BLANE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND IT WAS HIS PARENT WHO ISS WH
CALLED HIM IN.
>> WE WILL FOLLOW THIS CLOSELY.
>>> WE WANT TO MOVE TO POLITICS
MOW.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK
SCHUMER ANNOUNCED DEMOCRATS’
PLAN TO PASS A COMPREHENSIVE
VOTING REFORM BILL CALLED THE
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT.
>> WE WILL PUT THE BILL ON THE
FLOOR.
WE WILL SEE IF OUR REPUBLICAN
FRIENDS JOIN US.
IF THEY DON’T JOIN US, OUR
CAUCUS WILL COME TOGETHER AND
DECIDE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO
TAKE.
EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE.
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.
>> THE PACKAGE INCLUDES
PROTECTIONS AGAINST
GERRYMANDERING, IMPROVED
ELECTION SECURITY, AND MAKES IT
EASIER TO REGISTER TO VOTE.
THE HOUSE PASSED ITS VOTER
SUPPRESSION OF THE BILL EARLIER
THIS MONTH WITH EVERY REPUBLICAN
VOTING AGAINST IT.
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR RAPHAEL
WARNOCK OF GEORGIA USED HIS
FIRST FLOOR SPEECH TO ADDRESS
THE RESTRICTIVE VOTING LAWS
PUSHED BY REPUBLICANS IN THE
WAKE OF HIS SENATE RUNOFF WIN.
HERE’S PART OF HIS COMMENTS.
>> WE ARE WITNESSING RIGHT NOW A
MASSIVE AND UNABASHED ASSAULT ON
VOTING RIGHTS, UNLIKE ANYTHING
WE’VE EVER SEEN SINCE THE JIM
CROW ERA.
THIS IS JIM CROW IN NEW CLOTHES.
WITHIN 24 HOURS, WE ELECTED
GEORGIA’S FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN, JEWISH SENATOR
AND HOURS LATER, THE CAPITOL WAS
ASSAULTED.
IT IS A CONTRADICTION TO SAY WE
MUST PROTECT MINORITY RIGHTS IN
THE SENATE WHILE REFUSING TO
PROTECT MINORITY RIGHTS IN THE
SOCIETY.
COLLEAGUES, THOSE SENATE RULES
SHOULD OVERRULE THE INTEGRITY OF
OUR DEMOCRACY.
AND WE MUST FIND A WAY TO PASS
VOTING RIGHTS.
WHETHER WE GET RID OF THE
FILIBUSTER OR NOT.
>> SENATOR WARNOCK RECEIVED A
STANDING OVATION AND CHEERS
THROUGHOUT THE CHAMBER WHEN HE
FINISHED HIS SPEECH.
AND THE SENATOR WILL BE OUR
GUEST JUST AHEAD ON "MORNING
JOE."
LET’S BRING IN WHITE HOUSE
REPORTER FOR THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS, JONATHAN LA MIR.
NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER FOR
"THE NEW YORK TIMES," ELAINA
PLOTT, COFOUNDER AND CEO OF
AXIOS, JIM VANDEHEI, AND WHITE
HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR POLITICO
AND CO-AUTHOR OF "THE PLAYBOOK,"
EUGENE DANIELS.
HE’S ALSO AN MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU ALL ONBOARD
THIS MORNING.
>> JIM VANDEHEI, AGAIN, BECAUSE
WE’VE BEEN AROUND CAPITOL HILL.
I WAS AROUND WITH YOU 25 YEARS
AGO ON CAPITOL HILL.
WE SAW LEGISLATION PASSING MORE
REGULARLY THAN, BUT IF YOU LOOK
JUST OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS,
LOOK AT THE LAST SIX YEARS OF
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND
DONALD TRUMP’S FOUR YEARS, THE
ONLY SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT PASSED OVER
LEGISLATION THAT PASSED OVER
THAT DAY WAS TRUMP’S TAX CUT.
>> I DON’T THINK IT IS UNLESS
THEY END UP WITH 60 PLUS VOTES
IN THE SENATE.
EVER SINCE WE’VE MOVED TO THIS
PERIOD OF POLITICS, YOU DON’T
HAVE MODERATES.
YOU DON’T HAVE NEARLY AS MANY
WHEN WE WERE IN CONGRESS AND I
WAS COVERING CONGRESS.
THEY’RE GONE.
NOW THE PARTIES ARE SO POLARIZED
THAT IT ALMOST REQUIRES ONLY
HAVING A 50-SEAT THRESHOLD IF
YOU WANT TO GET THINGS DONE,
UNLESS YOU HAVE A SUPER
MAJORITY.
AND THAT’S REALLY THE QUESTION
THAT’S FACING DEMOCRATS.
LIKE, IT’S STARING THEM RIGHT IN
THE FACE.
LIKE, THEY KNOW THEY CAN GET
THIS LEGISLATION ON VOTING
RIGHTS PASSED.
THEY CAN GET INFRASTRUCTURE
DONE.
THEY CAN GET BIG CHUNKS OF THE
GREEN NEW DEAL DONE.
IF THEY GET RID OF THE
FILIBUSTER.
IT’S STILL A BIG IF, BUT THEY
COULD.
THEY COULD REALLY REENGINEER
GOVERNMENT IN THIS COUNTRY IN
THE IMAGE THAT THEIR BASE WOULD
LOVE TO HAVE IT REENGINEERED TO
COMPORT WITH, IF THEY MAKE THAT
DECISION.
THE THING THAT SITS IN THE BACK
OF THEIR MIND GOES TO YOUR
QUESTION, WHICH IS, OKAY, BUT IF
YOU KEEP FLIPPING CONTROL, IF
YOU -- AND WE’VE HAD SO MANY --
WE’VE HAD REPUBLICANS IN FULL
CONTROL, THEN DEMOCRATS,
REPUBLICANS, AND THEN DEMOCRATS.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE
POWER?
DOES ALL OF THIS STUFF JUST GET
REVERSED OR DO THEY UNTO US AS
WE DID UNTO THEM?
AND I THINK THAT WE’RE GOING TO
KNOW RELATIVELY SOON.
I THINK THIS IS GOING TO COME TO
A HEAD.
BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE
LANGUAGE THAT YOU HEARD IN THAT
FLOOR SPEECH, ELIZABETH WARREN
TOLD US THAT THE FILIBUSTER --
IN RACISM.
THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF
PRESSURE ON JOE MANCHIN TO SAY,
GET RID OF THE DAMNED FILIBUSTER
AND LET’S DO WHAT THEY WANT TO