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CNN Live Event/Special
Day Two Of The Democratic National Convention; Joe & Jill Biden Open About Their Relationship In CNN Documentary; Some Progressives Questioning Why So Many Republicans In Convention; Postmaster General Suspends Changes To Postal Service; Tonight: Speeches From Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Jill Biden. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired August 18, 2020 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KATE BENNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate Bennett, CNN, Washington.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right, CNN's special coverage of the Democratic National Convention continues now.
[20:00:15]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Tonight, the Democrats ramp up their plea for new leadership in the White House as they make their presidential choice official.
Joe Biden is about to be formally nominated to challenge President Trump. Jill Biden is the convention headliner tonight. We're told she'll discuss in very personal terms what she believes are the values her husband would bring to the presidency.
We'll also hear from former President Bill Clinton delivering his sharpest rebuke of President Trump ever.
Welcome to CNN's coverage the Democratic National Convention, I'm Anderson Cooper. We're heading into the second night of this unconventional convention, along with my colleague, Wolf Blitzer.
Wolf, tonight's theme is leadership matters.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Anderson, we do expect a stinging indictment of President Trump as Commander-in-Chief from former military and National Security officials who served under him and other Presidents.
And we just learned, a retired General and former Republican Secretary of State, Colin Powell will help make the case against Trump promising that Biden would bring values back to the White House and protect U.S. troops.
Powell is the most prominent G.O.P. figure to speak at this Democratic Convention so far.
Biden's appeal to Republicans will be underscored in a very moving film about his very close friendship with the late senator John McCain. We're covering this convention as only CNN can along with Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, and Abby Phillip.
Jake, we're also learning more about Bill Clinton's remarks.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Wolf, it had been a tradition in American politics that former Presidents tended to not publicly criticize their successors, but no longer.
The President whose campaign mantra was, "It's the economy, stupid," Bill Clinton will take direct aim at one of President Trump's main arguments for reelection. Clinton will reject the Trump claim that he has been good for the nation's economy.
Clinton will also argue that the chaos of the Trump presidency has turned the Oval Office into a storm center instead of a command center and Dana, first, last night, the former First Lady Michelle Obama attacking a sitting President, now a former President attacking him.
Democrats say that these norms are out the window because they see President Trump as such an urgent threat and of course because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake, that coronavirus pandemic means that Democrats have had to reinvent a lot including a signature event and a political convention, the roll call vote to nominate their candidate, Joe Biden in this case, of course and the D.N.C. will take viewers to every state and territory since they can't gather in a big arena.
And some of Biden's former opponents will appear from their home states that includes Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar.
And as the runner up, Sanders will be nominated as well. He chose Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to give his nominating speech. She is of course wildly popular among progressives. She has said she will vote for Joe Biden, but hasn't explicitly endorsed him, and that is a reminder that despite the attempt we're going to see to put party unity on display, there are still challenges.
And Abby, there is another convention tradition that is going to have a new look tonight.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Dana, the keynote is usually the solo speech, it is known as a springboard for political rising stars.
But tonight it is going to be a group effort. Former Georgia Gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams is going to join up with 16 other up and coming Democrats. It's sort of a keynote mashup and the Democrats say, it will offer a diversity of ideas.
And as Joe Biden likes to say, he is the bridge to that next generation of leaders. We're going to see some of that tonight -- Anderson.
COOPER: Our political team is here to break it all down. Right now, let's listen to a clip of the biggest named Republican to join this Democratic Convention, Secretary of State Colin Powell take a listen to what he may say tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The values I learned growing up in the South Bronx, and serving in uniform were the same values that Joe Biden's parents instilled in him in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
I support Joe Biden for the presidency of the United States, because those values still define him and we need to restore those values to the White House.
Our country needs a Commander-in-Chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family. For Joe Biden, that doesn't need teaching, it comes from the experience he shares with millions of military families, sending his beloved son off to war and praying to God he would come home safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Gloria Borger, we have seen, both last night and clearly tonight, a real emphasis on reaching out to Republicans who may be dissatisfied or dislike President Trump.
[20:05:05]
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Right, and independent voters who may say look, I don't like the way he dealt with COVID, but what about the economy? What about national security?
And I think what you hear from Colin Powell is the Commander-in-Chief issue and that -- and he tries to answer that question by saying, this man is stable. He knows what it takes. He understands what it's like to serve. His own son served.
And don't forget, Colin Powell and Joe Biden go back a long way to when Colin Powell worked for Bush -- for President Bush, and Biden was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
So, they have a long relationship. It's not a surprise. He's endorsed Biden, but having him speak at this convention is a very big deal when you see the other Republicans who spoke last night. It's a continuation of that reach out.
