Joe Biden To Announce 2020 Bid Tomorrow.
TEXT: LET'S GET AFTER IT.</s>CUOMO: The former VP Joe Biden now just hours away from officially joining the 2020 race, crowded field, lot of Democratic contenders. They've already participated in multiple Town Halls. But none has consistently polled higher than Biden. What are his chances? What does he mean? What are the limitations? What are the challenges? Jay Carney was the Vice President's Communications Director before becoming President Obama's Press Secretary. He's here along with fellow Obama White House alum, The Axe, David Axelrod. It's good to have you both. So, he's getting in tomorrow. Is this the right time, Jay? Why did he wait so long?</s>JAY CARNEY, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR TO VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: I think it's a good time. I think the conventional wisdom that he should get in earlier that he had to get in early turned out to be useless advice because he's managed to stay out of the race while maintaining his, you know, perch atop the polls. He's viewed with great affection by a vast majority of Democrats. And he's been able to, you know, watch the field assemble, and make evaluations of the candidates as they've tried to get their own names recognized. So, I think as long as he's able to hit the ground running and - and demonstrate that he has the support through fundraising and - and the events he does, I think the late start probably works to his advantage.</s>CUOMO: So, Axe, he's got the name. What does he have to show in terms of his game?</s>DAVID AXELROD, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, CNN HOST, THE AXE FILES: Well, first of all, I agree with Jay. I think that he benefits from a shorter race, and he waited about as long as he thought he could. And the reason he can't wait any longer is money. He was on the phone tonight apparently with donors. It was reported that he told them that the first primary is not Iowa and New Hampshire. It's money. And he's absolutely right. Bernie Sanders raised $10 million in his first day. Beto O'Rourke, $6 million online. He is not a social media candidate. He is from a different era, and he doesn't have that social media fundraising base, so he's going to have to raise money the old-fashioned way. And he's going to have to raise it quickly to show that he has broad support and the resources too. And that's the first primary. And that's what he's going to have to do in the next few days.</s>CUOMO: You know I hate that the money matters so much. But you'd be Pollyannaish and foolish if you didn't think that that is the case. We all say we want money out of the business. Everybody knows that everybody uses it as one of the main metrics at this point. So Jay, here's his problem though, once you put the money aside. Is Joe the old Democrats, the Obama-Biden Democrats, the new Democrats, what are his challenges in-house?</s>CARNEY: Well he's Joe Biden. And - and that comes with a lot of, you know, positive, I think, momentum for him. He's - he's recognized and - and appreciated by Democrats. He's not a divisive figure within the party. He's a serious person with high integrity. He also has enormous empathy. I think - I think Van was talking about earlier in - in your - in your show about the empathy deficit we're seeing in - in our country. And - and Joe Biden has empathy that is borne out of his own personal experience. There are very few people I know who have suffered in life as much as he has. And yet, he wakes up every morning, thinking about other people, thinking about how to make their lives better and, you know, with great concern for the, you know, the fate of people who have less than he does. And that's what you want in a leader. And I - I think those - those advantages outweigh issues around generation. After all, he's not even the oldest Democrat in the race. So, I think that he'll be fine on those issues.</s>CUOMO: Well he's not going to be in a hug-it-out race though if he gets the nomination.</s>CARNEY: No.</s>CUOMO: President Trump acts--</s>CARNEY: He's plenty tough too.</s>CUOMO: Well yes, I know. Look--</s>AXELROD: Look--</s>CUOMO: --I'm not doubting his bona fide he's - as - as a tough guy. But it's how will you campaign and how will you deal with somebody who's a very unorthodox fighter, you know? What do you think, Axe?</s>AXELROD: I think it's - before he gets to - his - his issue is before he gets to run against President Trump, he has to become the nominee of the party.</s>CUOMO: True.