Transcripts For WPVI Inside Story 20171112

Reliably republican going back almost to george washington. [ laughs ] treasurer, controller, coroner, clerk of courts. I know. I mean, were talking 1799 theyve held power. Yeah. How do you look at this . Did you see it coming, or did you find some things surprising in exit polling . All right, well, lets start with this. First of all, the four collar counties have been trending republican for almost two decades. Very slowly at first. It began in montgomery county. Trending republican or trending democrat . Im sorry, trending democratic. In the municipalities close to philadelphia. And if you look at statewide elections and president ial elections, three of the four, sometimes four of the four have gone with the democratic candidates. So basically what happened, the reaction to trump, to president trump, the controversies accelerated a trend that has been underway in this state for two decades at least. It accelerated it why . Because the democratic turnout went up. The republican turnout was, you know, down somewhat, but heres the bigger point. The trump base is still firm. If you go out into the southwestern part of our state and even up to places like erie county, the republicans did quite well. Right. So weve got to be careful how we assess that, but theres okay, so lets break it down. Lets talk about that. Politico this week did a story that was much discussed about johnstown. Yeah. And they had a line in there, its not about whether or not the goal post moved. There are no goal posts. Theyre with the president no matter what. Oh, sure. Meanwhile, in these collar counties, theyre seeing some shifting among highly educated, middle class, upper class Republican Voters. But then the question, if im a republican operative, as i say, for next year and in three years, how do i talk to both of these parts of the base that i need . Thats a huge challenge. I mean, basically whats going on is we have this extreme partisanship. As someone whos done polling for 26 years now, the middle has shrunk completely. The partys voters are basically at polar opposite ends of the scale with republicans being much further to the right, democrats being much further to the left. The democrats have a similar kind of split, and its also generational. You know, whos gonna head the party . Hillary clinton or Bernie Sanders . You get the point. The wings of the party. For the republicans, thats the big challenge. You hit the nail on the head. The voters down here in the philly suburbs, the Republican Voters tend to be more moderate, they tend to be more culturally liberal, which is a huge issue, they tend to be, you know, in favor of things like immigration. Theyre on healthcare, theyre not as vehemently opposed to the Affordable Care act. You go out into the western part of our state how about the rust belt notion here . Its different. But he got them last year. How did the republicans get them back by midterms . They have not lost a large portion of that working class vote. Whats going on whats going on is that the democrats are much more exhilarated. Now, make no mistake about it, in the burbs, the Republican Voters have been shifting over time, and that shift was accelerated. Thats what you saw on tuesday. Accelerated, but in an interesting way because they turned out more, and many of those voters are disaffected. Theyre voting democratic in some cases even though they retain their republican registration. Whats the message to the democrats nationally . We saw a lot of democrats do well. Usually the National Party gives notes down. This time, it felt as though a lot of candidates here locally did their own thing. They werent listening to the National Party, and they won. What should the democrats be learning from our local democratic winners . Well, i think what remember that even in municipal elections, trump, though he wasnt on the ballot, was a factor. Lets understand that. Trump came up in a whole variety of ways. In the appeals courts election, they were more direct. And in some local elections, there were signs up that democrats put up, antitrump signs, so basically what the democrats are gonna do is simple. They dont have a coherent message. No one ever accused the democrats of being on the same page about their views. The fact of the matter is that the democrats dont have a united message. Basically theyre running on the antitrump theme. And as long as trumps Job Performance, its 38 positive. Ill put it another way. After 10 months of a presidency, its the lowest Job Performance of any president since scientific polling began. I wont go back before that. Well, very quickly, so trump is an issue. Was there any other issue, any other reason people were pulling a lever for democrats we should know about . Well, i think in general, heres whats odd. Weve got a Pretty Healthy economy right now. Record stock market, consumer confidence, the highest since 2000. We have more people working than ever, more people who dropped out of the workforce coming back and working. And guess what . The president s Job Performance is 38 positive. I mean, essentially its mostly driven by the controversial nature of the trump presidency. And looking forward, weve got the big Midterm Election coming up. It is not unusual for the president s party to have a tough time in midterms. Oh, you kidding me . If you go back to the civil war, the average loss is 32 seats. Clinton, bush, and obama first terms, a disaster in the midterm for their parties. And well have to see. All bets are off on the future. All right, well see what indeed the future holds. Always good to have you here with us. Well take a short break and come back to our inside story panel. 