Claire McCaskill: It's more important for Biden to get under Trump's skin

BARNICLE. WHAT A CREW WE HAVE ASSEMBLED FOR THIS HOUR. THIS IS A HALL OF FAME CAST. >>> LET'S GO TO THE DEBATE SIDE. CLAIRE McCASKILL, YOUR VIEW TO THE LEAD-UP TO THE DEBATE AND WHAT WE MIGHT SEE TONIGHT. >> YEAH, IT'S BEEN INTERESTING TO WATCH THE REPUBLICANS TRY TO BACK THE TRUCK UP ABOUT EXPECTATIONS OF JOE BIDEN'S PERFORMANCE. LISTEN, ALL JOE BIDEN HAS TO DO IS COME OUT THERE AND BE SCRAPPY JOE SCRANTON, AS MY FRIEND JEN PALMIERI CALLS HIM, AND THROW SOME HAY MAKERS. HE NEEDS TO TELL HIM TO SHUT UP, TO QUIT LYING. HE NEEDS TO BE A STREET FIGHTER TONIGHT. HE DOESN'T NEED TO BE AS PRESIDENTIAL AS HE IS INCLINED TO TRY TO BE. IN POLICY, HE'S GREAT, BUT IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT HE GET UNDER DONALD TRUMP'S SKIN. THE WAY YOU GET UNDER DONALD TRUMP'S SKIN IS YOU CONFRONT HIM WITH HIS B.S. I'M HOPING THAT JOE BIDEN DOES THAT. I HAVE A FEELING THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE BEEN PREPARING FOR AT CAMP DAVID. >> TIM, TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT PUNCHES HE SHOULD THROW, WHAT HE SHOULD STRIKE, AND THE STAKES OF TONIGHT. THIS HAS BEEN BILLED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT DEBATE IN GENERATIONS. DO YOU AGREE? >> IT IS IMPORTANT FOR JOE BIDEN. A PART OF THIS IS IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES ARE RUNNING AHEAD OF JOE BIDEN. WHY IS THAT? WHAT IS UNDERNEATH THAT? THERE IS A CERTAIN VOTER THAT HASN'T TUNED IN AS MUCH, THAT IS PART OF THE DEMOCRATIC COALITION, THAT IS WORRIED ABOUT HIS AGE, MAYBE THEY'RE NOT HAPPY ABOUT INFLATION, AND IF JOE BIDEN SHOWS THAT HE IS THE VIGOROUS JOE BIDEN HE SHOWED AT THE STATE OF THE UNION, IF HE REMINDS THE VOTERS WHY THEY HATE DONALD TRUMP -- BECAUSE MOST OF THE VOTERS DON'T LIKE DONALD TRUMP AT ALL -- I THINK HE IS POISED TO GAIN A COUPLE OF POINTS IN THE POLLS AND WIN SOME OF THE VOTES BACK. YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER TRUMP ON HIS EXTREMISM, OBVIOUSLY ON SOCIAL ISSUES, ON ISSUES LIKE ABORTION, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO TRIGGER DONALD TRUMP A LITTLE BIT. YOU KNOW, MY COLLEAGUE, LAURA CAPUTO, SAID TRUMP MIGHT SEEM IRRATIONAL, BUT HE HAS A LIZARD BRAIN. HE KNOWS HE BOTCHED THE DEBATE LAST TIME. HE HAS TO MAKE SURE JOE BIDEN DOESN'T GET UNDER HIS SKIN, OR WE'LL GET THE CRAZY DONALD TRUMP WE KNOW AND LOVE ON THE DEBATE STAGE TONIGHT. >> DORIS, IT'LL BE A FASCINATING TRIP BACK TO THE FUTURE. YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO 1960. OF COURSE, A PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE YOU KNOW VERY MUCH. YOU'VE WRITTEN ABOUT IT ELOQUENTLY. THE KENNEDY/NIXON DEBATE. THERE'S NO STUDIO AUDIENCE. IT WAS SO FASCINATING, HEARING THE STORIES AFTER, YOU KNOW, TIME AND AGAIN, PEOPLE LISTENING ON THE RADIO THOUGHT NIXON WON. PEOPLE WATCHING ON TELEVISION THOUGHT KENNEDY WON. AGAIN, WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE CHEERING, THERE REALLY WAS -- IT WAS REALLY LEFT TO THE VIEWER TO DRAW THEIR CONCLUSIONS. WE'LL HAVE THE SAME THING TONIGHT. >> ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THE DEBATE DID NOT HAVE TO BECOME A TRADITION AFTER 1960. IN FACT, EISENHOWER HAD WARNED NIXON NOT TO DO IT. DON'T GIVE KENNEDY THE ADVANTAGE OF STANDING SIDE BY SIDE WITH YOU. THEN IN 1964, IT WAS TOLD TO LBJ, IN FACT BY MY HUSBAND, WROTE A MEMO SAYING, DON'T DEBATE. YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. DON'T GIVE YOUR OPPONENT THE STATUTE TO STAND NEXT TO YOU. IN '68 AND '72, NIXON WASN'T