>>> THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT.
LET ME GIVE YOU TWO WORDS WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT.
SUBPOENA POWER. IF DEMOCRATS CONTROL THE HOUSE,
WE CAN CONTROL THE SUBPOENAS. THAT MEANS WE CAN DO A REAL
INVESTIGATION AND DEMAND YOU DOCUMENTS AND HAVE WITNESSES
COME AND TESTIFY. THAT'S WHY THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
ARE SO IMPORTANT AT A YEAR AND A HALF.
>> GOOD MORNING. WELCOME BACK TO "A.M. JOY."
NEW VOTER DATA HAS REPUBLICANS HOLDING ON TO THEIR SEATS AND
DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO TAKE THEM. A NEW RESEARCH ANALYSIS SHOWS
THAT THE RATE OF BLACK VOTERS FELL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20
YEARS. WHILE WHITE AND ASIAN TURNOUT
INCREASED "THE WASHINGTON POST" CONCLUDED THAT WITHOUT THAT
SHIFT IN TURNOUT, THE STATES OF MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN AND
PENNSYLVANIA MIGHT HAVE GONE NOT TO TRUMP BUT TO CLINTON GIVING
CLINTON AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE VICTORY.
NONE OF THIS HAPPENS IN A VACUUM.
THE 2016 ELECTION WAS THE FIRST IN 50 YEARS WITHOUT THE FULL
PROTECTIONS OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
14 STATES HAD NEW RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT FOR THE FIRST TIME.
WE CAN EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME IN 2018 BECAUSE THIS WEEK TRUMP
CREATED A COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE, QUOTE,
VULNERABILITIES IN THE VOTING SYSTEM.
THE GUY THAT TRUMP PUT IN CHARGE HAS A RECORD OF RESTRICTING
VOTING RIGHTS SO LONG THAT THE ACLU HAS PRONOUNCED HIM THE KING
OF VOTER SUPPRESSION. AND JOINING ME NOW, JANAY
NELSON, ARI BERMAN, GREG PALLIST, KRYSTAL BALL AND ROBBY
JONES.
A MEGA PANEL TO TALK ABOUT VOTING.
I WANT TO BIFORCATE THIS AND TALK ABOUT IT IN PART A AND PART
B. PART A, THERE IS THIS HISTORIC
REDUCTION IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN TURNOUT IN THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION, STARTING WITH YOU, GREG, THEN ARI AND THEN JANAY.
WAS THIS VOTER SUPPRESSION? >> IT WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION IN 50 YEARS WITHOUT THE FULL PROTECTIONS OF THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACTS. THERE WERE NEW RESTRICTIONS ON
VOTING FOR A LONG TIME AND I READ A STUDY ABOUT WISCONSIN.
IT FOUND THAT 200,000 VOTES AND BY THAT STATE VOTER I.D. LAW.
AND THAT STUDY SAID THAT IN STATES WITH VOTER I.D. LAWS, THE
BLACK VOTE DECREASED BY UP TO 5% AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS
WHY TURNOUT WAS DONE. VOTER SUPPRESSION WAS DEFINITELY
PART OF THIS AND I'M VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE TRUMP HAS
STARTED THIS VOTER FRAUD AND IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE AND
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE REAL PROBLEM IN AMERICAN ELECTIONS,
WHICH IS VOTER SUPPRESSION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE TRIED TO VOTE AND WEREN'T ABLE TO BECAUSE OF VOTER
SUPPRESSION LAWS. >> GREG, YOU'VE WRITTEN VERY
CRITICALLY ABOUT KRIS KOBACH. YOU WERE ALSO CRITICAL "THE
WASHINGTON POST" STORY THAT TALKED ABOUT THE DECLINE IN
VOTING BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND THE CHANGE BY WHITE AND
AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS. WE CAN SHOW THAT CHART WHICH
SHOWS IN WHICH DIRECTION. WHITE TURNOUT WENT WAY UP AND
AFRICAN TURNOUT WENT WAY DOWN. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT KRIS
KOBACH, THE GUY THAT IS SUPPOSEDLY GOING TO INVESTIGATE
VOTER FRAUD. IN YOUR VIEW, YOU BELIEVE THAT
THE DECLINE IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTING WAS ABOUT SUPPRESSION?
