Transcripts For MSNBCW Decision 2020 Democratic National Convention 20200819

The nomination of his party. This was also the second virtual session for the democrats. It featured a roll call unlike any other weve ever seen. The advantage of it was we got to see our whole country state by state, territory by territory. This convention, of course, is happening as our country is still in the grip of the coronavirus, the pandemic that has thus far infected nearly 5. 5 million americans that we are aware of. It has taken over 172,000 lives. Tonight the democrats tried to draw a contrast with the incumbent president with a vision of joe biden, his presidency as one of moral leadership, committed to upholding the ideals and the security of the nation. Faced with a president of cowardice, joe biden is a man of proven courage. I was fired for refusing to defend president trumps shameful and unlawful muslim travel ban. We need a president with dignity, integrity, and the experience to lead us out of this crisis. I helped choose him to be Barack Obamas running mate in 2008. Joe bidens lifetime of Public Service reflects his unwavering commitment to our highest ideals. A president ial election is the worlds most important job interview. You know what donald trump will do with four more years, blame, bully, and belittle. And you know what joe biden will do, build back better. I ran for president in 1976. Joe biden was my first and most effective supporter in the senate. Joe has the experience, character and decency to bring us together and restore americas greatness. Even during this terrible crisis, donald trump and republican politicians are trying to take away millions of Peoples Health insurance. Our interests, our ideals, and our brave men and women in uniform cant afford four more years of donald trump. Our country needs a commander in chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family. Joes purpose has always been driven him forward. His strength of will is unstoppable, and his faith is unshakeable. He and kamala will work as hard as you do every day to make this nation better. And if i have the honor of serving as your first lady, i will too. Here for our leadoff discussion this hour, our own Alicia Menendez is with us, plus two veterans of the obama white house, david plouffe, former Obama Campaign manager, Senior Adviser to the president. His latest book is a citizens guide to beating donald trump. And robert gibbs, former Obama Campaign Senior Adviser and White House Press secretary under president obama. Good evening. We welcome you all. Alicia, id like to begin with you. So youre watching at home. Maybe youre not a party stalwart, but youre an interested party. And maybe you read some of the hubbub about one aoc. Was she given enough speaking time . Is she being given enough respect by the National Party . She begins to speak, and you realize shes giving the seconding address for Bernie Sanders. The republicans are going to keep up the incoming fire about the democrats and the problem with, as they put it, managing aoc as a member of this party Going Forward. Where do you see it going . Brian, im so glad that you started there. When you step back and you look at tonight, i think a big part of what you see is a party that is in transition, that is experiencing generational shift. You know, you have former Vice President biden himself saying he wants to be a bridge to the next generation of leadership. And so a lot of what we watched tonight was a celebration of who the party has been. But then with that keynote address, you also saw a vision of who and what the party could be and a reminder that a lot of that leadership is happening at the state level. So you have Yvanna Cancela in nevada. You have malcolm in pennsylvania. You have stacey abrams, who i would argue is not a rising star of the party but already established as a leader of the party, specifically on one of the biggest and most Critical Issues that the party is talking about right now, which is the sanctity of our elections. I thought she had one of the best lines of the night, i think a line that we will hear again and again, which is in a democracy, we do not elect saviors. I think that will be one of the big lines coming out of the night. But to your point about alexandria ocasiocortez, you know, there was a lot of confusion around this procedural question of her stepping up, nominating senator sanders. She was then clarifying that on twitter, which i thought was incredibly interesting. But she took her 60 seconds, and she made very good use of it, speaking to the movement and the enthusiasm that was behind senator sanders. And i think what a lot of Movement Leaders would like to see is the Biden Campaign deploying her in order to make the connection between that movement, that enthusiasm, and how joe biden can fit into that energy and be a part of that vision. Again, she continued this conversation on twitter, which i thought was so interesting, utilizing both the hashtag from the Biden Campaign and the sanders campaign, trying to tie them together. It will be interesting to see if she gets an opportunity to do that off of twitter. Robert gibbs, in terms of candle power, is there any equal for the former first lady, Michelle Obama . Not after last night. You know, as i said on this program, i think the former president is in danger of being the second best Convention Speaker in his own house. Theres nobody quite like her, and the speech she delivered last night was a Tour De Force. A