WEBVTT 00:01.300 --> 00:03.266 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% GEOFF BENNETT: For more analysis now of Democrats' 00:03.266 --> 00:06.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% losses in last week's election and the new Trump team that's taking shape, 00:06.533 --> 00:10.866 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% we're joined now by our Political Stakes duo - - I almost said Politics Monday -- that's 00:10.866 --> 00:15.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Amy Walter from The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith from NPR. 00:15.500 --> 00:16.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% It's good to see you. 00:16.933 --> 00:19.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Good to be here. 00:19.000 --> 00:21.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GEOFF BENNETT: So Democrats are working to regroup and figure out what went wrong 00:21.166 --> 00:25.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% in last week's election. Here's some of what Democrats said yesterday on the Sunday shows. 00:27.300 --> 00:29.166 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Bottom line, if you're an average working person out there, 00:29.166 --> 00:32.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% do you really think that the Democratic Party is going to the mats, taking on 00:32.933 --> 00:37.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% powerful special interest and fighting for you? I think the overwhelming answer is no. 00:40.233 --> 00:42.500 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): The reason we didn't win ultimately is we didn't listen enough to people on 00:42.500 --> 00:46.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% the ground, people like Chris Deluzio, Pat Ryan, who were saying, talk about the economy, talk 00:46.433 --> 00:51.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% about people's economic struggles, convince people you have the better policies and better vision. 00:53.333 --> 00:55.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% REP. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-MN): We have used condemnation of Donald Trump versus 00:55.466 --> 00:59.166 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% invitation to Donald Trump supporters. I have never known any industry, 00:59.166 --> 01:04.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% political or professional, in which a strategy of condemnation works better than invitation. 01:06.100 --> 01:08.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GEOFF BENNETT: So, Tam, how are Democrats coming to terms with this? Because there 01:08.066 --> 01:10.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% are still Harris campaign aides who say they outlined policy after policy that 01:10.466 --> 01:14.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% was targeted to working-class voters, and they did make this outreach to Republicans, 01:14.400 --> 01:18.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and yet Donald Trump won all of the battleground states. 01:18.100 --> 01:20.133 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% TAMARA KEITH: Right. 01:20.133 --> 01:23.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% I think that what you're seeing is there are a lot of Democrats pointing at a lot of 01:25.933 --> 01:28.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% different things, and a lot of the things that they're pointing at confirm their priors. So, 01:28.133 --> 01:32.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% if they're progressive, then they believe that trying to win over Liz Cheney voters 01:32.066 --> 01:37.066 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% was a fool's errand and that simply the Harris campaign was too moderate. 01:39.000 --> 01:42.466 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And if they're moderate, then they think that they went way too far to the left, 01:42.466 --> 01:47.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and that wokeness is taking down the Democratic Party. The reality is that 01:47.233 --> 01:52.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% this is going to be an argument that is going to continue to be argued for years. 01:54.333 --> 01:57.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% If you remember, after 2012 when Mitt Romney lost in the -- and former President Obama was 01:59.400 --> 02:03.200 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% reelected, they did that autopsy report, the RNC did. And they said they need to do a better job 02:05.166 --> 02:09.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of winning over Latino voters, and they need to be more sensitive on immigration policy. 02:11.533 --> 02:14.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Well, then Donald Trump came down the golden escalator, and he became the party's nominee. 02:17.066 --> 02:19.866 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% He set the party's policy. In essence, the way this will be decided is by the next Democratic 02:21.966 --> 02:26.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% nominee who Democratic voters choose, and if that person wins. Of course, if that person loses, 02:28.400 --> 02:31.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% then there will be a whole new round of this sort of finger-pointing and reckoning, really. 02:32.966 --> 02:34.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% GEOFF BENNETT: Yes. 02:34.366 --> 02:37.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Amy, when you look at the data, what do you see? 02:37.466 --> 02:41.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: You know, the Harris campaign and her allies 02:41.300 --> 02:46.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% spent a lot of money, hundreds of millions of dollars with many of those messages that 02:48.100 --> 02:52.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% the critics that you played in that clip are accusing her of not doing. 02:54.333 --> 02:59.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And I do think -- I agree with Tam that this idea of she moved too far to the left or 03:01.133 --> 03:04.600 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% she needed to move from the center to talk to working-class voters is going 03:04.600 --> 03:07.866 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to be a central part of the debate going forward. 03:07.866 --> 03:12.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% But I think, at its very core, the thing that was hurting Harris, the campaign, 03:14.933 --> 03:17.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the most was the one thing she had absolutely no control over, which was inflation itself 03:20.033 --> 03:23.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% and the frustration that voters had with the very issue that was impacting them day in and day out. 03:25.533 --> 03:29.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You can put all the plans you want forward. You can talk about a positive message. But at 03:29.400 --> 03:34.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the end of the day, what voters knew was that she was in the White House when inflation went 03:36.500 --> 03:39.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% up and Donald Trump wasn't. And when he was in the White House, lower inflation was the norm. 03:41.300 --> 03:43.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% GEOFF BENNETT: Amy, Democrat -- or, rather, 03:43.300 --> 03:46.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Republicans -- Donald Trump won across the map, improving his margins nearly 03:46.933 --> 03:51.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% everywhere. He delivered on his promise to win over more nonwhite voters. How daunting 03:53.966 --> 03:57.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% a picture is this for Democrats with their national coalition really fractured now? 04:02.800 --> 04:07.