navajo speaking voters many who need language assistance. i think the caller for his comment. host: for others who want to learn more about kristin clark and the lawyers committee fruit civil rights, you can go to >> c-span's washington journal every day we're taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day and will discuss policy issues that impact you. coming up this morning, a discussion about the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill and the $1.4 trillion government spending bill. we'll talk about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected budgets in america's cities with national league of cities director clarence anthony. watch c-span's washington journal live at 7:00 theern morning and be sure to join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text

messages and tweets. >> abbey goodman is joining thus morning from st. petersburg, florida. to talk about the republican party in a post trump washington.po t? the tale of the tape in the selection was actually how well republicans did against all expectations. they made a gain of at least half a dozen seats in the united states house where they were expected to lose seats. they will at least be in a tie or maintaine control after the elections in georgia. they made dramatic gains among hispanics, especially hispanic women. , trumps numbers

among african-americans were double or triple what they were in 2016 in certain parts of the country. any women are said to serve 96 congress, or publican women than at any time in history. so against all expectations in the middle of a pandemic, with all the media predicting doom and gloom, the president of the united states just barely apparently lost the selection. yet looking ahead, think about what is ahead. havesentially conservative/republican, we have a good foothold in the united states supreme court, historically the midterm election since world war ii there's been a change of up to -- from the out party to the party which means republicans are in good shape to retake the house in 22 and if they don't hold the majority in the senate, they fall back into a tie if

they had bad fortune georgia. they are still in much better position to increase their margins in the senate and maybe into 2023 with the united states house, the u.s. senate, a very favorable supreme court all giving them tailwinds as they move in to what will be another incredible experience and democracy called the presidential election. host: how did president trump change their publican party? guest: -- the republican party? guest: i remember writing in 2016 he -- they came in as a party of one. they were transforming -- they were transformational figures that decided they would play it a different way. they would go directly to the public as opposed to going through the filter of media, powerbrokers, special interest groups. they decided they would take it to the people.

that was a fundamental transformational change in the politics of america continues to this day. how has he changed it, obviously i think twitter is very happy having seen how much he popularized that social media. has certainly engaged in a conversation about doing things differently. foreign policy which has been relatively unchanged for a half-century has been dramatically changed and i think the fruits of those changes will be seen as we move downstream as we start alliances now with israel's -- israel and some of its arab neighbors. it speaks to some of the transcendent gains he has had. i think ultimately the willingness to stand up toto with china -- toe to toe with china who is been taking america's economic lunch for

years was an important first step in trying to ensure free and fair trade across the world and to make sure there isn't the growth of chinese power as we start moving ahead. in of those will be seen history is dramatically important a compliments of this president. host: what advice would you give to republicans running in the of theabout what parts president strategy or philosophy they should ignore in order to win? guest: the president of the united states had to go up against something you and i have never had to confront in our lifetime which was a pandemic. about what really costs donald trump reelection it was covid. that was a difficult thing for anyone to anticipate, much less handle. in terms of the advice moving forward that i or the president

or others would get, it is to be direct. be real, be genuine, the authentic. america, if nothing else in this last election, which is a real sign not only to republicans but to all americans been america's -- americans voted for moderation. see what has transpired over the last couple of weeks in the u.s. senate in particular over the stimulus package were a group of centrists, some on the and those on the right have started to drive not just the conversation, but policy. i think americans want to move forward, they want to get things done. i think you may be that ultimately will be the legacy of the selection and hopefully will be a sign not just to republicans, but anyone seeking to lead america forward in the

realm of public service. strategist asican well who worked for marco rubio in 2016 wrote in politico i think the take away from the selection is -- this election is whoever wins the suburbs will win the white house for the foreseeable future. inonsistent winning message the suburbs, that the challenges for republicans over the next few years. do you agree and if so, why? guest: i agree to a large extent. where is this swing, the swing vote in america, if we talk about it geographically you're talking about the suburbs. it is driven by one word, the economy. it's two words. and how well it's doing. the pandemic had a tremendous impact on america's economy.