different speech that jill biden had to give tonight, and i think one that, you know, only somebody like that can give. They can say things about a candidate in a way that only they can say them, that the candidates cant say about themselves. So i think her speech did a lot of good lifting. I think the women clearly as speakers have dominated this convention thus far, and it has been a real Tour De Force in both characterizing who donald trump is but also shedding light on the character of who joe biden is, how he makes decisions and who he makes those decisions for. Really important things that have to get lifted up inside of this convention and then for the next 75plus days after this in order to keep this going and to get this across the finish line. Defining biden is the big role now. David plouffe, some of the oldtimer romantic types who love conventions probably cant wait because they like bad food, sore feet, and funny hats, to get everyone back in the same room. But is it possible that tonight the tour of the United States we got because of this pandemic could be something that survives the pandemic era and becomes, perhaps, a way we nominate these candidates . I certainly hope so, brian. I far prefer it to the alternative. Now, if were in the dream of a political nerd where you have a contested convention, you know, you probably have to do it in the hall next time. But i think when the outcome is known, this is great. And i actually think Going Forward in 2024, 2028, if we gather back again in arenas, i still think youll see more speakers doing speeches from other parts of the country. I thought jill bidens speech tonight was terrific from a classroom. So i think that were going to learn a lot from this. And the other thing about this, most of these speeches all of these speeches have been shorter, which i think is good for anybody watching the show live, but also creates great small Digital Content pieces that can bounce around social media. And if youre the democrats, you like this. Youve had two good nights. Youve got three major speeches left. I agree with robert. Kamala harris, barack obama, and joe biden are going to have to work really, really hard to match what Michelle Obama did monday. But, you know, you nail though three and you like where you are heading, at that point youre 73 days away from election day, and like 35 days away from people starting to vote. Yeah. I enjoyed the tour of our country and the territories it afforded, just the choice of locations. Tulsa reminds you theres no fitting proper lasting memorial to a massacre of our fellow citizens. Ohio was kind of controlled anger at what has happened in the industrialized midwest. The beauty of new mexico and, sadly, it appears on military twitter that two members of the military may be in trouble for being in the shot in American Samoa wearing camo, but we can deal with that perhaps tomorrow. Alicia, set the scene for tomorrow night for us and set the stakes for Kamala Harris. Can i just say that if that tour of america were a reality show, i would watch it every night because it was so deeply satisfying. Im right there with you. And edifying. I have to say because everyone is saying how much they love this Virtual Convention that while i did love it too, i have been humming tina turners the best and am upset it did not make it into the play list. To your question about senator harris, we are nerds, and we watch this with great interest and great intent. There are a lot of americans who she is going to be introducing herself to, right . And so much of this is about leaning into her biography and really helping americans understand who she is, how she has become this person, how her life story ties into her vision of america. And so, you know, it is a story that she has told before. This is simply the largest audience she will be telling it too. So what weve seen work, authenticity, connection, and if she is able to land that, you know, from there theres plenty of room to talk about policy. Theres plenty of room to talk about her accomplishments. But it is that basic connection that she needs to make tomorrow night. Robert gibbs, the party is justifiably proud of its bench. There was kind of a keynote, but there were also kind of 18 keynotes. Right. Is that because there is no dropdead consensus all the money on one person choice, or would you defend the method they chose for tonight, and be honest. I thought the method did work pretty well. Look, i think, you know, as david said, these speeches have been shorter in length, and a typical keynote, when senator obama gave his thensenator obama in 2004, it was probably a 17 to 20minute speech, and i think thats hard to do right now. I thought this bounced around pretty well. You got to meet and see different people and different faces. I thought it did work. And, look, you have to give credit to these convention guys. Theyve done a really i think an admirable job planning something that was really going to always be hard. It was always going to be critiqued, and i think that segment worked. No doubt the tour of the country worked. I was writing down places that i was ready to go visit and that just looked beautiful and tranquil, and it just reminded you of both the diversity and the beauty of this great country. Yeah, put me down for all of new mexico. Thats the one place that was just stunning in addition to the largest single collection of turquoise around the neck of one gentleman i have ever seen. Hey, david, is it too nice thus