Appeals Court Rules Individual Mandate Of ACA Unconstitutional
SAVIDGE: If you are keeping track, we're just 37 days out from the Iowa caucuses. But the Democratic field is still pretty crowded with 15 candidates and if the 2016 election taught us anything, is that nothing is certain when it comes to politics. Throwing another wrench in the process is the impeachment trial that's heading for the Senate meaning that there is the possibility of a collision in timing that would pull the five senators from running for president off the trail during one of the most crucial times for their campaigns. Back with me to discuss all of this and CNN Political Commentators: Bakari Sellers, and Charlie Dent. Bakari, a Senate an impeachment trial during the Iowa caucuses -- first of all, I don't know if that's ever really happened and, and how should the candidates prepare for this kind of potential problem?</s>SELLERS: Well, at the end of the day, it's not a problem. It's their jobs. If you're in the United States Senate, if you're Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, any number Bernie Sanders, then your number one job is to serve the people who elected you to that position, and you need to be there to do your job.</s>SAVIDGE: I got that was a problem for their campaign nonetheless.</s>SELLERS: Well, I mean, it's a problem for their campaign. But this is what happens when you run for president United States. And I'm not trying to put them in a horrible predicament, but you know, this is when you have to be able to juggle these things and be back and forth and be where you need to be. This is what Mitch McConnell and the Republican Party want. But the last thing that we need, I mean, as Democrats is something, or as Americans is something that is this import, this great import the impeachment of the President of the United States, for you to just</s>SAVIDGE: Right? It makes them seem like they are doing the work that the people put them there to do. Charlie, timing though; who does it help more, Trump or the Democrats?</s>DENT: Well, that's a good question, Martin, because clearly those Democrats, I think many of them want to get the It's over with particularly those running for president, same time President Trump wants to get this trial over with. And I think that's been one of the problems with impeachment up to this date; up to this time anyway, in the house. I thought they rushed the process. They had an arbitrary deadline of Christmas to get the articles over the Senate. Now, I think Senator McConnell would like to move this thing quickly. Although, I think this is probably the right time for deliberation. So, I suspect neither side wins. Neither side wins with a delay trial. And I think the president, most of all, does not want to be talking about impeachment, ad nauseum for an extended period of time, and it certainly hurts those Democratic candidates running for president.</s>SAVIDGE: Bakari, I want to move to the issue of money. Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, they just passed the $200 million mark spent on television and digital advertising. Some of the other candidates have accused them of trying to buy the nomination. And I'm wondering, do voters believe that?</s>SELLERS: Yes, voters absolutely believe they're trying to buy the nomination. The question is whether or not that will matter or not. I am -- I am disheartened as a Democrat to say that throughout this process and let me also say, I'm not blaming Tom Perez or the DNC of the apparatus, because they've actually done everything they could do to make this process as fair as possible. But you have more billionaires on the Democratic debate stage than you do black people. I mean, that's a fundamental problem that we have when we're talking about the diversity of this country and the diversity that the Democratic Party wants to represent. Michael Bloomberg, for example, is just petrified of actually joining the debate stage. I mean, he is out spending people, you know, 10, 20, 30, 100 to one, but refuses to actually debate his ideas. I mean, my question to Michael Bloomberg is What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid to defend your stance on stop and frisk? Why are you afraid to defend many of the things that you passed in New York, which drive people politically insane, and have made lives more difficult? He refuses to do that. And yes, they're trying to buy the election. This is not out the box thinking this is circumventing the electoral process, never know though it may work.</s>SAVIDGE: It may. Charlie, I want to move on to this, and that's the Federal Appeals Court rule last week that the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. And I'm wondering, do you think that this helps Democrats by giving them something concrete for their messaging on health care to rally around?</s>DENT: Well, it may help Democrats. But remember, the, the individual mandate was more or less defunded a few years ago with the tax reform bill. That's the first point to remember. Now, if that matter of guarantee issue, that is a requirement that everybody have health insurance is somehow overturned, well, then I think that becomes a major liability for the Republicans and advantage to the Democrats. We haven't heard that yet. Clearly, this matters under appeal. And it remains to be seen, but if the issue of guarantee issue, that people -- so people with pre-existing conditions would not be able to be guaranteed coverage, if that if they were to lose that protection, then I think Republicans would be at a real disadvantage, and I think the president would have to scramble quickly to make sure that those pre-existing conditions were protected, and Democrats would certainly exploit that politically.</s>SAVIDGE: Yes, that is something the Republicans would rather not face. Bakari sellers and Charlie Dent, thanks very much. Good to talk to you.</s>SELLERS: Thank you.</s>SAVIDGE: Up next, what went wrong? Investigators searching for answers after a tourist helicopter crashes of Hawaii with two families on board. We're live in Hawaii with the latest on the recovery.