>> PBS PLANS NIGHTLY COVERAGE OF
THE VIRTUAL CONVENTION NEXT
WEEK.
I WILL APPEAR FROM MILWAUKEE ON
THE PBS NEWSHOUR CONVENTION
PROGRAM DURING THE 8:00 HOUR
MONDAY NIGHT.
AFTER NEWSHOUR'S COVERAGE, STAY
WITH PBS WISCONSIN AT
10:00 THAT'S WHEN DNC MILWAUKEE,
WILL APPEAR.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL
THEN TO GET GREAT POLITICAL
ANALYSIS.
WE'RE JOINED NOW BY REPUBLICAN
STRATEGIST AND MANAGING PARTNER
OF CAPITOL CONSULTANTS, BILL
MCCOSHEN AND DEMOCRATIC
STRATEGIST SCOT ROSS THANK YOU
BOTH FOR BEING HERE.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
>> LET'S START WITH YOU SCOT,
DOES A VIRTUAL DEMOCRATIC
CONVENTION STILL HAVE VALUES FOR
WISCONSIN AND MILWAUKEE?
>> WELL ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, DEMOCRATS ARE CERTAINLY
SAD THAT THE CONVENTION WON'T BE
IN PERSON HERE IN MILWAUKEE, BUT
I THINK WITH THE GLOBAL
PANDEMIC, THAT THE BUNDLING OF
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS
RESULTED IN 160,000 AMERICANS
AND 1,000 WISCONSINITES DYING
FROM THIS PANDEMIC, I THINK THAT
THE DEMOCRATS YOU KNOW ARE GOING
TO PUT THIS ALL IN PERSPECTIVE.
THEY WILL BE SHOWING VICE
PRESIDENT BIDEN THEY WILL BE
SHOWING SENATOR HARRIS, AND THEY
WILL BE SHOWING WHAT THEY WILL
DO TO RESTORE, HONOR, DECENCY
AND INTEGRITY TO AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT SO MUCH THAT HAS BEEN
LOST UNDER TRUMP.
AND, YOU KNOW THE THING IS THAT,
IT'S A SET BACK, BUT NOT REALLY
BECAUSE YOU KNOW SINCE TRUMP GOT
INAUGURATED REPUBLICANS HAVE
LOST SEVEN OF THE EIGHT
STATEWIDE ELECTIONS IN WISCONSIN
IN WHICH THEY'VE PARTICIPATED
IN.
THAT AIN'T A CANARY IN THE COAL
MINE.
THAT'S THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
GIVING THE BIRD TO DONALD
TRUMP.
>> BILL, TRUMP'S GOING TO BE
HERE IS HE FILLING IN A
POLITICAL ADVANTAGE?
>> WELL HE'S DOING WHAT BIDEN
ISN'T DOING.
SO, LET ME PICK UP ON SOME
THINGS SCOT SAID.
FIRST OF ALL I THINK IT'S A
TRAGEDY THAT MILWAUKEE'S NOT
GETTING THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
NOT JUST MILWAUKEE AND SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN THE ENTIRE STATE.
THESE ARE GOING TO BE 50,000
VISITORS COMING HERE SPENDING
LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY, OVER A
FIVE TO SEVEN DAY PERIOD OF TIME
AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET ANY
OF THAT ECONOMIC BENEFIT.
SO THAT'S A TRAGEDY IN AND OF
ITSELF.
THE SECOND PART THAT IS A
TACTICAL MISTAKE BY THE BIDEN
CAMPAIGN IS NOT ACCEPTING THE
NOMINATION IN MILWAUKEE.
THAT'S A MISTAKE.
REGARDLESS OF THE GLOBAL
PANDEMIC, THE CANDIDATE AND THE
VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE COULD
EASILY HAVE COME TO MILWAUKEE,
ACCEPTED THE NOMINATION HERE, AT
LEAST FOR THE SYMBOLIC VALUE OF
IT, MY GUESS IS OVERALL ZAC,
BOTH ON THE DNC AND ON THE RNC
THESE WILL BE THE LEAST WATCHED
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS EVER.
BECAUSE WE'RE ALL SICK OF ZOOM
CALLS.
>> THAT IS ACCURATE.
NOW WHAT IMPACT DOES KAMALA
HARRIS HAVE ON THE TICKET BILL
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> YOU KNOW LISTEN THERE'S TWO
THINGS YOU WANT IN A VP YOU WANT
THE DO NO HARM AND YOU WANT AT
LEAST APPEAL TO A KEY COALITION
A VOTING COALITION OR A
GEOGRAPHY.
I THINK SHE CHECKS BOTH OF THOSE
BOXES.
I DON'T KNOW THAT SHE'S GOING TO
BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER HERE IN
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN LET'S
FACE IT, PAUL RYAN WAS ON THE
TICKET WITH MITT ROMNEY IN 2012
AND THEY LOST WISCONSIN FAIRLY
HANDLEY.
IT DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE YOU THINK IT MIGHT.