COOPER: David, does it alienate more liberal voters to have so many Republicans who are reaching out to independents?
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, this is a danger that you -- this is a balancing act for Joe Biden for this convention.
But the fact of the matter is, these elections are not won that way. These elections are won by expanding your base and they're creating a comfort level, a permission structure for independence for Republicans for more conservative Democrats to cross over.
Colin Powell is like the gold standard for the military. He is an iconic figure in American history and to have his endorsement and to have his words on screen at this convention, very, very important for Biden, not just for the implicit attack on Trump, but for the certification of Biden as someone who would be a strong Commander-in- Chief.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, and I think it also blunts some of the attacks that we already see coming from Republicans, which is that Joe Biden is going to be or is already captive of the radical elements of this country, of the sort of more progressive side of the Democratic Party when you have all these Republicans saying that they work with him, saying that they admire him, or saying that they want to see him in the White House. I think it'll be a little harder to say that Joe Biden is a radical.
What's also interesting, I think about Colin Powell is if you think back to some of his critiques of the Republican Party, going back to 2008, one of his big critiques was the way in which they directed Islamophobia in 2008 at Barack Obama.
He came out and endorsed Barack Obama. He later criticized the Republican Party for a dark vein of intolerance. So tonight, he is obviously centering on the military and using that as a way to endorse Joe Biden, but he also has this critique of the Republican Party, about their inability to reach out to African-Americans.
And the way that they did when he was a part of that party, and a big part of the party, and this is why Colin Powell, a decorated veteran no longer feels like he can be a part of that party and endorse Donald Trump.
BORGER: You know, Colin Powell is a perfect example of someone, I don't think Joe Biden would have used in the primaries, given the Iraq War.
But in a general election, you want to have him front and center when you're trying to appeal to those independent voters and those moderate Republicans.
AXELROD: I can tell you back in 2008, I was in a motel room and Barack Obama, I think was a couple of rooms down and when Colin Powell went on "Meet the Press," and announced that he was supporting Barack Obama, you could hear cheers up and down the hallway because of the importance that we assigned to his endorsement.
Now, that was a few years ago. He's been out of the public eye in many ways since that time, but still carries a tremendous amount of moral authority when it comes to issues involving national security and all issues about racial equity.
COOPER: Much more head of our conversation of our convention coverage as we stand by for Bill Clinton, apparently, his most direct attack on President Trump to date.
We expect Jill Biden to get personal and likely emotional as she shares insights into her husband that only she knows.
Also get a preview as Jill Biden reveals to CNN why Joe Biden had to propose five times before she said yes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:13:21]
BLITZER: We're closing in on the start of the Democratic Convention and Jill Biden's headliner speech, we expect a very moving account of her husband's resilience in the face of devastating loss.
We're also standing by to hear from the most prominent Republican to address the Democrats, the former Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
We're getting new information on what to expect tonight from our correspondents, Jeff Zeleny and Arlette Saenz. They are in Delaware for us. Arlette, first to you. Well, what are you learning about Jill Biden's speech tonight?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Jill Biden has long said that being a political spouse did not come naturally to her, but tonight she said, she will deliver the biggest political speech of her career as she speaks directly to her husband, Joe Biden's character.
Now she has worked on this speech for several weeks with her team of aides, sometimes over Zoom calls, and a Democratic official says that she has been the driving force behind that messaging.
And Jill Biden's central arguments tonight will be that her husband, Joe Biden can mend a broken nation after enduring personal losses himself with the loss and death of his first wife and young daughter and later his son, Beau.
She is expected to say how do you make a broken family whole? Same way you make a nation whole.
Now, I'm told Jill Biden will make no direct reference to President Trump in her speech, which is different than the approach taken by former First Lady Michelle Obama last night. Instead, Jill Biden is expected to deliver a subtle contrast with the President, as she gives testimony to her husband's character and vision -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Arlette, standby. Jeff Zeleny. Joe Biden's relationship with the late John McCain will be featured in a very moving film tonight. What are you learning about that?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It will, Wolf. We are learning more about this video. I'm told that this will come near the end of the evening right before or shortly before Jill Biden's speech and it is going to be about an eight-minute video or so, really going through the relationship that Joe Biden had with the late John McCain.
[20:15:19] ZELENY: Of course, Joe Biden was already in the Senate. John McCain
was an aide in the Senate. He had just been released from his captivity. So, that started their friendship over some 30 years or so.
I am told that President Trump's name is not going to be mentioned in this video. But he, of course, is the subtext of all of this. One thing that will be mentioned, I'm told is the vote that John McCain took in the summer of 2017, that essentially saved Obamacare. He voted against the repeal of that.
So that is something that has certainly earned him the ire of the Trump administration, and it's something that he has never gotten over.
