Election 2008 Obama vs. McCain | Clinton vs. McCain | Latest 2008 Polls | Latest 2008 News

August 25, 2008

Terry McAuliffe on Hillary Clinton

Hannity & Colmes

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Joining us now, former Clinton campaign chair, Terry McAuliffe.

Terry, how are you?

TERRY MCAULIFFE, FORMER CLINTON CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: Hi, Sean. Great to be back.

HANNITY: All right. This may be one of the few times we've agreed over the years, I think, to not select Hillary Clinton, especially as this race went forward and Barack Obama barely crossed that finish line -- 18 million voters. It would have electrified this building and united it.

Was it a mistake?

MCAULIFFE: Listen, Hillary and I both knew -- you know, she wasn't vetted so we knew she really wasn't going to be there at the end. She loves Joe Biden, one of her closest friends, he helps on national security, Irish-Catholic, helps Pennsylvania. You know, we're going to come out of this thing fired up.

But listen, we would love it he picked Hillary. She ran a spectacular campaign, but you know, it didn't happen, we're looking forward, we're positive.

HANNITY: Well, you said she wasn't vetted, but the Obama campaign is saying no, she was, that there's been a meeting, that there've been a discussion. Is that not true?

MCAULIFFE: Well, they handed over a bunch of papers and things like that but, listen, we knew it wasn't going to happen, so you know, we were prepared for it and we got to move forward. She's willing to do anything she can to help Barack Obama.

HANNITY: All right. Your favorite president, Bill Clinton, he's going to be here.

All right, the Clintons have a huge presence at this entire convention. Chelsea speaks, Hillary speaks, Bill will speak, and then there's going to be a roll call.

MCAULIFFE: Right.

HANNITY: But Bill -- there were reports in the "Politico" today that Bill Clinton is upset because he is being told what to put in the speech and what he can not say.

Now I'm not so sure that's a good idea.

MCAULIFFE: Hundred percent false.

HANNITY: Hundred percent false.

MCAULIFFE: Hundred percent false. I speak to the president frequently. I've talked to him about his speech. He's fired up about it.

Sean, no one is going to tell Bill Clinton what he can or cannot say. He is a.

HANNITY: I believe that, actually.

MCAULIFFE: He is a former two-term president. We've only -- you know, since FDR was only had one of them. But you know what? No one's better doing this than Bill Clinton. He understands the issues. He knows how to move crowds.

HANNITY: Right.

MCAULIFFE: He knows to get people to move for Barack Obama. He get a lot of people in politics who like to pretend they're in. He is happy, he's ready to come out. I think he'll give one of speeches of his life. I think Hillary will, Tuesday night. I think Barack will knock it out of the park.

We're going to come out this fired up.

HANNITY: Let me go back to the choice of Biden just for one second here.

MCAULIFFE: Sure.

HANNITY: I mean Joe Biden -- he didn't agree with Barack Obama on the war even though Obama never voted for the war. He agreed with John McCain. He agreed Saddam had to be removed.

When it comes to, you know, who he praised and thought would be a good -- good president, he said John McCain would be the president. He didn't like to run with him. He said Obama was inexperienced. It was a point that was made often by Hillary Clinton in the campaign.

So why now, all of a sudden, is everyone, you know, rallying around Obama saying he's experienced when you were making the case he wasn't?

MCAULIFFE: Well, listen, we believe he's experienced. We believe he's ready to become president of the United States of America and 18 million people.

HANNITY: Wait a minute. Hillary kept saying, I'm ready from day one.

MCAULIFFE: Listen, you're in the heat of a primary, Sean. You know what -- you know what they're -- they're all trying to win.

HANNITY: Yes.

MCAULIFFE: And I think McCain is wasting his money with these ads, saying what was -- people don't -- people get it. They don't care about that. What they want to know is who's going to take the country in a new direction. We have a close election and I know this is going to be a very tough election.

Sean, this is going to be as tough as it's ever been.

HANNITY: I agree with you.

What about the polls? One of the areas where, I think, Hillary could have helped was with women. We see that in a quick snapshot Rasmussen poll, only 33 percent of women think Joe Biden is a good choice.

How does Joe Biden help bring some of those Clinton supporters?

I interviewed a PUMA representative today. They're angry. They -- they feel like the Clinton campaign was treated poorly. Bill Clinton said that they used the race card against him when this nomination was going on.

Is any of that going to factor in?

MCAULIFFE: Well, I think some of them are mad. They're not mad at the Obama campaign. They're -- mad at some of the media, maybe not you, but others.

HANNITY: I think I was the fairest.

MCAULIFFE: Yes, you were pretty good. I mean all we wanted was a.

HANNITY: Wait a minute, wait a minute. Can we get a promo on that?

