Prevagen. Healthier Brain. Better Life.
Better Life. >>> THE OTHER TOP STORY TONIGHT,
CRITICS BLASTING REPUBLICAN
POLICIES THAT THEY SAY SUPPRESS
VOTES IN TOP RACES.
THIS STORY DRAWING INTENSE
SCRUTINY ALL OVER THE PLACE,
BECAUSE IT’S NOT IN ONE OR TWO
STATES, BUT MORE OF A TREND.
CRACKDOWNS THAT DISPARATELY
IMPACT MINORITIES THAT TEND TO
VOTE DEMOCRATIC.
VOTE DEMOCRATIC. IN GEORGIA, EARLY VOTING
UNDERWAY WITH REPUBLICAN BRIAN
KEMP LEADING STACY ABRAMS BY
ABOUT TWO POINTS.
BUT HE’S NOT JUST A CANDIDATE
FOR GOVERNOR.
FOR GOVERNOR. HE’S USING HIS POST AS SECRETARY
OF STATE TO HOLD UP TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF VOTER REGISTRATION
S
S S.
S. 70% OF THEM, AFRICAN-AMERICAN
VOTERS.
VOTERS. OR IN TEXAS WHERE TED CRUZ
DEBATES BETO O’ROURKE TONIGHT,
THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL
PROSECUTING ABOUT THREE DOZEN
PEOPLE ON CHARGES OF VOTER
FRAUD.
FRAUD. THAT IS MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS
FIVE YEARS COMBINED.
CRITICS SAY IT MAY INTIMIDATE
MANY LAWFUL VOTERS.
AND THEN THERE’S A BIG STORY
THAT MY COLLEAGUE, RACHEL
MADDOW, HAS BEEN REPORTING ON.
HEIDI HEITKAMP FIGHTING IN A RED
STATE WHERE REPUBLICANS SHOULD
HAVE A BIG EDGE ANYWAY, BUT
WHERE THEY ARE TAKING EXTREME
MEASURES THAT CRITICS SAY WOULD
SUPPRESS THE VOTES OF NATIVE
AMERICANS.
AMERICANS. >> WHAT THEY SPECIFICALLY WERE
WORKING TO GET RID OF IN THAT
STATE WAS YOUR ABILITY TO VOTE
IF YOUR I.D. DOESN’T HAVE A
STREET ADDRESS ON IT.
NATIVE AMERICANS IN NORTH
DAKOTA, AT DOUBLE THE RATE OF
EVERYBODY ELSE, DON’T HAVE
STREET ADDRESSES ON THEIR I.D.s.
IF THE REPUBLICANS CAN TURN OFF
THE NATIVE AMERICAN VOTE, IF
THEY CAN END THAT, THEY CAN RUN
THE TABLE.
THE TABLE. THEY DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
THERE BEING ANY U.S. SENATORS
FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
>> I AM JOINED BY DONNA BRAZILE,
BACK AT THE TABLE, AND ARI
BERMAN, A SENIOR REPORTER FOR
MOTHER JONES, THE AUTHOR OF
"GIVE US THE BALLOT: THE MODERN
STRUGGLE FOR VOTING RIGHTS IN
AMERICA" AND A JOURNALIST WHO
HAS BEEN TRACKING THIS FOR A
LONG TIME, LONG BEFORE IT WAS
ACTUALLY IN THE NATIONAL
SPOTLIGHT.
SPOTLIGHT. DONNA, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS, IS
THIS TARGETING BLACK VOTERS AND
MINORITIES AND NATIVE AMERICANS,
AS YOU SEE THERE?
>> YES, SADLY, IT IS.
NOT ONLY IN GEORGIA, THE
PURGING OF PEOPLE IN THE STATE
OF INDIANA, THE FAILURE TO
PROCESS VOTER REGISTRATION CARDS
IN MIAMI-DADE, THE FAILURE TO
UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE
VOTER REGISTRATION FORMS, AS YOU
KNOW, TODAY IS THE DEADLINE TO
REGISTER TO VOTE IN SEVERAL
STATES, INCLUDING MARYLAND,
WHERE THERE’S AN IMPORTANT
GUBERNATORIAL RACE.
