1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,920 ANNOUNCER: This is the Washington Week Webcast Extra. 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:11,140 GWEN IFILL: Hello, I'm Gwen Ifill and this is a stripped-down version of the Washington 3 00:00:11,140 --> 00:00:15,410 Week Webcast Extra. I'm joined around the table by Jeanne Cummings of The Wall Street 4 00:00:15,410 --> 00:00:20,040 Journal and Alexis Simendinger of RealClearPolitics. So it turns out some voters are 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:25,420 thinking ahead. Witness this New Hampshire exchange with Hillary Clinton this week. 6 00:00:25,420 --> 00:00:30,250 AUDIENCE MEMBER: (From video.) The next president will probably appoint several members 7 00:00:30,250 --> 00:00:36,290 of the Supreme Court. Would you consider appointing Obama? (Laughter.) 8 00:00:36,290 --> 00:00:44,170 HILLARY CLINTON: (From video.) Wow, what a great idea. (Laughter, applause.) Nobody has 9 00:00:44,170 --> 00:00:52,650 ever suggested that to me. Wow. I love that. Wow. He may have a few 10 00:00:52,650 --> 00:00:56,990 other things to do, but - (laughter) - I'll tell you, that's a great idea. 11 00:00:56,990 --> 00:01:01,310 GWEN IFILL: Not very often do you actually get to see a candidate get asked a question 12 00:01:01,310 --> 00:01:06,020 they hadn't heard before. And that response, her response, earned her a debate-stage 13 00:01:06,020 --> 00:01:11,030 attack from Marco Rubio. But was it really that surprising an answer? 14 00:01:11,030 --> 00:01:14,970 I didn't think so, that she would say sure, why not, Alexis. 15 00:01:14,970 --> 00:01:18,010 ALEXIS SIMENDINGER: Well, what is she going to say, oh, that's an appalling idea? 16 00:01:18,010 --> 00:01:23,100 No, no. And in fact, what it reminded me of, actually, was after her 2008 loss there 17 00:01:23,100 --> 00:01:28,350 was some discussion about whether she herself would make a good Supreme Court justice. 18 00:01:28,350 --> 00:01:34,420 So the concept would not have surprised her, but she knows President Obama well enough to 19 00:01:34,420 --> 00:01:38,490 know that he is going to be busy doing other things. But - 20 00:01:38,490 --> 00:01:42,020 GWEN IFILL: For the record, his press secretary was asked about it today and said no. 21 00:01:42,020 --> 00:01:46,430 JEANNE CUMMINGS: Can you imagine President Obama and Justice Scalia trapped together for 22 00:01:46,430 --> 00:01:49,260 years to come in lifetime appointments? 23 00:01:49,260 --> 00:01:51,630 GWEN IFILL: That would be kind of fun to watch, actually. 24 00:01:51,630 --> 00:01:54,670 JEANNE CUMMINGS: I don't know, I think I'd - I think I'd give them room. 25 00:01:54,670 --> 00:01:57,840 GWEN IFILL: One of the interesting things about it, though, is we all say every single 26 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,350 four years that the most important part of what happens - one of the most important 27 00:02:01,350 --> 00:02:04,980 reasons why we elect a president is who's going to - they're going to appoint, who will 28 00:02:04,980 --> 00:02:09,060 long outlive them, and yet somehow the Supreme Court doesn't ever seem to cut as an 29 00:02:09,060 --> 00:02:11,590 election issue. 30 00:02:11,590 --> 00:02:15,720 JEANNE CUMMINGS: It doesn't. I think it's two steps removed. The last time 31 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:22,770 I thought that it had some influence was way back in 1992. And I - and I think we 32 00:02:22,770 --> 00:02:28,900 were - you know, the whole Roe v. Wade question was still very vital at that time. 33 00:02:28,900 --> 00:02:35,250 But I think for the voters, they're worried about who's going to help me pay my bills, 34 00:02:35,250 --> 00:02:42,020 who's going to help me, you know with my house and my family and to get my kid into 35 00:02:42,020 --> 00:02:48,330 college and to bring - make me feel safer in a very scary world. 36 00:02:48,330 --> 00:02:51,220 And the Supreme Court just doesn't fit in that, mostly. 37 00:02:51,220 --> 00:02:54,260 ALEXIS SIMENDINGER: The one thing, though, I think we're going to hear a little bit more 38 00:02:54,260 --> 00:02:57,700 about it in the general election, and I think it's because voters have tuned a little bit 39 00:02:57,700 --> 00:03:01,050 more to the concept of the Supreme Court as being important on the Affordable Care Act 40 00:03:01,050 --> 00:03:03,010 and being important on immigration. 41 00:03:03,010 --> 00:03:04,910 GWEN IFILL: That's true. 42 00:03:04,910 --> 00:03:07,520 ALEXIS SIMENDINGER: Some of the cases, affirmative action for instance. 43 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,390 So I think that the - you know, the campaigns or the parties themselves will get around 44 00:03:11,390 --> 00:03:14,860 to this. Jeanne's point is right, though, is, is a voter going to make their 45 00:03:14,860 --> 00:03:16,950 selection based on that? GWEN IFILL: Not necessarily. 