Harris focused on reassuring America rather than Trump's 'phony baloney B.S.': McCaskill

OVERPREPARING AND TAKING IN THE LAST FEW HOURS TO GET HER MIND IN A PLACE WHERE SHE'S READY FOR THIS. >> TWO GREAT REPORTERS TO KICK US OFF, GARRETT, YAMICHE, THANK YOU, BOTH. CLAIRE, SO THEY SEEM LIKE AT LEAST PUBLICLY THEY'RE BOTH FEELING GOOD GOING IN TONIGHT. SHE GAVE THE THUMB'S UP YESTERDAY WHEN ON A WALK WITH HER HUSBAND. SO I TALKED TO A LOT OF GRASSROOTS FOLKS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND ASKED THEM WHAT IS KEEPING YOU UP AT NIGHT, ABOUT THIS DEBATE, BECAUSE THEY ALL THINK SHE'S GOING TO DO WELL, SHE'S THE PROSECUTOR, BUT SEVERAL OF THEM SAID THAT TRUMP MAY JUST DOMINATE. THAT HE MAY SO OVERWHELM THE STAGE THAT IT WILL BE TOUGH FOR HER TO GET HER POINT ACROSS. WHAT KEEPS YOU UP? >> I BET YOUR DOLLAR THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. >> OKAY. >> BY THE WAY, FIRST OF ALL, I CAN NERD OUT FOR A MINUTE? THIS IS SO COOL. >> SO COOL, RIGHT? >> FOR ME, FOR THE POLITICAL NERD IN ME, THIS IS LIKE CHRISTMAS. >> WE SHOULD TELL PEOPLE BY THE WAY, WE SAID IT IS A SPIN ROOM AND IN THE MIDDLE, IT IS ENORMOUS. THAT'S WHERE THE FOLKS WHO ARE GOING TO SAY MY GUY WON, MY GIRL WON, ARE GOING TO STAND. NOW IT IS -- IT WAS EMPTY WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, IT IS ALL FILLING UP WITH THE REPORTERS WHO ARE BEHIND ANDREA AND ME. AND THOSE ARE THE FOLKS WHO ARE GOING TO PUT THEIR STORIES OUT THERE. >> ONE QUICK POINT, BACK IN COLORADO, WHEN WE WERE THERE, BACK IN 2016, IT SEEMS LIKE FOREVER AGO, DONALD TRUMP CAME INTO THE SPIN ROOM. AND WOULD DO THE ROPE LINE, MELANIA WAS WITH HIM, THOSE WERE DIFFERENT DAYS, HE WAS VERY CHATTY. >> BY THE WAY, I USED TO BE THE ONE THEY'RE SPINNING FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES. I'M GLAD TO NOT BE DOING THAT TONIGHT. I'LL BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE DEBATE. >> WE'RE HAPPY YOU'RE HERE. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LISTEN, THERE IS NO BETTER TRAINING GROUND FOR A DEBATE THAN A COURTROOM. SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS COMING AT YOU IN A COURTROOM. WHEN YOU'RE THE PROSECUTOR AND YOU'RE HANDLING THE CASE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WITNESS IS ACTUALLY GOING TO SAY. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW THE JUDGE IS GOING TO RULE. SHE IS VERY USED TO HAVING TO THINK ON HER FEET AND PIVOT, AND. >> NEVER UNDER THIS KIND OF PRESSURE. >> BUT SHE'S RISEN TO THIS MOMENT. I THINK MOST OF AMERICA UNDERESTIMATED KAMALA HARRIS. I THINK SHE HAS SHOWN THE COUNTRY THAT SHE CAN HANDLE THIS PRESSURE, THAT SHE WILL BE VERY PRESIDENTIAL, AND SHE KNOWS SHE HAS TO DO ONE THING MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE TONIGHT, AND THAT'S REASSURE AMERICA SHE'S READY TO LEAD THE STRONGEST NATION IN THE WORLD. