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CNN TONIGHT

Coverage of the Democratic Presidential Town Hall; 11-12mn ET

Aired February 3, 2016 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[23:00:00] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you all! Thank you, guys! I want to meet the rabbi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:03:57] DON LEMON, CNN HOST: All right. We're back now live. We're not in New Hampshire but we are live. And we have some great, great comprehensive analysis for you.

You just heard from Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at our live town hall with Anderson Cooper. What a night. Important conversation with just six days to go until the New Hampshire primary that everybody's looking forward to.

This is a special CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. We appreciate you joining us.

And tonight the race for the Democratic nomination is up for grabs. So let's discuss with our political dream team -- yes, you guys are my political dream team. Mr. Bill Press, don't be intimidated by all of these people, you know, they are going to try to talk over you, author of "Buyer's Remorse, how Obama let progressives down." Also with me, Van Jones, Gloria Borger, Donna Brazile, Kevin Madden and Bakari Sellers.

Good to have all of you this evening.

Let's start with Ms. Borger tonight. So do you think they helped themselves tonight?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they both did. I think -- first of all, let me say welcome to New Hampshire tonight because those questions were unbelievable. They were great. They were personal and they were the kind of questions that you -- they're water cooler questions. People are thinking about it and the people in New Hampshire are so used to getting the candidates one-on-one, they're not afraid to ask these questions. And so kudos to the audience there.

Second thing, I think we saw Bernie Sanders' passion for the issues and for what he stands for and what he's been fighting for, for his entire career and his life and a little bit weakness on foreign policy I still think. And I think we saw in Hillary Clinton as she answered the question about how do you combine ego with humility. You know, the ego it takes to run for president, and we sort of lifted the veil on Hillary Clinton a little bit where she said, I had a husband who was such a natural and by implication saying you know what, I have to work at this because I grew up with this guy who was so good at it. And for me I never thought I would do this and I've had to learn. And it was a very telling moment for me to watch her.

[23:06:07] LEMON: So in comparison to her husband, do you think she seems coached sometimes, that she seems too sort of put together? Because it seems that she is better in these sorts of situations than she is on the campaign trail. She is a better town hall or debater than she is in the campaign trail.

KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Just real quick. She's not instinctual. And I think the way that Bill Clinton could have an emotional connection with a voter and share a moment in a way that everybody else in the audience and everybody at home can relate to, she is just not as good at that. But here's the problem for her -- nobody's as good at that as Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a really tough bar, you are Know.

MADDEN: No. Yes, I mean, I'm a Republican who tries to look at these through a clinical lens of what does a voter think and how do they perform and how do they reach voters. And I think she has a tougher time than that. And I think Bernie Sanders has become more polished as a candidate, but I think that progressive warrior in him, I think some voters find that easier to identify with.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: But you also saw Hillary Clinton, who has positioned herself as her back is against the wall. She won in Iowa but she won by this much in Iowa. And now she's in New Hampshire where she has to fight back, where she has to go to that natural instinct. This is the same thing we saw as in 2008 where after Barack Obama beat her in Iowa. Then she saw herself down at 11 points in New Hampshire. She had that moment of the forum we all remember when she shed a tear and she became really - people could feel that Hillary Clinton. And that's what you saw tonight. She was a fighter.

LEMON: OK. So, the Democrats who are here tonight? So? Are you progressive?

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

LEMON: Are you a progressive?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm too left to be progressive.

LEMON: Are you a progressive?

BILL PRESS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm a liberal.

SELLERS: I don't think I fit in Bernie Sanders' category. I don't know what I am.

LEMON: All right. Let's discuss after this because, you know, there has been this big (INAUDIBLE) about who the progressive, who is not. Bernie Sanders sort of said. You know, Hillary is not progressive. And then clarify it tonight. But let's listen and then we can discuss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, AC 360: Do you believe Hillary Clinton is a progressive?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me just say this. I have enormous respect for Hillary Clinton. I've known her for 25 years and it's unfortunate, you know, in politics and everybody should know this, what media often wants to you do and you're asked this question, I'm sure it's the same for secretary Clinton, beat her up, tell me something terrible, attack her because that will make the news. I have tried my best not to do that. You're looking at a guy who has been in politics a long time.

(APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: And I have never run a negative ad in my life and I look forward to never running a negative ad in my life, OK. I don't think people deserve that. As secretary Clinton just said, that's what politics is about, it is a debate on the issues. Secretary Clinton has a long and distinguished public career. She has worked with children when she began and God on knows that we need a lot of work given the fact that we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any country on earth. So I respected her. I thought she did a good job as secretary of state. I served with her on the Senate. We worked together on some issues. But there are other issues, Anderson, where I think she is just not progressive. I do not know any progressive who has a super Pac and takes $15 million from Wall Street. That's just not progressive.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Donna, you said you're a self-proscribed progressive? You are?

BRAZILE: I am.

LEMON: What do you make of this? Of that?

BRAZILE: Look. I have no calls with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. I can support of them. I am proud progressive. But throughput my life I have worked with moderates, conservatives and I am proud of the fact that I have worked to elect people like Hillary Clinton, like Bernie Sanders, who fight for everyday people, for children in poverty, for minorities, for women, for gays and lesbians.

If you want to call yourself a liberal, fine, I love Bill Press. But if you want to call yourself an American who cares about the least of these, call yourself a progressive.

[23:10:11] LEMON: Too much of a semantic, Bill Press or is there some there there? PRESS: To be a liberal is progressive regardless it is liberal. But

here is what I love. I love this debate. I spent my life as a Democratic Party in California and one time as a member of the DNC fighting the conservatives in my own party. And now to have the two candidates for president arguing about which one is the greater progressive, God bless America. We have arrived.

LEMON: You're not liberal enough.

PRESS: Exactly. This is great.

JONES: This is an important moment I think in the Democratic Party. First of all, Bernie will have to walk through the hot sands of his votes around the gun stuff. He is going to have to walk through -- which is fine. But I think it's perfectly fine for him to point out that the Clintons came into public life saying they were not Jesse Jackson, they were not Dukakis, they were not the liberal wing, they - she was not part of the rainbow coalition, they were actually part of the DLC.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The blue dogs.

JONES: And the blue dogs. So it is just weird to me, she should be - if you like John Travolta saying I no did disco. We all saw "Saturday Night Fever!" We know no records. So yes, you were a moderate. Don't cry about that. Explain that and move on.

LEMON: But people do evolve. And she did explain herself. Let's listen and then we can discuss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: And I said that I'm a progressive who likes to get things done. And I was somewhat amused today that senator Sanders has set himself up to be the gatekeeper on who is a progressive because under the definition that was flying around on twitter and statements by the campaign, Barack Obama would not be a progressive. Joe Biden would not be a progressive. (INAUDIBLE) would not be a progressive. Even the late great senator Paul Wellstone would not be a progressive.

So I'm not going to let that bother me. I know where I stand. I know who stands with me. I know what I've done but I don't think it helps for the senator to be making those kinds of comparisons because clearly, we all share a lot of the same hopes and aspirations for our country that we want to see achieved. And I don't think it's appropriate that, you know, if Planned Parenthood endorses me or the human rights campaign endorses me, you know, they're thrown out the progressive wing and put into the establishment. That's just not anything we need to do. Let's have a good contest of ideas, let's contrast where we stand and that's what I intend to do for the next couple of days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Satisfactory answer for you, Bakari, for the audience and for Americans? SELLERS: I think it was because many of us have this problem with the

progressive pure test. It is not going on with the Democratic Party today. Today we had this back and forth on twitter. We had a twitter war, twitter storm between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton about you're not a progressive because you do this. And when you think about it, she was actually correct. I mean, Barack Obama is not a progressive? Sorry, Bill.

