WEBVTT - Will Biden Bust Out of the Bunker?  Lanhee Chen Talks to Armstrong & Getty

0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:08.280
<v Speaker 1>The Armstrong and Getty show. Well, it's a great strategy

0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:09.760
<v Speaker 1>for him not to talk to the press. The press,

0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:12.559
<v Speaker 1>by the way, should be pressuring the former vice president

0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:15.840
<v Speaker 1>to answer questions, because that's part of the responsibility of

0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:19.319
<v Speaker 1>a presidential candidate. Well, I've got advice for Biden and

0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:22.520
<v Speaker 1>Trump today. I want to run by. Lan Chen needs

0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:25.319
<v Speaker 1>to shut up the responsibilities to get clicks. That's the

0:00:25.360 --> 0:00:28.040
<v Speaker 1>only responsibility. I think Howard Kurtz and a lot of

0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:32.440
<v Speaker 1>political strategists start thinking about times going by. I don't think.

0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:35.360
<v Speaker 1>I really don't think Joe Biden does need to answer questions,

0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:38.320
<v Speaker 1>just like Trump didn't need to release his taxes, which

0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:40.280
<v Speaker 1>used to be something you had to do. I don't

0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:43.159
<v Speaker 1>think Biden has to answer questions. Lanie j Chen is

0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:46.040
<v Speaker 1>the David and Diane Stephy Fellow in American Public Policy

0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:49.920
<v Speaker 1>Studies at the Hoover Institution. Among the other worthy endeavors

0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:51.720
<v Speaker 1>in lawn, he joins us, Now, how are you, sir?

0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:54.840
<v Speaker 1>I'm fine that morning. I know how you are. You're

0:00:54.880 --> 0:01:00.560
<v Speaker 1>a gloating Dodgers fan. I love it. Great, great start.

0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.760
<v Speaker 1>Are you pro the cardboard cutouts behind the batters or anti?

0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:07.640
<v Speaker 1>Let's let me tell you something. I I actually think

0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:11.199
<v Speaker 1>it's kind of endearing in a in a weird dystopian way,

0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:15.080
<v Speaker 1>that that my son and I both have cutouts in

0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:18.560
<v Speaker 1>Dodger Stadium. Oh you do, good man? Thou it whimsical? Yeah? No,

0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:21.000
<v Speaker 1>I like it. I'm pro Yeah, the game was not whimsical.

0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.479
<v Speaker 1>The game was sucky. I thought it was. I thought

0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:26.200
<v Speaker 1>it was definitely less weird than the empty seats. Yeah.

0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:30.600
<v Speaker 1>Um when I was watching uh National's Yankees anyway. So um.

0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:33.200
<v Speaker 1>I know. Traditionally you wouldn't have been able to get

0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:36.640
<v Speaker 1>away with not answering questions, and eventually, eventually even the

0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:39.120
<v Speaker 1>liberal media would have beat up on a Democrat for

0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:42.479
<v Speaker 1>not answering questions. But I think times have changed. The

0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:45.959
<v Speaker 1>media is so actively in support of one side or

0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:50.080
<v Speaker 1>the other, and everybody's needles stuck. I don't think Joe

0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:52.960
<v Speaker 1>Biden actually does have to answer questions. What do you think?

0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:56.160
<v Speaker 1>I don't think he has to either. I don't think

0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:59.120
<v Speaker 1>he's going to be held to account for it. Uh

0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.120
<v Speaker 1>you know. I think under standably people do have questions

0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:04.400
<v Speaker 1>that they want to have answered, But what the Biden

0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:07.520
<v Speaker 1>campaign has done well so far is essentially to put

0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:09.880
<v Speaker 1>him in very controlled settings, to put Biden in very

0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:12.160
<v Speaker 1>controlled settings where he can answer the questions he wants

0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:15.480
<v Speaker 1>to ask. There aren't many spontaneous interactions. And I think

0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.160
<v Speaker 1>you're right. The media is not. They're not in a

0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:21.920
<v Speaker 1>position to hold Biden to account for much of anything

0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:24.160
<v Speaker 1>because they have a particular point of view about this election,

0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.160
<v Speaker 1>and I think they've made that pretty clear. Yeah. Yeah,

0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:28.800
<v Speaker 1>And they're not going to let anything get in the

0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:33.240
<v Speaker 1>way of the prime directive, even antiquated notions of journalistic ethics.