6abcs inside story is presented by temple university. Welcome back to inside story. Im tamala edwards. Lets introduce you now to the panel. Well start with attorney jim eisenhower. Good morning. Good morning, tamala. Gop state chairman val digiorgio. Good morning. Good morning. First time here of mine with david dix, Governmental Relations exec. Glad to have you here. Good to be here. And ad executive brian tierney. Good to be here. So, of course the question becomes, what is going on . The democrats nationally want to say, oh, were trending. Was yesterday just about yesterday when you look right here in the collar counties and philadelphia and across the area, or was it about something bigger . I think it was something bigger, and i think it was pentup frustration of a year of donald trump. And ive had friends who are politically active, people really read about politics, know a lot, and have said to me, ive been depressed every single day since trump got elected. I cant even watch television. I just cant take it. And i really think its all that pentup frustration came out on tuesday. You know, val, youre head of the state party. Chester county is your home. A shocker there 212 years of holding on. These things switched over. How are you looking at it, and how are you sort of explaining or thinking about the trending . Well, i think terry was right. Terry madonna was right when he said that, you know, the age of trump sort of accelerated a trend that was happening in the philly suburbs. I mean, conversely, its also accelerated a trend that was happening in the rest of the state, where we saw 65 to 75 vote for our republicans across the state. We won the Supreme Court race, sallie mundy, and two other races. But, you know, at the national level, theres not a lot of news here. Look, virginias a purple state, which has gone for the party out of power i think every year since 1950. New jersey is a solidly blue state, so not a lot of news there that we would have lost those seats. But what happened in the collar counties was very interesting. I will say that. And, brian, i would imagine republicans all across the board, you kept seeing them saying, we are worried. We are worried. Were worried, especially at midterms for our congressional elections. If you were advising them, youre trying to hold on to these republicans in the collar counties. As val points out, youve got republicans in the middle of the state going in a different direction. How do you message to both sides . Well, when you look at actually, a lot of the republican candidates got the same or slightly higher vote than before, was the surge on the other side. And where the surge came from is higher educated, more affluent women. So you have to figure out how to and ed gillespie tried to do that in the virginia Gubernatorial Race where he, you know, didnt want to appear with trump but also try to have some of those messaging. I think the key is to look at that particular group. Higher educated women, particularly in this area, and try to figure what the message is thats gonna appeal to them. And i think its a message that, frankly, is ingrained in the pat meehans of the world and folks like that. Thats who they are. You also cant say stupid things. A new jersey freeholder apparently said on the womens march last year, he just hoped theyd be home in time to cook dinner. He was defeated by a woman who ran against him, who participated in that march. You cant do stupid things. Well, lets talk about that, david, because that womans name is ashley bennett, and she was part of Something Else we saw. More minorities, more diversity on the democratic side. Balvir singh, freeholder in new jersey, Sheila Oliver in new jersey, as well. But what was interesting is, you know, the democrats get slammed for identity politics. They didnt really talk about the identity politics. They stuck to the issues. Is that a message in general what we see democrats doing here . Do something different. Dont do what democrats have already done. I think you have to give credit where credit is due, particularly in the collar counties. Democrats outorganized republicans. You have an uphill battle, kind of splicing between the trump loyalists and those collar county republicans who tend to kind of not align so much with president trumps rhetoric. At the same time, yes, diversity was important this cycle. You saw folks particularly in new jersey from different backgrounds retire office. I like to highlight the mayor in hoboken, who was also a sikh. And, you know, you dont think of hoboken you know, its the home of frank sinatra. Its not the place where you think a sikh gets elected mayor, but this year it was, so i hope thats a trend that continues. But