MORNING, JOE.
200,000 PLUS PEOPLE LOST TO THE
CORONAVIRUS.
AND ALSO THE POLITICAL
DISCUSSION SURROUNDING THE DEATH
OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH
BADER GINSBURG.
THE SECOND WOMAN TO SERVE ON THE
NATION’S HIGHEST COURT DIED ON
FRIDAY AT THE AGE OF 87.
THERE WILL BE A BITTER POLITICAL
FIGHT TO FILL HER SEAT ON THE
COURT.
THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE WILL
NOMINATE A REPLACEMENT AND
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL SAID THE NOMINEE WILL
GET A VOTE. WHAT’S DIFFERENT NOW FROM 2016
WHAT’S DIFFERENT NOW FROM 2016
WHEN MITCH McCONNELL DENYIED DEN
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SELECTION OF
MERRICK GARLAND.
MITCH McCONNELL WROTE OVER THE
COMING DAYS WE ARE ALL GOING TO
COME UNDER THE TREMENDOUS
PRESSURE FROM THE PRESS TO
ANNOUNCE HOW WE WILL HANDLE THE
COMING NOMINATION.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE UNSURE
HOW TO ANSWER OR FORTHOSE OF YOU
INCLINED ON GIVING A NOMINEE A
VOTE, I URGE YOU ALL TO KEEP
YOUR POWDER DRY.
THERE ARE ALREADY TWO
DEFECTIONS, THE REPUBLICANS NEED
FOUR.
SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS WHO’S IN A
TOUGH BATTLE IN MAINE AND
SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI SAID THEY
OPPOSE A NOMINATION BEFORE
ELECTION DAY.
MEANWHILE, SENATOR GRASSLEY SAID
IN JULY, IF I WERE CHAIRMAN OF
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND THIS
VACANCY OCCURRED I WOULD NOT
HAVE A HEARING ON IT BECAUSE
THAT’S WHAT I PROMISED THE
PEOPLE IN 2016.
WE’RE ALSO WATCHING SENATOR MITT
ROMNEY, WHO HAS NOT INDICATED
WHERE HE STANDS.
DEMOCRATS HAVE WARNED
REPUBLICANS TO FOLLOW THE PRESS
PRECEDENT THEY SET IN 2016 WHEN
THE REPUBLICANS REFUSED TO
CONSIDER PRESIDENT OBAMA’S
NOMINEE BECAUSE IT WAS AN
ELECTION YEAR.
MITCH McCONNELL SAID HE WOULD
NOT GIVE MERRICK GARLAND HIS
HEAR
HEARING.
THE DAY AFTER RUTH BADER
GINSBURG’S DEATH, SENATOR
LINDSEY GRAHAM SAID HE IS,
QUOTE, DEAD SET ON CONFIRMING
WHOEVER TRUMP NOMINATES FOR THE
SEAT.
THIS COMES DESPITE MULTIPLE
TIMES IF A VACANCY CAME UP IN
THE RUNUP TO THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION HE WOULD HOLD OFF ON
CONFIRMATION.
>> IF THERE’S A REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENT IN 2016 AND A VACANCY
OCCURS IN THE LAST YEAR OF THE
FIRST TERM YOU CAN SAY LINDSEY
GRAHAM SAID LET’S LET THE NEXT
PRESIDENT, WHOEVER IT MIGHT BE,
MAKE THAT NOMINATION, AND YOU
CAN USE MY WORDS AGAINST ME AND
YOU’LL BE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
I’LL TELL YOU THIS, THIS MAY
MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER BUT I
REALLY DON’T CARE.
IF AN OPENING COMES IN THE LAST
YEAR OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TERM,
AND THE PRIMARY PROCESS HAS
STARTED, WE’LL WAIT UNTIL THE
NEXT ELECTION.
AND I’VE GOT A PRETTY GOOD
CHANCE --
>> YOU’RE ON THE RECORD.
>> YEAH.
HOLD THE TAPE.
>> I GUESS ON THE RECORD AS A
LIAR, WHICH WE’LL TALK ABOUT IN
JUST A SECOND.
BUT JOE, YOU KNOW THE MOMENT THE
NEWS BROKE ABOUT THE DEATH OF
JUSTICE GINSBURG, A LOT OF OUR
FRIENDS ON THE LEFT AND THE
RIGHT WERE CALLING, FIRST OF
ALL, VERY, VERY SADDENED ABOUT
HER DEATH.
