NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with political consultant David Axelrod about Democrats’ road to November and what’s ahead for Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
Transcript
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We’re going to talk more about this with a political adviser to another candidate that some considered a long shot. David Axelrod was a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama and the chief strategist for both of Obama’s presidential campaigns. Good morning, Mr. Axelrod. Welcome back.
DAVID AXELROD: Good morning. Thank you.
MARTIN: So let’s start with Michigan. On Wednesday’s All Things Considered, Senator Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont that – you, you know, might call him the elder statesman of the progressive movement…
AXELROD: Yeah.
MARTIN: …Had this to say about El-Sayed’s primary win.
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BERNIE SANDERS: This is the most extraordinary victory in modern American politics. He took on everybody and over $60 million. That he won by one vote would’ve been an extraordinary victory.
MARTIN: OK. So let’s account for some election night adrenaline spillover, OK?
AXELROD: (Laughter).
MARTIN: But was it as…
AXELROD: Is that what adrenaline sounds like? I don’t know.
MARTIN: Was it as extraordinary as Senator Sanders says?
AXELROD: Yes. No. Look, it – I don’t think it was the most extraordinary victory in history and so on, but it was a very, very impressive one in the sense that he was outspent vastly in that race. It may be a commentary on the limits of money in politics, but he survived that. But it was a lot closer than the polls suggested and, I think, than he expected. And I, Michel, think there is virtue in that. There’s value in that because one thing that I think El- Sayed needs – he’s incredibly talented as a candidate. He’s passionate about issues. But, you know, he is very sure of himself in ways that can be off-putting.
And I think there was a humbling element to this for both factions of the Democratic Party. They need each other. He did extraordinarily well with, you know, highly educated voters and with young people, but among rural voters, among African American voters, not so much. And that – there’s – but, you know, when you’re talking about a working-class movement, you got to bring the working class along with you.
MARTIN: I’m wondering if you see any comparison to Obama, in the sense that Obama’s opponents tried to tie his name and his background to radical politics, similar to what Republicans are already doing with El-Sayed. Do you see any similarities there that perhaps El-Sayed could learn from?
AXELROD: Well, for sure, I mean, there are similarities. I mean, the difference is that Barack Obama was very much a center-left politician. And he focused on the issues that unified the largest number of people – basic bread-and-butter issues that people were concerned about and, of course, at that time, the war in Iraq. And he basically – he did wage war on conventional politics in Washington of both parties. And in that sense, there’s a similarity.
But what El-Sayed needs to do is focus on that – on the putting-money-in-people’s-pockets element of his triad there because that’s what is motivating people very much today. I mean, the cost of things is what’s motivating…
MARTIN: But you don’t think he’s…
AXELROD: …People.
MARTIN: …Doing that? I mean…
AXELROD: And Trump is motivating people.
MARTIN: But he’s – El-Sayed is emphasizing protecting healthcare – he is a doctor – strengthening unions…
AXELROD: No. I…
MARTIN: …Clean air, clean water. You don’t think he’s doing that, or do you feel that part of his message has been subsumed by messaging on ICE and Gaza and so forth? Do you think…
AXELROD: Well, I also, you know…
MARTIN: …He’s not doing that yet?
AXELROD: This whole DSA question – he’s not a member of the DSA. He takes issue with some of their positions. You know, he does believe that we need – you know, he has stated in the past that he ought – we ought to divert some of the police money to other social service kinds of efforts. But he doesn’t think that you should abolish police. He doesn’t believe that we don’t need any prisons. He doesn’t believe in open borders. He doesn’t believe – so, you know, he needs to separate himself out and focus like a laser on those three things. And he needs to spend time in those communities and – you know, listening as well as talking – and make people comfortable with him. And he needs to sort of shun some of that other stuff and make clearer the separation.
You know, the danger here is these elections – midterm elections are always about the incumbent president. And we have a very unpopular president – a 35% approval rating in the state of Michigan. What you don’t want is for Mike Rogers, who has pledged his fidelity to Trump, to be able to create a distraction by using the DSA and Hasan Piker and some of the more radical elements of your coalition to change the subject.
MARTIN: The…
AXELROD: And…
MARTIN: But his primary…
AXELROD: Go ahead. I’m sorry.
MARTIN: His primary opponent, Congresswoman Haley Stevens – and it was a tough race. I mean, it was hard-fought – has already endorsed him and says she’s going to work as hard as she can to see that he’s elected. Do – is that important? Does that matter?
AXELROD: I thought it was important. And I think that symbolically, it was important. I think that he needs to be embracing of that. He did welcome it. But I think he needs to more enthusiastically embrace the elements of the party that have – that are now joining him.
Look, there is legitimate doubt about establishment politics because people feel the system has failed them. But that doesn’t mean you should push away everyone who wants to help. You know, he needs them all now, and that’s what a split primary does. A 50/50 primary says, we need to bring more people into our coalition. And that should be the focus. And she is certainly an ambassador to some of those voters who didn’t vote for him.
MARTIN: From what you’ve seen so far, is Mr. El-Sayed a skillful enough politician to navigate all the traps that are clearly coming his way – being tied, as you pointed out, to the democratic socialists that he doesn’t necessarily support, allowing his ethnicity, his heritage to sort of be used against him? Is he skill – has he demonstrated the political skill to navigate these traps?
AXELROD: I have no doubt that he has those skills. I think that – you know, there was a – in Britain, there was an – in the 19th century, someone said about someone else, I wish I was sure of – as – of anything as he is of everything. I mean, there is that element to El-Sayed. He’s a very, very self-assured guy, and you get a sense sometimes that he knows better than or that he thinks he knows better. And so a little humility, I think, would be good for him.
But I do think that he is an adroit politician, and he should make those adaptations. But put the focus on Trump. Put the focus on the cost of things to people. Put the focus on changes that are going to…
MARTIN: OK.
AXELROD: …Affect that.
MARTIN: OK. That is Democratic strategist David Axelrod. David Axelrod, thanks so much for joining us once again.
AXELROD: Always good to be with you. Thank you.
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