Yeah, pretty much every blonde female reporter has dealt with that. Good afternoon and welcome to Chicago, host city for the Democratic National Convention. This is a special presentation of here in now's 2024 election coverage. We're coming to you live from Media Row in the United Center in downtown Chicago. I'm senior political reporter Zach Shultz and joined as always by our esteemed colleagues Bill McCosh and Scott Ross. You've switched sides today confusing everybody including me but thanks for being here. We won't be arguing each other's points though. Great point. Thankfully I would hate to hear what that would sound like. Last night President Joe Biden came here he made what may be his farewell address to the last prime-time audience. He would have liked to have been on Thursday night but he was on Monday night. Scott listening to the tone of the speech. It reminded me of that's the tone he's taken all along. It was very dark. It was very foreboding. It was all focused on Donald Trump. There was a lot of anger on the stage and it's completely different from what we've heard Kamala Harris. What was your impression of the speech? Well I thought that it was the perfect political capstone to a 50-year career of public service. Joe Biden did a great job. He laid out what the stakes are and I thought that what was most telling and I think the difference between Joe Biden and Donald Trump if we're going to talk about differences was how he reacted to his daughter being up there introducing him. Ashley Biden literally dabbings here from his eyes because he is such a family man so proud of his family. I felt myself I might get choked up because that sort of commitment to your family in contrast with Trump. I don't think Joe Biden was angry. I think Joe Biden was making the case he needs to make which is these are what the stakes are this is why I've decided to put country first and I don't I think this the speech hit a great tone. I think it hit the perfect tone and I think he did a great job and he had it coming and I said last night or I said yesterday on the show that I thought he would get the second longest applause. I'm going to revise that I say that that 11 minutes that he got of applause from the grateful Democrats is going to be the longest applause of the thing only because they so respect what Joe Biden did for the country. What did you what did you take from the speech? So this whole convention is supposed to be out about joy right. This was a joyless speech last night. I agree with you Zach I think it was dark I think it was angry where I disagree with my friend Scott is I think it was a missed opportunity for Joe Biden. Here's a guy who's been on the stage the public stage for 52 years. If I'm him or his aides I'm I want that to be a legacy speech he had two objectives last night from a political standpoint. One was to advance Kamala Harris's campaign. The other was his legacy. I don't think he hit either of those in his speech last night. I think it was a missed opportunity. I think it could have been more hopeful. It could have talked about his career. I think the close was right where he said I did the best I could. That was a good line but I think the whole speech could have been along those lines of here's what I did and and people could have left with a very good feeling. Outsiders like me or independence left there with a very sour taste in their mouth because he appeared angry and bitter about this you know the whole transition to a different candidate. So I think it was a missed opportunity overall. Whether you you agree with the tone difference or not from what you heard from President Biden there is a dramatic difference between him and Kamala Harris and their messaging and approach this election. Does that account for the enthusiasm shift that we've seen since Kamala became the standard bear? I think in part I mean again you know Joe Biden saw saw the writing on the wall in terms of the fact that people were questioning whether or not it was time for a new generation and he answered that call and said yes I'm going to put country first I'm going to do that. I have to disagree I just I think there were four sort of four things if I can get to all of them. You know the first thing it was that family is the beginning the middle and the end. Are you ready to vote for freedom and democracy? This I think was important you can't all you can't only agree with your country when you win and I think the last thing and I think that you know as a Republican you know as a Republican who worked for Tommy Thompson I think you would love this one which is how can you have a strong economy if you don't have a strong infrastructure and again putting all the you know putting all the cards on the table of what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did to save America and rebuild it and bring it back I think that's a great message for him. I totally understand why Republicans would want to say this was an angry speech this wasn't the right tone. I think it was the tone for the people who need to hear it to remind that there is you know this is this is the most important election of our lifetime there's a reason why I've made the choice I've made and there's a reason why you as a voter have to make the choice you need to make which is to elect Kamala Harris. Yeah the bigger issue may be the stage management of this. Joe Biden didn't go until 1028 central time last night that's 1128 eastern time one of two things happen either all the previous speaker speakers went longer