BUT SECONDLY, VERY WORRIED ABOUT
THE ELECTION.
OUR FOLKS, OUR LIBERAL FRIENDS,
WERE WORRIED THIS WOULD HURT
THEIR CHANCES, OUR REPUBLICAN
FRIENDS THAT THIS WAS THEIR
MOMENT THEY WERE HAVING THEIR
OCTOBER SURPRISE.
AND YOU SAID, NO, IT’S THE OTHER
WAY AROUND, IMMEDIATELY.
WHY WAS THAT?
>> I’LL GET INTO THAT IN A
SECOND BUT FIRST I HAVE TO TALK
ABOUT LINDSEY GRAHAM.
THERE’S A GUY I CAME IN WITH IN
1994, A FRIEND OF MINE, AND
WE -- WE WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER
IN CONGRESS.
AND I WAS TALKING TO A COUPLE OF
OTHER FRIENDS WHO ARE NO LONGER
IN POLITICS BUT WHO ARE FRIENDS
OF LINDSAY’SEY’S AND WHO CAME IN
THEY’RE SO ASTOUNDED HE WOULD
LIE SO OPENLY.
IT’S LIKE, THIS IS A GUY WE KNEW
AND HE WOULD LIE THAT BLATANTLY
TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
AND AMERICA, WHEN IT’S ON TAPE.
WE REALLY CAN’T GET OUR ARMS
AROUND THAT, WE HAVEN’T BEEN
ABLE TO GET OUR ARMS AROUND THAT
FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.
BUT IT’S SO INTERESTING, LINDSEY
GRAHAM, WAS A GUY THAT LED THE
IMPEACHMENT AGAINST BILL
CLINTON, AND WE REPUBLICANS WERE
SO SHOCKED THAT BILL CLINTON
ANSWERED IN ONE OF HIS QUESTIONS
BEFORE THE GRAND JURY, IT
DEPENDS ON WHAT THE MEANING OF
"IS" IS.
AND OH MY GOD.
OH MY GOD.
THE NATIONAL REVIEW AND "THE
WALL STREET JOURNAL" EDITORIAL
PAGE, WE WERE RUNNING AROUND
TALKING ABOUT THE DESTRUCTION OF
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, IT.
YOU START WITH LANGUAGE AND THE
REST OF CULTURE COLLAPSES AND
SOON DOGS AND CATS ARE SLEEPING
WITH EACH OTHER AND LOCUSTS ARE
DESCENDING FROM THE HEAVENS
EATING THE FLESH OFF OF OUR SKIN
IN D.C.
REALLY, THE ABSOLUTE FREAK OUT
THE REPUBLICANS HAD BECAUSE OF
BILL CLINTON AND HIS LACK OF
CHARACTER AND THE -- HIM SAYING
WHAT THE MEANING OF IS IS.
WE REALLY DID TALK ABOUT WHAT A
HORRIFIC MORAL CRISIS THIS WAS.
AND LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS AT THE
FRONT OF THAT PARADE.
LINDSEY IS NOT DECONSTRUCTING
LANGUAGE THERE.
LINDSEY’S NOT ENGAGING IN MORAL
EQUIVOCATION.
LINDSEY IS JUST LYING. AND HE’S LYING OPENLY AND IT’S
AND HE’S LYING OPENLY AND IT’S
JUST LIKE AN APPLEBALM SAYS IN "
"TWILIGHT OF DEMOCRACY," THEY’RE
NOT EVEN TRYING TO HIDE IT FROM
YOU.
THEY’RE LYING OPENLY.
IT IS STEVE DANES -- BY THE WAY,
STEVE DANES IS DOING THE SAME
THING IN MONTANA --
>> DO VOTERS LIKE THIS?
>> NO, THEY HATE IT MORE THAN
ANYTHING ELSE.
I FOUND, AND CLAIRE WITH TELL
YOU THIS, IF YOU SAY TO THE
PEOPLE, I KNOW YOU’RE NOT GOING
TO AGREE WITH THIS, I KNOW
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO LIKE THIS,
THIS IS WHERE I STAND, IF YOU
DON’T LIKE IT VOTE AGAINST ME.
I DID THAT ALL THE TIME AND THE
CLOSEST ANYBODY GOT TO ME IN A
GENERAL ELECTION RACE WAS 62% TO
38%.
AND I WAS THE FIRST REPUBLICAN
ELECTED IN MY DISTRICT SINCE