 48 that is in a state where the last two presidential elections have been decided by less than 1% of the vote in 2016 Donald Trump won Wisconsin with 47.2% against Hillary Clinton's 46.5% and in 2020 Joe Biden won Wisconsin with 49.4% against Donald Trump's 48.8% that's how close it's supposed to be in Wisconsin fourpoint Gap in the Marquette poll in Wisconsin among likely voters is more than what Democrats could have reasonably hoped for at this point in the campaign and that polling was completed before Wisconson watched what Carl Rove saw in that debate which Carl Rove describes this way Miss Harris was often on offense leaving Mr Trump visibly rattled as she launched rocket after rocket at him a New York Times analysis found she spent 46% of her time on the attack while Mr Trump devoted 29% of his time to going after her debates aren't one on defense Miss Harris pressed Mr Trump on the economy the Ukraine war foreign policy Health Care the January 6th attack and especially abortion leaving him flustered and often incoherent Mr Trump had to know the vice president would try to get him to lose his cool she did she went after him on his multiple indictments she called him weak and belittled him as a six-time bankrupt spoiled inheritor of wealth she said his former National Security adviser thought him in her words dangerous and unfit for the Oval Office he took the bait almost every time she put it on the hook rather than dismissing her attacks and launching his strongest counterarguments against her Mr Trump got Furious as her attacks continued his voice Rose he gripped the podium more often and more firmly he grimaced and shook his head at times respon responding with wild fanciful rhetoric Mr Trump offered angry responses pursed his lips and eyes darting mostly down seldom looking at her and what was it with his makeup that left white circles around his eyes professional Republicans take Carl Rove very very seriously big money Republican donors have always taken guidance from krove very very seriously they believe that Carl Ro really was Bush's brain especially in campaigns and so Republicans reading Carl Ro's assessment of the debate in the Wall Street Journal is as depressing as watching the debate was for those Republicans Carl Rove continued it matters how debating candidates carry themselves there it was no contest Miss Harris came across as calm confident strong and focused on the future Mr Trump came across as hot angry and fixated on the past especially his own she mastered the split screen projecting confidence and wordlessly undercutting him by smiling while shaking her head as he spoke many undecided and swing voters will make up their minds Less on any single issue than on their visceral reactions to the candidates M Harris did herself much good with that crowd Tuesday Mr Trump didn't even voters even voters wanted to learn something new and reassuring about the candidates in debate the debate she provided them plenty while he did there's no putting lipstick on this Pig Mr Trump was crushed by a woman he previously dismissed as dumb as a rock which raises the question what does that make him the answer to that question was provided by kamla Harris in the debate I have talked with military leaders some of whom worked with you and they say you're a disgrace you know know who want to debate when one candidate uses the debate in a campaign commercial and the other doesn't I want to turn to the issue of abortion for 52 years they've been trying to get roie wade into the states I did a great service in doing it it took courage to do it and the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it I have talked with women around our country you want to talk about this is what people wanted pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term suffering from a miscarriage being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail and she's bleeding out in a car in the parking lot she didn't want that her husband didn't want that a 12 or 13-year-old Survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term they don't want that I think the American people believe that certain freedoms in particular the freedom to make decisions about one's own body should not be made by the government I'm kamla Harris and I approve this message here is what debate winners say so North Carolina two nights ago Donald Trump and I had our debate you watched it did you watch it and look I believe we owe it to have another debate right we owe it to the voters another debate and here is what debate losers say there will be no third debate so says Donald Trump vice president Harris went to North Carolina today where she has opened up the new possibility for Democrats to win the electoral college with North Carolina's 16 electoral votes the Democratic presidential candidate has not won North Carolina since 2008 when Barack Obama did it in his first presidential campaign Donald Trump has won North Carolina twice now if Donald Trump loses North Carolina this time that would virtually eliminate any Trump chance of winning the Electoral College with recent polls in North North Carolina showing a three-point gap between the candidates the most recent poll shows KLA Harris at 50 and Donald Trump at 47 if that's what happens on Election Day in North Carolina kamla Harris will be president here is North Carolina governor Roy