JEDEDIAH: THANKS, PETE.
THE 117TH CONGRESS WILL BE
OFFICIALLY SWORN IN ON CAPITOL
HILL TODAY, BEFORE VOTING FOR
ITS NEW LEADERSHIP AT LEAST
NANCY PELOSI’S STATE OF HOUSE
SPEAKER ON THE LINE AS DEMOCRATS
THIN MAJORITY THREATENS HER
RE-ELECTION.
BEFORE SWITCHING PARTIES MY NEXT
GUEST, THEN DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN
JEFF VAN DREW, VOTED AGAINST
NANCY PELOSI’S BID FOR THE
SPEAKERSHIP.
HE JOINS ME NOW TO DISCUSS.
CONGRESSMAN, WELCOME AND THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY
SO, TWO YEARS AGO, YOU WERE A
DEMOCRAT.
YOU VOTED AGAINST SPEAKER PELOSI
IN HER BID FOR THE SPEAKERSHIP.
WHY?
>> FOR THE REASONS THAT TURNED
OUT TO BE ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE.
I WAS WORRIED THAT SHE WOULDN’T
HAVE THE ABILITY TO BRING PEOPLE
TOGETHER TO SHOW THAT STRENGTH
OF LEADERSHIP AND WORK WITH
REPUBLICANS.
I FELT THAT SHE WAS GOING TO
FOCUS ON ISSUES THAT WEREN’T THE
MAIN ISSUES OF THE DAY,
WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED.
WE GOT INVOLVED IN IMPEACHMENT,
WE GOT INVOLVED IN HEARING AFTER
HEARING AFTER HEARING.
WE WERE INVOLVED WITH BILLS THAT
WE KNEW WERE NEVER GOING TO GO
ANYWHERE, INSTEAD OF REALLY
TRYING TO WORK WITH THE SENATE,
WORK WITH THE REPUBLICANS, PUT
EVERYBODY TOGETHER, AND SEE WHAT
WE REALLY COULD ACCOMPLISH.
CONGRESS IS ABOUT GETTING A WORK
PRODUCT DONE, JUST LIKE ANYTHING
ELSE IN LIFE IS, AND THAT WORK
PRODUCT WAS NOT REALLY DONE AND
WE EVEN, WHEN IT COMES TO THE
SIMPLE, YOU KNOW, THE CORONA
BILL THAT WE DID, THE COVID
RELIEF BILL, IT TOOK SO LONG TO
GET A BILL DONE THAT WE WEREN’T
REALLY EVEN TOTALLY SATISFIED
WITH, AND THEN IT GOT JAMMED
TOGETHER WITH ANOTHER BILL THAT
MANY PEOPLE DIDN’T LIKE IN AN
OMNIBUS AND AT THE END OF THE
DAY, ALMOST EVERYBODY WAS
UNHAPPY.
THIS IS NOT LEADERSHIP.
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE NEED.
THIS IS EVEN MORE THAN
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.
THIS IS ABOUT FORGING FORWARD TO
DO THE WORK OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND SHE’S NOT GETTING IT
DONE, AND YOU KNOW, I HOPE WE DO
SOMETHING BETTER AND SOMETHING
DIFFERENT AND THAT’S GOING TO BE
TO A GREAT DEGREE UP TO
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS BUT
CERTAINLY, THE DEMOCRATS HAVE
THE MAJORITY, ALTHOUGH IT’S MUCH
MUCH THINNER AND IT IS
GOING TO BE INTERESTING BECAUSE
SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO WERE NOT
IN SUPPORT OF HER BEFORE, SOME
OF THEM ARE STILL HERE, SO HOW
THIS IS ALL GOING TO PAN OUT I
DON’T KNOW.
I’M SURE SHE’S THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
I’M SURE SHE’S WORKED ON IT AND
I’M KNOWING HER I’M SURE SHE HAS
A PLAN.
JEDEDIAH: YEAH, SEVERAL DEMOCRAT
S HAVE COME OUT AND
ALREADY SAID THEY WILL NOT
SUPPORT HER.
SHE’S BEEN IN THIS POSITION
BEFORE, THOUGH, WHERE PEOPLE
HAVE SAID OH, SHE’S FACING A LOT
OF RESISTANCE, AND SHE EEKS OUT
THE WIN SO WHAT DO YOU SUSPECT
WILL HAPPEN A AND B WHAT DO YOU
THINK HER SPEAKERSHIP WILL LOOK
LIKE GIVEN SHE HAS SO MUCH
RESISTANCE FROM REPUBLICANS AND
NOW DEMOCRATS AND THE HARD LEFT
WING OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY THAT
EXPECTS HER TO BRING ABOUT
SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE.
>> WELL SHE’S GOING TO HAVE TO
WORK WITH PEOPLE MORE AND KEEP
HER WORD.
LAST TIME SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING
TO BE MODERATE AND WORK WITH THE
MODERATES.
YOU SAW THAT OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW
, SHE DIDN’T.
SHE SAID THERE ABSOLUTELY WOULD
NOT BE IMPEACHMENT.
YOU SAW THAT THERE WAS.
SHE SAID THERE ABSOLUTELY WOULD
NOT BE, YOU KNOW, JUST A SERIES
AFTER SERIES AFTER SERIES OF
INVESTIGATION THAT WOULD REALLY
GET DOWN TO DOING WORK.
I WANT TO WORK.
I WANT TO GET THINGS DONE.
SO DOES MOST OF CONGRESS.
LET’S DO IT.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER, LET’S GET
THINGS DONE.
THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE WE
CAN AGREE THERE WAS SOME AREAS
WHERE PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS
WILLING TO DO MORE AND WILLING
TO HELP OUT, AND IT JUST DIDN’T
HAPPEN, SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN HERE.
THIS IS CLOSE.
I DON’T KNOW IF THERE’S A
DEMOCRATIC PLAN THEY’RE NOT
GOING TO SHARE THAT WITH ME.
YOU KNOW, IF I HAD TO BET MONEY
ON IT, I SOMEHOW THINK SHE’LL
SQUEEK IT OUT AGAIN BUT SHE’S
GOING TO HAVE A HECK OF A
SPEAKERSHIP BECAUSE YOU REALLY
POINTED OUT SOMETHING GOOD.
WE HAVE A STRONGER GROUP NOW AND
THE REPUBLICAN SIDE WHO WANT TO
SEE MODERATION AND SOME MORE
CONSERVATIVE VALUES AND THEY’RE
GOING TO PUSH AND THEY’VE GOT
ROOM TO DO IT NOW, BECAUSE THE
NUMBERS ARE VERY CLOSE, YET
YOU HAVE PEOPLE WITH NEW
LEADERSHIP IN THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY, WHERE THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY IS GOING, IS MORE OF A
SOCIALIST THING, MORE OF A LEFT
WING THING, AND CERTAINLY, MORE
PROGRESSIVE.
SO SHE’S GOING TO HAVE A TOUGH
TIME BALANCING ALL OF THAT.
JEDEDIAH: YEAH, THERE’S THE
FORCE THE VOTE CHALLENGE
THAT HAS COME HER WAY, IT’S
DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A
CHALLENGE EVEN IF SHE GETS THE
SPEAKERSHIP SHE’LL HAVE TO
FIGURE OUT HOW SHE’S GOING TO DO
THAT JOB AND SOMEHOW MAKE
EVERYONE HAPPY WHICH WE ALL KNOW
IS IMPOSSIBLE, CONGRESSMAN, JEFF