MAKING THE SAME DECISION. FORD, BEHIND IN THE POLLS, DECIDED TO DEBATE CARTER. HE NEEDED THE DEBATE, HE THOUGHT, WHICH WAS A MISTAKE. ON THE SECOND DEBATE, HE WAS ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT THE SOVIET DOMINATION OF EASTERN EUROPE, AND HE SAID, NO, THERE IS NO SOVIET DOMINATION OF EASTERN EUROPE. THERE WILL NEVER BE ONE IN A FORD ADMINISTRATION. MAX FRANKEL TRIED TO GIVE HIM A SECOND CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT, AND HE STILL GOT IT WRONG. THE PROBLEM WAS IT REINFORCED THE PROBLEM HE WAS ILL INFORMED OR NOT SMART. AFTER THAT, CONTINUED, GOT AUDIENCES, PEOPLE INTERRUPTING EACH OTHER, AND LOST TWO PEOPLE TALKING STRAIGHT TO THE CAMERA AS THEY WERE IN 1960. TONIGHT, WE'VE GONE BACK TO THAT TO FOCUS ON IT. WE HAVE TWO GUYS TONIGHT THAT WILL BE LIVE, NEXT TO EACH OTHER, AND THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WILL WANT TO SEE. THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES WILL MAKE UP THEIR MIND AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY TALK TO THEM, WHETHER OR NOT THEY SAID THE TRUTH, WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE BELIEVABLE, WHETHER OR NOT THEY CARED ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS. I CAN'T WAIT. THE WHOLE COUNTRY, I'M SURE, IS ANXIOUS AND EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT. >> YEAH, DORIS IS RIGHT, MIKE, THIS IS A TUNE-IN MOMENT FOR A COUNTRY THAT HAS TUNED OUT THIS CAMPAIGN, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE OUTSIDE OF OUR WORLD OF POLITICAL JUNKIES. PEOPLE ARE SICK OF SEEING THESE GUYS AND SAY, CALL ME AFTER LABOR DAY. TONIGHT WILL BE INTERESTING FOR MANY OF THE REASONS THAT DORIS LAID OUT, INCLUDING THE FACT IT'S NOT A RALLY. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HEAR BIG APPLAUSE, HOOTING AND HOLLERING WHEN DONALD TRUMP SAYS SOMETHING. IT'LL SIT THERE IF HE SAYS HE WON THE 2020 ELECTION, THE MODERATORS HAVE TIME TO JUMP IN AND FOLLOW UP. THE FORMAT WILL BE FASCINATING TO WATCH. >> IT'LL BE FASCINATING TO WATCH FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T THINK ANY OF US REALLY APPRECIATE THE TUMULT THAT HAS REALLY ROCKED THIS NATION FOR SEVERAL YEARS. PARTS OF THIS COUNTRY NEVER REALLY GOT OVER COVID AND THE SHUTDOWNS AFTER COVID. THEY'RE STILL LIVING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO MISSED TWO YEARS OF SCHOOL, THINGS LIKE THAT. TONIGHT, I THINK PRESIDENT BIDEN'S PRINCIPAL JOB, AND CLAIRE ALLUDED TO IT, IS TO REMIND THE NATION WHO THE OPPONENT IS. REMIND A NATION WHO DONALD TRUMP IS AND WHAT DONALD TRUMP DID AND DID NOT DO DURING HIS PRESIDENCY. IT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW HE DOES IT. I THINK HE'S GOING TO BE FAIRLY TOUGH ON TRUMP, TO TRY TO GET HIM TO REACT AND, TO CLAIRE'S POINT, TO GET HIM TO OVERREACT, IN FACT. SHUTTING OFF THE MICROPHONES WON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF TRUMP REALLY OVERREACTS. YOU'LL HEAR HIM, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE BANKING ON. JONATHAN, YOU'VE BEEN THERE AND ARE THERE TODAY. WHAT'S YOUR SENSE ON THE INTERNALS OF THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN PREP IN TERMS OF REMINDING THE COUNTRY OF WHO DONALD TRUMP WAS AS PRESIDENT? >> YEAH, THAT'S KEY TO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. THEY WANT TO DRAW CONTRAST BETWEEN BIDEN AND TRUMP. THEY ALSO WANT TO LIFT THIS SENSE OF TRUMP AMNESIA THAT SETTLED ACROSS A LOT OF THE COUNTRY. WHO HAVE THE REMEMBRANCES OF, OH, THE ECONOMY WAS GOOD OR SOMETHING, AND FORGET THE DRAMA AND TUMULT. I'M TOLD BIDEN