But I mean, you're talking about the president who led the way on climate change, who led the way on gay rights, who did the Iran bill. I mean, this and opened up relations with Cuba. I mean, how is he not a progressive? And that's how we start having these serious issues. And then he goes into this rant on saying that I don't know a progressive who does this. My response is, well, Bernie Sanders, I don't know any progressive who voted against the Brady Bill five times or I don't know any progressive in voting for the Charleston loophole that allow (INAUDIBLE) to get a gun. I think this whole thing is more to visit. It sounds like tea party rhetoric more than it does Democrat.

LEMON: Gloria, you are shaking your head. Do you want to respond?

BORGER: Well, there are two things going on that sort of hard to reconcile. My head is exploding covering this election because Republican Party is having this conversation, these arguments about who's the really conservative the Republican Party? Not Donald Trump, he is not conservative, he's not -- and then the Democrats are having this argument about who is a real liberal. And the difference between a liberal and progressive. And what Hillary Clinton can say and should say is when I first joined the Democratic Party, we were looking for a third way because we couldn't get elected dog catcher. Now we found that third way and now the party's changed and I've changed along with it.

LEMON: But in general, Kevin, aren't they going to say I'm the most down the middle?

MADDEN: I absolutely love this. I mean, here you have Hillary Clinton, you know, trying to get to the left of an avowed socialist in a general election. And look, you know, Van pointed to this before. The Clintons flourished - you know, Bill Clinton flourished as a centrist, the DLC, right. And Barack Obama, you call him a progressive. When he was in Mahoney valley (ph), in Ohio, they are in the general election, when he was in northern Florida, he was in the suburbs of Denver, he wasn't saying I'm a liberal, I'm a progressive.

So this is really good. Now, Republicans, we have our own little skirmish going on inside our party, but more Americans I think find themselves as centrist and they find themselves a slightly more conservative and not liberal.

[23:15:11] LEMON: I have not heard blue dog Democrat in quite a while.

(CROSSTALK) LEMON: We got a lot to talk. I got to get to a break. But stay with us. Everyone, when we come back - right back, more must-see moments from our Democrat town hall, just days ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

Also, we are going to talk to Anderson Cooper to see how he gets his temperature of the room coming up right after this break. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:19:15] LEMON: And we're back. You're looking at live pictures of Democratic-- that's where our Democratic town hall took place earlier in New Hampshire just moments ago. You guys should hear what these folks are saying in the commercial break. Great conversation. They don't stop.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders answering questions from voters tonight in CNN's Democratic town hall in New Hampshire, moderated by our very own Anderson Cooper. Our panelists still here. And there is Anderson in the opera house.

So, Anderson, what do you think was the strongest moment tonight from both candidates?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, AC 360: You know, I don't know how it played on TV. I mean, there's real intimacy in this room. And I think what the nice thing about this town hall kind of format, whether this one or there was great one that Chris Cuomo did, is that it really allows you to see kind of a different side to candidates in a very intimate form. And I think we saw that tonight, the question, the man who as he said is walking with cancer, who has terminal cancer asking a question about ending life with dignity, death with dignity so-called. I think also the question from the rabbi about, you know, sort of being humble and yet also having to deal with the ego that you need in order to run the free world. Secretary Clinton's answer to the rabbi was really interesting because you saw her kind of her thought process going. I thought you saw a side of her you don't normally see. Let's listen to just some of her answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[23:20:27] CLINTON: I read a treatment of the prodigal son parable by the Jesuit Henri Nolan and I think is a magnificent writer, spiritual, and theological concerns. And I read that parable and there was a line in it that became just a lifeline for me and it basically is practice the discipline of gratitude. So regardless of how hard the days are, how difficult the decisions are, be grateful, be grateful for being a human being, being part of the universe, be grateful for your limitations, know that you have to reach out to have more people be with you to support you, to advise you, listen to your critics, answer the questions, but at the end be grateful. Practice the discipline of gratitude and that has helped me enormously.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: As much as I like debates, which I think, you know, kind of three dimensional chess, or you know, a very smart kind of subtle knife fights, I think these formats, Don, you know, really do kind of lend themselves to small audiences like this and, you - I just think in the mix it's a kind of a cool thing to have.

