THANKS,
THANKS, SHANNON. SO AS SHANNON MENTIONED, WHAT HAPPENED HERE AT HOME A LITTLE BIT MORE
QUIET. BUT EARLIER TODAY WHAT
HAPPENED IN WASHINGTON IS
UNPRECEDENTED AND IT HAPPENED
DURING WHAT THE CONSTITUTION
CALLS FOR EVERY FOUR YEARS. A
READING OF THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE VOTES DURING A JOINT
SESSION OF CONGRESS. KIND OF A
CEREMONY. JOINING US TO TALK
ABOUT MORE ABOUT THIS
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF
TODAY'S EVENTS IS ATTORNEY AND
LEGAL ANALYST DAN EATON. DAN,
YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME
YOURSELF IN D.C. I I'M PRETTY
SURE YOU WORKED ON CAPITOL HILL
AS AN AMERICAN WHO SPENT TIME
THERE AND WAS A PART OF THIS
PROCESS. HOW DOES TODAY MAKE
YOU FEEL? SO YOU KNOW, WE USE
THAT WORD IT'S A VERY SAD DAY.
THIS IS NOT THE WAY THE POST
SUPPOSED TO WORK IS YOU USE THE
WORD CEREMONIAL. THIS PROCESS
IS REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE
STRICTLY CEREMONIAL. IT USUALLY
DOESN'T TAKE ANY LONGER THAN 45
MINUTES AT THE OUTSIDE TO DO
THIS AND THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE WE
HAVE SO MANY JURISDICTIONS THAT
HAVE TO BE NAMED AND THEIR
ELECTORAL VOTES COUNTED. THIS
IS NOT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO
BE. AND THEN WHAT'S NORMALLY A
FAIRLY TYPICALLY QUIET DAY AT
THE CEREMONY. OBVIOUSLY IT WAS
NOT AND NOW WE'RE HEARING SOME
CHATTER OUT THERE POSSIBLY
INVOKING THE 25TH AMENDMENT,
POSSIBLY WRITING UP ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT. WHAT IS YOUR
THOUGHT THAT CAN THAT BE DONE
AND WE'RE PRETTY LATE IN THE
GAME HERE AGAIN JANUARY 20TH AS
ORATION. WELL, IT CAN'T BE
DONE. I MEAN THEORETICALLY
ANYTHING CAN BE DONE. THE 25TH
AMENDMENT. WHAT THEY'RE TALKING
ABOUT IS SECTION 4 OF THE 20
WORDS AMENDMENT WHICH ALLOWS
THE VISE PRESIDENT THE MAJORITY
OF THE CABINET TO DECLARE AND
SEND A LETTER TO THE SPEAKER OF
THE HOUSE, THE PRESIDENT PRO
TEM OF THE SENATE CHUCK
GRASSLEY SAYING THE PRESIDENT
IS UNABLE FULFILL THE DUTIES OF
HIS OFFICE. THAT'S NOT GOING TO
HAPPEN ANY MORE THAN ANY A
WRITTEN PROTEST TO THESE
ELECTORAL VOTES ARE GOING TO BE
SUSTAINED BY THE DEMOCRATIC
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. IT'S
ALL VERY INTERESTING FROM A
THEORETICAL STANDPOINT AND
MAYBE THERE'S GREAT CIVIC
EDUCATION BUT THERE'S NOT GOING
TO BE ANY PRACTICAL EFFECT FROM
ALL OF THIS DISCUSSION. WHAT IS
THE PRACTICAL EFFECT WHEN YOU
WATCH TODAY WHEN YOU WATCH
WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE ELECTION
DAY AND CONSTANT QUESTIONING OF
A PROCESS WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE?
WHAT DOES THIS DO TO OUR BELIEF
IN OUR SYSTEM, OUR
CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS? WELL,
THAT'S A WONDERFUL QUESTION
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT SUGGESTS
THAT FOR A COUNTRY THAT PRIDES
ITSELF ON ITS DEMOCRATIC
PRINCIPLES, WELL WE HAVE A
PROBLEM PRACTICING WHAT WE
PREACH. THE QUESTION REALLY,
CARLO, IS WHETHER THIS IS GOING
TO DO ANY KIND OF DURABLE
DAMAGES. WE'RE HEARING FROM
WORLD LEADERS LIKE BURRIS
JOHNSON SAYING WHAT IN THE
WORLD IS GOING ON ON CAPITOL
HILL? OH, MY SENSE IS THAT THIS
IS GOING TO BE A FAIRLY SHORT
TERM GOOD. THERE IS GOING TO BE
A SHORT TERM NEGATIVE EFFECT
FROM THE PROCEEDINGS HERE
TODAY. BUT THAT SAID, PEOPLE
ARE GOING TO REMEMBER THIS DAY
AND IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO BE
THE MOB THAT ASSAULT OF THE
CAPITOL, IT'S GOING TO BE ALL
OF THIS. AND THE QUESTION IS
WHAT WE TAKE FROM THIS AND WHAT
PRACTICAL LESSONS WE TAKE FROM
THIS VERY, VERY SAD DAY. ONE OF
THE BIG LESSONS WE'RE LEARNING
OUT OF ALL OF THIS OBVIOUSLY IS
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FREE
SPEECH AND A FEDERAL CRIME AND
WE SAW BOTH OF THOSE THAT PLAY
OUT IN WASHINGTON, D.C. TODAY.
WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
ROBUST PROTESTS LIKE WE SAW
HERE IN SAN DIEGO NOT TO GET
ALL HIGH HORSE. SO NOW IT IS
PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE BUT THIS
IS APPROACHING SEDITIOUS
CONSPIRACY AND THAT IS THE
SEIZURE OF FEDERAL PROPERTY
IMPROPERLY. AND THAT'S THAT'S A
REAL PROBLEM. YOU HEARD THE
WORD ACCOUNTABLE. THERE ARE
GOING TO BE PROSECUTIONS
ARISING FROM THIS. THIS IS NOT
WHO WE ARE AS AMERICANS AND
THIS IS NOT THE WAY THE
ELECTORAL COUNT ACT OR THE
CONSTITUTION IS SUPPOSED TO
PLAY OUT AND WHAT IS REALLY A
PURELY CEREMONIAL ACT OF
COUNTING AND DECLARING THE
WINNER OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN
CERTIFIED BY THE ELECTORS
SEVERAL STATES. AND DAN, WE'RE
OUT OF TIME. BUT JUST A QUICK
QUESTION. DOES THIS SHOW HOW
STRONG OUR CONSTITUTION IS AND
OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT OR DOES
THIS SHOW CRACKS AT IT AGAIN?
WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT. I
THINK IT SHOWS HOW STRONG OUR
CONSTITUTION AND OUR LAWS ARE.
AMERICA, AMERICA, GOD, MEN NOT
EVERY CLOCK LOW FLOOR CONFIRMED
LIFE SOUL IN SELF-CONTROL THY
LIBERTY AND LAW AT THE END OF
THE DAY. THE CONSTITUTION WILL
STAND AND