>> The think tank Data For Progress recently did a survey to see where Americans stand
on the relief bill. And the portion of the bill that actually directs
checks or payments directly to them, also known as relief checks or stimulus checks. And wow, what a
shocker? The majority of Americans would like to see a $1200 check as opposed to the measly $600
that's currently being offered in the legislation that Congress is likely to vote in favor of.
So again, this is Data For Progress. They found that 93% of Democrats, 83% of Republicans,
and 87% of likely independent/third party voters would support another one time payment of $1,200
to most Americans as a coronavirus relief measure. Now, even that number in my opinion,
considering how long Americans have gone on without real robust aid, is not enough.
You have progressive members of Congress who have demanded $2,000 payments that are recurring.
But that is not what's being offered in the latest proposal for relief. Representative
Ilhan Omar spoke out against this saying, at this point, we should all wonder what it would
take for members of Congress to listen to their constituents and support this.
I support it. Call your member to find out if they do too. Bernie Sanders had a similar message
saying, maybe, just maybe it's time Congress listened to the American people and sent $1,200
survival checks to working class Americans who are in so much desperation right now. And look
to be clear, before the election, the White House had offered a relief package that was
still not great, but it was certainly much better than what's being proposed by Congress right now.
It was a $1.8 billion, I'm sorry, $1.8 trillion proposal I should
say. That did include direct checks to Americans to the tune of $1,200.
Nancy Pelosi rejected that. She made a political calculation, knowing that there
was a possibility that approving that bill would help Donald Trump in getting reelected.
And so she's being asked about that decision now for good reason.
CNN's Manu Raju wanted to ask her about it,
and she ran away from the question. Pelosi wouldn't answer my question about why the $900
billion deal is more acceptable to her than the $1.8 trillion offer Mnuchin made to her this fall.
Asked again, in the hallways why this proposal was more acceptable than the Mnuchin plan,
Pelosi didn't respond. But Schumer, who was walking with her in the hallway said,
ask Mitch McConnell. And he also continued to say that it's true that McConnell and
Senate Republicans objected to Mnuchin's $1.8 trillion plan.
But so did Pelosi who said in October, quote, this proposal amounted to one step forward, two steps
back. And so look, the point of this story is they don't care whether it's a corporate Democrat
or Republican. It doesn't matter what the majority of Americans want. The Democratic Party clearly is
not afraid of its own constituents, which is why 93% of democratic voters can say they want relief.
They want more money in these direct checks. And then Congressional lawmakers will fold
and go along with the measly $600 which again, is not enough. The $1,200
is not enough, it's inadequate. But they couldn't even get that amount which is
infuriating. >> So guys, look, the fact that the
Republicans are the bad guys is super obvious to anyone who's paying just a tiny bit of attention.
So they're the ones who blocked the $1200. This is factual. There's no counter argument.
Now, does that mean the Democratic leadership did a good job and are the good guys? Absolutely not.
They're just as guilty. And so let me explain why. So the $1200 check,
as Ana told you at the beginning of the story, is enormously popular.
Now first of all, when you have 93% of your own party saying fight for it,
that's it. You don't need anything else. I don't care if 1% of Republicans say yes. If 93% of your
party says fight for it, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch, I'm sorry, Chuck Schumer should fight for it.
But they never do that. Our base. We despise our base. We would never do what our voters want.
But second of all, 87% of independents
wanted it. Guys, 83% of Republican voters want it. So what excuse does
Pelosi and Schumer have for not insisting on $1200. Mitch McConnell is gonna vote no.
Yeah, we all know that. That is when you beat the living hell out of him, politically.
That's when you go on TV and go, Mitch McConnell just stopped your $1200 check. 83% of Republican
voters want it. And by the way, Republicans, you know who betrayed you? Mitch McConnell.
They would all be on your side. And you know what else? 88% of Americans would be on your side.
What drives me nuts is not how evil Mitch McConnell or the Republicans are, and yes,
as you can tell, Democratic leadership weakness is despicable. But the media, for Christ's sake, man,
they always go out, there was nothing Pelosi or Schumer could do.