Now, this is something that is going to, you know, be one more in a series of arguments that really aimed at Republicans, aimed at moderates as well. If Joe Biden, you know, was liked by John McCain, perhaps that should translate into something more that it's time for a new direction.
But the other thing that bonds them is brain cancer. Of course, Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden died of brain cancer, nearly the same kind that Senator McCain had.
It was nearly two years ago -- two years ago this month that Joe Biden spoke a eulogy for John McCain in Arizona. He talked about them as brothers.
So I am told this is going to be a very emotional video. Cindy McCain is in there as well. There will not be an endorsement tonight. But that, of course, is the central question. Will the McCain family endorse Joe Biden going forward here in the final months of this campaign?
BLITZER: Over the years, I've covered Senator McCain, and then Senator Biden, I saw that friendship. I saw that personal connection that they had personally. It was a very, very powerful experience.
All right, Jeff, stand by. We'll get back to you. Anderson, over to you.
COOPER: Let's go to our panel, Governor Granholm, I'm wondering what you make of this video and also just in general, the outreach to independents and to Republicans.
JENNIFER GRANHOLM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's hugely important, as we were noting last night with the Republicans that were speaking that this should not be a binary choice. This has got to be a big tent choice.
And that means you do have to create this permission structure for people who voted for Trump and who are now dissuaded to come over to your side, and it's critical that they see other people who are like them, whether it's big people within big leadership positions or just everyday people. And Anderson, can I just say a word about this theme of leadership
because the theme of leadership has many facets, and we're going to hear from all of these, you know, former Presidents and all of that.
But I loved last night hearing from people who are not authorized, who have no title, who are just real people and how they feel like Joe Biden sees them.
I had a body guy once who used to say you cannot lead them if you do not see them. I want to hear more from people who are not authorized about how they felt seen by Joe Biden.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Governor and Anderson, I'd like to jump in on this idea of this creating a permission structure for Republicans and Independents.
Nia-Malika Henderson said something in the earlier panel, too, about using the people who worked with Biden years ago to vouch for him, to claim he couldn't possibly be a radical the way the Republicans are portraying.
Well, and I'd like to hear what Van thinks about this because years ago, back when these people like Colin Powell were around Joe Biden, the Democratic Party wasn't run by AOC and these radical progressives, people who support the Sanders agenda that he said last night was now mainstream. It wasn't a thing.
I mean, remember when Obama and Biden won in 2008, they were against gay marriage and for burning coal and power plants. These progressive youngsters, the election of Obama of 2008 might as well have been the election of 1880 for them when you consider how much the Democratic Party has changed to when Joe Biden was elected Vice President.
So my view, the idea that these Republicans are going to buy the argument that Good Old Joe is going to return to the old good old days of a moderate Democratic Party the way it used to be, there's no possible way anybody is going to buy that.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You're going to be surprised, I see it differently. First of all, both McCain, you may not know your own party, but both McCain and Obama ran against coal and ran for a clean energy agenda. It was one thing they agreed on.
But just beyond that --
JENNINGS: Obama was for coal. He was a clean coal senator of Illinois.
JONES: Listen, I know a little bit about the 2008 election. Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about this one. So here's what I want to say to you.
I think that you are praying that what you're saying is true. But I don't know if it's actually true. I think you're seeing this party. This is Joe Biden's party now and the convention reflects the nominee. And I think what you're seeing is this is the character of the man. He
wants to use his humanity as a bridge builder, he always has. And so yes, he's got some leftwing elements in his party. He's got some rightwing elements in this party, but you're not going to see any Democrats go to Trump's convention.
You're not going to see anybody that worked for Biden go to Trump's convention.
What you're seeing is people leaving your party and coming over here because there's room for them over here.
[20:20:10]
GRANHOLM: Hallelujah.
COOPER: It also seems that that both parties have changed significantly. I mean, the Republican Party is unrecognizable to the party of Reagan, to the party of Bush, and many of the people who we will see tonight and saw yesterday are from that part of the Republican Party.
GRANHOLM: I was just going to say, I would say as well, I mean, everyday citizens out there, maybe not the ones who are following conventions so closely are not so aligned with the Democratic or Republican Parties anymore. They are just out there trying to get their lives together in in the midst of these crises.
And so having somebody like Joe Biden, who is able to speak beyond partisan politics, who was able to demonstrate, yes, you know what, I just want to fix your problems. I'm going to show the steady kind of normalcy that you should come to expect from leaders, to fix problems outside of partisanship.
JENNINGS: I just have to respond, Anderson, to the idea that the Republican Party is unrecognizable.
I readily admit Donald Trump is a different kind of person than George W. Bush, than H.W., Reagan. Absolutely. He's a different kind of President than we've had of anybody in any party.
