Democrats warn UK conservative landslide could signal Trump re-election

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Democrats warn UK conservative landslide could signal Trump re-election

Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee on 2020 Democrats being wary of Boris Johnson election.

This is a rush transcript from "The Story with Martha MacCallum," September 8, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

Martha MacCallum, anchor: Good evening, everybody. I'm Martha MacCallum in New York. And this is "The Story." Wow. Strange day all around. Impeachment in the morning followed by a China deal and a record close for the American markets. Then Boris Johnson, a Trump political sibling from across the pond, scores a win not seen since the days of Margaret Thatcher, but with all that news President Trump is seething about what he calls the cheapening of impeachment.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

President Donald Trump: It's a scam. It's something that shouldn't be allowed and it's a very bad thing for our country and you're trivializing impeachment. And I tell you what, someday they'll be a Democrat president and they'll be a Republican House and I suspect they're going to remember it.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

Martha MacCallum: Political website Axios seems to agree at least in part writing if impeachment becomes just another partisan instrument to juice elections and fundraising that weakens its power as an emergency mechanism and it further polarizes the parties. They went on to say generally that impeachment now goes the way of government shutdowns and Supreme Court fights. It becomes in essence just another partisan slugfest. Tonight, on all of the above Governor Mike Huckabee is with us this evening. Also, Lisa Boothe. She's also been digging into the IG report. She's unearthed some interesting new tantalizing details there that we're going to share with you and here in New York a stunning murder of a young woman, 18 years old, and the suspect that has now been found is just 13. Former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik on what this crime says about what's going on. He is coming up tonight. But first to the biggest national story of the day. Sean Spicer is senior advisor and spokesman for American First action and former White House press secretary under President Trump and Chris Hahn is a former aide to Senator Chuck Schumer and syndicated radio host. Gentlemen, thank you both for being here. Chris, let me start with you here.

Chris Hahn, former aide to Sen. Schumer: Great to be here.

Martha MacCallum: You know, do you think that this is dangerous that this is such a partisan divide that there is really no buy-in from either side on this impeachment and also that it becomes sort of a story that's like just sort of one of the things that happened today, which I find amazing.

Chris Hahn: Well, that's the problem with our news cycle. Right? It is one of the things that happened today. I think it's going to last a little longer than most of the regular news stories. Do I think it's dangerous that it's partisan? Well, I think that the partisan nature of it is dangerous and I wish that Republicans would look at the facts and not just determine that they cannot go against the president and continue to be Republicans. Because they saw what happened to Representative Amash when he bucked the president in support of impeachment. He was thrown out of the party and I think there are a lot of Republicans that fear that kind of reprisal and will not look at the facts that the president on the bottom of Page 3, the top of Page 4 of that transcript asked the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rival and that is not allowed in our republic. It is what the founders feared most, getting foreign governments involved in our elections, and the president must and will be impeached.

Martha MacCallum: Sean, what do you say?

Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary: So, look. If you look back on the comments the Democrats made during the Clinton impeachment from Pelosi to Nadler, they all made it very clear that this shouldn't be a partisan exercise of one party going after another. And here's the interesting thing about this because Chris said if only Republicans would get on board. The interesting thing going into the vote next week is that there's a good chance that it's not Republicans siding with Democrats, but rather some Democrats siding with the Republicans. So, if in fact this is a bipartisan effort, it will be against impeachment, not for it. And that's sort of the irony of this is that the standard has been laid that it shouldn't be partisan, one party going after another, but if there's actually any bipartisan effort coming out of this it's going to be Democrats siding with Republicans.

Martha MacCallum: Well, we will -- we'll see.

Sean Spicer: One more point.

Martha MacCallum: Go ahead.

Sean Spicer: When asked about the time -- when asked by the left about the timetable, Nancy Pelosi and I think she was talking to Rachel Maddow and the left was saying that she hadn't acted quick enough and her comment was "we've been at this two and a half years." Right? Those are her exact words. This was something that they had been going at "for two and a half years." They act as though this was the impetus for this phone call with Ukraine. They have been looking for a reason to start this process for "two and a half years" according to the speaker herself.

Martha MacCallum: Well, it is --

Sean Spicer: This is a political exercise --

Martha MacCallum: --- interesting that --

Sean Spicer: It's a hoax.

