STATE LEGISLATURE, SO THIS
APPEARED TO BE THE LAST OPTION
THAT HOUSE DEMOCRATS THOUGHT
THEY HAD.
>> MICHAEL STEEL, LET ME PLAY
YOU MORE OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE
JASMINE CROCKETT.
THIS IS WHAT SHES ASKING
WASHINGTON DEMOCRATS, THE
PRESIDENT AND THE
DEMOCRATIC-CONTROLLED UNITED
STATES SENATE TO DO.
>> I WANT HIM TO HEAR OUR CRIES
AND HEAR HOW SIGNIFICANT THIS IS
AND HOW MUCH WE NEED HIM.
SO FOR ME, ITS GOING TO BE MORE
SO OF AN ASK FOR HIM TO PUSH AS
HARD AS HE CAN.
THIS FILIBUSTER -- WE HAVE TO DO
AWAY WITH IT, BECAUSE ONCE
AGAIN, ITS REPUBLICANS BEING
ALLOWED TO BE OBSTRUCTIONISTS.
>> THIS IS NOW AT PRESIDENT
BIDENS DOORSTEP.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS
NEWLY-AGGRESSIVE MOVE BY TEXAS
DEMOCRATS REFUSING TO TAKE THIS?
>> WILL THAT AGGRESSION BE A
CONTAGION WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.
YOUD BE IN A VERY DIFFERENT
SPACE RIGHT NOW.
LOOK, I UNDERSTAND THE POLITICS
PROBABLY TOO WELL IN MANY
RESPECTS.
WHAT I DONT UNDERSTAND IS WHY
THERE DOESNT SEEM TO BE A
RESPONSE TO MINORITY RULE.
MITCH McCONNELL IS ACTING AS IF
HE IS STILL THE SPEAKER OF THE
MAJORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE.
KEVIN McCARTHY AND THE
REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE FEEL
THAT THEYVE GOT THE MARGIN IS
CLOSE ENOUGH THAT, YOU KNOW, HE
CAN DE FACTO GUM THE WORKS UP
THERE.
USE THE SYSTEM AGAINST ITSELF.
THATS WHAT THESE LEGISLATORS
ARE DOING IN TEXAS.
THEY ARE SAYING, OKAY, WE ARE
WILLING TO GET ON THE ROAD AND
FLY TO ANOTHER PART OF THE
COUNTRY TO PRESS THE CASE FOR
VOTING RIGHTS.
SO IF IM THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION AT THIS POINT,
WHAT I HAVE TO TAKE FROM THAT IN
THIS SPEECH TOMORROW IS A DECK
DECLARATION TO ENGAGE THE
REPUBLICANS ON THAT GROUND AND
TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHY
NOTHING ELSE -- THERES NOT
ANOTHER LEGISLATIVE BILL IN THE
HOUSE OR THE SENATE THAT CAN GET
PASSED AND HAS THE KIND OF
SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
IF YOU DONT FUNDAMENTALLY DEAL
WITH THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY,
IT DOESNT MATTER IF YOU PASS AN
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, IT DOESNT
MATTER IF YOU PASS ALL THESE
OTHER BILLS, BECAUSE BACK AT
HOME, RIGHT, THOSE CITIZENS ARE
WATCHING THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT, NOT YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT TO HAVE A POTHOLE FILLED,
BUT YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO
HAVE A VOTE STRIPPED AWAY
SYSTEMICALLY BY THE MINORITY
PARTY.
YOURE EITHER GOING TO STEP UP
AND SHUT THAT DOWN OR YOURE
NOT.
THATS WHAT THE TEXAS DEMOCRATIC
LEGISLATORS ARE SAYING RIGHT NOW
BY THIS MOVE TO WASHINGTON IS
YALL NEED TO SHUT THIS DOWN
NOW, WERE DOING OUR PART.
>> CLAIRE, YOUVE BEEN REALLY
CLEAR ON THIS SHOW THAT THERES
NOTHING THAT WILL FORCE THE
DEMOCRATS TO ABANDON THE
FILIBUSTER BECAUSE ITS MORE
THAN JOE MANCHIN AND KIRS STINTE
CINEMA WHO LIKE IT.
JOE MANCHIN AND KRISTENYRSTEN SI
WONT WIN AGAIN.
DO YOU THINK THE DEMOCRATS ARE
CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE AT ALL ON
WHICH THE FILIBUSTER FIGHT IS
BEING WAGED?
>> LETS JUST ASSUME IT IS JUST
JOE MANCHIN AND KYRSTEN SINEMA.
THE QUESTION IS CAN JOE BIDEN
CHANGE THEIR MINDS?
I GUARANTEE YOU THERE HAVE BEEN
CONVERSATIONS.