But the issues that the Republicans have always stood for: lower taxes, which Trump did; conservative judges, which Trump did; generally lower government regulations, which Trump did; generally skeptical of open borders and immigration, although there have always been elements of the Republican Party that are more cruel on immigration reform.
COOPER: Fiscal responsibility.
JENNINGS: I recognize that, it is not totally unrecognizable.
COOPER: Fiscal responsibility, a foreign policy that views Russia as an enemy. I mean, you know, our relationship. JENNINGS: I don't agree with that, Anderson. There are plenty of
people ...
COOPER: The support of NATO.
JENNINGS: ... in the Republican Party who view and know Russia is an enemy. I don't agree with that.
JONES: The nominee of the party determines the character of the party. And I think, yes, you've always had people in the Republican Party who are skeptical about immigration, I don't think you've seen, you know, snatching babies away from their mothers, and the kinds of -- and saying that somebody if they're Muslim, they can't come in the country. That's radical. That's radical.
And George W. Bush was the exact opposite of all of that. When 9/11 happened, you had George W. Bush putting his arms around Muslims and you're not our enemy. You have not seen that kind of an outreach.
And so I do think that your party has changed quite a bit. I think this party has changed in that it's broader. There is -- and by the way, I just have to say this, the stuff that you're saying is radical, you know, from a Bernie Sanders -- everybody should be able to see a doctor in the middle of a pandemic. That's not radical anymore.
So if you look at the polling data, some of the stuff that you're saying is radical, even people in your party like. So I think that Joe Biden is building a big tent, that actually yes, it has room for people if you don't like, it has got a lot of room for people that you do like and they're coming.
COOPER: Yes. And also, I mean, we should just point out, the President of the United States called a candidate who just won her primary in Georgia, the future star of the Republican Party, and she believes in QAnon, which believes that an international globalist cabal of Satan worshipping pedophiles is really in charge.
So if according the President, that's the future of the Republican Party and that's the future star of the Republican Party, I think you're all a very different party than you were under Reagan.
But we are going to talk about more --
JENNINGS: That is not -- that is not the future of the Republican Party. That's an asinine statement that you can make.
COOPER: Okay, I am just listening to the President.
JENNINGS: It's an asinine conspiracy theory to believe in, so that is, trust me that in my opinion, not the future of the Republican Party.
COOPER: I hope not. Yes, I mean, I hope not. It's what the President said.
There's more of our special coverage ahead. We're minutes away from hearing from former Secretary of State, Colin Powell and would-be First Lady, Jill Biden caps the night.
First, we have a revealing interview with her on her reluctance to say yes when Joe Biden popped the question.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:28:04]
COOPER: We are counting down tonight to the Democratic National Convention and high profile speeches by Jill Biden and Bill Clinton.
She will talk candidly about her husband. He'll take aim at President Trump. It will be a big finish by former Spy Music superstar, John Legend.
Ahead of Jill Biden's speech tonight, we're getting an intimate look into her relationship with her husband of 43 years.
She and Vice President Biden sat down with our Gloria Borger for an upcoming documentary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN: I had asked her five times to marry me. Five. Five times.
BORGER: How come?
JOE BIDEN: Because she would say no, every time I asked her, I'm shaving one morning and the boys came in and said, "Dad, we think we should marry Joe." I didn't have the heart to tell them I'd already asked and she said no.
BORGER: Why did he take so many times for you to finally say, sure, okay?
JILL BIDEN, WIFE OF JOE BIDEN: Well, because I knew what the boys had been through. They lost their mother and they lost their sister and I knew that this marriage had to work. I had to be 100 percent sure that this marriage would last until death do us part.
Because I could -- I love the boys so much that I thought, I can't break their hearts and they can't lose another mother through a divorce.
And so that's why I had to be absolutely sure.
JOE BIDEN: About 50 of us went to the U.N. Chapel. We ran into chapel. We didn't plan any of this. We're standing up there and I said, who takes this woman? Both boys got up out of their seats and stood up with me and said, "We do." I swear to God.
It was them, spontaneous. I give you my word as a Biden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Gloria joins us now. It's always interesting to see sort of the personal side of -- and kind of hear stories we haven't heard before from candidates.
BORGER: Don't you love that? I give you my word as a Biden. He says back all the time -- all the time. It's kind of a reflexive --
COOPER: I am sorry, Gloria. We actually have a problem with your mic. I think it dropped.
[20:30:00]
COOPER: David Axelrod, I mean just in terms of tonight, what do you expect from Joe Biden?
