NOT BE MORE CRITICAL TO ENDING ANY CONTINUING THREAT FROM
AUTHORITARIAN TENDENCIES.
AUTHORITARIAN TENDENCIES. >> I FEEL LIKE ONE OF THE SORT
OF SIGNAL DEVELOPMENTS OF MY
ADULTHOOD AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN
HAS BEEN THE EROSION OF PEOPLE’S
FAITH IN CONGRESS, SPECIFICALLY
AS AN INSTITUTION.
YOU’VE SEEN THE APPROVAL RATINGS
FOR CONGRESS SORT OF DRIVE DOWN
AND DOWN AND DOWN EVERY YEAR TO
THE POINT WHERE IT’S LOWER THAN
MOST STDs AT THIS POINT IN TERMS
OF PUBLIC APPROVAL.
PEOPLE JUST HAVE THE LOWEST
POSSIBLE EXPECTATIONS AND THE
SENSE THAT CONGRESS IS
ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS.
ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS. BUT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
MOST SERIOUS POSSIBLE THREATS TO
OUR COUNTRY, TO OUR WAY OF LIFE
SHORT OF FOREIGN INVASION, AND
YOU’RE SAYING THAT THE KEY, THE
SOLUTION IS ELECTING A NEW
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. >> YES.
>> YES. >> IT’S HARD TO PUT THAT MUCH
FAITH IN THE IDEA OF A
TRANSFORMATION OF CONGRESS GIVEN
THE WAY THAT WE AS A COUNTRY
THINK OF THAT BODY WITH SUCH
LITTLE RESPECT NOW.
>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE
LOST RESPECT IN MOST OF OUR
INSTITUTIONS.
INSTITUTIONS. AND THAT DOES HAVE TO BE
REBUILT.
REBUILT. I MEAN, I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC THAT
WE CAN TAKE ON THESE NEW
CHALLENGES, SHOW THE RESILIENCE
THAT IS NEEDED.
BUT WE DON’T HAVE MANY OPTIONS.
WHEN YOU HAVE A REPUBLICAN PARTY
WHICH I DEEPLY REGRET ARE I
SERVED WITH A NUMBER OF THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY STILL
IN THE CONGRESS.
I WAS THERE FOR EIGHT YEARS, AND
I SEE THEM TURNING A BLIND EYE
TO WHAT IS GOING ON.
I SEE THEM STANDING BY WHEN THE
PRESIDENT ORDERS THE
DECLASSIFICATION OF VERY
IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE
IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION IN ORDER TO HELP
HIMSELF AND HURT OTHERS.
THE CONTINUING ASSAULT ON THE
FBI, THE DEPARTMENT OF SERIOUS P
THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SEEM
UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO ADDRESS.
AND SO, YES, WE NEED A NEW
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. AND WE AT LEAST NEED A NEW
CONGRESS AND A NEW REPUBLICAN
PARTY TO BEGIN TO SPEAK OUT AND
TO EXERCISE THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL
RESPONSIBILITY AS A CHECK AND
BALANCE ON WHAT THE
ADMINISTRATION IS DOING.
>> OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN -- AS THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, AS TRUMP
AS A PRESIDENT INDIVIDUALLY HAS
BROKEN SO MANY POLITICAL NORMS
AND WORRIED SO MANY PEOPLE,
INCLUDING YOURSELF ABOUT VERY
SERIOUS CHANGES IN AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY, WE HAVE REALLY
FOCUSED AS A COUNTRY ON WHAT
REPUBLICANS WILL OR WON’T DO
ABOUT IT, ON WHETHER OR NOT
THERE ARE REPUBLICANS
PARTICULARLY IN POSITIONS OF
POWER, PARTICULARERLY IN THE
SENATE, EVEN THE HOUSE WHO WILL
PROVE TO BE A CHECK ON THE
PRESIDENT OF THEIR OWN PARTY.
AND WE SAY THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE
ARE SUBJECT TO DIFFERENT KINDS
OF WIND I THINK IS GENERATED BY
MEMBERS OF THEIR OWN PARTY, BUT
ALSO BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS ARE
IN MAJORITY IN BOTH PLACES, IN
BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS.
IF THE DEMONSTRATES WIN ONE OR
BOTH HOUSES, THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY WILL CEASE TO BE SUCH A
FOCUS OF OUR SORT OF NATIONAL
INTEREST.
INTEREST. WE WILL STOP LOOKING FOR
INDIVIDUAL REPUBLICAN SENATORS
TO STAND UP AND STOP THINGS THAT
TRUMP WANTS TO DO, AND IT WILL
BECOME THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S
RESPONSIBILITY TO TRY TO CHECK
HIM AND CHANGE THE COUNTRY.
THAT IMMEDIATELY GETS PEOPLE TO
A DISCUSSION ABOUT IMPEACHMENT.
DO YOU HAVE THOUGHTS ON THAT,
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT DEMOCRATS SHOULD
PUT ON THE TABLE RIGHT AWAY IF
THEY GET CONTROL OF CONGRESS?
>> I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A
MUCH BROADER AGENDA, AND I KNOW
IT’S DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE HAVING
THE CONGRESS WORK ON SO MANY
ISSUES AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE
IT DOES REQUIRE A LEVEL OF
ORGANIZATION AND FOLLOW-THROUGH
THAT IS HARD.
AND I KNOW THAT, HAVING BEEN
THERE.
THERE. IF THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT COMES
UP ABOUT HIGH CRIMES AND
MISDEMEANORS, YES, SHOULD IT BE
FOLLOWED THROUGH ON, BUT THERE
IS SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT
NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE WITH
RESPECT TO REGULATIONS ON
EVERYTHING FROM ASBESTOS TO
PESTICIDES TO LABOR CONCERNS,
THIS IS GOING TO BEGIN TO REALLY
HAVE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES ON
MANY AMERICANS.
MANY AMERICANS. SO THERE’S A ROLE FOR THE
CONGRESS TO PLAY IN SAYING NO,
STOP, WE’RE NOT GOING TO IGNORE
THE EVIDENCE, WE ARE NOT GOING
TO LIVE IN A FACT-FREE UNIVERSE.
YOU ADMINISTRATOR X, NEED TO
COME UP HERE AND JUSTIFY WHAT
YOU’VE DONE FOR TWO YEARS.
SO THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT TO
DO.
DO. AND THE DEMOCRATS NEED TO BE
READY TO GET IMMEDIATELY INTO
ACTION, RIGHT OFF THE STARTING
BLOCKS, BECAUSE A YEAR IS ABOUT
WHAT THEY HAVE TO BEGIN TO TRY
TO RIGHT THE CONSTITUTIONAL SHIP
AGAIN.
AGAIN. >> DO YOU THINK THAT THE
DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO DO WELL
IN THE MIDTERMS?
DO YOU THINK THERE IS ENOUGH TO
FLIP ONE OR BOTH HOUSES?
>> I DO.
>> I DO. BUT IT DEPENDS UPON WHO TURNS
OUT AND VOTES.
I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK
THERE SHOULD BE SOME OTHER WAY
OF ADDRESSING THIS THAN JUST
URGING EVERYBODY TO GOOD OUT AND
VOTE, BUT THERE ISN’T RIGHT NOW.
>> THAT’S OUR SYSTEM.
>> THAT IS OUR SYSTEM.
AND IF WE IGNORE THE IMPORTANCE
OF THIS MIDTERM ELECTION AND
THERE IS NO CHECK AND BALANCE,
WE DON’T TAKE BACK ONE OR BOTH
OF THE HOUSES OF CONGRESS, THEN
I THINK YOU’LL SEE EVEN MORE OF