Transcripts For CNNW Smerconish 20190209

No easy matter. And today is the day Elizabeth Warren initially throws her hat into the ring in the 2020 campaign. In the buildup, she still find herself digging out from the ethnicity controversy. Will she ever get past that . Plus, this has to be a first. We find out explicit photos from the richest man to his mistress. Will jeff bezos expose the tab lite lloyd and in his state of the Union Address the president delivered what is likelying to a reelection theme, ape tacking socialism. Has that word lost its sting . Plus, harvards top astronomer upended the cosmos with his theory that this object in the milky way might be evidence of alien life. Hes here to explain it. First, accountability is the subject of the week, whether its jeff besos olding together the National Enquirer and Elizabeth Warren asked about her heritage or the many politicians fighting for survival. Its tempting to reach a conclusion at the outset, we are better served, stepping back, letting the facts come to light and apply our common sense and politic i political thinking, instead too often a whiff of scandal causes a return to judgment, often dependent on the accused. Ralph northams medical School Yearbook page contained photographs. Columnsly northam took responsibility and one day later denied he wasnt in the subject photo, it wasnt many, many want his resignation. On thursday the headline was Ralph Northam must resign. The post argued his shifting and cred ulty shifting explanations were too much. After conceding it was reasonable when last weekend northam said he would hire a private investigator to learn the truth, four days later, the post ran out of patience. Thats the epitome of rush to judgment. Once Julian Castro sent out this tweet demanding northam resign olts had to quickly do so or they looked like thaim they were condoning it. Thursday morning, this website, check it out, to the casual observer, it looks like north korea governor roy cooper had himself appeared in blackface or he plojed to a fraternity involved in such high jynx. Neither was true. A careful reading revealed in 1979, 40 years ago, cooper was a Fraternity Brother at unc chapel hill kai sai. The member o atheyrings were kai phi. It wasnt his fraternity. It was on the front page news. The sense of govern cha is out of control. Of course, we need accountability, not in the absence of everyday and critical thinking. Heres a tough one. Many recalled for the resignation of virginia lt. Gov. Justin fairfax after a woman accused him of sexually assaulted her in 2004. Fairfax said the sex was consensual, it did not lessen the demand that he resign. His right to a presumption of innocence is really being tested now a second woman has come forward with a rape aelths, which fairfax labels a part of a coordinated smear. That there were multiple claims afence now justice Rick Kavanaugh didnt stop his nomination to the supreme court. So were not sure how this end. The case of Governor Northam has it own complexities. His adult life has been one of serving and building bridges across racial lines. You will remember after the divisive events in charlottesville 2017 when spokeswoman were applying blame to both sides, northam said White Supremacists have descended upon charlottesville again to evoke a reaction as ugly and violent as their beliefs. We dont know, all we know for sure is that in 1984 the Virginia Governor dressed like Michael Jackson at a dance contest and we know that in 1980, the Virginia Attorney general dressed as rapper curtis blow at a college party. Those things we know because each told us. No tout out of a fear it would soon come to light. Assuming thats all there is, should one picture in poor taste end with racial overtones ruin a persons later professional life . Where is the preservation of a route to redemption . As if thats not enough for one state, thomas norman, jr. The Virginia Senate public majority leader, a top editor of a College Yearbook at Virginia Military institute showed students in blackface and racist slurs. Heres the point. Each of these cases is different and must be evaluated based on individual facts. They present problems of restraint from the national government. They present challenges for the press. There is tremendous pressure on journalists and elected officials, for that matter, to not demand fact finding, many people accept as true a mere assertion of racism or sexual mistakes conduct without investigation or corroboration and are hostile to those who dont presume the credibility of the complainant who do presume the innocence of the alleged perpetrator or simply wish to inquire further. If you dont believe me, wait for some of the social media reaction to my plea for restraint. Joining me now to discuss the Larry Sabatow university of politics at the university of virginia, where hes a professor of politics. Welcome to have you back. Can fairfax surviv this . Very difficult, michael. All three state democrats in virginia are in trouble. Fairfax is in the most trouble. Pause these accusations, which have some corroboration, particularly the second one, involve crimes, at least crimes at the time. Im not familiar with the statute of limitations in these cases. I dont know whether he can be prosecuted. But this is as serious as it gets, im not saying he is automatically guilt. Im s guilty, im