THIS WAS HIS FIRST SPEECH AS
SENATOR RAPHAEL WARNOCK, AND
SENATOR WARNOCK OF GEORGIA JOINS
US NOW.
ITS GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON THE
SHOW THIS MORNING.
ILL START WITH THE PERSONAL.
I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT WAS
LIKE TO MAKE THAT SPEECH IN THE
POSITION THAT YOU ARE IN.
HISTORIC POSITION.
>> WELL, GOOD MORNING, MIKA.
IT IS GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
I MUST TELL YOU THAT TO HAVE THE
PEOPLE OF GEORGIA TO STAND UP IN
THE WAY THAT THEY DID IN
DECEMBER -- NORIN NOVEMBER AND I
JANUARY, 5 MILLION VOTER AND 4.5
MILLION GEORGIAN VOTERS TURNED
OUT IN A RUNOFF TO SEND ME AND
MY BROTHER OSSOFF TO THE UNITED
STATES SENATE IS THE HONOR OF MY
LIFE.
WHEN I WAS BORN IN GEORGIA,
GEORGIA WAS REPRESENTED BY
RICHARD B. RUSSELL AND HERMAN E.
TALMADGE, ARCH SEGREGATIONISTS
WHO WERE UNABASHED ADVOCATES OF
CIVIL RIGHTS AND VOTING RIGHTS,
BUT BECAUSE AMERICANS STOOD UP,
I SIT IN THE SEAT WHERE HERMAN
E. TALMADGE SAT.
THIS IS AMERICA, WEVE HAD TO
STAND UP FOR OUR DEMOCRACY
BEFORE AND WE HAVE TO STAND UP
FOR IT RIGHT NOW.
VOTING RIGHTS IS PRESERVATIVE OF
ALL RIGHTS AND THATS WHAT MY
SPEECH WAS ABOUT.
>> SO HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR
YOU THAT YOUR FELLOW DEMOCRATS
GET ONBOARD AND WORK TOGETHER,
DOING WHATEVER HAS TO BE DONE TO
MAKE SURE THAT HR-1 AND ALSO
JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS BILL
PASS THE UNITED STATES SENATE,
PASS THE HOUSE, AND GET SIGNED
BY THIS DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT?
>> IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO
OVERSTATE HOW IMPORTANT THIS
REALLY IS.
WE ARE AT AN INFLECTION POINT.
THIS IS A MORAL MOMENT IN
AMERICA, A DEFINING MOMENT IN
OUR HISTORY.
VOTING RIGHTS IS NOT JUST ONE
ISSUE ALONGSIDE OTHER ISSUES.
IT IS ABOUT WHO WE SAY WE ARE.
IT IS ABOUT OUR COVENANT WITH
ONE ANOTHER AS AN AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
AND SO WEVE GOT TO GET ONBOARD.
I KNOW THERES A BIG DEBATE
ABOUT THE FILIBUSTER.
IM SURE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO
HAVE THAT DEBATE.
BUT MY ARGUMENT IS THAT VOTING
RIGHTS IS BIGGER THAN THE
FILIBUSTER AND WE MUST PASS
VOTING RIGHTS, WHETHER WE GET
RID OF THE FILIBUSTER OR NOT.
>> MR. SENATOR, ITS WILLIE
GEIST.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW
THIS MORNING.
I DO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT HOW
YOU GET THIS THROUGH.
YOU MENTIONED THE POTENTIAL FOR
LIMITING THE FILIBUSTER. YOUR COLLEAGUE ON THE HOUSE
YOUR COLLEAGUE ON THE HOUSE
SIDE, JAMES CLYBURN, HAS SAID ON
QUESTIONS OF CIVIL RIGHTS, WE
NEED TO GET THIS THROUGH,
HOWEVER WE DO IT.
EVEN IF THAT MEANS PUTTING ASIDE
SOME OF THE HISTORIC RULES OF
THE SENATE AND PUSHING THE
FILIBUSTER AWAY.
DO YOU AGREE THAT AN ELIMINATION
OF THE FILIBUSTER IS NEEDED TO
GET THIS THROUGH?
>> I THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TO
VOTING RIGHTS, ALL OPTIONS HAVE
TO BE ON THE TABLE.
WEVE SEEN CARVEOUTS BEFORE,
WITH RESPECT TO THE COURTS.
SO WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT
THAN MAKING SURE THAT THE VOICES
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE NOT
SQUEEZED OUT OF THEIR OWN
DEMOCRACY?
AND SO, LOOK, WE SHOULD HAVE 100
VOTES IN THE SENATE, FOR VOTING
RIGHTS.
IT USED TO BE A BIPARTISAN
ISSUE.
