you for your time.
Dr. Jawa: Thank you.
Geoff: As the 2024 presidential
race heats up, several
Republican hopefuls are headed
to Indianapolis and Nashville
for the NRA's annual convention
and the Republican national
committee donor retreat this
weekend.
We turn now to the analysis of
brooks and Capehart.
That's "New York Times"
columnist David brooks and
Jonathan Capehart, associate
editor for "The Washington
post."
Let's start by talking about
guns and abortion, two issues
where Republicans have achieved
their policy goals but are
potentially threatening the
party long-term viability.
Governor Ron Desantis last night
quietly signed a six week
abortion ban into law.
The only evidence we have is the
photo he tweeted out, very
different from when he made a
big event of signing a 15 year
ban -- a 15 week ban into
law.
What might that suggest about
the politics of the moment?
David: Apparently only women
live in Florida.
Abortion was obviously a big
issue for the Democrats in the
midterms, and a lot of Democrats
think abortion will be a big
issue in 2024, and it could be,
but let me make a case for
against that.
First of all, only 68% -- 68% of
Americans basically agree with
Democrats on the issue, so it is
a minority position the
Republicans have embraced, but
when you ask people they really
care about, abortion is way down
there, about 5% who care about
it.
When you look at what they
really care about, the economy
and protecting democracy are
really big, so it may not be as
salient of an issue as it has
been.
Secondly, Brian Kemp of Georgia
also signed an aggressive
abortion measure.
Did not seem to hurt him at all
in his race against Stacey
Abrams.
Finally, I think it is likely
that Donald Trump will be on the
ballot in 2024, so Donald Trump
will be an issue in 2020 four.
That is a case why it may not be
as powerful as it was last time.
Geoff: A six week ban could
spell trouble for Desantis
trying to get independent and
suburban voters on his side.
Jonathan: Absolutely.
I am going to take issue with
what David said.
I disagree that abortion is an
issue that is not top of mind.
Maybe if you asked specifically
about abortion, but when you
wrap it into the overall threats
to liberty, attack on liberty,
voting rights, abortion rights,
and other things happening in
school libraries, people look at
that and look at what is
happening in Florida, looking at
what happened with the Texas
decision, and see, whoa, this is
not what we want.
This is a big issue for
Democrats, but what we saw in
Kansas over the summer, but we
saw in Wisconsin a couple weeks
ago is that this is clearly
becoming an issue where women
who are Democrats, independents,
and Republicans, and
particularly the Republicans
might not say whole lot, but
they make their voices heard at
the ballot box.
We have seen that in two places
and I think we will continue to
see that, which is why governor
Desantis hiding under the cover
of darkness signed in a six week
abortion ban.
That might play well in the only
place where the red wave hit
last November, but it is not
going to play well if he is a
candidate for president or any
Republican running in 2024.
>> To Jonathan's point, there
were Republicans who derisively
referred to Florida as a
sanctuary state in the south,
because it had a less
restrictive abortion policy
until now.
There are people who say
Desantis took this step of
signing a six week ban to make
the point that he is a reliable
antiabortion voice.
>> You've got to be there in the
Republican party.
Six weeks is where you've got to
be.
I did there is going to be
complete unanimity.
To preserve the wreckage of my
case for why it will not matter
--
[laughter]
David: I would say a couple of
things.
It was not only Brian Kemp you
did fine.
Desantis was pretty clear of
where he stood on abortion and
did fine.
Greg Abbott in Texas did fine.
When voters can say, I want my
voice heard on abortion, like in
Kansas or Wisconsin, then they
are going to make their voices
heard, but a presidential race
is the sum total of where this
country is going, and they tend
to be highly polarized.
So, we'll independent voters be
moved on this issue?
Maybe.
It is the future.
It will wait to be heard.
Geoff: Let's shift our focus to
the debate around gun safety,
because some of the Republican
candidates are addressing the
NRA's convention in
Indianapolis.
We have a picture of the folks
who are planning to address the
convention.
You can see Mike Pompeo there.
He told foxnews tonight he is
actually not going to seek
the presidency, so you can mark
a X by his name.
David: I will never smile again.
Geoff: But in terms of the
and ra, you still see Republican
after Republican flocking to
that convention even as
Nashville and Louisville are
mourning the massacres in their
cities.
David: I think what has happened
with the gun issue is there has
been an evolution in the
Republican world about it.
It was, why do we want to have
guns?