saying hes in the most trouble of the three. Yet he was quick to assume the reigns of the governorship, is northam at this point out of the wood . Hes not out of the woods in terms of public opinion. I think it will permanently affect how people view him. His popularity has dropped from 60 or better to the 20s or low 30s. Thats a severe judgment already. You have to ask even though he can survive, you cant force a governor to resign. What hes done is not criminal and i dont think its impeachable under the state constitution. So if he doesnt want to resign, hes going to stay right there the next three years. But he will be isolated. Just to cite one exam, hes been disinvited to the moocollege of women and mary. I dont think he will be giving many college addresses, thats so he will not have the ability to communicate with the public as most governors do or to work with key legislation. It will be very tough on him. Professor, sabatow from a couple states away, i keep wondering, is there something unique about your commonwealth . I think probably, michael, its our difficult relationship with racial issues, which has stretched throughout the entire history of virginia. This is the 400th anniversary of the landing at jamestown, which, of course, also means the 400th anniversary of the introduction of slavery into the United States. And from there, we have had a difficult relationship with the truth about race and it stretched into modern times. Maybe people dont consider the 1950s modern times. I do. And in the 1950, virginia is the one who led the way on the southern manifesto, led the way on massive resistance to school desegregation. Not even integration, michael, desegregation, token africanamericans in a few schools. Weve had other instances, so many incidents, thats why these blackface examples hurt. They dont just hurt africanamericans, they hurt all of us who have hoped that virginia was progressing and was beyond this. I follow the sabato crystal ball. So lets apply it to this circumstance. Tell me how these dominos might conceivably fall in the days ahead . Well, a week ago, of course i thought northam along with everybody else wouldnt be able to survive. Hes duck his heels in, there he is. I dont think the attorney general mark herring will be threatenned, even though he ought to be condemned for attending that Blackface Party at my university. I have been here next year 50 years and i know for a fact. Wow that that that was not acceptable when he did it in 1980 and he knew that he hasnt totally owned up to it. So i think hell stay. Justin fair faction, look, i dont know. Just as i was waiting for you, i opened and email just sent out by the republican speaker of the house of dell grandfather demanding fair factions resignation. So its both parties demand ig his resignation. I think it will be tough for him to survive. Given what we have seen with northam and for that matter donald trump, you just never know anymore. Larry sabato, as always, appreciate your expect per these expertise. Thank you, michael. What do we have, katherine . Thats it. I consider myself a dem, but i want all three men gone. When you think blackface was ever okay for white people to do youre wrong. And me too must be believed especially for multiple women at sme smerconish. You are saying it is a professional death sentence. Nobody is condoning what any did, to the extent they did it, northam is saying thats not even me, thats what im trying to drill down on, if somebody in the 70s, 80s, 60s, appeared in blackfaps, depickable act. Are you saying you are unfit to ever serve your public . Where is the path to redemption is the question id ask. Still to come the National Enquirer threatened to release selfies, instead of money it was ending an investigation of its sources and motive itself. Whats the tab employed afraid of . And Elizabeth Warren launches her campaign the buildup was a shadow of her claims of native American Heritage. Why cant she get past that issue . Plus, harvards top astronomer can put forward evidence of life on other planets thats gone viral. I want to know what you think. Do you agree with har 1r5rdharv avi loeb to assume were alone in the universe . Go vote. Something completely new. Ar Harvard Avi Loeb to assume were alone in the universe . Go vote. R Harvard Avi Loeb to assume were alone in the universe . Go vote. Harvard avi loeb to assume were alone in the universe . Go vote. Harvard avi loeb to assume were alone in the universe . Go vote. Not sell you. And savings and checking accounts with no fees or minimums. Because thats how it should be. You can open one from right here or anywhere in 5 minutes. Seriously, 5 minutes. This is banking reimagined. Whats in your wallet . When cravings hit, hit back. Choose glucerna, with slow release carbs to help manage blood sugar, and start making everyday progress. Glucerna. clapping every day, visionaries are creating the future. so, every day, we put our latest technology and vast expertise to work. the United States Postal Service makes more ecommerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, affordably and ontime. ringing the future only happens with people who really know how to deliver it. When your flight gets in late, its never too early for coffee. Oh no no no. Your new boss seems cool, but she might not be sweatpants cool. Who is that ready this