[Bolduan:] Bernie Sanders, after facing questions from voters in the CNN town hall last night, is now facing questions from reporters this morning in South Carolina.
[Berman:] We want you to listen to what seemed like a very thinly veiled allusion to Hillary Clinton a few moments ago.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Democratic Presidential Candidate:] Billionaires and wall street, executives pour hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars into the political process in order to elect candidates who represent the wealthy and the powerful, and the poor remain invisible, powerless, not heard from. Most don't even vote.
[Berman:] CNN Washington correspondent, Joe Johns. I think I heard your voice in that room, Joe. What was Sanders doing the morning after the CNN town hall?
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Well, for one thing, John, I think he was just making his appearance felt here in South Carolina. There has been this running narrative in the Palmetto State that Bernie Sanders has been writing off South Carolina because Hillary Clinton has such a big lead in the polls and that has been sort of spurred by her strong support in the African-American community. Sanders, this morning, at that news conference, saying he has not been writing ff South Carolina, but also tipping his hat to the idea that he might have to worry about doing better in some other states. Listen.
[Sanders:] We came to South Carolina, and if you look at the polls, we were like 7, 8, 9 percent in the polls. We were 50, 60, 70 points behind. We have waged a very, very vigorous campaign. We have picked up a lot of support and we have closed the gap very significantly. But this, from day one, was going to be a very difficult state for us. We're not writing off South Carolina.
[Johns:] So, if you look at his schedule, it tells a slightly different story. After Sanders' news conference, he went on to Kansas City. From there, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, then tomorrow, to the states of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota. So, it's pretty clear that the Sanders' campaign is looking forward, not just to Super Tuesday, but even beyond the 15th of March. That's when Ohio is. So they have other things on their mind. The fact of the matter is Hillary Clinton continues to run pretty strong in South Carolina according to the polls John and Kate?
[Berman:] The number-one tell about where a campaign is going is where they're headed. and where they spend their time. Joe Johns, thanks very much. Joining us now, CNN political commentator, Donna Brazil; and Democratic strategist, Margie Omero. Donna, let's me start with you. You have seen a lot of campaigns. You are not picking sides in this one. But after the CNN town hall last night, just a few days before the South Carolina primary, where the heck are we?
[Donna Brazile, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, there's no question that South Carolina is going to turn the tide for one of the Democratic candidates, in large part because we have a much more diverse electorate in South Carolina. With 65 percent of the voters projected to be African American. I do believe South Carolina will not just turn the tide one way or another but also give one of the candidates needed momentum going into Super Tuesday. While you may not come in first place, if you're able to capture 15 percent or more of the voters, you're able to accrue delegates. And I'm happy to see not only Hillary Clinton but also Senator Sanders doing so well reaching out to voters that will be important to their victory.
[Bolduan:] Speaking of reaching out, Margie, I want to remind our viewers of something Bernie Sanders did last night. It sure seems like the first time he's gone so out of his way to embrace President Obama during this primary, at least in this way. Listen here.
[Sanders:] Look, you can disagree with Obama all you want, but to say that the president of the United States, who won an election fair and square, was not a legitimate president, really undermines what we are as a nation.
[Bolduan:] Now, it's everything that we know that has gone on, especially Bernie Sanders basically accusing Hillary Clinton of taking on his campaign message. Does that help Bernie Sanders embracing President Obama last night?
[Margie Omero, Democratic Strategist:] Well, the president is enormously popular with Democratic primary voters across the board. So, it makes sense for both candidates to talk about the president and talk about the relationship to the president and remind voters how they feel and how we all feel about him. Certainly that he has encountered a lot of obstructionism and unfair criticism from Republicans. That's something that all Democratic primary voters typically agree on. Also, it you look at lot of the exit and entrance polls, you see Clinton has the advantage of folks who want to see a candidate continue Obama's policies while Sanders has the advantage among those who want to see a candidate go further. What comes first? That we can't really tell from the exit and entrance polls but it does make sense to have that conversation.
[Berman:] Margie, I want to know if you think Hillary Clinton puts issues behind her. There's been the issue of should she release her transcripts from paid speeches to Wall Street firms, and she said, I will when everybody else does, including the Republicans. Then the emails came up and the FBI investigation happening. A federal judge saying they may have to testify, and Hillary Clinton said I don't think the voters care about that. Is she doing anything to make these issues go away?
[Omero:] I think each one of these news stories, I don't think they change a lot of minds, in the primary or general. That's not to say that they can't hurt her because whenever these issues are in the news that just takes up oxygen that can be better spent, from the Clinton's campaign's point of view, on other topics.
[Bolduan:] Donna, you're nodding your head. What do you think, that line from Hillary Clinton last night, "I'll release all my transcripts when everybody else does, including the Republicans."
[Brazile:] Kate, I want her to release her love letters. I want her to release her bills. Come on. It is true these are serious issues and the campaign, like the secretary, must take these issues very seriously. But at the same time, they're distractions, especially when you're trying to have a conversation with voters. So, I wish she could put all of these issues behind her.