heres another thing. Now theyre in power. Now they have a year to screw it up, and they havent been used to governing. Like, is there a danger there . Rather than creating a wave, they might do some things in the next year that kind of blot the democrats. Thats really interesting. In the Chester County courthouse, where weve governed now since forever, republican party, four democrats who took over who had no message about the county and ive heard through the grapevine that theyre now contacting the row office and saying, what do you guys do in these offices . I mean, thats secondhand from one of the people in the office, but thats what they were told. So now they have to govern. And in a county like Chester County, which is one of the top counties in the nation, to throw out the incumbents for no reason other than youre not happy whats happening in washington just seems foolhardy to me. So were gonna see. Are they gonna continue the path of low taxes and beautiful, open spaces and good schools, or are they gonna try to bring progressive policies into a centerright county . Also aside from just the work that theyre doing as row officers, these changes in the collar counties will have dramatic effects in leadership throughout philadelphia. When you think about the appointments of boards and regional boards and commissions and authorities, that all changes with whos in leadership in those county offices. And that experience issue excuse me that you pointed out, it comes back to philadelphia, as well, with larry krasner. Yes. Ready to take office as District Attorney in january, never having been a prosecutor, having sued the office many, many times, and having a very aggressive attitude about the police department. Its gonna be interesting to see how he actually manages this large bureaucracy. You know what, i want to get into krasner more deeply in a second. I actually want to go back to something, looking at a statewide race. Scott wagner, bob casey, and even at the congressional elections, we saw this week when wagner first came out, he was like, im trump light. This week he said, well, we have our own styles. Well tell our own stories. Could be dangerous. Gillespie in virginia, trump came out and said, he didnt hug me closely enough. How does scott wagner walk this line that he doesnt get gillespied, hes not too he wasnt trump enough or he was too much trump, and then he loses. What to do . I think one of the things you find, two years ago we thought it was going one way. Two years today, now we find it. And two years from now, itll be in a lot different spot. I think that the trump phenomenon is gonna get you a really strong 36 of the vote. So the question is, how do you get in elections, the key is 50 plus 1. And i dont think the heavy trump message is gonna get it. So i dont think wagner i think scott wagner and company took it to drop this past weekend. Is bobby casey a little bit more i think caseys in a better spot. I wouldnt be surprised over the next week if you see some others who are more moderate republicans jumping into the Gubernatorial Race, as well. Lets talk about some of these congressional republicans. Your district, its easier for people to know you. Theyve got a record they can run on. But some of what you hear them saying, Ryan Costello saying, im gonna have to talk a lot more and tell my story. Is that what its all about for them to hold on to these seats . Thats the delicate balance that theyre under, you know. President trump has a very active presence both in social media and the media more broadly. People hear from him every single day, and its gonna be important for those localized congressmen to kind of bifurcate their message from the president s national message. I think theyve got to remind people of whats at least as a republican running for reelection whats on the other side, too, as well, okay . Youre upset about this. Look at me, though, as pat meehan. And by the way, do you really want more taxes, more government regulation . All those sorts of things is what youre gonna get. Theres nothing new. I mean, its important for a member of congress to let people know who he or she is. In my younger days, i worked for bob edgar, who was a very liberal congressman from what was then a very conservative Delaware County, and yet he got reelected six times. A lot of that was because he was a good guy. They liked him. But can issues win out in this time . Like, if the turnout yesterday was driven as a reactionary thing, is it actually possible to go back to the issues . Well, we should go back to the issues instead of making this this hypercharged political environment. You know, my facebook feed is probably a lot different from your facebook feeds. And were all living in totally different isolated. Yes. Isolated worlds. Weve got to get back to a place where we can find that middle. Ryan costello and pat meehan, theyre those guys. They have stood up to the speaker of the house when they didnt think it was in their best interest. They stood up to the president when they didnt think it was in the best interest of their district. And theyll vote with those folks, and theyll be rewarded for that in the end. And thats fine for those folks as long