far . I know thats an outrageous question to ask. Would you take a turn for the tougher . Obviously they are choosing every opportunity to talk about the incumbent president and his record. Would you put a sharper edge on anything youve seen thus far, and do you think theyll come at him sharper in the two nights that remain . Well, i think Bernie Sanders, Michelle Obama, you know, brought some lumber to the party. So i think the biggest challenge for the Biden Campaign now is to fill in, and that sounds crazy because he was Vice President for eight years. Hes been on the National Stage for decades. But theres a lot of people deciding this election that dont know much about him. So you got to fill that in, what he stands for. I think jill bidens speech today was a really important part of that. My suspicion is youll see with Kamala Harris and barack obama a mixture, both indictments and strong indictments of the Trump Presidency but then also talking about joe biden. And Kamala Harris has to introduce herself, but her most important job is to continue to vouch for joe biden. Again, trump, this week, i think its been a disastrous choice, brian. He should have done the white house. He should have been there Holding Meetings with his pandemic team, his economic team, doing the job instead of gallivanting around the country like some washed up vaudeville performer tweeting crazy stuff. He just is making the case for us in many respects. So i think youll see a blend over the next two nights, but the most important thing is for some of these suburban voters, collegeeducated men who are leaning towards biden now, his real strength with seniors. The reason hes got the lead he has is to solidify that support. And i think if they do a good job over the next two nights of making people feeling even more comfortable about biden, the negative on trump is there. People have largely decided he doesnt deserve a second term or enough people to decline him that opportunity. So i think youll see a blend, but i would continue to lean in to the biden side of the job. Three terrific guests after night two to talk about all of it. Alicia menendez, david plouffe, robert gibbs, thank you, gang. Appreciate it very much. Coming up, hes one of the rising stars of the Democratic Party. Perhaps you saw him during tonights Virtual Convention. Enough of a name to get attacked by the trump campaign, and hes trying to turn his familys tragedy during this pandemic into a lifesaving message for others. The mayor of long beach, Robert Garcia, joins us next when we continue. Were coming together and holding on to each other. Were finding mercy and grace in the moments we might have once taken for granted. Were seeing that our differences are precious and our similarities infinite. We have shown that the heart of this nation still beats with kindness and courage. Feeling stressed . Try new natures bounty stress comfort. Three unique gummies for your unique needs. Find peace. Boost mood. Sleep well. Stress comfort comes naturally, only from natures bounty comes naturally, iredefined the wordng thschool this year. Its why, at xfinity, were committed to helping kids keep learning through the summer. And help College Students studying at home stay connected through our university program. Were providing affordable Internet Access to low income families through our internet essentials program. And this summer, xfinity is creating a Virtual Summer camp for kids at home all on xfinity x1. Were committed to helping all families stay connected. Learn more at xfinity. Com education. The nurses in memphis who came out of retirement to treat patients during this pandemic, you built this country. And you know what . You deserve more than the constant chaos that donald trump delivers. More on that gentleman you just saw. To try to highlight the up and coming democrats, tonights convention kicked off with comments from 17 civic leaders. One of those leaders is with us tonight. He happens to be the democratic mayor, Robert Garcia, of long beach, california. He was the first openly gay, first person of color to be elected mayor of that city back in 2014. He was sworn in by a name you might know, the now democratic Vice President ial nominee Kamala Harris. Mr. Mayor, first of all, thank you very much at the end of a long day for saving a few minutes for us. For members of our audience who may not know, tell the story of what coronavirus has done to your family and your life. Yeah, thank you for having us. Obviously its been a tough time for a lot of families across the country with covid19, and my family is no different. I lost my mom a little over two weeks ago to covid19. She was a Health Care Worker for almost 30 years in in country, and my stepdad, the day after my moms service passed away from covid19 as well. This is people that were very careful. She was a Health Care Worker, wore ppe, and this could happen to anybody. And so people need to stay safe, be kind to each other. They both lived great lives, and im really proud of both of them. When you see people being less than cautious, when you see the videos weve all seen, massive parties, massive gatherings, especially among younger people, what do you want to yell back at your tv or your device that they perhaps may not know . Well, its infuriating first of all. People need to be responsible, especially younger people that are out there. They need to wear masks, and they need to take care of themselves. People need to understand that this is a serious pandemic