>> Stephen: YOU GUYS WERE SINGING TOGETHER.
>> WE WERE STANDING TOGETHER.
I WASN'T SINGING.
I WAS MOUTHING THE WORDS.
>> Stephen: LET'S MOUTH SOME WORDS TOGETHER RIGHT NOW.
>> LET'S DO.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK CALLED "UNITED: THOUGHTS
ON FINDING COMMON GROUND AND ADVANCING THE COMMON GOOD."
WE ARE SO POLITICALLY DIVIDED HOW DO WE FIND COMMON GROUND
ANYMORE?
IS MY COMMON GROUND NOT NECESSARILY YOURS?
CAN WE AGREE ON WHAT IS COMMON ANYMORE?
>> I THINK WE CAN MORE THAN WE KNOW.
OUR DIFFERENCES MATTER BUT OUR COUNTRY MATTERS MORE.
WHEN YOU FOCUS ON COUNTRY AND PATRIOTISM, IT NECESSITATES A
LOVE OF AMERICANS.
LOVE IS NOT A WIMPY WORD.
IT'S ACTUALLY A HARD, DIFFICULT WORD AND IT MEANS REACHING OUT.
WE OFTEN HAVE THIS IDEA WE SHOULD JUST TOLERATE EACH OTHER.
TOLERANCE IS A WEEK START.
IT JUST SAYS WE SHOULD STOMACH EACH OTHER'S RIGHT TO BE
DIFFERENT, IF YOU DISAPPEAR FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH, I'M NO
BERT OR WORSE OFF.
BUT WE AS A NATION ASPIRED TO MOVE BEYOND TOLERANCE TO LOVE,
TO RECOGNIZE WE NEED EACH OTHER AND WE'RE OUR GREATEST HOPES.
AN OLD AFRICAN SAYING, IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, GO ALONE, BUT
IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, GO WITH ANOTHER.
>> Stephen: WHERE IS THE LOVE IN THE SENATE?
WHO CAN YOU SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH?
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PEOPLE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT
NOW.
THERE ARE SOME SENATORS RUNNING FOR PT.
SENATOR SANDERS, SENATOR CRUZ.
>> THERE ARE SOME SENATORS ACTUALLY NOT RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT RIGHT NOW.
(LAUGHTER) >> Stephen: SOME PEOPLE SAY
DONALD TRUMP KEEPS ACCUSING TED CRUZ OF HAVING NOBODY WHO WILL
WORK WITH HIM.
HAVE YOU WORKED WITH TED CRUZ?
>> YES, WE INTRODUCED AND PASSED LEGISLATION TOGETHER.
WENT DOWN THERE NOT TO BE NEW JERSEY'S DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
BUT I REPRESENT EEVERYBODY.
I GOT GREAT ADVICE FROM A FORMER SENATOR BILL BRADLEY.
HE SAID DON'T PRE-JUDGE THE PEOPLE YOU'RE WITH.
TAKE TIME TO GET TO KNOW THEM AND SIT WITH THEM.
A LOT OF THE REPUBLICAN SENATORS SHOWED ME EXTRAORDINARY KINDNESS
AND SAT AND WORKED WITH ME.
I WORK WITH PEOPLE BASED ON WE CAN FIND COMMON GROUND.
PEOPLE WOULD GO PAST OUR DINNER TABLE, DO A DOUBLE TAKE AND SAY
THIS IS THE PRESIDENTIAL TICKET IN 2020, AND I WOULD LOOK AT
THEM AND SAY NO WAY.
(LAUGHTER) BUT THROUGH THAT CONVERSATION,
WE SAID LET'S FIND SOMETHING WE CAN WORK ON TOGETHER.
THERE ARE ISSUES WE AGREE ON.
WE PASSED A PIECE OF LEGISLATION TOGETHER LAST YEAR AND I'M VERY
PROUD OF THAT.
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO BE, FOR ALL,
YOU KNOW, THE HOPE OF LOVE, THERE IS GOING TO BE A BATTLE
ROYAL OVER WHETHER OR NOT BARACK OBAMA CAN REASONABLY NOMINATE
SOMEONE TO REPLACE JUSTICE SCALIA IN THE LAST YEAR OF HIS
TERM.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: MITCH MCCONNELL, LEADER OF THE REPUBLICANS IN THE
SENATE AND LEADER OF THE SENATE NOW BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS IN
MAJORITY SAID CAN'T DO IT, IT VIOLATES PRES PRECEDENT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> WHAT YOU SAID IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW ABOUT
JUSTICE SCALIA, THE POWER OF HUMAN KINDNESS, PEOPLE
UNDERESTIMATE THAT.
WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF A CONSPIRACY OF LOVE.
WE HAVE A GREAT MAN THEORY, WHERE GREAT MEN DESCENDED,
GEORGE WASHINGTON, MARTIN LUTHER KING, AND LED US TO A BETTER
COUNTRY.
BUT THAT'S NOT THE TRUTH OF OUR HISTORY.
IT'S EXTRAORDINARY AMERICANS DOING EXTRAORDINARY ACTS OF
KINDNESS OF SERVICE AND LOVE, PEOPLE LEAVING THEIR HOMES TO DO
GOODNESS AND KINDNESS.
I DON'T THINK YOU SHARE PHILOSOPHY OF JURISPRUDENCE AS
SCALIA, BUT YOU SAW THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER.
I'M SHEER BECAUSE MY FATHER BORN IN JIM CROW, NORTH CAROLINA, TO
A POOR MOTHER -- HE WAS PO, COULD CANNENT AFFORD THE OTHER
TWO LETTERS -- HIS MOM COULDN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM.
SO THE SMALL ACTS OF KINDNESS OF PEOPLE IN THE TOWN WHO TOOK HIM
IN, PUT A ROOF OVER HIS HEAD, HE HAD NO HISTORY OF KINDNESS, BUT
IT WAS PEOPLE WHO DID SMALL THINGS, CHURCH COLLECTION TO
HELP HIM GO TO COLLEGE.
WHAT'S THE R.O.I. ON KINDNESS BUT IT REVERBERATES IN THE
GENERATIONS.
I KNOW WE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE POLITICAL BATTLE OF THE DAY, BUT
FAR MORE IMPORTANT IS GOODNESS AND KINDNESS AND MERCY WE DO
EVERY DAY.
THE BIGGEST THING WE CAN DO ANY DAY IS OFTEN A SMALL ACT OF
KINDNESS.
AND I MEET PEOPLE LIKE THAT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRIAL WHO COME UP
AND TALK TO ME ABOUT THEIR OVERCOMING ADDICTION.
THEY TALK ABOUT BEING HOMELESS AND THEIR STORIES OF PERSONAL
TRIALS ALWAYS SEEM TO BE LACED WITH THEIR DESIRE TO HELP OTHER
PEOPLE.
WE HAVE A BROKEN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
>> Stephen: LET ME ASK YOU -- PLEASE.
>> Stephen: IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE, HELP ME ON
THIS.
>> OKAY.
>> Stephen: DO YOU THINK OBAMA CAN NOMINATE SOMEBODY FOR THE
SUPREME COURT?
JUST ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
(APPLAUSE) >> I WILL ANSWER THE QUESTION.
I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO GET TO THE --
>> Stephen: I JUST WANT A YES OR NO.
>> SO PEOPLE -- (LAUGHTER)
>> Stephen: I MEAN, THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT, BUT LET'S BE SERIOUS.
(LAUGHTER) >> YOU SOUND LIKE MY LAST
GIRLFRIEND.
LET'S GET TO THE POINT.
>> Stephen: UH-HUH, SO?
O AS I READ THE CONSTITUTION, IT CLEARLY SAYS,
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION, THE PRESIDENT HAS AN OBLIGATION TO
FILL THE VACANCY, TO ALLOW THE SEAT TO REMAIN VACANT FOR A YEAR
WITH ALL THE CONSEQUENTIAL THINGS GOING THROUGH NOW WOULD
BE UNACCEPTABLE.
>> Stephen: IT WOULD BE 4-4 TIES AND A YEAR OF 4-4 TIES AND
THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO A COIN TOSS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> YOU HAVE A GREAT SISTER WHO RAN FOR OFFICE, BUT THEY SAY
TIES ARE LIKE KISSING YOUR SISTER, AND I KNOW --
>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT.
(LAUGHTER) >> WE NEED TO ASPIRE IN OUR
COUNTRY, WHETHER IT'S ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT OR WHATEVER, TO
EVIDENCE THE BEST OF WHO WE ARE, AND IT'S NOT ALWAYS WINNING OR
BEATING DOWN SOMEBODY, IT'S ABOUT ELEVATING OTHERS,
EMBRACING OTHERS.
>> Stephen: AND BEING UNITED.
YES, IT IS.
>> Stephen: CORY BOOKER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>.>> Stephen: "UNITED" HITS THE SHELVES TOMORROW.
SENATOR BOOKER.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.