ESPECIALLY WITH JOE BIDEN OPENING UP A FAIRLY LARGE LEAD.
JOINING ME NOW IS ONE OF THE
MOST RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE
DEMOCRATIC FIELD WITH THE MOST
UNIQUE BACKGROUND IN THAT HE WAS
ELECTED IN A PLACE WHERE DONALD
TRUMP WON BY 20 POINTS.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
>> IT’S GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
>> LET ME ASK IT THIS WAY.
YOU LOOK AT THE FIELD WHEN YOU
ANNOUNCED.
ANNOUNCED. JOE BIDEN WAS ALREADY AHEAD.
IT LOOKS LIKE HE’S -- HE’S --
THERE IS A PORTION OF THE
ELECTORATE THAT SAYS JUST FIND
THE MOST WELL-KNOWN DEMOCRAT
THAT CAN WIN AND GET ON WITH IT.
YOU LOOKED AROUND, WHY DID YOU
DECIDE, YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS
FIELD NEEDS ME?
>> WHY DID I HAVE TO BECOME THE
22nd CANDIDATE?
22nd CANDIDATE? FIRST OF ALL I DIDN’T GET IN
EARLIER BECAUSE I HAD A JOB TO
DO.
DO. I SIGNED MY LAST BILL JUST THIS
PAST MONDAY AND I HAD TO GET
MEDICAID EXPANSION REAUTHORIZED,
WE GOT A LOT OF GOOD THINGS
DONE.
DONE. BUT I GOT INTO THIS FIELD
BECAUSE I THINK WE’RE AT A
DANGEROUS POINT IN OUR 243-YEAR
EXPERIMENT CALLED DEMOCRACY AND
I HAVE SOME THINGS TO ADD TO NOT
ONLY MAKE SURE WE WIN THIS NEXT
ELECTION, BUT BRIDGE SOME OF THE
DIVIDES TO MAKE SURE THE
GOVERNMENT GETS WORKING AGAIN
FOR US.
FOR US. >> LET’S TALK ABOUT THE TRUMP
VOTER IN MONTANA.
IN 2016 YOU HAD A GUN STANCE
THAT I GET WHY THE TRUMP VOTER
WAS COMFORTABLE VOTING FOR YOU
AND VOTING FOR DONALD TRUMP.
YOU’VE CHANGED YOUR GUN STANCE A
BIT.
BIT. YOU NOW BELIEVE IN A NATIONAL
BACKGROUND CHECKS THAT YOU
WEREN’T CALLING FOR IN ’16.
DO YOU STILL THINK YOU’RE ABLE
TO -- ONE OF THE WAYS THAT FOLKS
LIKE YOU CAN WIN IN RED STATES
LIKE MONTANA IS YOU TAKE THE
CULTURE ISSUES OFF THE TABLE,
RIGHT, IF YOU CAN GET CULTURE
OFF THE TABLE, YOU CAN HAVE AN
ECONOMIC CONVERSATION WITH THE
TRUMP VOTER.
TRUMP VOTER. BUT I’M CURIOUS, ARE YOU MOVING
TOO FAR TO THE LEFT ON GUNS AND
SOME OTHER ISSUES AND COAL IN
ORDER TO STILL WIN THE TRUMP
VOTER?
VOTER? >> YEAH, CHUCK.
EVEN IN THAT 2016 RACE, LOOK,
I’VE BEENSIGN GUN-RELATED BILLS
VETOED SOME OF THEM.
ULTIMATELY I THINK WE NEED TO
START LOOKING AT THIS AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE NOT JUST A
POLITICAL ISSUE.
POLITICAL ISSUE. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP AS A KID,
THE NRA WAS A GUN SAFETY AND
HUNTING ORGANIZATION.
HUNTING ORGANIZATION. NOW IT’S NOTHING MORE THAN A
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION.
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION. IF WE WERE LOOKING AT THIS AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, GUN OWNERS
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT GUNS
DON’T END UP IN UNLAWFUL HANDS
OR USED WRONG.
EVEN THEY SUPPORT UNIVERSAL
BACKGROUND CHECKS.
BACKGROUND CHECKS. I THINK THAT THERE IS A LOT MORE
THAT CAN BE DONE ALONG THE WAY,
AND OVER A FOURTH OF THE TIME
THAT I’VE BEEN ASKED TO LOWER
FLAGS BOTH UNDER THIS
ADMINISTRATION AND THE PREVIOUS,
IT HAD TO DO WITH MASS
SHOOTINGS.
SHOOTINGS. PEOPLE WANT CHANGE AND WE CAN
MAKE CHANGE IN A WAY THAT STILL
BRIDGES MANY OF THE DIVIDES.
>> IS THERE A -- I WANT TO GO TO
ABORTION HERE A MINUTE.
AS YOU KNOW IT’S OBVIOUSLY GOING
TO END UP MORE FRONT AND CENTER,
THE SUPREME COURT GIVEN THE AGE
OF SOME OF THE JUSTICES, IS
GOING TO BE A BIG PART OF THIS.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN A LITMUS TEST
FOR JUDGES?
FOR JUDGES? DO YOU HAVE ONE IN MONTANA WHEN
YOU APPOINT JUDGES AND WOULD YOU
HAVE ONE ON ROE V. WADE.