>> WELL, YEAH. FIRST OF ALL, PUTTING KRIS
KOBACH IN CHARGE OF INVESTIGATING THAT IS LIKE
PUTTING AL CAPONE IN CHARGE OF INVESTIGATING THE MOB.
THIS IS THE VOTE SUPPRESSER IN CHIEF FOR DONALD TRUMP.
KRIS KOBACH, SECRETARY OF STATE OF KANSAS.
AND ONE OF THE KEY PARTS AND REASONS WHY TRUMP IS SITTING IN
THE OVAL OFFICE IS THAT KRIS KOBACH CREATED A LIST OF 7
MILLION NAMES TO REMOVE FROM THE VOTER ROLES ABOUT 1.1 MILLION
OVERWHELMINGLY MINORITY VOTERS. HOW DID HE DO THAT?
TRUMP SAID 3 MILLION PEOPLE WERE VOTING TWICE.
IT'S NOT A CRAZY STATEMENT UNLESS YOU THINK HE'S CRAZY LIKE
A FOX. THAT ACCUSATION THAT PEOPLE
VOTING TWICE WAS ACTUALLY USED TO REMOVE 1.1 MILLION VOTERS
BASED ON A LIST OF ALLEGED DOUBLE VOTERS CREATED BY THIS
GUY KRIS KOBACH. HE LITERALLY HAD A LIST OF 7
MILLION NAMES THAT HE CLAIMED 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE POTENTIALLY
VOTING TWICE, THEY DIDN'T ARREST ANYONE BUT THEY REMOVED 1.1
MILLION VOTERS IN SWING STATES, INCLUDING MICHIGAN.
I WAS THERE IN MICHIGAN, TALKED TO THE VOTING OFFICIALS.
THEY SAID THAT OF THE HALF MILLION SUSPECTED DOUBLE VOTERS
OR DOUBLE REGISTERED VOTERS THAT KOBACH GAVE THEM, THAT THEY
AGGRESSIVELY REMOVED TENS OF THOUSANDS.
IN OTHER WORDS, I WOULD SAY THAT WE LOST 50,000 VOTERS.
TRUMP'S MARGIN WAS 10,700. AND THIS HAPPENED IN 30
REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED STATES. THAT'S ONE OF KRIS KOBACH'S
TRICKS AND THE ONE TRICK THAT MAY HAVE COST CLINTON THE WHITE
HOUSE. SO IT'S NOT THAT BLACK VOTERS
ARE TOO LAZY TO COME OUT TO VOTE, IT'S THAT THEY ARE TRYING
TO VOTE AND THEIR NAMES HAVE DISAPPEARED FROM THE VOTER
ROLES. >> JANAY, KRIS KOBACH HAS A LONG
HISTORY. BACK WHEN HE WAS THE KANSAS
SECRETARY OF STATE, HE INITIATED NINE DIFFERENT VOTER FRAUD
INVESTIGATIONS. HE CLAIMED THERE ARE 1.8 MILLION
PEOPLE REGISTERED ILLEGALLY IN HIS STATE.
THIS IS HIM TALKING ON FOX NEWS ABOUT HIS OBSESSION, WHICH IS
THAT THERE IS MASSIVE, MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD.
>> LOOK, VOTER FRAUD CAN AFFECT ANY PART OF THE COUNTRY AND WE
DON'T GO IN WITH AN ASSUMPTION ABOUT WHAT WE ARE GOING TO FIND.
LET'S JUST FIND WHAT THE FACTS ARE AND WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE AND
PUT THEM ON THE TABLE. >> I MISSTATED THAT NUMBER A
LITTLE BIT. HE CONVICTED NINE PEOPLE OF
VOTER FRAUD OUT OF 1.8 MILLION PEOPLE.
LET'S TALK ABOLK ABOUT THIS ISS. IS THERE A REAL ISSUE OF VOTER
FRAUD OR IS THIS A MYTH IN MINDS OF PEOPLE LIKE KRIS KOBACH?
