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Inside Politics
Harris Expected to Make Running Mate Announcement by Tuesday; Harris Regaining Voters Biden Lost in Michigan; Maya Rudolph Will Play Kamala Harris on SNL Through Election. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired July 31, 2024 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:32:00]
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR OF 'INSIDE POLITICS': Kamala Harris is closing in on a running mate, following a rapid vetting process. CNN is told that she will reveal her pick by this coming Tuesday, when she will kick off a series of battleground state events that will start with a rally in Philadelphia. So, who is going to emerge from her short list of contenders? What are the factors?
My panel is back here. And Hans, you have some reporting as you read the tea leaves. What is that report?
HANS NICHOLS, POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Yeah. Well, if -- it is going to be a governor on the ticket -- and this is going to be a little nerdy, so just stay with me here. But if it is --
BASH: (Inaudible), you had us at nerdy.
(LAUGH)
NICHOLS: It is going to be a governor. If you're going to take any money from the financial services community, it needs to be in before it's announced because --
BASH: Because?
NICHOLS: -- there's an SEC rule that prevents any sort of donations to a presidential ticket that has a governor on it. And we saw that with Mike Pence. In 2016, when Pence was announced, Goldman put out something saying you're actually not allowed to contributing more. They want to stop pay for play, right? That's the nerdy part.
Here's the interesting thing, is if the campaign is clearly indicating to big Wall Street donors that, by the way, get your contributions in this week, that can be one of two things. One, they're hungry for the money, which is probably true.
BASH: And the end of the quarter is today.
NICHOLS: Yeah. But it's also pretty -- a potential indicator. And the way it's being -- the urgency with which it's being conveyed has some of those big donors thinking it is clearly going to be a governor. And then you get into the governor stakes, so that means it's not Mark Kelly and it's not Pete Buttigieg, which is just to say in the next five to ten minutes, it is going to be announced (inaudible).
(LAUGH)
(CROSSTALK)
NICHOLS: And so.
BASH: By the way, just so -- I'm just going to get it. I just realized it's actually July and it's not June, so never mind. What is time, so it's not the end of the quarter.
MICHAEL WARREN, SENIOR EDITOR, THE DISPATCH: (inaudible).
BASH: It has, but this month has been like a year. Let's listen to one of the contenders, Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, on with Anderson last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): I want to be very clear. I'm not speaking about the people at his rallies. Those are my relatives. Those are folks that are there. And look, he would be entertaining --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR OF "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Because that's what Republicans are saying. They're saying, oh, you're calling, you're going Trump and all his supporters weird.
WALZ: That is exactly the last thing I'm saying. I'm saying these are folks, like I said, these are my neighbors. They're there. These are good people. They're going there because, yeah, they're disenfranchised, not like J.D. Vance thinks. He gets that all wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: I mean, he's clearly gunning for him for the job and trying to make a pitch for himself as, I come from Trump world. I come from the world in which, you know, as he said, my relatives are supporters of Trump. I can be a kinder, gentler Democrat towards them. I think it is pretty obvious. I question whether Walz is really what Democrats are looking for right now, which is they are trying to shore [ph] up those blue wall states.
BASH: Some states.
WARREN: Things have opened up now. There's a sense among Democrats that the sunbelt is also sort of more in play than it was with Biden. But, Walz is from Minnesota, it's not quite on the map.
BASH: It is not quite, although our friend, Jeff Zeleny, calls it the reddest blue state.
[12:35:00]
WARREN: That's right. That's a -- it's a good description of it.
BASH: So, it's been close. Yeah, it's been close. Let's look at another governor, Josh Shapiro, from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Listen to what his message has been. This is on Monday on the stump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): This is a great nation.
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And so, I got a message to Donald Trump, stop shit talking America.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SHAPIRO: This is -- this is the greatest country on the face of the earth. Let's start acting like it.
(CROWD CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So, you look at Josh Shapiro and he's obviously a campaigner who --
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: -- watching a lot of Obama. He is very popular in a must-win state of Pennsylvania and yet, this is something I want to talk about because I think it's important to talk about it. Something caught our eye and it is a story in "The Atlantic' today and it is called "Who's afraid of Josh Shapiro?" And it's written by Yair Rosenberg. And in it, he talks about the fact that Josh Shapiro is being held to a different standard on the issue of the war in Gaza, and I want to read a part of his very important article.
"Tell Kamala and the Democrats now," reads the site NoGenocideJosh.com -- yes, that is actually a site. "Say no to Genocide Josh Shapiro for Vice President." Anti-Israel partisans have every right to advocate against candidates who oppose their cause, and there's nothing inherently anti-Semitic about doing so. But as its name implies, the "Genocide Josh" campaign is not about applying a single standard on Palestine to all VP contenders; it's about applying them to one person, who just so happens to be the only Jew on the shortlist. And to make matters more absurd, Shapiro's positions on Israel don't come close to fitting the epithet.
