CBS Overhypes Romney Doing 'So Poorly Among Minority Voters'; Predicts 'New Democratic Majority'
Norah O'Donnell lived up to her reputation on Tuesday's CBS This Morning for tossing softball questions at liberal guests while hounding conservative ones. During an interview of Obama campaign flack David Axelrod, O'Donnell wondered if "the minority vote will be bigger than it was in 2008." Charlie Rose assisted his co-host in asking, "Are we looking at a new Democratic majority - a different voter group that are coming together to be the majority in America?"
By contrast, the former NBC correspondent peppered Romney adviser Kevin Madden with questions that cast doubt on the Republican presidential candidate's chances to win. CBS political director John Dickerson also mangled polling data on minority support for Romney by asking Madden if the former governor "has trouble even breaking out of single digits with Latinos, and, certainly, with African-Americans...isn't that a problem for an incoming president - to do so poorly among minority voters?"
The morning show brought on the two campaign senior advisers for back-to-back interviews. Rose turned to Axelrod first and inquired "what it is that's most crucial today for you to win." Surprisingly, the CBS anchor interrupted the Democratic guest mid-answer with a tougher follow-up question: "But are you worried about the....one thing the Republicans keep talking about - the enthusiasm for Governor Romney as he crisscrosses the country. That's the one thing, they think, suggests a good day for them."
O'Donnell then chimed in with her slanted question about the minority vote: "David, you talk about the data being encouraging....One of the things we're looking at tonight, as we do our election coverage, is the size of the electorate - the makeup of the electorate. Do you think the minority vote will be bigger than it was in 2008?" The PBS veteran concluded the first segment with his hint at a "new Democratic majority."
The former NBC journalist then immediately led the Madden interview by sticking to her fixation on hyping Romney's supposed negatives/disadvantages, which carried into her two follow-up questions:
NORAH O'DONNELL: The governor is making two more stops today in Ohio, in Pennsylvania. Is that a sign that the governor is worried about Election Day, that he has to go to Pennsylvania to enlarge the map - the state that has gone blue for a while?
O'DONNELL: But Kevin, if Pennsylvania was so important, why send the governor there only in the last week? Why not make it a state that you made a play for throughout the campaign?
O'DONNELL: ...If you look at the battleground states and the early vote, the Democrats are ahead, in terms of the early vote, except in the state of Colorado, where the Republicans appear to be ahead there....Is that a problem for Governor Romney if the Democrats are doing better in the early vote?
Dickerson ended the second interview with his misleading claim about the Republican's "single-digit" support among Hispanics. In reality, Romney's support ranks in the 20 to 30 percent range in polls conducted by ABC, NBC, and Fox News.
The full transcript of the David Axelrod and Kevin Madden interviews from Tuesday's CBS This Morning:
CHARLIE ROSE: We begin with Obama senior adviser David Axelrod. David, good morning.
DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Good morning, Charlie. Happy Election Day.
[CBS News Graphic: "Race For The White House: Obama Adviser On What Campaign Expects"]
ROSE: Well, thank you, and happy Election Day to you and everybody else in the great state of Illinois-
AXELROD: Thank you-
ROSE: So, tell me what it is that's most crucial today for you to win?
AXELROD: Well, you've been – you've been using the word, which is turnout. We've been expecting a close election for a year and a half. We've built a tremendous organization. We've got 200,000 or more election shifts volunteers set up. We've got 5,000 stations in neighborhoods across the battleground states. And now, it's time to turn out that vote, and that's what this election is going to be all about-
ROSE: But are you worried about the-
AXELROD: We're happy about those early – early vote numbers. Those early vote numbers are very significant-
ROSE: The one thing Republicans-
AXLEORD: So, we go in with a great – great advantage-
ROSE: Excuse me. The one thing the Republicans keep talking about is the enthusiasm for Governor Romney as he crisscrosses the country. That's the one thing, they think, suggests a good day for them.
AXELROD: Well, you know, Charlie, first of all, I've been traveling with the President for the last four days, and we've been met with huge crowds and enthusiastic crowds wherever we go, and I take some encouragement from that. But the greater encouragement comes from the cold, hard data, which is that early vote, in every battleground state that has early vote, has been very robust and very much in our favor, and the polling has been very much in our favor. It's – it's going to be a narrow race, but in each – we're – we're even or ahead in almost every one of these – in, really, every one of these battleground states. And so, you know, they can take solace in their crowds. I'm going to look at the data. The data is very encouraging, and now, we just need to make sure that our people come out and vote.
NORAH O'DONNELL: So, David, you talk about the data being encouraging. John Dickerson was just here. One of the things we're looking at tonight, as we do our election coverage, is the size of the electorate - the makeup of the electorate. Do you think the minority vote will be bigger than it was in 2008?
[CBS News Graphic: "University of Cincinnati Poll: Presidential Race Among Ohio Voters: Probable Voters: Obama, 50%; Romney, 48.5%; Margin of Error: +/-3.3%"]
AXELROD: Well, it may well be, because that's been the nature of our country's voting patterns since – you know, for the last 20 years. You've seen that portion of the electorate grow. But I also – no, I heard John mention white votes, and he's going to be looking at white votes. The President got 43 percent of that vote last time, which was more than the previous – two previous Democratic nominees, and he's going to do very well with that vote tonight. We think we're going to hit our targets across all the cohorts, because people fundamentally want a president who has, in his sights, the middle class, and how we build an economy that works for the middle class. And they believe in this president's commitment to do that, and his ability to do it.
