UNACCOMPANIED MINORS.
"ALL IN" STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>>> GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK,
I’M CHRIS HAYES.
THERE’S A LOT GOING ON IN THE
NEWS, A LOT GOING ON IN THE
COUNTRY.
MANY CHALLENGES WE FACE, AND
AMONGST ALL THAT, THE ONLY THING
THAT REALLY YEUNITES THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY RIGHT NOW IS
NOT ANY KIND OF PARTICULAR
POLICY.
THE DEFINING PROJECT OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY RIGHT NOW IS
JUST HOLDING ON TO POWER, EVEN
AT THE EXPENSE OF DEMOCRACY.
I MEAN, WE ALL SAW, RIGHT, THE
UGLIEST MANIFESTATION OF THIS ON
JANUARY 6th WHEN A TRUMP MOB
TRIED TO STOP THE CERTIFICATION
OF A DEMOCRATIC ELECTION.
BUT OF COURSE IT DIDN’T STOP
THERE.
AS WE’VE BEEN FOLLOWING ON THIS
SHOW, PEOPLE LIKE MO BROOKS IN
ALABAMA, JOSH MANDELL IN OHIO,
AND JOE DEE HIGHS IN GEORGIA ARE
RUNNING CAMPAIGNS FOR OFFICE
FUNDAMENTALLY GROUNDED IN THE
IDEA THAT THE LAST ELECTION
SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVERTURNED
BECAUSE, WELL, THEY WON’T QUITE
SAY IT THIS WAY BUT BECAUSE THEY
DIDN’T LIKE THE RESULT.
AND REPUBLICANS ARE, OF COURSE,
NOW USING THEIR POWER AND STATE
LEGISLATURES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
TO PUSH RESTRICTIONS IN DOZENS
OF STATES DESIGNED TO MAKE IT
HARDER FOR MANY AMERICANS TO
VOTE.
THERE’S NOT REALLY I GOT TO SAY
MUCH OF A SUBSTANTIVE AGENDA
HERE, SOME STUFF ABOUT
IMMIGRATION, THEY DON’T LIKE
CANCEL CULTURE, ET CETERA.
THE BIG THING, THE BIG CENTRAL
FOCUS IS LITERALLY DO WHATEVER
IT TAKES TO TAKE POWER.
WHETHER THAT MEANS LYING OR FEAR
MONGERING OR UNDERMINING
DEMOCRACY.
THIS WAS CLEAR EVEN BEFORE THE
LAST FEW MONTHS, RIGHT.
BACK IN JANUARY, REMEMBER, WE
HAD THAT RUNOFF IN GEORGIA, THE
DAY BEFORE JANUARY 6th.
WHILE THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
ON THE GROUND IN GEORGIA WERE
OFFERING THIS SUBSTANTIVE AGENDA
TO VOTERS.
WE’RE GOING TO PROTECT HEALTH
CARE AMIDST THIS PANDEMIC
INCLUDING COVID RELIEF.
WE’RE GOING TO SEND OUT SURVIVAL
CHECKS.
REPUBLICANS ARE MAKING AN
ARGUMENT NOT BASED ON POLICY BUT
PUSHING THE BIG LIE AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY OFFERING A MESSAGE
THAT BOILED DOWN TO KEEP THEM
OUT OF POWER, FEAR THE
DEMOCRATS.
KEEP THEM OUT OF POWER.
KEEP US IN POWER OR ELSE.
THAT WAS THE ARGUMENT DOWN THE
STRETCH.
SO NOW WE HAVE A 50/50 SENATE
WITH DEMOCRATIC CONTROL.
DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF THE HOUSE,
THE PRESIDENCY, THE VERY, VERY
RARE TRIFECTA IN A POLARIZED
NATION, AND THAT HAS ALL COME
DESPITE THE STRUCTURAL
CONDITIONS OF THE COUNTRY AND
THE POLARIZATION OF THE TWO
COLLISIONS THAT MEAN DEMOCRATS
HAVE TO WIN BY LARGER AND LARGER
MARGINS.