early . Its only 7 am. Somebody help me. Close call. Not quite ready to face the day . Thats why were here with free hot breakfast and a warm welcome. Book at hampton. Com for our price match guarantee. Hampton by hilton. The cold and flu fightings. Machine. Book at hampton. Com for our price match guarantee. You put in your machine. Press the button to brew up powerful relief. To defeat your toughest cold and flu symptoms fast. New theraflu powerpods. Press. Sip. Relief. Has been excellent. They really appreciate the military family and it really shows. With all that usaa offers why go with anybody else . We know their rates are good, we know that theyre always going to take care of us. It was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. It was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say oh we cant beat usaa were the webber family. Were the tenneys were the hayles, and were usaa members for life. Get your usaa Auto Insurance quote today. Today Elizabeth Warren will make it official in her home state she is running for president. Has she fatally mistakes stepped before getting to the starting line. Not so much with her acts, with her explanation. She claims to american native heritage she says she tried to scientifically apologized for resurfaced. With a new report from the Washington Post that on this 1986 texas state bar registration card, she identified herself as american indian. Youve heard me say before i think the key question is not so much warren sees her heritage, but whether she used it to professional advantage. On that score, the difintive analysis was written by my deficit, a a 500 essay, she jo me where warren is supposed to make her announcement. 5,000 word, Elizabeth Warren cooperated. You looked at all of the files, you concluded she never used her ethnicity for professional gain. Has anything changed since you wrote this . Reporter not on that front. There has been no new evidence to come to light to suggest that she gains by calling herself a native american. You know, there is nothing that has changed in pennsylvania where very clearly was hired as a white woman and harvard i reached out to i believe at the time 50 different law professors who voted on her appointment, none of them that have recanted their statement at the time, which was this was not an issue within they hired her. In fact, most of them did not, were not aware that she had this claim. So that hasnt changed. But as you point out, i mean there is a new document that came out that right on the heels as shes about to announce her formal bid, the presidency you know is bringing this conversation back to a topic that she definitely does not want to be talking about. I dont understand why shes apologizing, if she never use you had it for professional advantage, then who cares how Elizabeth Warren regarded her heritage . Reporter well the apologies have swollen in an unusual way. She initially privately apologized to the chief of the Cherokee Nation and that apology leaked out in the press. Then she sort of made it into a more broad public apology. She is apologizing for the harm caused for calling herself native american and many in the cherokee and ought americans have felt quite offended that she has appropriated their identity and that has been something that has caused them to be quite irritated with her and she hasnt been able to get past. So her decision was to apologize, not for trying to fet ahead or anything a to get ahead or anything along those lines, just from the act of doing so. The issues of identity are coming to the floor on a way that they havent in previous elections. So i think she is sort of responding to the rest of the base in the Democratic Party that looks at identity a little more differently, a little more carefully than they have in the past. I have a piece of that most recent apology to which you referred. Hopefully, you will be able to hear it. Lets play it. I am not a tribal citizen. I had a good conversation last week with chief breaker who is chief of the cherokee tribes and i told chief baker that i am sorry, that i extended confusion about tribal citizenship and tribal sovereign city and for h cause. Annie, thats the sensitivity among native americans the tribal implication of what she has said . Reporter right. The sensitivity for native americans, there is this constant, you know, theme throughout for years, people of many races claiming that the American Heritage and native americans feel this dilutes the culture, people saying they are native american and have not undergone the discrimination the hardships and the unique experience of actually being native american is quite problematic to them. It does make it, it sort of expands the tefgs in a way that they disagree with. And so, i think thats where shes trying to apologize here for this notion of cultural appropriation, which is something that however and over again, when you talk to native americans, this is audienceably a very sour point. Annie, thank you so much for being here. I suspect that will not be a subject addressed on that stage behind you. Well find out. Reporter i dont think so. Thank you. I just dont get why she doesnt say, hey, heres the answer, i was raised in oklahoma, raised to believe i am a native american ancestry, which i wear as a badge of honor. I have never used it for professional advancement. Thats