GUBERNATORIAL RACE. YES, THIS IS SYSTEMIC.
IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR
DECADES.
DECADES. BUT IT’S GETTING WORSE.
EVERYBODY SHOULD VOTE, BUT WE
SHOULD NOT HAVE TO, NOT ONLY
PROTECT PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO VOTE,
AT THE SAME TIME, WE’RE ASKING
PEOPLE TO VOTE.
BECAUSE IT REALLY SENDS A
MESSAGE THAT, WHY BOTHER?
>> AND IN GEORGIA, ARI, YOU’VE
SEEN THIS LAID OUT IN A WAY
WHERE IF YOU WERE A MARTIAN AND
YOU LANDED IN AMERICA, AND YOU
SAID, WAIT, THE PERSON IN CHARGE
OF THE ELECTION AND ITS FAIRNESS
IS ALSO RUNNING IN IT?
IT MAKES NO SENSE.
THAT’S BEFORE YOU GET TO WHAT
BRIAN KEMP IS ACCUSED OF.
I WANT TO PLAY BOTH CANDIDATES
IN THAT RACE, BOTH SIDES, IF YOU
WILL, OF THAT STORY AND GET YOUR
ANALYSIS.
ANALYSIS. LET’S TAKE A LOOK.
>> SO THE CHALLENGE IS TWOFOLD.
ONE IS THAT WE KNOW THIS IS A
FLAWED SYSTEM THAT HAS A
DISPROPORTIONATE EFFECT ON
PEOPLE OF COLOR.
BUT IT ALSO HAS THE ABILITY TO
ERODE TRUST IN OUR SYSTEM.
>> THAT’S A SMOKE SCREEN, TRYING
TO HIDE HER RADICAL VIEWS.
THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE ON THE
PENDING LIST, ALL THEY HAVE TO
DO IS GO TO THE POLLS, SHOW
THEIR PHOTO I.D., AND THEY CAN
VOTE.
VOTE. AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A
DISTRACTION.
DISTRACTION. >> WELL, GEORGIA’S REALLY THE
EPICENTER OF VOTER SUPPRESSION.
RIGHT NOW, ARI, AT EVERY LEVEL.
THEY WERE THE FIRST STATE TO
PASS A VOTER I.D. LAW IN 2005,
SO IT REALLY KICK KD OFFED OFF T
MOVEMENT TO MAKE IT HARDER TO
VOTE.
VOTE. THEY HAVE CLOSED 214 POLLING
PLACES.
PLACES. THE SECOND LARGEST COUNTY IN
GEORGIA WAS JUST SUED TODAY FOR
REJECTING 1 IN 10 ABSENTEE
BALLOTS.
BALLOTS. THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT IS
ENORMOUS.
ENORMOUS. YOU HAVE 14% OF ASIAN AMERICANS,
8% OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS, 4% OF
HISPANICS ARE HAVING BALLOTS
REJECTED, COMPARED TO ONLY 2.5%
OF WHITES.
OF WHITES. AND YOU HAVE THE SECRETARY OF
STATE, WHO IS ALSO RUNNING FOR
GOVERNOR, AS YOU MENTIONED,
BLOCKING 53,000 PEOPLE FROM
REGISTERING TO VOTE, AND IT’S A
VERY CONFUSING PROCESS FOR THEM.
BUT THIS IS BIGGER THAN GEORGIA.
42 STATES HAVE PASSED NEW
RESTRICTIONS ON VOTING.
WE JUST GOT OUT OF AN ELECTION
THAT WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION IN 50 YEARS WITHOUT THE
FULL PROTECTIONS OF THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT, BECAUSE THE SUPREME
COURT GUTTED THE VOTING RIGHTS
ACT, WHERE BLACK TURNOUT DROPPED
DRAMATICALLY.
