RE: FNS 4-24-16

From:BrinsterJ@dnc.org To: Comm_D@dnc.org Date: 2016-04-24 11:43 Subject: RE: FNS 4-24-16

HRC private email section got a little harry, I didn't catch everything DWS interview * Given that HRC seems to have path to nomination, does Sanders need to tone down attacks / unify party o I actually have been very proud of both candidates, seen at debates, discussions on trail, substance / commitment to laying out vision to move country forward, particularly compared to circus on other side * If you could answer my question- o I'm about to. I need to preface it for a moment, they've done a great job. I've cautioned over last few weeks, made it clear that rhetoric of candidates needs to be such that doesn't make it harder for party to reunify, but in the final stretch of the campaign it could get more intense * Plays Sanders clip on differences with HRC on trade, super pacs. Is that helpful to electing a Dem president? o When you look at other side of the aisle, toto pulling back curtain on the wizard, showing Trump is a faker running for POTUS, he has been most extreme, misogynistic candidate put forward by any party. It pales in comparison. * But the fact is Sanders talks repeatedly about HRC taking millions from Wall St, not standing up to them, drug companies, fossil fuels-is that helpful? o I'm glad to deal with my own party, but it has to deal with frame in which campaign is playing out o Most of our candidates are focused on achieving same goal, if either is president, they would build on Obama's success o Both candidates have talked about making sure success reaches the middle class * But Sanders talking about HRC being a corporate sellout? o Because I think we have two candidates focused on building on success rather than bringing us backward to failed policies, even sharp differences pale in comparison o We had a much more divisive primary, arguably, in 2008, Obama won and chose HRC as SecState, I was an HRC supporter until the last day in '08, and Obama chose me as DNC chair, so I don't think it's hard to reunify * Sanders driving up HRC's unfavorable. Trump's are worse, but he may not be nominee o Some GOPers hope that Trump won't be nominee, with good reason o Exit polls show 7 in 10 Dems energized by primary, less than 40% of Republicans say the same thing * Turnout gap, Republicans have 5 m vote edge o HRC has had 10.6 m people vote for her, Sanders 7.1 m people, more votes than Trump for HRC and Sanders has more than Cruz/Kasich o Far more support and energy on our side o We are continuing to head toward a unified effort when our primary is over * You've dismissed the idea that HRC could face legal troubles over her private server, how do you know that? o I'm simply confident that as investigation moves forward, HRC has made clear and many within the government has made clear that she acted legally o Former secretaries of state have used private email * FBI has had dozens of agents working on this for month, Comey said it can go past July o I'm not commenting one way or another o HRC has released 55,000 pages of email, more transparent in terms of conversations than any presidential candidate o John Kerry, Condi Rice, Collin Powell, all used private email * But not 30,000 emails... o I'm not counting o Voters looking at candidates who will give them a fair shot at success, not focused on distractions like this o Trump wants to ban Muslims, etc Panel * Not only handlers are trying to change Donald's image, Trump is saying himself he needs to change, but he can't let voters who want entertainment down. He wants to have it both ways * Trump can't be elected with these unfavorables, but HRC also has very high unfavorables, so it makes you a little less confident in saying no way Trump gets elected * Federalist guy: There are fewer transgender Americans than registered sex offenders, and that's what people are worried about, concern men will sneak into women's bathrooms. Trump is to the left of HRC on transgender issues, suggested again that Cruz isn't eligible to be president * Politifact has said there is no evidence of people arrested for taking advantage of trans protections to commit crimes * Juan Williams: solution in search of a problem, gay rights wedge issue (it worked in '04) * Is there a shift, GOP coming around to Trump as the nominee? Yes, people now expect that to happen. Nothing real interesting on Trump being more presidential. Says multiple times there will be no second ballot at the convention and that is why the campaign isn't focused on stealing state delegates like Cruz is Paul Manafort interview * You met with RNC to reassure them, said Trump has been playing a part. He's been campaigning for 10 monhs and we haven't seen real man? o That was about what settings he's been. You've seen real Trump in campaign mode o RNC has a different mode-wants to know if Trump is going to be giving policy speeches, etc, which he will * But it does sound like spin, doesn't seem like you were talking about rallies vs speeches o But that is what I was saying, it's been distorted o Trump has been saying when I'm at rallies, I want to show you who I am in this environment, when I'm giving policy speeches, I'm giving policy speeches * Cruz has said Trump the Conservative is just a show, trying to fool gullible voters o Well there's the liar, not Trump o He's got to change to conversation, narrative, because he's had the nomination eliminated for him o Cruz made this up from whole cloth, trump never said he isn't building a wall o Cruz is going to lose all five Tues states, come in third in most o Like with Carson and Rubio, Cruz just makes things up * Cruz had a good weekend-one of your jobs is to get delegates committed, Cruz won a lot of their support, 65-2 for you o You've been around a long time Chris, the only vote that matters is the vote cast when the roll is called. Cruz won 0 delegates for that vote yesterday o Other problems happened before I was involved o Cruz is bending to rules, in Maine the governor put together a slate based on primary results, Cruz broke the deal, didn't care about local officials, steamrolled it. That's not the trump approach o We're running a campaign to win folks on first ballot, and we are o What Cruz is doing is hurting the party. There will be no second ballot. * You became a lobbyist after Reagan white house, you have controversial clients (foreign dictators), your firm were called torturer's lobby o I was representing the administration's chosen groups in Philippines, other countries * Not Yanukovich o I worked with Europeans to bring Ukraine into Europe, role I played was to help that happen * Cruz calls yours a lobbyist campaign o The people he's talking about haven't been lobbying for 10-20 years * His point is that Trump's anti-establishment outsider status is no longer valid o I'm not running, Trump is, Trump is clearly an outsider, and he's established that o Cruz is trying to say the process, voting, doesn't matter o He wants to destroy the party and see who can pick up the pieces on the 2nd, 3rd ballot o We're trying to work with Mitch McConnell in KY to put together a unity slate o We're working with party officials, we didn't want to go into a state in be disruptive, as Cruz did o We want to make sure people who Trump hasn't been exposed to know we're going to work with them * Trump said transgender people can use whatever bathroom they want (it would be discriminatory, expensive), but then Trump said it was state's rights. What does he think about NC law o He thinks what he said, that it's a states' rights issues o It's not a reversal * But 12 hours before he said leave it the way it is, no real problem there o Trump said what his personal opinion was, and then he said how he would handle it, called it state's rights issue * Trump foreign policy speech using teleprompters, are you trying to drag him kicking to be more presidential o It's not a new campaign, it's an expanded campaign o Trump had to establish legitimacy, win primaries, become presumptive nominee, all of which he did, now he's in next phase Opens with Trump re-brand