THE SENATE HAS JOINED THE HOUSE AND PASSING A SET OF
REVISIONS TO THEIR SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY, IT ONLY TOOK
THEM LIKE A YEAR AFTER THIS WHOLE MOVEMENT GOT GOING FOR
THEM TO FINALLY MAKE MINOR CHANGES --
IF IT ISN'T CLEAR FROM THOSE CHANGES LET'S TALK ABOUT
HOW THINGS WERE UP UNTIL TODAY --
SO YOU HAVE TO REALLY WANT IT, YOU HAVE TO HANG IN THERE.
HOW CONDESCENDING IS THAT?
OH, YOU THINK YOU'VE BEEN HARASSED,
WE'LL TALK IN A QUARTER, MAYBE WE'LL SEE IF YOU CHANGED YOUR
MIND BY THEN.
AND BY THE WAY --
ALTHOUGH SOME MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN FOUND TO HARASS
PEOPLE SAY THEY WILL PAY IT BACK AND THEN THEY DON'T, AND
THEN THEY BECOME LOBBYISTS.
I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT HOW OFFENSIVE THAT PHRASE IS UNTIL
NOW, A COOLING-OFF PERIOD.
OH, YOU ARE A LITTLE HOT AND
BOTHERED THAT YOUR BOSS TRIED TO MOLEST YOU.
WHY DON'T YOU COOL
OFF, AND THEN WE WILL THROW SO MUCH BUREAUCRACY AT YOU, 30 DAYS
OF THIS IN 30 DAYS OF THAT, AND HOPEFULLY TRY TO TALK YOU OUT OF
IT, AND IF THAT DOESN'T WORK WE WILL JUST HAVE THE TAXPAYERS
PAY.
THAT WAS A TERRIBLE PROCESS, THE GOOD NEWS IS THEY BEGAN TO
FIX IT.
CAN I PLAY DEBBIE DOWNER HERE?
I WOULD LOVE YOU TO.
I LOOKED IT UP BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE HOUSE
REACTION WAS, BECAUSE WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT, THERE HAS
BEEN A HOUSE VERSION IN FEBRUARY AND NOW THE SENATE VERSION, SO
THEY SHOULD GO TO A COMMITTEE AND WORK IT OUT TOGETHER, SO I
WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE HOUSE IS THINKING.
THE LEADER OF THIS IN
THE HOUSE SAYS THEY AREN'T SATISFIED, AND ONE OF THE
REASONS THAT JUMPED OUT WAS BECAUSE THE SENATE ETHICS
COMMITTEE WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE THIS FOR ANYTHING TO HAPPEN,
THOSE ARE CONGRESSMEN.
SO YOU ARE SAYING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
WOULD HAVE TO HAVE JUDGMENTS AGAINST THEIR OWN, WHICH DOESN'T
HAPPEN OFTEN, AND ALSO IN THE SENATE BILL -- ON THE HOST OF
CONGRESSIONAL DISH, I LOOK AT BILL'S, I'M A NERD -- I NOTICED
THAT THIS WOULDN'T BE EFFECTIVE FOR 180 DAYS AFTER ENACTMENT,
IT'S LIKE A SIX-MONTH PERIOD OF GO AND GRAB YOUR STAFFERS, YOUR
GOOD --
JEN, THAT'S A COOLING-OFF PERIOD.
IS AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION IN THE HOUSE VERSION?
THAT'S WHAT HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE PUSHING FOR.
BUT THEY ARE SAYING THE HOUSE VERSION IS BETTER, SO THE
DEMOCRATS, WHO I TEND TO TRUST ON THIS, THEY ARE SAYING THEY
WOULD PREFER THE HOUSE VERSION, THEY AT LEAST WANT THE
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE, AND ONE MORE POINT ABOUT THE SENATE
BILL, IT WOULDN'T APPLY TO ANYTHING PENDING.
WE ARE ALL MAD
AT BLAKE FARENTHOLD BECAUSE HE WILL GIVE THE MONEY BACK,
THIS WOULDN'T MAKE HIM.
WHAT IS AMAZING ABOUT THIS IS IT'S ALL MOST LIKE THEY HAVE TO
BECAUSE OF THE ME TOO MOVEMENT, THEY AREN'T ALL TRULY SICKLY
BEING LIKE WE NEED TO CLEAN HOUSE, ALSO ARE WE EVER GOING TO
KNOW WHO'S DOING THE HARASSING?
THERE IS THIS WHOLE THING ABOUT
TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT WE HAVE NO IDEA WHO IS DOING
THE HARASSMENT, THERE HAVE BEEN HOW MANY MILLIONS PAID OUT IN
CONGRESS AS A WHOLE IN THE PAST 10 YEARS TO VICTIMS, WE STILL
WON'T KNOW WHO'S DOING IT AND WHO IS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
I KNOW THEY WOULD NEVER DO THIS BUT I REMEMBER WHEN THE ME
TOO MOVEMENT STARTED, INITIALLY IT WAS PEOPLE IN ENTERTAINMENT,
AND SOME OF THE MEMBERS, I BELIEVE IT WAS GENERALLY IN THE
HOUSE, BUT THE SENATE AS WELL, STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE
EXPERIENCES THEY HAVE HAD, NOT NAMING NAMES BUT TALKING ABOUT
THROUGH THEIR CAREERS WHEN THEY WERE AIDES, AND THINGS, THINGS
THAT HAPPENED -- AND A FEW PEOPLE RESIGNED BUT I DON'T
THINK THEY WERE WHO THE WOMAN WAS TALKING ABOUT.
I THINK THIS
SHOULD COME WITH AN ACCOUNTING OF TALKING TO THE PEOPLE ABOUT
THEIR EXPERIENCES, TALKING TO ANY AIDES AND PAGES, ABOUT THEIR
EXPERIENCES WITH CURRENT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND DOING A FULL
ACCOUNTING OF THE CRIMES THAT HAVE MADE THIS SORT OF CHANGE
NECESSARY, NOT JUST PREPARING FOR FUTURE ACTS OF HARASSMENT
BUT DOING A CATALOGING OF ALL THE HARASSMENT IN THE PAST.
AND THAT 180 DAYS MAKES SURE THIS CONGRESS IS OVER BEFORE
ANYTHING IS AND ACTED.
SELF PRESERVATION.
ALL EXCELLENT ANALYSIS AND
SUGGESTIONS, WHEREAS I LOOK AT IT AND GO HALF A LOAF, YES!
WHEN
IS THE LAST TIME THE SENATE OR CONGRESS OVERALL GAVE US HALF A
LOAF?
NORMALLY YOU HAVE 93% OF AMERICANS SAYING CAN WE GET THE
ENTIRE LOAF, AND THEY SAY NO YOU CAN'T EVEN GET A CRUMB.
SO A LITTLE BIT OF PROGRESS, BUT GREAT POINTS ON HOW THEY
COULD MAKE IT BETTER.