Democrat strategist professes the party's 'big mistake'

MARIA". CHERYL: WE ARE NOW JUST ONE DAY AWAY FROM THE ABC NEWS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN PHILADELPHIA, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS MAINTAINING HIS LEAD OVER VICE PRESIDENT, HEARS NATIONALLY WITH VOTERS, NEW NEW YORK TIMES COLLEGE POLL FINDS 40% LIKELY VOTERS SUPPORT TRUMP, 47 BACK HARRIS THIS IS THE MARGIN OF ERROR BUT THE POLL ALSO FOUND THAT MORE VOTERS CONSIDERED HARRIS TO BE TOO LIBERAL OR PROGRESSIVE ON KEY POLICY ISSUES THAN THEY CONSIDER TRUMP TO BE TOO CONSERVATIVE, MEANWHILE THE HARRIS WALZ CAMPAIGN IS SET TO KICK OFF A FOUR DAY BLITZ THROUGH MAJOR SWING STATES AFTER THE DEBATE. I WANT TO BRING IN FOR THE ELECTION DEBATE PANEL, FORMER BUSH 43 WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL AND WEST FRONT FOUNDING PARTNER ASHLEY DAVIS, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT AND HOUSE JUDICIARY JULIAN EPSTEIN. GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU, IT IS A BIG WEEK AND I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU. FIRST WHAT WE CAN EXPECT, A LOT OF THE COMMENTARY COMING OUT ABOUT DONALD TRUMP OVER THE DEBATE STAGE HE HAS TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT PERSONA VERSUS POLICY AND IF HE COMES ACROSS TO AGGRESSIVE THAT COULD HURT HIM IN THE MINDS OF THE MILLIONS AND WE EXPECT TO WATCH AS DEBATE. >> ABSOLUTELY, WHAT WAS SAID EARLIER BY THE CONGRESSWOMAN EVERYBODY KNOWS PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PERSONALITY BUT HE DOES HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN REGARDS TO CRITICIZING HER PERSONALLY BUT HE WILL DEFINITELY GO AFTER THE POLICIES THAT SHE AND THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OF HAD FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS IN REGARDS TO THE ECONOMY, THE BORDER, CRIME I COULD GO ON AND ON BUT HIS PERSONALITY NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE BIT TONE DOWN BUT SHE IS A LOT MORE TO LOSE ON THIS DEBATE THAT ANYBODY ELSE, 30% OF THIS COUNTRY IS UNHAPPY, 30% THANKS IT'S IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, FOR HER TO SAY THAT THE LAST FOUR YEARS HER POLICIES ARE MAKING PEOPLE FEEL HAPPY ABOUT WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR LIFE IS ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG CONVERSATION THAT SHE'S HAVING. CHERYL: INTO DRESSING, OBVIOUSLY NOW THAT WE HAVE, THE HEARS POLICY PAGE WHICH WAS PUBLISHED AN HOUR AGO TO BE CLEAR NOW WE GET A SENSE OF SOME OF HER IDEAS AND THIS IS INTERESTING THE DAY BEFORE THE DEBATE BUT I DIGRESS LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE DEBATE PREP, APPARENTLY SHE'S WORKING WITH LAWYER KAREN DONE AND THAT'S IT WERE TRUE THE UNDER 2020 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AGAINST MIKE PENCE AND MANY SAW AS A STRONG PERFORMANCE BY HER AND SHE IS FORMER HILARY CLINTON ADVISOR WHO IS PLAYING TRUMP IN HER MOCK DEBATE, I THINK PEOPLE FORGET THAT, THE HEARS IS 5-FOOT FOUR, ON THAT STAGE SHE'S GOING TO BE A TOWERING PRESENCE ABOVE HER, THAT'S A OPTICS. >> I THINK SHE DID D.C. IN 2020 AND I THINK SHE HAS A STAY AWAY FROM THE GIMMICKS EXCUSE ME I'M THINKING OF THAT STUFF. I AGREE WITH YOUR GUEST, THIS IS A DEBATE THE EVOLVES INTO A DEBATE OVER PERSONALITY THAT'S GOOD FOR, THE HEARS. FOR THE DEBATE THE EVOLVES INTO POLICY AS IT SHOULD, THAT IS NOT GOOD THE NEW YORK TIMES POLL SHOWS THAT THE PUBLIC WANTS CHANGE AND THEY WANT CENTRISM AND RIGHT NOW THEY THINK DONALD TRUMP IS THE AGENT OF CHANGE AND THEY THINK HE IS ALSO THE AGE OF CENTRISM AND IT'S BEEN A BIG MISTAKE FOR THE DEMOCRATS IN THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN TO HIDE HER FROM THE PRESS. AS THE NEW YORK TIMES POLLS ABOUT A THIRD OF THE PUBLIC HAS NO IDEA WHAT SHE STANDS FOR AND SHE'S BEING DEFINED AS THE FATHER OF CANDIDATE, BILL CLINTON, BARACK OBAMA WHEN THEY WERE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT THEY BOTH SHIFTED TO THE POLITICAL CENTER