LEMON: That was great. Very good answer. And I also like her honesty on the couple of other answers where some she admitted I needed more information. She was honest about boots on the ground.

But what do you think were the weakest moments, if there were any for you, Anderson?

COOPER: You know, any time candidates kind of fall into their stump speeches or fall into their talking points, those for me are the times that are the least interesting when they are talking about things they have said before. But no, I think each of these candidates used this as an opportunity to try to show who they are. Bernie Sanders I think, you know, was very strong in this room. There's a lot undecided voters in this room who say they're going to vote in the Democratic primary, a lot of people waiting to make up their minds. And I think, you know, he may have convinced a lot of people tonight and perhaps Secretary Clinton did as well.

So obviously, whoever taking a poll in the room, I think both candidates based on what they said to me afterwards, they liked the format. They enjoyed this process. And this is the kind of thing that, you know, folks around the country maybe don't see this as much but this is happening in New Hampshire several times each day. Marco Rubio did a number of town halls today. You know, we would love to have town halls with all the candidates and certainly we will extend invitations to all of them.

LEMON: Anderson, stand by. We have a big panel here.

I want to go to Bill Press because, you know, you're nodding your head on the gratitude part. But if you were undecided, who won you over tonight or won voters over, do you believe?

PRESS: Let me just first of all say I love this format. You know, I got to tell you. I liked it so much better than the debate. We see these candidates and see themselves and see who they are and how they respond. And with all due respect to our fellow journalists, you would not have gotten the questions that you got from that crowd tonight from journalists who were trying to make a name for themselves by asking some snarky, nasty question.

BORGER: Wait a minute, wait a minute --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But when you're up against a clock, you got 30 seconds, you got 15 seconds --

PRESS: They were very good. They were probing. And allowed us to see these kinds of - is that question. That answer there of Hillary's I thought was tremendous, you know. How many times do you see a politician actually quote a Jesuit theologian, you know, and she was talking about what was in her heart.

BRAZILE: And to really get this when they were seated to talk about things we don't hear. Hillary Clinton talking about the death of her mother, thinking about running for office. Bernie Sanders of course we all know now the album is not a singing album. I mean, those quite moments --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chopping wood.

BRAZILE: You felt like you were in a room with them as opposed to a debate where you are sitting there waiting to see the gloves to come off. I thought it was a good format.

LEMON: And I don't know if Anderson is still there, but he didn't get the curb your enthusiasm moment where he said I am Larry David. It was really funny. That was good stuff.

BORGER: And of course he drives a 5-year-old red --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Thank you very much. Nice job, everyone. Stick with me. We will be right back with more from tonight's town hall. And one woman who had a chance to ask Hillary Clinton about trust.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:28:36] LEMON: So you heard from both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. They took answers answered questions from voters at a town hall tonight in New Hampshire. Now, I want to bring in one of those voters, her name is Allison Pyott.

Allison, he is part of your question. First of all, welcome to the show. Here is part of the question that you asked Hillary Clinton, which had to do with issues surrounding her emails and the issue of trust. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLISON PYOTT, TOWN HALL QUESTIONER: Have eroded trust in you. What would you do to regain that trust and engender trust in Americans and me?

CLINTON: Well, thank you for starting by saying it's related to what I just said. And I acknowledge this as personally painful as it is. When you have been subjected to the level, the velocity of attacks that come every day, even if there is no factual basis to it, it's just normal for people to say, God, there's got to be something, why do they keep saying this and then we do that. I testify for 11 hours, there's nothing to Benghazi, they don't give it up, they keep coming after it. So I know I have to really demonstrate as clearly as I can who I am, what I stand for and what I've always done. I've always been guided by the same values. I have always listened to people and I've always worked as hard as I could to produce results for people. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So Allison, what did you think of her answer?