Martha MacCallum: Last night the congressional ball was taken place at the White House and it's interesting because there were a number of House Democrats who decided to go. I think a lot of people thought it would be only Republicans. Let's put up the picture of the Democrats who decided that they would go. They obviously have the choice to attend. They're all invited, and these individuals decided that they would do that. They are in districts that Donald Trump won, that they flipped in 2018. Chris Hahn, not all of them, most of them are.

Martha MacCallum: But Chris Hahn, you know, your thoughts on what Sean says that the bipartisan side of this may end up and we don't know the votes next week being against impeachment.

Chris Hahn: Well, they always discount Representative Amash who's a true conservative who was kicked out of the Republican party and will vote to impeach the president next week. He is already on board as saying he's voting to impeach the president. So, let's remember he's not a Democrat.

Martha MacCallum: So, that's one person. Who has --

Chris Hahn: And he was a Republican.

Martha MacCallum: I thought he left the party. I don’t know if he was kicked out or not, but I know he chose to leave the party.

Chris Hahn: He was run out of town. He was run out of town but look, look, I would like to see this be a bipartisan effort. I would like people to look at the facts. I hear that tired talking point about how they've been at it for two and a half years. Nancy Pelosi has been resisting impeachment for two and a half years, but the president gave her no choice on that July 25th phone call and the scheme that Rudy Giuliani has been running in Ukraine for the last year almost. When that came to light the Democrats and the Republicans, quite frankly, had no choice but to impeach them -- him and they should be on board with this because this is not -- this should not be a partisan thing. No president should use the power of his office -- should sit behind the resolute desk and ask a --

Martha MacCallum: Well, it's interesting --

Chris Hahn: --- foreign power for assistance in an election.

[CROSSTALK]

Sean Spicer: Chris, can I ask one quick question?

Martha MacCallum: Go ahead.

Sean Spicer: One question. hold on. Quick question. If Joe Biden decided he wasn't running for president, right, and therefore is it still legitimate, I mean, do you defend Hunter Biden taking $50,000 a month from a Ukrainian oil and gas company while his father was the sitting vice president in charge of Ukrainian policy? Is that acceptable?

Martha MacCallum: Chris.

Chris Hahn: Look, Sean, if not being qualified for things --

Martha MacCallum: Answer the question, Chris. I want to hear your answer.

Chris Hahn: --- is illegal, you would've gotten kicked off "Dancing with the Stars" very early, my friend. I mean, please.

Martha MacCallum: Come on, seriously.

Chris Hahn: There are a lot of people who are unqualified for their job that have their job. That's not illegal, bro.

Martha MacCallum: But he admitted himself that he would never have gotten that job. You know, he said probably not. I wouldn't. And, you know, then there are the memos at the State Department that say, you know, by the way we should probably take this meeting because of this relationship. I mean, I think the thing is that when you look across, you know, the history of presidential scandals and controversies and wrongdoing that has been charged by, you know, either side, it didn't always resort to this route and the problem is I think a lot of Americans say oh, I guess this is just the way this is going to go now whenever anybody is unhappy and I'm not saying that the president wasn't wrong on the phone call, Chris, and I think a lot of people feel that -- you know, that he was, but I'm just saying is the measure of this, the way we sort of beat each other up just going to go to this level? It's like spinal tap, right? like everything's going to go to 11 every single time it loses its meaning.

Chris Hahn: I hope not.

Martha MacCallum: I hope not, too.

Chris Hahn: I hope it doesn't come to this every couple of years. I also hope that we have a Supreme Court that says the president can't obstruct justice the way he's done, obstructing Congress and not releasing documents and not submitting to proper oversight by the legislative branch. We have three co-equal branches of government. We do not have a monarchy.

Martha MacCallum: All right. Hold on. I have a half a minute and I got to squeeze in one more question. No, no, no. Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean, Sean. It's my show last time I checked so hang on one second. I have a question for you, though, Sean. And it has to do with Rudy Giuliani. What do you think about the fact that he came to the White House today and apparently, according to the White House, to the Wall Street Journal, said, you know, I got a treasure trove of stuff when I went over to Ukraine? Sean?

Sean Spicer: He should turn it over to the Department of Justice. We have a Department of Justice that can investigate things that if he has some -- any allegations or evidence of improprieties or wrongdoing then he should turn them over to the proper law enforcement agencies to further investigate them but that's why we have the Department of Justice.

