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DOES DONALD TRUMP NEED TO SPEND MORE OF HIS MONEY TO WIN?
Michelle Fields: Well we know that the other strategy, which was what he was doing, wasn't working. He can't just draw great crowds and expect that these people are going to go out and vote. He needs to have a ground game. People in New Hampshire and Iowa they don’t want to meet the candidate at a huge event, where they have to stand in line for hours in the cold to talk to the candidate. They want to talk to the candidate in their diner, in their local library, their local breakfast shop. That’s what he needs to be doing, retail politics.
Juan Williams: Well that’s true. But let’s remember, that Donald Trump got a tremendous number of votes in Iowa. He lost, but he did very well in terms of getting votes, but I do think the big difference here is spending money. So, Eric, the answer to your question is yes. It will make a difference. You know the question that all the pollsters ask, will the Trumpateers actually show up at the polls. Some people thought after Iowa, that was a problem. I know the crew’s people told me they did not see the Donald’s ground game in Iowa. I expect to see it in New Hampshire.
Jonathan Hoenig: Spending has nothing to do with it, Eric. The money is irrelevant when it comes to winning elections. And Jeb Bush as Trump always talks about, proves that. I mean, Jeb Bush has spent a tremendous amount of money. If spending money worked then you know Hillary would be trouncing Sanders and Jeb Bush would be running away with it. People don’t vote. Voters are not like Pavlov’s dog, they don’t respond to a token put into their socket to go out and vote. They vote based on morality, they vote based on ideals and the vetting process of these primaries has steered the attention away from Cruz and towards Trump.
Jessica Tarlov: I think what Donald Trump really has going for him is that he's actually quite likable in small groups. He has a charming personality. I think that's part of why he gets a lot accomplished also in business. I think smaller crowds will definitely benefit him. I think spending more; I don't think it can ever be a mistake as long as you're not perceived as trying to buy an election, which he's not. He's not using a super Pac, he and Bernie Sanders both aren’t doing that. So I think that yes, if he's spending more of his money, he’s showing I’m investing in this because I believe in my message and I believe in you that it will benefit him. I don't know. I think Marco Rubio is the one on the rise here personally, but I don't think he can be hurt by spending.
NEW DEBATE OVER SOCIALISM AS SANDERS GAINS MORE YOUNG SUPPORTERS
Jonathan Hoenig: Well, young people are idealistic. They believe in morality, they believe in issues, they believe in consistency. And, that is Bernie Sanders.
Jessica Tarlov: It's when the economy is organized around the needs of the people and that's what comes first. That's what it is. That's what everyone should have said. That's what Debbie Wasserman Shultz should have said. That’s what everyone should know. And that’s why you should know that Bernie Sanders is not the right candidate on the Democratic side. This is not what’s going to work, America runs because of capitalism. We need a healthy social safety net, of course, and that's what Hillary Clinton is talking about. But the younger voters, I was very disconcerted to see that between 30, going up to 50 percent of some of these groups are saying socialism is the way that we should be running our country. Calls for a complete overhaul of what makes America great and I don’t really understand it. I talked to a lot of people about it and they don't seem understand that if you raise the minimum wage to $15, and I’m for raising it to $12. We know that 10, 10 would be safe.
Michelle Fields: Eric, we're doomed. I went to the Bernie Sanders event in Iowa and it's filled with tons of people my age. They don't understand what socialism is. They just hear free college, free this; free that and they jump on board. And, the reason why is because they have professors who are telling them that socialism is good. They've been indoctrinated to believe that. They don't even understand it.
Juan Williams: Well that’s the thing. I was so interested to listen to Jonathan talk about idealism. I thought Jonathan was very supportive of these young people. And I got to tell you Jonathan, those young people do not like a broker like you. They think that guys like you on Wall Street. Well I always think of you as a broker because of your stock tips.
PRESIDENT ASKING FOR $1.1B TO HELP FIGHT HEROIN AND OPIOID ADDICTION
Juan Williams: Well, not if you call it the war on drugs. As we remembered from the Reagan years or even from higher mandatory sentencing, this is what you call more attention to counseling and rehabilitation and if that's answer, yes. We need to put more money into saving human being, getting places, not just New Hampshire; this is something that is nationwide. I’ll tell you something that strikes me about it, when it was a black and Hispanic problem, you didn't see this kind of outpouring from the politicians.
Jonathan Hoenig: Eric, as you said a trillion plus since Nixon, under Bush, under all presidents, has perpetrated this continuing war on drugs. It's not only been a cost in the pocketbook, but how many lives have we ruined by, to Juan’s point, mandatory incarceration and of all the things Obama could have done, forget Gitmo, forget socialized health care, why couldn’t he have just pushed us towards drug decriminalization.
Michelle Fields: Look, I agree that we need to improve our treatment centers but we also need to stop the flow and access of these drugs, which is why we need to secure our border, which no one seems to be talking about.
Jessica Tarlov: These prescriptions aren’t coming from Mexican doctors; I mean they're coming from American doctors who are overprescribing. I think, listen, this is one of the places where we have bipartisan agreement. Let's go with it. That rarely happens, I'm all for it.
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