TRYING TO SHEPHERD THE NATION
TOWARD BRIGHTING DAYS AND BETTER
HOURS.
HOW WE RECONCILE THOSE TWO IS A
QUESTION FOR MY NEXT GUEST,
SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY, THE
SENATOR FROM TT CONNECTICUT, WHO
SITS ON THE FOREIGN RELATIONS
COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
THE PRESIDENT TALKED ABOUT ALL
THE EVIDENCE AND ALL THE
AFFIDAVITS HE’S GOT, BUT THE
REASON THEY ARE 3-33 IN THE
COURTS IS BECAUSE THERE IS NO
EVIDENCE.
THERE ARE NO AFFIDAVITS.
IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA,
WHERE THEY’RE CHALLENGING THIS
AGAIN, THERE HASN’T BEEN A
SINGLE BALLOT THAT HAS BEEN
FOUND TO BE THE SUBJECT OF
FRAUD.
BUT THIS DOES DO REAL DAMAGE TO
OUR NATION BECAUSE THERE IS A
RELIEF ACT THAT IS NOT GETTING
DEALT WITH BY THE SENATE BECAUSE
THEY WON’T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
JOE BIDEN IS THE
PRESIDENT-TO-BE.
>> NO, THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.
LISTEN, IT’S VERY HARD, IF NOT
IMPOSSIBLE, TO NEGOTIATE A BIG,
COMPLEX PIECE OF LEGISLATION
LIKE A BILLION DOLLAR RELIEF
PACKAGE WITHOUT THE PRESIDENT.
AND IN THIS CASE, IT’S
PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE
THE PRESIDENT AT THE TABLE
BECAUSE MITCH McCONNELL, OVER
THE LAST FOUR YEARS, HAS REFUSED
TO ACT INDEPENDENTLY OF
PERMISSION AND AUTHORIZATION
FROM DONALD TRUMP.
MITCH McCONNELL DOESN’T WANT TO
GO OUT AND NEGOTIATE A
CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE ONLY
TO HAVE TRUMP PULL THE RUG OUT
FROM UNDER HIM.
AND SO MITCH McCONNELL IS NOT AT
THE NEGOTIATING TABLE.
DONALD TRUMP OR THE WHITE HOUSE
ISN’T AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE.
YOU CAN’T GET A PIECE OF
LEGISLATION PASSED AND SIGNED
INTO LAW IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE
MAJORITY PARTY IN THE SENATE AND
THE WHITE HOUSE NEGOTIATING, AND
THAT IS, OF COURSE, A TRAGEDY
BECAUSE RIGHT HERE IN
CONNECTICUT, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW,
THREE-HOUR LINES FOR TESTS
BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH
TESTING EQUIPMENT.
WE HAVE FOUR-HOUR LINES FOR FOOD
BANKS AND FOOD PANTRIES BECAUSE
PEOPLE ARE GETTING REALLY
DESPERATE AS THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFITS RUN OUT.
WE NEED THAT BILL PASSED.
BUT AS DONALD TRUMP IS
CONTINUALLY DISTRACTED BY THIS
SIDESHOW OF CONTESTING THE
ELECTION JUST BECAUSE HIS EGO IS
BRUISED, WE’RE NOT AT THE
NEGOTIATING TABLE GETTING A
PACKAGE DONE TO HELP THIS
COUNTRY THROUGH WHAT IS GOING TO
BE A BRUTAL WINTER.
>> YEAH, IT’S QUITE A TIME WHEN
YOU PASS BY IN THE STREETS OF
OUR CITIES LONG LINEUPS AND
YOU’RE NOT SURE WHETHER THAT’S A
FOOD BANK OR A COVID TESTING
SITE.
LAST WEEK WE SHOWED IMAGES OF A
FOOD BANK IN NORTH TEXAS WHERE
6,000 CARS WERE LINED UP TO GET
FOOD FOR THANKSGIVING.
WE’VE GOT RECORD NUMBERS OF
FOOD-INSECURE FAMILIES IN
AMERICA.
AND FUNDAMENTALLY THAT’S
CONNECTED.
THAT ECONOMIC CRISIS, WHICH
DONALD TRUMP DID TALK A LOT
ABOUT IN THE WANING DAYS OF THE
CAMPAIGN, HE’S RIGHT ABOUT THAT.
PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING
ECONOMICALLY.
YOU CAN’T SOLVE THAT PROBLEM IF
YOU DON’T SOLVE THE UNDERLYING
PROBLEM, WHICH IS COVID.
>> NO, EXACTLY RIGHT.
AND I WAS AT A SMALL COMMUNITY
HOSPITAL IN CONNECTICUT THIS
MORNING.
THEY DO TESTING IN THE MORNING,
BUT THEY HAVE TO STOP TESTING AT
ABOUT 1:00 BECAUSE THEY DON’T
HAVE ENOUGH TESTS.
THEY RUN OUT.
AND SO THEY SHUT DOWN.
AND THERE’S STILL A HIGH DEMAND
FOR PEOPLE IN OUR STATE TO GET
TESTED.
BUT BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP HAS
BOTCHED THE SUPPLY CHAIN BOTH
FOR PPE AT THE OUTSET OF THE
CRISIS AND NOW FOR TESTING, WE
CAN’T REALLY GET OUR HANDS
AROUND THE PROBLEM, WHICH MEANS
THEN YOU CAN’T GET YOUR HANDS
AROUND A SOLUTION.
SO, LISTEN, JOE BIDEN IS GOING
TO HAVE A MOUNTAIN OF A JOB WHEN
HE GETS SWORN IN.
HE’S GOING TO HAVE TO
ESSENTIALLY START FROM SCRATCH
WITH RESPECT TO PANDEMIC
RESPONSE, AND HE’S GOING TO HAVE
AN ECONOMY IN MELTDOWN IF WE
CAN’T GET A PACKAGE DONE.
AND EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT DONALD
TRUMP IS DISTRACTED AND ANGRY
AND MAD ABOUT THE ELECTION
RESULTS IS ANOTHER DAY THAT WE
CAN’T GET THAT COVID RELIEF
PACKAGE, WE CAN’T GET
EVICTION -- WE CAN’T GET
BENEFITS TO RENTERS, WE CAN’T
GET UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
EXTENDED, WE CAN’T GET MONEY
DOWN TO STATES TO HELP WITH THE
TESTING BACKLOG.
THAT’S A HUGE PROBLEM.
>> CAN YOU BELIEVE WE’RE IN THE
NINTH MONTH OF THIS THING, AND
WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TESTING
MATERIALS, AND WE STILL TALK
ABOUT PPE FOR WORKERS?