DRAMATICALLY. INSTEAD OF FIXING THAT PROBLEM,
TRYING TO GET BLACK TURNOUT UP
AND ASIAN AMERICAN TURNOUT UP
AND YOUNG TURNOUT UP, WE’VE DONE
THE OPPOSITE.
THE OPPOSITE. STATES FROM TEXAS FROM NORTH
DAKOTA TO WISCONSIN ARE NOW
MAKING IT HARDER TO VOTE, IN AN
ELECTION THAT’S GOING TO BE
RAZOR THIN IN PLACES LIKE
GEORGIA AND FLORIDA AND NORTH
DAKOTA.
DAKOTA. >> YOU’RE SAYING, WHAT YOU’RE
SUPPORTING AS SUPPRESSION
EFFORTS MIGHT ACTUALLY MAKE THE
MARGIN?
MARGIN? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. YOU LOOK AT NORTH DAKOTA, WHICH
RACHEL MADDOW HAS BEEN COVERING.
HEIDI HEITKAMP WON HER FIRST
ELECTION TO THE SENATE BY 3,000
VOTES.
VOTES. SHE GOT 80% SUPPORT FROM NATIVE
AMERICANS THERE.
AMERICANS THERE. NOW YOU HAVE A VOTER I.D. LAW
THAT COULD DISENFRANCHISE 5,000
NATIVE AMERICAN VOTERS, 25% OF
WHOM WON’T HAVE THE RIGHT I.D.s,
WITH
WITH BECAUSE THEY WROTE THE LAW
KEEPING THAT IN MIND.
BUT IN OTHER STATES, SUPPRESSION
COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN
THIS ELECTION.
THIS ELECTION. >> AND ALSO IN STATES LIKE
TEXAS.
TEXAS. RACHAEL HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTING
ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON AT PRAIRIE
VIEW.
VIEW. AND WHAT WORRIES ME ALSO,
HURRICANE FLORENCE, HURRICANE
MICHAEL, THEY’RE IMPACTED AREAS
IN BOTH SOUTH CAROLINA, NORTH
KOREA, ALSO IN FLORIDA AND
GEORGIA, WHERE THE PRECINCTS ARE
IN MINORITY COMMUNITIES AND WILL
THEY BE OPEN?
WILL THE VOTERS IN THOSE AREAS
BE TOLD WHERE TO GO TO VOTE?
>> WELL, PEOPLE OFTEN TALK
ABOUT, WHERE DOES DONALD TRUMP
GET HIS SLOGANS AND HIS TALKING
POINTS.
POINTS. AND THE ANSWER IS, HE
PLAGIARIZES THEM FROM OTHER
PEOPLE, FROM OTHER REPUBLICANS.
SO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN IS
LITERALLY RONALD REAGAN’S
RE-ELECTION SLOGAN.
RE-ELECTION SLOGAN. IT WASN’T OBSCURE, IT WAS
LITERALLY THE SLOGAN.
SO I DON’T RECALL DONALD TRUMP
IN THE ’90s OR THE 2000s TALKING
A LOT ABOUT VOTER FRAUD.
HE PICKED THIS UP LIKE SO MANY
OTHER THINGS BECAUSE HE LEARNED
WHAT THE MODERN REPUBLICAN PARTY
IS DOING.
IS DOING. TAKE A LOOK AT TRUMP PLAYING UP
THIS ISSUE.
THIS ISSUE. >> BUT THEY EVEN WANT TO TRY AND
RIG THE ELECTION AT THE POLLING
BOOTHS.
BOOTHS. AND VOTER FRAUD IS ALL TOO
COMMON.
COMMON. AND THEN THEY CRITICIZE US FOR
SAYING THAT.
SAYING THAT. OH, THAT VOTER FRAUD!
YOU KNOW, THESE POLITICIANS ARE
BRUTAL.
BRUTAL. THEY’RE BRUTAL.
THEY’RE BRUTAL. THERE IS THE ISSUE OF VOTER
FRAUD.
