>>> DID THEY CHANGE YOUR MIND?
>> WHAT WE HAD WAS A GREAT,
RESPECTFUL, VERY FORM TIFF,
IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION.
ITS THE START OF A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP.
IT REALLY WAS.
>> SEEMING TO NOT BACK DOWN
MOMENTS AFTER HIS MEETING WITH
LEADERS OF NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS
GROUPS.
ABOUT 48 HOURS AFTER HE SAID HE
WILL NOT SUPPORT FEDERAL
LEGISLATION TO REVERSE THE BILLS
IMPACTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR,
BUT THE LEADER STILL CALLED THE
MEETING VERY CONSTRUCTIVE.
THEY PRESSED HIM ON THE NEED FOR
THE SWEEPING LEGISLATION THAT
MANCHIN HAS ALL BUT TANKED, AS
WELL AS THE JOHN LEWIS VOTING
ROOTS, WHICH HES SAID HE WILL
REPORT, BUT EVEN THAT BILL FACES
A, LISA MURKOWSKI IS CURRENTLY BACKING IT.
BACKING IT.
REVEREND AL SHARPTON, PLUS ERIN
HAINES IS HERE.
REV, YOU HAVE SAID ON THE SHOW
THE WAY THE FILIBUSTER HAN USED
TO, I GUESS, HELP RACIST
POLICIES STAY IN PLACE.
YOU TALKED ABOUT MAKING THOSE
POINTS TO MANAGEMENT, REMINDING
THEM OF THE HISTORY.
ONE DID THAT COME UP?
TWO, DID HE SEEM TO BE AWARE OF
IT?
THREE, DID HE --
>> HE DID NOT SAY HE WAS GOING
TO CHANGE HIS POSITION.
A PART OF WHAT WE RAISED TO HIM
IS THAT WE HAD THREE BILLS IN
MIND.
MIND YOU, WE HAD ARRANGED THIS
MEETING FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS
GROUPS TO MEET BEFORE HE READ
THE OP-ED, BUT HE DID NOT
CANCEL, AND WE DID NOT CANCEL.
THE THREE THINGS WE WANTED TO
TALK ABOUT WAS SENATE BILL 1,
CERTAINLY ON VOTING RIGHTS, THE
JOHN LEWIS BILL AND THE GEORGE
FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT.
WHAT HE DID SAY IS THAT HE WAS
OPEN TO WHAT COMES DOWN ON THE
GEORGE FLOYD BILL.
HE BELIEVES THAT THE COMPROMISE
THAT BOTH SENATOR TIM SCOTT AND
SENATOR CORY BOOKER COMES WITH
HE COULD SUPPORT.
HE SAID HE WOULD SUPPORT THE
JOHN LEWIS BILL, EVEN THOUGH WE
DONT KNOW ALL THAT WILL BE IN
THAT BILL, BUT HE WOULD NOT
SUPPORT SENATE BILL 1.
OUR POSITION IS IF YOU CANT GET
THE VOTES ON ANY ONE OF THESE
THREE, THEN WILL YOU GO AND
SUPPORT WHAT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE
WHERE THEY HAVE VOTED ON BILLS
WITHOUT THE FILIBUSTER, THE 60
VOTES THAT HAVE BEEN -- THAT ARE
NEEDED, AND GO ON A MAJORITY
VOTE.
THATS WHERE WERE TRYING TO
PUSH.
HE AGREED WE SHOULD KEEP
TALKING.
HE SAID HE WOULD REACH OUT
BEFORE THE END OF THIS WEEK, BUT
CLEARLY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE JOHN LEWIS BILL AND SENATE
BILL 1 IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK
SPEAKER PELOSI IS RIGHT, ITS
NOT ONE OR THE OTHER.
SENATE BILL 1 DEALS WITH, ONE,
WHAT IS GOING ON NOW IN GEORGIA
AND IN FLORIDA AND TEXAS, STATES
THAT ARE CHANGING.
