>> NOT REALLY.
>> IT HAS BEEN NEARLY NINE
MONTHS SINCE THE GOVERNMENT LAST
AGREED TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF IF
ANY TO THE AMERICANS.
I WANT TO BRING IN AN ARTIST,
HE’S A PUBLISH OF THE INC.,
WINNER TAKES ALL.
THANKS GORE SS FOR JOINING US.
IT’S SO DISAPPOINTING TO SEE
THAT WOMAN, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE
DESPERATE, AFRAID THEY’RE GOING
TO LOSE THEIR HOUSING.
THEIR LIGHTS ARE GOING TO GET
SHUT OFF.
THEY’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE HEAT
COME CHRISTMASTIME, JUST TWO
WEEKS AWAY.
AND YET, YOU HAVE WASHINGTON
FIGHTING OVER WHETHER OR NOT
THEY’RE GOING TO PROVIDE A
STIMULUS CHECK WHICH SEEMS AT
THIS POINT IS NOT EVEN IN THE
PLANS OR EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT.
>> YEAH, IT MADE ME TEAR UP
ABOUT THREE SECONDS BEFORE YOUR
CAMERA WAS GOING TO TURN ON ME.
AND IT WAS SO INTERESTING, WHILE
WAITING FOR THE CAMERA TURN ON,
LISTENING TO NANCY PELOSI,
LISTENING TO WASHINGTON
TECHNICAL TALK WHICH IS SO
REMOVED FROM THE BASIC REALITY
THAT THIS IS A COUNTRY AWASH IN
PAIN RIGHT NOW.
LOOK AT THAT WOMAN’S FACE.
LISTEN TO HER.
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
THEY SPEAKS FOR.
AND WE’RE HAVING THESE
TECHNOCRATIC CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
COMMITTEES, THIS AND THAT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT.
THE REAL BLAME IS MITCH
McCONNELL, THE REPUBLICANS, THE
PRESIDENT, A PARTY THAT DOES NOT
WANT TO HELP PEOPLE THAT IS
WORKING ON ONE SIDE TO ACTUALLY
MAKE SURE THE PANDEMIC KILLS AS
MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
THAT SEEMS TO BE THE LOGICAL
SEQUENCE OF THEIR POLICY.
AND TO MAKE SURE ALL OF THE
PEOPLE WHO MANAGE TO SURVIVE
DESPITE THEIR POLICY SUFFER
ECONOMICALLY AND BEYOND.
BUT IT IS ALSO THE CASE THAT
DEMOCRATS ARE NOT MEETING THIS
MOMENT WITH MUSCULARITY
REQUIRED.
HERE THE RHETORICAL MUSCLE
REQUIRED.
WHY AREN’T WE HEARING THUNDERING
SPEECHES FROM JOE BIDEN, FROM
PELOSI, FROM SCHUMER, IN A WAY
THAT BENDS PUBLIC OPINION,
FORCES REPUBLICANS INTO A
CORNER.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT MEDICARE FOR
ALL RIGHT NOW.
WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SWEEPING
SOCIAL POLICY.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DO
WE REDUCE OUR FOOT PRINT OF THE
EMPIRE AROUND THE WORLD.
THIS IS EMERGENCY RELIEF IN THE
WORST CRISIS SINCE THE GREAT
DEPRESSION.
AND WE’RE HAVING THIS LITTLE
WASHINGTON COMMITTEE TALK,
INSTEAD OF TALK OF MUSCULARLY
DEALING WITH THE RESTORATION OF
SOME BALANCE IN PEOPLE’S LIFE.
SOME STABILITY.
FOOD ON PEOPLE’S TABLES.
YOU HAVE WORD COMING OUT
YESTERDAY OR TODAY, IN JOE
BIDEN’S MEETING WITH CIVIL
RIGHTS LEADERS THIS WEEK, HE WAS
SKEPTICAL OF THE CLAIMS PEOPLE
MAKE ABOUT HIS EXECUTIVE
AUTHORITY.
HE’S NOT AS COMFORTABLE WIELDING
THAT EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY AS
OTHERS ARE COMFORTABLE WITH HIM
WIELDING.