AXELROD: Well, look, I mean, you know, one of the things that strikes me just knowing them, and the first time I ever met Jill Biden, she and Beau picked us up drove us to meet Joe Biden to interview him about becoming Vice President, and it was palpable, Anderson, the kind of warmth of that family and the love of that family. She knows him, she knows his character, she knows the struggles he's been through, she knows his motivation. And so, I expect a very emotional speech here and it's going to be important. Now eventually, they're going to have to link up this with the payoff to the American people of his character and what it means in this moment, and hopefully she'll do some of that, we'll learn something about that from her.
But, you know, there's no doubt about the emotional link between all of the Bidens and she's sort of at the hub of that.
COOPER: Gloria is back after the mic drop.
BORGER: Yes. It was a great mic drop. I think that just sort of strikes me watching this again, as how many times Biden says, in my interviews, I give you my word as a Biden. You're going to hear that a lot. I think, from Joe Biden over the over the course of this campaign. And the story is touching the story is this, this young woman who, who has to decide whether she's going to marry this fellow happens to be a United States Senator, she's 10 years younger than his I believe, but he's, he's got two children and a lot of baggage. And I think her answer was remarkable to me. I mean, I hadn't even ever thought of that because in a way, it she wasn't saying I didn't love Joe Biden. It's just that I wasn't sure as a young woman that I could take on all of this, that he was really asking her to take on and becoming the wife of a senator who had presidential ambitions, and she wasn't interested much in politics.
HENDERSON: You know, and we his reporters and who have covered Joe Biden, we know these stories, these very, very sad stories about him losing his wife, him losing his young daughter, and then as a widow, marrying and raising those two young sons. But it always breaks my heart to hear it. And when you look at Joe Biden, you can really see just the face of grief. He just lost. Beau Biden, a couple of years ago, I think was in 2015, after that long battle with brain cancer, and I think you'll see tonight, Jill Biden, talk about that grief and talk about the ways in which that grief makes him something of a healer in terms of this nation. It's very powerful, but it's never not powerful. It's always heartbreaking it is (INAUDIBLE).
AXELROD: I think it's more than the face of grief they want to show. That they want to show the face of resilience.
BORGER: Exactly.
AXELROD: They want to show the face of a guy who has been knocked down, who suffered loss and who's come back and persevered through that. And they want to send the message that this is what he can do for our country. And I think you're going to hear a lot about that. You know, you said Gloria, that, you know, this guy, she was dating this guy, he happened to be a United States Senator, that alone may have been reason to disqualify him a in her mind.
BORGER: Maybe that's why he had ask to five times, who knows.
COOPER: As the convention gets closer. We're learning more about two of the most anticipated speeches tonight by Jill Biden and Bill Clinton. Next, Jake talks with Senator Elizabeth Warren about whether Joe Biden is progressive enough.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:37:34]
BLITZER: Tonight's Democratic Convention will be pointed and personal, including remarks by headliner, Jill Biden on why she believes her husband has the character and the fortitude to lead the nation. And there will be appearances by Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Check back with our convention correspondent Jeff Zeleny and Arlette Saenz.
Jeff, you're learning more I understand about the role of progressives in this convention -- a convention and the question being raised.
ZELENY: When undercurrent of conversations we're hearing when we are talking to Democrats really across the country who are tuning into this. Yes, it's the Democratic National Convention. But a lot of progressives wonder why all these Republicans why all these former Republicans and moderates having, you know, such prominent roles here, particularly that is going to come into sharp focus with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez show about one minute to speak this evening. I'm told her address was recorded last week. And it is going to be of course supporting the idea of electing Joe Biden even though she's not endorsed him per se. But it does raise the question of why so many moderates? The answer is this, the Biden campaign is trying to go after women in the suburbs, they are trying to go after moderates at this point. People who voted for Joe Biden in 2008 and 2012 with Obama.
The idea that they left the party in 2016 is an urgent strategy to try and get them back. But it does raise the question here in an Obama administer -- in a Biden administration, excuse me, should he win? Would it be moderate as well? Or would progressives have a voice? So that is one undercurrent of discussion here in Wilmington, Wolf.
BLITZER: Certainly is. And Arlette, I understand we're going to meet another everyday American who was touched, touched personally by Joe Biden. What can you tell us? SAENZ: That's right Wolf. Her name is Jacqueline Brittany. She is a young African-American woman who first met Joe Biden last year in an elevator at the New York Times building as he went in for an editorial board meeting. A clip of Jacqueline went viral when she said I love you to Biden. Biden didn't earn the New York Times editorial endorsement. But the campaign continuously touted Jacqueline's endorsement of Joe Biden.
Tonight, she will be the first person offering that nominating speech of Biden at the convention. And this is just another everyday American that the convention organizers are trying to highlight yesterday. We heard direct personal encounters that Amtrak workers had with Joe Biden. Today we will hear it directly from Jacqueline that security guard from the New York Times, is there trying to show that Biden can connect to people across the country.