[23:30:03] PYOTT: I liked her answer. I think I was more taken with tonight's program from Hillary from the breadth and depth of her responses. I'll be honest, just watching Bernie, there's just something about his approach that engenders that trust and, you know, his wife's description of him, integrity. There is just something about the way he speaks that talks that creates that. And you know, I wanted to ask that question because I do feel that my trust has been eroded by a lot of things that happens. But sometimes it's also sometimes, you know, that she's gone on the attack mode, you know, that to me is not an action that engenders trust. So it is something I have been really wrestling wit, but I was impressed with a lot of her responses tonight.

LEMON: Very good answer. So which one has your vote. Do you mind telling us that?

PYOTT: I'm still undecided. I have till Tuesday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a lifetime.

LEMON: Go ahead, Allison.

PYOTT: I think I'm going to try to see the debate tomorrow and, you know, get more information. I've been, you know, kind of taking all of this in from one step removed, even though I know a lot of people that are working with the Hillary campaign. So this is my moment to, you know, gather some information and really be informed before I show up on Tuesday night.

LEMON: Well, as we have been reporting and Gloria as well as, that people in New Hampshire, it takes them a while to, they are undecided for a long time.

BORGER: They are. And just like a lot of caucus goers in Iowa, where the same with, when you get to have a one-on-one meeting with these candidates, you -- it becomes more difficult because they become more personal to you. And the more personal somebody becomes, the grayer the areas are, right?

LEMON: let me ask Allison this. Allison, what's the most important issue to you?

PYOTT: Income inequality. I'm a wealth manager, focuses on sustainability. And I don't think with the level of income inequality that we have that we are building a long-term, sustainable economy. And so, that to me is a very important issue that need to be addressed. And I think also (INAUDIBLE) campaign finance reform. We've got to overturn citizens united. These two issues are super important to me. And women's equality, gender equality is, you know, another area I'm very personally involved in both professionally and through my volunteer work. There's just too many very important issues and I think that's why this is a critical election. LEMON: If I'm not mistaken, I heard you agreeing with Gloria that

these candidates, you get to know them personally and that makes a huge difference to you because not every voter gets to spend as much time with a candidate.

PYOTT: That's one of the reasons I wanted to come tonight. As I said, I've had opportunities for access that I haven't taken advantage of. Partly that's my schedule. And I have this amazing access and opportunity by living here and I live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, all the candidates come throughout my town. I can see them at my coffee shop and at my bookstore. It's unbelievable that we live here and have this. And I wanted to take advantage of it. So I was really please that I was able to participate.

LEMON: All right. Stand by. She's great.

(CROSSTALK)

SELLERS: If I had one word of device with Ted Devine (INAUDIBLE), I would get on the phone and talk to Allison Pyott and tell her what I can do to make me do better. I mean, she was amazing.

LEMON: That's a good question. What do you think the candidates can do better to help reach you and the other and the voters that are out there?

PYOTT: Well, I think one thing that I like with Bernie when he was saying I'm not going to go negative. I have never gone negative. And I think that is a really turn off. And recently Hillary I feel has gotten defensive and to me that's one of the things that she is personally doing that doesn't engender trust. You know, you want to have a positive, hopeful campaign.

Now, I realize also that she is having to be defensive because of the position she is in. And I also feel there's a lot of gender bias that attributes to that. So I recognize why that's a struggle for her, but I also think she needs to stay on the positive --

LEMON: We're not going to have a job. Stand by. Kevin Madden has a question for you.

Go ahead.

MADDEN: Allison, first of all, thank you very much for participating tonight. This is great in getting your insight from New Hampshire voter.