Martha MacCallum: If you were still at the White House would you have said this is a good idea on impeachment day for him to come over to the White House and talk about his recent trip to Ukraine?

Sean Spicer: I would say that anytime anyone in the United States has allegations or evidence of a wrongdoing they should turn it over to the proper authorities.

Martha MacCallum: All right.

Sean Spicer: Regardless of what day it is.

Chris Hahn: You would've said no. You would've said no, and this is just Giuliani. He might be showing them his insurance policy. Who knows?

Martha MacCallum: Well, we'll see. You know what? If he has something good, I think he should turn it over to the Justice Department and we'll see where it goes. Chris Hahn and Sean Spicer, always good to see you both. Thank you very much, guys.

Chris Hahn: Thanks for having us, Martha.

Sean Spicer: Thanks, Martha.

Martha MacCallum: You bet. So, coming up next, the meaning of Boris Johnson as the U.K. brings in a conservative majority not seen since Margaret Thatcher. Is there a 2020 message here for America? Governor Mike Huckabee weighs in on that coming up next.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

President Donald Trump: I want to congratulate Boris Johnson on a terrific victory. I think that might be a harbinger of what's to come in our country. It was last time. I'm sure people will be thrilled to hear that, but a lot of people will be actually.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Martha MacCallum: Big news British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pulled off a landslide victory in the U.K. last night that is setting off alarm bells with Democrats here at home. It may be a warning to those who mistake retweets for momentum.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

Male Speaker: The left on platforms like Twitter thought they were building momentum, thought they could win with socialist policies. One commentator today with a lesson perhaps for America, again saying never believe that Twitter reflects the country.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

Martha MacCallum: So interesting and here's Andrew Sullivan of New York magazine. Listen to what he tweeted today. One lesson from the U.K. if the Democrats don't stop their hard-left slide, they will suffer the same fate as labor. If they don't move off their mat their support for mass immigration they're toast. Ditto the wokeness left Twitter is not reality, says Andrew Sullivan. Here now. Mike Huckabee, former GOP presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor, now Fox News contributor. Governor, good to see you tonight. I just think that the take on that is so is so interesting given where we have been here.

Mike Huckabee, Fox News contributor: Well, I think they're 100 percent accurate of what's happening. A lot of people who would be considered the elitist to the academics, the establishment, the insiders, these are people who don't really understand the working class and there are three things that are very common. If you look at Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, they're the same three things that also were true of Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. And first of all, they were strong personalities. Number two, they were detested by the academics, the elites and the insiders. They were hated and they were looked down upon. And the third thing that really made them alike, they showed respect for the working class. Martha, I read an article today by a firefighter union firefighter in the U.K. named Paul in Bury, and it was brilliant. And he said these people who are ruling in Great Britain don't understand that people don't just want economic security they want cultural security as well. They want to be respected for their views, their religion, their communities, the way they live their lives. And they're sick of being looked down on. That's what we're seeing happen. And it is happening in the U.S. and it's why I honestly believe President Trump will be reelected in a landslide next year.

Martha MacCallum: Well, it's going to be interesting. And one of the things that was so that said so much about this U.K. election is these midland and northern areas, industrial towns that have voted for Labor for decades. And it has to make people look at that and say, you know, are they coming around to a view that Labor is not working for them? It's not moving them forward. And here's Jeremy Corbyn campaigning. Just watch this at home.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party leader: It is a very clear choice. You go down the road of Boris Johnson, a sweetheart deal with Donald Trump. You break off any serious relationship with Europe or you go down the labor way of investing in our country investing to end austerity and redistributing wealth and power in our society in a way that's never been seen before by any government in Britain.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

Martha MacCallum: You know, whenever you hear investing, investing in our people, it means, you know, that we need to all pay higher taxes, essentially and you know that some people think that that is the way to go. Apparently, the people in United Kingdom are going another route, at least this time.

Mike Huckabee: And they're going another round in America. Yeah, the word investment means we're going to spend a whole lot of money, but we've got to take it from you before we can spend it. And then he used the term redistribute. What does that mean? It's socialism and people who work really hard for their own paycheck and want to do things for their family. They don't want to work really hard so the government can take away what they worked for and handed to somebody who didn't work as hard as they did. This isn't complicated. And just as the Labor Party totally missed it in the U.K., I think that the left wing of the Democratic Party it's not all Democrats. But the leadership and the direction of the Democratic Party is redistribution investment that's what they all talk about and it's going to be their undoing.