Cooper speaking to NBC's n Diego wanu tonight after vice president har at vice president Harris's campaign event there's a reason why Donald Trump spent more money in August in North Carolina than any other state because they're panicking they know that KLA Harris is at least tied or maybe even taking the lead in North Carolina Donald Trump has no other path to the presidency he must win North Carolina we know that if KLA Harris wins North Carolina she is the next president of the United States we did this in 2008 North Carolina voted for Barack Obama and made history North Carolina's ready to make history again here's vice president Harrison Greensboro North Carolina earlier this evening Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act now think about that think about that think we remember what it meant when insurance companies could deny you for a pre-existing condition remember what that was so he wants to get rid of it and as he said in the debate he made clear he has no plan to replace it in fact you remember concept you remember he has quote concepts of a plan concepts of a [Applause] plan I mean we're 54 days from this election concepts of a plan which means no actual plan which means no actual plan and 45 million Americans are insured through the Affordable Care Act so understand what that means he's going to end it based on a concept and take us back so generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom and now the Baton is in our hands the Baton is now in our hands and we who believe then in the sacred freedom to vote will finally pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and freedom to vote at and we who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence will finally pass an assault weapons ban Universal background check and red flag laws so much is on the line in this election and we got this [Applause] we but look but look here's the thing this is not 2016 or 2020 the stakes are even higher and let us be very clear someone who suggests that we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the Seal of of the president of the United States never again never again [Applause] never and put that all in the context of people who have been talking about how he was when they served with him in the White House people who saw him every day his National Security advisor his defense secretary his chief of staff and his vice president all all of whom have warned America Donald Trump is not fit to be president of the United States [Applause] and to never occupy our nation's highest office again we know ours will be a very tight race until the very end we are the underdog let's be clear about that we are the underdog and so we have hard work ahead of us but we like hard work hard work is good work hard work is good work and with your help we will win we will [Applause] win and so I ask you today North Carolina are you ready to make your voices [Applause] heard do we believe in Freedom do we believe in Opportunity do we believe in the promise of America and are we ready to fight for it and when we fight we win there you go God bless you and God bless [Applause] the leading off our discussion tonight Anderson Clayton chair of the North Carolina Democratic party uh thank you very much for joining us tonight big day uh for the campaign in your state today that was a giant crowd uh for Greensboro 177,000 I think is the is the estimate um so are you is that the uh debate effect that we saw in that crowd or did you get a little extra turnout today uh because of the Taylor Swift effect yeah that's the kamla Harris effect is what we're calling it it's because folks in our state all across it are so excited we had over a hundred students alone from UNCC Chapel Hills campus today come and meet her in Greensboro and then also we had our other rally in Charlotte today too we had students from UNCC Charlotte come out to that and so it's just been really exciting to see the momentum that she's garnered from especially young people across the state of North Carolina we're going to be watching uh polls closing in uh North Carolina on Election night that's uh you know East Coast time that could be if that's an early enough call uh you could eliminate a lot of suspense with a kamla Harris victory in North Carolina we could and to KLA Harris's point is she said it on stage we need every single person across our state getting out to support us and making sure that you're knocking on doors with us in your communities this weekend uh we've got folks that are out there every single weekend making sure that we are garnering uh that margin that we lost by in 2020 North Carolina was you know the one state that came within a 1% margin for President Biden is 74,000 votes it's about 42 votes per every Precinct in every county in North Carolina and we're chasing after them uh we heard uh what the governor had to say uh about obviously winning North Carolina means she will absolutely win this uh win the electoral college uh th this is going to be uh very intense and and it becomes an interesting challenge for the campaign about resources uh if they have to devote resources to North Carolina because they're competitive that spreads out uh where the ca campaign has to be uh how do you expect the the campaign to be able to cover this expanded possibility of of electoral college possibilities in these states we've