IF ANYTHING IT MIGHT HAVE A
SLIGHT BENEFIT IN THE CITY OF
MILWAUKEE WHEREABOUT 50,000
DEMOCRATS DID NOT VOTE IN 2016.
>> SCOT DOES THAT MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE HARRIS ON THE TICKET
IN MILWAUKEE?
>> I THINK SENATOR HARRIS IS
GOING TO BE A, IS A OUTSTANDING
CHOICE AND IS GOING TO BE A
OUTSTANDING VICE PRESIDENT.
SHE HAS FOCUSED HER CAREER ON
BRINGING EQUALITY AND JUSTICE TO
PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA AND SHE'S
GOING TO DO THAT WITH THE UNITED
STATES.
AND WE COULDN'T BE AT A MORE
IMPORTANT TIME WHEN WE HAD A
REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT IS
ESSENTIALLY RUN BY A WHILE
SUPREMACIST IN DONALD TRUMP.
I MEAN DAILY THE DAILY ATTACKS,
THAT GO ON ARE UNPRECEDENTED AND
I THINK REPUBLICANS ARE JUST
WE'RE JUST ALL READY TO SEE
WHETHER OR NOT REPUBLICANS AND
TRUMP GO AFTER SENATOR HARRIS
FOR BEING A WOMAN OR BEING A
PERSON OF COLOR.
RIGHT NOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF
BOTH.
>> NOW, DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN
TALKING AND TWEETING A LOT ABOUT
DEFENDING THE SUBURBS AND
SPEAKING OF WISCONSIN GEOGRAPHY,
SAYING DEMOCRATS WANT TO FILL
THEM WITH LOW INCOME HOUSING.
SCOT IS THIS JUST GOOD OLD
FASHIONED DOG WHISTLE POLITICS O
OR IS THERE A REALITY HERE ABOUT
HOUSING AND THE SUBURBS.
>> IT'S NOT A DOG WHISTLE ITS A
BLOW HORN.
TRUMP HAS ONLY ONE CHANCE THAT
IS IF HE IS CHEAT IN ORDER TO
WIN THIS ELECTION.
AND HE IS TRYING TO, IS
TRYING TO BRING EVERY RACIST
ALONG WITH HIM.
IT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE
WISCONSIN IS BETTER THAN THAT.
YOU KNOW ARE WE BETTER THAN THAT
WHETHER YOU ARE REPUBLICAN,
DEMOCRAT OR INDEPENDENT.
THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT, WE
CAN'T CONTINUE TO FUNCTION THIS
WAY.
WE NEED ADULT LEADERSHIP.
THAT'S WHAT JOE BIDEN IS GOING
IT BRING.
HE'S GOING TO BRING AGAIN THAT
YOU KNOW THAT IDEA OF LISTENING
OF LEARNING AND ACTING LIKE AN
ADULT.
>> BILL HOW DOES THIS PLAY IN
MILWAUKEE SUBURBS?
>> WELL, IN THE MOST RECENT
MARQUETTE POLL TRUMP'S NUMBERS
IN THE SUBURBS ARE ACTUALLY UP.
AND THE ISSUE IS THAT VOTERS
CARE ABOUT LIKE DEFUNDING THE
POLICE, IS OVERWHELMINGLY
NEGATIVE FOR DEMOCRATS.
SO, I THINK REPUBLICANS ARE
ACTUALLY BETTER POSITIONED IN
THE SUBURBS TODAY THAN THEY WERE
TWO MONTHS AGO ON MARQUETTE
UNIVERSITY POLL.
THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE.
I DON'T THINK THE PRESIDENT
NEEDS TO CALL OUT HEY SUBURBS
I'M TALKS TO YOU ON A TWEET THAT
IS AN UNFORCED ERROR, BUT IF HE
KEEPS TALKING ABOUT LAW AND
ORDER, DEFENDING THE COPS, SAFE
NEIGHBORHOODS NEIGHBORHOODS
NEIGHBORHOOD HE'S GOING TO DO
WELL IN THE SUBURBS.
>>> REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN
WORKING TO GET KANYE WEST ON THE
BALLOT IS THIS FROM THE DIRTY
TRICKS BOOK?
>> I THINK HE WILL GET ON THE
BALLOT A LITTLE DIRTY TRICKS.
OUR ELECTIONS COMMISSION
GENERALLY TENDS TO LEAN TOWARDS
THE CANDIDATE IF THEY CAME CLOSE
UNLESS THERE IS SOME SIGNIFICANT
ERRORS IN THE NOMINATIONS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY ZAC HE'S
PROBABLY A PROTEST VOTE, BUT SO
IS JILL STEIN.
REMEMBER JILL STEIN GOT 2 1/2
PERCENT HERE AND THAT WAS THE
DIFFERENCE IN 2016.
SO, DEPENDING ON WHERE KANYE
GETS HIS VOTES FROM AND IF HE
DOES ANY ADVERTISING
PARTICULARLY IN THE CENTER CITY
OF MILWAUKEE HE COULD GET THAT 2
OR 3%.
>> SCOT DOES KANYE TAKE BLACK
VOTES AWAY FROM JOE BIDEN IN
MILWAUKEE?