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% AMY WALTER: Yes, when I look at where Donald Trump was most successful, you're right. He basically 04:09.900 --> 04:12.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% broke up what was known as -- at the time of the Obama era the coalition of the ascendant, 04:14.900 --> 04:19.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% younger voters, voters of color, this growing group of folks in the population. 04:21.666 --> 04:26.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And where Trump did best was younger voters and Latino voters. But I think 04:26.500 --> 04:31.500 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% what's also important to appreciate is that, in the states where, say, Harris struggled 04:33.566 --> 04:37.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the most or Trump gained the most, Democrats also either held on or picked up some seats. 04:40.133 --> 04:43.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So in a state like Nevada, Arizona, where you have Senate candidates, Democratic Senate candidates 04:46.200 --> 04:51.200 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% who were able to outrun the Harris campaign, or, in some cases, we're seeing Republicans who were 04:54.000 --> 04:58.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% unable to match Trump numbers. So I think we're going to talk about that for a while. 04:58.233 --> 05:03.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% The other piece that really did hurt Democrats, especially Latino voters, was being on offense. 05:05.633 --> 05:10.233 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% In place like California, where they were hoping to pick up multiple seats in districts that are 05:12.500 --> 05:15.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% overwhelmingly Latino, it looks like they're going to come up short in all but maybe one of them. 05:17.700 --> 05:20.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GEOFF BENNETT: Tam, meantime, Mr. Trump is starting to assemble his team, 05:20.466 --> 05:24.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% as Laura Barron-Lopez was reporting on this broadcast earlier. For any presidential 05:24.600 --> 05:29.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% administration, personnel is policy. That's especially true when it comes to Donald Trump. 05:29.433 --> 05:32.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% TAMARA KEITH: Right. GEOFF BENNETT: What will you be watching for? 05:32.100 --> 05:34.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% TAMARA KEITH: I'm certainly watching who those personnel are. 05:34.866 --> 05:39.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Already, the picks that we have heard, all of them fall into the same category 05:39.833 --> 05:44.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of people who've been incredibly loyal to Donald Trump. And I think that that is the 05:46.866 --> 05:49.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% key lesson that he learned from his last transition, when he was wowed by generals, 05:52.000 --> 05:54.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% where he was persuaded by people who said, Oh, yes, you have got to give this guy a try. 05:54.500 --> 05:59.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And he ultimately ended up with an administration full of people who did not agree with him on 06:01.833 --> 06:04.666 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% policy. This time, loyalty to Trump, agreement with him on policy is going to be the most key 06:07.100 --> 06:10.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% qualifier. And that's what you're seeing already with the people that he's named. 06:10.866 --> 06:14.733 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% The one thing that I will note is that, and it's very technical, 06:14.733 --> 06:19.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% but there are these memoranda of understanding that an incoming administration is supposed to 06:21.600 --> 06:25.433 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% sign with the current administration, essentially to give them the keys, 06:25.433 --> 06:30.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% so that they can look under the hood, they can have landing teams in place at various agencies, 06:32.466 --> 06:35.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% so that they can really hit the ground running. So far, Trump's team has not signed these. 06:37.900 --> 06:41.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They also govern things like conflict of interest, allow background checks. A lot of 06:41.533 --> 06:46.533 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% different items come with these memoranda. They haven't been signed yet. This is a total break 06:48.633 --> 06:52.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% from precedent. Even in 2016, which is widely seen as a truly terrible transition because 06:54.066 --> 06:57.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Trump's team threw out the plan two days after the election, back then, they did sign those. 06:58.900 --> 07:02.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And so it's not clear at this point whether or not they will sign them. 07:02.100 --> 07:07.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Trump will be sworn in on January 20 regardless. But people who watch 07:09.166 --> 07:12.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% this who say that transition is really the most perilous time in the U.S. government, 07:14.300 --> 07:17.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% they are worried about it, and they are raising -- they're sounding the alarm. 07:17.766 --> 07:20.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GEOFF BENNETT: In the minute we have left, help us understand why he's focused on recess 07:20.866 --> 07:25.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% appointments, especially given the fact that he's going to have at least 53 -- a 53-seat 07:25.466 --> 07:29.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% majority in the Senate. He shouldn't have too much trouble getting his nominees through. 07:29.500 --> 07:31.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% TAMARA KEITH: He could have trouble with some of them, 07:31.833 --> 07:36.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% depending on how big that majority is in the Senate. Some of these people that have 07:36.800 --> 07:41.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% been extremely loyal to him are also extremely controversial and have a lot of controversial 07:43.800 --> 07:46.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% history and statements and all of these things that may make them hard to confirm. 07:46.133 --> 07:51.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But also this is another one of these tests where Trump is trying to assert his power 07:53.166 --> 07:56.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% over the Congress, where he is trying to have ultimate power and trying to get the 07:58.566 --> 08:02.266 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% potential leaders of the Republicans in the Senate to agree to this in advance. So that 08:04.533 --> 08:07.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% is as much as what it's about. It's a power that hasn't been used in a long time, in part because 08:09.700 --> 08:12.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% senators on both sides of the aisle have tried to prevent presidents from using this power. 08:12.433 --> 08:14.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% GEOFF BENNETT: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter, our thanks to you both. 08:14.700 --> 08:15.833 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% TAMARA KEITH: You're welcome.