>> IT'S A MYTH THAT'S BEEN DEBUNKED OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VAST NUMBER OF ACTIVE VOTERS AND THE NUMBER
OF CONVICTIONS OR INSTANCES OF VOTER FRAUD, YOU SEE THAT THIS
ENTIRE FARCE OF ELECTION INTEGRITY IS JUST PRETEXT FOR A
ROAD TOWARD INCREASED VOTER SUPPRESSION.
AND IT'S INCREDIBLY UNFORTUNATE THAT PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO LAY
THE BLAME OF THIS PAST ELECTION AT THE FEET OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
VOTERS WHO HAVE CONSISTENTLY TRIED TO TURN OUT TO VOTE TIME
AND TIME AGAIN AND, OF COURSE, WERE THWARTED THIS ELECTION
BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT THE DEMOCRACY WE'VE ENJOYED FOR
THE PAST 50 YEARS HAS NOW BEEN TAKEN AWAY.
AND WE SEE THAT STATES AND LOCALITIES HAVE RUN AMOK.
THEY HAVE INSTITUTED STRICTCT VOTER I.D. LAWS, LIMITED EARLY
VOTING, THEY HAVE TAKEN ELIGIBLE VOTERS OFF THE VOTER ROLLS AND
CHANGED POLLING SITES. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
WE'VE BEEN COMPILING THEM ON OUR WEBSITE, ALL OF THE CHANGES THAT
HAVE BEEN UNLEASHED SINCE 2013, SINCE LOSING SECTION 5 OF THE
VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND WE HAVE A PUBLISHED REPORT CALLED
"DEMOCRACY DIMINISHED" WHICH CHRONICLES ALL OF THE CHANGES
THAT HAVE OCCURRED. >> AND MEANWHILE, KRYSTAL, IF
THE ELECTION HAD A PUSH AND A PULL, A PUSH OF VOTERS THAT WERE
SORT OF NOT ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE POLLS, PARTICULARLY VOTERS
OF COLOR, THERE WAS THIS POLL THAT DONALD TRUMP EXERTED ON
WHITE VOTERS. IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MYTHS,
YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS A BIT.
ONE OF THE OTHER MYTHS IS THAT THE POLL WAS ONLY TO WHITE
WORKING CLASS VOTERS AND NOT TO THE WHITE MIDDLE CLASS.
THERE WAS A GREAT PIECE IN THE ATLANTIC THAT TALKED ABOUT
CULTURAL ANXIETY, DRIVING WHITE WORKING CLASS VOTERS TO GO TO
TRUMP. AND ALSO -- IT DUG INTO FEAR OF
CULTURAL DISPLACEMENT, AVERSIONS TO COLLEGE EDUCATION,
IDENTIFICATION WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
BUT WHAT'S BEEN LEFT OUT OF THAT IS THE MIDDLE CLASS VOTERS
PULLED TOWARDS DONALD TRUMP, RIGHT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S NOT EXCLUSIVE TO THE WHITE
WORKING CLASS AND NOT EXCLUSIVE TO POOR WHITE PEOPLE.
IT ALSO EXISTS VERY MUCH IN THE SUBURBS AND WAS CAPPED IN TO BY
DONALD TRUMP. IT'S A COMPLICATED MIX.
NEW STUDIES SHOWED THE PERCENTAGE OF HOW IMPACTFUL THAT
ANXIETY WAS VERSUS ECONOMIC FACTORS AND IT'S SO HARD TO PULL
THEM APART BECAUSE IT'S ALL MIXED TOGETHER, THE SENTIMENT
THAT THINGS ARE CHANGING AND WE CAN'T CONTROL THEM IS TIED INTO
WHAT IS THE FUTURE GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR ME AND MY CHILDREN AND
GRANDCHILDREN. BUT TO SORT OF DEMONIZE THE
WHITE WORKING CLASS AND SAY IT'S YOUR FAULT AND YOU'RE ALL A
BUNCH OF RACISTS, THIS ARTICLE AND RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THAT IS
NOT THE CASE. SO WHAT I THINK WE'VE GOT TO DO,
THOUGH, FOCUSING AS A PARTY MOVING FORWARD, IS WE'VE GOT TO
THINK ABOUT HOW DO WE ADDRESS THE REAL ECONOMIC PIECES, WHICH
IS SOMETHING THAT OUR PARTY HAS ALWAYS STOOD FOR, STANDING BY
WORKING PEOPLE IN EVERY COMMUNITY OF EVERY RACE AND
CREED AND RELIGION. HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
DOING THAT AND THEN THE MORE COMPLICATED PIECES, HOW DO WE
HAVE A BETTER CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW, IT'S
TOO SIMPLE TO SAY THERE'S A BRIGHT LINE HERE AND YOU'RE
EITHER A RACIST ON THIS SIDE OR NOT ON THAT SIDE AND THERE ARE
PEOPLE IN ALL OF OUR LIVES WHO HOLD SOME VIEWS WHEN THEY COME
OUT AND WE SAY, WELL, THAT'S NOT REALLY OKAY.
