FROM GOP ROYALTY TO REPUBLICAN
OUTCAST.
AND HELL GET TO THAT IN JUST A
MOMENT.
>> SO, JOHN, I WANT TO HEAR FROM
YOU FIRST.
YOU CAUGHT OUR EYE WITH A TWEET.
THATS THE WAY TO GET TO US.
IM A PRETTY SHALLOW GUY.
HOW SAD, HOW PATHETIC.
WHAT A STATEMENT ON ME AND OUR
TIMES.
BUT YOUR TWITTER THREAD WAS
MAGNIFICENT, TALKING ABOUT THE
DEMOCRATS NOT REALLY HAVING A
LOT OF OPTIONS.
YOU BASICALLY SAID MANCHIN AND
THE DEMOCRATS NEED TO CALL THE
REPUBLICANS BLUFF.
>> ITS PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU
WERE SAYING EARLIER, WHICH IS
MAKE THEM AN OFFER THEY CANT
REFUSE.
WHEN THIS VOTE GOES DOWN TODAY,
I THINK THE NEXT STEP HAS TO BE
JOE BIDEN GETTING OUT THERE AND
SAYING, OKAY, WE HAVE JOE MACHB
CHIN THATS
-- MANCHIN THATS COME UP WITH
A COMPROMISE, WE HAVE THE JOHN
LOUIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
YOU TWO GET TOGETHER.
FIND TEN REPUBLICANS, TEN
DEMOCRATS JUST LIKE YOU HAVE ON
INFRASTRUCTURE, COME TO THE
WHITE HOUSE AND LETS HAVE A
NEGOTIATION ON WHAT REPUBLICANS
WILL ACCEPT IN TERMS OF VOTING
RIGHTS LEGISLATION.
I THINK YOU HAVE TO CALL THEIR
BLUFF EXAMINEAND MAKE THEM LOOK
UNREASONABLE AS POSSIBLE.
>> JOHN, ITS WILLIE.
WHAT IS YOUR READ OF YOUR FORMER
BOSS JUMPING INTO THIS
CONVERSATION?
HE CERTAINLY HAS PICKED HIS
SPOTS IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS
SINCE HE LEFT OFFICE IN TERMS OF
POLICY AND BACKING THIS MANCHIN
PROPOSAL ON VOTING RIGHTS.
HE TALKED ABOUT IT BEING A
COMPROMISE WHICH IS PEJORATIVE
AMONG PROGRESSIVES RIGHT NOW.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF HIM JUMPING
INTO THIS DEBATE?
>> I THINK VOTING RIGHTS AND
JUST DEMOCRACY REFORM AND
PROTECTION OF DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN
ONE OF HIS HIGHEST PRIORITIES.
IT WAS DURING THE
ADMINISTRATION, IT CERTAINLY HAS
BEEN SINCE HE LEFT OFFICE.
I THINK WHEN MANCHIN FIRST CAME
OUT WITH THAT COMPROMISE, THERE
WAS SOME QUESTION OF WHETHER
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS WOULD
SUPPORT THAT.
THE FACT THAT BARACK OBAMA
STEPPED OUT TO SUPPORT IT REALLY
HELPED BRING PROGRESSIVES AND
MAINSTREAM DEMOCRATS ON BOARD
WITH THIS PROPOSAL.
AND I THINK THE REASON OBAMA DID
THAT IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS FULL
WELL WERE NOT GETTING HR-1 AS
IT WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN.
THATS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN
BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE MANCHIN
ON THAT, SO YOU NEED SOMETHING
JOE MANCHIN WILL SUPPORT.
THATS JUST THE MATH.
I THINK THE FACT THAT OBAMA AND
STALS
STACEY ABRAMS CAME OUT AND
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE BILL
WEIGHING ON THEM THEMSELVES.
>> I KEEP TALKING ABOUT, AND
ITS SORT OF SURPRISING TO ME AS
A GUY THAT WHEN I WAS IN
CONGRESS, YOU KNOW, WE RAISED
HELL EVERY DAY.
WE WERE CONSTANTLY PUSHING OUR
LEADERSHIP.
IVE REALLY BEEN TAKEN BY
PROGRESSIVES AND THE RESTRAINT THEYVE SHOWN, THE DISCIPLINE
THEYVE SHOWN, THE DISCIPLINE
THEYVE SHOWN IN NEGOTIATING.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTING
LIKE THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO
GOVERN, KNOW HOW TO GOVERN.
THEYVE SORT OF STOOD BACK AND
LET EVERYBODY TALK ABOUT
MANCHIN.
THEYRE CHOOSING THEIR SHOTS,
BUT PRESIDENT OBAMA, STACEY
ABRAMS COMING OUT AND SUPPORTING
VOTER I.D., SUPPORTING PURGING
THE ROLLS EVERY FEW YEARS.
THATS REALLY SIGNIFICANT STUFF,
ISNT IT?
>> I THINK ITS VERY
SIGNIFICANT.
LOOK, I THINK ONE OF THE
BENEFITS OF THE SPECIFIC VOTER
I.D. PROVISION THAT MANCHIN
WANTS TO INCLUDE IS YOU CAN USE
AN ALTERNATIVE I.D., YOU CAN USE
AN ELECTRIC BILL OR UTILITY
BILL.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN WEST
VIRGINIA WHICH MANCHIN
REPRESENTS, SO I THINK ITS
EASIER TO SWALLOW THAN SOME THAT
YOU SEE IN THE RED STATES.