it. Im Elizabeth Warren, apro prove this message approve this message. What do we got, katherine . Hit me with something. Listen i like what warren stands for, but shes toast. Trump will beat her because the story is too complex for most people to follow correctly without jumping to any conclusions. Its 5,000 words. It will take 2000 minutes to read it. Its much easier to say pocahontas. If you read it, im keenly interested in this, she was employed by my alma mater the university of pennsylvania law school. I incorrectly assumed she played that card to get the job. The conclusion is otherwise. The documents say differently. Up ahead, when the National Enquirer threatened amazons jeff bezos, the worlds richest man provided the post one of the richest headlines, when enquirer david pecker be caught in a ringer . And meet the harvard astronomer saying an object in the milky way may be proof we are not alone in the universe. Due believe with harvard acintronner avi loeb to think that its arrogant to assume we are alone in the universe . The team . Gooo team. Order online pickup in an hour. And, now save big at the buy 2 get 1 free event. At office depot officemax. And, now save big at the buy 2 get 1 free event. A lot will happen in your life. Wrinkles just wont. Neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repairs dermproven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. Neutrogena® im ray and i quit smoking with chantix. Its not easy. You try to stop, you dont. You try to stop, you dont. I needed help. For me, chantix did it. Chantix, along with support, helps you quit smoking. Chantix, without a doubt, reduced my urge to smoke. When you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Some people had changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, or suicidal thoughts or actions with chantix. Serious side effects may include seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or allergic and skin reactions which can be lifethreatening. Stop chantix and get help right away if you have any of these. Tell your Healthcare Provider if youve had depression or other Mental Health problems. Decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. Use caution when driving or operating machinery. The most common side effect is nausea. To have smoking behind me, i feel like a million bucks. Talk to your doctor about chantix. I feel like a million bucks. I found a companyeans to who believes in me. Rt. They look out for me. And they help me grow my career. At comcast its my job to constantly monitor our network, prevent problems, and to help provide the most Reliable Service possible. My name is tanya, i work at the Network Operations center for comcast. Were working to make things simple, easy and awesome. The day of this weeks state of the union speech, the number one story at the Washington Post website had nothing to do with politics. Instead, it concerned this multisided object spied in the milky way, hawaiian for scout, this theory about what it might represent, harvards top astronomer says an alien ship may be among us, he doesnt share what his colleagues think. Joining me is avi loeb, chair of astronomy at harvard university. Isnt it amazing, the full nation focused on the state of the union and politics, this is what we were interested in, why . The state of the universe is much more exciting. People are up lifted by news from the sky. Is it necessarily yip lifting if we are not alone . Well, any information about hour place in the universe is important for us to get a better understanding of our place in the universe. It is clear the space looking at it from here, we would need to move out there. Currently all our eggs are in pun basket here on earth. In order to avoid the risk of catastrophe, we have to move in space at some point, other place versus done that already. I read the actual scientific paper you coauthored, parts of it admittedly are hard for me to understand. You are not saying there is definitely alien life among us. What are you saying . We are saying that this is the very first interesting object, an object that came from outside the solar system that we have seen near the earth and it looks nothing like the asteroids or come i. Com ets. Or comets. It looks shiny and quite unusual and so we say, perhaps it was manufactured by some alien civilization, perhaps it is a spaceship or a probe. We have to put that possibility on the table and unfortunately, this special guest that we had for dinner already left our house and its out there in the dark streets, so we cant really see it anymore, but we can look for other guests that came from that foreign country and perhaps study them much better in the future. From your scientific paper, considering an artificial origin, one possibility is that muamua is a light sail as debris from advanced technological equipment. Whats a light sail . A light sail is simply a sail like the same we find on a sailboat, but its pushed by light rather than the wind. And when light bounces off an object, it gives it a push. We are currently developing this technology for exploration of space. In principle, you dont carry the fuel with you. So you can reach very high speeds with that kind of technology. Its quite possible a mature civilization had many more years to develop Technology Uses that technology. We ourselves sent out voyager i and