>>> THE ABRAMS PLAYBOOK IS OUT TODAY.
TODAY. HERE IT IS.
GOT THAT?
GOT THAT? THERE.
THERE. YEAH.
YEAH. STACEY ABRAMS HAS ISSUED AN
URGENT 16-PAGE MEMO TO THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY TELLING THEM,
QUOTE, NEXT YEAR GEORGIA WILL BE
THE PREMIER BATTLEGROUND STATE
IN THE COUNTRY.
WHEN ANALYZING NEXT YEAR’S
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE AND
ELECTORAL OPPORTUNITIES, ANY
LESS THAN FULL INVESTMENT IN
GEORGIA WOULD AMOUNT TO
STRATEGIC MALPRACTICE.
STRATEGIC MALPRACTICE. WE CAN WIN GEORGIA.
STACEY ABRAMS TALKED ABOUT HOW
DEMOCRATS SHOULD DO THAT EARLIER
TONIGHT ON "HARDBALL."
>> GEORGIA WAS NOT ONLY GROUND
ZERO FOR VOTER SUPPRESSION, BUT
ALSO GROUND ZERO FOR
OPPORTUNITY.
OPPORTUNITY. WE CAN PICK UP TWO SENATE SEATS,
GIVE 16 ELECTORAL VOTES TO THE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE, AND WE CAN
FLIP THE HOUSE, THE STATE HOUSE
AS WELL AS TAKING HOLDING ONE
AND ADDING ANOTHER CONGRESSIONAL
SEAT.
SEAT. THOSE ARE EXTRAORDINARY
OPPORTUNITY, AND GEORGIA’S THE
PLACE TO FIGHT VOTER
SUPPRESSION, BUT ALSO FIGHT FOR
DEMOCRATIC VOTES.
DEMOCRATIC VOTES. >> JON OSSOFF WAS THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE IN A ELECTION IN 2018
WHO SHOWED US HOW MUCH THE
POLITICAL GROUND HAS SHIFTED IN
GEORGIA IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE
TRUMP PRESIDENCY, RUNNING IN A
DISTRICT THAT THE LAST
REPUBLICAN HAD WON BY 23 POINTS.
JON OSSOFF CAME WITHIN THREE
POINTS OF WINNING THAT HOUSE
SEAT, WHICH WAS A BIG CLUE ABOUT
THE BIG BLUE WAVE THAT WAS TO
FOLLOW IN THE NEXT ELECTION.
WHEN JON OSSOFF DECIDED NOT TO
RUN FOR THAT SEAT AGAIN IN 2018,
LUCY McBATH DID RUN, AND SHE IS
NOW ONE OF THE FRESHMEN
DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE
WHO HAS TRANSFERRED CONTROL OF
THE HOUSE TO THE DEMOCRATS.
TONIGHT, WITHIN THE LAST HOUR,
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION
HAS REPORTED THAT ON THE VERY
DAY THAT THE ABRAMS PLAYBOOK HAS
DECLARED GEORGIA THE PREMIER
BATTLEGROUND STATE IN THE
COUNTRY, JON OSSOFF HAS DECIDED
TO HEED STACEY ABRAMS’ ADVICE TO
DEMOCRATS AND FIGHT FOR
DEMOCRATS IN GEORGIA BY RUNNING
FOR THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
AND JOINING US NOW FOR AN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO TELL US
ABOUT HIS DECISION TO RUN IS JON
OSSOFF.
OSSOFF. JON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US TONIGHT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOU CAN CONFIRM YOU ARE A
CANDIDATE FOR THE UNITED STATES
SENATE IN GEORGIA?
>> TOMORROW MORNING I’LL BE
ANNOUNCING MY CANDIDACY FOR THE
UNITED STATES SENATE IN GEORGIA.
I’M EXCITED, AND I’M EXCITED TO
BE HERE TONIGHT.
>> WHICH SEAT?
THERE TWO SEATS.
THERE IS THE SEAT WHERE HE
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED HE IS GOING
TO RETIRE, AND THEN THERE IS
SENATOR PURDUE, WHO IS RUNNING
FOR REELECTION.
FOR REELECTION. WHICH ONE ARE YOU GOING TO BE
RUN FOR?
RUN FOR? >> I’LL BE CHALLENGING SENATOR
PURDUE.
PURDUE. SENATOR PURDUE, THIS IS A GUY
WHO IN A HALF DECADE WHILE
CHILDREN IN RURAL GEORGIA, ONE
OUT OF THREE OF THEM LIVE IN
POVERTY, WHILE GEORGIA HAS THE
HIGHEST MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE
IN THE COUNTRY, THIS MAN HAS NOT
ONCE IN FIVE YEARS COME DOWN
FROM HIS PRIVATE ISLAND TO HOLD
A SINGLE PUBLIC TOWN HALL.