ROSE: David, Karl Rove used to talk about building a new Republican majority. In the context of this conversation, are we looking at a new Democratic majority - a different voter group that are coming together to be the majority in America?
AXELROD: Well, what I will say is this: the President, I think, reflects the country itself. This is a big, diverse country. Our coalition is very broad. The Republican coalition is very narrow. They've shut out Latinos; they've shunned women on issues of women's health; and I think they're paying a price for it in this – in this election. So, you know, I'm not going to make – Karl ended up regretting making grandiose predictions - and I'm not going to make grandiose predictions here - but I will say that anyone who wants to win a national election ought to speak to the concerns of the entire nation. This president does, and he's going to win tonight.
O'DONNELL: David Axelrod, good to see you. Thank you.
AXELROD: Okay – great to see you guys.
Now, let's go to Kevin Madden, senior adviser to the Romney campaign. Kevin, good morning.
KEVIN MADDEN, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Good morning – great to be with you. Thanks for having me.
[CBS News Graphic: "Race For The White House: Romney Adviser On Final Added Events"]
O'DONNELL: It is Election Day, and the governor is making two more stops today in Ohio, in Pennsylvania. Is that a sign that the governor is worried about Election Day, that he has to go to Pennsylvania to enlarge the map - the state that has gone blue for a while?
MADDEN: Well, no, it's a sign that the governor is going to work very hard all the way until the polls close, to get his message out; and to, also, thank all the volunteers that have fanned out across the country right now, to help him get his message out to voters.
If you know the governor like I do - and I've been working with him now for about six years - he's not somebody to sit around on Election Day. He's not somebody to sit around until the job is done. So, I expect that we'll – we'll have a great day today going out and, again, carrying the message to Ohio and Pennsylvania, like you said, which is a state that the Democrats had thought they had locked down long ago. But today is very competitive, and we're in a – we're very confident that it can actually be a part of our electoral coalition.
[CBS News Graphic: "WMUR Granite State Poll: Presidential Race Among New Hampshire Voters: Undecided Voters: Obama, 51%; Romney, 48%; Margin of Error: +/- 3.5%"]
O'DONNELL: But Kevin, if Pennsylvania was so important, why send the governor there only in the last week? Why not make it a state that you made a play for throughout the campaign?
MADDEN: Well, look, you – you have to go when it matters, and I think, in the last few weeks, we've seen Pennsylvania – the polls there tighten, and it became a tremendous opportunity as we look to get to – the math to 270. So, I think it's going to be part of 270 and beyond if we continue to do what we've been doing this last – these last few weeks, which is, getting out the message that the governor has a – has a better course for America when it comes to fixing the economy and putting the country back on track. And I think that it's going to be – I think it's going to be a really important part of our – of our efforts to turn out many swing voters in – in those key areas around that state, so that – so that we can win it tonight.
[CBS News Graphic: Franklin & Marshall College Poll: Presidential Race Among Pennsylvania Voters: Likely Voters: Obama, 49%; Romney, 45%; Margin of Error: +/-4%"]
O'DONNELL: And then, Kevin, Republicans, no doubt, are energized – this electorate-
[CBS News Graphic: "Race For The White House: Romney Adviser On Pennsylvania"]
MADDEN: Yes-
[CBS News Graphic: "Pennsylvania: Electoral Votes: 20: Obama Won in 2008: 54.7%; Poll Close 8 PM ET"]
O'DONNELL: Democrats say they are battling against that by being organized in these early votes. And if you look at the battleground states and the early vote, the Democrats are ahead, in terms of the early vote, except in the state of Colorado, where the Republicans appear to be ahead there-
MADDEN: Right-
O'DONNELL: Is that a problem for Governor Romney if the Democrats are doing better in the early vote?
[CBS News Graphic: "Race For The White House: Romney Adviser On Campaign Expectations']
MADDEN: Well, they're not doing as well as they had hoped to in the early vote, and we've been very competitive in our early voting. I think our high-propensity voters tend to come out on Election Day. So, we feel very strongly that, tonight, that's going to be an important difference in – in winning. But nothing breeds organization like enthusiasm, and the enthusiasm that we've seen all across this country and in all these key battleground states is really what's going to make the difference tonight, and it's really going to help make sure that Governor Romney tonight becomes President-elect Romney.
CHARLIE ROSE: John-
JOHN DICKERSON: Kevin, it's John Dickerson here. I – I want to ask you about the – the minority vote and Governor Romney. All the polls have suggested that Governor Romney sometimes has trouble even breaking out of single digits with Latinos, and, certainly, with African-Americans. If the governor wins tonight and – and gets that low a share of the minority vote, isn't that a problem for – for an incoming president - to do so poorly among minority voters?
MADDEN: Well, John, we've done a good job with our outreach, and a good job with concentrating our effort, to take Governor Romney's economic messages - his message of opportunity and prosperity - to minority voters. But we haven't done a perfect job, and I think that's something that, as a party, that we have to continue to do - always look for a way to perfect our outreach, always look for a way to perfect our message. So, that will be an important part, and is an important part of building a very strong Republican Party that's going to lead this country into the future.
O'DONNELL: All right. Kevin Madden, good to see you; John Dickerson, thank you as well.
