For all your food. He's out there. I'm unwrapping a McDonald's steak, egg and cheese bagel. Look at this steak and the juice running down the side. Got a little bit on a wrapper here, and then the fluffy egg and real cheese folded over the side, looking just so good. M M. Grilled onions and a butt of bagel too. Thumbs off a McDonald's steak, egg and cheese bagel for breakfast. Love it Up. I participating McDonald's The Armstrong and Getty Show.
I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for. Elizabeth Warren on last night's debate stage, responding to Representative Laney, who was talking about, look, we've got to be realistic
about what things we can actually do, etcetera, etcetera. Just normal human response to that sort of conversation is the person saying yes, we can do anything makes you feel better than the person saying no, we need to be serious about this. You're probably well, you're definitely right. Would you like dessert or vegetables? I mean it's that it's that kind of a conversation. And let's continue the conversation with Data Millbank, who is an American author, columnist for
the Washington Post and always a stimulating conversation. Dana, how are you, sir? I prefer to dessert to vegetables. Yeah, the crowd is gonna cheer for dessert. They're not gonna cheer for vegetables, even if you know, might make more sense. That's absolutely right. I don't I understand why people don't learn that lesson from Trump. You know, they were going on and on last night about there, you know my policy? Does you know has this ten point planned in years?
Does this back and forth? Nobody wants to hear about that. They just want to hear that you know, you're gonna give them healthcare. It's going to be raid and you're gonna make their lives better. And that's all you need to say. You know, we share your cynicism slash skepticism about a lot of politics and populist politics. But you know, if I were going to defend that, I would say, look the particulars of policy and what's actually going to
get through. God only knows, because the way the government works and then the passage of time. I don't know how many senators I'm gonna have. It's like exactly, I just want somebody whose spirit is like matches mind and at least I know they're striving for the stuff I like. Mm hmm, yeah, absolutely, I uh, I think that's exactly
the way to go. And I you know, I think the Democrats are getting hung up in this whole debate about Medicare for all or is it you know, medic you have Medicare for most, but you have the you know, the private option is still there. And the truth of the matter is it doesn't really matter what they come up with, because I mean, are they're going to have sixty votes in the Senate. You know, they're they're gonna are going to be very lucky to get a small
piece of things. So I don't understand why they're hacking away at each other over what really amounts to small differences when you compare any of them to uh, Donald Trump. So uh, it seems to me that this is unnecessary bloodshed among Democrats. They basically everybody on that stage wants
universal coverage. They have slightly different ways of getting there, you know, from my own point of view as yet, might as well uh dream big and uh and then get as much as you can, uh, you know, I mean Donald Trump came in and said We're gonna have wonderful, cheap, you know, fabulous healthcare, and of course he's done no
such thing, but his voters were we're happy to hear that. So, Dana, if you were going to assume control of the Democratic Party and advise them going forward, how would you select a candidate, you know, foot race celebrity before if it were up to me, they you know, and I were in charge of things, they would think we would definitely be losing. So uh, I'm not even a you know, registered as a as a Democrat. I uh uh you know it's uh, as was it. Will Rogers said, I
don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat. How did you How do you feel about the way CNN handled it last night? I mean, they definitely were not letting abody that, they were not letting the candidates get away with talking whenever they wanted to, and they cut them right off. But I felt like about it, and and and oftentimes we've felt like the debaters take control of the debate and the moderators get run over.