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Aren't you the guy.

HANNITY: Did you just hear that?

COLMES: The guy who's been beating Hillary for how many years? Now you guys.

MCAULIFFE: No, but now, he's like, you know, all over Hillary, you know?

COLMES: So Terry, let me ask you.

MCAULIFFE: Another cable show was all that. But, you know, it's behind us now.

COLMES: What does -- Barack Obama have to do to get all those people, the PUMAs, the people who are saying that -- what does he got to do to get those people over? Because he's still got to make inroads with 52 percent.

MCAULIFFE: You bet.

COLMES: Right. What does he got to do?

MCAULIFFE: And Alan, this is all about here in this week. She's got to give a great speech Tuesday, the president Wednesday, and Thursday he's got to close the deal. And he knows that.

They -- we had a tough primary battle. This went on for 17 months and it's very tough, but you know what, some want her to be VP, she's not. Now we need to come out of this week unified. And it's going to be about how we deal with it. She's going to convince them tomorrow night, her 18 million. They got to get Barack Obama.

COLMES: The first thing she has to do is convince, as you just said, the 18 million.

MCAULIFFE: She's going to do it tomorrow.

COLMES: And then you have the detractors -- you know, the divide and conquerors -- who are going to say, it's a divided party, they can't come together. It's all rhetoric up on that stage right behind us.

MCAULIFFE: Yes.

COLMES: How does she make that case and convince of the sincerity of what she's saying?

MCAULIFFE: Well, she'll convince them of her sincerity tomorrow with her speech tomorrow night. She is going to be.

COLMES: Have you seen the speech?

MCAULIFFE: I've talked to her about it. I've certainly have talked about it.

COLMES: Are we going have any preview of what she might say?

MCAULIFFE: She is going to tell everybody the importance of election and why we Barack Obama. But, Alan, you know as well as I do, in the history of our party, he's had where most people come to this convention floor tied up the convention for a couple of days.

You haven't had any of that with Hillary Clinton. We -- have raised millions of dollars for Barack Obama. She's traveling Nevada, Florida -- she has done more than any candidate in her position.

But for whatever the price, every day, (INAUDIBLE) the Clintons, they're doing everything they can to help Barack Obama because they know he's right for America.

COLMES: Do you believe the people who say, well, I'm going with McCain. I was a Hillary support, but I'm voting for John McCain.

MCAULIFFE: I don't.

COLMES: There's a whole group of people and I got e-mail every time I bring this up. I can't think -- actually Barack's positions and Hillary's position aren't that far apart.

MCAULIFFE: Very similar in the primaries, you bet.

People -- listen, we had 18 million votes. Are we going to get 100 percent, maybe not. But if you're getting 90 or two or 300 e-mails, big deal. You know what? At the end of the day, it's about health care, it's about education, it's about getting our troops out of Iraq.

And Hillary is going to do everything in her power. She's offered to give her whole fall campaign over to help him win. Bill Clinton has offered to do the same thing. We're all helping. Barack Obama is going to give the speech of his life here on Thursday night. And we're going to be unified.

COLMES: Is she going to ask for a unanimous vote? That's one of the things that's imploded today -- the idea that she'll ask for a unanimous vote for Barack Obama.

MCAULIFFE: You bet.

COLMES: So that's already been decided?

MCAULIFFE: Well, I know -- you know, obviously, there are negotiations going on.

COLMES: Yes.

MCAULIFFE: But, listen, some people are going to do the roll call. You know, the 18 million people got to get represented.

COLMES: Right.

MCAULIFFE: Big deal. We've never not had a roll call in the history of our party. You can't deny the woman who got 18 million votes, but it's not a big deal.

COLMES: Yes.

MCAULIFFE: We are working together. These ridiculous stories about tension, we are more unified here than we've been in a long, long time, exhibited by what Hillary Clinton does every single day to help Senator Obama.

COLMES: It's not just Hillary. I mean it's those supporters, the people are going to -- I mean if she can't control 18 million people.

MCAULIFFE: Of course not.

COLMES: The number of those people who represent those 18 million on the floor here.

MCAULIFFE: We will be able -- with all those people on the floor, we'll be able to do it.

COLMES: Terry, great to see you.

MCAULIFFE: Great to be with you, Alan.

COLMES: Get some lozenges for that voice. (INAUDIBLE)

MCAULIFFE: I know. It's the first day.

HANNITY: Terry, four years ago, I think you were about to hit me on this show. We've come a long way.

MCAULIFFE: I know. You were grabbing my leg.

COLMES: Another four years. Anyway, thanks very much.

MCAULIFFE: All right.

About Us | RSS | Contact | Advertise | Privacy Policy         © RealClearPolitics 2008