[20:40:09]
BLITZER: Very nice touch indeed. All right, guys stand by. The convention is playing out as that firestorm over mail-in voting is heating up.
John King has more on mail-in balloting the fears of voter suppression, what it could all mean and key battlegrounds. What are you learning John?
JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Well Wolf, the President says mail-in voting is full of fraud, it is not we know it is not. Democrats say they have questions for the Postmaster General who has threatened maybe we can't deliver the ballots to the people on time, they'll get to answer those on Capitol Hill. But let's walk through this in a couple of different ways because in some ways, these conventions could be more important than ever, because more people are voting by mail and they're voting earlier. This is our electoral map. Let's just walk through some of the timetable here. Thirty states, 30 states will be open for voting when the first presidential debate is held on September 29th. If that date holds.
President Trump remember has wanted to move it up. He wants an earlier debate. Why? Because 30 states if they keep the schedule already be voting, meaning some people have already voted their ballots before the two candidates have their first debate on the 29th. That's 35 days before the election, the vice presidential debate, 27 days before the election on October 2nd, 42 states will be open for voting already by then.
Let's walk through this the second presidential debate October 15th. By then 48 states are open. And if the candidates have a third debate, the two presidential candidates on October 22nd, all the states will be open. So that's one way to look at it. Voting matters. These conventions could matter a lot more, because voting starts so early.
Now, let's look at it from a different perspective. Again, using our battleground map. Nine states are going to conduct essentially all mail-in voting. Most of them are blue states. Utah has done it for some time. Washington State has done it for some time. It works. It increases turnout. There's no fraud despite what you hear from the President, very little fraud. Look at it this way though, because of the coronavirus, 34 states will allow anyone to vote by mail. You don't need excuse 34 states including look at these battleground Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona, the states that could well decide who is president, allow anyone to vote by mail. That's one of the President's worried about. You move it up this way seven states do require an excuse, military service overseas, the medical seven states, you do have to have an excuse. But Wolf, this part is why the Democrats have so many questions for the Postmaster General. Twenty-nine states require the ballots to be mailed or received before Election Day.
So the Post Office has to take those ballots, get them to the post office, get them to the election officials by Election Day. That is why the Democrats have questions because again, look at the battlegrounds Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, those states it must be there by Election Day, must be postmarked. That's why Jake when the Postmaster General on the Senate first and then in the House. A lot of questions in an election because of the pandemic that is like no other including with mail-in early voting.
TAPPER: And let us also remember John King that President Trump votes by mail from Florida.
The Democrats are featuring in this convention many Vice President Biden's former primary rivals as they look to try to present a united front or joined by one of those formal former rival Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren from the Great Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Good to see you again. Senator, thanks for joining us.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Thank you. Good to be here with you.
TAPPER: So just hours ago, the Postmaster General released a statement saying that he was halting any further changes at the postal service until after election day he vowed to leave Mail Processing equipment and mailboxes where they are and deliver election mail on time. You've been very critical of what has been going on with the Postal Service. Are you satisfied with his response?
WARREN: No Talk is cheap. Look, this is a guy who came in because he's a big Donald Trump supporter gave a bunch of money to Donald Trump raised a bunch of money for Donald Trump. And he came in looked around and did exactly what Donald Trump wanted. And that is tried to start dismantling the Post Office so that we couldn't do mail-in ballots. And so, there's been a huge push back, and now he's backing up and doing a little dancing. My view on this is first, we need verify, make sure that in fact, the sorting machines are there, and the mailboxes are there and people have got overtime.
But the second, I say go forward, the governors of the post office have the power both to make sure that the things he's changed or reinstated and if necessary to remove him, because I'll tell you what his statements today say. They say that pressure from the rest of America, from Democrats and Republicans and Independents who want a strong Post Office that hasn't been politicized have made him back up. That pressure works. We need to keep it up because we need to be able to vote by mail come November 3rd.
TAPPER: Let's talk about the convention. You criticized former Vice President Biden in the primary for not being progressive enough especially on issues such as Medicare For All. You even at one point suggested he was quote, running in the wrong presidential primary unquote. Last night at the convention the Democratic Convention, longtime Republican John Kasich, former governor of Ohio, former Republican presidential candidate said he does not believe that Biden is going to, quote, turn sharp left, if he's elected. Kasich seem to be proving your earlier point.