and that the consequences are real. Theyre life and death, and were losing people in this country every single day in our cities, across our state here in california, and we just want people to be more responsible. And one of the things that im hopeful about is having a National Strategy around covid19, and thats something that i think joe biden is ready on day one to bring to this country. We need his leadership. We need Kamala Harris leadership, and its going to save countless lives. And ill never be able to see my parents again, but i am going to do everything i can to ensure that what happened to them doesnt happen to other families. Twopart question. What happened in your state of california . Those of us out east, obviously were dealing with our own spike, and in new york city at least, it came slamming down, and theyre at 1 now. What happened to the california curve we thought the state was being so proactive . And part two is what will happen if nothing changes now, if theres no further National Instruction or advisories . Well the national approach, and president trumps approach has been terrible. I mean there has been no National Strategy. Fortunately our governor, gavin newsom, is doing a great job in the state of california. Weve also learned an immense amount over time. And right now we are starting to see a flattening. Were starting to see good numbers, and as it relates to hospitalizations, as it relates to folks getting better. And the science is on our side. So were feeling optimistic in california. The Positivity Rate is down here locally in l. A. County and across the state. So we are headed in the right direction, but thats because we have great leadership in Governor Newsom unlike whats happening at the federal level. So we need National Leadership on this issue. Tell the good people watching at what age you arrived in this country, with whom, and what would happen in your view if that same trek were attempted today. I came to the u. S. When i was 5 years old. I came with my mom. We grew up poor just like other immigrants across this country, but we had a shot to citizenship. I became a citizen when i was 21 years old, and i think that every single young person thats a dreamer, thats an immigrant in our community should have the same shot that i had. My mom used to always say that well never be able to give back to our country what our country has given to us, and i keep that with me every single day. Its about giving back. She loved this country. She lost her life on the front lines fighting this virus. And i want our Community Come this november to support everyone in our country, and that includes immigrants like myself, like my mom, like so many others all across this nation here in california as well. Final question is im going to tell you up front nakedly political. It does occur to me sitting here as it has occurred to political writers in your state that should Kamala Harris be successful, theres going to be a big vacancy in the u. S. Senate, a seat from california. Would travel east be something youd be interested in, mayor . I think what im interested in is making sure that Kamala Harris becomes the next Vice President of the United States and that we elect joe biden in november, so there is no open seat yet. We got to focus on the election and a huge win and win the senate and grow our numbers in the house. Well, wherever you went to politician school, they did a good job. Mayor Robert Garcia of long beach, california. Again, at the end of im sure what has been a longer than average day for you, thank you for spending a few minutes with us and for having us in. Coming up, James Carville, Eugene Robinson join us on what the democrats tried to accomplish tonight and where a virtual gathering goes from here when we come back. Ive been doing this for a long time, so let me just be plain. Black people, especially black women, are the backbone of this party, and if we dont show up, democrats dont get elected. I got it all from you im always pushing through i know well make it to the finish line i know youre waiting on the other side im like you ondemand glucose monitoring. Because theyre always on. Another lifechanging technology from abbott. So you dont wait for life. You live it. Now you have to decide whether to renew his contract or hire someone else. If you want a president who defines his job as spending hours a day watching tv and zapping people on social media, hes your man. Denying, distracting and demeaning works great if youre trying to entertain or inflame. But in a real crisis, it collapses like a house of cards. President bill clinton speaking for less than five minutes in a prerecorded talk from his home in chappaqua, new york. In a rather bold story that notes rather directly that clintons own party has left him behind, Adam Nagourney and peter baker write this in the new york times, and we quote. This will be the first Democratic Convention since the 1980s where mr. Clinton will be little more than a bystander. Its a lot to think about and talk about and back with us the sometimes ragin but always entertaining cajun James Carville. Hes a democratic strategist who rose to National Fame with the clinton president ial campaign. These days cohost of the 2020 politics war room podcast. That line always gets to gene robinson. Also Eugene Robinson, pulitzer prizewinning columnist for the Washington Post is back with us. Gentlemen, welcome to you both. James, im going to start with you because you were top of mind tonight. I