TO, BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO MAKE
SURE THERE WASN’T RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE, TO MAKE SURE THERE
WASN’T FOREIGN INTERFERENCE, TO
MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY DID
THEIR JOBS.
TIM ALBERTA DOCUMENTS WHAT
HAPPENED IN MICHIGAN IN A
SWEEPING NEW "POLITICO" PIECE.
HE IS WITH US ALONG WITH AUTHOR
AND AWARD-WINNING POLITICAL
ANALYST JEFF GREENFIELD WHO
QUESTIONS WHETHER THESE FEW
DEFENDERS AT THE GATE ARE
EVIDENCE OF THE SYSTEM WORKING
OR IF IT’S COMING FAR TOO CLOSE
TO CRUMBLING.
JEFF’S NEW PIECE FOR "POLITICO"
IS CALLED DID AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
REALLY HOLD?
MAYBE NOT.
ALSO FORMER AIDE TO THE GEORGE
W. BUSH WHITE HOUSE AND STATE
DEPARTMENTS ALISE JORDAN.
YOU DIDN’T WRITE THE ARTICLE,
BUT I WANT TO GO TO YOU.
LIKE ME, FORMER REPUBLICAN, WE
ACTUALLY HAVE TO WATCH LOCAL
REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS BEING
TRASHED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, AND RECEIVING
DEATH THREATS FOR SIMPLY
UPHOLDING THE LAW AND BY
EXTENSION OF UPHOLDING THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
JUST WHEN YOU THINK OUR FORMER
PARTY COULDN’T GO ANY LOWER, IT
DOES.
>> WELL, AND, JOE, YOU WONDER
WHEN IS IT GOING TO END?
IS IT EVER GOING TO END?
IF DONALD TRUMP HAS LOST THE
ELECTION AND THESE REPUBLICAN
OFFICIALS ARE STILL SO CONCERNED
ABOUT HIS FEELINGS, THAT THEY
ARE GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS
THEATER WHEN EVERYONE WITH A FEW
BRAIN CELLS KNOWS THAT JOE BIDEN
INDEED WON THE ELECTION.
AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT IT’S
GOING TO BE OVERTURNED.
AND SO THE EXAMPLE IN GEORGIA,
WHAT HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY
GALLING JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A
REPUBLICAN SECRETARY OF STATE
WHO SAID I WANT TO DO THE RIGHT
THING, AND THAT "ATLANTA
JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION" INTERVIEW
WITH BRAD RAFENSBERGER AND HIS
WIFE TALKING ABOUT THE DEATH
THREATS, IT JUST IS REALLY
OUTRAGEOUS.
>> BY THE WAY, A LIFELONG
REPUBLICAN.
I LOVE THIS.
A LIFELONG REPUBLICAN, RIGHT,
WHO HAS BEEN A REPUBLICAN AND
SUPPORTED REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
AND VOTED FOR REPUBLICANS, AT
THE SAME TIME DONALD TRUMP WAS
GIVING NINE CHECKS, NINE
CONTRIBUTIONS TO HILLARY
CLINTON, CHARLIE RANGEL,
CHARLES -- CHUCK SCHUMER.
YOU GO DOWN THE LIST.
ANTHONY WEINER.
I MEAN, SO SUDDENLY DONALD TRUMP
IS A REAL REPUBLICAN AND THESE
LIFELONG REPUBLICANS WHO WERE
JUST DOING THEIR JOB AREN’T?
IT’S RIDICULOUS.
IT’S RIDICULOUS IN GEORGIA.
IT’S RIDICULOUS WHAT’S GOING ON
IN MICHIGAN.
TIM, YOU WROTE ABOUT THAT.
TELL US WHAT YOU LEARNED.
>> WELL, JOE, IT’S INTERESTING
BECAUSE IN MICHIGAN, IT WAS THE
WIDEST MARGIN OF VICTORY FOR JOE
BIDEN OF ANY OF THESE
BATTLEGROUND STATES.
BUT, THE STATES THAT WE SPENT
THE PAST YEAR OBSESSING OVER,
MICHIGAN WASN’T CLOSE.
IT WAS ABOUT A THREE-POINT
MARGIN, 150,000 VOTES PLUS.
AND WHAT’S INTERESTING, WHEN YOU
TALK TO PEOPLE ON THE GROUND
HERE OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS,
AND FOR MY STORY I INTERVIEWED A
COUPLE DOZEN INSIDERS IN THE
CAMPAIGNS AND, YOU KNOW, PARTY
OFFICIALS ON THE GROUND, THEY
ALL SORT OF FELT THAT BECAUSE IT
WASN’T PARTICULARLY CLOSE, IT’S
ALMOST COUNTERINTUITIVELY
IRONICALLY FANNED THE FLAMES,
MADE IT A MORE FERTILE GROUND
FOR SOME OF THESE CONSPIRACIES
TO TAKE ROOT BECAUSE THE
PRESIDENT AND HIS ALLIES SORT
OF, IF THEY WERE ABLE AND
WILLING TO PUSH CONSPIRACY
THEORIES HERE AND TO GO DOWN THE
SORT OF RABBIT HOLES OF, YOU
KNOW, VOTES BEING FRAUDULENT AND
THE OUTCOME BEING RIGGED AND
SOURCES AT WORK IN DETROIT AND
ELSEWHERE ACTIVELY TRYING TO
CHEAT HIM OUT OF A WIN HERE, IF
THEY WERE WILLING TO DO THAT IN
A STATE DECIDED BY 154,000
VOTES, WELL, THEN ALL BETS ARE
OFF IN STATES LIKE GEORGIA AND
ARIZONA AND WISCONSIN, STATES
WITH MUCH NARROWER MARGINS.
SO THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED.
AND YOU WILL ALSO HAVE, HAVE,
McDANIEL, THE RNC CHAIR, SHE HAS
A VESTED INTEREST IN MAKING SURE
THAT THE PRESIDENT KNOWS THAT
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE THAT CAN BE
DONE IS BEING DONE IN MICHIGAN
BECAUSE SHE IS UP FOR
RE-ELECTION IN A COUPLE OF
MONTHS.
IF SHE WANTS TO HOLD ON TO HER
JOB -- AND WE KNOW THIS, GUYS.
WE HAVE SEEN THIS THE LAST
COUPLE OF YEARS.
TO KEEP YOUR JOB IN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY REQUIRES TO DEM
TATE STRAIGHT UNFLINCHING
LOYALTY TO THE PRESIDENT EVEN
WHEN IT MEANS DENYING REALITY,
PEDALING, YOU KNOW, FALSEHOODS.
IN THIS CASE, RONNA McDANIEL,
SOMEBODY WHO HAD A GOOD
REPUTATION IN MICHIGAN POLITICS
UP UNTIL RECENTLY WAS WILLING TO
THROW ALL OF THAT AWAY JUST TO