BUT WE WOULDN'T SAY THAT THEY ARE BAD-HEARTED PEOPLE OR THAT
THEY ARE OUT AND OUT RACISTS. SO HOW DO WE DO THAT EDUCATION
PROCESS TO START TO PULL PEOPLE BACK IN AND REALLY VALUE EVERY
CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY? >> AND WITH THAT I COME TO ROBBY
JONES BECAUSE WE REALLY LIVE IN THESE NUMBERS.
AND IN THIS DATA, WHICH IS THE DATA THAT I CITED THAT TALKED
ABOUT THE DISPLACEMENT AMONG THE WHITE WORKING CLASS, THE YEARS
OF CULTURAL DISPLACEMENT. ARE WE GETTING THE TERMINOLOGY
WRONG? A LOT OF THESE ARE POLICE
OFFICERS AND FIREMEN AND PLUMBERS AND PEOPLE WITH
BUSINESSES. THESE ARE SORT OF MIDDLE CLASS
PEOPLE THAT ARE TRUMP PEOPLE. >> WELL, IT'S A LITTLE OF BOTH.
WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO IS TO LOOK AT WHITE VOTERS WHO WERE PAID BY
THE JOB AND THIS IS THE GROUP THAT WE TRIED TO LOOK AT.
MOSTLY BECAUSE THERE'S A BIG DEBATE ABOUT THIS.
I WANT TO SAY FROM THE BEGINNING, THE CULTURAL
ANXIETIES BLEED ALL THE WAY UP INTO THE MIDDLE CLASS.
WE WERE LOOKING HERE AT THE WHITE WORKING CLASS BECAUSE
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF ANGST ABOUT ECONOMIC ANXIETY AND WHAT
WE FOUND, ACTUALLY, IS THAT CULTURAL ANXIETY, PARTICULARLY
THE IDEA THAT I SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE I'M A STRANGER IN MY OWN
COUNTRY, THAT THE U.S. NEEDS PROTECTION FROM FOREIGN
INFLUENCES AND WE NEED TO DEPORT THOSE IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY,
EVEN IF CONTROLLED FOR PARTISANSHIP AND CONTROLLED FOR
RELIGION AND DEMOGRAPHIC TRAITS, EVEN CONTROLLING ALL OF THESE
THINGS, THESE STOOD UP AS THE MOST INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF
SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AND WE REALLY WANTED TO GET THAT OUT THERE.
THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT THAT THE ECONOMIC ANXIETIES AGGRAVATE
THE CULTURAL ANXIETIES BUT THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS SUGGESTSES
THAT THE ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ARE ON TWO SEPARATE VECTORS AND
INTERPLAY BUT THE CULTURAL ONES ARE MORE POWERFUL.
>> AND TO BRING US FULL CIRCLE, YOU WIND UP WITH THAT VOTER
BEING VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE IDEA OF VOTER I.D. BECAUSE THOSE
CULTURAL ANXIETIES LEAD TO THAT VOTE WHO IS EITHER WORKING CLASS
TO SAY WE SHOULD RESTRICT VOTING WHICH IMPACTS NOT ONLY
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND LATINOS BUT IN A LOT OF CASES POOR
WHITES. >> IT REALLY IS.