know the clintons brung you to the National Political dance. Are you at peace with what is emerging as the fact that this is no longer their party and you could argue that era started when those first sad souls started walking out of the Javits Center that night after the 2016 election . There was as. Difference between the 92 election and the 64 election as there is between this election and the 2020 election. We werent exactly like calling the Lyndon Johnson people. What you saw tonight was a masterful display of the art of communication. In under five minutes in an exceedingly well lit, well produced video, president clinton described the country, he described the candidate, and he described the choice. Political parties evolve, but the principles of communication do not evolve. Theyve been there since the early since the greeks in 500 b. C. And i thought this was a really, really good speech. Any Communications Teacher like i am is going to show this speech to his students, and hes going to break it down. And i just thought he framed this election in four minutes and 50 seconds better than ive seen in a whole election to my thinking. It was really a masterful performance, i thought. Eugene, james is right the principles of communication dont evolve but principles do. Bill clinton was very much a man of his times when elected. He is not a man of these times, which i am not alone in pointing out. Right, because time moves on. I mean it moves on from all of us, and so thats thats the way of the world. Thats the way its always been. I thought it was a very effective speech. I agree with james. It was extraordinary. I dont think ive ever heard bill clinton speak for five minutes before. That, in and of itself, was extraordinary. But he did in a very concise and succinct way sum up the stakes of this election, described the horror that is the Trump Administration and the relief that would come from a biden administration. I thought he did it masterfully, and i thought it was one of any number, a whole string of sort of masterful little segments that were put together on this night of the convention, which i thought was was much smoother than the first night. I was just really impressed at how each segment had its own sort of story arc and its own logic and the story was incorporated with the visuals, and the visuals were right. And of course, you know, the roll call was was legendary. It should be done that way every single time. But i thought it was an extraordinary night, and i thought bill clintons speech was one of the highlights. James, the following is controversial, and im going to lay it out there advisedly. I heard from a longtime democratic pal tonight. Hes a down the middle traditional democrat as we used to say and not a member of the current left. He felt that after all the aoc hubbub, tonight in a way that she didnt intend was ultimately possibly diminishing because the folks at home who may have heard all the hubbub realized a couple sentences in, wait a minute, shes giving the seconding speech for the nomination of Bernie Sanders who, last we checked, is not getting the job. Right. But first of all, the democrats overwhelmingly decided i think biden won 45 states and almost twothirds of the democrats voted for him. This is not an issue. Of course senator sanders, he was very good last night, and i was very clear about this on this show. But this party is moving on. This train is moving, and its got a lot of people on it. Thats what a coalition does. In terms of president clinton, i would just point out something. We had the greatest Economic Growth and the most spread out Economic Growth weve had since world war ii. What exactly is these peoples problem with president clinton . Was it the peace . Was it the prosperity, or was it the fact we had eight years of trying to unify this country and never trying to make any american uncomfortable about being an american . I mean i dont get some of this critique. I think his administration was really well run and brought us peace and prosperity and a sense of togetherness like we hadnt had since 1945. Eugene, you want to take a swing . Can i just toss in yeah, just one quick thing on aoc. I think alexandria ocasiocortez is a very smart politician. I think she she accepted her role. She did her oneminute speech, and she will live to fight again another day, and she has a formidable way, an array of forces in her corner as well. But i thought she was very smart in the way she, you know she knows what this convention is about. She knows what the party has decided and well move on. We will hear much from her in the coming months and years. Yeah, i thought id toss it out. It wouldnt be a Democratic Convention without knives long and short. Eugene, another question for you as to do with your latest on Michelle Obama. For folks watching who dont have the good taste to read your column or not have ponied up for a Washington Post subscription, tell the good folks what you had to say after the former first ladys appearance. I just thought it was a tremendously powerful, powerful speech at the end of that evening, and in 18 minutes she managed to show that for someone who says she hates politics and i believe her. I mean ive had the conversation with her, and she doesnt like politics. But shes awfully good at it because she, sitting alone in a room in front of a camera, looking through that lens, established such a human and personal, almost oneonone connection with those who were listening to her. And like a