Nothing they could do. Nothing they could do. How about, they could fight for 88% of American
voters? If a politician says, I cannot win on an issue or 88% of the people are on my side,
well, then you are a joke. And as a reporter, you should point out
they are a terrible, terrible politician, and terrible negotiator.
So that's just obvious, except almost no one in the media says that.
I wouldn't want to offend Pelosi or Schumer. That's the third rail. Now, on the other hand,
I wanna give a lot of credit to Manu Raju. Those are good questions. When he says, wait a minute.
You said no to the 1.8 trillion. So and you were saying it was two steps back. Well,
you just agreed to, and he thinks it's 980 billion, but it isn't. It's 480 billion,
cuz a lot of the money was already in the original CARES Act. So you just said
yes to a half a trillion, when you said nearly 2 trillion was a step backwards.
So that is exactly the right question. She dodged it cuz she hates anyone not
staying in their veal pen and doing as they're told. And then Chuck Schumer makes the mistake of
answering and says, ask Mitch McConnell. No, no. >> So Cenk-
>> We're asking you. You're the one who didn't fight for your voters.
>> Right, I mean, yes, exactly. So I think most people acknowledge that Mitch McConnell
served as an obstacle in these negotiations. There's no question about it. But there wasn't
an aggressive fight, at least as far as I could see, by Democratic leadership. And that's an
issue. In fact, what I think is so interesting is Nancy Pelosi's unwillingness to even play politics
when it comes to this very obvious question that she should be expecting from reporters.
Running away from Manu Raju, not a good look. How about you take maybe five minutes
to think about what your strategy should be once a reporter asks you this question?
But she did not even feel the need to do that. Her aides didn't even feel the need to prepare her
for, again, a very obvious question that reporters are gonna want her to answer.
You can't say a $1.8 trillion offer from the White House is not good enough. And then turn
around after the election, and urge members of Congress to vote in favor of something that spends
far less money on providing relief to average Americans. It's just the sense of entitlement,
the unwillingness to fight and do the right thing on behalf of your own voters, your own party.
People who are depending on you and relying on you right now.
It's just the sense of entitlement drives me crazy. You can't answer the question,
because you didn't even think. Didn't even care to have an appropriate
political answer prepared for this. >> And what,
>> And I mean, obviously, I wasn't gonna buy any of it, but it doesn't matter.
It's one more insult to what's been going on. Just this,
I don't care. No, I'm not gonna answer your question. I'm gonna walk away.
I don't even care if you- >> Yeah, but that really
shows you exactly what's been going on in Washington for the last 20, 40 years.
Because when a Democrat in leadership, a corporate Democrat, is ask a tough question by a reporter,
they're totally and utterly surprised by it. They haven't had it in their entire careers.
So they're like, well, that's a good question. No, I didn't prepare for that.
Are we supposed to answer questions now?
No, no, no, direct it to Trump, or Bernie Sanders, or anyone who isn't part of the corporate
oligarchy. I'm not answering your questions. And she gets genuinely super mad. This is the second
or third time that it has happened recently. And she looks at him like, who do you think you are?
I run this place. And the last thing is, as Ana pointed out, when it was 1.8 trillion, but
Pelosi thought, if we pass this it might help Trump before the election. And it might hurt
Democrats seeking election. She voted no. She didn't do the deal cuz it affected them.
But now after the election, she takes a quarter of the money
because she thinks it only affects you. Who cares that I gave up three quarters of the money you
could have had? That doesn't affect me at all. And by the way, she's generally been right about that.
With the exception of Manu Raju's question there, largely she's gotten
a free ride her entire career. And no matter what heinous thing they did or
what a collapse in negotiations they had with the Republicans, the DC media would always applaud.
Here, like this. Nancy Pelosi's so brilliant. Master legislator, bravo.
Only taking a quarter of the money, bravo.
And so no, she's never been good at this. And that's a fact.