Martha MacCallum: Let me just play this from Mike Bloomberg real quick, because obviously this is also a signal to the Democrat candidates. Watch this.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

Mike Bloomberg, Democratic presidential candidate: Maybe this is the canary in the coal mine. The public clearly wanted a change in the U.K., it's sort of a catastrophic warning to the Democratic Party that you're just going to have to have somebody that can beat Donald Trump and that is not going to be easy. Americans want change, but I think they don't want revolutionary change. Beating Donald Trump is going to be more difficult after the U.K. election.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

Martha MacCallum: Interesting he used the language that former President Obama used. Americans do not want revolutionary change. They want incremental change picked that line up almost completely from what President Obama said. Does this force Democrats do you think, to take a harder look at Bloomberg and Biden and Klobuchar?

Mike Huckabee: No, because not and certainly not Bloomberg because he's a gun grabbing let me take away your big soda guy, and I'm going to tell you something I don't know where that plays, but it doesn't play in middle America. He better keep that in Manhattan because it sure won't work in Alabama.

Martha MacCallum: Governor Huckabee, always good to have you here. Thank you very much.

Mike Huckabee: Thank you, Martha.

Martha MacCallum: We'll see you soon. Coming up next, how the IG report reveals not only serious flaws about the FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign, but also of the media where Russia gate sort of swirled in an echo chamber. According to Glenn Greenwald, Lisa Boothe has taken a look at this and she's going to break it down with us next.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

Male Speaker: That investigation was developing while you were still on the job.

Male Speaker: Well, it was in terms of looking at what was going on with the Russians and whether or not U.S. persons were actively collaborating, colluding, cooperating, involved in a conspiracy with them or not.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Martha MacCallum: So, for two years, Americans waited for the Mueller report to find out if the stories that they heard and saw everywhere were accurate.

Today, after this week's report from the inspector general, Glenn Greenwald reports this. The IG report reveals a scandal of historic magnitude, he writes. It’s not only for the FBI, but also for the US media.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

Female Speaker: He's taken a series of steps that had Vladimir Putin dictated them, he couldn't have married more effectively. What his motivations are, I think is a legitimate question.

Male Speaker: Something is having an impact on President Trump with respect to dealing with Russia.

Male Speaker: I really do wonder whether the Russians have something on him.

Female Speaker: There is still a chance that Vladimir Putin is controlling the White House.

Male Speaker: I think there's a lot of smoke, and I would suspect that there's fire there when it comes to the fact that we know Russia interfered in the election to help Trump.

[END VIDEO CLIPS]

Martha MacCallum: Joining me now with her take on this tonight, Lisa Boothe, Fox News contributor. So, he sort of indicts -- Glenn Greenwald indicts two groups, the FBI, based on the IG report and the U.S. media. So, U.S. media first, how much, you know, egg is on a lot of faces?

Lisa Boothe, Fox News contributor: I mean, a time, but I don't think they see it that way because quite frankly, I just don't think they care. And I always ask myself this question about all of this, would the media really care about Russian interference if Hillary Clinton would have won? Would we have heard much about it, would it have gotten a ton of attention? Or would President Obama even go through with sanctions and try to put the heat on Russia as he did on his way out, if Hillary Clinton would have won?

Because we had heard that he wasn't really doing anything about this. He knew about the Russian meddling because he thought Hillary Clinton was going to win, or at least there were reports of that at the time. So, I asked myself that, and I think the answer is no. And that is telling in itself. And what I also find just incredibly damaging and very scary is the mere fact that you look at the media peddled basically, you know, opposition research from Hillary Clinton and the DNC, who was when it was put together by a British national British spy comprised of Russian sources. And they peddled this uncritically for a couple of years. And then not only that, you look at the role that the FBI played in it, and they used it as an essential piece of obtaining a FISA warrant against an American citizen who was affiliated with the Trump campaign. And that tells you a lot as well about the motivations of both the media as well as the FBI.

