>>> THIS MORNING BISHOP WILLIAM
BARBER JOINED BY FORMER
CONGRESSMAN BETO OROURKE KICKED
OFF THE POOR PEOPLES CAMPAIGN
MARCH FOR DEMOCRACY IN
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, DEMANDING
FEDERAL ACTION ON VOTING RIGHTS
AMONG OTHER THINGS.
OVER THE NEXT FOUR DAYS, THE
SELMA-TO-MONTGOMERY STYLE VOTING
RIGHTS MARCH WILL MAKE ITS WAY
27 MILES ACROSS THE STATE TO
AUSTIN FOR A RALLY ON SATURDAY
AT THE STATE CAPITOL.
NOW, THE MARCH COMES THREE WEEKS
INTO THE TEXAS LEGISLATURES
SPECIAL SUPPRESSION SESSION.
DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATORS WHO LEFT
THE STATE TO BLOCK REPUBLICAN
VOTER SUPPRESSION BILLS ARE
STILL RIGHT HERE IN THE NATIONS
CAPITAL.
TOMORROW THREE OF THOSE
DEMOCRATS WILL TESTIFY BEFORE THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE,
THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE,
MAKING THEIR CASE FOR THE PAZ
PASSAGE OF FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS
LENTILING
LEGISLATION.
IM JOINED NOW BY BETO OROURKE
AND BISHOP WILLIAM BARBER.
CONGRESSMAN, I WANT TO START
WITH YOU HERE.
A RECENT STORY THAT JUST BROKE
WITH DONALD TRUMP.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS
THAT TRUMP REPEATEDLY CALLED HIS
ATTORNEY AT THE TIME, ROSEN, TO
PUSH FOR -- HIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL, I COULD SAY, THE ACTING
ATTORNEY GENERAL, TO PUSH FOR
PROBES OF THE 2020 ELECTION.
THIS WAS HAPPENING ALMOST DAILY.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU ONE OF THE
CHALLENGES, I THINK, PEOPLE
ATTACH THIS STORY TO THE BIG LIE
AND SAY THATS WHAT FED INTO THE
VOTER SUPPRESSION.
A LOT OF US HAVE BEEN DEALING
WITH VOTER SUPPRESSION A LONG
TIME WAY BEFORE TRUMP.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THIS MARCH TO
ACCOMPLISH TO HELP FURTHER MOVE
THIS STRUGGLE ALONG?
>> I THINK A BIG REASON THAT
THIS MARCH IS HAPPENING IN TEXAS
IS THAT YOURE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT,
VOTER SUPPRESSION EXISTED LONG
BEFORE THIS CURRENT ATTEMPT.
IN FACT TEXAS HAS BECOME OVER
THE YEARS THE TOUGHEST STATE IN
THE NATION IN WHICH TO VOTE.
AS BISHOP BARBER HAS REMINDED
US, THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE
FACT THAT WE STILL HAVE A $7.25
AN HOUR MINIMUM WAGE, THE FACT
THAT WE ARE THE LEAST INSURED
STATE IN THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA, AND THE FACT THAT SO
MANY MILLIONS OF TEXANS WERE
ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN 2020 AND YET
COULD NOT VERY OFTEN BECAUSE OF
THOSE VOTER SUPPRESSION
OBSTACLES PLACED IN THE WAY.
AND NOW THERE ARE NEW ELECTIONS
BILLS PENDING IN TEXAS THAT
WEVE GOT TO STOP AND WE MUST
PASS THE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT IN
THE UNITED STATES SENATE SO THAT
WE ROLL BACK THIS VOTER
SUPPRESSION AND AFFIRMATIVELY
UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY ELIGIBLE
AMERICAN SHOULD HAVE AND WILL
HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND
PARTICIPATE IN OUR DEMOCRACY.
SO YOURE RIGHT, THIS PRECEDED
TRUMP, BUT WEVE GOT TO GET IT
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WHAT TRUMP
HELPED UNLEASH DURING HIS
PRESIDENCY AND THE INSURRECTION
A LITTLE MORE THAN SIX MONTHS
AGO MIGHT VERY WELL CONSUME THIS
DEMOCRACY UNLESS WE STAND UP AND
FIGHT FOR IT NOW.
>> BISHOP BARBER, I WANT TO TURN
TO YOU HERE.
ADAM SERWER RECENTLY WROTE A
PIECE IN "THE ATLANTIC" WHERE HE
ESSENTIALLY SAYS DEMOCRATIC
LAWMAKERS ARE BETRAYING BLACK
VOTERS AND MANY IN THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY TAKE BLACK
VOTES FOR GRANTED BECAUSE THEY
BELIEVE THAT RACISM IN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY GIVES THOSE
VOTERS NO VIABLE ALTERNATIVE
ESSENTIALLY.
DO YOU AGREE THAT DEMOCRATS ARE
TAKING BLACK VOTERS FOR GRANTED,
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE WHITE
HOUSE HAS SAID, WELL, PEOPLE
WILL JUST OUTORGANIZE VOTER
SUPPRESSION?
>> WHAT I BELIEVE IS THAT THIS
IS NOT JIM CROW, THIS IS JAMES
CROW, ESQUIRE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE VOTER
SUPPRESSION BILLS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, THEYRE GOING AFTER
EVERYBODY, BLACK FOLK, WHITE
FOLK, BLACK FOLK, NATIVE, ASIAN
PEOPLE, THE DISABLED, WOMEN.
WEVE GOT TO LOOK AT WHAT THIS
IS.
NOW, RACE IS CERTAINLY THERE,
BUT ITS ALSO CONNECTED TO POWER
AND ECONOMICS BECAUSE THE SAME
PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPRESSING THE
VOTE, SUPPRESS LIVING WAGES,
SUPPRESS HEALTH CARE.
SO WHAT DEMOCRATS HAVE TO
DECIDE, YOU RAN ON THIS AND SAID
YOU WERE GOING TO DO THIS.
YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO DEAL
WITH VOTER SUPPRESSION AND DEAL
WITH LIVING WAGES, THOSE TWO
THINGS.
WEVE ALREADY SEEN THE
FILIBUSTER BLOCK LIVING WAGES.
NOW WE SEE IT BLOCKING VOTING
RIGHTS.
WE MUST HAVE END OF THE
FILIBUSTER, PASSING THE REAL
JOHN LEWIS BILL, THE FOR THE
PEOPLE ACT THAT HE WROTE.
THE VOTERS RIGHT ACT RESTORATION
NEEDS TO BE PASSED AND $15
MINIMUM WAGE.
OTHERWISE WE ARE ABANDONING THE
INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE DEMOCRACY.
AND TO GET AN INFRASTRUCTURE
BILL THAT FIXES BRIDGES BUT THEN
YOU ABANDON THE INFRASTRUCTURE
OF THE DEMOCRACY, WHICH IS
VOTING, THE BRIDGE TO ALL THE
OTHER POLICIES IS BACKWARDS.
AND LASTLY TO DO AN
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL IN YOUR LAST
SEGMENT WITH ALL WHITE PEOPLE IN
THE ROOM --
>> RIGHT.
>> -- AND THEN TRY TO MAKE THE
VOTING ISSUE JUST A BLACK ISSUE,
NO, ITS NOT JUST A BLACK ISSUE,
ITS AN AMERICAN ISSUE.
THATS WHY YOU SAW A DIVERSE