>>> DOZENS OF FORMER REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS ARE
ANNOCING A NEW NATIONAL POLITICAL THIRD PARTY CALLED
FORWARD. IN AN OP-ED IN "THE WASHINGTON
POST," KEY MEMBERS WRITE THEIR GOAL IS TO, QUOTE, BUILD A NEW
UNIFYING POLITICAL PARTY FOR THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WHO WANT
TO MOVE PAST DIVISIVENESS AND REJECT EXTREMISM.
OUR NEXT GUEST CO-WROTE THE OP-ED, ANDREW YANG, FORMER
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE AND CHRISTINE TODD WHITTEMAN, FORME
EPA LEADER. THIS SO RARELY WORKS, SO WHY
WILL YOUR EFFORT WORK? >> WE'RE IN A DIFFERENT TIME
NOW -- >> WELL, THE APPETITE --
>> GO AHEAD, CHRISTINE. >> 50 -- OKAY.
WHEN YOU HAVE 50% OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SAYING THAT THEY
ARE REGISTERED INDEPENDENT OF THE VOTERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS,
A VOTER INDEPENDENT, PEOPLE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF WHAT THEY'RE
SEEING IN WASHINGTON AND THE FACT THAT NOTHING MAJOR IS
GETTING DONE, IT IS FRUSTRATING. WE HAVE BIG PROBLEMS AND WE WANT
TO SEE THEM RESOLVED. WE NEED TO GET BACK TO A TIME
WHEN PEOPLE WILL TALK TO ONE ANOTHER AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR PARTY LABEL,
REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, INDEPENDENT, DOESN'T MATTER, BUT
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS, LET'S ELECT THOSE
CANDIDATES WHO UNDERSTAND THAT OUR ELECTORAL PROCESS IS THE
BEST IN THE WORLD, AND IT IS SECURE.
AND WE NEED TO PICK THOSE CANDIDATES WHO WILL SAY I'LL
WORK ACROSS THE AISLE BECAUSE I WANT TO GET THINGS DONE.
>> SO, ANDREW, I WANT TO CORRECT MYSELF, I SAID IT SO RARELY
WORKS, IT ACTUALLY NEVER WORKED, TO BE CLEAR.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE OBSTACLES HERE AND ONE MIGHT BE THE
POLICIES. WHERE, BECAUSE, LOOK, THERE ARE
SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES, POLICY-WISE, BETWEEN DEMOCRATS
AND REPUBLICANS. WHAT ARE YOUR POLICIES GOING TO
BE THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY AGREE ON?
>> 62% OF AMERICANS NOW WANT A THIRD PARTY.
A RECORD HIGH. BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE THAT OUR
LEADERS AREN'T GETTING IT DONE. WHEN YOU ASK ABOUT THE POLICY
GOALS, THE FACT IS THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ACTUALLY AGREE ON
REALLY EVEN DIVISIVE ISSUES. THE MOST DIVISIVE ISSUES OF THE
DAY LIKE ABORTION OR FIREARMS. THERE IS ACTUALLY A COMMON SENSE
COALITION POSITION ON THESE ISSUES AND JUST ABOUT EVERY
OTHER ISSUE UNDER THE SUN. THE TAG LINE ON THE PARTY IS IT
IS NOT LEFT OR RIGHT, IT'S FORWARD.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN ON EACH ISSUE,
ACTUALLY THE POLICY BECOMES PRETTY CLEAR WHEN YOU JUST ASK
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE FED UP BY
THE FACT THAT OUR LEADERS AREN'T ACTUALLY RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS
OR THE WILL OF COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.
>> SO, GOVERNOR, LET'S TAKE THAT ISSUE.
GUNS, FOR INSTANCE, WHAT WOULD THE POLICY BE THAT WOULD UNITE
ENOUGH PEOPLE TO MAKE A THIRD PARTY SUCCESSFUL?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO
BE DOING IS HOLDING A SERIES OF LISTENING SESSIONS AROUND THE
COUNTRY TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THAT VERY ISSUE.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN EVERY POLL,
THE MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE
SOME KINDS OF RESTRICTIONS, A WAITING PERIOD.
THERE SHOULD BE A BACKGROUND CHECK.
FRANKLY YOU DON'T WANT TO PUT GUNS IN THE HANDS OF PEOPLE WHO
HAD NO TRAINING. SO YOU -- PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO
SEE SOME TRAINING. THOSE ARE THE ISSUES AROUND
WHICH WE CAN COALESCE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SOLVE
EVERYTHING. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SOLVE
EVERYBODY'S PROBLEM AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE EVERYBODY
HAPPY. AS YOU RIGHTLY POINT OUT, THERE
IS A GREAT DEAL OF DIVISION ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES.
BUT WHEN YOU PEELING BACK THAT ONION, IT IS AMAZING HOW MUCH
COMMON GROUND YOU CAN FIND AND THEN YOU HAVE A POSITION FROM
WHICH TO MOVE FORWARD. AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
ONCE YOU START THAT PROCESS, THERE IS GOING TO BE NO STOPPING
IT, QUITE FRANKLY. >> ANDREW, GUNS, SOME AGREEMENT
IN CONGRESS RECENTLY ON THIS. IS THAT NOT ENOUGH?