Martha MacCallum: Yeah, I mean, it was an echo chamber that worked incredibly well in terms of sort of permeating American thought in the entire country. I mean, I remember seeing on The View, I think it was Joy Behar sort of yelling about Carter Page, how upset she was about Carter Page. And I think I've, you know, interviewed the guy several times. It turned out to not be -- you know, I think we just all need to sort of hit the pause button. That's the lesson here, you have to wait for the facts. You can't jump to conclusions. Greenwald also says in his piece for years we were told by the nation's leading national security reporters that something was blatantly false, that the FBI warrants spy on Carter page were not based on the Steele dossier. I mean, it it is this -- he's calling out, you know, sort of both of them for essentially jumping to conclusions, I guess is the nicest way to put it or perhaps something more nefarious than that.

Lisa Boothe: Well, and the inspector general report says that it played an essential and central role in obtaining the FISA warrants. We know that it is absolutely a truth and what we have the media doing now? They're trying to focus on just the fact that Horowitz had said that the Crossfire hurricane was predicated, even though he says and admits that that's a very low threshold to even starting that counterintelligence investigation. So, they're trying to fixate on that and they're ignoring the fact that there were 17 errors and omissions that were made. The fact that you look at someone like Kevin Clinesmith, who doctored information that says that Carter Page was working with the CIA.

Martha MacCallum: The whole story is just incredible that you can change something to say he is not a source when he was a source of the CIA. Those two words " not a" the impact that it had on Carter Page's life for years and years. No wonder he is lining up to sue all of these entities. I don't blame him one bit.

Lisa Boothe: He had been working for the United States government, not against it. And Kevin Clinesmith took it in his own hands to change that and change that fate for Carter Page. Additionally, you look at the way the media and the FBI work together, whether it's James Comey in that January 6, 2017, meeting with then President elect Donald Trump, talking about the salacious details in the dossier, briefing him on that. He knew the media was looking for a newser. Guess what? News of that meeting leaked and then it gave the media the ability to run something that was verified that they couldn't run previously because of that news.

Martha MacCallum: And not only that, James Comey didn't say, by the way, this is something that somebody said in a bar. And the person who passed it along was horrified that it was even put in the dossier because it was on such skinny ground. I got to leave it there. Lisa, great to see you tonight.

Lisa Boothe: Thank you, Martha.

Martha MacCallum: So, coming up, police confirming this evening that they now have a second suspect in custody in the brutal stabbing death of an 18-year-old college freshman in New York City in a park near her university. Former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik on the shocking details we are learning tonight, next.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Martha MacCallum: Disturbing new details tonight on a horrific story here in New York. Tessa Majors, a Barnard College freshman, was found brutally stabbed to death in a park steps away from her college campus. Tonight, two suspects are in custody. Police say a 13-year-old confessed to Tessa's murder. A second suspect is also in custody now. Investigators are searching for a third, all of whom may be under 18 years old. Here now, Bernard Kerik, former commissioner of the New York City police department. Bernie, good to see you tonight. This is just the most horrible horrific story.

Bernard Kerik: Thank you, Martha.

Martha MacCallum: What's your reaction to what we're learning here?

Bernard Kerik: Well, I think it's tragic. I think it's horrible. I don't think it should've happened. You know, people are going to have to look at the security around that school but more so -- more important to me, Martha, is the image, the perception that it has given to New Yorkers. You know, I was at lunch with a number of people, New York City residents, this afternoon and I had a number of them come to me and said I feel like we're going in reverse. I feel like it's back in the '70s, '80s, early '90s and people are getting worried.

Martha MacCallum: That was not a good time. And what does it tell you that these are such young suspects, Bernie? You know, based on your experience what does that tell you about what might have happened here?

Bernard Kerik: Well, I think it's two things. I think you have to look at where these kids come from. You know, who their parents are, accountability and responsibility at the parental level, but there's a bigger issue, Martha, and that is the emboldening of the criminal element in New York City and around the country. You know, we're -- we live in a time right now where law enforcement is told not to enforce the law. We live in a time where you have county and city mayors and governors that villainize the police and they embolden the thugs in the street. And I think that has a lot to do with what we're seeing on -- with crime in the streets in the city.

Martha MacCallum: It's tragic and, as you say, it's going in the wrong direction. I want to get a quick thought from you on this Jersey City killing, also horrific. A kosher deli detective Joseph Seals, Moshe Deutsch, Mindy Ferencz, Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, all killed brutally in this incident. What can you tell us about that tonight?