One question for you, since income inequality is such an important issue for you, what was your reaction when Hillary Clinton was asked about giving Wall Street speeches and whether or not that makes her compromised on dealing with these issues related to Wall Street and banks?

PYOTT: OK. That was my original question. My original question was how are you going to engender trust in the American people when most of your campaign has been financed by Wall Street and especially since my work is focused on working with companies that are creating change in a different way? So I was really happy that Anderson asked that question. And I liked that she talked about we need lots of corporate change, not just the banks. We need all companies to be working to do the best for their employees, for their consumers and for their communities, whether that's local or global communities. So I was pleased with a lot of the things that she said in response to Anderson's question about that.

[23:35:08] LEMON: All right. Allison, stand by. You're now a part of our panel. So, get the satellite longer. We are going to have Allison there.

So listen. Hillary Clinton was asked tonight about why young women, part of what Allison talked about, about she said about women's equality, why young women haven't been supporting her and have been going to Sanders. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: It would obviously be historic if you were elected president --

CLINTON: You think so?

COOPER: Obviously.

(APPLAUSE)

COOPER: I've studied a little bit about history. But it seems like young women aren't rallying to this potentially historic moment. And I say this in Iowa, among women under 30, Senator Sanders beat you by 70 points. Why do you think it is?

CLINTON: That's amazing. Yes, look. You know, I was very fortunate to have a great team of young people, men and women supporting me, but I accept the fact that I have work to do to convey what I stand for, what I've accomplished, what I want to do for young people in our country.

COOPER: Why do you think it is that --?

CLINTON: Well, you know, I don't really know, Anderson. I think -- here what's I want young people to know. They don't have to be for me. I'm going to be for them. It doesn't really matter if they are not supporting me, I will be their president, I will do everything I can to give them the opportunity they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Donna Brazile, what do you think?

BRAZILE: I think that was really one of her best answers because she is absolutely right, you know. She wants to connect with young women. She wants to connect with millennials. They are the future of this country and yet she is having, you know, what I call a real challenge in finding not just the language but also the rhythm of this generation. They want somebody who will inspire them to greater heights, not someone who just say, hey, we have done it all, and now it's your turn. And I think tonight she said you know what, I'm going to be for you even if you're not for me yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great line.

BORGER: You know, when I was in Iowa and I was just talking to voters, young women, whatever, the thing that I get and I'm going to New Hampshire tomorrow and I'm going to ask young women about it is to quote Barack Obama, the fierce urgency of now --

LEMON: Barack Obama quoted --

BORGER: But that younger women don't feel a sense of urgency because they just assume that a woman will be president someday during their lifetime.

SELLERS: This is somewhat of a misnomer that's perpetrated by the media so far. I mean, Iowa - I'm not, I guess I'm part of it now. Iowa and New Hampshire, the demographics of such do not look like the rest of the Democratic Party. So before you start saying that young women don't care for Hillary Clinton, let's figure out -- I mean, the group that's going to make this election in the primary are African- American women.

JONES: I think that's true. I think you make that point very well, but I do think that she misses opportunities, Hillary Clinton, to really inspire young people. It's almost like saying lower your sights. I know you want to have a great country. I know you want all this, but really lower your sights. And I think --

LEMON: Is she just being realistic, not being a dreamer? And she's calling Bernie Sanders a dreamer but his policies might not happen?

JONES: The most important thing is if she can figure this out she will be an incredible, not just candidate but president. Have as we say, she'll slay.

She'll slay. Young people need something to believe in, and young people need something to do. And when young people don't have something to believe in, they wind up in ISIS, they wind up in gangs, they wind up in trouble. And so, you can't be so smart - no, no, hold on a second. This important. There are young people hurting all across this country. That the suicide hotlines for young Muslims are going through the roof. So you have to understand you're talking to people, you are helping them shape their understanding of what's possible for them. And she misses those opportunities sometimes. And I think if she would stop doing that and say I get you and I want you to dream big, she'll be better.