had a historic wave of donations and people that are supporting the vice president at at the top of the ticket this year and so I think that it's exciting to see the investment that they've already made in the state in terms of the 100 plus organizers that we have across North Carolina right now we also have 30 plus organizers working full-time on campus organizing turning out the youth vote that's what helps win North Carolina in 2008 with our coordinated campaign here and so really just not leaving any voter on the table uh or taken for granted in this state so if anyone is willing to join us this weekend n cdp.dhs.gov thank you thank you CL can't claim to be Pro-Am only to block protections for IVF the American people deserve another chance to see if Republicans are for access to IVF or against it it's that simple so next week Mr President the Senate will vote once again to take up the very same bill we voted on earlier this summer establishing a nationwide right to IVF and make it E making it easier for people to access this critical treatment our bill should have passed in June and it is more than good enough to pass now in June 47 Senate Republicans successfully voted to block the right to IVF act from even being debated in the United States Senate Senator Schumer is bringing that bill back up for a vote after Donald Trump tried to falsely portray himself as a protector of I IVF procedures in this week's debate in Ohio the Trump Endor Republican candidate for Senate Bernie Mareno is trying to overturn the will of Ohio voters who voted to amend their State's Constitution to include the protections of Row versus Wade in a recording obtained by USA Today Bernie Marino at a July campaign event said we lost issue one last year because only 52% of Evangelical Christians bothered to show up at The Ballot Box what did we get in exchange we have abortion right until birth we have no parental consent for minors getting an abortion because we didn't show up to vote can't do that they can only cheat so much the lies in that statement include voting is not cheating it is not legal for a minor in Ohio to obtain an abortion without parental consent and abortion is not legal until birth Ohio's Democratic senator shered Brown who is running for reelection against Bernie Marino released this ad in Ohio we were clear an overwhelming victory for Reproductive Rights but Bernie Mareno thinks he knows better than us because even though we voted to protect abortion rights Bernie Mareno says he'd vote for a National Abortion ban he's against abortion even in cases of rape or incest absolute pro- lifee no exception my position is Crystal crystal clear has not changed an abortion it's clear Bernie Marino doesn't care what we think what's clear to me is that Bernie Marino doesn't respect us I'm sure Brown and I approve this message joining us now is Ohio's senior senator sherid Brown he is the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a member of the Senate finance committee Senator thank you very much for joining great to have you here in in the studio Wonder uh we never get here because you're always in in Ohio uh I I I just am kind of amazed that a politician running Statewide in any state would see his electorate overwhelmingly vote for something in a ballot initiative and then run against that while trying to win Statewide yeah I mean Bernie Marino thinks he knows better he 57% said in Ohio emphatically said women should that these decisions should be made by women their doctors not by politicians uh Bernie Marino there's an arrogance to that that even you know they they really tried to to rig the election Bernie Reno put $100,000 of his own money he's spending Millions against me but 100,000 of his own money and passing that he's not willing to accept it uh there's been a lot of money to get that message I ask people that care about abortion rights to come to Sher brown.com kick in $15 $20 we a lot of money being spent against us we're going to win in part because we'll make that contrast I'm for abortion rights Bernie Marino doesn't respect he thinks he knows better so you could reasonably think when you were going to vote in Ohio and voting to preserve this right for women that that when you won huge win that you you Ohio voters had settled it it's done but then we see in a presidential debate that Donald Trump refuses to say what he would do if a Republican Senate with say Senator Bernie Marino sent a a national Bill Banning abortion would Donald Trump sign it if he did that would override what the Ohio voters have done yeah there's no question Bernie Marino I mean look at those we there's plenty other cases where he said 100% Pro lifee no I mean abortion ban no exceptions and he would vote for that clearly so with a number of others uh running in for office around the state I tester's opponent and others and uh that that's a big that's going to be a big that's going to you know I've said on the show before I don't see Politics as left or right and SE whose side are you on and clearly I'm in the side that women should be making these decisions not a bunch of politicians like Marina uh vice president Harris uh was very clear on this issue in the presidential debate if the if a democratic control Senate can send her along with a democratic controlled house uh a federal law reinstating roow versus wage she would