We want to protect ourselves.
That is a position you can argue
with, but it is a position.
Then it became a cultural sign,
you support guns because you do
not like these are the latests
-- you do not like the
northeastern elitists telling us
what to do.
But it has migrated into a form
of idolatry.
If you are a Republican
congressman sending a Christmas
card, you are going to gather
the family around the tree with
your assault rifles.
It is just what you do.
That is the maga-ization of the
Republican party.
It has become aggressive "Own
the libs."
It has morphed into an
unreasonable version of what is,
in my view, pretty unreasonable.
Geoff: On the left, gun safety
has not been as potent of an
issue as abortion access or
public perceptions of Donald
Trump and his influence.
Might that change?
Jonathan: I take issue with
that.
And safety has been a big issue.
It's just that now we are living
through a time where we have
children living through their
second mass shooting event at
school.
Geoff: Well, in the sense that
voters do not always a site gun
safety as their top issue.
Jonathan: That may be, but let's
see what people say come 2024
when we get into the
presidential election and go
through yet another period of
mass shootings.
The donor conferences in
Nashville, were six people were
killed, three of them children,
and Republican legislature, what
did they do?
They kicked out two Democrats
who were advocating on behalf of
people who were mowed down in a
mass shooting.
I think this aspect of owning
the libs, they don't realize
that their own constituents are
dying.
Their own constituents want
something done about this.
The fact that they don't feel
any compunction to do anything
about it because of the NRA,
even though it is a shell of its
former self, says a lot about
the NRA, but says a lot more
about the Republican party.
David: I could play the moralist
and when I think about guns, but
we probably don't disagree much
about that.
Just as a coldhearted political
pundit, a, it is low down when
U.S. People what they are going
to vote on.
Two, it used to be a powerful
issue for Democrats when they
were running against Republicans
and affluent suburbs, northern
Virginia, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, when that,
Illinois -- winnetka, Illinois,
those places have already turned
Democrats.
Those are former Republican
places that have shifted.
Finally, where is the election
probably going to be fought out?
The Democrats put their
convention in Chicago for a
reason.
It is the upper midwest.
Will the gun issue help win
voters in rural Michigan,
Wisconsin, those upper midwest
states?
Maybe.
I am not saying whether it is
right or wrong.
I am just trying to assess
whether it will be a powerful
issue.
Geoff: As we wrap up, Dianne
Feinstein says she plans on
serving out her term despite
growing calls for her to resign.
She is 89 years old.
She has not cast a vote since
February 16.
She has missed nearly all of the
senate's 82 votes so far this
session.
What do you think of the
democratic pressure on her?
To include a tweet from
congressman Rowe, that said we
need to call for her to step
down.
Jonathan: Very aggressive move
by the congressman, but he got
an assist from Amy klobuchar of
benesova, who said, let me give
her some time.
But there is an issue on the
city judiciary committee, which
I think Lisa Desjardins pointed
out well, that the whole goal of
the senate majority is to get
some judges through, get the
presidential nominations through
, and you cannot do that if you
do not have a functioning
democratic majority on the
judiciary committee.
I think what we are going to see
over the coming weeks,
especially with the senate
coming back into session, maybe
a growing call.
Something needs to be done.
If there were a 60 seat
democratic majority, no one
would care.
The senate would function, but
it cannot function when it does
not have a key vote on a key
committee.
Geoff: What is your take on this
perceived pressure campaign?
There is an active campaign to
replace her in California.
>> One might have ulterior
motives.
I don't think ro Khanna does.
He said he's not running.
That I have an extremely high
regard for ro Khanna, so when he
said that, I thought, oh.
This is a question we can solve.
If she has a press conference
and can answer questions, issue
over.
Have I seen senators who were
incapable of that and were still
serving?
Yes.
Geoff: Is there a double
standard?
What do you think?
David: I have been around
members of the senate who were
not up to their job, let's put
it that way.
Jonathan: Yes, it is a double
standard generally, but I do
think because of the issue with
the judiciary committee, and
let's also keep in mind that
does not so much the age that is
the issue, because folks keep
talking about Bernie Sanders
running for president, and he
is, if not in his 80's, almost.
But it is about her health.
And her health, she is
recovering from shingles now,
but before then there were
questions about mental acuity,
her mental fitness.
I think that is also feeding
this.
This is not coming from out of
nowhere.
Geoff: Thanks to you both.
Have a great weekend.
>> Tanks.
>> You too.