A ‘New Way Forward’: VP Harris draws sharp contrast with Trump’s dark vision

>>> GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME BACK TO "THE WEEKEND." WE ARE JUST TWO DAYS FROM EARLY VOTING, IN-PERSON LEARNING, KICKING OFF AND MUSLIM PENNSYLVANIA. THAT IS WHERE VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS SPENT TWO OF HER NEW SWING STATES HORSE. SHE SAT DOWN FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH A LOCAL NEWS STATION TO MAKE HER PITCH TO UNDECIDED VOTERS. >> THE VAST MAJORITY OF US AS AMERICANS HAVE SO MUCH MORE IN COMMON THAN WHAT SEPARATES US. AND I ALSO BELIEVE THAT I AM ACCURATE IN KNOWING THAT MOST AMERICANS WANT A LEADER WHO BRINGS US TOGETHER AS AMERICANS. -- WHO IS TRYING TO HAVE US POINTING FINGERS AT EACH OTHER. >> WITH 52 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY, THE PRESSURE IS ON FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT TO BOTH REINTRODUCE HERSELF TO PERSUADABLE VOTERS AND DRAW A SHARP CONTRAST BETWEEN HER AGENDA AND DONALD TRUMP DARK VISION FOR AMERICA. JOINING US NOW, THE PUBLISHER OF THE BULWARK AND PODCASTS AND SERVES AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP AND TIM MILLER, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST AND WRITER AT LARGE AT THE BULWARKS. WELCOME TO THE TABLE, BULWARKS. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE TERM UNDECIDED VOTER? ESPECIALLY IN THIS MOMENT? >> LOOK, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK UNDECIDED VOTERS ARE REAL BUT THERE ARE A COUPLE TYPES OF UNDECIDED VOTERS. I TALKED TO THEM A LOT. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE JUST KIND OF STARTING TO TUNE IN TO POLITICS BUT I THINK IT IS HARD FOR POLITICAL OBSERVERS, POLITICAL OBSESSIVES, PEOPLE LIKE US HONESTLY TO UNDERSTAND WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS? BUT SOME OF THE PEOPLE ARE CALLED LOW INFORMATION VOTERS. I LIKE TO CALL THEM PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THEIR LIVES AND I THINK THAT'S OKAY. SO, THOSE PEOPLE ARE SHOWING UP AND SAYING, ALL RIGHT. WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? THEN THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO GENUINELY, YOU KNOW, ARE NOT PARTISAN AND ARE RIGHT-LEANING INDEPENDENTS, SOFT GOP VOTERS WHO DO NOT LIKE TRUMP. THEY KNOW THEY WILL NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP BUT ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THEY CAN GET THERE ON HARRIS. I TALKED TO A LOT OF THOSE VOTERS. THIS LAST GROUP, I WANT PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT UNDECIDED ABOUT IS THIS WAY. PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDECIDED ABOUT WHETHER THEY WILL SHOW UP, YOU KNOW, THAT IS IMPORTANT. YOU MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO GET OFF THE COUCH AND GO VOTE BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE, THIS IS A MATTER, AND YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE THEM DECIDE TO GO OUT THERE. SO, THAT IS WHO THEY ARE >> THAT TURN ELECTION THAT YOU HAVE TO TURN OUT PEOPLE TO THE POLLS. I WANT TO PLAY SOME SOUND FROM YOUR FOCUS GROUP WEDNESDAY AFTER THE DEBATE AND THESE ARE THREE VOTERS FROM THE LONGWELL FOCUS