STEIN AND ANNA PALMER IS JOINING
US THIS MORNING.
THE HOUSE IS EXPECTED TO VOTE
TODAY ON PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE.
DEBATE ON THE BILL IS SCHEDULED
TO BEGIN JUST AFTER 9:00 A.M.
TIMING OF THE VOTE IS FLUID
GIVEN THAT REPUBLICANS MAY TRY
TO SLOW THE PROCESS WITH
PROCEDURAL DELAYS.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS AIM TO GET THE
BILL TO PRESIDENT BIDEN’S DESK
SO HE CAN SIGN IT BEFORE KEY
UNEMPLOYMENT AID PROGRAMS EXPIRE
THIS SUNDAY, JOE.
>> SAM STEIN, YOU BROUGHT SOME
MORE POLLS WITH YOU SHOWING
AGAIN JUST HOW WILDLY POPULAR
THIS BILL IS.
>> YEAH.
WE HAVE A NEW POLL OUT JUST NOW,
POLITICO MORNING CONSULT POLL
YOU RARELY SEE LEGISLATION THIS
POPULAR, 75% SUPPORT FOR THE
LEGISLATION, 18% OPPOSITION.
BUT YOU BREAK IT DOWN BY PARTY
AFFILIATION.
YOU HAVE 59% OF REPUBLICANS,
SELF IDENTIFIED REPUBLICANS,
SAYING THEY SUPPORT THIS BILL.
ONLY 35% OF THE REPUBLICANS
OPPOSE.
THE INDEPENDENT NUMBERS ARE EVEN
BETTER THAN THAT.
45% SAY IT’S THE RIGHT AMOUNT.
24% WISH THIS BILL WAS BIGGER,
THAT IT COVERS TOO LITTLE
SUPPORT.
YOU HAVE SEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN
SAY THE RISK IS WE DON’T DO
ENOUGH.
PEOPLE WISH HE WENT FURTHER THAN
THIS.
IT’S A PIECE OF LEGISLATION WITH
IMMENSE POPULARITY.
IN THE WHITE HOUSE A COUPLE
WEEKS BACK I REMEMBER TALKING TO
AN ADVISER WONDERING IF
REPUBLICANS WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS
AND SOME WOULD VOTE FOR THE IT
BECAUSE OF THE POLITICAL
ADVANTAGEOUS OF IT AND WHAT WE
WILL SEE TODAY AND IN THE SENATE
A COUPLE DAYS AGO IS THAT
REPUBLICANS WILL OPPOSE THIS EN
MASSE, CALCULATING THERE’S MORE
POLITICAL UPSIDE TO BEING IN THE
OPPOSITION ON THIS ONE.
RIGHT NOW IT LOOK LIKE A FAIRLY
RISKY BET CONSIDERING HOW WELL
THIS IS POLLING AND HOW PEOPLE
WANT MORE.
>> YOU KNOW, EDDIE, I JUST KEEP
GOING BACK TO THE FACT THAT THE
REPUBLICANS SEEM TO BE CARRYING
A PAGE OUT OF A PLAY BOOK FROM
2009 WHERE THEY THINK THEY’RE
GOING UP AGAINST BARACK OBAMA
AND THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT
THEY’VE BEEN PLAYING THIS GAME
FOR 11 YEARS AND AMERICANS
UNDERSTAND THEY’LL BE AGAINST
THINGS BUT THEY DON’T -- OTHER
THAN HUGE TAX CUTS FOR
BILLIONAIRES AND MULTINATIONAL
CORPORATIONS, THEY REALLY ALL
THEY’VE DONE IS SAY NO OVER THE
PAST 11 YEARS.
AND IN THIS CASE, YOU’VE GOT A
BILL THAT’S WILDLY POPULAR.
THEY’RE GOING TO BE AGAINST A
BILL THAT 76% OF AMERICANS
SUPPORT.
THEIR NEXT FIGHT IS GOING TO BE
TO STOP THE EXPANSION OF
DEMOCRACY, TO DO EVERYTHING THEY
CAN TO STAND LIKE WALLACE IN THE
SCHOOLHOUSE DOOR EXCEPT THIS
TIME TO STAND IN THE DOOR OF
VOTING PRECINCTS, TO STOP MORE
AMERICANS FROM VOTING.
THIS IS A LOSING PROPOSITION FOR
THEM AND I’M SURPRISED THAT
THERE’S NOT ONE REPUBLICAN IN
THE SENATE THAT UNDERSTOOD THIS
AND VOTED FOR THIS POPULAR BILL.
>> YEAH, JOE.
I THINK YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
YOU’RE DESCRIBING THE MODERN DAY
VERSIONS OF NO NOTHINGS.
I THINK THAT’S ABSOLUTELY ON
POINT.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT THAN THE OBAMA
YEARS, OF COURSE, IS THAT
530,000 AMERICANS ARE DEAD.
THAT THE POPULARITY OF THE
RELIEF PACKAGE HAS EVERYTHING TO
DO WITH THE SUFFERING IN THE
COUNTRY.
AND WHAT YOU SEE AMONG
REPUBLICANS IS IN SOME WAYS A
KIND OF DESIRE TO CONSOLIDATE OR
AT LEAST TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE
DEEP FISH SURES WITHIN THE PARTY
BY KIND OF CONSOLIDATING BEHIND
OPPOSITION TO THE DEMOCRATS,
OWNING THE LIBS BECOMES THE WAY
TO DEAL WITH THE CIVIL WAR
WITHIN THE PARTY.
AND TRYING TO DEAL WITH THAT,
JOE, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY’RE NOT
ADDRESSING THE SUFFERING IN THE
COUNTRY.
I DON’T THINK THIS IS A WISE
POLITICAL CALCULATION.
I UNDERSTAND IT.
BUT IT’S ALSO CONSISTENT WITH
WHAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS
MORPHED INTO, I BELIEVE.
>> AND WILLIE, EDDIE BRINGS UP
SUCH A GREAT POINT THAT YOU HAVE
PEOPLE WHO NOW SUPPORT DONALD
TRUMP, MOST OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, AND THEY’LL SAY THINGS
LIKE THEY SUPPORT WHAT HE
BELIEVES IN, WHAT HE STANDS FOR
OR JUST THAT HE FIGHTS FOR US.
>> RIGHT.
>> HE FIGHTS AGAINST NANCY
PELOSI.
HE FIGHTS AGAINST LIBERALS.
HE FIGHTS AGAINST CNN.
HE FIGHTS AGAINST MSNBC, NEW
YORK TIMES, YOU NAME IT.
THEIR ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY HAS BEEN
BOILED DOWN TO, WELL, ACTUALLY
NOT A PHILOSOPHY, JUST SORT OF A
SPASM.
IT’S WHAT DO WE DO TO OWN THE
LIBS?
IT’S REALLY -- WE’RE GOING TO
SHOW A CLIP IN A MINUTE OF TIM
RYAN TALKING ABOUT ALL THE
THINGS THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
IS DOING RIGHT NOW THAT
REPUBLICANS SUPPORT, THAT
INDEPENDENTS SUPPORT, THAT
DEMOCRATS SUPPORT.
>> YEAH.
LET’S SHOW --
>> WHILE THEY’RE DOING THAT,
WHILE THEY’RE DOING THAT,
REPUBLICANS, REPUBLICAN LEADERS,