>> WELL, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE NEED FOR A POLITICAL
REALIGNMENT, THE FACT IS ABRAHAM LINCOLN WON AS A THIRD PARTY
CANDIDATE WITH 39% OF THE VOTE. WE CAN ALL TELL THAT THIS SYSTEM
IS FAILING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 88% OF AMERICANS THINK WE'RE ON
THE WRONG TRACK. WE KNOW THAT POLARIZATION IS
JUST GETTING WORSE. NOT BETTER.
LEADERS LIKE GOVERNOR WHITMAN HAVE CROSSED PARTY LINES AND
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO SEE MORE OF.
THE FACT IS THIS TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IS DISINTEGRATING BEFORE
OUR EYES, AND IS UNIQUELY SUBJECT TO AUTHORITARIANISM.
IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES HEAD DOWN A DARK PATH,
THE ENTIRE SYSTEM CAN GO DARK. WHICH IS NOT THE WAY OTHER
DEMOCRACIES FUNCTION AND NOT THE WAY THE FOUNDING FATHERS
IMAGINED OUR COUNTRY FUNCTIONING EITHER.
>> DIFFERENT PARTY SYSTEM, THOUGH, RIGHT, OVER TIME.
GOVERNOR, HOW DO YOU GET PAST THE ISSUE OF CLOSED PRIMARIES?
THAT IS KEY IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ANY SORT OF THIRD PARTY
SUCCESSFUL RATHER THAN JUST A SPOILER.
>> NO, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. IT IS A CHALLENGE, BUT IT HAS
HAPPENED BEFORE. WE HAVE GOTTEN ON THE BALLOT.
I WAS PART OF A PROCESS, GOSH, NOW MUST HAVE BEEN 12 YEARS AGO
WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO GET ON BALLOT, ENOUGH STATES TO GET THE
REQUISITE VOTES AND THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE TO QUALIFY FOR
THE PRIMARY -- FOR THE DEBATES, WHICH IS ONE OF THE THINGS YOU
WANT THE SANCTIONED DEBATES. YOU CAN DO IT.
IT IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY. WE'RE NOT SAYING THIS IS GOING
TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO
BE WORKING ON, BUT WE BELIEVE AND REALLY KNOW THAT THERE IS A
HUNGER IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES WHAT
THEY'RE BEING GIVEN. WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS WE'LL GIVE
YOU AN ALTERNATIVE. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS,
GET IN TOUCH WITH US, GET IN TOUCH WITH US NOW, LET US KNOW.
WE CAN BUILD COALITIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, START TALKING ABOUT
THESE ISSUES, AND LET'S MOVE FORWARD.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> ALL RIGHT, ANDREW, WHO IS
JOINING YOU? ELON MUSK?
>> WE'RE GOING TO HAVE EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT NEW PEOPLE
AND LEADERS FROM EVERY SECTOR OF AMERICAN LIFE JOINING THE
FORWARD PARTY IN THE DAYS TO COME.
62% OF AMERICANS WANT THIS. THE PEOPLE WATCHING THIS RIGHT
NOW WANT THIS. YOU JUST KEEP BEING TOLD YOU
CAN'T HAVE IT. >> BUT I GOT TO ASK, IS ELON
MUSK ONE OF THOSE? YOU SAID ELON MUSK?
ELON MUSK ONE OF THOSE? >> I'M SORRY?
>> IS ELON MUSK ONE OF THOSE? >> WELL, ELON MUSK DID SUPPORT
MY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND LET'S JUST SAY, AGAIN, WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE SOME VERY EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE DAYS TO
COME. >> HE COULD BE A DIVISIVE
FIGURE. GOVERNOR, WHO ELSE?
WHO ELSE DO YOU WANT TO SEE? WHO ELSE IS WILLING TO DO THIS?
>> AS ANDREW SAID, WE'RE GOING TO BE ANNOUNCING A LOT OF NAMES,
IMPRESSIVE NAMES, NAMES THAT HAVE MONEY BEHIND THEM, NAMES
THAT HAVE POLITICAL EXPERIENCE BEHIND THEM, NAMES THAT ARE
RESPECTED BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHAT WE CARE ABOUT. WE CARE ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WILL
INSTILL CONFIDENCE IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND SO WE CAN
START TO MOVE FORWARD. YOU'LL BE HEARING A LOT, YOU'LL
BE -- YOU'LL SEE THAT THIS REALLY HAS SUBSTANCE.
THIS ISN'T JUST SOME FLY BY NIGHT THING THAT WE THOUGHT OF
WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE TO DO. THIS HAS BEEN CAREFULLY THOUGHT
OUT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CONVENTION
IN A YEAR, IN 2023 AND PULL THIS TOGETHER, COME UP WITH A
PLATFORM AND BE ABLE TO HAVE CANDIDATES THAT WILL AGREE WITH
THE FORWARD POSITION AND BE ON THE BALLOT IN THE STATES.
WE HAVE THE INDIVIDUAL STATES WITH DIFFERENT METHODS OF
WHETHER THEY ALLOW CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT, HOW YOU GET ON THE
BALLOT, WE'RE RESEARCHING AND HAVE RESEARCHED ALL OF THAT.
THIS IS A VERY THOUGHTFUL APPROACH THAT WE'RE TAKING.
AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE, WE'LL BE ON THE BALLOT.
WE'LL PRESENT CANDIDATES TO THE PUBLIC.
>> I WILL TELL YOU, YOU PIQUED SOME SKEPTICISM BUT ALSO I THINK
SOME CURIOSITY. WE'LL BE WATCHING.
ANDREW YANG, GOVERNOR WHITMAN, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.