</s>AXELROD: And some of the very qualities that make him appealing as a candidate against Trump can work against him in the primary that - that he has a great appeal to - to older working-class White voters, particularly in those Midwestern industrial states that Trump must have in order to win the Presidency. And in that respect, and for the reasons that Jay suggested, he is potentially the strongest general election candidate. But there is - Jay - Jay was polite about this. 45 years of experience has its value, a track record with people has its value. But 45 years also is a problem in the sense that he's got 45 years of record, 45 years of comments, some of which we've seen already. And he is not necessarily the candidate in best step with the contemporary Democratic Party, which is younger and more diverse. He's going to have to fight for this nomination. It is not going to come to him simply because people think he might be the strongest candidate against Donald Trump.</s>CUOMO: You know, Jay, people are starting to nip at Mayor Pete Buttigieg because it's time to see if he can put some meat on the bones of his obvious intellect and, you know, what are his policy ideas. With Biden, I kind of see it in the obverse or at least the reverse, which is people know that he can do the job. People know that he's been at the highest levels of it. He can talk the talk. On a personal level, what can Joe Biden introduce to people that they wouldn't know about him already?</s>CARNEY: I think that is a challenge. The - the - the upside, as I mentioned before, is that what they know about him, they generally like about him. But what - we are in a party especially that loves, you know, the new thing and--</s>CUOMO: The new.</s>CARNEY: --and the idea of a fresh face. And that will - will be a challenge. I think if he - if he focused - if he - if he resists the urge to be a policy wonk, which he, in many ways, he is, he's - he's - he's very focused on and deeply in - in policy substance and foreign affairs, and aspects of economic policy, and he - and he engages instead with, you know, individuals on the campaign trail, and shows his human side when he's doing Town Hall - Halls and things, I think - I think he'll - he'll make up some of that gap, and - and just show, I think, in contrast to other candidates, and just in - in terms of revealing of himself, you know, what kind of President he would be. I think he has an opportunity here to reintroduce himself, not as a second-tier Presidential candidate, which he basically was, in the other races he ran, and not as a Vice President, but as Joe Biden, the Potential President.</s>CUOMO: Axe, any insight into what may be his gimmick or device in the video tomorrow that announces?</s>AXELROD: You know, I think he's going to hit many of the qualities that Jay speaks of, and he's going to talk about fundamental American values and virtues, and it is going to be in implicit contrast--</s>CUOMO: How? Sleeves rolled up? Is he sitting down? Is he fit - changing his oil on - on his muscle car? What's he doing?</s>AXELROD: I don't think changing his oil at this point would necessarily be the most authentic thing for a former Vice President to do. But I think he'll do what he's done before and draw - draw on his own story, and draw on the stories of others. But let me say this. Joe - Joe Biden has to run as who he is with all of the strengths that come with it, and all of the weaknesses. He is utterly authentic. That's one of the people - things that people appreciate about him. But he also is, because of that, sometimes gaffe-prone, sometimes he has made political stumbles. Remember, he hasn't gotten out of Iowa in his previous--</s>CUOMO: True.</s>AXELROD: --Presidential ventures. He's never really flown very far on his own. So, this is a - a challenge for him. And to have the kind of discipline that he - that he hasn't had in past campaigns, and the organizational depth that he hasn't had in past campaigns is going to be very necessary here for him to pull something off at, let's face it, at the age of 76, when people don't generally change. So, this is not going to be a walk in the park for Joe Biden. He has enormous strengths. But he's going to be challenged. He's not going to get a pass. It's not going to be an easy road to the nomination.</s>CARNEY: I agree with.</s>CUOMO: It'll be the fight of his life. Jay?</s>CARNEY: I agree - I agree with all of that. I mean I think even - even as a putative front-runner, you know, no candidate stands within the Democratic field more than maybe a 20 percent chance of winning right now. And so, I think the Vice President's will have to fight for it, and he has to accept the fact that he might not win, but he's got to give everything he can to it.</s>CUOMO: And that's going to be the voice in the back of his head, of his dear departed son who we all knew and loved, Beau Biden saying, "It's not about whether you win. You've got to fight Pop. You've got to get in and fight." And that's what he says he's going to do tomorrow. Jay, Axe, thank you very much. Let's see how it goes. Appreciate it. The President thinks he has a get-out-of-impeachment card. Is he exposing a weakness in the process or exposing his own ignorance? The answer, and the man, D. Lemon, next.</s>TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.