[20:45:18]
WARREN: You know, look, what I think we're going to see all this week is that Democrats are united. And that even some non-Democrats support Joe Biden. Let's take a look at what Joe Biden wants to do. He wants to expand Social Security. He wants to cancel student loan debt. He wants to help families that have to go into bankruptcy, not get cheated by their creditors. He wants to expand childcare who wants to provide universal care for seniors. Joe Biden is about ending corruption in Washington and reining in giant corporations, creating more green jobs. These are the things America wants to see. And Joe Biden is right there. He's put those plans out. I'm with him all the way in this fight.
TAPPER: So when I talked to your colleague and fellow progressive Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday, he basically seemed to suggest, I'm not going to do by Bernie Sanders impression for you. But look, we're going to get Joe Biden elected because Trump is such a disaster in his view. And after Biden wins, then progressives are going to fight for what we believe in. The acknowledgement that there is a real difference between the progressive wing of the party and the more moderate wing that the Biden historically at least as represented. Do you agree with that idea?
WARREN: Look, I am focused on the next 77 days. That's where energy needs to be. We see every single day. What kind of President Donald Trump is. How he simply is not up to handling the coronavirus that he simply is not up to dealing with an economy that's in freefall, that he is simply determined to stir up more racism and hatred and division across this country. That's what Donald Trump's trying to do every day. What we're going to be doing every single day is working on the things that help us build back better.
And that's going to mean universal childcare and canceling student loan debt. These are things I get excited about, and I think a lot of folks across this country do about building a country that's not on the side of Donald Trump and a handful of rich cronies, but building a country that works for everyone.
TAPPER: Today marks the 100th anniversary, since women got the right to vote. I know that you and Senator Harris, Senator Klobuchar, others had hoped that this would be finally the year that a woman was elected President of the United States. Now, look, I know you're fully behind Joe Biden. But is it a little bittersweet that as you said, when you first dropped out of the race. All those little girls are going to have to wait four more years for the chance to be president, to see a woman president.
WARREN: You know, it was great to be on that debate stage, and to be there with so many women. And I just can't tell you tonight, how happy I am for Kamala and for every little girl and every big girl who looks up and sees her and knows that we're going to help her be vice president of the United States of America who see themselves in her. This is a process. But I'm so happy about Kamala right now, and I think we all shouldn't be.
TAPPER: Senator Elizabeth Warren, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the evening.
WARREN: Thank you. I will and you too.
TAPPER: The Democratic Convention gets back underway in just a few minutes with Jill Biden bringing an emotional appeal and Bill Clinton, who were told will take it to President Trump. Also Colin Powell hovering another Republican voice to this Democratic Convention. It's all ahead, stay with us.
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[20:51:53]
COOPER: Second night at the Democratic National Convention now just minutes away. The party's taking its White House hopes on Joe Biden as he is formally nominated for President of the United States. His wife Jill will be the closer tonight making the case that her husband can heal the nation as he healed his family after tragedy. And former President Bill Clinton speak soon, we're told he won't pull back delivering his sharpest rebuke yet of President Trump.
Wolf, for a second night the Democrats are giving a lot of airtime to Republicans who support Joe Biden.
BLITZER: They certainly are Anderson. Now they're rolling out a very, very big gun tonight. Retired general former Secretary of State Colin Powell. He will argue that Biden could bring values back to the White House drawing a sharp contrast with President Trump. And we're also told a film on Biden's friendship with the late GOP Senator John McCain will pack a very emotional touch. Anderson.
COOPER: And back now with our panel, Van Jones, from Bill Clinton, what are you expecting tonight?
JONES: Well, you know, the big dog, I mean, it's going to -- no matter what you say, Bill Clinton always brings at home. And also he and Biden are actually a lot more similar than say, you know, Biden, even Obama because they're both of those emotional politicians. Now, Bill Clinton knows how to move the whole crowd. Biden is more emotion that one on one way. He's got that bedside manner. But there's a harmony there between their approaches to ordinary people. And they're both have that kind of working class hero upbringing. I'm excited to hear Bill Clinton tonight. COOPER: Governor Granholm?
GRANHOLM: You know what --
JENNINGS: I have to say -- oh.
GRANHOLM: -- I am so excited about Bill Clinton, because Bill Clinton is going to be bringing it on the economy. You remember in 2012, he was the explainer in chief on explaining why Democrats are better for the economy, than Republicans. Better at job creation, better for the stock market, better at bringing down the deficit, better GDP growth, every single measurement and he's going to explain that tonight. So I'm just saying.
And so great for Joe Biden because Joe Biden save (INAUDIBLE) the auto industry.