as they dont hatch contested primaries, and thats the problem folks are getting in. You have a contested primary, you have to filter to the right in order to get your base out, and then you have to pivot so far back in order to win a general election. Frank lobiondo kind of surprised people this week saying cause the last time he ran, he really did it with gusto, saying, you know what . Im out of this. And getting out, he said, there is no longer middle ground to honestly debate issues and put forward solutions. Today a vocal and obstinate minority within both parties hijacked good legislation in pursuit of no legislation. Is that where we kind of live . When you look at tax reform, which increasingly looks like its not gonna happen, the differences between the senate and the house bill, what happens in these races when people like this, who you know keep getting out, is it going to go to somebody extreme, an extreme liberal, an extreme conservative, and what does that mean . I think people do first of all, i do think youre in there 12 years, 20 years, et cetera, you get tired of it. And its getting less and less fun. Partly youre at a certain point in your life and youre seeing certain things, and you are seeing the hyper partisanship. And its a shame, because these are the voices that we really need. The tip oneill and Ronald Reagan getting together over a glass of beer and trying to find a common ground. This past week, the former speaker, boehner, he maybe had a glass of wine cause he really spoke rather freely. He let it go. Yeah. But he was talking about how disaffected. I know another u. S. Senator who is moderate to conservative, he said to me, when you get elected to the u. S. Senate i wont mention his name your first six months, youre like, i cant believe im here. the next five and a half years, youre thinking, i cant believe hes here, hes here, and shes here. I cant believe these people are here. lets turn and go back to what you were talking about with krasner. 69 of the vote, 20 turnout up from the usual 12 to 13 turnout. So, hes got a wave going behind him. Lets talk about the things that hes talked about doing getting rid of civil forfeiture, getting rid of the death penalty, reducing cash bail, lessening mass incarceration, more equality to law enforcement. Are these things that he can get this city regardless of whether or not you voted for him are those things that he can get most people eventually to come around on, or will they be divisive issues . I think on the policy side of it, the irony is most of his opponents in the democratic primary supported many of those things. So i think on the policy side, his positions are acceptable. The question is, having led a career or chosen a career where he was constantly against the District Attorneys office and accusing them of various inequities and injustices, whether you can come in and lead it. That really, i think, is the question. Its a question of character and personality. I think by temperament hes gonna have a hard time, dont you think . I mean, he just doesnt seem to have the temperament, let alone the policies. I mean, when you look at the d. A. s office now, if i was there, id be thinking, i got to find a new job. Heres a guy who has attacked my office hysterically for years. And lets not forget this why did he win . He won because in the city of philadelphia, once you win the primary, you get elected. Right. And he got elected in the primary cause it was low turnout and george soros gave him a bunch of money. George soros, who isnt from philadelphia, et cetera, is an ideologue himself, picks him out, throws a bunch of money at it, he wins in a crowded primary with low interest, and now hes elected in. Wait. Now hes there. Now hes there, and hes got to move forward. Everybodys waiting for the moment a cop gets shot. Everybodys waiting for the moment i predict one term. I predict one term. So what does he do to lay the groundwork now so that when that moment happens, he works it out to a better effect . Hes already done some of that. Now, when you talk about the primary, he build the Coalition Never seen before in the city of philadelphia between black lives matter, millennials, and anybody else who joined that coalition. That was not seen before. We never had that small turnout, though. Small turnout, yes, but that coalition had not been seen before. Folks like 1199c as a union coming out and being 100 behind them was different. But thats not how you govern, though. And the goals that he set are aspirational goals that the city should be behind. So id rather give him the benefit of the doubt. But what would you have him do to be prepared for that flashpoint moment . I think hes already been prepared for that. Hes asked for their resignations to start. But, david, he has to have a staff. You have to have competent attorneys who know what theyre doing who can prosecute cases, and thats why i think theres gonna be a disconnect. Theres a level of Emotional Intelligence to lead an organization. I agree with that. That i dont quite see him. I dont know the man, but i just dont see that level of Emotional Intelligence to be able to run we angelize to maybe an analogy that its like an atheist running