i think that was seen in some of the voting that happened in american suburbs. there is something else, american cities. they say cities are democrats. i think they -- there are opportunities there for the cities not just from the left and the democratic side, but in withng forward and agenda the economy of america that those cities will start to vote that way and understand they have a choice in going one way or the other as opposed to moving in lockstep or by habit or inertia on the political spectrum and voting and supporting democrats and those on the left. host: talking about the republican party and the impact of president trump on it with adam goodman. if you're a republican, a dial in at 202-748-8001, democrats

202-748-8000. an independents 202-748-8002. you can text us with your first name, city, and state. you wrote in the "new york daily " this. explain. guest: we live in a cancel culture where everyone is afraid of saying anything is not -- for fear of being not just criticized but ostracized. haveo-cortez and others called for blacklisting anyone and everyone who ever served with president trump. theink you are dividing country and trying to command to unite. i take offense to that. this is guilt by association. you may like the president.

you may not like the president at all. he was president of the united states. to say that anyone who decided to serve their country in a trump administration should somehow not only apologize for that but be permanently ostracized from anything of any significance moving forward i think is the very reason we have instability in this country, we have political division in this country, and we are where we are as opposed to where we should be. host: next caller, democratic caller. i have never heard anyone answer this question. he is a stable genius. is not even half of what you asked.

thank you. host: adam goodman? guest: i am trying to be as direct and open as i can with your viewers. i appreciate the call. caller and a lot of people like that feel great distress and distrust that if someone goes on your show or any show and they have any kind of abel, i am categorized as media consultant and republican, that somehow that discolors anything that person will offer or share. you talk about the biggest problem in america, that is it. i hope not to feed into that but to fight it. host: oklahoma, independent. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. i wanted to know if you had heard the tape secretly made of and howt trump's sister

that affects your opinion of president trump. guest: thank you for the question. i did not personally hear that recording. i think there have been a lot of stories. some true, some half true, some completely not true about the president, his personality, his behavior. there are things the president has done, as with any human being, that i do not support or favor. i think that may have been one of those moments. but i look at the totality of what a person is about. you may say, what value did she or he bring to life? i look at the full resume. based on the resume of service president trump has brought to america over the last four years, i think his time in the white house has been very productive. need a, oklahoma,

independent. i am sorry. we just talked to you. let's go to mike, democratic caller. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. had an awfulump future ofe in the republicans will not be good --. concerned. refusing toump accept the election results is very disappointing. crisis, he is-19 concerned with himself and his family. it is unbelievable how the american people can trust republican politicians in this shameful situation. thank you.

guest: thank you for the observation and question, the implied question. i really believe we are at a place right now where we are so distrustful, not just of people , the pew center puts out annual ratings, not only is congress on the bottom of the pile but so are the people who serve us there. but it is also the lack of trust amongst ourselves. we don't trust each other. wheretalk about elections a lot has been written and made thehe results of 2020, cannot after election day, the count after election day. we went into 2020 distrusting the entire process. in 2016, 42% of democrats said

they did not believe in the final result in the campaign for president between hillary clinton and donald trump. they never accepted that as valid. 2020,orward to republicans by over 60% have trouble believing that is the final number. if we have distrust like that in the most fundamental pillar of democracy, which is the power of the vote, the integrity of the vote, if we start questioning that, i'm concerned about anyone's ability to have public in office who serves moving forward because they with one handed behind their back and the other soon to be manacled as well. host: rebecca, republican, good morning. caller: i want to let the

republican party know i have been voting since i was 18. i am 65 now. i'm thinking about changing over to democrat. i am disgusted with this last legislation. i don't care about the american people anymore. i wish the republicans would get on board and do like the democrats. go ahead and sign the bill for these people barely making it. thank you. host: adam goodman? guest: thank you for that question. host: what do you think the follow-up is over the president saying he would not sign this economic aid and government funding bill, and now, last night doing so? guest: i don't think there will be fallout. what the president was protesting in the package is he did not feel americans were getting enough direct assistance. yieldackage was going to