Bernard Kerik: Well, I think the investigation is still ongoing by the Jersey City PD, the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office and the attorney general's office from the state, but the one thing I really want to have people focus on is the death of those lost and most importantly to me the death of Joseph Seals, the detective from Jersey City. This is a kid that's 40 years old. He has five children. I think under 10 years old. It's two weeks before Christmas. This is a guy that took a number of guns off the streets. He's done a phenomenal job for the citizens of Jersey City and he's representative of what cops do every single day in this country. They go out and they put their lives on the line for people they don't know. They don't care what color they are, where they come from, what religion they are. Joseph Seals should be remembered for his courage, for his bravery, and my heart goes out to his family and his colleagues.

Martha MacCallum: So true. Mine too.

Bernard Kerik: And the Jersey City PD.

Martha MacCallum: And mine, too. Tunnel to Towers is helping his family and we think of all of them this Christmas. He had a stellar record. If you read into what he did in his time in -- as an officer and a detective in New Jersey, you will be so impressed and thankful and grateful for his life. Bernard Kerik, thank you. Good to see you tonight.

Bernard Kerik: Martha, thank you.

Martha MacCallum: Coming up next, the president is being impeached, the economy is booming, a recipe for a wild election year. So, who can beat President Trump? The Friday panel takes that on coming up next.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

President Donald Trump: But the impeachment hoax is about overturning your great 2016 vote or in the alternative trying to win the 2020 election. That's not going to happen.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS]

Joe Biden: I know that Joe Biden is the person who can beat Donald Trump.

Elizabeth Warren: That is our path to beat Donald Trump in 2020.

Bernie Sanders: I want your support to defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country.

[END VIDEO CLIPS]

Martha MacCallum: So how would it be done? 2020 Democrats often pitch themselves as the candidate who can defeat President Trump, but do any of them actually have what it would take to do that? In her latest Wall Street Journal piece, Peggy Noonan highlights the circumstances that make this election very unique. Quote, America has functional full employment. It is a marvelous thing. We're not in any new wars with peace and prosperity. How can an incumbent lose? The counter argument is that his approval is stuck in the mid-40s with peace and prosperity, which tells you everything he is he is vulnerable more than half the country rejects him in what are for him ideal circumstances. So here now, Friday panel Rachel Campos-Duffy, Jessica Tarlov and Lawrence Jones, great to see you all. So that's kind of the crazy dichotomy of this day, right? You have the market hitting all time highs. You have a China trade deal whatever it turns out to be, we will see. And then you have impeachment sort of all on the platter in one moment. Rachel?

Rachel Campos-Duffy, Fox News contributor: Well, at the end of this article, she admits that we really don't know from these polls because there's a lot of Trump voters who don't respond to these polls, because if they do, they get smeared with being a racist if they like Donald Trump and the bottom line is the Democrats are talking about impeachment. The Democrats talk about climate change and Donald Trump is talking about rebalancing our trade with China. He's talking about family leave for families. He's talking about jobs. He's making sense and he's actually fulfilling promises and making people's lives better, in my view and I think that's resonating and I think the polls aren't capturing it entirely.

Martha MacCallum: All right with that being said, let's look at a poll we'll see what people think of it. This one is the Wisconsin poll. It's a 2020 preview it shows it's from Marquette University. It shows Joe Biden as the only candidate who squeaks by President Trump and more and more, Jessica, we see in head to head polls that Joe Biden appears to be the strongest one of the pack.

Jessica Tarlov, Fox News contributor: He was always the strongest one of the pack. But the problem is, is now the other candidates aren't leading at all. If you look at those swing states, the ones that gave President Trump his seventy-seven-thousand-person electoral win in 2016. Now, Democrats are underwater in Wisconsin specifically, that seems to be due to impeachment, where we saw a twenty-two-point swing in approval amongst independents. But Joe Biden has been winning the, quote, electability war in the Democratic primary since day one, he's been at 50, 60 percent of people saying we prioritize beating Donald Trump and Joe Biden is the one to do it. The only other person that I'm watching and she saw a big surge, almost a 9, 10-point bump in Iowa was Amy Klobuchar.

Martha MacCallum: Yes, she's very interesting.

Jessica Tarlov: Who is also running in the middle lane. She has that Midwestern charm thing going for her. She had a great line where she said, I can see Iowa from my window. She also has similar policies to Joe Biden, which is incrementalism versus political revolution. I'm so interested to see if she continues to rise. But right now, I think Joe Biden is the one candidate that can beat Donald Trump.

