>>> WELCOME BACK. WE’RE GOING TO TURN TO A COUPLE
OF END RUNS AROUND THE NOVEMBER
ELECTION RESULTS.
ELECTION RESULTS. IN WISCONSIN A REPUBLICAN
LEGISLATURE HAS APPROVED A SET
OF BILLS THAT ESSENTIALLY WOULD
STRIP SOME POWER FROM THE NEWLY
ELECTED GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
GENERAL. WHY, YOU MIGHT ASK?
THE NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNOR, TONY
EVERS, AND THE NEWLY ELECTED
ATTORNEY GENERAL ARE NEWLY
ELECTED DEMOCRATS.
ELECTED DEMOCRATS. SCOTT WALKER HAS INDICATED THAT
HE DOES PLAN TO SIGN THE BILLS
THAT WOULD AMONG OTHER THINGS
GIVE THE REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE
CONTROL OVER MAJOR APPOINTMENTS
AND REDUCE EARLY VOTING, WHICH
TENDS TO BENEFIT THE DEMOCRATS
IN WISCONSIN, DOWN TO TWO WEEKS.
THE REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE IS
ALSO DOING THE SAME THING.
THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE IN MANY
A LEGISLATURE.
A LEGISLATURE. DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE THIS IN THE
PAST TO REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS IN
LAME DUCK SESSIONS IN OTHER
STATES.
STATES. JOINING ME FROM THE STATE
CAPITOL OF MADISON IS
WISCONSIN’S INCOMING GOVERNOR,
TONY EVERS.
TONY EVERS. GOVERNOR-ELECT EVERS, WELCOME TO
"MEET THE PRESS."
>> GOOD MORNING, CHUCK.
>> LET ME START WITH THIS.
YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO
PERSONALLY LOBBY SCOTT WALKER,
THE GOVERNOR WHO YOU DEFEATED,
TO VETO THIS LEGISLATION.
HOW HAVE THOSE TALKS GONE?
HAVE YOU MET WITH HIM?
>> I COMMUNICATED WITH GOVERNOR
WALKER OVER THE TELEPHONE A FEW
DAYS AGO, AND LAID OUT MY
POSITION THAT VETOING THE
LEGISLATION WAS GOING TO BE AN
IMPORTANT THING NOT ONLY FOR --
TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR -- WHAT
HAPPENED LAST NOVEMBER, THE VOTE
OF THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN, IS
ACTUALLY UPHELD AND WE’RE
PUTTING PEOPLE IN FRONT OF
POLITICS, BUT ALSO IT’S JUST BAD
LEGISLATION.
LEGISLATION. I MADE THAT PITCH, AND HE WAS
NONCOMMITTAL.
NONCOMMITTAL. I KNOW PUBLICLY HE’S SAID IN
OTHER ARENAS THAT HE PLANS TO
SIGN MOST OR ALL OF IT.
SO I’M NOT PARTICULARLY
ENCOURAGED AT THIS POINT IN
TIME.
TIME. BUT IT’S AROUND SCOTT WALKER’S
LEGACY.
LEGACY. HE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE
US AND VALIDATE THE WILL OF THE
PEOPLE THAT VOTED ON NOVEMBER 6.
>> DID YOU NEGOTIATE WITH HIM?
DID YOU SAY, LOOK, I KNOW X IS
REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU, I GET
THAT.
THAT. BUT WHAT’S WITH Y AND Z HERE?
DID YOU GO TO HIM AND SAY, LOOK,
I REALLY THINK THIS PART IS JUST
CRAZY.
CRAZY. PLEASE VOE TOEETO THAT.
IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS, I GET
IT.
IT. >> NO.
>> NO. I TALKED ABOUT A FEW AREAS THAT
ARE REALLY IMPORTANT THAT
ACTUALLY REPUBLICAN BUSINESS
LEADERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT, THAT
WOULD TAKE AWAY POWER AND
IMPLICATE -- AND MAKE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT
IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, BUT
THE ENTIRE THING IS A MESS.
IT’S A HOT MESS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT HE SHOULD
VETO THE ENTIRE PACKAGE.
IN FACT AT LEAST THREE OR FOUR
OF THE PIECES THAT ARE IN THERE
NOW, HE HAS VETOED PREVIOUSLY.
AND SO IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME.
YOU KNOW, HE’S BEEN A LONG-TIME
PUBLIC SERVANT AND HE HAS A
LEGACY HERE, SO WE’RE HOPEFUL
THAT HE WILL VETO THE WHOLE
THING.
THING. >> I’M CURIOUS, AFTER YOU WERE
ELECTED AND QUICKLY WE HEARD
WORD THAT THE REPUBLICAN SPEAKER
AND THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY
LEADER IN THE LEGISLATURE THERE
WERE CONSIDERING THESE BILLS,
DID YOU REACH OUT TO THEM
PERSONALLY BEFORE THE BILL
STARTED GOING?
STARTED GOING? AND IF YOU DID, WHAT WAS THAT
CONVERSATION LIKE?
CONVERSATION LIKE? >> WELL, I MET WITH ROBIN VOSS,
THE SPEAKER, MUCH BEFORE THOSE
WORDS -- THAT RUMOR CAME DOWN
THE PIKE.
THE PIKE. NO, I HAVEN’T HAD A CHANCE TO
TALK -- I MEAN IT WAS LAST
MINUTE.
