Here & Now

Matt Rothschild Talks Democratic Presidential Candidates

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOT QUITE A CLEAN SWEEP FOR HILLARY CLINTON ON SUPER TUESDAY, BUT FOUR OUT OF FIVE STATES PUTS HER ON AN EVEN FASTER DELEGATE TRACK TO THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION. HER VICTORIES MEAN WISCONSIN VOTERS PREFERRED NEITHER OF THE CANDIDATES MOST LIKELY TO BE THE PARTY NOMINEES. FOR SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEM SIDE OF THINGS, WE WELCOME FORMER EDITOR OF THE PROGRESSIVE MAGAZINE, NOW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WISCONSIN DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGN, MATT ROTHSCHILD. MATT, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

MATT ROTHSCHILD:

THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THE STOP TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS SUCCESSFUL IN WISCONSIN, AS WAS THE BERNIE SANDERS’ CAMP IN THIS STATE’S PRIMARY, BUT BOTH RESULTS AS WE’VE SAID APPARENTLY FLYING IN THE FACE OF THIS NOMINATION MOMENTUM FOR TRUMP AND CLINTON. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?

MATT ROTHSCHILD:

I THINK WISCONSIN CAME OUT FOR BERNIE SANDERS, EVERY COUNTY BUT ONE. IT WAS JUST A DRAMATIC VICTORY. I THINK THE MAINSTREAM PRESS DOWN PLAYED IT. THEY MOVED ON TO HILLARY CLINTON TALKING POINTS ABOUT SOME ARTICLE THAT CAME OUT IN THE NEW YORK TIMES OR IN THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS OR SOMETHING ABOUT SOME INTERVIEW SHE HAD OR BERNIE HAD THAT HE DIDN’T DO VERY GOOD AT AND THEY CHANGED THE SUBJECT QUICKLY. SO HE DIDN’T REALLY GET A BOUNCE OUT OF WISCONSIN THAT I THINK A CANDIDATE WHO WON EVERY COUNTY BUT ONE WOULD USUALLY GET AND SHOULD EXPECT. SO I THINK THAT WAS ONE PROBLEM. AND I ALSO JUST THINK THE HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN MACHINERY IS GOING FULL THROTTLE AND IT’S KIND OF HARD TO STOP.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE IT’S NOT AS CRAZY AS ACROSS THE AISLE OBVIOUSLY, BUT NOT THE CAKEWALK THAT MANY IN THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN MUST HAVE EXPECTED. HOW IN YOUR MIND DOES NOT JUST THE POPULARITY OF BERNIE SANDERS, BUT HIS ANTI-WALL STREET MESSAGE, TAINT HER GOING FORWARD IN?

MATT ROTHSCHILD:

WELL, I KNOW DONALD TRUMP IS GOING TO TRY TO EXPLOIT IT. AND I THINK BERNIE SANDERS HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN POINTING OUT TWO THINGS: ONE, THAT THE ECONOMY IS RIGGED AND THAT’S WALL STREET’S DOMINANCE OF THE ECONOMY, AND THAT OUR POLITICS ARE RIGGED BY THE PROBLEMS OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE THAT HE BRINGS OUT WITH HILLARY CLINTON GETTING ALL THIS MONEY FROM WALL STREET. I DO THINK IT’S A BIG LIABILITY HILLARY CLINTON HAS. SHE’S GOT A LOT OF BAGGAGE. BUT DONALD TRUMP HAS MORE BAGGAGE THAN O’HARE. I THINK ON THAT FRONT PROBABLY HILLARY CLINTON HAS AN ADVANTAGE ON THE BAGGAGE WEIGHT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WE’VE JUST READ THAT SANDERS IS CUTTING HIS CAMPAIGN POSITIONS BY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. OBVIOUSLY NOT THE SIGN OF A CANDIDATE GEARING UP FOR THE GENERAL. IS THERE ANY WAY HE HAS A PATH?

MATT ROTHSCHILD:

WELL, HE SENT OUT AN EMAIL EARLIER THIS WEEK SAYING — ACKNOWLEDGING THAT HIS PATH IS VERY, VERY NARROW AT THIS POINT. I THINK HE’D HAVE TO WIN SOMETHING LIKE 80% OF THE REMAINING VOTES OUT THERE, UNLESS THE SUPER DELEGATES WERE TO FLIP-FLOP WHICH THAT DOESN’T SEEM LIKELY. SO I THINK IT’S IMPROBABLE THAT HE COULD WIN. I HATE TO DECLARE THE CAMPAIGN OVER AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE PUNDIT CLASS WERE DECLARING HILLARY CLINTON THE NOMINEE AND BERNIE SANDERS NOWHERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. THEY IGNORED HIM AND THEN THEY BELITTLED HIM AND THEN THEY DIDN’T COVER HIM VERY WELL. EVERY TIME HILLARY WOULD WIN, THEY’D SAY IT’S OVER. AND EVERY TIME BERNIE WOULD WIN THEY’D WOULD DOWN PLAY IT. SO BERNIE SANDERS WANTS TO GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH CALIFORNIA. I THINK HE SHOULD. IT’S REALLY NOT ABOUT HIM. IT’S NEVER BEEN A VANITY CAMPAIGN FOR BERNIE SANDERS. HE’S BEEN TALKING ABOUT ISSUES THAT HE’S REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT. ABOUT OUR ECONOMY BEING RIGGED AND THE POLITICAL SYSTEM NEEDING REFORM AND ABOUT NEEDING FREE COLLEGE EDUCATION AND PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS AND HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AND GOOD TRADE DEALS. I MEAN, THESE ARE THINGS THAT RESONATE WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND CERTAINLY RESONATE WITHIN THE PROGRESSIVE BASE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DO YOU FEEL THE PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT STRONGLY FOR BERNIE SANDERS WOULD ACTUALLY VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON IN THE END?

MATT ROTHSCHILD:

I THINK MOST OF THEM WILL BE. DONALD TRUMP IS THE BARKING DOG THAT’S GOING TO SEND MOST OF THE BERNIE SANDERS VOTERS BACK INTO THE HILLARY CLINTON CAMP. SOME PROGRESSIVES THAT I KNOW HAVE A HABIT OF NOT VOTING FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE BECAUSE THEY DON’T THINK THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IS PROGRESSIVE ENOUGH AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THAT’S STATISTICALLY NON SIGNIFICANT PORTION. MY REAL QUESTION IS WHETHER THE YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED BY BERNIE SANDERS AND THE MESSAGE OF BERNIE SANDERS, WHETHER THEY WILL TURN OUT OR NOT. AND I THINK THAT’S A BIGGER QUESTION MARK.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT DO YOU THINK IF IT SHOULD BE HILLARY CLINTON AND DONALD TRUMP AS THE NOMINEES, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT MATCH UP WILL LOOK LIKE?

MATT ROTHSCHILD:

I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A SLUG FEST AND A MUD FEST BUT I THINK HILLARY CLINTON’S GOING TO PREVAIL ULTIMATELY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. MATT ROTHSCHILD. THANKS VERY MUCH.

MATT ROTHSCHILD:

MY PLEASURE.