>>> ONE OF THE MANY PROBLEMS FOR REPUBLICANS IN REJECTING OR
MOCKING OUTRIGHT EFFORTS TO
COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS PEOPLE
QUITE LIKE THE GREEN NEW DEAL.
AT LEAST RIGHT NOW.
"NEW YORK TIMES" SURVEY SHOWING
SUPPORT IN THREE STATES WHERE
REPUBLICAN SENATORS ARE UP FOR
REELECTION IN 2020.
IN COLORADO, CORY GARDNER’S
STATE 60% OF LIKELY VOTERS
SUPPORTED THE GREEN NEW DEAL.
IN NORTH DAKOTA, THOM TILLIS’
STATE, 66% DID.
IN MAINE, WHERE SUSAN COLLINS IS
LIKELY TO FACE A TOUGH
REELECTION BATTLE.
REELECTION BATTLE. INCREASINGLY HAVING A HARD TIME
COMING UP WITH ANY AFFIRMATIVE
POLICY OF THEIR OWN.
I WANT TO BRING IN TWO VETERAN
REPORTERS ON REPUBLICANS,
CONSERVATIVE MOVE AND THEIR
POLICIES, JANE COATSTON AND
MacKAY COPPINS, WHO IS ON THE
SAME STAFF BEAT AS A STAFF
WRITER FOR THE ATLANTIC.
I THINK THE GREEN NEW DEAL
ATTACKS HAVE BEEN INTERESTING,
BECAUSE THERE A LOT OF RIDICULE,
BUT THERE IS VERY LITTLE DESIRE
TO SUBSTANTIVELY ENGAGE.
>> RIGHT, RIGHT.
WHEN YOU HAVE SENATOR MIKE LEE
MAKES THE POINT THAT MORE PEOPLE
NEED TO HAVE CHILDREN IN ORDER
TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE, I
THINK THAT’S A PARTICULAR
CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE. BUT I THINK IT DOES GO BACK TO
THE BASIC ISSUE THAT THE
REPUBLICANS ARE HAVING RIGHT
NOW, WHICH IS THAT THEY ARE
ACTING AS IF THEY ARE NOT IN
POWER, WHILE IN FACT BEING IN
POWER.
POWER. AND SO OBVIOUSLY, REPUBLICANS
DON’T HAVE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE,
BUT THEY DO HAVE CONTROL OF THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. I THINK IT’S INTERESTING THAT
THE GREEN NEW DEAL HAS NOT BEEN
REJECTED, BUT THERE ISN’T AN
EFFORT BY THE SENATE OR THE
HOUSE TO SAY OKAY, HERE’S WHAT
WE WOULD PROPOSE DOING.
WE’RE SEEING MORE AND MORE
REPUBLICANS AGREEING THAT
CLIMATE CHANGE IS AN ISSUE, AND
THAT HUMANS HAVE BEEN IMPACTING
CLIMATE CHANGE.
CLIMATE CHANGE. BUT THERE IS NO REAL EFFORT TO
COME UP WITH A POLICY SOLUTION
BECAUSE I THINK THAT FOR A LOT
OF REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS, THE
IDEA OF FINDING A POLICY LOSING
AT THE GOVERNMENT LEVEL IS ANNA
THEME
THEME -- ANATHEMA.
-- ANATHEMA. >> THEY’RE ACTING LIKE THE
OPPOSITION PARTY AS OPPOSED TO
THE PARTY IN CONTROL.
McKAY, I REMEMBER NEWT GINGRICH
AND THE CONTRACT WITH AMERICA.
I REMEMBER TOMMY THOMPSON’S
GOVERNORSHIP IN WISCONSIN.
EVEN THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION.
WE’VE GOT ALL THESE IDEAS.
WE’RE GOING CUT BACK THE WELFARE
STATE.
STATE. WE’RE GOING TO CHANGE THE WAY
GOVERNMENT WORKS.
GOVERNMENT WORKS. WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS, DO THAT.
WHAT DOES THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
WANT TO DO?
IT’S JUST COMPLETELY UNCLEAR
WHAT THE ACTUAL AFFIRMATIVE
AGENDA.
AGENDA. >> IT’S STRANGE.
I READ A NEWS STORY TODAY, AND
I’M NOT GOING TO NAME THE
PUBLICATION OF THE REPORTERS
BECAUSE IT’S NOT NECESSARILY
THEIR FAULT THERE IS SO MUCH
AMBIGUITY HERE.
AMBIGUITY HERE. IT WAS ABOUT HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP
HAD MET WITH REPUBLICANS AT A
PRIVATE LUNCH TODAY TO DISCUSS A
SWEEPING AMBITIOUS NEW
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. AND IT TOOK UNTIL THE FIFTH OR
SIXTH PARAGRAPH BEFORE IT GOT AT
ANY OF THE POLICY ITEMS ON THE
AGENDA.
AGENDA. IT BASICALLY AMOUNTED TO A
COUPLE OF TRADE DEALS, GET A
COUPLE OF NOMINEES CONFIRMED,
AND THEN A FAIRLY FAR-FETCHED
PROPOSAL TO CREATE A NEW
REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE PLAN TO
REPLACE OBAMACARE WITH, WHICH I
THINK THEY’VE ALREADY BEEN DOWN
THIS ROAD AND IT DIDN’T GO SO
WELL.