than they were supposed to and or Joe Biden's staff didn't push hard enough he should have been in prime time if you were the nominee 30 days ago you're no longer the nominee tonight that should have been one of the requirements of stepping us off the stage or stepping to the side is I am speaking in prime time he didn't get that opportunity last night so the question is why is that. So I want to talk a little bit about the difference between Kamala Harris and her joyful warrior messaging that has been pushed by every democrat we've been speaking to all week long that is clearly the theme that she is pushing which is a striking difference between Joe Biden and herself does that matter when it comes to she's got the same policies as the Biden agenda she's attached to those so for democrats is that the difference between her enthusiasm gap is that just the tone that the message was the same but it just needed a brighter happy ending. I think so I think that you I think you hit on that and I think if you looked at the speakers last night there was a lot of tongue in cheek stuff like you know Sean Fain the head of the UAW replicating basically the you know Hulk Hogan tearing his shirt off where he shows a shirt that says Donald Trump is a scab you know Jasmine Crockett the representative from Texas who said Kamala Harris has a resume Donald Trump has a rap sheet so I think there was a lot of tongue in cheek there was also very serious and I think we'll get to that stuff some of those speakers were very very serious about what the real stakes in this election could be especially for women in America but I think it was the right tone I again you can't do the same thing all the time you got to have like you know ebb and flow and that's why people tune in and I think they did a good job sure I would have liked to see it a little bit earlier I think the people who wanted to get out to the after parties might have went a little bit earlier but it was worth the wait. For republicans they're probably happy that it's the same policies that they can tie her to but the campaign messaging does make a difference in how people perceive those policies. It totally does most of the time voters vote on issues but a certain segment of voters they go on like ability right and tone has a lot to do with that. I've been encouraging Donald Trump to be nicer and to be more optimistic to be more optimistic I think there's a certain segment of voters that are attracted to that right. I think presidential elections are very very serious I agree with my friend Scott about that but there are times when you can be joyful and hopeful and smile and crack jokes that that's attractive to a certain number of voters and I would encourage both sides to continue along that line. I think the sledgehammer politics people are getting tired of on both sides. So this morning Congressman Gwen Moore from representing the Milwaukee area for the democrats spoke to the breakfast delegation when I spoke with her after that meeting we talked a little bit about some of that messaging about the inflation reduction act or the infrastructure plan and she said democrats need to stop talking with those acronyms and needed to talk about insulin prices and need to talk about lead pipe removal. Do the democrats have the right message when it comes to we were talking about inflation yesterday about battling the perception that voters have about whether those things are tied to their policies or Trump's policies. I mean I think you can talk about the specific of the issue in Wisconsin we get about seven billion dollars in funding to build roads to build bridges to repair things you know to make Wisconsin be able to do business you know the fact that we have a new tech hub 49 million dollars or bio tech hub the fact that you know under Trump we got Foxconn under Governor Evers and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris we got a 3.3 billion dollar AI facility for Microsoft. I mean I think that you do need to talk about those those investments in a way that people can understand I know this bridge was built by the you know by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris I think you have to do those things you know acronyms are you know it's an easy way to you know easy way to remember some things but again that's a thing like you can't you know somebody said never underestimate the people the people's intelligence but never overestimate their interest in politics. So the struggle for voters their voters perception is politicians reality or candidates reality that's a fact they don't understand the bridge how it impacts them necessarily they may not understand the Microsoft AI facility down in Racine County if they don't live close by and aren't working there or don't have any friends or family that are working there you got to make it real for them and right now most voters if you walk around the United Center or anywhere in Chicago if you ask them you know are they better off today than they were four years ago I think most would say no and that's what Democrats are lacking here is how do they message directly to voters and say somehow all these programs they passed are working for them. So I know what you're going to say four years ago we were right in the middle of covid we've heard that over and over so how do republic that he's trying to skip five years ago why does it just trump change the timeline if he wants to forget about covid existed. Well I think that's part of it. I mean covid impacted everybody but in fact