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT SHE'S FOCUSED ON, RATHER THAN HIS PHONY BALONEY BS. >> JUST RELATED TO THAT, ONE QUICK POINT, WHEN I WAS DOING SOME REPORTING WITH A LOT OF STATE DEPARTMENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS ABOUT WHAT KIND OF FOREIGN POLICY SHE WOULD HAVE, TO A PERSON, THEY ALL SAID, SHE'S A FORMER PROSECUTOR, SHE'S A LAWYER, SHE READS HER BRIEFS, SHE READS THE PDB, THE PRESIDENTIAL DAILY BRIEF, SO SHE REALLY PREPARES HERSELF. SHE COMES TO THE MEETINGS REALLY PREPARED. IT IS HER MO. IF ANYTHING, SHE MIGHT DO TOO MUCH HOMEWORK. >> I THINK THAT'S -- WE NEED TO BE MORE WORRIED ABOUT THAT THAN NOT BEING PREPARED ENOUGH. THE POLICY STUFF IS IMPORTANT. IT IS ALL ON HER WEBSITE NOW, YOU CAN SEE ALL OF HER POLICIES. TONIGHT SHE HAS TO BE STRONG, SHE HAS TO BE LIKABLE, AND IF SHE CAN'T, SHE NEEDS TO BE DISMISSIVE OF HIM IN A WAY THAT MAKES HIM SMALLER. >> I WANT TO BRING IN EUGENE, YOU NOTED IN TODAY'S PLAYBOOK THAT THERE IS PLENTY OF GAMESMANSHIP GOING ON BOTH SIDES. TRYING TO RATTLE EACH OTHER, WHICH IS PICKING UP ON WHAT CLAIRE JUST WAS TALKING ABOUT. SO, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES? >> YEAH, I MEAN, IT STARTED WITH THE MICS, RIGHT? THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE MICROPHONES WOULD BE MUTED IN BETWEEN ANSWERS. AND THE REASON THAT THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN WANTED THAT IS BECAUSE THEY REMEMBER, THEY THINK ABOUT THE DEBATES THAT HAPPENED NOT THIS YEAR, BUT IN 2020, WITH DONALD TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN AND SOME OF JOE BIDEN'S BEST MOMENTS WERE THOSE MOMENTS WHERE THEY KIND OF INTERACTED WITH BOTH MICS ON. THEY REMEMBER THAT IN 2020 WHEN SHE DEBATED THEN VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE, THE BIGGEST MOMENT AND STILL KIND OF FOLLOWS HER TO THIS DAY IS MR. VICE PRESIDENT, I'M SPEAKING. TRYING TO CREATE THAT MOMENT. AND TRY TO NEEDLE HIM INTO CALLING HER A NAME. LET'S BE REAL, THAT'S THE KIND OF GAMESMANSHIP THEY'RE WORKING -- THAT WE HAVE MOVED INTO AS WE MOVE TO TODAY, AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN ENDED UP BEING THE OPPOSITE OF WHERE THEY WERE FOR THE DEBATE WITH JOE BIDEN, WHICH IS THEY WANTED TO KEEP THE MICS MUTED BECAUSE THEY KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, HIM CALLING HER A NAME, HIM GETTING THROWN OFF IS NOT GOING TO BE GOOD FOR HIM. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE JOE BIDEN AND TRUMP DEBATE, TRUMP DIDN'T REALLY DO WELL, RIGHT? HE WASN'T TALKING ABOUT THERE WERE LOTS OF MISTRUTHS IN THERE, HE WAS SAYING THINGS THAT WEREN'T TRUE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT JOE BIDEN WASN'T ABLE TO FACT CHECK HIM, HE WASN'T ABLE TO PARRY IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, EVEN WITH THE MICS MUTED. I THINK VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS IS GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITY, SHE'S NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT ISSUE. AND THE QUESTION OF PREPARATION AND DISCIPLINE ON THE STAGE FOR BOTH OF THESE CANDIDATES IS GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR DONALD TRUMP, WHETHER OR NOT HE IS ABLE TO KIND OF STAY WHERE HIS CAMPAIGN WANTS HIM TO STAY, AND TALK ABOUT THOSE POLICY POSITIONS THAT VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS MAY HAVE EVOLVED ON HER CAMPAIGN WOULD SAY OVER THE YEARS SINCE