$600 checks to americans waiting six months for help. the president wanted a minimum of $2000 checks. also in this package, there was a push to have major financial donations, funding rather, given american cities and to try to forst liability protection small businesses trying to keep their doors open. there were many things in the package worthy of debate, but long past time we give relief to .ndividual americans struggling that is where the president was coming down on the stimulus package.

beingtely, this package passed will help across all fronts. but we still have a ways to go to get all americans back on their feet and moving forward again. host: louisiana, democratic caller. hi, reggie. caller: good morning, c-span. thank you. host: go ahead with your question or comment. caller: mr. goodman, i would like to make two points and raise two questions. is thed the economy primary issue. however, it should be noted that the spiritual progress always precedes the material. without that, everything will falter. limited theyou

achievements of the trump administration to israel and the mediterranean area. and you did not expand it beyond that. number one, is, why are you a republican? and number two, lighted you failed to address any of the serious negative aspects of the donald trump's effects on the republican party, especially with respect to voting? one person, one vote, has been something we have sought for centuries. you as appears republican and the republican party which has gone to extremes wants toss our vote,

place the trust in the electoral order?at the top of the discordance and double standards. sir, we are smart people now. we know what we have been through with respect to voter and cherishing one person, one vote. host: ok, reggie, let's get an answer. guest: thank you for calling in, reggie. let me go at the second part first when you talk about the vote. i think there is so little precious trust in our system that when a vote is cast and a good and reported out part of america does not believe it. in terms of confidence in

elections, a survey not long ago ranked america 20 ninth place among nations in the western world in terms of public confidence in the process. major electionor reforms. they include one-day reporting. i think we should not have this drip of reporting coming from media networks and individual jurisdictions. think we countries, i could wait a week and report all results at one time. number two, transparency. in today's age with technology the way it is, it is appropriate to request the ability to see any vote being counted. that certainly was not happening in the city of philadelphia postelection. number 3, 1 system. hundreds if not

thousands of different systems in play. are 67ida, there counties with 67 different systems. number four, invest in technology. we need billions invested in technology so we have the kinds of counting machines and vote certifying machines and other things that make our confidence level go up and the questions come down. and finally, this is not necessarily a popular opinion, i really believe when you mess with the election system it is akin to treason. i think it is. it is one of the worst things you can do in and to a democracy. i think there should be criminal penalties against anyone who messes with it, consciously messes with the vote. if we can straighten out that part of things, and by the way, i was a veteran of the 2000

recount, and the one thing we really wanted to do, and this is not something partisans necessarily want to hear, we wanted to make sure americans came out of 2020 in florida not disbelieving in the integrity of the vote. we did the best we could trying to get there. that vote was divided -- decided by 537 votes will always be a source of discussion. i think we need to advance election day reforms so we have the confidence. you said, why am i republican? my family grew up in baltimore, maryland. state which was democrat by registration. my dad was in the advertising business. the first political candidate he wasled, given no chance, the outspoken public official to his fault that a lot of people

are looking for who won out of nowhere the race for governor. that was spiro agnew. i saw some of the giants in that gave politics you a sense of class and character in public leadership. i think we have lost that across-the-board. no party has a monopoly on cleaning -- claiming they have the upper hand or on the upper road when it comes to those kinds of things these days. it is all about tearing each other up, trying to win at each other's expense with the american people watching in horror and increasingly in resignation that i guess this is the way it is going to be. i am proud of my republican roots.