0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:35.600
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I where did go where I read somebody

0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.680
<v Speaker 1>who was given credit? Oh uh? Jonathan Swan was talking

0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.760
<v Speaker 1>about how Trump did a press conference the same day

0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:44.600
<v Speaker 1>Trump did a press conference, Pence did a press conference

0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:47.280
<v Speaker 1>and then the press secretary took questions also, and how

0:02:47.320 --> 0:02:50.200
<v Speaker 1>Biden had taken none. I don't think. I don't think

0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:52.280
<v Speaker 1>you're going to get any credit for standing out there

0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:56.600
<v Speaker 1>and answering questions. I wish you would, but yeah, although

0:02:56.600 --> 0:02:58.640
<v Speaker 1>I will say this, I mean, I do think if

0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.880
<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump were to to avoid questions would be a story,

0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:05.160
<v Speaker 1>no doubt, no doubt. It doesn't work both ways, and

0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:09.640
<v Speaker 1>it would be interesting to see kind of how Biden's

0:03:09.840 --> 0:03:13.680
<v Speaker 1>bunker strategy will go if and when, you know, Trump

0:03:13.680 --> 0:03:15.000
<v Speaker 1>starts to get out there a little bit more, and

0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:16.760
<v Speaker 1>he is, you know, Trump is doing a little bit

0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:19.200
<v Speaker 1>more travel, Pence is doing a little bit more travel.

0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:22.000
<v Speaker 1>I do think at some point they are going to

0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:23.560
<v Speaker 1>have to take Biden and they're gonna have to put

0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:26.040
<v Speaker 1>them out there. But look, for the last several weeks,

0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:28.720
<v Speaker 1>what they've been doing has been absolutely fine. In fact,

0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.000
<v Speaker 1>it's probably been a benefit to them to have Biden

0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:34.200
<v Speaker 1>the bunker. So a little change in direction here, Lonie.

0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:35.800
<v Speaker 1>I'm not going to spend a lot of time setting

0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:37.600
<v Speaker 1>this up as I did earlier in the show, but

0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:42.040
<v Speaker 1>just very briefly, I believe that we are at a

0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:45.520
<v Speaker 1>point in partisan politics right now where the party out

0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:49.160
<v Speaker 1>of power has gone beyond trying to prevent the party

0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:52.160
<v Speaker 1>in power from getting a victory. Um, They've gone beyond

0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:58.440
<v Speaker 1>in transigence and obstructionist lawmaking into actively trying to damage

0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:03.240
<v Speaker 1>the American pe in this country, make sure we're miserable,

0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:08.520
<v Speaker 1>continue the misery, enhance the misery if they can. Um,

0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:13.480
<v Speaker 1>do you think it's gotten that brutal? Yeah, I do.

0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:17.200
<v Speaker 1>I think it's it's become much worse than standard kind

0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:22.000
<v Speaker 1>of partisan bickering. I do think that fundamentally each side

0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:24.880
<v Speaker 1>wants to so completely discredit the other. They want to

0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:29.400
<v Speaker 1>so completely uh sully the reputation of the other side,

0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:31.880
<v Speaker 1>that that they are willing to go to links they

0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.320
<v Speaker 1>probably weren't willing to go to before. And I think

0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:38.680
<v Speaker 1>the rhetoric, I think the way that people talk about things,

0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:41.400
<v Speaker 1>the nature of the kind of subjects that are brought up,

0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.279
<v Speaker 1>the personal nature. I think also that that struck me

0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:46.679
<v Speaker 1>as well. But I'm how personal it is. I'm talking

0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:50.680
<v Speaker 1>less about rhetoric than policy, though I believe the Democrats

0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:55.040
<v Speaker 1>are enthusiastic about keeping the schools closed and tighter clamp

0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:58.960
<v Speaker 1>downs on business because it will make parents miserable and

0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:05.279
<v Speaker 1>hurt the economy, therefore enhance the chances to elect Joe Biden. Yeah,

0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:08.400
<v Speaker 1>I have noticed that there is a little bit of uh,

0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:11.000
<v Speaker 1>a little bit of that edge that's come in. Particularly

0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:12.920
<v Speaker 1>you guys are right on school closings. I mean, this

0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:16.120
<v Speaker 1>is an area where I am struck by the degree

0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:19.320
<v Speaker 1>to which the media, a lot of the politicians in

0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:23.000
<v Speaker 1>big urban areas UM and a lot of Democrats are

0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.800
<v Speaker 1>coming together to express a particular point of view about

0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:29.320
<v Speaker 1>keeping schools closed. And what worries me is the way

0:05:29.360 --> 0:05:32.599
<v Speaker 1>in which they essentially demagogue those who say we should

0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.080
<v Speaker 1>open schools, and they say, hey, look, if you want

0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:38.320
<v Speaker 1>to open schools, you know you're you're against humanity, you're

0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:42.279
<v Speaker 1>basically anti human you're anti science, and all of these accusations.