voyager ii from outside the solar system, they would not be functional after a while, but they would constitute space debris. Its quite possible there are lots of objects out there, technological relics from other organizations, some of which are dead by now. By the way for finding residents, its interesting, i call it space archeology because it can teach us a lesson to get our act together and behave better so that we dont have the same fate. You also said this, well put this on the screen. Alternatively a more exotic scenario is that ommuamua may be fully operational probe sent to intentional either vicinity by an alien observation. Tell us about that. Probes are sent to stellar systems to spy on what is going on in their inner regions where life may exist and that, you know, its quite possible that we are looked at, but as someone knows about our existence. This is a possibility. We need to explore that. Have it on the table and all i am saying is that we have now the technology to figure out whether we are the smartest people on the block. That will be the most interesting question. Maybe we can learn from them. If we are not. But so far, we have been just focusing down here on earth on disputes among nations, we should consider the possibility that we are not alone and then learn from other civilizations that are out there. I set my Radio Audience affair when i ask this question. You dont sister have to answer it. Do we want them to be religious . Think about that. Dr. Loeb, thank you for being here. My pleasure. I want to ask everybody to answer the question at smer conic. Com. Do you agree with harvard astronomer avi loeb that its arrogant to assume we are alone in the universe. Still when National Enquirer wanted to post nos to, bezos exposed the nos to. The president thinks fighting socialism is a Campaign Message s. He right . Thats why im using nicorette. Only nicorette gum has patented dualcoated technology for great taste. Plus intense craving relief. Every great why, needs a great how. Ensure max protein. To give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you dont. straining ill take that. cheers 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. Ensure max protein. In two great flavors. Moving . Thats harder now because of Psoriatic Arthritis. But youre still moved by moments like this. Dont let Psoriatic Arthritis take them away. Taltz reduces joint pain and stiffness and helps stop the progression of joint damage. For people with moderate to severe psoriasis, 90 saw significant improvement. Taltz even gives you a chance at completely clear skin. Dont use if youre allergic to taltz. Before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis. Taltz may increase risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, symptoms, or received a vaccine or plan to. Inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz, including worsening of symptoms. Serious allergic reactions can occur. For all the things that move you. Ask your doctor about taltz. About 50 of people with evesevere asthma k . Have too many cells called eosinophils in their lungs. Eosinophils are a key cause of severe asthma. Fasenra is designed to target and remove these cells. Fasenra is an addon injection for people 12 and up with asthma driven by eosinophils. Fasenra is not a rescue medicine or for other eosinophilic conditions. Fasenra is proven to help prevent severe asthma attacks, improve breathing, and can lower oral steroid use. Fasenra may cause allergic reactions. Get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, and tongue, or trouble breathing. Dont stop your asthma treatments unless your doctor tells you to. Police do believe they have their man. Who would have thought when the worlds richest man published a list of graphically described photos to his mistress would make him a hero to many. Thats what happened when jeff bezos wrote a post on the website medium, no thank you, mr. Pecker, got to love that. That completely turned the table on the National Enquirer david pecker. You recall they exposed bezos affair earlier this year, coinciding with the end of his marriage, b bezos released how got to them, whether it was a hit job because the post has been a frequent target of President Trump. Manuel franceia, think about this, there is a negotiation of sorts taking place, some would say extortion or blackmail, involving the richest man in the world. They dont want money from him. What they want, well put it up on the screen was this assurance, affirming they have no knowledge or basis for suggesting amis coverage was politically motivated by Political Forces and they will cease referring to such a possibility . Why would that be so important to the National Enquirer . Isnt this fascinating to fet how things work at the National Enquirer when they have somebody in their target, looking at somebody like a jeff bezos . We see all of these letters that the National Enquirer sent to bezos. Wha we dont see is what he responded. That will be interesting moving forward, too. If jeff bezos throws out quite a fascinating possibility that all of this has something to do with the country of saudi arabia. I know from your reporting that there were actually these dualing investigations pertaining to the hack or leak of the material. Who ran them what do they do jeff bezoings hired a consultant, at the same time