HOUSE SEATS ARE GERRYMANDERED
LARGELY TO GIVE REPUBLICANS AN
ADVANTAGE.
THE SENATE IS MASSIVELY BIASED
AND GETTING MORE SO TO GIVE
OUTSIZED POWER TO RURAL
REPUBLICAN VOTERS.
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS
STRUCTURED SUCH THAT EVEN THOUGH
PRESIDENT BIDEN WON THE POPULAR
VOTE BY MORE THAN 7 MILLION
VOTES, NOT A CLOSE ELECTION,
BEAT THE GUY BY A LOT, JUST
44,000 VOTES IN GEORGIA,
ARIZONA, AND WISCONSIN SEPARATED
BIDEN AND TRUMP FROM A TIE IN
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
OVER THE LAST 20-PLUS YEARS, 28
YEARS, REPUBLICANS ARE
CONSISTENTLY LOSING A MAJORITY
OF AMERICANS IN BIG NATIONAL
ELECTIONS.
THEY’RE INCREASINGLY FOCUSED ON
ENTRENCHING MINORITY RULE, AND
THE PLACE WHERE ALL OF THIS
COMES TOGETHER, RIGHT, THE
THROUGH LINES THAT COURSE
THROUGH OUR DEMOCRACY AND OUR
DEMOCRATIC LIFE IS IN THE USE OF
MINORITY RULE IN THE UNITED
STATES SENATE VIA THE
FILIBUSTER, WHICH OF COURSE
MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PASS
ALMOST ALL LEGISLATION WITHOUT
60 VOTES.
NOW, MANY DEMOCRATS NOW SAY THAT
NEEDS TO CHANGE, AND AS A RESULT
REPUBLICANS ARE QUITE PALPABLY
FREAKING OUT.
"AXIOS" REPORTS THAT PRESIDENT
BIDEN RECENTLY MET WITH
HISTORIANS TO DISCUSS GETTING
RID OF THE FILIBUSTER, AND IS,
QUOTE, FULLY PREPARED TO SUPPORT
THE DASHING OF THE SENATE’S
FILIBUSTER RULE TO ALLOW
DEMOCRATS TO PASS VOTING RIGHTS
AND OTHER LEGISLATION FOR THE
PARTY.
IS THAT THE REPUBLICANS, YOU CAN
SORT OF SEE THE FEAR IN THEIR
EYES.
THEY SEE THE WRITING ON THE
WALL.
YOU GOT DEMOCRAT AFTER DEMOCRAT
COMING OUT INCLUDING
INSTITUTIONALISTS LIKE AMY
KLOBUCHAR.
SENATOR ANGUS KING OF MAINE
WRITING IN "THE WASHINGTON POST"
JUST TODAY, IF FORCED TO CHOOSE
BETWEEN A SENATE RULE AND
DEMOCRACY ITSELF, I KNOW WHERE I
WILL COME DOWN.
SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CHUCK
SCHUMER IS PUSHING HARD FOR THE
PASSAGE OF HR-1, THAT KPRENSIVE
VOTING RIGHTS BILL THAT WOULD
LIKELY REQUIRE WEAKENING OR
GETTING RID OF THE FILIBUSTER.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MY
REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES WHY ARE
YOU SO AFRAID OF DEMOCRACY?
WHY INSTEAD OF TRYING TO WIN
VOTERS OVER THAT YOU LOST IN THE
LAST ELECTION ARE YOU TRYING TO
PREVENT THEM FROM VOTING?
>> NOW, IN RESPONSE, THE
PROSPECT OF LOSING THE
FILIBUSTER, MITCH McCONNELL HAS
BEEN THREATENING TO GO BONKERS,
RIGHT?