JENNINGS: I am dumbfounded by this Bill. How is it that Bill Clinton has not been canceled by the Democratic? How has he survived all of these waves of cancellation when he has been one of the biggest violators of these rules? And all these years? I mean, we talked --
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: -- character. We talked about, we talked about the -- listen, we talked about the use of character to try to say Donald Trump is a man of low character Joe Biden it OK, fine, Trump is fine. If that's he's fair game on, that's totally fine. So you're going to say that in one breath and then say, character matters, ladies and gentlemen, Bill Clinton. I mean, does this make sense to anyone if you want Republicans to vote for Joe Biden, having Bill Clinton talk about character and not having drama in the Oval Office --
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: OK, this has already been asked and answered decades ago. The point is that Bill Clinton is excellent at explaining stuff, especially the things that matter to everyday people --
(CROSSTALK)
JENNINGS: That's true.
GRANHOLM: Bill Clinton's administer, he was an incredible job creator. They did an incredible job at reducing the deficit. He ended up with a surplus. So he's going to talk about the things the things that everyday citizens care about in the great way that and use the his great way of explaining it to make sure that people understand the reality that Democrats are better on the economy.
[20:55:23]
JONES: But I don't want to duck the question, though. You were talking about Bill Clinton's character. And what I admire about Bill Clinton is that he has acknowledged his wrongdoing. He's apologized, he's tried to rebuild his family. And I think apologies don't come as often or as easily from the President at White House, even when they should. So I don't think we can -- I don't think we have to say everything and Bill Clinton's done is great. But I do think that when he has made mistakes, he's acknowledged them. And I admire him for that.
COOPER: Who else are you are you looking to hear from tonight Van I mean, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is going to be speaking I think for short, short speech.
JONES: Yes, like I mean, listen, she, she is going to show you what you can do with a minute or however she get a guy get her like you could only have 13 and a half seconds and she will still be the most talked about person with her 13 and a half seconds. And the same is going to happen when you have all of those Democrats collectively giving one speech. You say this is bizarre. No, this is the new normal in media. If you can't cut through in a minute on Tik Tok, on Instagram, on Twitter, you can't cut through. And so, it's actually the right way to show the new party and the new media and the way that this party can deal with the new media.
COOPER: Let's go back to Wolf. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, guys. Thank you. You know, I'm really anxious to Jake to hear what General Colin Powell has to say. I'm really anxious to hear what former President Bill Clinton has to say. I covered both of them, obviously, over these many years, not only how much they support Biden in his bid to become president, but what they're going to say about the current president of the United States.
TAPPER: That will be interesting absolutely. Something I'm looking forward to tonight is the contrast between former President Bill Clinton and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of them representing the party's past when the Democratic Party in the '90s was more conservative. Then Senator Joe Biden was a big part of that with the '94 Crime Bill. And notwithstanding some of the issues that Scott Jennings was alluding to President Bill Clinton's personal life back then. Also very different from what we hear from when we hear from progressive such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or AOC. There is a real difference between her. She is the future of the Democratic Party and Bill Clinton the past. And that tension is also partly what Joe Biden has to confront, which is he's trying to be a bridge between the Bill Clinton's and the AOCs. And in many ways that chasm is really unbridgeable.
BASH: And it's a chasm that we saw, remember during the primary season, and it ended so abruptly because of the coronavirus that we didn't see that kind of healing. And it wasn't front and center, real time, as we have seen in the past during primary seasons. And so now we have been understandably so focused on the crisis going on in this country. The politics inside the Democratic Party, which have been there all along, are being borne out in this convention. And we are seeing it not just with within the Democratic Party, but also the fact that the Biden campaign, the DNC invited these Republicans, including Colin Powell, we're going to see tonight, even this video with John McCain.
And so it's that tension, that we're going to continue to see that the Biden campaign understands they need all of those people, for him to win the presidency.
PHILLIP: Yes, and in some ways, the Democratic Party's really not making a choice here by having all of these rising stars from all across the political spectrum showing up. They're basically saying that the future of the Democratic Party could be any of these individuals. You know, I also think that on John McCain, it's interesting that he is sort of there, you know, in, even in his death, it's going to be an important character witness moment for Joe Biden in the way that usually just the spouses.
So tonight, we're going to have the spouse, and we're going to have John McCain serving that role. I think it'll be fascinating to see how that works out.
TAPPER: Although a lot of progressives Abby and Dana, a lot of progressives were not particularly happy with the fact that John Kasich got so much attention. Obviously, Cindy McCain will bring an emotional moment to end and the idea of the Biden-McCain relationship will be again, part of who Biden is. But I also do wonder, again, Colin Powell, who was part of the Iraq War, and John McCain, what's what is that and what is the response going to be among these progressives who they need to get out to vote.
[21:00:00]
BASH: And we've already seen. And remember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She was invited to nominate Bernie Sanders tonight that can't be forgotten. It's not going to be her own standalone speech.
BLITZER: All right. Let's go to the Democratic Convention day two.