MINUTE. IT WAS ONE OF THESE HERE’S A
RUMOR AND THEN HERE’S THE BILLS
THAT HAVE BEEN WORKED ON FOR
SEVERAL MONTHS.
SEVERAL MONTHS. BUT, YOU KNOW, CHUCK, IF SCOTT
WALKER HAD WON THIS ELECTION, WE
WOULDN’T BE SITTING HERE TALKING
TO YOU TODAY.
>> IS THERE ANY PART -- YOU
KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE
SPEAKER SAID, HE GOES, WELL, IN
HINDSIGHT MAYBE WE GAVE THE
GOVERNOR TOO MUCH POWER.
TAKE THE PARTISAN HAT OFF A
MINUTE.
MINUTE. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. I KNOW THAT PERHAPS MANY PEOPLE
READ THAT COMMENT TONGUE IN
CHEEK.
CHEEK. BUT DO YOU BELIEVE HE’S RIGHT?
>> WELL, THERE ARE THINGS IN
THAT BILL THAT REALLY HAD
NOTHING TO DO WITH GIVING SCOTT
WALKER ANYTHING.
WALKER ANYTHING. SO, NO, I DON’T AGREE WITH THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BALANCED POWER
IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
LEGISLATURE AND BOTH SIDES ARE
REPUBLICAN, I’M A DEMOCRAT, THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL IS A DEMOCRAT.
I VIEW THIS AS COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT ROBIN VOSS
BELIEVES, AND THAT IS THAT WE
ARE TRYING TO INVALIDATE THE
WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN VOTED
FOR ME BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT I
WAS FOR GOOD SCHOOLS AND GOOD
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND GOOD
HEALTH CARE.
HEALTH CARE. THEY DIDN’T -- THEY DIDN’T ELECT
ME TO FIGHT OVER ADMINISTRATIVE
POWERS IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
VIS-A-VIS THE REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY.
MAJORITY. NO, I THINK THIS GETS US OFF TO
A BAD START.
I THINK IT’S A MISTAKE, BUT
WE’LL CONTINUE WORKING TO GET
THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN TO
CONVINCE SCOTT WALKER TO THINK
ABOUT HIS LEGACY AND MAKE SURE
THAT HE VETOES THIS LANGUAGE.
>> DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN GLENN
MOORE SAID THE LEGISLATORS WHO
ENENGINEERED THIS COUP, THEIR
ACTIONS AMOUNT TO A SMASH AND
GRAB HIJACKING OF THE VOTERS’
WILL.
WILL. >> A COUP SEEMS STRONG, BUT THE
FACT OF THE MATTER IS AS I JUST
SAID, IF SCOTT WALKER WON THIS
ELECTION AND HE DID NOT, I DID,
WE WOULDN’T BE SITTING HERE
TALKING ABOUT THIS TODAY.
SCOTT WALKER WOULDN’T BE SITTING
HERE TALKING ABOUT, GEEZ,
THEY’RE TRYING TO BALANCE THE
POWER HERE.
POWER HERE. SO NO, I THINK IT IS DIRECTLY
RELATED TO A WIN BY A DEMOCRAT,
AND THAT WOULD BE ME.
WE NEED TO HAVE THIS VETOED.
>> ONE OF THEIR RATIONALES HAS
BEEN, WELL, GOVERNOR-ELECT EVERS
MARGINS ALL CAME FROM TWO
CITIES, MADISON AND MILWAUKEE.
WE HAVE TO REPRESENT THE REST OF
THE STATE.
THE STATE. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT CHARGE?
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU WON A
VERY NARROW ELECTION.
HOW DO YOU REACH --
>> OF COURSE.
>> HOW DO YOU REACH ACROSS THIS
DIVIDED STATE AT THIS POINT?
>> IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT
EASIER WITHOUT THIS LEGISLATION,
I’LL TELL YOU THAT.
I HAVE REACHED -- IN MY PRESENT
JOB AS STATE SUPERINTENDENT,
THAT’S A STATEWIDE ELECTED
POSITION.
POSITION. I’VE REACHED ACROSS THE AISLE ON
ALL NUMBERS OF ISSUES.
THAT’S PART OF MY DNA.
I’M AN EDUCATOR.
SO I ALWAYS TRY TO FIND COMMON
GROUND AND I’LL CONTINUE TO DO
THAT GOING FORWARD.
BUT I WON THE ELECTION.
ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT, I WON THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION. AND I ACTUALLY NARROWED SOME OF
THE VOTES OUTSTATE AND I WON
LOTS OF THOSE COUNTIES OUTSTATE
IN THE PAST.
I AM THE GOVERNOR AND I WILL BE
THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN AND REPRESENT ALL
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> IF HE DOESN’T VETO THIS
LEGISLATION, DO YOU PLAN TO SUE?
DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAVE
STANDING?
STANDING? >> ALL ISSUES ARE ON THE TABLE.
I’M NOT MAKING ANY PROMISES ONE
WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT WE’RE
LOOKING AT ALL OPTIONS AT THE
TABLE.
TABLE. I NEED TO STAND UP FOR THE
PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN.
THERE’S 2.6 MILLION PEOPLE THAT
VOTED IN THIS LAST ELECTION, AND
THEY EXPECT ME TO DO THAT.
SO WE’RE GOING TO PURSUE THIS.
>> GOVERNOR-ELECT TONY EVERS,
DEMOCRAT FROM WISCONSIN, THANKS