GROUP. >> A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT TRUMP WAS , YOU KNOW, CRITICIZING AND EXPLOITING JOE BIDEN FOUR, NOW HE'S THE OLD MAN THAT CAN'T KEEP UP. >> I THINK SHE WAS THE CLEAR WINNER. SHE WAS MORE PRESIDENTIAL. HE DID A POOR JOB OF TAKING HER BAIT ALLOWING HIMSELF TO GET UPSET. >> SHE ADDRESSED MOST OF THE ISSUES PRETTY WELL AND SHE GAVE DONALD TRUMP LIKE WHAT MAY BE OTHER CANDIDATES COULDN'T. YOU KNOW, SHE WAS A LITTLE BIT SARCASTIC AND TALKING BACK WITH HIM. >> THE VOTERS HAVE THOUGHTS. I MEAN, THE SOUND WAS FROM THREE SWING VOTERS FROM A FOCUS GROUP YOU DID AFTER THE DEBATE. YOU'VE FEATURED THESE VOICES ON THE PODCAST THIS UPCOMING WEEK. I MEAN, THERE ARE PEOPLE YOU STILL JACKED UP THIS IS WHY WE HAD CHAIRMAN HARRISON HERE. AND SOME OF THESE OTHER VOTERS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT EXPECT PEOPLE TO SHOW UP TO THE PULPIT >> THIS WAS A GROUP, WE CALL THEM FLIPPERS. BUT IF PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP AND THEN JOE BIDEN IN 2020. THAT IS A GROUP THAT WAS ERODED WHEN JOE BIDEN WAS A CANDIDATE AND THEY HAD BEEN AN INTERESTING GROUP TO WATCH AFTER THE SWITCH. TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THESE VOTERS, THESE TEND TO BE CENTER- RIGHT, CAN THEY GET THERE ON HARRIS? THIS GROUP IN PARTICULAR, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF INTERESTING THINGS FOR BOTTOM LINE, THEY ALL THOUGHT VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS SWEPT THE FLOOR WITH DONALD TRUMP BUT THAT WASN'T AS INTERESTING AS THE WAY THEY DESCRIBED HER PERFORMANCE WHICH WAS THE NUMBER ONE WORD THAT THESE VOTERS USE ABOUT HER PERFORMANCE. SHE SEEMED PRESIDENTIAL. I THINK FOR A LOT OF THESE VOTERS, GETTING THEM OVER THAT OF SAYING, NO, SHE LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY WHO COULD BE PRESIDENT AND SOUNDS LIKE SHE CAN BE PRESENT. I THINK THAT IS A THINK SHE DIFFER HERSELF DURING THE DEBATE. >> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ALL OF THIS INDEPENDENT UNDECIDED VOTER SPACE THAT IS OUT THERE PARTICULARLY IN THE FACE OF WHAT THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED ON THURSDAY, QUOTE, ALTHOUGH IT WAS BILLED AS AN EVENT FOCUS ON HOUSING AND THE ECONOMY, HE DUMPED HE SPENT MUCH OF THE MEANDERING SPEECH ON THURSDAY IN TUCSON, ARIZONA, VENTING HIS GRIEVANCES OVER HIS DEBATE AGAINST VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS. YOU HAVE ONE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TRYING TO LEVEL UP POLICY WHICH YOU AND I CAN DEBATE JUST HOW GOOD OR BAD THAT IS, BUT ANOTHER ONE WHO IS TALKING ABOUT CROWD SIZE AND THE FACT THAT HE GOT BESTED BY HIS OPPONENT IN THE DEBATE. HOW ARE PEOPLE STILL UNDECIDED IN YOUR VIEW? >> YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. CAN I SAY, YOU ALL LOOK SO GOOD THIS MORNING. I THOUGHT IT WAS A SATURDAY MORNING KIND OF CASUAL BUY. >> I KNOW. >> LOOK, I THINK SOME PEOPLE FOR THE UNDECIDED THING, I GET IT. THIS IS -- I GET MY PEOPLE ARE DOING IT. HOW CAN YOU BE UNDECIDED? TO PUT A FINER POINT ON IT, AS SOON AS YOU THINK WHEN YOU HEAR UNDECIDED THAT THEIR DECIDEDLY TREATING TRUMP AND HARRIS, I JUST CAN'T PICK . CHICKEN OR FISH? WHAT DO I WANT FOR DINNER? THAT IS NOT REALLY THE PERSON. IT IS