absolutely we sign that yeah I I believe her I know her I've worked with her I know my colleagues feel the same and any chance we get we will we will pass uh you know in Ohio it was a wonderful election night when we saw uh I I won 16 counties in 2018 we saw those 16 and nine more counties voting for abortion rights it is it is the majority in perhaps every State Kansas it's going to be in Montana I probably in Florida C in Ohio and the voters have spoken loudly and clearly when when you uh when you went into this campaign did you expect abortion to be as big an issue in the campaign I mean you could some observers might think well the Ohio voters settled it um Ohio voters I you know it some people said we should wait till next year I'm glad we didn't because women got those rights one year earlier in Ohio but um it's still going to be front and center when you've got a guy that wants to take away those rights that the voters in Ohio that that thinks he knows better that doesn't respect that adet doesn't respect women doesn't respect the will of the voters uh then I think it's pretty clear that that will be a voting issue next year and I think it'll be a voting issue until we pass something comparable to roie Wade in the US Congress senator sherid Brown thank you very much for joining us again tonight always appreciate it thank you and up next Florida is now in play for the Democrats in the Senate campaign where the campaign there is now actually a tie within the margin of error of the polling Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Marcel Powell will join us next in order to maintain control of the United States Senate Democrats have to win all of their reelection campaigns including in difficult States for Democrats like Montana where John tester is running free election one of the states that Democrats are trying to add to their winning list is Florida winning Florida could insulate Democrats from the possibility of losing in any of the reelection campaigns abortion is on the ballot in Florida potentially driving up voter turnout in support of a popular amendment that would add Reproductive Rights to the state's Constitution and permanently undo the abortion ban in Florida signed into law by Republican Governor Ronda santis after watching vice president Harris crushed Donald Trump on the debate stage on Tuesday especially on the subject of abortion Florida Republican senator Rick Scott seems afraid to debate his Democratic opponent our next guest Debbie mcel Powell are you going to him your opponent in Florida I'm going I'm watching to see if she's going to start traveling State she spends all her time in Miami I've TR I'm continuing to travel the state there have been some polls that show that race pretty close do you think it's a close race at this point I'm going to I'm going to work my butt off and win but you it sounds like you're not committing to debating her we'll see what happens Rick Scott who will be running to be the Republican majority leader leader in the Senate next year if he wins uh and the Republicans win the Senate is in trouble for an incumbent in the latest Florida Atlantic University poll which shows a tie within the margin of ERA with Rick Scott running at 47% with likely voters in Debbie mccarel Powell running at 43% the margin of error in the poll is 3% which means that either of those numbers could be three points higher or three points lower Rick Scott could be as low as 4 4 Debbie mccarel Powell could actually be running as high as 46 so that is a tie within the margin of error and when an incumbent is polling below 50 that incumbent is in trouble because historically more of the undecideds tend to break for the new candidate Debbie Marcel Powell's campaign released this new ad I grew up under a dictatorship before coming to the US I'm Debbie muker Sal Powell and for me Freedom isn't some political slogan it's why I came to America but Rick Scott is trying to take away your freedoms right now for women Banning abortion for families raising taxes and for seniors ending Social Security and the freedom to retire with dignity if you care about Freedom elect a senator who actually believes in it that's why I approve this message joining us now is former democratic congresswoman Demi mukil Powell of Florida she is running for US Senate in Florida against incumbent Rick Scott I have to say uh his answer to why he's not debating you was something I couldn't quite follow he says he's not debating you because of where you are good evening Lawrence look a an old and tired and corrupt politician being scared to debate a strong woman a qualified woman with a Clear Vision to build a better state does it sound familiar uh we have been accepting we now accepted three debates he has been dodging the question he is obviously petrified because if I were him I would be too he can defend his record on writing a plan that was actually a preamble for project 2025 to end Social Security and Medicare he has a record of pushing for a National Abortion ban he voted against access to IVF and in Florida our values are not those we know that the poll to support Amendment four now is over 60% um we have seen mobilizing like we haven't seen in years in the state millions of dollars coming in to get those voters to come out and vote in support of foreign speech come for on you for [Music] for for e for St spee