Lawrence: First D.C. Republican to fear Harris saw Trump’s ‘train wreck’ debate coming

REELECTION IN OHIO. >> I'M SURE HE WILL HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT EVERYTHING IN OHIO. I CAN'T WAIT. THANK YOU. >>> THERE IS IMPORTANT NEW POLLING SHOWING KAMALA HARRIS EXPANDED HER POSSIBILITIES OF WINNING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND THIS POLLING WAS DONE BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN WHICH KAMALA HARRIS CRUSHED DONALD TRUMP LIKE NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN CRUSHED IN A PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE BEFORE. SO THE POLLING COULD BECOME EVEN BETTER FOR KAMALA HARRIS ONCE THE EFFECTS OF THE DEBATE REGISTER IN THE NEXT WAVE OF POLLS. KARL ROVE SAW THIS COMING. 14 YEARS AGO. KARL ROVE SAW THIS COMING LONG BEFORE ANY OTHER REPUBLICAN. KARL ROVE WAS THE FIRST WASHINGTON REPUBLICAN TO FEAR KAMALA HARRIS AND IN AN OP-ED PIECE FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL UNDER THE HEADLINE, A CATASTROPHIC DEBATE FOR TRUMP, KARL ROVE WRITES TUESDAY'S DEBATE BETWEEN KAMALA HARRIS AND DONALD TRUMP WAS A TRAIN WRECK FOR HIM FAR WORSE THAN ANYTHING TEAM TRUMP COULD HAVE IMAGINED. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH PRIVATELY USED NICKNAMES FOR PEOPLE AROUND HIM. HE CALLED VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY, BIG TIME. GEORGE W. BUSH CALLED HIS TREASURY SECRETARY PAUL O'NEILL, PABLO. THE MOST WELL-KNOWN NICKNAME IN THE BUSH WHITE HOUSE WAS ONE THAT GEORGE W. BUSH DID NOT COME UP WITH AND DID NOT LIKE. BUSH'S BRAIN. THAT IS WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IN WASHINGTON CALLED KARL ROVE. THE SENIOR ADVISOR IN THE BUSH WHITE HOUSE WHO MASTERMINDED GEORGE W. BUSH'S WINNING PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS. EARLY, GLOWING PROFILES OF KARL ROVE DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION EAGERLY PLATFORMED KARL ROVE'S THEORY THAT HE WAS BUILDING A PERMANENT REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE CONGRESS AND A PERMANENT REPUBLICAN ELECTORAL COLLEGE HOLD ON THE WHITE HOUSE. KARL ROVE WAS REPEATEDLY PRESENTED IN MAJOR MEDIA PROFILES AS A VISIONARY REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST WHO WAS FAR AHEAD. ALL POLITICAL STRATEGIC THINKERS IN WASHINGTON IN BOTH PARTIES. THOSE PROFILES WERE THE PRODUCT OF STANDARD GROUPTHINK AND THEY ALL WILDLY EXAGGERATED KARL ROVE'S GENIUS, BUT WHAT WAS TRUE WAS THAT KARL ROVE WAS THINKING ABOUT ELECTORAL POLITICS IN A MORE CAREFUL AND DATA-DRIVEN WAY THAN ANY OTHER REPUBLICANS. IT WAS ALSO TRUE THAT KARL ROVE HAD A PRETTY GOOD EYE FOR POTENTIAL POLITICAL TALENT. KARL ROVE SIGNED UP WITH GEORGE W. BUSH IN TEXAS BECAUSE ROVE BELIEVED CORRECTLY THAT GEORGE W. BUSH COULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE. AND AS SOON AS KARL ROVE SAW KAMALA HARRIS, 14 YEARS AGO, IN 2010, HE WAS VERY WORRIED ABOUT HER. >> WE ARE THE STATE THAT CREATES LEADERSHIP FOR THE REST OF THIS COUNTRY, BASED ON OUR BELIEF THAT WE CAN BE TOUGH AND WE CAN BE SMART AND ALL THE TIME BE DEDICATED TO OUR HISTORY WHILE BEING EMPOWERED TO KNOW OUR DESTINY. >> IN 2010 WHEN SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY KAMALA HARRIS WON THE NOMINATION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND THAT VIDEO IS NOT SEEN ANYWHERE OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA. KARL ROVE SAW IT AND THAT IS WHEN KARL ROVE GOT SCARED, BECAUSE KARL ROVE SAW THE SAME TRACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE THAT I SAW BEGINNING WITH HER WINNING HER FIRST STATEWIDE RACE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL IN CALIFORNIA. THAT WOULD LEAVE KAMALA HARRIS PERFECTLY POSITIONED AND IT DID LEAVE HER PERFECTLY POSITIONED TO RUN STATEWIDE AGAIN FOR THE UNITED STATES SENATE, WHICH BECAME POSSIBLE WHEN SENATOR BARBARA BOXER DECIDED NOT TO RUN FOR REELECTION IN 2016. IN THE SENATE KAMALA HARRIS WOULD BE A STAR WHO EVERYONE WOULD EXPECT TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT. THE KEY FOR KARL ROVE WAS PREVENTING KAMALA HARRIS FROM WINNING STATEWIDE IN THE FIRST PLACE. STOPPING HER IN THAT ATTORNEY GENERAL CAMPAIGN. KARL ROVE NEEDED TO TURN KAMALA HARRIS INTO A LOSER THAN SO THAT SHE COULDN'T FOLLOW AN OBAMA -LIKE TRAJECTORY THROUGH THE SENATE TO THE PRESIDENCY. IT WAS THAT OBVIOUS TO KARL ROVE THEN. AND SO KARL ROVE HELPED FUND A NEGATIVE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN AGAINST KAMALA HARRIS IN 2010. JOINING ME NOW FROM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE, KAMALA HARRIS. KAMALA, CAN YOU TELL THE COUNTRY THE STORY BEHIND THAT AD THAT KARL ROVE IS RUNNING AGAINST YOU? >> WELL, LAWRENCE, ABOUT A WEEK AGO WE LEARNED THAT KARL ROVE AND GILLESPIE PUT TOGETHER ABOUT $1.1 MILLION IN MONEY TO FUND AN INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE ATTACK AT AGAINST MY CAMPAIGN FOCUSED ON LOS ANGELES. WE ALSO LEARNED THE EXPENDITURE WAS FUNDED BY TOBACCO, OIL, AND INSURANCE COMPANIES. AS YOU HAVE MENTIONED THERE IS A LOT OF SPECULATION ABOUT WHY, BUT WHAT THAT TELLS ME IS THEY CLEARLY KNOW WE CAN WIN AND THEY DON'T LIKE OUR POSITION ON MANY OF THE ISSUES THAT I BELIEVE ARE IMPORTANT NOT ONLY TO CALIFORNIA BUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. >> KARL ROVE WAS RIGHT. THEY NEEDED TO STOP KAMALA HARRIS THEN OR SOMEDAY REPUBLICANS WERE GOING TO BE VERY WORRIED IN A CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT AGAINST KAMALA HARRIS, AS THEY ARE WORRIED TONIGHT. KAMALA HARRIS WON THE FIRST STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN BY LESS THAN 1% OF THE VOTE IN CALIFORNIA AND THAT IS WHY SHE IS WHERE SHE IS TONIGHT. SHE IS HOLDING FOUR POINTS AHEAD OF DONALD TRUMP IN THE LATEST WISCONSIN POLL. A MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL POLL, THE MOST TRUSTED POLL IN WISCONSIN, SHOWS THAT AMONG LIKELY VOTERS, KAMALA HARRIS IS PULLING AT 52 AND DONALD TRUMP AT 48. THAT IS IN A STATE FOR THE LAST TWO PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN DECIDED BY LESS THAN 1% OF THE VOTE. IN 2016 DONALD TRUMP ONE WISCONSIN WITH 47.2% AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON'S 46.5% AND IN 2020 JOE BIDEN ONE WISCONSIN WITH 49.4% AGAINST DONALD TRUMP'S 48.8%. THAT IS HOW CLOSE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN WISCONSIN. A FOUR-POINT GAP IN THE MARQUETTE POLL IN WISCONSIN AMONG LIKELY VOTERS IS MORE THAN WHAT DEMOCRATS COULD HAVE REASONABLY HOPED FOR AT THIS POINT IN THE CAMPAIGN AND THAT WAS COMPLETED BEFORE WISCONSIN WATCHED WHAT KARL ROVE SAW IN THAT DEBATE, WHICH KARL ROVE DESCRIBES THIS WAY. MS. HARRIS WAS OFTEN ON OFFENSE, LEAVING MR. TRUMP VISIBLY RATTLED AS SHE LAUNCHED ROCKET AFTER ROCKET HIM. A NEW YORK TIMES ANALYSIS FOUND SHE SPENT 46% OF HER TIME ON THE ATTACK, WELL MR. TRUMP DEVOTED 29% OF HIS TIME GOING AFTER HER. DEBATES AREN'T ONE ON DEFENSE. MS. HARRIS PRESSED MR. TRUMP ON THE ECONOMY, THE UKRAINE WAR, FOREIGN POLICY, HEALTHCARE, THE JANUARY 6 ATTACK AND ESPECIALLY ABORTION, LEAVING HIM FLUSTERED AND OFTEN INCOHERENT. MR. TRUMP HAD TO KNOW THE VICE PRESIDENT WOULD TRY TO GET HIM TO LOSE HIS COOL. SHE DID. SHE WENT AFTER HIM ON HIS MULTIPLE INDICTMENTS. SHE CALLED HIM WEAK AND BELITTLED HIM AS A SIX TIME BANKRUPT AND SPOILED INHERITOR OF WEALTH. SHE SAID HIS FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR THOUGHT HIM, IN HER WORDS, DANGEROUS AND UNFIT FOR THE OVAL OFFICE. HE TOOK THE BAIT ALMOST EVERY TIME SHE PUT IT ON THE LOOK. RATHER THAN DISMISSING HER ATTACKS AND LAUNCHING HIS STRONGEST COUNTER ARGUMENTS AGAINST HER, MR. TRUMP GOT FURIOUS. HIS VOICE ROSE. HE GRIPPED THE PODIUM MORE OFTEN AND MORE FIRMLY. HE GRIMACED AND SHOOK HIS HEAD AT TIMES RESPONDING WITH WILD AND FANCIFUL RHETORIC. MR. TRUMP OFFERED ANGRY RESPONSES, PURSED HIS LIPS, HIS EYES DARTING DOWN, SELDOM LOOKING AT HER AND WHAT WAS IT WITH HIS MAKEUP THAT LEFT WHITE CIRCLES AROUND HIS EYES? PROFESSIONAL REPUBLICANS TAKE KARL ROVE VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY. BIG MONEY REPUBLICAN DONORS HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN GUIDANCE FROM KARL ROVE VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY. THEY BEGIN -- BELIEVE KARL ROVE WAS BUSH'S BRAIN, SO REPUBLICANS READING HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE DEBATE IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IS AS DEPRESSING AS WATCHING THE DEBATE WAS FOR THOSE REPUBLICANS. KARL ROVE CONTINUED. IT MATTERS HOW DEBATING CANDIDATES CARRY THEMSELVES. THERE IT WAS NO CONTEST. MS. HARRIS CAME ACROSS AS CALM, CONFIDENT, STRONG AND FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE. MR. TRUMP CAME ACROSS AS HOT, ANGRY AND FIXATED ON THE PAST, ESPECIALLY HIS OWN. SHE MASTERED THE SPLIT SCREEN, PROJECT THING CONFIDENCE AND UNDERCUTTING HIM BY SMILING WHILE SHAKING HER HEAD WHILE HE SPOKE. MANY UNDECIDED AND SWING VOTERS WILL MAKE UP THEIR MINDS LESS ON ANY SINGLE ISSUE THAN ON THE VISCERAL REACTIONS TO THE CANDIDATES AND HARRIS DID MUCH GOOD WITH THE CROWD THAT TUESDAY. MR. TRUMP DIDN'T. EVEN VOTERS WANTED TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW AND REASSURING ABOUT THE CANDIDATES IN THE DEBATE. SHE PROVIDED THEM PLENTY, WHILE HE DIDN'T. THERE'S NO PUTTING LIPSTICK ON THIS PIG. MR. TRUMP WAS CRUSHED BY A WOMAN HE PREVIOUSLY DISMISSED AS DUMB AS A ROCK, WHICH RAISES THE QUESTION, WHAT DOES THAT MAKE HIM? THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION WAS PROVIDED BY KAMALA HARRIS IN THE