Claire McCaskill: ‘The Democratic Party has taken over both freedom and football’

>>> HI, EVERYONE. IT'S 4:00 HERE IN NEW YORK. AND IN THE WORDS OF VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE COACH WALZ, IT'S THE FOURTH QUARTER AND WE'RE DRIVING DOWN THE FIELD BECAUSE IN JUST OVER TWOV HOURS, RIGHT THERE IN CHICAGO, THE FINAL NIGHT OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION KICKS OFF WITH ANOTHER POWER HOUSE LINE UP. MICHIGAN GOVERNOR WHITMER, ROY COOPER, MARK KELLY AND HIS WIFE FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN, WHO WILL BE JOINING US LATER THIS HOUR, FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN AND JANUARY 6th SELECT COMMITTEE MEMBER ADAM KINZINGER, PERFORMANCES BY PINK AND THE CHICKS. AND THE MAIN EVENT, VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS, WHO WILL FORMALLY ACCEPT THE PARTY'S NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT LATER TONIGHT. IT COMES ON THE HEELS OF LAST NIGHT'S REMINDER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S DEEP AND GIFTED POLITICAL BENCH. SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG, GOVERNOR JOSH SCHAPIRO, GOVERNOR MOORE ALL GAVE SPEECHES ON HOW TO CELEBRATE THE POLITICAL PHENOMENON THAT IS KAMALA HARRIS AND TIM WALZ THE THAN WITH THE CULTURAL TOUCHSTONE THAT IS ONE OPRAH WHIN FREE, WHO TOOK US TO CHURCH AS ONLY OPRAH CAN. >> THIS ELECTION ISN'T ABOUT US AND THEM. IT'S ABOUT YOU AND ME. AND WHAT WE WANT OUR FUTURES TO LOOK LIKE. THERE ARE CHOICES TO BE MADE WHEN WE CAST OUR BALLOT. NOW THERE'S A CERTAIN CANDIDATE SAYS WE GO TO THE POLLS THIS ONE TIME THAT WE'LL NEVER HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE LOOKING AT A REGISTERED INDEPENDENT WHO'S PROUD TO VOTE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN BECAUSE I'M AN AMERICAN AND THAT'S WHAT AMERICANS DO. >> JUST AS WE SAW WITH THE OBAMAS, THE ELECTRICITY ON THAT STAGE TRANSCENDED POLITICS AND SOUGHT TO APPEAL TOWARD DEET SIT, THE SHARED HUMANITY, AND YES, OUR JOY, WHETHER IT WAS A NEIGHBOR TALKING ABOUT HOW GOVERNOR WALZ PUSHED HIM OUT OF A SNOW BANK OR THE FOOTBALL TEAM HE HELPED COACH TO A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. GOVERNOR WALZ'S FAMILY AND HIS SON OVERCOME WHEN HIS DAD TOOK THE STAGE. NOTHING BLEW THE ROOF OFF QUITE LIKE COACH WALZ HIMSELF AND THE PEP TALK THAT THE SPLINTERED NATION KNEW HOW DESPERATELY IT NEEDED. >> YOU KNOW YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW IT, BUT I HAVEN'T GIVEN A LOT OF BIG SPEECHES LIKE THIS. BUT I HAVE GIVEN A LOT OF PEP TALKS. SO LET ME FINISH WITH THIS, TEAM. IT'S THE FOURTH QUARTER. WE'RE DOWN A FIELD GOAL. BUT WE'RE ON OFFENSE AND WE'VE GOT THE BALL. WE'RE DRIVING DOWN THE FIELD. AND BOY, DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TEAM. KAMALA HARRIS IS TOUGH. KAMALA HARRIS IS EXPERIENCED. KAMALA HARRIS IS READY. OUR JOB, OUR JOB, OUR JOB FOR EVERYONE WATCHING IS TO GET IN THE TRENCHES AND DO THE BLOCKING AND TACKLING. ONE INCH AT A TIME, ONE YARD AT A TIME, ONE PHONE CALL AT A TIME, ONE DOOR KNOCK AT A TIME, ONE $5 DONATION AT A TIME. LOOK. WE GOT 76 DAYS. THAT'S NOTHING. THERE WILL BE TIME TO SLEEP WHEN YOU'RE