THE LAST TIME WE REAUTHORIZED
THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT,
GEORGE W. BUSH WAS PRESIDENT AND
IT PASSED THE SAME SENATE 98-0.
WHAT CHANGED?
AND SO WHAT I HOPE TO DO IS TO
APPEAL TO THE CONTENTSCIENCE OF
OF MY COLLEAGUES.
BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.
I BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY.
RONALD NEEBER WAS RIGHT.
HUMANKINDS INCLINATION FOR
JUSTICE MAKES DEMOCRACY
POSSIBLE.
OUR INCLINATION FOR INJUSTICE
MAKES DEMOCRACY NECESSARY.
WE HAVE TO PRESERVE THE
REPUBLIC.
THERE ARE POLITICIANS THAT ARE
TRYING TO WIN AT ANY COST, EVEN
THE COST OF THE DEMOCRACY
ITSELF.
WE HAVE TO STAND UP IN THIS
DEFINING MOMENT AND SAY THAT
THIS IS WHO WE ARE AS AN
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
WE BELIEVE IN THE DEMOCRATIC
PROCESS.
AND I SAY THAT KNOWING THAT
THERE WILL BE MOMENTS WHEN THIS
SIDE OR THAT SIDE WILL WIN OR
LOSE.
BUT WE HAVE TO CAST OUR LOTS
WITH THE PEOPLE, DID REPUBLIC
BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE AND NOT TO
THE POLITICIANS.
>> SENATOR CLAIRE McCASKILL HAS
A QUESTION FOR YOU.
CLAIRE.
>> GOOD MORNING, SENATOR.
I CANT TELL YOU HOW WONDERFUL
IT IS TO SEE YOU ON THE FLOOR OF
THE SENATE GIVING A POWERFUL
SPEECH ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS.
YOURE NOT FROM A BRIGHT BLUE
STATE.
AND I WANT TO POSE TO YOU THE
QUESTION HOW DO WE KNIT TOGETHER
THE PEOPLE WHO COME FROM STATES
LIKE YOURS AND THOSE ARE SOME
REPUBLICANS, TOO.
WEVE GOT PAT TOMBMY IN A STATE
THAT JOE BIDEN WON.
WE HAVE RON JOHNSON IN A STATE
THAT JOE BIDEN WON.
HOW DO WE BRING TOGETHER THOSE
OF THAW ARE NOT FROM BRIGHT BLUE
OR BRIGHT RED PLACE TOES
ACTUALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE IN A
WAY THAT CREATES LASTING CHANGE
SNTD INSTEAD OF HAVING A
SITUATION WHERE IT GOES BACK AND
FORTH BASED ON WHO HAS 50?
HAVE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO
SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH OTHER
SENATORS THAT ARE FROM STATES
LIKE YOURS ABOUT A WAY FORWARD
THAT DOESNT LEAVE PEOPLE OF
MODERATE STATES BEHIND?
>> WELL, HERE IS THE THING,
CLAIRE.
WE HAVE GOT TO GIVE OURSELVES
OVER TO SOMETHING LARGER THAN
OURSELVES.
I THINK THAT WHAT WE ARE DEALING
WITH RIGHT NOW IS THE AMBITION
OF POLITICIANS.
I MEAN, LOOK AT THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
WHEN IT COMES TO THIS COVID-19
RELIEF PACKAGE THAT WE JUST
PASSED, THERE IS BIPARTISAN
PARTY
SUPPORT FOR THE PACKAGE, BUT
THATS NOT REFLECTED IN THE VOTE
THAT WE JUST SAW TWO WEEKS AGO.
ITS NOT REFLECTED HERE IN THIS
CAPITAL.
THERE IS A DISCONNECTION BETWEEN
WHERE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE
AND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN
WASHINGTON RIGHT NOW.
IF WE LET THEM CRUSH OUR VOTING
RIGHTS, IF WE LET THEM MOVE
FORWARD WITH THIS PARTISAN AND
RACIAL GERRYMANDERING THAT WE
WILL SEE INCREASINGLY IF WE
DONT PASS FEDERAL LEGISLATION,
WERE GOING TO FIND AN
INCREASING DISCONNECT BETWEEN
WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE AND WHAT
HAPPENS IN THIS HOUSE.
SO I THINK IN A REAL SENGS, WE
HAVE TO STAND UP AND SAYS OUR
DEMOCRACY.
THE OTHER SIDE KEEPS PUSHING
THESE VOTER SUPPRESSION TACTICS
AND GERRYMANDERING OF DISTRICTS
IN SUCH A WAY, WERE GOING TO
SEE THEM DRAW THEMSELVES INTO A