STRICT VOTER I.D. LAWS AFFECT THE ELDERLY AND STUDENTS AND
YOUNG PEOPLE. THEY AFFECT ALL SORTS OF
MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS AND SHOULD BE INTERROGATED BY THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC. THEY ARE NOT SERVING OUR
DEMOCRACY. WE SHOULD BE MOVING TOWARD
DEMOCRACY, EXPANDING MEASURES, VOTER REGISTRATION AND I'M NOT
REALLY SURE THAT YOU CAN FULLY DECOUPLE CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC
ANXIETY BECAUSE PART OF THE CULTURE OF THINKING OF WHITE
PRIVILEGE INCLUDES ECONOMIC DOMINANCE.
I THINK SOME OF THESE CONCERNS ARE REALLY ALL WRAPPED UP
TOGETHER AND THE IDEA THAT WE'RE LOSING SOMETHING, THAT THIS
INCREASINGLY DIVERSE ELECTORATE IS A THREAT TO WHITE AMERICA AT
LARGE REALLY NEEDS TO BE IMPACT. >> ARI, YOU WRITE ABOUT THIS A
LOT. THESE THINGS ARE SO INTERTWINED,
THE ANXIETY PRODUCES SUPPORT FOR THESE MEASURES.
KRIS KOBACH IS GOING TO HAVE SUPPORT OUT THERE FOR THIS IDEA
OF VOTING FRAUD. WHERE DO YOU SEE THE ENERGY,
PARTICULARLY TO SHORE UP THE RIGHT TO VOTE BECAUSE IT'S
WORKING FOR ONE PARTY RIGHT NOW. >> ABSOLUTELY.
ALL OF THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN INTERTWINED.
THE IDEA THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE HERE
ILLEGALLY MEANS THAT YOU'RE SAYING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE
NOT ONLY HERE ILLEGALLY BUT VOTING ILLEGALLY.
THEY ARE NOT JUST STEALING AMERICAN JOBS, THEY ARE STEALING
AMERICAN VOTES. ANXIETY ABOUT IMMIGRATION
BECOMES INTERTWINED WITH VOTER FRAUD.
IT'S INTERESTING, WHENEVER TRUMP IS IN A PICKLE, HE GOES BACK TO
VOTER FRAUD AS HIS MAJOR ISSUE. WHEN HE LOSES A POPULAR VOTE, HE
STARTS TALKING ABOUT VOTER FRAUD AND WE HAVE THE LARGEST MARCHES
IN AMERICAN HISTORY WITH THE WOMEN MARCHES.
HE STARTS TALKING ABOUT VOTER FRAUD.
WHEN HE'S IN THE MIDDLE OF FIRING.
FBI DIRECTOR, HE'S TALKING ABOUT VOTER FRAUD EVEN THOUGH THERE'S
NO FRAUD. I THINK THERE'S A LOT WE CAN BE
DOING TO MAKE IT EASIER TO VOTE. CONGRESS TO RESTORE THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT. IN STATES LIKE OREGON WHERE
THEY'VE IMPLEMENTED AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION, WE'VE SEEN
INCREASES IN REGISTRATION AMONG VOTERS OF COLOR, VERY
SIGNIFICANT INCREASES AMONG YOUNG VOTERS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA AND SAY THAT BLACK VOTE -- THE BLACK
VOTE IS DOWN, THE HISPANIC VOTE HASN'T MOVED, YOUNG VOTERS
AREN'T TURNING OUT AT THE RATE THEY WOULD LIKE, YOU HAVE TO PUT
IN POLICIES THAT MAKE IT EASIER TO VOTE AS WELL.
WHEN YOU DO THAT, MORE PEOPLE WILL TURN OUT.
>> THE IRONY IS THAT THE MORE YOUNG VOTERS, THE MORE PEOPLE
BECOME ANXIOUS ABOUT THOSE TAKING OVER AND IT'S A SICKLE
AND THE REASON WHY WE BLENDED THIS TOGETHER.
THIS IS A GREAT PANEL. WE'LL HAVE TO BRING YOU ALL
BACK. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
>>> AND UP NEXT, TRUMP'S WAR