0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:45.960
<v Speaker 1>I do think that in the back of their minds Now,

0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:47.960
<v Speaker 1>of course I'll never say this. Of course they'll they'll

0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:50.159
<v Speaker 1>deny it until the cows come home. But in the

0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:51.920
<v Speaker 1>back of their mind, I do think that there are

0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.640
<v Speaker 1>politics here absolutely well, you know, to to bottom line

0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:57.919
<v Speaker 1>it for folks who haven't had their second cup of

0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:01.040
<v Speaker 1>coffee yet or or whatever. If you are the candidate

0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:04.960
<v Speaker 1>of change and everything's fine, you're never gonna get elected,

0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:07.520
<v Speaker 1>so you want to make things as miserable as you can,

0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:10.760
<v Speaker 1>and having control of the House of Representatives for instance,

0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:12.360
<v Speaker 1>that are in a position to do that. And I

0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:15.640
<v Speaker 1>just think that that they are doing things that no

0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:19.360
<v Speaker 1>party would have um for a very very long time.

0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:22.240
<v Speaker 1>We're talking with lanh Chen. He's a guy who has

0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:25.599
<v Speaker 1>worked on major political campaigns and been an advisor. I

0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:27.719
<v Speaker 1>told you what my vice would be to Biden, I'd say,

0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:31.440
<v Speaker 1>don't answer questions, um My, I'm thinking Trump needs a

0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:33.960
<v Speaker 1>game changer, and my advice to Trump would be I

0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:35.480
<v Speaker 1>don't know if he'd take this up, because it would

0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:38.040
<v Speaker 1>make it not about him. I think if Trump goes

0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:40.680
<v Speaker 1>out there and says, look the way the polls are

0:06:40.800 --> 0:06:44.120
<v Speaker 1>right now, not only do I lose, but the Democrats

0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:47.240
<v Speaker 1>take the Senate. Here's what they will do if they

0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:50.600
<v Speaker 1>have the presidency, the House, and the Senate. I think

0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:54.239
<v Speaker 1>you could drive turn out like crazy if you focused

0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:56.279
<v Speaker 1>on the fact. Look if I go, the Senate goes,

0:06:56.560 --> 0:07:00.480
<v Speaker 1>and this is what's gonna happen. Yeah. I think the

0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:03.720
<v Speaker 1>basic point that that I've come to is Trump has

0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:05.240
<v Speaker 1>got to figure out a way to make this election

0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:09.000
<v Speaker 1>not about him. And I know that is very challenging

0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:11.040
<v Speaker 1>for a guy who who tends to make a lot

0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:14.120
<v Speaker 1>of things about himself, but this is not. If this

0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:17.400
<v Speaker 1>election is about Donald Trump and whether Donald Trump, uh,

0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:19.680
<v Speaker 1>you know, deserves four more years. I do think that

0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:22.680
<v Speaker 1>he's in a challenging position if he makes it about

0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.240
<v Speaker 1>two visions of the world, and his vision of the

0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.840
<v Speaker 1>world and the alternate vision of the world. Uh, and

0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:29.800
<v Speaker 1>the alternate vision of the world has you know, the

0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:32.280
<v Speaker 1>Green New Deal and medicure for all, and to fund

0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.160
<v Speaker 1>the police. I mean, I think that's why you're seeing

0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:37.720
<v Speaker 1>them take the strategy they're taking, which is this is

0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.480
<v Speaker 1>not about Joe Biden either. This is about two different

0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:42.560
<v Speaker 1>visions of the world and what's going to happen if

0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:45.720
<v Speaker 1>the alternate vision wins. And I think for Trump that's

0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:48.000
<v Speaker 1>probably the only thing he can do at this point

0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:51.760
<v Speaker 1>to change the dynamics. So you're suggesting that Donald Trump

0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:54.760
<v Speaker 1>makes it not about him, Well, that could be a

0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:58.280
<v Speaker 1>bit of a challenge. I got another idea. It's a

0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:02.440
<v Speaker 1>little out of the box. Trump divorces Milania, Mary's Pence

0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:09.840
<v Speaker 1>gets the gay volan go. Now, I this, but this

0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:13.360
<v Speaker 1>isn't even like a stretch hare um scarem hyperbole? Is it?