DEAD. WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE IT ON THE FIELD. THAT'S HOW WE'LL KEEP MOVING FORWARD. THAT'S HOW WE'LL TURN THE PAGE ON DONALD TRUMP. THAT'S HOW WE'LL THE BUILD A COUNTRY WHERE WORKERS COME FIRST, HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING ARE HUMAN RIGHTS. AND THE GOVERNMENT STAYS THE HELL OUT OF YOUR BEDROOM. THAT'S HOW WE MAKE AMERICA A PLACE WHERE NO CHILD IS LEFT HUNGRY. WHERE NO COMMUNITY IS LEFT BEHIND. WHERE NOBODY GETS TOLD THEY DON'T BELONG. THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT, AND AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ALWAYS SAYS, WHEN WE FIGHT, WE WIN. >> WHEN WE FIGHT -- >> WE WIN! >> THANK YOU. GOD BLESS. >> SOME OF OUR FAVORITE REPORTERS AND FRIENDS ARE OUT IN CHICAGO. FORMER MAYOR AND SENIOR ADVISER TO THE HARRIS/WALZ CAMPAIGN KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS IS HERE WITH US. PLUS FORMER SENATOR CLAIRE McCASKILL IS BACK. AND YAMICHE ALCINDOR WILL JOIN US IN A FEW MINUTES. CLAIRE, I START WITH YOU. AS MOM, I WILL CONFESS MY UGLY TEARS WHEN HOPE AND GUS WERE OVERCOME WITH EMOTION SEEING THEIR VERY NORMAL DAD OUT ON THAT BIGGEST STAGE IN AMERICAN POLITICS. >> YEAH, THIS WEEK HAS BEEN, FOR ME, LIKE LAUGHING AND CRYING. IT'S LIKE HOW CAN YOU NOT TEAR UP WATCHING GUS AND HIS LOVE JUST SPEW FORTH. BY THE WAY, CAN I MENTION SOMETHING. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS TAKEN OVER BOTH FREEDOM AND FOOTBALL. WHO WOULD HAVE THANK YOU THAT OUR PARTY WOULD STEAL SO EFFECTIVELY FREEDOM AND FOOTBALL ARE FROM THE REPUBLICANS? I LOVE IT. I LOVE FREEDOM, AND AS YOU KNOW, I'M A RIDICULOUS FOOTBALL FAN. >> IT'S PRETTY AMAZING THAT WE'RE AT THIS PLACE WHERE THAT'S NOT EVEN A DEBATE. WITH THE HARRIS/WALZ CAMPAIGN HAS ACCOMPLISHED IN SUCH A SHORT TIME THAT THEY BOTH HAVE BEEN ON THE TICKET IS REALLY NOTHING SHORT OF COMMUNICATIONS MASTERY. THE VICE PRESIDENT HAS SEIZED THE MANTLE OF FREEDOM WITH THE THE SMALL ASSIST FROM BEYONCE. THE IDEA THAT WHEN WE FIGHT, WE WIN, AND THE REALLY AMAZING NINE-YEAR EFFORT OF HOW TO TACKLE DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN SOLVED IN FIVE WEEKS. SHRINK HIM DOWN TO SIZE AND TREAT HIM LIKE YOU WOULD ANY BULLY. >> IT'S LIKE IT'S BEEN DIVINE TIMING. IT HAS ALL COME TOGETHER PERFECTLY. THE IMPORTANT THING IS WHEN WE NEED THAT NOEMT MOMENTUM. WE HAVE TO KEEP IT GOING. IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE EXCITED THAT WE'RE IN THIS ARENA AND THIS CITY THAT'S JUST FULL OF ENERGY, BUT NOW WE HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES. IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER, BUT BOY IS THIS A GREAT WAY TO KICK OFF THE REST OF THE CAMPAIGN SEASON. >> CLAIRE, I WANT TO PLAY A LITTLE BIT MORE OF WHAT I THINK IS SORT OF A CONVENTION'S HARDEST EFFORT, AND THAT IS TO SUSTAIN THE ENERGY OR MAYBE THE BETTER WAY TO PUT IT TO CONVERT THE ENERGY AND THE PRODUCTION VALUE, PINK IS DOING A WALK-THROUGH BEHIND YOU, TO CONVERT THAT TO POLITICAL ACTIVITY, WHICH IS FAR MORE MUNDANE THAN BEING IN THE PULSING FOUR-DAY PARTY. LET ME PLAY YOU SOME OF WHAT WALZ ASKED EVERYONE THERE TO DO. >> SO WHILE OTHER STATES WERE BANNING BOOKS FROM THEIR