looking into all this was the brother of his girlfriend lawrence sanchez. His name is Michael Sanchez. As we have been reporting since tuesday night, both of them at various times are looking at various possibilities, including the possibility that governments or warrant actors could have been involved in this transfer of information to the National Enquirer. Eventually, the two investigators who seem to be cooperating with each other turn on each other. And Michael Sanchez suggests that gavin debequeer may have something to do with the leak of information to the National Enquirer and gavin debequeer very publicly suggests that Michael Sanchez might have something to do with it. And so there we are left with quite a messy senatorio. A scenario. At least, we dont know how the National Enquirer got those pictures, those texts relative to bezos . Yeah, what has been thrown out in the ether are theories. We have not seen a definitive statement of the case. Are you an attorney. You know about the law. We havent seen a statement of everyday about how this happened. We have only seen conjecture and some circumstantial speculation. It was quite the power move, right . Were not even talking about the graphic content. We havent seen it. Maybe well never seen it. Its like bezos leapfrocked the process and its all about whether or not the National Inquire kerr survive . When you talk to managers, we have over the last couple of days. They will tell you a good idea is to get out in front of a story and jeff bezos saw a potential story coming. He was given a heads up by the National Enquirer that they might publish additional pictures. Additional material that might be embarrassing to him. He preempted this blasting this out on this website where people publish and that has overshadowed everything in this saga at this moment. Right now, hes in control of the microphones. A final observation, now that you have referenced medium. Im fascinated by the way it appears bezos has stayed at arms length from your Washington Post, in other words, he didnt drop it at the post. He went to medium. I dont know if hes cooperating with the post any more or less than media outlets, can you speak to that . Yes, as i can say with any story, we would love to talk to the principles and we have sought to talk to jeff bezos, he had opted not to. And there has been no involvement in our coverage beyond us asking for comments from both him and his spokes people. Manuel, great job as always, thank you for being here. Good to be with you. Still to come in his state of the union speech the president attacked socialism as a threat to american values. Is this a Winning Strategy for 2020 . Ton. Com, i get the price match guarantee. And i can choose from their 14 Different Hotel brands, so i get the right hotel for every member of my family. Like a doubletree for my cousins who love their warm chocolate chip cookies. A homewood suites for my uncle who likes a long stay. A hampton for my sister and her kids. Thats a lot of syrup and the waldorf astoria Beverly Hills for me. But i thought your Family Vacation was in miami . It is. I hear theyre having a great time. Book at hilton. Com and get the hilton price match guarantee. If you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25 off that stay. Has been excellent. They really appreciate the military family and it really shows. With all that usaa offers why go with anybody else . We know their rates are good, we know that theyre always going to take care of us. It was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. It was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say oh we cant beat usaa were the webber family. Were the tenneys were the hayles, and were usaa members for life. Get your usaa Auto Insurance quote today. When cravings hit, hit back. Choose glucerna, with slow release carbs to help manage blood sugar, and start making everyday progress. Glucerna. Its a revolution in sleep. The sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now, from 899, during the ultimate sleep number event. It senses your movement, and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. It even helps with this. So you wake up ready to hit the ground running. Only at a sleep number store. Save 50 on the sleep number 360 limited Edition Smart bed. Plus, 24month financing on all smart beds. Only for a limited time. Sleep number. Proven, quality sleep. clapping every day, visionaries are creating the future. so, every day, we put our latest technology and vast expertise to work. the United States Postal Service makes more ecommerce deliveries to homes anyone else in the country, affordably and ontime. ringing the future only happens with people who really know how to deliver it. Is socialism a dirty word in american politics . It depends on who you ask. At this weeks state of the union, the president used an attack on socialism as a rallying cry. We are born free and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that america will never be a socialist country. Cnn found of those who watched the speech, 76 to the it was very or somewhat positive. You already know President Trump and republicans will use this as a Campaign Theme in 2020. Will it work or will it backfire, joining me now, an author, crystal ball the liberal cohost of rising, president of the peoples house project, which includes candidates