I DONT THINK THEIR MINDS HAVE
BEEN CHANGED.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS
ANOTHER WAY, NICOLE, AND I KNOW
THIS IS PAINFUL FOR PEOPLE TO
HEAR, BUT THE MINORITY IN TEXAS
IS USING A PROCEDURE TO BLOCK
WHAT THEYRE TRYING TO DO IN
TEXAS, JUST AS THE MINORITY IN
THE SENATE IS USING THE
PROCEDURE TO TRY TO BLOCK WHAT
THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO DO
IN WASHINGTON, EXCEPT ITS A
MUCH CLOSER BODY IN WASHINGTON.
ITS 50/50.
SO YOU GOT TO HAVE EVERYBODY ON
THE WAGON.
AND WE DONT RIGHT NOW.
DO I WISH WE DID FOR FILIBUSTER
REFORM AND PARTICULARLY FOR
PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS?
BUT THE OTHER THING WEVE GOT TO
TALK ABOUT AND MAYBE YOURE
PLANNING ON BRINGING THIS UP
NEXT IS THE SUPREME COURT.
THIS DECISION ON JULY 1st WAS
AWFUL FOR VOTING RIGHTS.
THE SUPREME COURT SAID LOUDLY
AND CLEARLY THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT REALLY DOESNT HAVE
ANY ABILITY UNDER THE
CONSTITUTION TO STOP THESE LAWS
IN THESE INDIVIDUAL STATES.
SO WEVE GOT EVEN A BIGGER
PROBLEM THAN JUST JOE MANCHIN
AND KYRSTEN SINEMA, WEVE GOT A
BUNCH OF FOLKS ON THE SUPREME
COURT WHO ARE NO LONGER FRIENDLY
TO VOTING RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT IN
THIS COUNTRY.
>> NICK, THIS IS SOMETHING YOU
AND I TALKED ABOUT THE DAY THAT
DECISION CAME DOWN.
IT MAKES THE WELL JUST LET MARK
ELIAS FIGHT IT STRATEGY ALMOST
MOOT.
I THINK THE GEORGIA CASE IS THE
ONE STATE LAW THAT MERRICK
GARLAND HAS INVOLVED HIMSELF IN.
IN THE WAKE OF THE SUPREME COURT
DECISION, I THINK WHAT CLAIRE IS
SAYING IS THOSE LEGAL CHALLENGES
BECOME ALL THE MORE DIFFICULT.
DOESNT THAT ARGUE EVEN FURTHER
FOR FEDERAL LEGISLATION?
>> I THINK THATS CERTAINLY WHAT
YOURE HEARING FROM SOME VOTING
RIGHTS GROUPS AND CIVIL RIGHTS
GROUPS WHO HAVE BEEN MEETING
WITH THE WHITE HOUSE AT THE
STAFF LEVEL, MEETING WITH VICE
PRESIDENT HARRIS.
THEY VIEW THIS AS A TRULY
EXISTENTIAL THREAT AND EVEN IF
THE SUPREME COURT DID MAKE IT
HARDER FOR BOTH STATES AND THE
DOJ TO SUE AND TO KNOCK DOWN
RESTRICTIVE VOTING LEGISLATION
AND SIGNAL TO CONGRESS AS WELL
THAT IF YOU DO PASS VOTING
LEGISLATION AT THE FEDERAL
LEVEL, YOU KNOW, ITS GOING TO
PROBABLY HAVE TO COME THROUGH US
AS WELL, THAT DOESNT MATTER
BECAUSE THE IMMEDIACY OF THE
FIGHT AND THE IMPACT HERE IS
KIND OF WHAT THEYRE SAYING.
THEYRE SAYING WE NEED FEDERAL
VOTING LEGISLATION NOW THAT CAN
HELP PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE
NOW IN THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS
AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE A FIGHT AT
THE SUPREME COURT WHEN THAT TIME COMES.
IT KIND OF ITSFITS WITH HOW THEY
VIEWED RESTRICTIVE VOTINGE INGIN
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
GEORGIA WAS THE FIRST MAJOR
BATTLEGROUND STATE TO PASS A
MASSIVE OVERHAUL OF THEIR
ELECTORAL PROCESS.
LAWSUITS CAME ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY.
THROUGHOUT HISTORY THOSE VOTING
RIGHTS LAWSUITS TAKE YEARS TO
FINISH AND TO WORK THEIR WAY
THROUGH COURTS UNTIL THERES A
RESOLUTION FOR OR AGAINST A
CERTAIN BILL.
THEY WERE ALREADY LOOKING AT AT
LEAST A MIDTERM ELECTION WHERE
THERE WOULD BE NEW VOTING LAWS,
WHERE VOTERS WOULD FACE GREATER
BARRIERS TO ACCESS THEIR BALLOT
WHERE THERE COULD BE NEW
PARTISAN POWER GRABS.
THE IMMEDIACY OF EVERYTHING AT
LEAST FROM THE VOTING RIGHTS AND