TO LAY WASTE TO THE SENATES,
MAKING IT SO THAT NOTHING CAN BE
PASSED.
EVERYTHING WOULD GRIND TO A
HALT.
IT WOULD BE A NONFUNCTIONAL
BODY, AND ONE OF THE THINGS HE’S
TRYING TO COUNTER IS THE NOTION
THE FILIBUSTER HAS FUNDAMENTALLY
BEEN USED AS AN INSTITUTION TO
PRESERVE WHITE SUPREMACY IN
AMERICA.
BARACK OBAMA MADE THIS ARGUMENT
LAST YEAR AT THE FUNERAL FOR
CIVIL RIGHTS ICON JOHN LEWIS
WHEN HE CALLED FOR EQUAL
REPRESENTATION OF ALL AMERICANS.
>> AND IF ALL THIS TAKES
ELIMINATING THE FILIBUSTER,
ANOTHER JIM CROW RELIC IN ORDER
TO SECURE THE GOD GIVEN RIGHTS
OF EVERY AMERICAN, THEN THAT’S
WHAT WE SHOULD DO.
>> ANOTHER JIM CROW RELIC.
NOT MINCING WORDS THERE.
SO THEN YESTERDAY WHEN MITCH
McCONNELL WAS ASKED ABOUT THE
HISTORICAL USE OF THE FILIBUSTER
TO SUPPRESS BLACK VOTES, HE SAID
THIS.
>> IT HAS NO RACIAL HISTORY AT
ALL, NONE, SO THERE’S NO DISPUTE
AMONG HISTORIANS ABOUT THAT.
>> NEWSCAST A BALD FACED LIE AS
BALD FACED AS ANYTHING DONALD
TRUMP HAS SAID.
THE MINORITY LEADER WAS
REFERRING TO THE ORIGINS OF THE
FILIBUSTER WHEN HE MADE THAT
COMMENT AS OPPOSED TO THE ACTUAL
USE.
THE ORIGINS OF FILIBUSTER ARE
KIND OF RANDOM, ALMOST
ACCIDENTAL.
THEY INVOLVE AARON BUR, THE GUY
WHO SHOT HAMILTON, THE ACTUAL
USE OF THE FILIBUSTER AS IT’S
DEVELOPED HAS BEEN ALMOST MORE
THAN ANYTHING A TOOL OF THE
WHITE SUPREMACIST SOUTH AND A
CUDGEL TO BLOCK CIVIL RIGHTS
STARTING WITH ONE OF THE GREAT
VILLAINS OF AMERICAN HISTORY,
JOHN C. CALHOUN WHO FIRST
REALIZED IT COULD BE USED TO
PRESERVE THE POWER OF THE SLAVE
STATES.
1922 THE FILIBUSTER WAS USED TO
KILL AN ANTI-LYNCHING BILL THAT
WOULD COMBAT THE CUE KU KLUX KLA
STROM THURMOND FILL BUSTERED FOR
24 HOURS STRAIGHT TO IN 1967 AND
A 60-DAY FILIBUSTER ALMOST
KILLED THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL OF
1964.
ACTUAL HISTORIANS, PEOPLE WHO DO
STUDY THIS SAY THE FILIBUSTER
HAS BEEN USED TO DENY BLACK
RIGHTS FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY,
NOT EXCLUSIVELY.
IT’S BEEN USED FOR OTHER STUFF,
BUT THAT HAS BEEN A CENTRAL
THEME HERE, AND NOW REPUBLICANS
ARE WILLING TO USE TO TO BLOCK A
BILL THAT WOULD PREVENT THE GOP
FROM SUPPRESSING VOTES,
SPECIFICALLY AFRICAN AMERICAN
VOTES AND WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT
OF MAKING OUR ELECTIONS MORE
FAIR.
BY THE WAY, FOR EVERYONE, LIKE,
YOU KNOW, ELECTION DAY IS A
NATIONAL HOLIDAY WOULD BE GOOD