SCHOOLS, WE WERE BANISHING HUNGER FROM OURS. WE ALSO PROTECTED REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM, BECAUSE IN MINNESOTA, WE RESPECT OUR NEIGHBORS AND THE PERSONAL CHOICES THEY MAKE. AND EVEN IF WE WOULDN'T MAKE THOSE SAME CHOICES FOR OURSELVES, WE'VE GOT A GOLDEN RULE. MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS. TAKE DONALD TRUMP AND JD VANCE. THEIR PROJECT 2025 WILL MAKE THINGS MUCH, MUCH HARDER FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO LIVE THEIR LIVES. THEY SPENT A LOT OF TIME PRETENDING THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS. BUT LOOK, I COACHED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW AND TRUST ME ON THIS, WHEN SOMEBODY TAKES THE TIME TO DRAW UP A PLAYBOOK, THEY ARE GOING TO USE IT. >> HERE'S THE THING. IT'S AN AGENDA NOBODY ASKED FOR. IS IT WEIRD? ABSOLUTELY. BUT IT'S ALSO WRONG. AND IT'S DANGEROUS. >> THIS IS THE PART, CLIP AND SAVE IT AND SEND IT TO YOUR UNDECIDED RELATIVES SO THEY KNOW, IF YOU'RE A MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY OR A TRYING TO GET TO THE MIDDLE CLASS, KAMALA HARRIS IS GOING TO CUT YOUR TAXES. IF YOU'RE GETTING SQUEEZED BY PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES, KAMALA HARRIS IS GOING TO TAKE ON BIG PHARMA. IF YOU'RE HOPING TO BUY A HOME, KAMALA HARRIS IS GOING TO HELP MAKE IT MORE AFFORDABLE. >> EVERY NIGHT THERE'S BEEN AT LEAST -- MICHELLE OBAMA DID IT ON TUESDAY NIGHT AS DID FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA, BUT LAST NIGHT WAS THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE HIMSELF, WHO SAID HERE'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO CLIP AND SHARE. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE FIRST CONVENTION REALLY PRODUCED FOR THAT PURPOSE AS WELL AS FOR THE SORT OF SUSTAINED ATTENTION OF EVERYONE IN THE ROOM AND ALL OF OUR VIEWERS. >> YEAH, AND I DO THINK IT'S GOING TON REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO LEAVE THIS AUDITORIUM, GO HOME AND HANG OUT IN RED PLACES FOR A FEW DAYS TO GET THE SUGAR HIGH OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM AND REALIZE WE HAVE WORK TO DO. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW. WHEN YOU SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER, NOBODY IS GOING TO MAKE YOU VOLUNTEER TO DO ANYTHING YO'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO UTILIZE YOU IN A WAY THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE, EVEN IF IT'S JUST FINDING TEN PEOPLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE. THIS IS FAR FROM OVER. AND PEOPLE NEED TO REALIZE THAT. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE DON'T GO FROM HERE THINKING WE'VE GOT THIS. IT'S ALL DONE. AND BY THE WAY WHILE I'M TALKING ABOUT IT, WHEN HE RANG OUT THOSE POLICY POINTS, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD FROM REPUBLICANS SAYING WE DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS OF THE POLICY. DONALD TRUMP SAID WHAT, I THINK IN 2016 HE'D HAVE HIS HEALTH CARE PLAN IN TWO WEEKS. WE HAVE NEVER SEEN A HEALTH CARE PLAN FROM DONALD TRUMP. SO THIS IDEA THAT SOMEHOW DONALD TRUMP PRESENTS POLICY, NO. HE'S NEVER PRESENTED POLICY IN