WELL. IT IS ACTUALLY QUITE STRANGE HOW
FEW NEW IDEAS WE SEE COMING OUT
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AT A
TIME WHEN THEY’RE ACTUALLY
POSITIONED TO IMPLEMENT THEM.
>> AND JANE, I WOULD SAY AT A
TIME, FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A
ROW, 2015, 2016, 2017, US LIFE
EXPECTANCY DECLINED FOR THE
FIRST TIME SINCE THE FLU
PANDEMIC IN WORLD WAR I.
IT’S BEEN 100 YEARS.
SOMETHING IS GOING ON IN THE
UNTO CAN.
UNTO CAN. AND YOU CAN IMAGINE A REPUBLICAN
PARTY THAT FELT A FIDELITY TO
THE, QUOTE, SO-CALLED TRUMP BASE
COMING UP WITH SOME IDEAS FOR
SOMETHING TO DO ABOUT THAT, AND
YET THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE
MUCH.
MUCH. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. YOU’RE STARTING TO HEAR IDEAS
PERCOLATING, ESPECIALLY ALONG
WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO ARE
INTERESTED IN CONSERVATIVE
POPULISM SPECIFICALLY.
POPULISM SPECIFICALLY. YOU’RE STARTING TO HEAR
REPRESENTATIVES TALKING ABOUT
EXPANDING EARNED INCOME TAX
CREDITS AND TAKING ON THIS IDEA
OF OKAY, GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE
INVOLVED IN SOME MEANS.
BUT AGAIN, THEY HAVE TO RECKON
WITH HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> THEY HAVE TO RECKON WITH THE
CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF THEIR
OWN PARTY FOR WHOM THE PROBLEM
HERE IS GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND SO I THINK THAT THERE IS A
SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW, A REAL
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION IN WHAT IS
THE GOVERNMENT SUPPOSED TO BE
DOING.
DOING. WE ARE IN CHARGE OF THE
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE
DOING?
DOING? AND THEY’RE NOT REALLY GETTING
MUCH LEADERSHIP FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE IS
SAYING WE’RE GOING TO BECOME THE
PARTY OF HEALTH CARE WHEN THAT’S
CLEARLY NOT BEEN THE CASE OVER
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
>> AND ONE OF THE THINGS, McKAY,
IS THAT THE WHITE HOUSE NEVER
ACTUALLY CALLED THE SHOTS ON THE
TWO BIG DOMESTIC POLICY
PRIORITIES WHICH WAS HEALTH CARE
REPEAL AND THE TAX CUT.
THOSE ARE BOTH THINGS THAT
PRESIDENT MARCO RUBIO WOULD HAVE
PURSUED PROBABLY IN THAT ORDER.
THAT WAS PAUL RYAN AND McCONNELL
AND THE ESTABLISHMENT.
NOW THAT THAT’S DONE, YOU CAN
FEEL THIS NIHILISTIC
LISTLESSNESS, ASIDE FROM
CONFIRMING NOMINEES IN THE
SENATE, EMANATING FROM
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS.
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS. >> MANAGE JANE SAID IS TRUE
WHICH IS FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING, THE REPUBLICAN
CONTROL OF GOVERNMENT HAS REALLY
BEEN MORE LIKE A COALITIONAL
GOVERNMENT THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN
BRITISH PARLIAMENT WHERE YOU HAD
VARIOUS FACTIONS WITH DISTINCT
IDEOLOGIES THAT WERE WORKING
TOGETHER SORT OF, ESPECIALLY ON
THE TAX CUT, LIKE YOU MENTIONED.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THEY JUST
FRANKLY DISAGREED ON A LOT OF
ISSUES.
ISSUES. THE ONE ISSUE, THE ONE AREA
WHERE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
HAS BEEN QUITE USUCCESSFUL IS IN
APPOINTING FEDERAL JUDGES.
AND THEY’VE BEEN MOVING AT A
RAPID PACE COMPARED TO PAST
PRESIDENTS.
PRESIDENTS. AND THIS IS IN KEEPING WITH THE
REPUBLICAN STRATEGY THAT THE
PARTY HAS BEEN PURSUING FOR
DECADES WHICH THEY REALIZED
FRANKLY EARLIER THAN A LOT OF
DEMOCRATS AND LIBERALS THAT
SHAPING THE JUDICIARY WAS A WAY
TO IMPLEMENT THEIR AGENDA ON
SOCIAL ISSUE, REGULATORY ISSUES,
ECONOMIC ISSUES, AND THAT’S
WHERE I THINK THAT YOU SEE A LOT
OF THE MOVEMENT.
BUT THOOEFN IS NOT REALLY COMING
FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP.
IT’S BEING LED BY MITCH
McCONNELL AND A VERY KIND OF
AMBITIOUS, AGGRESSIVE WAY OF
CONFIRMING THESE NOMINEES.
>> YEAH, I’M REMINDED THERE IS A
GROVER NORQUIST LINE I THINK IT
WAS BACK IN 2012 WHEN HE WAS
TRYING TO RALLY THE FAITHFUL
AROUND MITT ROMNEY AND THE SAID
FAITHFUL WERE NOT PARTICULARLY
EXCITED ABOUT MITT ROMNEY.
HE SAID ALL WE NEED IS A HAND