So, that is really the key here.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah.
BASH: He is very, very strongly against Bibi Netanyahu and the policies that he has. He says that Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the worst leaders of all time. His positions on Israel and on campus protests are virtually the same as other contenders. And as Yair points out in this article, you don't hear things like 'Killer Kelly' or 'War Crimes Walz.'
HENDERSON: Yeah. Listen, he has sort of the standard issue Democratic position here, right? It's a centrist position. Joe Biden has a similar position; Kamala Harris has a similar position. As you mentioned, these other candidates do as well. There is a sense when you are doing something different at the top of the ticket, right? We saw that with Obama, that you go for the whitest [ph] white person possible, right?
So obviously, Joe Biden was the person for Barack Obama and when Hillary, it was Tim Kaine, who is catholic. And now, I think Kamala Harris is looking at the same thing, right?
BASH: Yeah.
HENDERSON: There's no mistake -- there's a reason why they're all white guys, right?
BASH: Yeah.
HENDERSON: There's a reason why Pete Buttigieg, who is gay probably doesn't have a great shot either.
BASH: Yeah. And that's a really good point.
HENDERSON: Yeah. But I do think there is some anti-Semitism play in terms of weakening his path to the vice presidency. And this sort of sense that maybe he inflames the left, maybe he also inflames the right too if you want to try to get folks in --
BASH: Right. And I guess the key is, you said it perfectly. His position isn't really that different than any of the other contenders. The only thing that is different --
HENDERSON: Is that he is Jewish.
BASH: Is that he is Jewish.
HENDERSON: Yeah.
BASH: That's not -- not anti-Semitism.
HENDERSON: Yeah. That is anti-Semitism.
BASH: I know.
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: I mean, and there's -- exactly.
WARREN: I mean, I mean, look, we've seen over the last several months that there is a lot of anti-Semitism on the left. What's an interesting -- what's interesting is the opportunity we were talking about earlier in the show for Kamala Harris. She's not running in a primary. There's 97 days for the election. This is about running -- in the general election, running toward the center.
She doesn't actually have to be concerned with what the far left -- the far, far left of her party is angling for, is trying to push for. People we're going after Josh Shapiro, maybe some others, not just on the anti-Semitic front, but on sort of he's not sufficiently progressive. She has the luxury of not really necessarily having to make that kind of decision to try to get the most progressive ticket mate in order to win that leftward flank. She's sort of playing with house money in that.
BASH: Yeah. I mean, he writes progressive -- the progressive left are the ones treating Jewish identity as inherently suspect and holding Jewish political actors to a different standards than their non-Jewish counterparts. We're going to have to leave it there. Thank you for having this discussion and thanks for bringing us all of your reporting, all of you.
Coming up, more reporting.
[12:40:00]
We are going to go to Michigan where many Arab-American voters are angry still at Joe Biden for supporting Israel and its war in Gaza after Hamas murdered innocent Israelis on October 7th. The question now is what do they think about Kamala Harris? We're going to go live to the wolverine state, present [ph] new reporting. Don't go anywhere.
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BASH: We are in listening mode. That's what many Arab-American community leaders in suburban Detroit are saying about Vice President Kamala Harris, and she appears to be listening as well.
[12:45:00]
CNN's Jeff Zeleny is live for us in Detroit. Jeff, what are you learning on the ground there?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dana, there's no question that the energy and enthusiasm that's really coursing through the Democratic Party has changed things dramatically, now, just ten days since the Biden campaign became the Harris campaign. Now, this of course, is not a guarantee for victory and Democrats are well aware of that, but they say there is more optimism than they've ever had before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARITY DEAN, HARRIS SUPPORTER: It feels like we got one shot because it's not just the historical component here, it's also the alternative.
ZELENY (voice-over): For Charity Dean, the weight of the presidential race is suddenly a bit heavier. DEAN: It was not just, man, we have an opportunity to make history. It's also, oh, my gosh, what happens if we don't?
ZELENY (voice-over): A week after Kamala Harris clinched the Democratic nomination --
KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When we fight, we win.
ZELENY (voice-over): -- the whirlwind of excitement coursing through the party is giving way to the urgent work of building a Harris coalition, after a year of trying to shore up President Biden's fraying one.
DEAN: Here is a refreshing new energy that we didn't have previously. That absolutely is generating interests from folks that were not interested in a Biden-Trump race, but now, are definitely interested now that we have the vice president on the top of the ticket.
ZELENY (voice-over): Reverend Charles Williams of King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit saw exhaustion over a Trump-Biden rematch vanish overnight.
