AND
AND WELCOME BACK TO SQUARE OFF. WE'RE BACK WITH ROY HERRERA AND PAUL BENCE AND COVID RELIEF IS
RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER COMING
UP THIS WEEK AND COULD TAKE
TAKE UP THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS.
PAUL, DO YOU THINK THERE ARE 10
REPUBLICANS WHO WOULD BE ALL IN
ON A DREAM ACT STARTING WITH
GIVING THE DREAMERS GREEN
CARDS?
I THINK THE DREAM EVERY TIME WE
PULL THAT HAS DONE VERY WELL.
THAT COMBINED WITH BORDER
SECURITY AND SOME OTHER
ELEMENTS OF THE GANG OF EIGHT
PROPOSAL HAVE ALL DONE VERY
WELL IN THE PAST EVEN AMONG
REPUBLICANS.
SO I THINK THERE'S A STARTING
POINT AND BIDEN HAS ALREADY
SOFTENED HIS POSITION SAYING
THAT HE'S WILLING TO TAKE PARTS
OF THIS OR LOOK AT IT IN A
PIECEMEAL FASHION.
WHAT THEY NEED RIGHT NOW ARE
VICTORY INSTEAD OF SWINGING FOR
THE FENCES FINDING SMALL
INCREMENTAL CHANGES TO TO MOVE
DOWN THE ROAD ON IMMIGRATION.
I THINK BIDEN AT HIS WORD THAT
HE'S TRYING TO RESTART THE
CONVERSATION BUT THIS IS SORT
OF A ROUGH WAY TO START IT
AMONG A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE
GOING TO REACT NEGATIVELY.
NOW SENATOR KIRSTEN SINEMA HAS
BEEN CONSISTENT IN SUPPORTING
THE FILIBUSTER DURING HER TWO
YEARS IN THE SENATE.
IF THE FILIBUSTER GOT IN THE
WAY OF SAY PASSING A DREAM ACT.
DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE
ENOUGH FOR HER TO JUST DO A 180
AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, FORGET
ABOUT THE FILIBUSTER RIGHT?
WELL, I MEAN I THINK WE'LL HAVE
TO SEE YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY
SHE'S MADE HER POSITION ON THE
FILIBUSTER CLEAR ALREADY BUT WE
ARE NOT IN A POSITION YET WHERE
THE DEMOCRATS ARE PROPOSING
LEGISLATION THAT IS BEING
BLOCKED BY REPUBLICANS USING
THE FILIBUSTER.
AND SO WE GET TO THE POINT
WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
IMMIGRATION REFORM, DEMOCRACY
REFORM.
YOU OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE I MEAN
OTHER PROPOSALS THAT I THINK
ARE IMPORTANT TO DEMOCRATS INTO
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IF
REPUBLICANS ARE INTRANSIGENT IN
BLOCKING THAT, THEN I THINK
THAT WE SORT OF THINK ABOUT
WHETHER FILIBUSTER REFORM NEEDS
TO OCCUR.
AND PAUL, HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT
TO CINEMA'S IDENTITY AS A
CANDIDATE AS A POLITICIAN HERE
IN ARIZONA TO MAINTAIN THAT
STANCE AND NOT BREAK FROM
STICKING WITH THE FILIBUSTER?
WELL, SHE'S DEFINITELY GOT HER
IDENTITY AS AN ARIZONAN AND NOT
A PELOSI OR SCHUMER DEMOCRAT.
I THINK SHE'LL STICK TO THAT
THINGS LIKE THE DREAM ACT I
THINK WILL BE ABLE TO STAND
MUSTER AND AVOID A FILIBUSTER.
I THINK REALLY WHAT IT COMES
DOWN TO IS ISSUES LIKE THE
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP WILL BE
THE BIGGER HILL TO CLIMB.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT FROM
AN INCREMENTAL WAY, I THINK SHE
WON'T REALLY HAVE TO MAKE THAT
DOWN.
BUT SHE'S REALLY SHOWN THAT
SHE'S GOING TO STAND UP FOR ALL
OF ARIZONA, NOT JUST A NARROW
CONSTITUENCY THAT'S CRITICIZING
HER RIGHT NOW AND I THINK
THAT'S GOOD FOR HER AND GOOD
FOR HER LONG TERM POLITICAL
CAREER.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S END WITH COVID RELIEF.
BOTH SINEMA AND KELLY WERE
KNOCKED ON THE LEFT FOR
SYMBOLIC VOTES AGAINST GIVING
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
STIMULUS CHECKS.
THAT IS ALREADY AGAINST THE
LAW.
WHAT DO THEY EACH WANT TO SEE
IN COVID RELIEF AND WHAT WON'T
THEY ACCEPT?
WELL, HERERA.
WELL, I THINK YOU KNOW,
OBVIOUSLY GETTING RESOURCES AND
FUNDS INTO THE VACCINE VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION IS OBVIOUSLY VERY,
VERY IMPORTANT.
IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO GET
RELIEF TO SMALL BUSINESSES,
RELIEF TO STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS WHO HAVE BEEN
HURTING FOR THE PAST YEAR
DURING THIS EPIDEMIC.
SO GETTING THAT RELIEF INTO
PEOPLE'S HANDS, OF COURSE, YOU
KNOW, POTENTIALLY HELPING
AMERICANS DIRECTLY.
THOSE ARE ALL I THINK KNOW
IMPORTANT PRIORITIES WE NEED TO
GET DONE.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU
LOOK AT POLLING, I MEAN IT'S
EXTREMELY POPULAR THIS THIS
PROPOSAL THAT BIDEN HAS.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S
GOING TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE
SENATE AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE 15
DOLLAR MINIMUM WAGES OF JOE
BIDEN ALREADY PULLING BACK ON
THAT LIST AGAIN, SAME QUESTION
FOR YOU, PAUL BENSE.
WHAT WOULD THEY WANT TO SEE
THAT WOULD BE PALATABLE TO
THEIR VOTERS?
WELL, I THINK THEY ARE DOING A
GREAT JOB OF BRINGING A FORCE
OF REASONABLE AND
ACCOUNTABILITY TO THIS PROCESS
FOR EVERYONE AND AND NOT JUST
LETTING EVERYBODY RUN ROUGHSHOD
AND MAYBE SLOWING THINGS DOWN A
LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WHAT THE
CHALLENGE THAT THEY HAVE
PARTICULAR IN ARIZONA IS VERY
EASY FOR REPUBLICANS TO BUILD
THEMSELVES BACK UP CRITICIZING
THEM AND CRITICIZING THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION FOR OVERREACH ON
THINGS LIKE COVID ON THINGS
LIKE THE BORDER PROPOSAL.
AND SO THEY HAVE TO FIND THAT
WAY TO SORT OF BRING IT BACK
AND MAKE MORE PALATABLE SO THEY
CAN CONTINUE TO APPEAL TO THOSE
INDEPENDENT NON AFFILIATED
CONSTITUENCIES THAT PUT THEM IN
OFFICE AND THEY'VE GOT JOE
BIDEN ELECTED LAST YEAR.
ALL RIGHT.
GREAT