lawyer, she laid out the case. She laid out the case of where we were and what the stakes were and what our responsibility is. When you write a column, its always good at the end to have a call to action, to give people something to do about the situation youre writing about. And thats what she did at the end. Its vote. Youre going to have to find some way to vote. Its not just its your responsibility too. And if it means standing in a line all night, youre going to have to do that. I just thought it was it was incredible, and she only mentioned the name donald trump once, which i thought was kudos to the speechwriter. To our audience, both of these gentlemen have agreed to stay with us over a break. To be honest, its because theyre home, and we happen to know they have no other plans. But coming up, were going to ask one James Carville offset against the beauty of his kitchen ceiling, that rich wood grain have you noticed . Were going to ask him for a prediction on the United States senate among other things when we come back. We stand with joe biden because this isnt just about defeating donald trump. We are in this to win for america. If were going to win this battle for the soul of our nation, joe cant do it alone. Democrats must take back the senate. We will stay united, and with our unity, we will bring bold and dramatic change to our country. Chuck schumer, who kept referencing the dimly lit, hard to figure out lady liberty in the background across the harbor here in the new york area. Still with us tonight, James Carville and Eugene Robinson. James, straightup prediction understanding that a lot of democrats watching are scared to death, have some sort of nervous reaction to the last election and may indeed be medicated at this hour. Your prediction on the u. S. Senate. Okay. First of all, oh, clean gene. I think we got a real shot in south cackalacky. I really do. I think Jamie Harrison has a shot to pull this off. I think he has a shot. South cackalacky. He must be from louisiana. Look, if im right, theres a chance we could pick up seven, eight senate seats. It would give us 53, 54 senators. But one thing we have to remember, 18 of the United States elects 52 senators. So the Democratic Caucus in a new senate, if im correct, will if anything be slightly more toward the biden or the realest wing of the Democratic Party than it would be more toward what id call the sanders idealistic wing of the party. And if you look at the senate map in 2022 thats how political i am you can see its going to be florida, pennsylvania, north carolina, iowa, et cetera, et cetera. All of the urban strategists in this party have no answer when you point that out to them. We have to have a broad base coalition that allows us to win in places like south carolina, north carolina, montana, arizona, alaska, kentucky, maine, iowa, on across the board. And i think we can do that this cycle, but people have to understand that the United States senate is not going to article 2 of the constitution is not going to change anytime soon, and we have to deal with the facts we have. Eugene, i heard you with nicolle this afternoon stating plainly what most of us grew up knowing. People love the post office in this country. Do you think this Postal Service reach was a craven overreach even given this crowd, and or do you fear that even with the postmaster general pulling back, the damage has been done in a lot of places . I think it was definitely an overreach. The Postal Service has Something Like 91 approval. People need the post office. People love the post office because they like getting their mail, and they dont want they dont like it when their mail is late and much less when their mail doesnt arrive. So its an essential service. Its in the constitution, benjamin franklin. I mean we need the post office. So you go after the post office and try to cripple it in order to win an election, people arent going to like that. And im sure that the Trump White House is hearing from some of those endangered senators who are hearing from their constituents, im sure from Lindsey Graham and thom tillis and Susan Collins and people like that. You know, theyre in enough trouble already, and the last thing they need is to have their constituents angry with them because their checks arent arriving on time and their medicines arent arriving on time. So, yeah, it was an overreach. There may be some damage that was done that needs to be undone, and that will have to be pursued in the coming weeks. But the Postal Service does deliver a billion christmas cards. I mean they do get the mail there, and they have enormous capacity, and postal carriers are so dedicated, so dedicated to their mission that, you know, i think i think, i hope and pray well be okay. I do miss that sears roebucks christmas catalog, but otherwise i still love getting the u. S. Mail. Our thanks to James Carville, to Eugene Robinson, our two friends for staying up late and joining us tonight. Coming up, a retired fourstar general reacts to one of the evenings more significant endorsements. What it might mean when we continue. Joe biden will be a president we will all be proud to salute. With joe biden in the white house, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries, never the other way around. Find pants that arent sweats. Find your friends. Find your sense of wander. Find the world is new, again. At chevy wed like to take you there. Now during the chevy open road sales event, get up to 15 of msrp cash back on select 2020 