PRESS: One of the paradoxes for me of this election and we see it over and over again is that Bernie Sanders is pulling the young people, the millennials, young men, young women, first time voters in the caucuses overwhelmingly for Bernie. Under 45 something like 78 percent were for Bernie, and over 50, 65, or 70 were for Hillary. It's almost like they're upside down. But then I think you are on to something. Bernie for some reason is really inspiring these young people. And I think it's the old head and the heart line maybe.

LEMON: Two things.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: If you're like Santa Claus and you are saying I can give you this and give you this. And then the other thing is - hang on. But he admits to that young people don't necessarily turn out to vote.

PRESS: He brought them out to vote, though. He did.

LEMON: I want to finish that head and the heart thing.

PRESS: Bernie is say we go can believe in great things, we can do great things, that's working. And I find Hillary a little bit saying lower your expectations and I think that's turning young people off.

[23:40:10] BORGER: I think it is the difference between Bernie Sanders calling for a revolution saying I'm going to get your college tuition paid, we are going to get rid of incoming inequality. And Hillary Clinton saying I'm competent. I can get things done. I mean, that's what your parents tell you. And that's not inspirational as --

BRAZILE: But you know what it is, Gloria? If Bernie Sanders is saying the house is shut and you can't get in so we going to find a way to get everybody in the house, and he makes you want to get there and just start tearing that door down. Hillary is saying the house is there, we will get in because I have figured it out. All she needs right now is to figure out how to get people the energy to go and make the change. That's it. That's it.

MADDEN: Gloria talked about it. It seems anti-aspirational when you starts to say -- she kept saying it tonight. She goes rooted in the real world. And almost like sending this message like you're being too farfetched in your dreams.

LEMON: Did she do this in 2008?

MADDEN: And I think that --

BORGER: She did it with Barack Obama.

SELLERS: I would hope she changes her language to the point -- if I could tell Hillary Clinton one thing today, I would say change your language to the point that Van is saying. We are generation of dreamers. I am a millennial. I love to dream. But the difference between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, is Bernie Sanders is telling you just to dream. Hillary Clinton is saying dream with your eyes open. Understand that we have to have a plan to get there and it is about language.

LEMON: You said that more eloquently than I did. That's a very good way of putting that.

Allison Pyott, are you there?

PYOTT: I am.

LEMON: But listen. I got to get to a break. I'm going to do, you know, sort of a debate thing and just give you a couple seconds here. But I want to ask you about voting for a woman. Hillary Clinton being a woman. You being a woman. You said you are still undecided. You asked her about being trustworthy. How important to you is it that a woman become elected or the possibility of a woman becoming elected in this election.

PYOTT: I would love to see a woman elected, but I want the right candidate. And I've always felt that way. And I feel that way when we talk about women in all types of leadership. It's got to be the right women in leadership. I think Hillary is the right woman. I just - you know, Bernie, as I said earlier, inspires just a little more trust in you. And I love a lot of things that he says. So I think it is time. I am a little concerned. You know, there's the gender bias and I'm a little concerned about how much she is going to have to continue to fight that to get to the White House. And also once she's in, we have watched this for the last seven years, I think she'll continue to have that battle. It's just that the gender culture that we have still unfortunately. But I would love to see that happen.

LEMON: Allison, you were wonderful. Smartest people in the group.

A round of applause from everyone. Thank you very much, Allison. Take care, take care. Everyone stay with me. She was great, right?

ALL: Yes, yes.

LEMON: When we come back, more must-see moments from town hall.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:47:17] LEMON: And we are back. Let's listen to something from the town hall. This is Bernie Sanders' panel talking about how he's going to work with Republicans. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARJORIE SMITH, FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LAWMAKER: Many of us see how deeply held your philosophy and that matters a lot to us. We share those goals. At the same time, you have worked for many years to say it's my way or the highway. You talk tonight about wanting to have a revolution in the house and Senate in order to get people there who share your views. There might be some new members of the house and Senate, but they're not going to be all that many. How are you going to be able to work with a Congress that might not share our deeply held goals in order to achieve a more perfect union?