FRAUD. ISN’T IT AMAZING THE WAY THEY
SAY, THERE’S NO VOTER FRAUD?!
>> VOTER FRAUD IS THE NEW DOG
WHISTLE.
WHISTLE. IT’S THE NEW WELFARE QUEENS IN
CADILLACS.
CADILLACS. AND IT’S USED AS AN EXCUSE TO
THEN PUSH POLICIES THAT SUPPRESS
THE VOTE.
THE VOTE. AND YOU KNOW WHO DONALD TRUMP
GOT IT FROM?
HE GOT IT FROM REPUBLICAN
SECRETARIES OF STATE LIKE KRIS
KOBACH IN TEXAS, LIKE BRIAN KEP
IN GEORGIA WHO ARE NOW RUNNING
FOR GOVERNOR TO BE THE CHIEF
OFFICIALS IN THEIR STATE.
THIS IS REALLY, REALLY SERIOUS.
THESE GUYS WHO GAVE TRUMP THIS
MASSIVE LIE ARE ON THE BALLOT IN
2018.
2018. >> AND SO A LOT OF THIS IS WHAT
AFFECTS THE TURNOUT, EVEN THOUGH
IT’S ONE STEP BEHIND WHAT PEOPLE
KNOW.
KNOW. I WANT YOU BOTH TO STAY WITH ME.
WE WANT TO BROADEN THIS OUT A
LITTLE BIT.
LITTLE BIT. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
DISENFRANCHISEMENT
DISENFRANCHISEMENT DISENFRANCHISEMENT.
DISENFRANCHISEMENT. THERE ARE OTHER PRACTICES THAT
ARE TOTALLY LEGAL AND HAVE AN
IMPACT.
IMPACT. THE UNITED STATES IS ONE OF THE
ONLY COUNTRIES WHERE ELECTION IS
ON A WORKDAY, WHICH IF YOU HAVE
A NORMAL JOB, IT’S TOUGH TO GET
TO THE POLLS.
THE BLUE POINT BREWING COMPANY
HAS THIS EFFORT TO MAKE ELECTION
DAY A NATIONAL HOLIDAY.
THEY’VE PUT THE PETITION RIGHT
ON THEIR CANS OF BEER AND GIVE
THEIR OWN WORKERS A DAY OFF.
TO BROADEN THIS CONVERSATION, I
WANT TO BRING IN THE COFOUNDER
OF THE BREWING COMPANY BEHIND
THIS EFFORT, MARK BURRFORD.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE IT’S
EASY FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES TO VOTE,
REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY VOTE FOR.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AT BLUE POINT, WE BELIEVE YOU
SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET TO THE
POLLS.
POLLS. WE CREATED A COMPANY-WIDE
HOLIDAY, CREATED THE BEER WITH
THE PETITION ON IT AND WANT
PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO VOTE EVERY
DAY, OR EVERY TIME.
>> AND IS YOUR VIEW FROM BEING A
BUSINESS OWNER OR AS SOMEONE
WOULD CREATE IT, A JOB CREATOR.
THAT’S AN OLD ROMNEY QUOTE.
AS A JOB CREATOR AND A BUSINESS
OWNER, THAT THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT WORKING PEOPLE, THAT YOUR
EMPLOYEES WERE HAVING A HARD
TIME DOING?
TIME DOING? >> WELL, YEAH.
I KNOW, PERSONALLY, MY PARENTS
BOTH WORK FULL-TIME, THEY
COMMUTED FOUR HOURS A DAY TO
WORK AND THEY MADE IT TO THE
POLLS EVERY TIME, BUT IT WASN’T
EASY.
EASY. IT SHOULD NEVER BE THAT HARD TO
VOTE.
VOTE. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO VOTE.
ELECTION DAY SHOULD BE A
NATIONAL HOLIDAY.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY. IT WILL HELP THE COUNTRY.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS,
DONNA?
DONNA? BECAUSE SO OFTEN, WE’RE IN THE
NITTY-GRITTY OF IT.