But in this case, about a half a dozen times I thought I would like to have heard the end of that sentence. Yeah, I found myself wanting that a lot. I mean, you know, you're sort of damned if you do. It's a tough thing that you've got. You've got ten people on the stage, so it's not going to be a you know, a high quality debate. I mean, it was way too long. I have no idea why they you know, they can't we just accept that they're patriotic
without going twenty minute color guard and introduction. Yeah, minute laid up is unbelievable. That was insane. Well, responding to the perception among a certain chunk of the electorate pretty substantial that Democrats are America haters, I think they're trying to counter that could be I guess, or at least nobody took a knee during the national We actually called for an effort tonight. Who I mean, you definitely would get some headlines, but so but do you think there's
a major difference in that. So last night you had Elizabeth Warren burning in the middle, standing up for the socialist wing for the of the party to use shorthand tonight, you got Biden as the clear leader in the polls, who's not the socialist sling in this in the center? Is gonna be a completely different debate tonight, Yeah, I mean, because he's you know, pretty far out in front. Everybody's gonna want to take a pop at him, you know,
and everybody's anticipating the Harris Biden Rema match. Uh. Booker wants in on the action. So I yeah, I suspect that the result will be that we hear an awful lot of Joe Biden tonight. Yeah. The thing who knows what will happen to night. But the thing that uh strikes me is, you know, for for the debates and all the back and forth, essentially things haven't budged at all. We're basically where we were, uh several months ago, you know,
in terms of the Biden Sanders uh and Warren. So you know you saw Harris push ahead and pull back, you sort booty dudge push it, push ahead, pulled back. We're basically where Well that's part of my new my new theory that nothing moves the polls, Nothing moves any polls. Everybody knows how they're going to vote already to without even knowing who the candidate is going to be there, either for Trump or not. And it's just and nothing
will change that. While you ought to run some sort of nihilist polling organization aspect question and ignore the answers, it just it just doesn't matter, right. You don't need to do polls, don't need to run ads. Uh you know, it's kind of I kind of get the feeling of the Democratic voters thing, you know what, I don't. We just need to win this thing. And I think, um, I think Joe Biden is does not thrill many people
at all, but he's acceptable to just about everybody. Uh and uh so I think that's why he continues to do well. And I think there is, uh, you know, a perception that, uh, you can't beat Trump without running a white guy. Um, you know, that's you know, I think that's a perception many women have, many people of color have, uh you know, just given the you know, the Trump voter and what happened with Hillary Clinton, so that I respect that the big piece of what's going on.
I think they're they're wrong. He had a young, mixed race black man beating the thoroughly reasonable and decent Romney and then beat John McCain war here like a drum. So I'm not sure if that's true, But Dana Milbanks, I I don't know if it's true or not. I just I just think that's a widespread and I mean, you know, and there's a school of thought that Dano says, you gotta, you know, answer Trump in kind and that you know, somebody who's taking uh you know, more extreme
less positions is the right way to go. I don't know, you know, we're an uncharted territory here, you'd be a terrible talk radio host, Dana immediately your omniscient. Hey, listen speaking old Joe and I have no particular animals towards Joe Biden whatsoever. I just believe he's terrible at running for president. He's a great candidate until he starts to be a candidate. And I just I think he's probably gonna come off as as old, a little slow, a
little outdated. Again tonight, how would you rate his game at this point? You know, he's he's the guy, uh is. It reminds me a little bit of Gore, a little bit of carry Um. He has a way of sort of reading out the stage instruction is like and then next debate, I'm going to be really tough. So it's like you're not supposed to say that, You're just supposed to do it. Um. So yeah, it's it's a little
bit uh painful to watch. Um I don't think I mean, I think he's uh, you know, he's he's certainly pretty good at the retail politics, you know, showing up at the ice cream shop, and he's got this sort of you know, regular guy uh touch, so that in that sense, he's uh in a better place than than Gore and and and carry word. But he definitely has the ability, uh you know to put his foot in his mouth. So uh, I think it's gonna happen. Well, one more critique of CNN and how they did and again you're
damned if you do, damned if you don't. But they set up everything as a conflict. Hey, Delany, she said something mean about you and you said something about him. Respond to it? How do how do you feel about that? Just just trying to start, I wrote about uh Maryan Williamson. You know, I thought she was the winner of the debate, and because of this, they were sort of goating. Uh,
everybody to fight with each other. And she's like, people, if you're gonna do this, you know you're not gonna beat Donald Trump, and uh, you know, let's get rid of this wankiness and just you know, you know, talk to the people, talk to the American people. And you know, of course that's exactly the right thing to do. But I do think it was, you know, particularly in the beginning, you know, with the healthcare squabble. And that's what I said,
you know, pickering over over small differences. That's really all that they were doing through the night. Dana Millbank of the Washington Post, Dana, we sure enjoy every chance we get to chat. Thanks a million for the time. It's my pleasure. Thanks all right, well done, well done. That's a guy who knows democratic politics talking about the Democratic Party. So there you go. All I agree with him on virtually nothing, but man, I love the chance to talk
to him. And can't we all just come together that way? My friends? Aren't we all Americans? Yes? We are. If they set up tonight's debate the same way, there's gonna be some fireworks. They begin today's meditation, the few sipping exercises to remind us a little treat can go a long way. So pick up your macafe iced coffees, close your eyes and deep sipp in and deep satisfaction out. Let's take a treat retreat at McDonald's right now. Get a MacAfee, iced coffee and any size and any flavor
for just ninety nine cents until eleven am. Price of participation may vary