models. Thats over fiftyseven hundred dollars cash back on this equinox. Its time to find new roads, again. They have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps. Com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the Amazing Services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps. Com now and never go to the post office again i got it all from you im always pushing through i know well make it to the finish line i know youre waiting on the other side im like you ondemand glucose monitoring. Because theyre always on. Another lifechanging technology from abbott. So you dont wait for life. You live it. It was a friendship that shouldnt have worked. John, a former navy pilot just released from a north vietnamese prison, joe a young senator from delaware. They would just sit and joke. It was like a comedy show sometimes to watch the two of them. That was the important voice of cindy mccain, of course the wife of the late republican senator john mccain. Shes just one of the republicans going to bat for this democratic nominee. And back again with us tonight to talk about that and more, retired fourstar u. S. Army general barry mccaffrey, a decorated combat veteran of vietnam and a former battlefield commander in the persian gulf, as well as the former head of the u. S. Southern command and a former member of the clinton cabinet. So, general, we heard from colin powell tonight. We heard from cindy mccain. Those are important voices, and it got me to thinking the last time a casual news viewer saw this version of their current military, the secretary of defense, the head of the joints chiefs, they were marching with the president over to Lafayette Square on that terrible day in washington. The head of the joint chiefs wearing camo, maybe hoping to blend into the foliage and not stand out and be seen there. So tell me what you made of the voices from our recent past and tell me the contrast between what people get to see of modern times. Well, first of all, you know, senator mccain, if you wanted to look for an authentic hero, a lot of us demonstrate courage in combat because were fighting for our lives. Mccain, when he refused to be repatriated as a prisoner of war because he didnt want to take unfair advantage based on his dad being a senior officer, was the definition of integrity and courage. So the armed forces loved the guy, and senator biden, who ive worked with off and on over the years, a civil man, an experienced public servant, a guy of good judgment, a fellow committed to the rule of law, who respects the armed forces as a nonpolitical institution. This is a good night. Never mind sally yates talking about internal security and this magnificent colin powell with his years of service, again endorsing a thoughtful approach to defending the country internally and in foreign policy. So weve got a problem. Look, mr. Trumps been a disaster. Hes unraveled our International Security alliances. He has interfered in the rule of law internally. Hes endorsed torture. He has tried to politicize the armed forces. General mark milley, who i think the world of, you might notice his camouflage uniform wasnt there in front of the church. He disappeared once he figured out what was going on. Secretary mark esper wasnt quite as astute. But we do have a problem. We need stability, good judgment, experience, and American Values in the president of the United States. And i certainly hope mr. Biden can provide that. I also want to get your reaction to the intel report that came out today. I keep returning to this thesis sentence by matt miller. Trump solicited, welcomed, and benefited from russian interference. To paraphrase claire mccaskill, if you came across this in normal times, in the clear, the reaction would be cataclysmic in our country. Well, look, it is simply not possible to understand whats going on with mr. Trump and his fawning is the word that was used tonight over mr. Putin, who is a classic kgb thug running a fairly small country thats an economic basket case with an armed forces thats only capable of threatening their neighbors and a giant pile of nuclear weapons, which hes threatening the world with. So i just dont understand any of this. Our allies are nato, are south korea, are the japanese, are the australians, countries with similar values to ours. And hes denigrated all these democracies, never mind, by the way, canada and mexico, the two most important countries in National Security border the United States, and hes been outrageous in his dealings with them. So we have a disaster going on in National Security. We need to correct it. We need stable, thoughtful leadership. General barry mccaffrey, thank you very much for spending some of your time and having us in at the end of our broadcast tonight. We greatly appreciate it after the day weve had. And that, for us, is our broadcast for this tuesday night. Thank you for being here with us. Our special coverage of night two of the Democratic National Convention Continues right after this break. Msnbcs special coverage of night two of the Democratic National Convention Continues now. Im ari melber with all the highlights. The democrats formally nominate joe biden tonight, with a virtual roll call vote, and allowing the nation to hear from dr. Jill biden. Who spoke about their love story and personal family losses. Democrats also serving up a rebuke of trumps leadership by general colin powell, and a thrashing of Donald Trumps welldocumented shortcomings handling covid by president clinton