TRACE GALLAGHER, THANK YOU
FOR THAT WELL THE OTHER DAY
DEMOCRATS APPEARED TO BE
DIVIDED ON THE QUESTION OF
IMPEACHING THE PRESIDENT.
THIS WEEK THEY APPEAR TO BE
NEARLY UNANIMOUS.
A FEW HOLDOUTS ARE WARNING
THAT AN IMPEACHMENT PUSH IS
A MISTAKE, BAD FOR THE
COUNTRY AND POSSIBLY COUNTER
PRODUCTIVE POLITICALLY.
ONE OF THEM IS CONGRESSMAN
JEFF VAN DREW REPRESENTS NEW
JERSEY.
THANKS FOR COMING ON.
>> IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE
WITH YOU.
>> Tucker: YOU ARE A
DEMOCRAT.
I WILL SAY A CONSERVATIVE
DEMOCRAT BUT YOU ARE A
DEMOCRAT.
AND THE EASY THING WOULD BE
TO GO ALONG WITH YOUR
PARTY'S LEADERSHIP ON THIS
QUESTION BUT YOU ARE NOT.
WHY?
>> I HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD AT
THAT TO BEGIN WITH.
JUST VERY BRIEFLY, PEOPLE
WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, YOUR JOB
IS TO BE A GOOD DEMOCRAT OR
A GOOD REPUBLICAN AND I KEEP
EMPHASIZING YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY AND JOB IS TO
BE A GOOD AMERICAN.
SO I GO WHAT I BELIEVE IN MY
HEART IS RIGHT AND IN MY
BRAIN.
AND IT SEEMS TO ME AT THIS
POINT IN TIME WE REALLY DO
WANT TO ACCOMPLISH SOME
GOALS, INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS
TO BE DEALT WITH.
HEALTHCARE NEEDS TO BE DEALT
WITH PRESCRIPTION DRUGS NEED
TO BE DEALT WITH.
YOU KNOW, ELECTION, YOU
KNOW, ELECTIONS NEED TO BE
DEALT WITH AS FAR AS MAKING
SURE THAT THEY ARE SECURE.
I CAN GIVE YOU A WHOLE LONG
LIST, TUCKER.
THE POINT IS I REALLY
BELIEVE THE MORE THAT WE
DELVE INTO THIS THE MORE
TIME WE SPEND ON IT
ESPECIALLY IN A MACROLEVEL
THE MORE WE ARE NOT GOING TO
BE ABLE TO SPEND TIME ON
THESE OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE
IMPORTANT.
AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE
CAN'T WALK AND CHEW GUM AT
THE SAME TIME.
SOMEBODY BROUGHT THAT UP.
WE CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM.
THE PROBLEM IS WHEN WE ARE
THIS DIVIDED AND THIS SPLIT
AND TWO POLITICAL PARTIES
AND ALL GOING ON PEOPLE ARE
NOT GOING TO WORK TOGETHER.
OF THE PRESIDENT IS NOT
GOING TO BE SIGNING BILLS.
THE SENATE BILLS ARE NOT
GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH
THE HOUSE.
THE HOUSE BILLS AREN'T GOING
TO BE GOING THROUGH THE
SENATE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, I AM
AFRAID THAT ALL WE ARE GOING
TO HAVE A FAILED
IMPEACHMENT.
FOLKS NEED TO UNDERSTAND, I
MEAN MAYBE THERE ARE THOSE
THAT WANT TO PUNISH THE
PRESIDENT OR MAKE A POINT
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS HE IS
STILL GOING TO BE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES AND THE BOTTOM LINE
IS HE IS STILL GOING TO BE
THE CANDIDATE FOR THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
SO WHY DON'T WE LET THE
PEOPLE DO THE IMPEACHMENT BY
VOTING IN THE ELECTORAL
PROCESS THE WAY THAT WE
USUALLY DO.
>> Tucker: YOU MEAN
DEMOCRACY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I LOVE IT.
>> Tucker: NOT A POPULAR
CONCEPT IN WASHINGTON.
