ANTICIPATED DEBATE.
>> BRANDIS, A PANDEMIC, A RACIAL
JUSTICE MOVEMENT AND A RUSH TO
CONFIRM A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE.
WITH THE ISSUES FRONT AND
CENTER, DONALD TRUMP AND JOE
BIDEN FACE OFF IN THE FIRST OF
THREE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.
JOINING US TO SHARE WHAT THEY
WILL BE WATCHING FOR TONIGHT ARE
ED LEE, HE'S SENIOR DIRECTOR OF
THE ALVIN W. BARCLAY FORUM AT
EMORY UNIVERSITY ATLANTA.
AND MARI MASENG WILL, PRINCIPLE
AT MASENG COMMUNICATIONS, SHE IS
PREPARED REPUBLICAN, SENATE AND
CONGRESSIONAL AND GUBERNATORIAL
CANDIDATES FOR DEBATES AND
WORKED WITH PRESIDENT RONALD
REAGAN.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.
ED LEE WHAT DO YOU THINK JOE
BIDEN'S STRATEGY WILL BE TONIGHT
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
>> I THINK THAT JOE BIDEN IS
SETUP TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD
NIGHT.
ONE OF THE THINGS I'M LOOKING
FOR IS TO SHOW UP WITH ENERGY
THAT SOMEONE WHO IS EXCITED
ABOUT BEING THERE.
COUNTERS THE NARRATIVE THAT HE
IS SLEEPY AND CAN'T STAY AWAKE.
AND THAT THE ABILITY TO JUST
ENJOY THE MOMENT.
AND EXUDE A PRESENCE THAT HE IS
QUITE PRESIDENTIAL AND READY FOR
THE MOMENT AND EXCITED TO BE ON
STAGE WITH OUR CURRENT
PRESIDENT.
>> AND MARI MASENG WILL, WHAT DO
YOU EXPECT THE PRESIDENT'S
STRATEGY TO BE?
>> I EXPECT HIM TO BE ON THE
OFFENSIVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
AND I EXPECT HIM TO ALSO ENJOY
THE EXPERIENCE.
HE IS A TV GUY OR THINKS OF
HIMSELF AS A TV GUY.
WHEN I COACH PEOPLE I TELL THEM
IT IS A GAME IT'S GOING TO BE
FUN AND THEN WHEN THEY GET ON
STAGE AND THEY ARE PREPARED THEY
DO HAVE A GOOD TIME.
AND THE AUDIENCE WHICH IS THE
AUDIENCE WATCHING ON TELEVISION
NOT IN THE HALL, THE AUDIENCE
WILL PICK UP ON THAT.
YOU WILL SEE IT IN BODY LANGUAGE
AND TONE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.
AND I EXPECT HE IS GOING TO DO
THAT.
I THINK BOTH OF THESE DEBATERS
ARE VERY GOOD AT THAT AND VERY
GOOD AT BEING ON THE OFFENSIVE.
>> ED LEE MOST PEOPLE DON'T
THINK OF FUN WHEN THEY THINK OF
A DEBATE CERTAINLY AT THIS
LEVEL.
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL PITFALLS
FOR THE TWO INDICATES?
>> ONE OF THE --
CANDIDATES.
>> ONE OF THE PITFALLS FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS THAT HE GETS
A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY
OUT OF THE CROWD.
THAT HE IS A TV GUY AN
ENTERTAINER AND THE ABILITY FOR
HIM TO SHOW UP IN A SPARSE
AUDIENCE AND MAINTAIN A LEVEL OF
ENERGY AND BEING ABLE TO PRETEND
AS IF THERE IS A CROWD AND THAT
HE IS NOT BORED THAT HE DOESN'T
LOOK LIKE HE IS LETHARGIC OR
STRESSED I THINK THAT IS A
SIGNIFICANT DOWNSIDE RISK THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS A BRILLIANT
AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE
AUDIENCE NEEDS AT THAT
PARTICULAR MOMENT AND ADJUSTING
TO THAT.
THE LACK OF A CROWD IS SOMETHING
THAT I HOPE THAT HIS CAMPAIGN
ADVISERS ARE PREPPING HIM TO
DEAL WITH AND NOT HAVING THAT
CALL AND RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP
THAT HE IS USED TO HAVING WITH
THE AUDIENCES THAT SHOW UP FOR
HIS RALLIES AND OTHER EVENTS.
THE --
>> I WAS GOING TO CLARIFY UNDER
THE DEBATE RULES ONLY 75 PEOPLE
WILL BE IN PHYSICAL PRESENCE.
MARI MASENG WILL WHAT DO YOU
THINK THE DOWNSIDES OR THE
PITFALLS MIGHT BE BE FOR EITHER
OF THE CANDIDATES AND I WILL GET
BACK TO YOU, ED.
>> WELL, I THINK THAT THE
BIGGEST HANDICAP FOR THE FORMER
VICE-PRESIDENT HE HAS NOT BEEN
CAMPAIGNING THE WAY TRUMP HAS
BEEN CAMPAIGNING.