I THINK EVERYONE FROM BERNIE
SANDERS TO JOE MANCHIN
UNDERSTANDS THAT JOE BIDENS
SUCCESS IS KEY NOT JUST TO JOE
BIDENS POLITICAL FUTURE, BUT TO
THE WHOLE COUNTRY, AND WE JUST
WENT THROUGH A TRUMP PRESIDENCY.
WE DONT WANT TO SEE SOMETHING
LIKE THAT AGAIN, SO ALL OF US
FROM THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT TO THE
CENTER LEFT r INVESTING TO SEE THAT JOE BIDEN BE A PLEASED AND
THAT JOE BIDEN BE A PLEASED AND
WHYOE BIDENS AGENDA WONT
PASS.
>> YAMICHE, WHATS YOUR FEELING?
>> THIS FEELING AMONG
PROGRESSIVES, YOU CAN FEEL IT
GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE
DEMOCRATS ARE REALLY SAYING, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS NOT JUST AS
NEED TO LOOK AT THIS NOT JUST AS
A MORAL USH U,MORAL ISSUE, A HUM
ISSUE, BUT NOW WERE LOOKING AT
VOTER NULLIFICATION.
THATS WHAT I HEAR FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE.
THATS ALSO WHAT I HEAR FROM
PROGRESSIVES WHO WANT TO PUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE.
A COUPLE DEMOCRATS DONT WANT TO
DEAL WITH THE FILIBUSTER.
THEY DONT WANT TO CHANGE IT,
BUT WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE, THEY
SAY THERE IS GOING TO BE THIS
BIG DECISION MANCHIN HAS TO
FACE.
DO YOU LET VOTING RIGHTS
DEMOCRACY BE EATEN AWAY THIS IT
COUNTRY, OR DO YOU SAY, HERES A
FILIBUSTER.
MANY RICH KLIEMAN HAS BEEN
TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR SOME TIME NOW IF YOU LOOK AT THE YORJ
NOW IF YOU LOOK AT THE YORJ
GEORGE BILL, COWAN TWEETED.
WHY DO PEOPLE TAKE PICTURES OF
THEIR FOOD?
>> THEIR WORKOUTS.
>> DONT DO THAT.
LIKE GEORGIA, FOR INSTANCE.
SOME OF THE PROVISIONS ACTUALLY
MAKE IT EASIER TO VOTE IN
GEORGIA, ACCORDING TO THIS
STUDY.
BUT WHATS SO TROUBLING ABOUT
THE GEORGIA BILL?
WHATS SO TROUBLING ABOUT THE
TEXAS BILL?
WHATS SO TROUBLING ABOUT ALL
THESE BILLS IS WHERE THE
LEGISLATURE SAYS, OH, BY THE
WAY, WE CAN TAKE OVER AFTER AN
ELECTION AND WE CAN NULLIFY
EVERYTHING THAT LOCAL AND STATE
OFFICIALS, OTHER STATE
OFFICIALS, WANT TO DO.
THE POWER IS IN US -- THOSE ARE
THE PROVISIONS, AND IT SEEMS TO
ME, WERE TALKING VOTER I.D., ET
CETERA, ET CETERA.
THOSE ARE THE REAL PROVISIONS
THAT ARE CAUSING THE REAL
DANGER, NOT WHETHER EARLY VOTING
IS 7 OR 9 OR 12, BECAUSE
WHATEVER THE SPROIGSPROVISION IS
GEORGIA OR TEXAS, I CAN SHOW YOU
ONE IN NEW YORK.
THE REAL DANGER IS THE
NULLIFICATION OF VOTERS.
>> IN AN ERA WHERE EVERYTHING IS
NATIONALIZED, YOU CAN SAY
REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO SWEEP
AWAY VOTING RIGHTS.
BUT THEN YOU ASK PEOPLE, ARE YOU
FOR AN I.D. TO VOTE, AND THE
MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL SAY,
YES, WE SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF
PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION, WHICH
IS A PERFECTLY REASONABLE
ASSUMPTION TO MOST PEOPLE, BUT
YOU INFLATE THAT WITH SOME
PROVISION IN TEXAS WHO CAN SNAP
THEIR FINGERS AND SAY, NO, WE
DONT LIKE THAT GOVERNMENT, WE
WANT THIS ONE.
SO THATS WHY IT MAKES IT
COMPLICATED.
>> AND, JOHN, LOOK WHATS
HAPPENING IN ARIZONA.
WHY COULD THAT NOT HAPPEN IN
TEXAS IN 2024.
WHY COULD THAT NOT HAPPEN IN
GEORGIA IN 2024 IF THE
LEGISLATURE IS SAYING, WERE
GIVING THEM THE POWER TO DECIDE.
>> IT COULD.
AND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING
ABOUT, WHICH IS ELECTION
SUBVERSION, IS NOT CURRENTLY IN
THE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT.
I DONT KNOW WHY ITS LEFT OUT,
BUT I OFTEN THINK ALONG WITH
PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING, ITS
PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT
PROVISION TO HAVE IN A PIECE OF
VOTING RIGHTS LEGISLATION.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
REPUBLICAN COUNTY BOARDS,
REPUBLICAN STATE LEGISLATURES,
EVEN REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS,
CANT JUST OVERTURN THE RESULTS
OF AN ELECTION THEY DONT LIKE,
SO YOU SHOULD AMEND THE LAWS SO
YOU CANT NULLIFY AN ELECTION
UNLESS THERE IS A SUPERMAJORITY
WHICH WOULD REQUIRE BOTH PARTIES