Martha MacCallum: Right.

Lawrence Jones, Fox News contributor: I disagree because I've been on the campaign trail --

Female Speaker: That shocks me Lawrence.

Lawrence Jones: I've been on the trail I've been following Joe. He can barely get people to fill a room. His campaign has tried to shield him. He's always going out the back door. This is a guy that wants to talk with people, but people really don't want to talk with him. I mean, when I talk to voters, even the ones are supporting him, they're only supporting him because they feel like he's the best candidate to beat Donald Trump. So, although he may be the strongest candidate when it comes to electability, when it comes to policy and going for those progressive values, he really isn't the strongest candidate and so the Democrats are in a pickle. The Hunter Biden thing is going to come up during the general election. He's been weak on it it right now. I mean, this has been going on for weeks now he should have an answer. He was just given an interview the other day, really didn't have an answer for that and so I believe the campaign protecting him, the media protecting him is going to hurt him when it comes to the general election.

Jessica Tarlov: Yeah you know, that's the thing. I mean, I wonder, you've still got a group up there. And I think this story is not yet written. I mean, we could see Amy Klobuchar have a very good run and perhaps even move into that front spot, because I think that the smaller the group gets, the more focus there is on Joe Biden and the more spotlight is on Joe Biden Rachel. And we know that just watching him, he doesn't always hold up that well under that spotlight.

Rachel Campos-Duffy: And as somebody who's been in campaigns, you know, my husband was a politician. Enthusiasm matters so just imagine if Joe Biden actually gets that nomination. Where is the enthusiasm they're not excited about him? Donald Trump Donald Trump has united the party. You know, they had a poll recently that said that a majority of Republicans think he's as good of a president as Abraham Lincoln. So, there's a lot of enthusiasm there.

Rachel Campos-Duffy: I'm just saying the poll came out and you can't deny it. I'm on the ground. I talk to people they like him they feel like he's fighting for them and he's fighting for things that matter to them.

Lawrence Jones: To be fair to Rachel there's is a point to that. As someone has been out there on both sides there is an excitement for him. It's the same excitement...

Rachel Campos-Duffy: I think that's pretty clear.

Lawrence Jones: that I once saw with Barack Obama the problem is there's no Democrat that has that same excitement.

Jessica Tarlov: And this is what I've said it a lot. You know, when you want to unseat an incumbent president, you look at people who've been able to do that. Bill Clinton. Ronald Reagan.

Rachel Campos-Duffy: Yeah.

Martha MacCallum: OK so you look at this field and you say to yourself, and I think you have to have a super optimistic, big positive. Come with me. I'm going to take you where I'm going and we're going to all be better for its message. And just like is that happening with any of these votes?

Jessica Tarlov: I would say actually out of the group of potential Democratic nominees Joe Biden is the most optimistic. He's the one who they.. --

Lawrence Jones: No Malarkey.

Jessica Tarlov: Yeah the no BS tour I tell it like it is. Joe Biden is the only one who says, guess what? I can work with Republicans who even said to Republican voters, vote for me, but continue to vote Republican down.

Rachel Campos-Duffy: But there's something else on the ballot, Martha, and it's socialism. And I think when....

Martha MacCallum: I have not seen that as a category Rachel.

Rachel Campos-Duffy: But it's out there well, when socialism.

Martha MacCallum: You saw how it fared in the U.K. and it didn't fare well at all. I want to just fit in just one moment because it's Friday. This is Taylor Swift, who, if you don't know this, got the decade Woman of the Decade award and she's very upset with Scooter Braun, who she had an original business deal with because he's not giving her all of the rights to her music. Watch this.

[BEGIN VIDEO CLIP]

Taylor Swift: Private equity is what enabled this man to think, according to his own social media post, that he could buy me. The definition of the toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying but he's always been nice to me when I'm raising valid concerns about artists and their rights to own their music.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

Martha MacCallum: So, this is a business deal that she's not happy with. I completely get that. I'm not sure why it matters whether she did this deal with a man or a woman Lawrence it happens to have been a man. She's angry and she has every right to be about this but, you know, when it comes back to toxic masculinity and don't forget private equity because those people that make money are also horrible.

Lawrence Jones: Go buy your muse and then talk to all the male artists that are legends that don't hold their masters.