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
IT'S A GOOD INDICATION OF HOW
OUT OF TOUCH THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY IS WITH BLACK VOTERS THAT
THEY WOULD THINK IN THE MIDST A
ECONOMIC COLLAPSE, GLOBAL
PANDEMIC AND A WHITE SUPREMACIST
IN THE WHITE HOUSE THERE ARE
PEOPLE THAT WOULD FLIP THEIR
VOTE BECAUSE KANYE WEST IS ON
THE BALLOT SIMPLY NOT GOING TO
HAPPEN.
I THINK THE INTERESTING THING
THAT WILL HAPPEN AS BILL SAID,
WHAT THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION IS
GOING TO DO AND YOU HAVE TWO
MEMBERS THE TWO REPUBLICAN, TWO
OF THE THREE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS
WHO ARE ON THE RECORD SAYING A
DEADLINE IS A DEADLINE.
SO IT SEEMS PRETTY HARD FOR THEM
TO REVERSE ON THAT WE'LL SEE IF
THOUGH DO, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
DEMOCRATS SHOULD IGNORE IT
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THEIR
STRATEGY HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH
CATCHING A VOTER, WHO WOULD FLIP
TO KANYE WEST BECAUSE HE'S ON
THE BALLOT.
>> THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION
BOUNCES SOMEBODY FOR BEING 14
SECONDS LATE IT WILL BE THE
FIRST TIME THEY FOLLOWED THEIR
OWN RULES.
>> THIS WEEK WE'VE HEARD A
NUMBER OF STORIES ABOUT TRUMP'S
POST MASTER GENERAL REORGANIZING
THE POSTAL SERVICE RESULTING IN
SHUT DOWNS AND SLOW DOWNS IN
MAIL DELIVERY.
TRUMP HIMSELF SAID HE WON'T
SUPPORT ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE
POST OFFICE TO HELP WITH ALL OF
THE MAIL IN BALLOTS SCOT, THE
MARQUETTE POLL SHOWS MOST
DEMOCRATS PLAN TO VOTE BY MAIL
SHOULD THE PARTY RETHINK THAT
PLAN?
>> WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN THE
DEMOCRATS NEED TO RISE UP IN
CONGRESS AND TRY WITH
REPUBLICANS TO STOP WHAT IS
GOING TO BE WHAT IS AN ATTEMPTED
STEALING OF OUR ELECTION.
I MEAN IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE ELECTION I
MEAN, SENIORS, VETERANS, --
INTERNATIONALLY SYNDICATED FILM
CRITIC
>>
[ INAUDIBLE ]
>> WISCONSIN THEY DON'T DO
ANYTHING.
GOVERNOR EVERS HAS BEEN TRYING
TO GET THEM TO THE TABLE FOR 120
DAYS THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING.
DONALD TRUMP IS TRYING TO
PREVENT PEOPLE FROM VOTING.
>> BILL DOES THE POST OFFICE
FACTOR INTO THIS RACE IN
WISCONSIN?
>> I DON'T THINK IT DOES.
YOU DON'T THINK IT'S A ISSUE
THAT VOTERS VOTE ABOUT.
IT'S NOT A TOP TIER ISSUE FOR
SURE AND I THINK IT WILL
ULTIMATELY GET RESOLVED BEFORE
THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR WHICH
IS SEPTEMBER.
I THINK IT WILL GET RESOLVED BY
THE END OF THE YEAR.
>> I THINK IT'S HARD TO SAY IT'S
NOT RESOLVED BECAUSE THEY ARE
LITERALLY TAKING OUT SORTING
EQUIPMENT TO THWART THE POST
OFFICE FROM DOING IT'S JOB.
>> A COUPLE SECONDS LOST FOR
EACH OF YOU WHAT DO YOU THINK
THE IMPACT OF THESE CONVENTIONS
WILL BE?
BILL WE'LL START WITH YOU A FEW
SECONDS.
>> I WOULD SAY YOU KNOW LOOK FOR
THE THURSDAY NIGHTS WHERE THE
TWO NOMINEES GET THEIR
NOMINATION TO BE THE BIGGEST
NIGHTS.
LOOK FOR TRUMP TO PUT ON A SHOW
HE IS A SHOWMAN, AND YOU KNOW I
WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A PRETTY
GOOD TURNOUT ON THE THURSDAY
NIGHTS, BUT THESE WILL BE THE
LEAST WATCHED CONVENTIONS IN OUR
LIFETIME AND THE NEXT TIME YOU
WILL TALK ABOUT THESE CANDIDATES
IS AFTER THE FIRST DEBATE.
>> SCOT WHAT ABOUT YOU?
>> I'M INCREDIBLY SADDENED THAT
WE WON'T SEE A SEA OF CHEESE
HEADS IN THE FISERV FORUM, BUT I
THINK WE'RE GOING TO HEAR A LOT
OF REASONS AND DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE DOMES AND
REPUBLICANS AND I THINK THE
DEMOCRATIC MESSAGE IS WHAT IS
GOING TO RESONATE WITH THE
PEOPLE.