SHE WAS A CANDIDATE IN 2019 OR EVEN A SENATOR AND NOW. AND VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS WHO IF YOU TALK TO AIDES AS I HAVE FOR YEARS, OVERPREPARATION IS A THING THEY'RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT, THEY DON'T WANT HER TO, YOU KNOW, THINK SHE'S GOING INTO A COURTROOM AND HAVE TO READ EVERY SINGLE BRIEF AND HAVE EVERY SINGLE WORD READY TO GO BECAUSE THEY'RE STARTING TO, AND SHE'S STARTING TO BELIEVE THAT HER GUT INSTINCTS ON SOME OF THESE THINGS AND SOME OF THESE UNSCRIPTED MOMENTS ARE, ONE, WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO SEE, AND, TWO, WHERE SHE CAN KIND OF SHINE, RIGHT? SHE CAN REACT TO WHAT IS HAPPENING ON STAGE, INSTEAD OF LOOKING TOO SCRIPTED. ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE -- THEY'RE WORKING ON BEHIND THE SCENES AND I GUESS WE'LL SEE TONIGHT WHETHER OR NOT BOTH CAMPAIGNS ARE SUCCESSFUL ON THE DISCIPLINE ASPECT OF THIS. >> THAT'S REALLY A QUESTION OF CONFIDENCE, WHICH I'VE SEEN A BIG CHANGE IN TRAVELING WITH HER OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS ON OVERSEAS TRIPS. CLAIRE, 70% OF AMERICAN ADULTS SAY THEY'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING. THIS IS A HUGE AUDIENCE, HUGE OPPORTUNITY, ALSO A BIG RISK. IF YOU MESS UP, EVERYBODY IS SEEING THAT, AND WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED JUST SEVEN WEEKS AGO. >> IF ANYBODY BELIEVES THAT DONALD TRUMP IS GOING TO BE A NEW DIFFERENT DONALD TRUMP, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION. AND IF HE IS HIMSELF, THEN THAT 70% OF REGISTERED VOTERS ARE GOING TO BE REMINDED WHY IT WAS SO CHAOTIC. AND WHY THEY REALLY WERE NOT HAPPY DURING THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY. I THINK THE CONTRAST IS REALLY GOING TO SERVE TO HER BENEFIT AND I THINK THE BIGGER THE AUDIENCE, THE BETTER. IT IS 90 MINUTES. IT IS THE LEAST A CITIZEN CAN DO TO INFORM THEIR VOTE, I HOPE EVERYBODY WATCHES AND WATCHES US ON MSNBC. >> YESTERDAY AFTERNOON WHEN I TALKED TO FOUR STATE PARTY CHAIRS, CONTRAST WAS A WORD THAT THEY TALK ABOUT A LOT IN HAVING HEARD ABOUT A LOT OF VOTERS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN DOING OUTREACH, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOORS KNOCKED, MILLIONS OF PHONE CALLS MADE, RIGHT? AND PEOPLE WANT TO GET A MEASURE OF HER. I THINK THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF SURPRISE AT LEAST AMONG A COUPLE OF THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DEMOCRATS, WHOSE DOORS WERE KNOCKED ON, SAID I DON'T REALLY KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT HER. THEY WANT TO SEE CAN SHE COMMAND THE STAGE, CAN SHE STAND UP TO DONALD TRUMP AND WHAT DOES THAT TELL THEM ABOUT COULD SHE STAND UP NEXT TO A FOREIGN LEADER? THIS IS A MOMENT FOR HER TO SAY, I GOT THIS. >> I THINK SHE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND AMERICA THAT DONALD TRUMP DIDN'T STAND UP TO PUTIN. HE WANTS TO CAPITULATE TO PUTIN. DONALD TRUMP DIDN'T STAND UP TO KIM JONG-UN. THEY HAD A LOVE AFFAIR THROUGH LETTERS WHILE HE WAS PRESIDENT. SHE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, HEY, WE KNOW HE'S