46 00:03:16,950 --> 00:03:19,860 ALEXIS SIMENDINGER: No. But the candidates and the parties will make a big thing of it. 47 00:03:19,860 --> 00:03:23,790 GWEN IFILL: It's been interesting, also, to watch the president try to figure a way to 48 00:03:23,790 --> 00:03:27,560 tiptoe through an election year where he's got some things he wants to get done. 49 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,830 But he gives an interview, he says nice things about Hillary Clinton, it becomes, what 50 00:03:31,830 --> 00:03:35,040 does that mean for Bernie Sanders? And then Bernie Sanders makes his way to the 51 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:39,240 White House and he said what? How did that meeting go? 52 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,680 ALEXIS SIMENDINGER: It was interesting because there had been lots of questioning about 53 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,620 whether the president of the United States was going to meet or had met, and when had he 54 00:03:46,620 --> 00:03:51,980 met with Senator Sanders, under what circumstances, because it seemed so clear to a lot of 55 00:03:51,980 --> 00:03:56,520 reporters that President Obama had practically thrown his whole body on the scale for - 56 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:58,900 GWEN IFILL: (Laughs.) Not just a thumb. 57 00:03:58,900 --> 00:04:02,270 ALEXIS SIMENDINGER: - not just a thumb, the whole body - for Secretary Clinton, someone 58 00:04:02,270 --> 00:04:06,170 he served with and had come to admire, even though he had defeated her in 2008. 59 00:04:06,170 --> 00:04:10,940 What happened is that the president turned out to have a little bit of a - I guess a 60 00:04:10,940 --> 00:04:15,440 comeuppance about being wrong about predicting how this election would go, and realized 61 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,420 that it would be much better to look more neutral. 62 00:04:18,420 --> 00:04:22,480 And that meeting was at the request of Senator Sanders in December. 63 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,900 That was not the president clamoring to have him come in. 64 00:04:25,900 --> 00:04:29,620 But Senator Sanders and his wife got 45 minutes with the president. 65 00:04:29,620 --> 00:04:33,260 Senator Sanders was asked, did the president give you any advice on how to defeat Hillary 66 00:04:33,260 --> 00:04:35,840 Clinton? And he laughed and smiled and gave that - 67 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:37,900 GWEN IFILL: He said, "of course not." 68 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:40,630 ALEXIS SIMENDINGER: "Of course not" and gave the president, you know, plenty of praise 69 00:04:40,630 --> 00:04:42,710 and was happy to be there. 70 00:04:42,710 --> 00:04:45,940 GWEN IFILL: I wonder the last time when it helped to have an incumbent president vocally 71 00:04:45,940 --> 00:04:48,780 endorse you. I don't necessarily think it does. 72 00:04:48,780 --> 00:04:53,920 JEANNE CUMMINGS: Well, it's - what's interesting is this is - for the last few cycles, 73 00:04:53,920 --> 00:05:00,760 there's been so much edginess between the nominee and the sitting president that what's 74 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:07,430 unusual is that we don't have the kind of bitter feelings between what may - who may be 75 00:05:07,430 --> 00:05:10,530 the nominee and the sitting president. 76 00:05:10,530 --> 00:05:14,800 But Bernie Sanders just cracked me up when he came out of that meeting because, you know, 77 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,710 the senator can't help but be the senator, right? 78 00:05:17,710 --> 00:05:22,710 (Laughter.) So, you know, he's asked how it went, and he heaps praise on the president 79 00:05:22,710 --> 00:05:28,150 and how they stood side by side and fought for all these great things for America - and 80 00:05:28,150 --> 00:05:31,520 then adds, and of course we have our differences. 81 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:35,840 And then, you know, names - ticks off some issues, and it was like, OK. 82 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:38,730 GWEN IFILL: Well, but you got to give it - you have to give it to both of these 83 00:05:38,730 --> 00:05:42,140 candidates. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Bernie Sanders wants to lose the other's 84 00:05:42,140 --> 00:05:45,930 supporters before the first vote has actually been dropped, which we'll be watching for 85 00:05:45,930 --> 00:05:48,740 this week. Thank you both. Thank you for watching. 86 00:05:48,740 --> 00:05:52,070 Keep up with Monday night's caucus results at PBS.org/WashingtonWeek. 87 00:05:52,070 --> 00:05:54,970 Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 88 00:05:54,970 --> 00:06:17,380 And we'll see you next time on the Washington Week Webcast Extra.