National political reporter Neil W. McCabe shares his insights and political acumen as a new week in presidential politics unfolds on Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report. Host Michael Patrick Leahy, along with all-star panelists Crom Carmichael and Carol Swain join in to discuss Donald Trump’s latest decision to skip the second debate and instead, go to the striking UAW auto workers – and sending Michigan Democrats into a tizzy.
TRANSCRIPT
Michael Patrick Leahy:
7:20 a.m. – in-studio, original all-star panelist, Crom Carmichael; all-star panelist, Carol Swain. On the newsmaker line right now, the best national political correspondent in the country, our good friend, Neil W. McCabe.
Neil, good morning.
Neil W. McCabe: Hey, Michael, Crom, Carol, good to be with you.
Michael Patrick Leahy: So we have some counterprogramming going on again from Donald J. Trump.
We had the Tucker Carlson interview in the first debate of the Munchkins, and now there’s going to be a second debate at the Reagan Library Donald Trump is not going to go there.
Tell us where he’s going to go and why.
Neil W. McCabe: I’ll tell you, Donald Trump is brilliant.
He is a showman and he is going to talk to striking auto workers in Detroit, and he has completely gotten the jump on the Democrats and Biden. It’s almost like it doesn’t matter that these other six or seven people are auditioning for their second interview for a CNN gig or book deal, right?
The White House is out of their mind because Trump–
Carol Swain: They definitely are.
Neil W. McCabe: Remember, Biden said he was gonna send two of his – I don’t want to say top aides, but they work at the White House. They’re reasonably senior. ‘I’m going to send two reasonably seasoned senior people to try to work this out.’
And then he was told by the unions, don’t even send them. He, like, changed his mind, and said, ‘Well, they’ll talk to them by Zoom.’
I said, well, all right, that doesn’t have the same impact.
And then Trump says, ‘I’m going to be speaking to the auto workers in Detroit.’
Michigan Democrats are freaking out because Trump won Michigan in 2016.
He should have won Michigan in 2020, and who knows what happened.
Trump’s policies, fixing the deal with Canada, opening up markets in Canada, was very, very good for Michigan. And what he did for manufacturing was very good for Michigan. Who knows what really happened in Michigan, right?
But, the idea that Michigan is a lock for Democrats is just not true.
And it’s very close, and this could tip it for him.
Michael Patrick Leahy: So what’s interesting about this, you talk about the counterprogramming genius of Donald Trump and his showmanship. So you’ve got the six munchkins out there at the Reagan Library.
Crom Carmichael: Is that how many will be there?
Michael Patrick Leahy: Yeah.
Crom Carmichael: There’s six?
Michael Patrick Leahy: Six munchkins.
Crom Carmichael: Okay. Six are gonna still debate.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Mike “Judas” Pence, “Krispy Kreme” Christie – but they’re, they’re gonna be out there. And it’s going to be kind of boring, probably, right?
Meanwhile, if you’re a viewer, would you rather watch the six munchkins go, ‘Blah, blah, blah,’ or would you rather watch Donald Trump going to talk to UAW workers on strike in Detroit?
What do you think people are going to want to watch?
Neil W. McCabe: Oh, please. I always watch Trump.
Carol Swain: With CNN covering?
Crom Carmichael: That’s the question. Well, CNN, that would not, would that not be ironic for Fox to be holding a Republican presidential debate and CNN giving live coverage of Trump speaking to the UAW?
Is that, is that what’s going to happen?
Neil W. McCabe: Yeah – I would do it in a heartbeat.
Carol Swain: They need ratings. MSNBC, all of those networks need to be covering it.
Crom Carmichael: Yeah.
Neil W. McCabe: I don’t know why I can watch like when, when in 2020, those last two weeks – especially that last weekend – I’m watching four Trump rallies in a day. One rally would be over at like 11 o’clock and he’s going to do another one at like two in the morning.
I’m like, okay, I’m in.