JOHN LEWIS BILL GOES FROM
WHENEVER IT IS ENACTED GOING
FORWARD.
SO IT WOULD NOT DEAL WITH THE
BILLS THAT ARE BEING CHANGED AS
WE SPEAK.
WE WOULDNT EXPECT THE JOHN
LEWIS BILL TO COME INTO BEING
UNTIL THE FALL.
SO YOU CANT ACT LIKE ITS ONE
OR THE OTHER THAT APPROACHES THE
SAME THINGS.
IT DOES NOT.
THE JOHN LEWIS BILL DOESNT DEAL
WITH CAMPAIGN FINANCING.
THERE IS MANY THINGS THAT IS NOT
IN THERE.
WE NEED ALL THREE.
WERE GLAD WE STARTED THE DID I
LOG.
IT WAS FIRM AND CANDID.
WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TALKING
AND PRESSING THIS WITH ALL WE
CAN.
>> DOES HE UNDERSTAND THE RACIST
NATURE OF THE NEARLY 400 BILLS
THAT ARE BEING PUSHED IN
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURES?
>> HE WAS CERTAINLY TOLD THAT BY
ALL OF US INVOLVED.
NO, I DONT THINK HE DID NOT NOT
UNDERSTAND IT.
HE DID NOT ARGUE AGAIN IT.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BLATANT
RACISM HERE.
WERE TALKING ABOUT THESE BILLS
ARE DESIGNED TO UNDERMINE MOSTLY
BLACK AREAS OF PARTICIPATION,
LIKE SUNDAY SOULS TO THE POLLS,
LIKE WERE GOING TO STOP
DROPBOX -- OR DROP JO WAS FOR
BALLOTS.
THINGS THAT CLEARLY ARE OVERUSED
OR OVER -- BY THE COMMUNITY.
THESE ARE THE NEW JIM CROW
VOTING LAWS.
THAT IS WHY WE NEED THIS.
TO THINK AT THIS TIME THAT
YOURE SEEING 47 STATES TRYING
TO CHANGE VOTING LAWS THAT THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOESNT
RESPOND, IS SOMETHING THAT I
THINK IS ABSOLUTELY ABSURD.
OF COURSE YOU NEED VOTING
PROTECTION.
IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND
VOTING RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF 50
YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS A KID, AND
WHEN ERIN WASNT EVEN BORN, THEY
HAD TO GO TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO GET RELIEF.
THATS WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT
NOW, TALK TO GO MANCHIN AND
OTHERS, GOING TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO GET RELIEF.
IF WE CANT GO TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AGAINST STATES
RIGHTS JIM CROW VOTING LAWS,
THEN WHERE CAN WE GO?
>> ERIN, I DONT WANT TO MAKE
TOO MUCH OF JOE MANCHIN, BUT I
WANT TO DIG IN ON ONE OF HIS
REASONS TO NOT SUPPORTING THE
LEGISLATION AND NOT SUPPORTING
THE WAY BUSINESS AS USUAL IS
DONE.
ITS THAT HIS REASON IS TOO
PARTISAN.
THE POINT IS WHEN YOU SEE
REPUBLICANS TALKING ABOUT THESE
STATE LEVEL VOTING RESTRICTION
LAWS, HAVE YOU EVER WON SEEN AN
EXPRESSION OF CONCERN ABOUT THE
PURELY PARTISAN NATURE OF THEIR
PASSAGE?
AND YET, AND YET IT WOULD BE
TERRIBLE IN CONGRESSIONAL
DEMOCRATS WOULD PASS ANY -- SO
TERRIBLE THAT CONGRESSIONAL
DEMOCRATS THEMSELVES ARE
REFUSING TO PASS SUCH A BILL,
EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THE VOTES
TO DO IT.
YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> I MEAN, LISTEN, I THINK WHAT
I HEARD FROM A LOT OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS LEADERS THAT I TALKED TO
WHO WERE IN THE ROOM WITH
REVEREND SHARPTON IS THEY HEARD
SOMEBODY WHO WAS SINCERE, BUT
ALSO SEEMED CONFLICTED.
THERE USED TO BE A SECRETARY OF
STATE IN VIRGINIA.
HE IS SOMEBODY WHO AS WORKED ON
LAWS IN THE STATE AND KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO MAKE VOTING MORE
IT MEANS TO MAKE VOTING MORE
ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE.
THE DEMOCRATS WHO A LOT OF CIVIL
RIGHTS GROUPS HELPED TO
GALVANIZE ARE VERY MUCH WANTING
DEMOCRATS TO ACT LIKE THEY WON
THE ELECTION, AS OPPOSED TO
REPUBLICANS WHO LOST THE
ELECTION THAT ARE ACTING LIKE
THEY WON.
JOE MANCHIN, WHO IS NOT SIDING
WITH HIS FELLOW DEMOCRATS, AND
GETTING THINGS LIKE VOTING
RIGHTS, POLICE REFORM, THE
THINGS THAT THE DEMOCRATS VOTED
FOR AND SAID THEY WANT INDEED
NOVEMBER TO HAPPEN SO WHAT I
HEARD, REVEREND SHARPTON IS
POINTS THAT THEY HAD A CAN DEBT
CONVERSATION, THAT THIS IS THE
FIRST TIME ENGAGING IN THIS.
I WONDER IF THATS ALSO THE KAY.
THEY NEVER DIALOGUED WITH HIM
BEFORE.
THEY CALLED THIS AN IMPORTANT
FIRST STEP TODAY.
THEY KNOW THIS IS GOING TO BE A
LONG SUMMER, SOMETHING THAT WILL
STRETCH INTO THE FALL.
TO SPEAKER PELOSIS POINT, THE
JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT
WILL NOT BE READY UNTIL THE
FALL, SO CONTINUES TO WORK ON
POLICE REFORM AND VOTING RIGHTS,
TRYING TO, I GUESS, MAKE A
PARTNER OUT OF JOE MANCHIN IS
SOMETHING THEY CIVIL RIGHTS
GROUPS SAY THEYRE COMMITTED TO,
BUT HES NOT THE ONLY PERSON
THEY WILL BE ENGAGING WITH.
THESE GROUPS WILL BE TALKING TO
SPEAK TO A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF
SENATORS, ANYBODY WHOS OPENING
TO HEAR THEIR ARGUMENTS FOR WHY
THIS LEGISLATION IS NECESSARY
AND WHY IT NEEDS TO PASS.
THESE ARE FOLKS THAT ARE USED TO
PLAYING THE LONG GAME, BUT
FEELING A SENSE OF URGENCY,
BASED ON WHAT THEYRE SEEING
HAPPENING AT THE STATE LEVEL.
>>> REV, YOU WANT TO ANSWER
ERRINS QUESTIONS?
HAVE YOU ENGAGED MUCH WITH
MANCHIN?
>> NO, I HAVE NOT.
IVE NEVER BEEN IN A MEETING
WITH THEM.
THIS WAS A VIRTUAL MEETING.
I WASNT IN A VIRTUAL MEETING OR
IN-PERSON MOO ET IN ALL THESE
YEARS. SHES CORRECT, WE TEND TO
SHES CORRECT, WE TEND TO
APPROACH OTHER SENATORS. BASED ON THE COLOR OF THE SKIN.
BASED ON THE COLOR OF THE SKIN.
I BELIEVE.
>>> STILL A REPUBLICAN ATTEMPT
TO TRY TO DISENFRANCHISE BASED
ON RACE.
ALL OF THIS ABOUT, I BELIEVE WE
NEED TO DO EVERYTHING BY
PARTISAN, WELL, THE ONES
RESISTING BIPARTISAN ARE
REPUBLICANS, SO TO SIT THERE AND
SAY I WOULD WANT TO DO SOMETHING