in frubheld districts in the midwest republicanheld districts in the midwest and appalachia. Your stance is bring it on. I agree why he is doing it. Whether its alexandria ocasiocortez, raising the tax rate to 70 , whether its met care f made care for all, easy majorities of americans, including on these idea, a majority of republicans support those concepts, unfortunately the label doesnt pack the punch it used to. It doesnt have the same meaning, when republicans have been calling barack obama a total moderate centrist type of bipartisan president , a socialist, it loses some of the scare power. I wonder if you give the electorate too much credit. Might americans conflate hugo chavez with democratic socialism . Sure. Yeah, thats certainly the intent here. No one is talking about seizing the means of production. Democratic socialism is putting working people back at the center of government and having a robust role for government making sure people have health care and lives of meaning and dignity. However, they tried to throw it at Bernie Sanders and it wasnt a barrier to his successor popularity. Similarly, it isnt scaring people off alexandria ocasiocortez and others. I think people are engaging more with ideas, and americans are very frustrated. We have inequality the same levels as the gilded age. New numbers came out. 400 wealthiest americans have the same amount of wealth as the bottom 60 . 150 million americans combined. The problems are big. And democratic socialism is an expression of the fact we cant tinker around the margins if we are going to deal with the crisis facing the american economy. I was watching the state of the union, not surprisingly, on cnn, and i was complimenting from my sofa the technical directors who had the awareness to immediately go to aoc and to bernie when the president dropped that line. I want to ask you a different question. How is this going to play out in the democratic primaries and caucuses given the presence of joe biden and Michael Bloomberg . I dont think theyre cool with a conversation that calls it socialism or democratic socialism. Might they pull the party back to the middle . Sure, and i welcome that debate. I am the more the merrier in terms of the primary. When the president says make America Great again, what is the era he is har kenning back to, the golden age of the 50s which was terrible for women and minorities, but the middle class was growing and seen as good times in terms of the economy. Thats the most socialistically time in american history. Top tax rate of 91 , millions went to college for free on the gi bill, million more getting houses with help from the government and the middle class was growing and we were prosperous. The idea that the notions are unamerican and outside the mainstream doesnt accord with our own history. I hear you but im thinking of high school educated white guys in pennsylvania, ohio, michigan, wisconsin, who may benefit from some of the aspects of democratic socialism youre describing. I dont think theyre comfortable being the beneficiaries of socialism. You get the final quick word. Those are the same folks that supported Bernie Sanders last time. We will find out. I welcome a robust debate and i am glad that democrats are coloring outside the lines and thinking big about a vision thats going to work for working class americans in all communities. Thank you. Still to come, best and worst facebook tweets and comments. Do you agree with the harvard astronomer that it is arrogant to assume were alone in the universe . One hour pickup order . Got it. Ran out of ink and i have a big meeting today. And 2 boxes of twizzlers. Yeah, uh. For the team. The team . Gooo team. Order online pickup in an hour. And, now save big at the buy 2 get 1 free event. At office depot officemax. And, now save big at the buy 2 get 1 free event. [kno king] memories. What we deliver by delivering. Time to see how you responded to the survey question. Do you agree with the harvard astronomer it is arrogant to assume we are alone in the universe . 10,679 votes cast, i am wowing at the margin. 91 say yes. Only 9 say no. What else came in . Smerconish. If theres life in outer space, will real donald trump build a wall around earth and will the aliens pay for it . I like the question. I like my question better. Do you want them to be religious . Hit me with another one. Where was at smerconish on rush to judgment for kavanaugh. Love the double standard at cnn. Hey vinnie, take it up with someone else. I didnt rush to judgment. I am the guy criticized for saying i found both to be credible. I parsed everything said by dr. Ford and kavanaugh. I applied the same litmus to that as we should apply to these. Youre [bleep] me off. I will be in pontiac, michigan tomorrow, chicago, the 17th. Hope to see you there. Good morning. Welcome to saturday. You made it to the weekend. February 9th. I am christi paul. I am victor blackwell. Youre in the cnn newsroom. Ready or not, here they come. The 2020 race for the white house is under way. And this morning, another competitor is lining up on the democratic side of things. Senator Elizabeth Warren expected to announce her official entry into the race later this morning in massachusetts. Then she will continue onto New Hampshire from that point. Shes not the only democrat on the move. Official noimts or not, Campaign Stops are