the congregation. Thats what you have. Now you have Defense Attorneys on both sides. Hes tried the whole hes tried to move the d. A. s office up to its highest standards, and i think hell continue to try to do that in a critical way. What happens when he inevitably makes the people who are with him unhappy . Theyre not gonna get everything they want, either. What happens in that case . When hes got them demonstrating and everybody else demonstrating. Call george soros. Leaders have to lead. I think he has the right platforms in terms of how he wants to change the d. A. s office. Now if he can build the coalition to the point of the primary while hes in office, he could be successful. I think thats the contention point. Something surprising this week, john mcnesby when asked about him, who campaigned really hard against him, said, you know what . Im not drawing any lines in the sand. Hes now the guy. Lets work with him. Some other groups said the same thing. Were you surprised that thats kind of the tone they took rather than, we are ready to go toe to toe . I give mcnesby a lot of credit for that, and not something i would have predicted. But i do give him a lot of credit for extending that olive branch. I think congressman brady had something to do with that. I think the congressman had been trying to kind of make some peace there between those groups because, after all, at the end of the day, the d. A. s office has to function properly. It has to protect the citizens of philadelphia, has to prosecute criminals, and put those who are guilty in jail. Its a responsible thing to do. Brian go ahead. In a stance in stark contrast the way democrats have treated this president , president trump, where they said, were not gonna work with you. We dont respect you. So mcnesby gets a lot of credit for coming out and saying, despite the fact we dont agree on much, were gonna work with you. How do we do it . Very quickly, you said something interesting. I dont know him, but this is the image that i have of him. I think thats the case for a lot of people. This is what you do. How would you advise him to change the image the people have of him . You know what . If i was him, i would look for those initial moments where youre gonna have the cameras on you, and i think about who did it so well was ed rendell when he became mayor, the first day of scrubbing the floors in the bathrooms at city hall. And that was all over the media, that he was gonna be hands on, and thats what im gonna do to fix this city. I think he has to find those moments really quickly, too, on, where if somebody says, gee, i didnt expect that. Maybe my perception was wrong. Maybe hes more of a moderate kind of guy, and i think thats gonna be but he will be buoyed going in by a mandate. I mean, he won a very contested primary and then won convincingly on tuesday. We got to take a break. Well come back to our inside stories. What democrat doesnt win . 6abcs inside story is presented by temple university. Welcome back. Inside stories of the week. Jim. Tamala, results from election this week, longterm effects. One of the people on the hot seat will be congressman pat meehan in that swing district out in Delaware County. Has already got a couple of opponents and a new one, larry holmes not the boxer a lawyer just elected haverford township supervisor. All right. Val. Well, its a sad day for pennsylvania with the passing of fred anton, a great leader of the pennsylvania manufacturers association. Although he was a conservative republican, he was someone who could reach across party lines. He did that as evidenced by the great event he used to have at Pennsylvania Society where leaders of both parties would come and discuss issues of all things. Issues my gosh. Were gonna miss fred. David. Well, it seems like every other year we dub it the year of the woman, but i think 2017 was truly the year of the woman. Every female judge who ran won regardless of party, and you had real leadership show up in terms of like rebecca rhynhart, who won the controllers race. All right. Brian. And particularly the highest vote getter in that race of the year of the women is a woman named Christine Fizzano cannon, a judge from Delaware County who won statewide. She had the highest vote. Even though in the city of philadelphia, believe it or not, they got her name wrong on the ballot. Stuff happens. Like, they left it off. It was Christine Fizzano. Anyway, she won anyway. Thanks, guys. Its been a great panel. Its been great to have you with us. Well see you right back here next week for inside story. Im nydia han with alycia vitarelli, gray halls off today. Coming up next on action news a Pennsylvania State trooper, was shot on the job less than a week ago and today dozens of people, came together to show their support , as he recovers in the hospital. And search is on for gunman who shot and killed a man outside of a tavern in dell wear county. Plus decision by Trump Administration could change what you see on the menu when you go out to eat, that is next here, those stories and accu Weather Forecast and more next on action news. Action news, delaware valleys leading news program, with, rick williams, sarah bloomquist, meteorologist david