DEBATE. >> I HAVE TALKED WITH MILITARY LEADERS, SOME OF WHOM WORKED WITH YOU AND THEY SAY YOU ARE A DISGRACE. >> YOU KNOW WHO WON A DEBATE WHEN ONE CANDIDATE USES THE DEBATE IN A CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL AND THE OTHER DOESN'T. >> I WANT TO TURN TO THE ISSUE OF ABORTION. >> FOR 52 YEARS THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET ROE V. WADE INTO THE STATES. I DID A GREAT SERVICE AND DOING IT. IT TOOK COURAGE TO DO IT AND THE SUPREME COURT HAD GREAT COURAGE IN DOING IT. >> I HAVE TALKED WITH WOMEN AROUND OUR COUNTRY. YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE WANTED? PREGNANT WOMEN WHO WANT TO CARRY A PREGNANCY TO TERM, SUFFERING FROM A MISCARRIAGE, BEING DENIED CARE IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM BECAUSE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ARE AFRAID THEY MIGHT GO TO JAIL AND SHE IS BLEEDING OUT IN A CAR IN THE PARKING LOT? SHE DIDN'T WANT THAT. HER HUSBAND DIDN'T WANT THAT. A 12 OR 13-YEAR-OLD SURVIVOR OF INCEST BEING FORCED TO CARRY A PREGNANCY TO TERM, THEY DON'T WANT THAT. I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT CERTAIN FREEDOMS, IN PARTICULAR THE FREEDOM TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT ONE'S OWN BODY, SHOULD NOT BE MADE BY THE GOVERNMENT. I AM KAMALA HARRIS AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE. >> HERE IS WHAT DEBATE WINNERS SAY. >> NORTH CAROLINA TWO NIGHTS AGO, DONALD TRUMP AND I HAD OUR DEBATES. DID YOU WATCH IT? DID YOU WATCH IT? AND LOOK, I BELIEVE WE OUGHT TO HAVE ANOTHER DEBATE. RIGHT? WE OWE IT TO THE VOTERS. >> ANOTHER DEBATE AND HERE IS WHAT DEBATE LOSERS SAY. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE. SO SAYS DONALD TRUMP. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS WENT TO NORTH CAROLINA TODAY WHERE SHE OPENED UP THE NEW POSSIBILITY FOR DEMOCRATS TO WIN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE WITH NORTH CAROLINA'S 16 ELECTORAL VOTES. THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE HAS NOT ONE NORTH CAROLINA SINCE 2008 WHEN BARACK OBAMA DID IT IN HIS FIRST CAMPAIGN. DONALD TRUMP HAS ONE NORTH CAROLINA TWICE. IF DONALD TRUMP LOSES NORTH CAROLINA THIS TIME, THAT WOULD VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE ANY TRUMPED CHANCE OF WINNING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. WITH RECENT POLLS IN NORTH CAROLINA SHOWING A THREE-POINT GAP BETWEEN THE CANDIDATES, THE MOST RECENT POLL SHOWS KAMALA HARRIS AT 50 AND DONALD TRUMP AT 47. IF THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS ON ELECTION DAY IN NORTH CAROLINA, KAMALA HARRIS WILL BE PRESIDENT. HERE IS NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR ROY COOPER SPEAKING TONIGHT AFTER -- AT VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS'S CAMPAIGN EVENT. >> THERE IS A REASON WHY DONALD TRUMP SPENT MORE MONEY IN NORTH CAROLINA THAN ANY OTHER STATE, BECAUSE THEY ARE PANICKING. THEY KNOW THAT KAMALA HARRIS IS AT LEAST TIED OR MAYBE EVEN TAKING THE LEAD IN NORTH CAROLINA. DONALD TRUMP HAS NO OTHER PATH TO THE PRESIDENCY. HE MUST WIN NORTH CAROLINA. WE KNOW THAT IF KAMALA HARRIS WINS NORTH CAROLINA, SHE