I GUESS THE POLITICAL
QUESTION, OF COURSE I AGREE
WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID AND
I COMMEND YOU FOR CARING
ABOUT THOSE ISSUES BECAUSE I
THINK THEY ARE BIPARTISAN
FUNDAMENTALLY.
BUT EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS
PRETTY OBVIOUS.
I MEAN, NO OFFENSE TO EITHER
ONE OF US BUT, YOU KNOW,
ANYONE CAN FIGURE IT OUT
INCLUDING THE SMART PEOPLE
WHO RUN YOUR PARTY.
SO, THEY KNOW THEY ARE NOT
GOING TO GET A CONVICTION.
THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK.
THERE IS NO CHANCE OF IT
WORKING, SO WHY ARE THEY
DOING IT?
>> I'M NOT SURE I CAN ANSWER
THAT I THINK PART OF IT IS
THEY BELIEVE THAT THE
PRESIDENT SHOULD BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR SOME THINGS
THAT HE HAS DONE.
YOU KNOW, BY ALL ACCOUNTS,
NOBODY EVER PRETENDED THAT
HE IS PERFECT OR THERE
AREN'T SOME ISSUES.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS USE
THE EXAMPLE EVEN DURING THE
CLINTON ADMINISTRATION AND
WHEN THAT IMPEACHMENT -- BY
THE WAY, I WAS ALSO NOT FOR
THAT.
AND WE SAW THAT IT DIDN'T
REALLY BEAR ANY FRUIT,
WASTED A LOT OF TIME AND
MONEY.
>> Tucker: NO, IT DIDN'T.
>> HE HAD SOME SERIOUS
ISSUES THERE.
HE EVEN LOST HIS ABILITY TO
PRACTICE LAW.
HE WAS DISBARRED.
BUT WITH ALL OF THAT
HAPPENING, IT STILL WASN'T
NEARLY ENOUGH FOR
IMPEACHMENT TO GO THROUGH.
HERE'S WHAT FOLKS HAVE TO
UNDERSTAND.
IMPEACHMENT IS A VERY, VERY
SERIOUS, SERIOUS MOVE TO
TAKE BY ANY POLITICAL PARTY
OR POLITICAL ENTITY.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO REALIZE
THAT WHEN YOU IMPEACH
SOMEBODY, IT HAS TO BE FOR
REALLY STRONG REASONS
BECAUSE YOU ARE ALSO, YOU
KNOW, REMOVING THE POWER OF
THE PEOPLE.
YOU ARE DISENFRANCHISING
THEIR VOTE.
WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT.
YOU ARE DISENFRANCHISING
THEIR VOTE.
IT HAS TO BE SERIOUS TO DO
IT.
MY WORRIES ARE GETTING STUFF
DONE.
I REALLY WANT TO DO GOOD
THINGS AND I WANT TO DO IT
IN A BIPARTISAN WAY.
I REALLY WANT TO SEE THE
COUNTRY MOVE FORWARD.
I REALLY KNOW THAT, YOU
KNOW, THIS -- ABROAD I THINK
THAT PEOPLE COULD LOOK AT
THIS AND THINK THAT OUR
COUNTRY IS DISORGANIZE AND
IN TURMOIL THAT WE ARE SPLIT
APART.
I THINK IT WILL SPLIT PEOPLE
IN SOCIETY APART FOLKS
LITERALLY IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA ARE GOING
TO GET ANGRIER AT EACH
OTHER.
I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS GOING
TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
THEN WE HAVE THE ELECTION.
THE OTHER ISSUE BY THE WAY
IS MIDTERM ELECTIONS GOING
ON NOW AND THEN WE ARE
ROLLING RIGHT INTO THE FALL
ELECTIONS FOR PRESIDENT AND
CONGRESS, ET CETERA.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE
NEED TO HAVE ALL OF THIS
GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME.
>> Tucker: I AGREE WITH THAT
AGAIN, AS YOU JUST POINTED
OUT VOTERS GET TO RENDER A
JUDGMENT IN A LITTLE OVER A
YEAR.
>> THEY SURE DO.