SANDERS: Well, Marjorie, thank you for your question. It is just not accurate to say -- I know sometimes people may portray me in this respect -- it is not accurate to say that it's my way or the highway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Kevin Madden, how is he going to work with people on your side of the aisle?

MADDEN: Well, you know, this goes to something that Gloria was saying that he has become a much more polished candidate. I think the old Bernie Sanders would have gone on the war path and talked about all the fights that he has with Republicans. In this he was much more conciliatory.

I think he mentioned John McCain but that was all he really mentioned. And he mentioned one issue which was Veterans Affairs work that he has worked on. But I don't necessarily think that he won a whole lot of folks over tonight because think they he is going to work with Republicans as much as he talked in a way that he is going to look for common ground, but he's never going to give up his principles. And you even saw the questioner refer to your deeply held principles. And I think that is something that was reinforced in how he answer.

LEMON: What is interesting because he is saying I'm going to work with the other side and then you have someone like Ted Cruz, no, I'm not going to --

JONES: I thought it was interesting when Sanders said he had gotten more amendments done than working -- in the house.

MADDEN: He's probably getting fact checked on that right now.

JONES: Assuming it's true, I think a lot of people probably don't know that. I think he's not accomplished and I think he can't work with anybody. And if in fact it's true that he is that accomplished and he can work with other people, he should say that more often.

(CROSSTALK)

PRESS: I think it show that both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have worked across the aisle with people in the Congress. And I think she was probably mistaking him for Mitch McConnell.

LEMON: Stand by, everyone. We will get to you. Gloria.

Standby, everyone. We more to come on our town hall just days ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:53:54] LEMON: Back now with our political team, my political dream team. It's hard to imagine, you know, Hillary Clinton in a baseball cap and sweat pants running around Walmart or taking pictures with her hoodie on. She said if she wants to be and -- anonymous, she used to do this in the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: You have no anonymity. If you could be anonymous for one day, what would you do? CLINTON: I used to do this in the White House. And you know, I would

put on baseball cap and sunglasses and, you know, sweat pants and a sweat shirt and pull my hair back and I would go walk. And I would tell the secret service they had to wear casual clothes. They has to take the things out of their ears. They had to look like they were just tourists.

I had the best time, you know. I would end up over on the mall sometimes walking around. And a family would come up and say would you mind taking our picture in front of the White House? I'd be happy to, here. So, you know, there's nothing I like better than to be anonymous, as hard as that is to achieve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[23:55:10] LEMON: All right, Gloria, we all saw the pictures of the first lady in Target, remember, Michelle Obama.

BORGER: I remember.

LEMON: But did this happen?

BORGER: I have to believe it happened, she saying it happened. There is no way to fact check this. Unless you talk to some secret service agents here. But, you know, this is Hillary Clinton, who has been in the public eye for decades, and we see her one way all the time.

LEMON: In a pant suit.

BORGER: Yes, but you know, and also particularly as a woman, you know, we talk about her appearance. And so, she kind of lifted the veil a little bit --

BRAZILE: Her voice.

BORGER: Her hair.

And everything else. What struck me tonight about this entire event was everybody asked the questions to Bernie Sanders. We know you're authentic, we believe you but can you work with the other side? Hillary Clinton to this point about her walking in her sweats, the question is we know you can work across the aisle, but are you authentic and who are you? After being famous for so long, which is why this was a very good question for her to answer, which was we heard her talk about her mother, you know, we heard her talk about ego and humility and it's the kind of things we don't normally hear from her on the stump.

LEMON: And when we come right back, the state of the race. With just days to go until the New Hampshire primary, who's got the mojo tonight?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)