0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:16.200
<v Speaker 1>If Donald Trump got up there and said, look, if

0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:18.960
<v Speaker 1>I lose and they take the Senate and they change

0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:21.960
<v Speaker 1>the filibuster rules, which they're they're Elizabeth Warren was talking

0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:25.239
<v Speaker 1>about the other day, they're gonna pass all this stuff.

0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:30.120
<v Speaker 1>They could change the country overnight. Isn't that actually true? Yeah?

0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:32.880
<v Speaker 1>And I think you know, Biden has tried to present

0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:35.400
<v Speaker 1>himself as a moderate, and I actually thinking and of himself,

0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.320
<v Speaker 1>he probably is but the problem is he's part of

0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:42.000
<v Speaker 1>a progressive movement now that's gotten progressively and farther and

0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:44.400
<v Speaker 1>far to the left if you look at the policies

0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:46.720
<v Speaker 1>he's putting out there. Right, So let's take climate change

0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:49.400
<v Speaker 1>for example. He gave a speech on climate change I

0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:51.360
<v Speaker 1>don't know about a week ago, week and a half ago,

0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:55.720
<v Speaker 1>and the policy suggested in there are are in my mind,

0:08:55.800 --> 0:09:00.120
<v Speaker 1>they are quite scary. You know, they're very progressive. They

0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:04.199
<v Speaker 1>will completely change the nature of how we how we

0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.680
<v Speaker 1>foster energy in this country. So yeah, it's not that

0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:10.000
<v Speaker 1>far fetched to say. Look, the vision that he's talking

0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:13.400
<v Speaker 1>about is a far left vision that if he had

0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:16.560
<v Speaker 1>the Congress as well, that would enable the far left

0:09:16.559 --> 0:09:18.400
<v Speaker 1>to essentially have these victories. Well, do you think they

0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:20.960
<v Speaker 1>would change the filibuster rules graduation at all? Do you

0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:23.720
<v Speaker 1>think they would change the filibuster rules. I think there

0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:25.440
<v Speaker 1>will be a lot of pressure on them to do it.

0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:27.040
<v Speaker 1>I think there are a few who have said, you know,

0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:29.120
<v Speaker 1>they don't want to do a few Democrats like Joe Mansinis,

0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:30.560
<v Speaker 1>said they don't want to do it. But you know

0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:33.000
<v Speaker 1>the way these things work, right, once the political pressure

0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:36.240
<v Speaker 1>starts and the waves build, it's very hard to resist

0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:40.320
<v Speaker 1>it if you're cowards. Definitely something. It is definitely something

0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:44.920
<v Speaker 1>that is out there. David and Diane Staffy, Fellow in

0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.719
<v Speaker 1>American Public Policy Studies at the Hoover Institution lan he

0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:51.040
<v Speaker 1>great stuff. Is always good to talk to you. Thank you,

0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:54.640
<v Speaker 1>thank you, good weekend. Yeah you too. Trump wanted to

0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.360
<v Speaker 1>be about him, That's that's the way he looks at

0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:57.880
<v Speaker 1>the world, and he thinks he can win making it

0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:00.040
<v Speaker 1>about him. But God, I would just say, look, this

0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:01.640
<v Speaker 1>is this is what they're saying they want to do.

0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:03.640
<v Speaker 1>They're talking about changing the rules for all they All

0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:05.680
<v Speaker 1>they need is a majority fifty votes in the Senate

0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:08.600
<v Speaker 1>and they will have that. They can actually pass all

0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:12.440
<v Speaker 1>this stuff, Like in the first month, we'll have green

0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:15.280
<v Speaker 1>new Deal, We'll have to fund the police, will have

0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:17.200
<v Speaker 1>you know, all the things you want to mention. Yeah,

0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:21.240
<v Speaker 1>and it's so frustrating. If Trump were just a little

0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:24.400
<v Speaker 1>more self aware, he could win running away even in

0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.679
<v Speaker 1>the midst of the COVID you know, he just he

0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:29.600
<v Speaker 1>he can't quite strike the notes that he needs to strike.

0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:33.480
<v Speaker 1>In my mind. Of course, he got elected once, which

0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:35.600
<v Speaker 1>is only one more time that I've got an elected president.

0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:41.320
<v Speaker 1>I'll point that out here within the margin exactly Well.

0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:45.520
<v Speaker 1>The crazy part is this isn't just theoretical. There is

0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:49.000
<v Speaker 1>actually going to be an election in November. Yikes. I

0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:50.079
<v Speaker 1>don't know if I can take it.