AND THAT IS A CROSS PARTISAN
SENSE OF URGENCY RIGHT NOW.
>> AND PETER BAKER, YOUR ANGEL
IS IS SO FASCINATING AND IF YOU
JUST CONTRAST THE WAY THE FAMILY
HAS YOU KNOW I THINK HEATHER PUT
IT BETTER THAN I’LL BE ABLE TO
DO IT B, BUT THEY’VE SEIZED THE
MOMENT AND TOLD PEOPLE TO VOTE,
TO BE PEACEFUL.
THESE ARE THE WORDS YOU REPORT
DONALD TRUMP HAS USED SINCE THE
MOVEMENT HAS REALLY TAKEN HOLD
OVER THE LAST 15 DAYS.
SHOOTING LOOTERS.
CALLING PEOPLE THUGS,
TERRORISTS, HIS THREAT TO
UNLEASH QUOTE VICIOUS DOGS,
OMINOUS WEAPONS.
DOMINATE THE STREETS AND YOU
WRITE THEY INVOKE WALLACE’S
INFLAMMATORY LANGUAGE.
TAKE US THROUGH WHAT YOU WROTE
TODAY, WHICH IS PROFOUND.
>> WE’VE BEEN TALKING A LOT
ABOUT 1968 BECAUSE THAT WAS THE
MOMENT OF SUCH TUMULT IN THE
STREETS AFTER THE ASSASSINATION
OF KING, KENNEDY.
THERE WERE RIOTS IN WASHINGTON
AND ELSEWHERE.
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR AN
HISTORICAL COMPARISON AND
THINKING ABOUT NIXON’S 1968
CAMPAIGN WHEN HE RAN ON LAW U
AND ORDER.
HE WAS RUNNING IN THE MIDDLE
BETWEEN HUMPHREY ON THE LEFT AND
GEORGE WALLACE ON THE RIGHT.
HE WROTE OFF THE DEEP SOUTH.
AND SO HE WAS BALANCING THE LAW
AND ORDER TOUGH ON CRIME, TOUGH
ON PROTESTORS, MESSAGE, WITH
SUPPORT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, WE
TALK ABOUT UNITY.
HIS SLOGAN WAS BRING US TOGETHER
TOGETHER.
HE MARCHED AT MART LUTHER KING’S
FUNERAL.
HE WAS NOT GOING TO BE GOING TO
THE EXTREME THAT GEORGE WALLACE
DID.
EVEN IF HE WAS TRYING TO COMPETE
FOR SOME OF THE SAME VOTERS WITH
SOME LAW AND ORDER MESSAGING.
AND I THINK THAT’S THE THING WE
FORGET.
GEORGE WALLACE WAS HARD RIGHT.
VERY VIOLENT IN HIS RHETORIC
ABOUT THE PROTESTORS IN THE
STREETS.
HE SAID HE WOULD RUN THEM OVER
WITH HIS CAR IF THEY GOT IN
FRONT OF HIM.
THAT’S MORE AKIN TO WHAT WE’RE
SEEING FROM THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT WHO WANTS THE
VIOLENT LANGUAGE AND HARSH
RHETORIC.
WE JUST SAW HIM DEFEPDING THE
CONFEDERATE GENERALS WHO WERE
THE SOURCE OF NAMES OF AMERICAN
BASES REFUSING TO RENAME THEM
EVEN THOUGH HIS OWN MILITARY
SAID THEY WOULD BE OPEN TO
THINKING ABOUT THAT.
>> PETER, THERE’S A GREAT
ANECDOTE NEAR THE END OF THE
PIECE ABOUT NIXON GOING AND
MEETING WITH PROTESTORS.
AT THE MONUMENTS.
YOU’VE GOT DONALD TRUMP
MILITARIZING THE MONUMENTS AT
THE HOUR OF PROTESTS.
JUST TALK ABOUT THAT.
>> YEAH, NIXON ONCE HE BECOMES
PRESIDENT, HE FINDS HIMSELF MORE
FRUSTRATED BY THE PROTESTORS.
HE AUTHORIZES DOMESTIC SPYING
AGAINST HIS ADVERSARYIES SO HE’S
NOT EXACTLY A SHRINKING VIOLET
HERE.