TIM RYAN CAME ON AND SAID, YES,
HE’S GOING TO HAVE A LITMUS TEST
ON ROE V. WADE IF HE’S
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> YOU KNOW, I HAVE NEVER ONCE
WAIVERED IN A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO
MAKE HER OWN HEALTH CARE
DECISIONS IN MONTANA.
I THINK THAT SHOULD BE MADE BY
THE WOMAN IN CONSULTATION WITH
HER DOCTOR AND HER FAMILY AND
HER FAITH.
HER FAITH. AS A LAWYER, I HAVE WANTED -- I
ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE SURE
THAT THE JUDGE IS CONSISTENT
WITH THE VALUES THAT I HOLD.
I DO THE SAME ON THE SUPREME
COURT.
COURT. FUNDAMENTALLY, I WANT A JUDGE
THAT’S GOING TO BE CONSISTENT
WITH MY VALUES ON THAT, ON
CAMPAIGN FINANCE, IN OTHER WAYS.
BY AND LARGE, WE KNOW IF YOU’RE
ASKING A CANDIDATE HOW YOU WOULD
RULE, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO TELL
YOU.
YOU. >> SURE.
>> SURE. THAT I GET.
>> IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO ME
TO BE -- SURE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU THIS: WHAT
LIMITS WOULD YOU PUT ON
ABORTION?
ABORTION? >> THESE ARE DECISIONS THAT
SHOULD NOT BE MADE BY
LEGISLATURES.
LEGISLATURES. 1973, ROE V. WADE IS STILL THE
LAW OF THE LAND.
WE SHOULD BE PROMOTING.
>> THERE ARE LIMITS ON ABORTION
IN MANY STATES AS IT IS.
DO YOU BELIEVE THERE -- DO YOU
BELIEVE -- IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU
BELIEVE IF THERE ARE LIMITS IT
SHOULD BE THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY
THAT DEFINES THE LIMITS.
BUT I GUESS HOW DO YOU GET TO
THERE?
THERE? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?
>> YEAH, AND IT SHOULD AND WHAT
IT LOOKS LIKE IN MONTANA IS THAT
WE FOLLOW ROE V. WADE AND WE’VE
STOPPED EVERY ATTEMPT TO SAY,
ALL RIGHT, SONOGRAMS, I THINK I
VETOED THREE DIFFERENT BILLS
THIS TIME.
THIS TIME. THERE’S A LOT OF DISCUSSION
GOING ON ABOUT PUTTING FURTHER
RESTRICTIONS, MAKING IT HARDER.
WE’VE SAID THAT’S NOT THE
DECISION FOR A LEGISLATIVE BODY
TO MAKE.
TO MAKE. AND EVEN TODAY, WE’VE GONE 45
YEARS WITH ROE V. WADE.
WHAT ALABAMA DID IS AN ATTACK
NOT ONLY ON ALABAMA, BUT OUR
ENTIRE COUNTRY.
ENTIRE COUNTRY. AND WE SHOULD BE BOTTOM
CODIFYING THE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND I HAVEN’T ALLOWED THOSE
RESTRICTIONS.
RESTRICTIONS. >> I KNOW I’M RUNNING SHORT ON
TIME AND YOU’VE GOT TO GET BACK
ON THE TRAIL.
YOU’VE BEEN ASKED THE SENATE
QUESTION A MILLION TIMES AND I
GET IT, MOST GOVERNORS I’VE
TALKED TO ARE MET -- IF THEY
TALK TO A FORMER GOVERNOR,
THEY’RE LIKE, YOU’RE MISERABLE.
I GET THE PERSONAL ISSUE THERE.
BUT, LOOK, IF YOU CAN’T WIN THIS
DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION, YOU CARE
ABOUT CITIZENS UNITED, YOU CARE
ABOUT ROE V. WADE, YOU CARE
ABOUT FEDERAL JUDGES, DEMOCRATS
ARE GOING TO COME TO YOU AND SAY
IF YOU CARE ABOUT THOSE ISSUES,
THE UNITED STATES SENATE AND A
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT AND A
DEMOCRATIC SENATE IS HOW YOU
DEAL WITH THOSE ISSUES.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A PITCH
LIKE THAT?
LIKE THAT? >> YEAH, CHUCK.
TO HAVE A DEMOCRATIC SENATE IS
SO ESSENTIAL.
SO ESSENTIAL. AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE A NUMBER OF GOOD
CANDIDATES IN MONTANA AND I’M
GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE BACK THAT
SEAT FROM SENATOR DANES IN 2020.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE HAVE
GOOD CANDIDATES AND WE WILL AND
WE’RE GOING TO DO IT.
FOR ME, RUNNING FOR THE SENATE,
WAS NEVER IN THE CARDS.
THIS IS ISN’T AN EITHER/OR
THING.
THING. THAT DECISION WAS MADE LONG
BEFORE I DECIDED TO GET INTO
THIS RACE.
THIS RACE. >> GOVERNOR STEVE BULLOCK, I’M
TIGHT ON TIME, BUT I LOOK
FORWARD TALKING TO YOU MORE AS
WE GET TO KNOW YOU THROUGHOUT