HE IS A CARICATURE OF WASHINGTON
CORRUPTION, AND I’M RUNNING
BECAUSE WE FACE A CRISIS OF
POLITICAL CORRUPTION IN THIS
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. WHEN NINE OUT OF TEN AMERICANS
SUPPORT UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND
CHECKS FOR FIREARMS PURCHASES,
BUT CONGRESS REFUSES TO ACT
BECAUSE THEY’RE BOUGHT BY THE
NRA, THAT’S CORRUPTION.
WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS
SILENCING ITS OWN SCIENTISTS,
ITS OWN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS
BECAUSE THEIR FINDINGS THREATEN
THE PROFITABILITY OF THE FOSSIL
FUEL INDUSTRY, THAT’S
CORRUPTION.
CORRUPTION. AS POWER BECOMES CONCENTRATED IN
FEWER AND FEWER HANDS AND WEALTH
BECOMES CONCENTRATED IN FEWER
AND FEWER HANDS, AND THOSE
WEALTHY AND POWERFUL GROUPS CAN
SPEND LIMITLESS AMOUNTS IN
SECRET ON A VICIOUS POLITICAL
PROPAGANDA TO MANIPULATE
ELECTIONS, THAT’S CORRUPTION.
I’VE SPENT THE LAST SIX YEARS AS
AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST.
I LEAD A TEAM THAT’S TAKEN ON
POWERFUL CORPORATIONS, ISIS WAR
CRIMINALS, CROOKED JUDGES, ALL
OVER THE WORLD.
AND WE NEED NOW TO MOUNT AN
ALL-OUT ATTACK ON POLITICAL
CORRUPTION IN AMERICA, OR I’M
NOT SURE OUR DEMOCRACY WILL
SURVIVE.
SURVIVE. >> WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN YOUR
CONGRESSIONAL RACE THAT YOU WILL
BRING INTO THIS RACE?
AND WHAT WILL BE THE NUMBER ONE
POLICY ISSUE IN THIS RACE IN
GEORGIA?
GEORGIA? >> WELL, LAWRENCE, I WAS 29 WHEN
DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
AND LIKE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
WHO HAVE FOUGHT AND WORKED
TIRELESSLY SINCE THEN, I DIDN’T
SIT BACK IN DESPAIR.
I STOOD UP AND RAN FOR CONGRESS
IN A DISTRICT WHERE THE LAST
DEMOCRAT HAD LOST BY 23 POINTS.
AND EVERYONE COUNTED ME OUT, BUT
IT BECAME ONE OF THE TOUGHEST,
CLOSEST RACES IN AMERICAN
POLITICAL HISTORY.
POLITICAL HISTORY. THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN PARTY
ALL THE WAY TO THE PRESIDENT
HIMSELF MADE MY DESTRUCTION
THEIR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
AND WHAT I LEARNED IS I WILL
NEVER BE INTIMIDATED FROM
TELLING MY OWN STORY AND TOUTING
MY OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS BECAUSE
OF THE INEVITABLE PARTISAN
SMEARS THAT COME DOWN FROM
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. WE HAVE TO BE BOLD AND DIRECT
AND CLEAR IN THE FACE OF THAT
KIND OF INTIMIDATION.
>> WHAT ABOUT ISSUES?
IS HEALTH CARE THE NUMBER ONE
ISSUE IN THIS CAMPAIGN?
>> THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT
FOR ALL OF THE POLITICAL
DIVISION AND ALL OF THE RANCOR
THAT WE FACE RIGHT NOW, MOST
GEORGIANS AND MOST AMERICANS
AGREE ON THE SOLUTIONS TO OUR
BASIC PROBLEMS.
BASIC PROBLEMS. MOST GEORGIANS AND MOST
AMERICANS AGREE EVERY AMERICAN
SHOULD HAVE HEALTH CARE.
MOST GEORGIANS AND MOST
AMERICANS AGREE WE HAVE TO SAVE
OUR ENVIRONMENT AND
REVOLUTIONIZE OUR
REVOLUTIONIZE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
INFRASTRUCTURE. MOST GEORGIANS AND MOST
AMERICANS WANT TO GET SECRET
DARK MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
SO THE QUESTION IS IF THERE IS A
CONSENSUS, WHY AREN’T THESE
THINGS HAPPENING?
THINGS HAPPENING? AND IT’S BECAUSE THERE IS A
POLITICAL CORRUPTION DEEPLY
EMBEDDED WITHIN OUR SYSTEM THAT
PREVENTS THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE
FROM BEING EXPRESSED THROUGH
THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES.
DAVID PERDUE IS THE IMAGE OF
WASHINGTON CORRUPTION.
WASHINGTON CORRUPTION. HE RETIRED INTO THE SENATE.
I WILL GO TO THE SENATE TO WORK
EVERY DAY FOR GEORGIANS.