IS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. WE DID THIS IN 2008. NORTH CAROLINA VOTED FOR BARACK OBAMA AND MADE HISTORY. WE ARE READY TO MAKE HISTORY AGAIN. >> HERE IS VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS EARLIER THIS EVENING. >> DONALD TRUMP INTENDS TO END THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. THINK ABOUT THAT. THINK ABOUT THAT. WE REMEMBER WHAT IT WENT -- IT MEANT WHEN INSURANCE COMPANIES COULD DENY YOU FOR A PRE- EXISTING CONDITION. HE WANTS TO GET RID OF IT AND AS HE SAID IN THE DEBATE, HE MADE CLEAR HE HAS NO PLAN TO REPLACE IT. IN FACT, YOU REMEMBER? CONCEPT. YOU REMEMBER HE HAS, QUOTE, CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. I MEAN, WE ARE 54 DAYS FROM THAT SELECTION. CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. WHICH MEANS NO ACTUAL PLAN. WHICH MEANS NO ACTUAL PLAN. AND 45 MILLION AMERICANS ARE INSURED THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, SO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS. HE'S GOING TO END IT BASED ON A CONCEPT AND TAKE US BACK? SO GENERATIONS OF AMERICANS BEFORE US LED THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM AND NOW THE BATON IS IN OUR HANDS. THE BATON IS NOW IN OUR HANDS. AND WE WHO BELIEVE IN THE SACRED FREEDOM TO VOTE WILL FINALLY PASS THE JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND THE FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT. AND WE WHO BELIEVE IN THE FREEDOM TO LIVE FREE FROM GUN VIOLENCE WILL FINALLY PASS AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN, UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS AND RED FLAG LAWS. SO MUCH IS ON THE LINE IN THE SELECTION AND WE GOT THIS. WE GOT THIS. BUT LOOK, BUT LOOK, HERE'S THE THING. THIS IS NOT 2016 OR 2020. THE STAKES ARE EVEN HIGHER AND LET US BE VERY CLEAR. SOMEONE WHO SUGGESTS THAT WE SHOULD TERMINATE THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NEVER AGAIN STAND BEHIND THE SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER. AND PUT THAT ALL IN THE CONTEXT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HOW HE WAS WHEN THEY SERVED WITH HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE. PEOPLE WHO SAW HIM EVERY DAY. HIS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR. HIS DEFENSE SECRETARY. HIS CHIEF OF STAFF. AND HIS VICE PRESIDENT. ALL, ALL OF WHOM HAVE WARNED AMERICA DONALD TRUMP IS NOT FIT TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. AND TO NEVER OCCUPY OUR NATION'S HIGHEST OFFICE AGAIN. WE KNOW OURS WILL BE A VERY TIGHT RACE UNTIL THE VERY END. WE ARE THE UNDERDOG. LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT, WE ARE THE UNDERDOG AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US, BUT WE LIKE HARD WORK. HARD WORK IS GOOD WORK. HARD WORK IS GOOD WORK. AND WITH YOUR HELP WE WILL WIN. WE WILL WIN. AND SO I ASK YOU TODAY, NORTH CAROLINA, ARE YOU READY TO MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD? DO WE BELIEVE IN FREEDOM? DO WE BELIEVE IN OPPORTUNITY? DO WE BELIEVE IN THE PROMISE OF AMERICA? AND ARE WE READY TO FIGHT FOR IT? AND WHEN WE FIGHT, WE WIN. THERE YOU GO. GOD BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.