>>> WITH THE SENATE BACK IN SESSION, REPUBLICANS ARE
INCREASINGLY SENDING THE SIGNAL,
IN A UNIFIED WAY THAT BASICALLY
WE’VE DONE OUR PART, GET BACK TO
WORK, AMERICA, WE WASH OUR
HANDS.
HANDS. >> IN TERMS OF ADDITIONAL
LEGISLATION THAT MIGHT SUPPORT A
SHATTERED NATION, THE SENATE
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS IS ON A
SELF-DESCRIBED PAUSE RIGHT NOW
THAT IS SET TO EXPIRE ON, WELL,
NO ONE CAN REALLY SAY.
THAT’S NOT HOW DEMOCRATS ARE
DEALING WITH THIS PANDEMIC.
THEY HAVE TONS OF PLANS FOR A
NEW ROUND OF LEGISLATION, AND
HERE TO TALK WITH ME ABOUT THOSE
BALANCE, THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER
IN THE, CHUCK SCHUMER.
SENATOR, I WANTED TO START WITH
SOMETHING THAT ONE OF YOUR
REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES SAID TODAY
ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF ANOTHER
KIND OF RESCUE PACKAGE, A NEW
CARES ACT AND THIS IS SENATOR
JOHN KENNEDY, A WITTY GUY IN THE
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS FROM
LOUISIANA, HE WAS ASKED ABOUT
ANOTHER ROUND OF STIMULUS CHECKS
AND HE SAID WELL, PEOPLE IN HELL
WANT ICE WATER, TOO.
LIKE CRY ME A RIVER.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> THESE GUYS ARE JUST
APPALLING, CHRIS.
APPALLING, CHRIS. WE HAVE 30 MILLION PEOPLE
UNEMPLOYED.
UNEMPLOYED. WE HAVE PEOPLE EVERYBODY DAY,
LOSING THEIR JOBS, SMALL
BUSINESSES GOING OUT OF
BUSINESS, PEOPLE CAN’T FEED
THEIR CHILDREN AND THEMSELVES,
AND THESE GUYS SAY THAT, YOU
KNOW WHO THEY REMIND ME OF,
HERBERT HOOVER, WHEN WE WERE ON
THE EDGE OF A POTENTIAL
DEPRESSION, HERBERT HOOVER SAID,
LET’S DO NOTHING.
THAT’S WHAT THESE GUYS ARE
SAYING.
SAYING. AND DOING NOTHING COULD WELL
CREATE THE SECOND GREAT
DEPRESSION.
DEPRESSION. WE NEED HELP AND HELP QUICKLY.
WHERE WE DEMOCRATS AND THE HOUSE
AND SENATE ARE WORKING ON A BIG
BOLD STRONG PACKAGE THAT WILL
DEAL WITH SO MANY OF THE
PROBLEMS WE FACE.
I MEAN YOU KNOW, MITCH McCONNELL
COMES UP WITH THIS IDEA THAT WE
SHOULD LET STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS GO BANKRUPT.
THIS IS NOT AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT,
MITCH.
MITCH. THESE ARE FIREFIGHTERS WHO
PROTECT US.
PROTECT US. BUS DRIVERS WHO DRIVE THE BUSES.
PEOPLE WHO WORK IN HEALTH CARE.
FOOD SAFETY INSPECTORS.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD
BE THROWN OUT OF WORK THROUGH NO
FAULT OF THEIR OWN, IN FACT A
MILLION PEOPLE IN STATE AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS LOST THEIR
JOB.
JOB. WE NEED MONEY TO HELP THEM KEEP
WORK, KEEP WORKING.
WE NEED MONEY TO PROVIDE FOOD
FOR PEOPLE SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO
WATCH THEIR CHILDREN GO HUNGRY.
WE NEED TO GET OUR SCHOOLS
GOING.
GOING. WE NEED HEROES PAY FOR THOSE ON
THE FRONT LINES GOING THROUGH SO
MANY EXTRA EXPENSES AND ASKED TO
SACRIFICE SO MUCH.
THIS IDEA THAT WE SHOULD DO
NOTHING, AND WAIT AND SEE, WELL,
I’D LIKE MITCH McCONNELL AND HIS
REPUBLICAN FRIENDS, MR. KENNEDY,
TO GO TELL A MOM WHO CAN’T FEED
HER KIDS, LET’S WAIT AND SEE
WHAT HAPPENS IN A FEW WEEKS.
TO TELL A SMALL BUSINESS PERSON,
WHO HAS SPENT TEN YEARS BUILDING
UP THAT RESTAURANT, OR THAT NAIL
SALON, OR THAT SMALL
MANUFACTURING BUSINESS, AND IS
READY TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS, AND
DESPERATELY NEEDS HELP, LET’S
WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
IT IS UTTERLY APPALLING.
IT IS LIKE HERBERT HOOVER.
WE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO FORCE
THOSE REPUBLICANS, LIKE WE DID
LAST TIME, WHEN THEY DIDN’T WANT
IT DO MUCH, TO TAKE BIG BOLD
ACTION, BECAUSE THE NATION NEEDS
IT, AND THE PEOPLE DEMAND IT.
>> HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK IT’S A
NEGOTIATING POSITION, THAT
THEY’RE ESSENTIALLY BLUFFING
BECAUSE THEY WANT TO ESSENTIALLY
SORT OF ANCHOR THE NEGOTIATIONS,
NOTHING, AND THEN THERE WILL BE
HORSE TRADING, WHERE AS IF THEY
COME OUT AND SAY YEAH, WE WANT
TO DO BIG STUFF, TOO, THEN THEY
GIVE AWAY LEVERAGE, AND HOW MUCH
DO YOU THINK THEY REALLY DO
THINK LIKE --
>> DON’T UNDERESTIMATE, CHRIS
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE HOLD
THAT THESE HARD RIGHT
IDEALOGUES, THESE VERY, VERY
WEALTHY PEOPLE, WHO ARE DOING
JUST FINE BY THE WAY, THE STOCK
MARKET IS GOING UP, BECAUSE THEY
MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, THAT THE
FEDERAL RESERVE BOLSTERS THE
MARKETS, BUT DON’T UNDERESTIMATE
THE FOLD THAT THESE VERY WEALTHY
PEOPLE WHO CONTROL A LOT OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IF NOT ALL OF
IT THESE DAY HAVE ON THESE
SENATORS.
SENATORS. THEY DON’T WANT ANY GOVERNMENT
SPENDING.
SPENDING. THEY DON’T GIVE A HOOT ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENS TO AVERAGE PEOPLE.
IT HURTS, IT’S GOING TO HURT
THEM, BUT THEY ARE SO BLINDED BY
THEIR IDEOLOGY, BOTH THE
BENEFACTORS OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, AND THE REPUBLICAN
SENATORS THEMSELVES, THAT THEY
CAN’T GET AWAY FROM IT.
THEY ARE, THEY ARE CAUGHT IN A
KNOT.
KNOT. THE DAYS OF A MODERATE
THOUGHTFUL COMPROMISING
THOUGHTFUL COMPROMISING REPUBLICAN SENATOR, ARE JUST
ABOUT OVER.
ABOUT OVER. LOOK WHAT THEY DO TO MITT
ROMNEY.
ROMNEY. ONCE IN A WHILE, THEY BREAK FROM
THEM, YOU KNOW.
>> ONE OF THE PRIORITIES, I
THINK FOR BOTH THE BENEFACTORS
OF THE PARTY AND MITCH McCONNELL
AND OTHERS IS THIS IDEA OF SOME
KIND OF LIABILITY
INDEMNIFICATION, THAT EMPLOYERS
SHOULD BE STATUTORILY SHIELDED
FROM ANY CIVIL SUITS, IF THEY
SAY OPEN UP A FACTORY, OR THEY
OPEN UP A WORKPLACE AND PEOPLE
COME AN GET SICK, WHAT DO YOU
THINK OF THAT, IT SEEMS TO ME
THAT McCONNELL IS ALREADY
SETTING THAT UP AS A MUST-HAVE
FOR HIM, IN THE NEGOTIATION THAT
YOU AND HE I THINK WILL
ULTIMATELY HAVE.
ULTIMATELY HAVE. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. WELL, THE BOTTOM LINE IS VERY
SIMPLE.
SIMPLE. THEY WANT TO SAY IF AN EMPLOYER,
A BOSS, SAYS TO A WORKER, YOU
GOT TO SIT NEXT TO SOMEONE WHO
HAS COVID, OR HAS ALL OF THE
SIGNS OF COVID WITHOUT ANY
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND YOU’RE
ABSOLVED FROM ANY LIABILITY,
WELL, THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN,
AND IT WILL NOT HAPPEN.
McCONNELL GOT STUCK, HE FIRST
SAID LET THE STATES AND
LOCALITIES GO BANKRUPT, SO HE
KNEW THAT WAS WRONG, BUT HE
STILL DOESN’T WANT TO REALLY
HELP THEM, SO HE TRIES TO PUT
THIS THING OUT THERE, WHICH
HELPS THE BIG CORPORATE BOSSES
AND NOBODY ELSE, IT’S NOT GOING
TO STAND.
TO STAND. JUST LIKE LAST TIME, WHEN HE
SAID OH, WE WILL ONLY DO THESE
TWO THINGS IN THE FIRST COVID
BILL, OR HE SAID WE ARE ONLY
GOING TO DO PPE AND NOT HELP
MINORITIES AND NOT HELP UNBANKED
PEOPLE IN THE SECOND ONE, HE
WILL HAVE TO FOLD, BECAUSE YOU
KNOW WHY, BECAUSE THE COUNTRY IS
ON OUR SIDE.
THIS IDEA THAT THE REPUBLICANS
HAVE, LET THE PRIVATE SECTOR
SOLVE THE PROBLEM, IT IS
TERRIBLY OUT OF DATE.
AND WHEN DEMOCRATS PROPOSE BIG