It seems like it’s the same, but everyone is different. I don’t know why I enjoy them. I just get a kick out of them.
Michael Patrick Leahy: They’re fun; because he’s a showman and he’s going to say something funny, and you’re going to say, ‘Well, there’s Trump again being Trump.’
Neil W. McCabe: Right. And there’s no one else.
It’s like there’s no one else in American history who does what he does.
Reagan’s speeches were brilliant. There was a logic to them. They were funny.
I don’t want to knock Reagan, but there’s some There’s a Trump has a connection with people that is over and above what Reagan had, and it’s stunning when he lets it loose.
I’ve actually talked to Trump people and I’ve told them he needs to go into Democratic areas because in the 2016 primaries, when he went to, like, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and Connecticut, he was – I don’t want to say he was selling out – but he was packing in.
He was having packed-in arenas in like Worcester, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island; and it would give such hope to the Republicans and the conservatives in these states.
You know, I’m not in charge. I’m not saying it.
But what I am saying is that there is Trump support there.
There are people who are afraid to speak up. They’re afraid to say anything.
And it’s even in Tennessee, even in Nashville, there are, there are conservatives who are afraid to speak up.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Carol has a question for you, Neil.
Carol Swain: I don’t have a question. I have a comment. I think there are two things that are going on.
One is that Trump really identifies with people like them – the people in the audience that feel forgotten.
And then the other thing is that he appeals to the dark side of ourselves when he insults people, and it’s funny. Most of us know that there’s certain things you just don’t say. We may think it, but he’ll call it out.
Michael Patrick Leahy: He’ll say it.
Carol Swain: And so I think that’s what appeals to people.
Crom Carmichael: Now the other thing that’s gonna be interesting is Trump has a tremendous amount of ammunition. When he goes and speaks to the UAW, when he speaks to the line workers, because Biden wants to eliminate their jobs.
That’s what Biden wants to do electric cars have no transmissions and they have no engines. And so, and so consequently, he is – I mean, there’s 117,000 UAW jobs making transmissions or engines. For Biden, those jobs should be eliminated.
Carol Swain: Well, look at them suing Elon Musk for hiring, for not hiring foreign workers.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Yeah, it’s crazy. Hey, Neil, I have a question for you.
Neil W. McCabe: Sure.
Michael Patrick Leahy: So this event is what, next Thursday? Is this when this is happening?
Neil W. McCabe: Yeah, the 27th.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Oh, a week from today. Yeah. Oh, okay.
So what’s interesting about this, though, is there a chance that the UAW will settle with the car manufacturers by then?
Neil W. McCabe: Now that would be funny.
Michael Patrick Leahy: What would happen if they did settle? Who would claim credit for it?
Neil W. McCabe: Donald J. Trump.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Exactly! It would be a victory party.
Neil W. McCabe: It’s a win-win, no matter what. And this 40 percent increase in wages – I don’t want to say it’s a misnomer, but what has happened over the years is you’ve created, you’ve created different tiers.
And so, the companies and the unions have said, ‘Okay, all of the people who work now will get this deal, but any new hires are going to get a different deal.’
And so over the years, the newer workers have always gotten fewer benefits or fewer or less pay than, than new, than the older workers. So every new deal basically, screws over the new guys coming in.
What this strike wants to do is bring everybody up so that the guy working next to you – if you have one guy making $100 an hour and you have another guy making only making $80 an hour, well, that’s a problem. And so they’re trying to just level everybody off.
And so that’s your 40 percent. And it would be the time to do it when you have a new friend in the White House.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Well, Neil W. McCabe, another brilliant political analysis.
We’ll see how it all plays out. Neil, thanks so much for joining us. We’ll talk to you next week.
Neil W. McCabe: Alright, be good.
We’ll have more when we get back.
This is the Tennessee Star Report. Crom Carmichael, Carol Swain, Michael Patrick Leahy.
It’s a party, folks.
Back after this.
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Photo “Donald Trump” by Jackson A. Lanier. CC BY-SA 4.0.