THIS IS NOT A TIME FOR
MILQUETOAST.
WATCH THAT WOMAN AGAIN.
WATCH THAT WOMAN AGAIN, MILLIONS
LIKE HER.
THIS IS A TIME FOR DRAMATIC
SWEEPING ACTION.
>> SO, WHY DON’T YOU THINK WE’RE
HEARING THUNDEROUS SPEECHES
ABDOMEN APPEALS TO WASHINGTON TO
ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING?
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS HAPPENING
HERE?
I MEAN, YOU ARE HEARING FROM
FOLKS LIKE SENATOR BERNIE
SANDERS AND ELIZABETH WARREN, WE
NEED TO GET DIRECT PAYMENTS,
BERNIE SANDERS SAID HE’S GOING
TO VOTE NO AGAINST THIS BILL IF
THAT $1200 STIMULUS PAYMENT IS
ACTUALLY NOT IN IT.
IS THAT EVEN ENOUGH, THOUGH, IF
YOU LOOK AT THE AVERAGE RENT
RIGHT NOW, MEDIAN COST OF RENT,
$1,771 A MONTH.
THE AVERAGE MORTGAGE, $1,487 A
MONTH.
$1200 IN STIMULUS CHECKS IS NOT
GOING TO DO IT.
>> WELL, YOU ASK THE QUESTION,
AND IT’S VERY IMPORTANT, WITH
DON’T WE HAVE PEOPLE GIVING
THESE SPEECHES?
I WILL MAINTAIN THERE’S A
DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES ON
THIS.
I’M NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WHO
THINKS THERE NO DIFFERENCE.
THERE’S A SIGNIFICANT
DIFFERENCE.
REPUBLICANS DON’T WANT ANYTHING
TO HAPPEN ON THIS SCORE.
THEY DON’T WANT ANY RELIEF.
AND WANT PEOPLE TO SUFFER FROM
COVID, JUDGING BY THEIR POLICY.
HOWEVER, IT IS ALSO THE CASE
THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE YOU
MIGHT SHOW ON SCREEN AS LEADERS
IN CONGRESS RIGHT NOW ARE NOT
PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED ANY OF
THIS KIND OF PAIN IN THEIR
LIVES.
RIGHT?
WHETHER REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS
IN LEADERSHIP, THEY SKEW
WEALTHY.
MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN THERE
FOREVER.
MANY OF THEM ARE PART OF A KIND
OF PERMANENT POLITICAL
ESTABLISHMENT AND RESOLVING
DOOR.
THIS PAIN IS AS FOREIGN TO THEM
AS NORTH KOREA.
AND YOU HAVE, IN RECENT YEARS,
MORE AND MORE PEOPLE OF WORKING
CLASS BACKGROUNDS LIKE AOC, LIKE
JAMAAL BOWMAN AND OTHERS
ACTUALLY COMING INTO POLITICS
AND REMINDING FOLKS WHAT REAL
PEOPLE’S LIVES ARE LIKE BUT
THAT’S A SMALL MINORITY WITHIN
THIS CONGRESS.
I JUST THINK, WE’RE NOT -- WE
NEED TO BE LED THROUGH THIS IN A
WAY, THAT, FRANKLY, THE CURRENT
LEADERSHIP CLASS JUST FEELS
COMPLETELY VACANT AND
VACUUMLESS.
I KNOW THAT THINGS AREN’T EASY
TO PASS, I UNDERSTAND THE
COMPLEXITIES.
BUT WHERE ARE THE FIRESIDE
CHATS?
WHERE ARE WE EVEN BEING TALKED
THROUGH?
WHERE IS PUBLIC OPINION BEING
MARSHALLED?
WHERE ARE THESE PEOPLE?
>> YEAH, IT’S SUCH AN INCREDIBLY
GOOD POINT AND WHICH IS WHY WE
NEED TO SHOW THE VOICES OF
PEOPLE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW,
PEOPLE NOT ABLE TO PAY THEIR
RENT OR HAVING TO GO TO FOOD
BANKS TO SHOW WHAT AMERICA LOOKS
LIKE RIGHT NOW.
BECAUSE THAT IS AMERICA RIGHT