did the same prices that republicans are now trying to pin on Joe Biden right. No it didn't I mean prices were lower inflation under Donald Trump was under two percent it at its lowest which is today it's about three percent or what two point five for Joe Biden so even at its lowest point in the four-year cycle it's higher today than it was under Donald Trump. What's your response to that there was a you know there was a pent up need to do commerce which is what led the inflation we talked about this yesterday also the profiteering of big oil companies of big food you know we did our part by investing in the American the inflation reduction act the companies did what they always do which is put profits before the American people and again I think you know just to go back to one thing about tone yes you do want to have the idea that you're in you know that they're their happiness to this and there's joy and there is freedom but there's also the slogan that Kamala Harris is used which is when we fight we win and it's important because you have to stand up for the things that you believe in I think that's what democrats are doing and that includes investing in things that help the middle class as opposed to two trillion dollars in tax breaks for rich people in corporation which is what Donald Trump did and five trillion more what do you do in a second term so one of the other speakers last night was Wisconsin lieutenant governor Sarah Rodriguez she was on stage for a short time she's not well known is this a moment for her to increase her profile in Wisconsin because she wasn't Tony Evers first lieutenant governor that was Mandela Barnes she came in late can she make a name for herself within the the Wisconsin bench oh absolutely and what is her message I mean she you know she is a nurse she lived health care health care is on the ballot abortion is on the ballot being that you know being that voice for for Wisconsin is our highest rank and a woman in state government I think it's a fabulous place for her to be you know it's why we see her over here it's why she was on last night it's why she's going to be a leader in Wisconsin for some time to come it's gotten I got a chance to talk to her before the show today she was sitting over here and I think should be one of many potential democratic candidates if governor Evers decides not to seek its third term so I'm sitting on this show today as the only campaign manager for a successful third term candidate Tommy Thompson in 1994 it's never been done before or since I don't know that governor Evers is going to run for a third term if he does he would be considered the favorite more than likely depending on what happens in the White House but if he doesn't run I think Sarah Rodriguez I think the mayor of Milwaukee Cavalier Johnson who's speaking tomorrow I think David Crowley is another name and potentially Secretary of State Sarah God-Luski so they have other people that are considering but I like I like our bench too so since we've opened up the door to Evers third term what what are your thoughts on whether he should or could run again oh I certainly think governor Evers should run again he has had a phenomenal first term and a half I think he has done everything to bring Wisconsin back and also be a check on the unbelievably extremist reactionary right-wing Wisconsin legislature I think that's going to change a little bit in terms of you know after after 2024 in the elections but yeah I absolutely think governor Evers should run again and politically it's smart because incumbents usually win if we're going to talk about benches though the republican bench so far has been millionaires who can sell fund is that the future I don't think so I think if Eric Hubde doesn't beat Tammy Baldwin that Republicans will move on from sort of the rich candidate style and go with somebody who's sort of more from the grassroots and and has more fire in the belly so you know I wish Hubde the best and Opie can pull it off this fall but I think that model if we go over to with Tim Michaels and Hubde Republicans will move on from that and go back to somebody elected maybe somebody like Josh Schulman the Washington County executive the most grassroots oriented servant that the republicans had was a record clayfish and they threw her out in the primary for a guy who lived in Connecticut and my wife lives in Washington County that county executive you know he might be good for the republicans but I don't think he's going to win a statewide record a statewide race once you get his record out there about what's happening in Washington County all right let's move on to what we're going to hear about tonight uh former president Barack Obama is going to be speaking it's got what is his legacy or what is his reputation today we know what president Biden was speaking about we know what we expect to hear from Kamala Harris but when you hear Obama today what does he resonate especially for young voters who like you may just become a myth to some of those people that weren't actively involved in 2008 I mean listen I'm a I'm a president Obama fanboy I am wearing a tan suit and a gray tie like he did that was so controversial when you know remember the days when things were so unserious that we could care about the president wearing a tan suit right exactly I mean obviously he wears it better than I do that's for sure um but no I mean he has a legacy of helping turn this country around after the eight years of the George Bush administration where we were at two endless wars the