A PERSON WHO HAS DISQUALIFIED ONE OF THE CANDIDATES AND IS TRYING TO DECIDE IF THEY CAN GET THERE ON THE OTHER CANDIDATE. I THINK IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT IN THE FRAME IT MAKES MORE SENSE. IT'S LIKE, I YOUNG VOTER TRYING TO DECIDE IF THEY CAN BOTH HARRIS AND THEY HAD CONCERNS ABOUT BASEL OR WHATEVER IT IS THESE FOLKS WE TALK A LOT ABOUT AT THE BULWARK. THEY'VE BEEN REPUBLICAN ALL THEIR LIFE AND VOTED FOR TRUMP ONCE AND NOW ARE TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO. I THINK THAT MAKES MORE SENSE. IT'S NOT A CLOSE CALL FOR US. WHEN YOU THINK OF IT IN THAT FRAME AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN NEEDS TO DO TO REACH OUT TO THESE VOTERS FOR THE GOOD NEWS IS SHE'S TRYING. IF YOU LISTEN TO HER DEBATE PERFORMANCE AND ON THE STUMP LAST NIGHT, HER MESSAGE IS SQUARELY AIMED AT MOTIVATING THESE CORE DEMOCRATIC VOTERS AND REACHING OUT TO TRADITIONAL CENTER-RIGHT VOTERS THAT DON'T LIKE DONALD TRUMP. THAT'S IN HER MESSAGING. BUT TRUMP , ON THURSDAYS RALLY, HIS RALLY LAST NIGHT WAS EVEN CRAZIER. BACK THE SNAKE AND IS READING THE SNAKE POEM. THE DUDE IS UNHINGED AND HE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE FOCUSED AT ALL TO REACH OUT TO THESE CORE GROUPS. >> YOU WONDER WHAT IS GOING ON STAGE IS IT A -- I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LISTEN TO SOMETHING THAT VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS SAT ON THE TRAIL ABOUT CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. THIS WAS YESTERDAY IN PENNSYLVANIA. >> REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT? HE TRIED 60 TIMES TO END THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND HE SAID IN THE DEBATE JUST THIS WEEK, HE HAS NO PLAN TO REPLACE IT. HE SAID HE HAS, QUOTE, CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. NO ACTUAL PLAN. SO, LET'S JUST THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT HE'S THREATENED HEALTH INSURANCE FOR THE 45 MILLION PEOPLE WHO RELY ON IT BASED ON A CONCEPT. >> HOW DO YOU BALANCE RHETORICALLY, SARAH LONGWELL, THE FACT THAT HE IS VAGUE ON SOME POLICY DETAILS AT THE SAME TIME HE HAS PROJECT 2025 READY AND RARING TO GO. ALONGSIDE HIM. >> LET ME SAY, THAT ISN'T THE ONLY FOCUS GROUP THAT WE DID. WE ALSO DID TWO-TIME TRUMP VOTERS WHO WERE KIND OF FEELING DOWN ON TRUMP. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS INTERESTING, IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING WHEN YOU LISTEN TO VOTERS ON WHAT BREAKTHROUGH AND WHAT THEY NOTICE. THIS IDEA OF CONCEPTS OF A PLAN WAS SOMETHING A LOT OF THOSE VOTERS WERE REPEATING BACK TO THE MODERATOR SAID, WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT? I THINK THAT IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE FRUSTRATED WITH TRUMP, HE DID NOTHING IN THAT DEBATE TO BRING THEM BACK. HE ALSO HAS BEEN SORT OF HAVE VOTERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH HIM BEFORE BUT ARE NOT MOVING AWAY FROM HIM AND I THINK IT IS INTERESTING TO PICK HEALTHCARE AND FIGHTING JUST AS A FORGET ANY DEBATE ABOUT THE POLICY OF IT, AS A SHEER PUBLIC OPINION PLAY. LIKE THEY LOST THIS FIGHT. PEOPLE DO CARE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT WHAT CANDIDATES