REV. CHARLES WILLIAMS, SENIOR PASTOR, KING SOLOMON BAPTIST CHURCH: Instead of having something to vote against, now we have something to vote for.
ZELENY (voice-over): When we met Williams earlier this year, inside his historic church, his wariness was clear.
WILLIAMS: It's like two -- just the two old white guys duking it out.
ZELENY: Did it turn just like a switch?
WILLIAMS: When Joe Biden was in office, in all of his greatness, it was like churning molasses. The next day, all of the memes went away. The next day, all of the joke videos went away.
REP. HALEY STEVENS, (D-MI): We can be a little fired up for that, I think, right?
(APPLAUSE)
ZELENY (voice-over): Here in Michigan, the contours of the new race are settling in as Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens heard firsthand, as she knocked on doors in her district.
STEVENS: How are you feeling about the switch with Biden to Harris?
REUBEN MAXBAUER, MICHIGAN VOTER: Feel good.
STEVENS: Yeah.
MAXBAUER: Yeah.
STEVENS: Energy is up, right? ZELENY (voice-over): Reuben Maxbauer invited us inside to talk. He's excited for Harris, but wants to learn more about her positions, especially her policy on Israel.
MAXBAUER: I don't think she has a clearly enough defined position, at least that we're aware of, that I can say whether she's -- whether she makes us comfortable or not.
ZELENY (voice-over): As she continued her walk, Stevens acknowledged that is one of the lingering challenges for Harris and Democrats in Michigan.
STEVENS: I'm not going to sugar coat. There's also still a lot of passions and tensions and emotions around the Middle East.
ZELENY (voice-over): A few miles away, signs of frustration over Israel's war in Gaza are clear.
CROWD: Ceasefire now.
ZELENY (voice-over): The Muslim and Arab community in Dearborn have largely broken with Biden. But Mayor Abdullah Hammoud now sees a potential opening.
MAYOR ABDULLAH HAMMOUD, (D) DEARBORN, MI: Now with Vice President Harris, you see a renewed spark, especially amongst a younger population, a more diverse coalition, and an opportunity to rebuild that coalition that helped put President Biden over the top.
ZELENY: So, can the vice president win Michigan without Dearborn and the Arab-American vote?
HAMMOUD: I'm not a gambling man. But if I was, I wouldn't want to take that gamble. If Vice President Harris wants to be successful, that's a coalition that she needs a part of in her corner, to help topple Donald Trump once again.
ZELENY (voice-over): Trump carried Michigan in 2016, along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But in 2020, all three flipped, a Biden blue wall that led to victory. That burden now rests with Harris.
DEAN: Are you here for our event?
ZELENY (voice-over): And her ardent supporters like Dean.
DEAN: There was either fear or excitement, and I think the excitement overcrowded the fear and that fear has turned now into excitement.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Such a good piece, Jeff, I always learned so much from you. On that note, what does Michigan tell us about other key states?
ZELENY: Dana, it's a critical laboratory. There is no doubt about it. I mean, she's galvanizing the Democratic base. Perhaps a better question here in Michigan and in other battleground states is, what happens to independents and swing voters? She will still need, of course, to hold onto President Biden's older base of voters. One thing we have our eye on here is the union vote in Michigan, the UAW is likely going to move toward a Harris endorsement at some point we are told, but that is not yet a done deal.
That will answer some questions here, but she has excited and electrified the base, but Charity Dean, who we talked to in the story there, perhaps said it best, Dana. She said, this will not be easy. But now at least, we think it's possible.
BASH: Jeff, thank you so much, reporting from the critical battleground of Michigan. See you back here.
ZELENY: You bet.
[12:50:00]
BASH: And now that vice president Kamala Harris is the Democratic presumptive nominee, who do you think is going to play her on SNL?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator Kamala Harris.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right, the Sentator from Kamalafornia is present.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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BASH: Now, to a favorite story in the "Inside Politics" newsroom today. And it comes from our colleague, Elizabeth Wagmeister, who is reporting that Maya Rudolph will return to "Saturday Night Live" to play Kamala Harris through the election.
[12:55:00]
Here's Rudolph as Harris during the 2020 Democratic primary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator Harris, what are you doing here? You dropped out, remember?
MAYA RUDOLPH, ACTRESS AND COMEDIAN: Oh, this is a debate?
(LAUGH)
RUDOLPH: Honestly, I had no idea. I was just in the neighborhood. But while I'm here, I just want to show you how good you could have had it America.
(LAUGH)
RUDOLPH: You withheld your donations and I got tired of waiting. So I walked my finance out the door.
(LAUGH)
RUDOLPH: You could have had a bad bitch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: We will all be watching and I, for one, am very, very excited.
Thank you so much for joining "Inside Politics." "CNN News Central" starts after the break.
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