economy was in the toilet millions were losing their jobs millions were losing their homes and through the policies of Barack Obama Joe Biden Kamala Harris we have turned that corner for sure what do Republicans think of Obama today were they would they want to go back to that era are they happy to be have him in the the background we don't consider Harris in the same category as Obama and what we've learned in the last eight years is Barack Obama is still running the Democratic Party whether it was making sure that Hillary Clinton was the nominee in 2020 or helping with James Clyburn to make sure that Joe Biden was the candidate in 24 or pushing Joe Biden off the stage in in 2020 excuse me or pushing Biden off the stage in 24 Barack Obama's hands are all over all three of those big moves he and Nancy Pelosi are the arms and legs of the Democratic Party and he's still a young man so I expect him to continue in that role for some time the number of fundraising solicitations that you get if you're on a Republican list that have Barack Obama's picture in it or Nancy Pelosi's picture and their name is a very clear sign of what the Republican Party thinks that it's base once and it's you know attacking people who aren't white men it's as simple as that the other Obama that is going to be speaking tonight is Michelle Obama Barack's wife famously said when they go low we go high in retrospect was that the right message for the time or does it apply today I think it was exactly the right message for Michelle Obama you know and I think it helped you know it reminded people that like we are at the end we can disagree but we are people you know but things have got a little bit different you know Donald Trump is a president like we have never had in American history and the fealty and factlessness of the Republican Party to roll over to this man and the racism and the hostility and the corruption you know has has befowed our political system and so I think that there is a different message now than we go high they when they go low we go high and I think it's when we fight we win I would say I liked how Scott distinguished there that may have been the right message for Michelle Obama at the time Joe Biden didn't go high last night he went very low and I don't think Obama will do the same thing tonight I think he'll be a little more hopeful we'll see but I think he wants to start to set the stage for Kamala Harris on Thursday night absolutely so also tonight Kamala Harris is in Wisconsin she is trying to reclaim the Pfizer Center for Democratic theater what are you expecting from that and what is the the impact of having her back in Wisconsin while the United Center is hosting the DNC oh I mean I think it just shows again the impact that we in the state of Wisconsin will have on this election on the future of the country not just now but for the next couple generations because if we go you know we won't go back but if for some reason we went back you know the democracy will cease as we know it Donald Trump has promised to be a dictator on day one he has decided to throw out the Constitution if he's in there and he is a very very dangerous dangerous he was in 2016 you know and Hillary Clinton reminded us of that last night he is even more dangerous eight years later because again when he lost an election he sent his minions to the Capitol to try and violently overthrow the results of a Democratic the side of the election in in terms of the optics of the thing the thing that drives the Trump campaign and Donald Trump specifically nuts is images of full arenas for Kamala Harris what's it going to do to him if she's got a full packed vice serve I don't know that she will but if she does good for her I I don't think that matters and and if you follow me on Twitter I've I've encouraged the Trump campaign to stop focusing on that because voters don't care they don't care if you have 10 people at a rally or 10 000 people at a rally to a degree it shows momentum for your campaign but if people are coming to your rally they're for you they're not coming as undecideds right so I don't know that that's a great measuring stick to how the campaign is doing either side I mean I absolutely would agree that Bill's giving Trump should listen to Bill on this arguing about crowd sizes and no brainer like for instance if I said you know there's going to be a capacity crowd and five serve there's been a capacity crowd here in United Center JD Vance was in Kenosha today and there are a hundred people there so he could talk about crime representing a ticket that has 34 felony convictions so speaking of JD Vance in Kenosha how how important is I mean Kenosha is one of those tipping point counties in Wisconsin it's key it's getting redder every every cycle is it still 2020 and the riots is that still what resonates there and is that what JD Vance is trying to pull back into people's minds they get a chance to hear the press conference today but that's his third trip to Wisconsin in the past 10 days based on some conversations Governor Thompson and I have had with the Trump campaign I expect to see the former president in Wisconsin at least four times over the final 77 days of the campaign but I think we might see Vance a dozen times Wisconsin is a tipping point I think we're going to see Harris many more times other than tonight at the Pfizer form I suspect her in walls will go separately and we'll see walls in western Wisconsin where he's got some name ID based on being the governor of Minnesota so I think this might be