HE’S CURSING AT ALL TIMES ABOUT
PEOPLE IN THE STREETS, BUT HE
HAS THIS DESIRE TO REACH OUT.
TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND SO IN THE
DAYS AFTER THE KENT STATE
SHOOTINGS, HE BASICALLY DIDN’T
SLEEP ALL NIGHT.
AT 4:30 IN THE MORNING, DIRECTS
THE SECRET SERVICE TO TAKE HIM
TO THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL WHERE HE
MEETS ANTIWAR PROTESTORS AND
TRIED TO CONNECT WITH HIM IN
SOME WAYS.
AWKWARD, ISN’T A NATURAL STATE
OF BEING, BUT HE SAYS TO THEM I
KNOW YOU THINK I’M AN SOB BUT I
CARE ABOUT THIS, TOO.
HE’S TRYING CONNECT WITH THEM IN
A WAY WE DON’T SEE PRESIDENT
TRUMP DOING.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID THAT GEORGE
FLOYD’S CASE IS HORRIFIC AND HE
WAS SHOCKED BY THE VIDEO BUT
MOST OF HIS RHETORIC IS B ABOUT
THUGS IN THE STREETS AND LAW AND
ORDER AND GET CONTROL AND
DOMINATE.
HE HAS DONE LITTLE TO TRY TO
REACH OUT TO THOSE WHO FEEL THE
GREAT PAIN OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED
IN THIS COUNTRY AND TRY TO
ADDRESS THAT IN A WAY THAT WOULD
SEEM SATSISFYING.
>> AND I’M SURE, STEVE, THAT IT
LANDS LIKE BLOWS TO EVERYONE
INVOLVED IN THE DECADES LONG
WORK TO HEAR THAT WE HAVE A
PRESIDENT WHO SOUNDS LIKE GEORGE
WALLACE.
TALK ABOUT REPUBLICANS HAVING
NOTHING TO SAY AND JUST THE TAPE
THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER OF THEM
SORT OF YOU KNOW, STUMBLING PAST
THE MICROPHONES WITH THEIR HANDS
IN THEIR POCKETS.
>> I CALLED THAT WALK THE GJERE
YATIC SHUFFLE.
WATCHING ALL THESE REPUBLICAN
SENATORS SHUFFLE BY WITH THEIR
HANDS IN THEIR POCKETS, NOTHING
TO SAY ABOUT THE
ADMINISTRATION’S ORDERING
VIOLENCE AGAINST PEACEFUL
PROTESTORS.
NOT A WORD TO BE SAID ABOUT
LEGENDARY MARINE CORPS GENERAL
FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
SAYING THAT DONALD TRUMP IS A
DANGER TO THE CONSTITUTION AND
WE SEE DONALD TRUMP’S EMBRACE OF
THE CONFEDERACY YET AGAIN TODAY.
HE’S HOISTING THE CONFEDERATE
FLAG, THE CONFEDERATE BATTLE
FLAG AS HIS CAMPAIGN BANNER IN A
FUNDAMENTAL WAY.
SO WHAT WE SEE WITH TRUMP IS
HE’S REALLY HISTORICALLY, HE’S
THE SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE
CONFEDERACY.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE GEORGE
WALLACE PRESIDENCY WOULD HAVE
LOOKED LIKE.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF
INCITEMENT AND DIVISION.
ONE OF THE GREAT TRAGEDIES FOR
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WHICH IS
FOUNDED IN 1854, IT WAS F THE
PARTY OF THE NORTH AND THE WEST
THAT HAS NOW BECOME SO DEEPLY
ROOTED IN THE OLD CONFEDERACY IN
THE SOUTH WHERE THE SCANDALS OF
THE FALLEN SOUTH HAVE NOW BECOME
THE SYMBOLS OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY.