Martha MacCallum: Yeah, exactly.

Lawrence Jones: There's a lot of people, both male and female. So, I think she's cheapening this argument. Just go buy it. At least you have the opportunity to buy your masters. There's a lot of legends that don't have that opportunity.

Martha MacCallum: I also don't love that she's, you know, saying if you don't agree with me, if you think he's a nice guy, then you're on the wrong side of this equation. So, we're got to leave it there. Thank you, all of you. Great having you here tonight. Coming up next, an incredible act of goodwill to bring Christmas spirit to families of fallen soldiers, veterans and law enforcement by decorating their homes in red, white and blue lights. This story is phenomenal.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Martha MacCallum: One man's act of kindness, capturing the true meaning of Christmas. Derek Claflin, an Air Force veteran, owns a lighting company in a small town in Illinois. Every year he sets out to brighten the lives of heroes and their families by decorating their homes in red, white and blue lights for the holidays. Recently, the story caught up with Derek at a home, grieving the loss of their son and brother in Afghanistan. Watch this.

Derek Claflin: We started this five years ago. We knew right away we're going to do a program called Decorated Heroes Program where we try to take care of the local police officers and local veterans in our area where we just give back and do their house in red, white and blue for families that we're going through, hard times over the holiday season.

Male Speaker: Josh Rogers was an Army Ranger, and he was one of our local heroes that was killed in action two and a half years ago. We've been doing their lights now. His parents, and his brothers and sisters for the last three years now. We've heard a lot about him through his parents. And I've never met him. He was a lot younger than I was. He enlisted after I got in the military. But I feel like I know him after spending so much time with his family over the last three years, and his sacrifice for our country will never be forgotten.

Female Speaker: There's our son, Sergeant Joshua Patrick Rogers.

Unfortunately, Josh and Cameron and a third soldier, Lieutenant Daniel Strauss, were hit -- they got between the good guys and the bad guys. So, they caught friendly fire.

It was a successful mission. We take comfort in that. We take comfort in knowing that it was Josh's dream to be an Army Ranger. Sharing his story keeps him alive. It keeps his story alive. People know who he is. And we also share his story to remind people that we have military deployed in over 150 countries.

Male Speaker: We want people to understand what's going on and some other things we hear now. I mean, it's amazing what these men and women are doing across the world for us. The thing I heard once that I can't forget is "every night there is somebody in a battle somewhere for us."

Female Speaker: The men that Josh served with, they take a creed. So, in each branch of the military, they have a specific creed that they take. But they all include some reference to never leave behind to give an example of how morally strong our military is. That means so much more than just Josh died in battle in Afghanistan. When we met them, they hugged my neck and they said, "You're my mom now."

Male Speaker: That is the best thing ever for us, is talking to a guy who served with Josh, who has some silly story about what they did. Those are some of the coolest things I have.

Female Speaker: It's important that people don't forget that the holidays can be incredibly challenging for families that are experiencing deployments. Certainly, families that have experienced a loss and families that are experiencing disabilities both seen and unseen. So, it can be a really challenging season. And we met Derek a couple of years ago when he asked if he could put lights on the house. He kind of told us what he did. It's so much more than Christmas lights on a house. I mean, it's a smile. it's knowing that someone cares.

Male Speaker: I work every day. People are asking about the lights.

Female Speaker: They are certainly there for Josh. I mean, Derek did it for our family, but it's a gift to the entire community, to the veteran community, to our Ranger family. It's important to have a sense of complete and total confidence that he has not been forgotten. And this is one of the things I think that does that.

This is a flag and it's from Joshua's uniform. And so it comes with a card with Josh's story, just in case you forget. You know, but I want you to have this because you've made an incredible impression on not only us, but on just many people with whom now we get to share this story about this incredible man who served our country and came back and continues to serve. And so we just want you to have this flag.

Derek Claflin: This means a lot. I love you guys.

Martha MacCallum: Well done. And all of those families. We keep them in our prayers and thoughts of all the families of veterans at this Christmas season. Coming up next week, "The Story" follows the Decorated Heroes program once again to decorate for a Purple Heart recipient celebrating Christmas at home for the first time in 30 years. That is "The Story" on this Friday, December 13th at 2019. My daughter's birthday. Happy birthday to her. "The Story" goes on. We'll see you back here on Monday night at 7 o'clock, everybody. Have a great weekend.

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