the cycle where we have more visits than any time in history so speaking of Kenosha and those riots that was actually the genesis of Kyle Rittenhouse becoming a household name you had some observations today about Kyle Rittenhouse and then Crystal to Kaiser who was a woman who was sex trafficked as a minor who ended up coming back and killing her abuser and was sentenced what are your thoughts on how those two formulate into Kenosha into Wisconsin an election in today's cultural and political environment it is a you know it is a reminder that our justice system doesn't have justice for all and you can say what you want about like Crystal Kaiser and her actions but the fact is that Kyle Rittenhouse came up from Kenosha or came up from Illinois shot two people in cold blood wounded a third was let go Crystal Kaiser attacked her sex trafficker and got 11 years in prison from a scott walker appointed judge this you know it just shows again the disparity injustice which is why the uprisings happened with Kenosha with Minnesota in the first place because of the killing of unarmed black men and black women and the fact that people had said enough is enough and we're going to start talking about this I'm not here to defend Kyle Rittenhouse but I do know that he was tried and acquitted by a jury right he didn't get erased he went through a process we would all hope we would get faced with the same situation so I think crime is going to be a selling point Tim Walls does have some culpability of what happened in Minneapolis he doesn't have any culpability in Kenosha but that's still a very raw nerve for a lot of voters in Kenosha of what happened particularly business owners who lost their business it was burned down so I think there are a lot of people who say the government didn't do enough to defend us during that time before the people like Kyle Rittenhouse sort of took matters into their own hands so they will be looking to hold I think Tim Walls accountable for that I mean I think that's the contrast though you know Governor Evers mobilized the National Guard within 24 hours of when the shooting happened in Kenosha Ron Johnson, Senator Ron Johnson, representative Brian Style, representative Derek Van Orton all praised the verdict and said leave Kyle Rittenhouse alone but when Trump was convicted of 34 crimes they suddenly said that the justice system shouldn't exist that's again how it works so the protest there do bring us to the protest here and we have not yet addressed the Palestinian Israel War and the issues that that brings to the Democratic Party yesterday there were protests outside there were not quite the 20,000 that police were warning us could be there but there were some violent interactions there were some people arrested barriers were torn down it definitely impacted people's ability to get in and out delegates to the floor Scott what is the impact of these protests here and what is the internal conflict for the Democratic Party in trying to handle this issue I don't think it's an internal conflict I think it's you know Kamala Harris has said like I'm willing to listen to what people have to say Kamala Harris wants us once a ceasefire Kamala Harris wants the hostages to be returned you know that's the policy I think what happens is is you've got a you know very divisive leader like Benjamin Netanyahu who comes over while there are American hostages and is genuflecting before the Republican Party and doing partisan political events that's what the challenge is that's why people are you know this is just not this just isn't right doesn't pass the smell test that guy should have been over trying to get the hostages back not coming over here to try and support Donald Trump I think that was the worst part of the Biden speech last night I thought he put fuel on the fire on this whole thing he said they have a point meaning the protesters outside he never mentioned Israel not once he never mentioned the hostages not once I mean yeah we should get those hostages and then discuss the ceasefire not before but the reality is Democratic Party is trying to straddle the fence between the Palestinian supporters and try and pretend to be pro-Israel which they used to be Joe Biden missed that mark completely last night and I thought he gave fuel to the Palestinian fire I mean the thing is that you know in April 12th 2003 2000 Israelis marched in Nazareth to protest George Bush's actions with the Gulf War it didn't mean that those Israel that Israel was suddenly anti-america it meant that people were expressing themselves to ensure that their voices are heard in controversial things and this is a controversy there are two sides to this issue and people have to have the right to have their have their voice heard I left the convention yesterday and happened to walk through a part of that I did have somebody you know a couple people come up to me like are you a delegate and I was like actually I'm with the media here and they're like okay and which I actually thought that you know if it was the media I would have gotten a little bit more heat for it but you know the protests happen I'm guessing there will there will continue to be but I think other than a little bit of trouble people getting in and out is basically what's happened here nothing to your hope is it stays peaceful for everybody involved in the convention and the city of Chicago I think it would be a very bad look for the city moving forward and I deal there there is a huge police presence here which which I like and that's what you