THAT’S HISTORICALLY TRAGIC AND
SO I THINK WHEN YOU SEE DONALD
TRUMP’S DIVISIONS AND
INCITEMENTS, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
ARE REJECTING IT, THEY’RE
REJECTING IT ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY AND LOOK DEMOGRAPHICALLY
AT HOW THE COUNTRY’S CHANGING, IT’S JUST A DEATH NAIL FOR THE
IT’S JUST A DEATH NAIL FOR THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY AS THEY
ALIENATE EVERYBODY EXCEPT WHITE
MALES OVER THE AGE OF 70, WHICH
ARE THE HARD CORE, STEADFAST
PART OF TRUMP’S BASE AS IT
CONTINUES TO SHRINK UNDER
PRESSURE FROM HIS INCOMPETENT
PERFORMANCE IN THE COUNTRY AND
PEOPLE ARE SAYING WE CAN’T DO
THIS FOUR MORE YEARS.
>> HEATHER, I WANT YOUR THOUGHTS
ON THE POLITICS AND LET ME JUST
ADD IN THE POLL NUMBERS WHAT
REFLECT WHAT PETER AND STEVE
HAVE TUIASOSOPOOUCHED ON.
IT’S ALMOST DEALT TRUMP AND HIS
REPUBLICAN PARTY OUT OF THE
CONVERSATION THAT 80% OF
AMERICANS WANT TO HAVE.
IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, AMERICAN
VOTERS SUPPORT FOR THE BLACK
LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT INCREASED
ALMOST AS IT HAD IN THE
PROCEEDING TWO YEARS BY A
28-POINT MARGIN.
RESEARCH FIRM CIVICS FINDS THAT
A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT
THE MOVEMENT UP FROM 17-POINT
MARGIN BEFORE THE MOST RECENT
WAVE OF PROTESTS.
IF YOU GO BACK TO 2015, WHICH
WAS IN THE WAKE OF SOME WHOHORRI
HORRIFIC, TRAGIC DEATHS OF
UNARMED BLACK MEN, THE JUMP IS
EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT.
UPWARDS OF 25%, HEATHER.
>> THIS IS A WATERSHED MOMENT IN
AMERICAN RACIAL HISTORY AND I
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FOR ALL
THE SORT OF DAILY NEWS, WE STEP
BACK AND RECOGNIZE THAT.
WE DON’T GET OPPORTUNITIES LIKE
THIS.
SO OFTEN BECAUSE AMERICA HAS NOT
DEALT WITH THE ORIGINAL SIN OF
HOW WE WERE CREATED BY THE
STOLEN LABOR OF AFRICANS AND THE
STOLEN LAND OF INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES.
WE HAVEN’T HAD A TRUTH AND
RECONCILIATION PROCESS.
WE’VE HAD MOST OF OUR HISTORY,
WE HAVE TRIED TO MINIMIZE IT TO
JUSTIFY IT, TO CREATE A WHOLLY
DIFFERENT NARRATIVE THROUGH LOST
KAHL CAUSE NARRATIVES.
WE HAVE A MINORITY OF COOL
CHILDREN UNDERSTANDING WHY WE
EVEN FOUGHT THE CIVIL WAR.
WE HAVE NOT DEALT WITH THIS.
ON MONDAY OF LAST WEEK,
REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA LEE AND A
MULTIRACIAL BUT ALL DEMOCRATIC
GROUP OF CONGRESS PEOPLE
INTRODUCED A TRUTH RACIAL
HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION
RESOLUTION SAYING THAT THIS
COUNTRY NEEDS TO HAVE A
COMMISSION LIKE THAT THAT HELPS
US GET ON THE SAME PAGE SO WE
CAN FINALLY BEGIN TO TURN IT.
NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY?
I THINK THIS PANDEMIC OF RACIAL
VIOLENCE AND RACISM WITHIN A
PANDEMIC THAT IS SO DRIVEN BY
FORCES OF RACISM AND THE GUTTING
OF OUR PUBLIC ABILITY TO COME
TOGETHER AND RESPOND TO THE
BASIC HUMAN NEEDS, HAS SHOWN
THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY JUST
CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO GOVERN THIS
COUNTRY.
CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO LOOK OUT
FOR, TO CARE FOR, TO SHOW BASIC
HUMAN DECENCY TOWARDS MOST
AMERICANS.
AND THAT’S WHY YOU SEE THOSE