AND KNEW COULD NOT GET BETWEEN THE MINI CAMERA, THEY WOULD MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE FREQUENTLY AND AS OFTEN AS THEY COULD FOR UNSCRIPTED MEDIA ENVIRONMENTS. THINK THE CAMPAIGN SIGNALING THE INOCULUM MAKER AVAILABLE BEYOND THE DEBATE FOR THESE ENVIRONMENTS IS HURTING HER AND ALLOWING THE REPUBLICANS AS BEING AN AGENT OF THE STATUS QUO WHICH A PUBLIC DOESN'T LIKE AND AN AGENT OF OUR LEFTISM WHICH 70% OF THE PUBLIC IS MODERATE OR CONSERVATIVE IN THE FAR LEFT PROGRESSIVE IS NOT A WINNING STRATEGY. CHERYL: SHE HASN'T DEBATED IN FOUR YEARS WE HAVE TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT IS ON THE STAGE AND DOING INTERVIEWS ON A CONSISTENT CONSTANT BASIS INTO YOUR POINT SHE'S ONLY GIVEN THE ONE INTERVIEW WITH CNN AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. I WANT TO TALK YOU ABOUT NEWS THAT BERNIE SANDERS MADE HE WAS FACING QUESTIONS ON HARRIS FLIP-FLOPPING ON POLICY POSITIONS AHEAD OF THE ELECTION, WATCH WHAT HE SAID. >> YOU THINK SHE IS ABANDONING HER PROGRESSIVE IDEALS. >> NO I DON'T THINK SHE'S A BANDLEADER IDEALS I THINK SHE'S TRYING TO BE PRAGMATIC IN DOING WHAT SHE THINKS IN ORDER TO WIN THE ELECTION. MY OWN VIEW IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT I SUPPORT MEDICARE FOR ALL, SHE DOES NOT SHE IS ANOTHER APPROACH MOVING TOWARD UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE. CHERYL: MOVING TOWARDS UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE. I THINK THIS IS EXACTLY TO MY POINT AS TO WHY SHE CANNOT HAVE A ROSE GARDEN STRATEGY GOING INTO THE FALL. THERE ARE TOO MANY QUESTIONS AND IF YOU CHANGE YOUR POSITION ON ONE ISSUE THAT MAY SHOW GROWTH AND FLEXIBILITY. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR POSITION ON EVERYTHING WEATHER'S BEEN SOFT ON CRIME ALL THE SUDDEN OR TOUGH ON CRIME, IMMIGRATION AND THE OPEN BORDER ALL OF A SUDDEN FOR SECURE BORDERS, MEDICARE FOR ALL ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE AGAINST TAKING AWAY PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR POSITION ON EVERYTHING IT'S GOING TO RAISE QUESTIONS OF AUTHENTICITY AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE REPUBLICANS ARE GOING THERE GOING TO GO OUT WHETHER SHE'S AN AUTHENTIC CANDIDATE AND WHETHER SHE'S PREPARED FOR THE OFFICE AND TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY HIDE HER FROM UNSCRIPTED ENVIRONMENTS TO THE NEWS MEDIA THE GOOD AND FEED THE ISSUE AND BUILD THE MOMENTUM IN THE EVENT THAT THERE IS A SLIP IN THE DEBATE OR SLIP IN AN UNSCRIPTED ENVIRONMENT FOR THE REPUBLICAN ARGUMENT THIS IS WHY DEMOCRATS I'M SORRY TO SAY THIS IS A DEMOCRAT MAKING A BIG MISTAKE BY PROTECTIVE APPROACH AT THE TAKING WITH HER, SHE NEEDS TO EXPLAIN WHY SHE'S CHANGED HER POSITION ON SO MANY DIFFERENT ISSUES AND WHAT HER THINK IT IS OTHER THAN SAYING MY VALUES HAVEN'T CHANGED. CHERYL: I THINK THE TIMING OF THAT IS VERY INTERESTING. BEFORE YOU GO I WOULD ASK ABOUT THIS, SHE MADE A CAMPAIGN STOP AT THE PITTSBURGH SPICE SHOP THERE KNOWN TO HATE AND SLAM REPUBLICANS, THEY OFFER DISCOUNTS TO CELEBRATE TOM'S INDICTMENTS KAMALA HARRIS WHAT SHE SAID WHEN SHE WAS THERE AT THE STORE. >> WOULD TRUMP THE DEBATE WAS ONE THING YOU WANT TO GET ACROSS TO HIM. >> THERE'S A LOT, IT'S TIME TO TURN THE PAGE ON THE DIVISIVENESS. IT'S TIME TO BRING OUR COUNTRY TOGETHER START A NEW WAY FORWARD. YOUR THOUGHTS? >> FIRST OF ALL I THINK JULIAN SHOULD SWITCH TO OUR PARTY HE SOUNDS MOST LIKE I DO BUT WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND NOT EVEN THE SPICE JOB BUT IN GENERAL SHE IS RUNNING AS A CABINET SHE'S IN A COVENANT WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS THAT'S BEEN A BULLDOG AGAINST ALL THE PRESIDENT TRUMP AND ALL HIS POLICIES. HER SAYING THEY WANT TO CHANGE IN TURN THE PAGE, SHE IS THE PAGE, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT IS WHY IN THE POOL WHEN 50% OF THE COUNTRY THINK HE'S THE ONE THAT'S CHANGED AND NOT HER, THE MESSAGES AND DESIGNATING BECAUSE AGAIN SHE'S THE INCUMBENT RIGHT NO