know it all stays peaceful and I think Joe Biden I mean he basically led his speech off last night by saying there is no place for political violence in America he was right Bill's right I think I'm right on that too we've seen Kamala Harris deal with Palestinian protesters in some of her speeches how much do you think the campaign is focused on what may happen from the floor a Thursday night and what are the optics if she has to shut down a protest during her nomination accepted speech I can't predict anything like that you know it's a I've been out there in the stage like it's hard to hear you know I mean I don't know how you read your voice right yeah but I'm sure she'll deal with it with grace and respect and your dignity and the way that she's conducted her her campaign I think the rest of the guests will sort of self-police that if there tries to be a disruption in the hall whether it was at the RNC or the DNC I think the rest of the delegation sort of handles that themselves so one of the thing that broke today is the Wisconsin Supreme Court has issued a decision they've said that they're going to hold oral arguments in October on the Lemieux versus Evers lawsuit which is the lawsuit that would seek to overturn Tony Evers 400 year veto in the last budget having to do a school funding and this is a complete switch from the politics here but this is the politics of Wisconsin what do you think about those oral arguments and that happening right in the lead up to election when this is another reflection on Evers and his priorities versus you know a lawsuit in the Supreme Court well I'll tell you this if the discussion in state politics in Wisconsin is about a guy who wants to fund public education and a party like the democrats who want to fund public education and the party of the republicans who want to keep funding who want to keep funding away to give it to rich people in tax breaks I'm fine with that I think the timing is peculiar I mean obviously the Supreme Court is now advantage Evers on any major decision I'm not sure why they would honor on to raise that unless they think that somehow it works for Evers but I think most voters would say a 400 year veto that's not right so one of the other things that I do want to touch and we've got a couple minutes here let's go through some of the congressional races in Wisconsin we were gonna get it yesterday but we had so much good conversation the third is obviously the big toss-up Derrick Van Ordon had a run-in with a code pink protester at the RNC police video later showed that it was the most minor of bumps ever does that play in the fall does that still matter I don't think I mean I think it no builds into I think it builds into Derrick Van Ordon's reputation as an unhinged embarrassment to the state of Wisconsin every time he opens his mouth it embarrasses the state of Wisconsin the stunts whether it's attacking an LGBTQ librarian you know a teen librarian over the fact that they had LGBTQ books and a guy who went and then checked all those books out so that nobody could get them you know what he did in the Capitol Rotunda in terms of attacking teenage Senate pages in a drunken you know in a drunken rampage maybe that's a little strong a little strong but he did it and again the way that it all works Brian's style is withholding the video of that and will not release it will not release the Capitol video of that when a democrat a last year pulled a fire alarm that video somehow got out two weeks later it's been over a year Brian's style release the Van Ordon videos let me say this first of all for your viewers so they understand the congressional maps did not change only the legislative maps changed this is a 56 57 percent republican seat Donald Trump has won it twice Derrick Van Ordon is the favorite I'm proud to support a seven-time combat vet who's a navy seal if you ask any farmer in western Wisconsin what they think about Derrick Van Ordon they're gonna say he's our guy that he's our guy well I look forward to the republicans praising Tim Walz for his record because they you know poo poo 24 years and claimed that he was doing stolen valor for God's sakes and Van Ordon's been leading the charge online because it's true he he did make he's embellished in his record what his final rank was whether or not he served in combat it's easy to prove did you ever receive combat pay yes or no his answer has to be no he never claimed to be in combat he only did the the first he did it's a roll it is a rolling standard because at first Derrick Van Ordon and the republicans were attacking governor Walz because his his true because his track of them anymore because his his troops went to Iraq was after he fought the shoot five months after he was getting the after he retired ember the year before according to his commanding officer that they were going to deploy all right that was the third we still have more congressional districts to get too fortunate that we still have more time this week we'll be back tomorrow they'll scott thank you for today I promise we'll have more time for that tomorrow appreciate that and be sure that you come back tomorrow you'll find us here each day this week and tune into PBS's evening coverage of the convention where here and now we'll have another update on the day's events and finally join us on Friday to wrap up the week with a special one hour presentation of here and now starting at 7 p.m. I'm Zach Schultz have a great day thank you so much for joining us and hopefully we'll see you back here tomorrow. you