YOU TAKE A STEP BACK AND
REMEMBER, WHEN YOU DO PHONE
BANKING, YOU CALL PEOPLE AND
SOME OF THEM SAY, YEAH, I WOULD
WANT TO VOTE, I’VE GOT THE KIND
OF JOB AND THE KIND OF CHILD
CARE AND THE KIND OF SITUATION
WHERE I CAN’T GET AN HOUR OUT.
>> FIRST OF ALL, I’M GETTING A
SIX PACK.
SIX PACK. MY NAME IS DONNA, I’M GETTING A
SIX PACK.
SIX PACK. BUT ELECTION SEASON, AS YOU WELL
KNOW, BEGINS NOW.
PEOPLE ARE VOTING EARLY.
THEY’RE VOTING IN -- THEY’RE
ABLE TO VOTE ON WEEKENDS.
BUT IN MANY STATES, THEY’RE NOW
RESTRICTING THAT, BECAUSE OF THE
GREAT TURNOUT EFFORTS WE’VE HAD.
I REMEMBER A COUPLE OF YEARS
AGO, WE WERE CELEBRATING THE
FACT THAT YOU CAN VOTE ON
SUNDAY.
SUNDAY. GO TO CHURCH AND THEN WE CALL
IT, ALL SOULS TO THE POLLS.
THEY’RE TRYING TO GET RID OF
THAT.
THAT. THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, BUT WE
ALSO NEED A CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT TO VOTE.
WE HAVE 50 STATES WITH 50
DIFFERENT RULES AND REGULATIONS
AND THAT’S WHY VOTING HAS BECOME
SO DIFFICULT IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> AND I WANT TO GET INTO
SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE
PLANS WITH SOMEONE AND THEY
DON’T WANT TO HANG OUT WITH YOU,
THEY JUST CLAIM THEY’RE TOO
BUSY.
BUSY. SO IT DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN
EVERYTHING --
EVERYTHING -- >> THAT NEVER HAPPENS WITH US.
FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
>> BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS,
THE POLLING, NOT ABOUT WHO YOU
VOTE FOR, BUT WHETHER YOU VOTE
AT ALL, SHOWS THIS.
THIS IS PEW RESEARCH CENTER FROM
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. ONE OUT OF SEVEN AMERICANS, 14%,
WE CAN PUT THIS UP, SAY THEY
WERE BASICALLY TOO BUSY TO VOTE
IN 2016.
IN 2016. 14%.
14%. THAT ALSO IS A MARGIN.
>> I THINK THAT’S TRUE.
AND YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE CONCEPT
OF ELECTION DAY IS TOTALLY
ANTIQUATED.
ANTIQUATED. THE REASON WE VOTE ON A TUESDAY
IN NOVEMBER IS BECAUSE THAT’S
WHEN FARMERS USED TO BRING THEIR
CROPS TO THE MARKET IN THE
1800s.
1800s. WE SHOULD ALSO HAVE TWO WEEKS OF
EARLY VOTING MINIMUM IN EVERY
STATE IN THE COUNTRY.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET AN
ABSENTEE BALLOT NO MATTER WHERE
YOU LIVE.
YOU LIVE. WE SHOULD HAVE ELECTION DAY
VOTER REGISTRATION.
VOTER REGISTRATION. SO IF PEOPLE MISS REGISTRATION
DEADLINES IN ALL OF THESE
STATES, THEY CAN STILL SHOW UP
TO THE POLLS AND REGISTER TO
VOTE.
VOTE. IF WE DID ALL OF THAT, IF WE HAD
EARLY VOTING, ELECTION DAY
REGISTRATION, A NATIONAL HOLIDAY
SO EVERYONE CAN VOTE, WE WOULD
HAVE MUCH HIGHER VOTER TURNOUT
THAN WE HAVE NOW.
>> IT’S FASCINATING.
YOU’RE A DIFFERENT KIND OF VOICE
HERE COMING OUT OF A COMPANY
TRYING TO MAKE TIME FOR YOUR OWN