WILL PUSH THE CONVICTED FELON PHRASE, AND HE'LL TALK ABOUT ABORTION RIGHTS, JANUARY 6th. HE'LL TALK ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION AND TRY TO GET DONALD TRUMP TO REPEAT THE BIG LIE IN FRONT OF A NATIONAL TELEVISION AUDIENCE. CLAIRE, WE'VE OUTLINED HERE IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES THE WAY BIDEN WILL GO ON THE ATTACK, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW HE'LL PLAY DEFENSE, TOO. DONALD TRUMP'S TEAM PREVIEWED, YES, WE'LL HEAR ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN, BUT MORE THAN THAT, IT'LL BE ON IMMIGRATION AND INFLATION. HOW SHOULD THE PRESIDENT RESPOND? >> WELL, I THINK BIDEN HAS A PRETTY GOOD STORY TO TELL ABOUT THE IMMIGRATION ISSUE. ALL BIDEN HAS TO DO IS FOCUS THE AUDIENCE ON THE FACT THAT HE WAS FOR THE TOUGHEST IMMIGRATION BILL IN DECADES, AND DONALD TRUMP STOPPED IT. SO HE HAD TO TAKE ACTION. SINCE HE TOOK ACTION, THE BORDER CROSSINGS ARE DOWN BY 40% ALREADY. SO YOU SEE, FIRST, DONALD TRUMP BLOCKING BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT A POLITICAL WIN FOR HIS OPPONENT, ONCE AGAIN BEING SELFISH, PUTTING HIMSELF BEFORE COUNTRY. THEN JOE BIDEN TAKING DECISIVE ACTION AND GETTING GOOD RESULTS. AS LONG AS HE KEEPS IT IN THAT CONTRAST, HE'S GOING TO BE FINE ON IMMIGRATION. THE KEY HERE IS, AND I THINK YOU SEE IT IN SOME OF THE PRE-DEBATE STUFF FROM THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN, THEY WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT DONALD TRUMP IS ALL ABOUT HIMSELF AND JOE BIDEN IS ABOUT YOU. AND I THINK YOU'LL HEAR THAT THEME OVER AND OVER AGAIN RUNNING THROUGH ALL THE CONTRAST THAT BIDEN WILL TRY TO DRAW. >> BIDEN AND HIS SURROGATES COALESCING AROUND THAT IDEA OF A CENTRAL THEME BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER. TIM, TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHAT ELSE YOU'RE LOOK OUT FOR TONIGHT. I THINK WE SHOULD EXPECT THE PRESIDENT TO MAKE A ROBUST DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY AT HOME AND ABROAD, AND THE FOREIGN POLICY DOESN'T USUALLY SWAY TOO MANY VOTERS' MINDS. YOU KNOW, UKRAINE AND THE RUSSIAN INVASION MIGHT. >> YEAH. I DON'T THINK IT'LL BE TOO HARD FOR STARTERS TO GET DONALD TRUMP TO REPEAT THE BIG LIE. THAT'S A GOOD, LOW BAR FOR THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN TO START WITH. I THINK HE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT EASILY. ON THE FOREIGN POLICY, YEAH, I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT HOW BIDEN DOES HAVE TO SPEAK TO HIS BASE, THE SOFT PARTS OF THE BASE. THEN THE NIKKI HALEY VOTER, UKRAINE, COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACY AT HOME AND ABROAD, THAT'LL BE THE ISSUE FOR THE BULWARK FOLKS, MY FOLKS. CAN YOU GET TO THE SUBURBAN, COLLEGE-EDUCATED REPUBLICANS WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING AT "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL," WHO THINK THINKS ARE GETTING CRAZY OVER THERE WITH THE ATTACKS ON JOE BIDEN, CAN HE CONTRAST TRUMP ON THAT AND PUT TRUMP IN THIS BOX WHERE TRUMP IS DEFENDING PUTIN, TRUMP IS ATTACKING OUR ALLIES AT NATO, AND HE IS ATTACKING OUR INSTITUTIONS AT HOME? I THINK THAT'S A GOOD RUN OF ISSUES FOR BIDEN. HE HAS TO BE CAREFUL ON FOREIGN POLICY. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, TRUMP IS GOING TO SAY, THE WORLD IS ON FIRE. EVERYTHING IS CRAZY. EVERYTHING WAS CALM WHEN I WAS HERE. I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES TO PRESIDENT BIDEN IS NOT BEING TOO DEFENSIVE ON THOSE QUESTIONS. STAYING ON THE ATTACK. HAVING CRISP ANS