AND EVERYONE I'VE EVER WORKED
FOR HAS GOTTEN BETTER AT
CAMPAIGNING AND THEREFORE BETTER
AT THE DEBATES THE FARTHER ALONG
THEY GET INTO IT.
YOU GET ON A ROLL YOU HAVE
THINGS THAT YOU ARE USED TO
SAYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
THE MUSCLE MEMORY IN YOUR MOUTH.
AND HE HAS NOT DONE THAT.
I KNOW HE HAS BEEN PREPPING IN A
PROFESSIONAL MANNER AND THAT
WHEN HE TAKES DEBATES SERIOUSLY
FOR EXAMPLE, HE SCHOOLED ME ON
DEBATES WITH HIS DEBATE WITH
PAUL RYAN.
HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK.
HE WAS TERRIFIC.
AND HE MAINTAINED CONTROL ALMOST
THE ENTIRE TIME.
BUT THAT WAS NOT IN A PANDEMIC
YEAR.
THAT WAS JOHN NOTHDURFT IN THIS
THAT WAS NOT IN A PANDEMIC YEAR.
>> TO WHOM WHEN YOU WERE
REFERRING THAT HE SCHOOLED YOU?
>> JOE BIDEN.
>> HE WAS INCREDIBLY --
I DON'T KNOW IN ED AGREES BUT
THAT DEBATE WAS A WORK OF ART.
>> ED LEE YOU WERE ABOUT TO MAKE
MORE POINT?
>> I AGREE WITH MARCHI AND THE
PAUL RYAN AND THE JOE BIDEN
DEBATES ONE OF THE THINGS HE DID
WELL HE WAS IN THE MOMENT.
IT FELT LIKE HE WAS PART OF A
CONVERSATION WITH PAUL RYAN AND
ONE OF THE FEARS THAT I HAVE
ABOUT JOE BIDEN AT THIS MOMENT
IS THAT HE IS SPENT A
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME
PREPARING FOR THE DEBATE INSTEAD
OF PREPARING TO HAVE A
SPONTANEOUS AND I IMPROMPTU
CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS WALLACE
AND THE AUDIENCE.
I WOULD FEAR IF I WAS THE
CAMPAIGN THAT HE IS TOO
PROGRAMMED AT THE MOMENT.
BECAUSE WHAT MARI MASENG WILL
IDENTIFIED IS THE VALUE OF
DEVELOPING THAT MUSCLE MEMORY.
AND I SHARE HER CONCERNS OF
WHETHER OR NOT THAT IS SOMETHING
THAT JOE BIDEN HAS BEEN ABLE TO
DEVELOP WITH THE LACK OF
CAMPAIGNING IN THE TRADITIONAL
SENSE.
>> WELL, THE CONVERSATION WILL
FOCUS ON SIX TOPICS, TRUMP AND
BIDEN'S RECORDS THE SUPREME
COURT, COVID-19, THE ECONOMY,
RACE AND VIOLENCE IN THE U.S.
CITIES AND THE INTEGRITY OF THE
ELECTION.
MARI MASENG WILL IS THIS AGENDA
FAVOR ONE CANDIDATE OVER THE
OTHER?
>> I WAS LOOKING AT IT TODAY AND
THINK TO GO MIGHT FAVOR TRUMP
BECAUSE IF HE CAN POINT TO HIS
ECONOMIC RECORD WHICH WAS
INCREDIBILITY ONE OF THE BEST
ECONOMIES WE'VE EVER HAD UNTIL
THE PANDEMIC.
AND TRY TO TURN THAT INTO HOPE
FOR AMERICA IN THE FUTURE.
VOTERS DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT
WHAT HE DID FOR THEM YESTERDAY
THEY CARE WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO
DO FOR ME TOMORROW.
IF HE CAN LEVERAGE THAT AND BEST
ABLE TO BRING US BACK INTO A
VIBRANT ECONOMY ON THE ONE HAND
AND NOT KNOCK THE LEGS OUT FROM
UNDER BIDEN BY PINNING HIM AS
SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO STRANGLE
YOU WITH REGULATIONS AND TAXES
AND ECONOMIC PROGRAMS THAT LED
TO ONE OF THE --
SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES WE HAD
OVER THE OBAMA YEARS, I THINK
THAT WILL BE A BIG VICTORY.
THAT IS WHAT REPUBLICAN VOTERS
ARE LOOKING FOR BUT MOST
IMPORTANTLY THAT IS WHAT THE
SWING VOTERS WHO MIGHT SUPPORT A
REPUBLICAN IN THIS --
THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
I THINK BIDEN IS GOING TO FOCUS
ON THE CORONAVIRUS HE THINKS
THAT IS A BIG PLUS.
BUT FROM THE POLLS I LOOK AT
MOST AMERICANS DO NOT PUT THAT
AT THE TOP OF THEIR ISSUE LIST.
DEMOCRATS DO.
AND I THINK THE WORRY FOR BIDEN
ON THIS ISSUE LIST IS THAT HE
WILL CONTINUE SPEAKING TO HIS
PARTY RATHER THAN TO THE SWING
VOTERS THAT HE CAN KEEP FROM
GOING BACK TO TRUMP.
>> AND I'M AFRAID WE WERE OUT OF