i am proud of a lot of the people that have run as republicans and served nobly as republicans. there are many democrats who did the same. i have a fondness for two bone o'neill when he was speaker of the house for having bridged the divide and have gone to present reagan -- president reagan to advance the country. thank you for your question. do you agree with the "new york post" this morning? runoff elections will determine who will control the senate. are obsessed, you with january 6 when congress will certify the electoral college vote. you have tweeted as long as

republicans have courage, they can overturn the vote and give you four more years in office. in other words, you are cheering for an undemocratic coup. guest: i am a republican that believes we need to move forward. i think we always have certain questions about every election. manydge too far for me and watching the postelection reporting is somehow the selection was perfect, untainted, that no questions should be asked. just accept the results and move forward. that has not happened in my lifetime. questionstion has raised, certain challenges made. there are things going back to l.b.j. and j.f.k. in their races for president that will always be questioned about whether certain things were done appropriately or not. in terms of where we need to go, i believe we need to move

forward. i believe the president did a tremendous job serving this country for four years. i think the country has spoken as much as we can measure this and want to see joe biden serve as their next president. i will support this president elect as much as i supported any president who ever sat in the oval office because now, more ton ever, this country needs pull forward and pull together. in akron, ohio, independent. gentleman is this part of the effort of republicans to rewrite what was done or revisionist, whatever they want to call it. he is already saying every election had problems.

but what trump has done is like no other. presidentmage of the after trump has been changed. the many lies he told. the american president used to believe in the rule of law and concerned about deficit spending. everything a republican used to stand for. i will never vote for a republican. now, they have general flynn talking about how the president should declare martial law and confiscate voting machines. what is that? anarchy or sedition? i hope joe biden will listen to flynnpowell and recall back into the military and prosecute him. we need to show exactly what trump has done. he has undermined some of the basic things this country stands

for. i don't want to forget it. i hope biden does not forget it. i hope the people do not forget it. this man has done what no other president has done. and i thank you for c-span. host: adam goodman, your thoughts? guest: that is his point of view which i know is passionate and heartfelt and is an example of where we are today. i am more interested and i think most americans are more interested in what we will do tomorrow, not criticizing yesterday. we keep wanting to refight these battles. we will always have debates about not just this president but other presidents. things we thought they did well, things we thought they should have done better. but if the rancor of america is going to be at the front edge of everything we are going to do or

try to do, there will be no pulling this country together. there will be a culture of recrimination and dismissing veness. it is not a partisan thing. gamebody is playing this in public life. that is wrong. happening andt is americans are feeling like we have to keep going back and andighting old battles feeling that will advance us, i think that is the thing that will hold us back. biden andsident joe and leaders on both sides will advance things moving forward. we have seen what happens when washington grinds to a halt, where fingers are pointed where

everyone is at fault but no one is at fault. see our destiny as on the top of the mountain as opposed to going back. host: republican, good morning. caller: good morning. mr. goodman, you seem to want to put everything under the rug. i watched the interview on c-span about the voting. misinterpreted what i heard from senator rick scott. when he was governor, they put in voting machines and check thoroughly to make sure it matched. we did not see that in philadelphia. trump lost in pennsylvania. i want to go to the supreme court. that has been rejected. flynn, i agree with him.

he is being a real general standing up for truth. i don't know why people want to love this fraud going on. people do need to have some kind of reconciliation that their been identified. in mail inn't bring votes like they did in local cities in our area. they claim they were supposed to be postmarked by 8:00 that day. they were not postmarked so they came in anyway and got their vote. i agree with senator to me. -- toomey. i am glad you encouraged president trump to sign the bill. are so direple straits, maybe let them sign up for welfare. i know that sounds harsh.

they would have to go through a process. we are $26 trillion in debt. we are printing money, as rand paul says. cause more burden on the next generation. maybe people need to downsize. i don't understand all of a sudden there is a big piggy bank in washington, d.c. there is not. you keep printing it. i don't know how you reconcile it. when does it end? host: thank you. guest: i have a lot of experience going back to the start of my career in when hephia politics was trying to recapture the mayor's office. i have seen a lot in terms of the lack of election integrity. a lot of questions need to be answered as we reform. in terms of your question about

the stimulus package, the president was saying we need to get more direct relief. i support that. and this is toe, your point and question, for too long, we have been spending ourselves into the kind of place where our children and grandchildren cannot possibly overcome the debt we are going to put on their backs and lives. at some point, we need to have fiscal discipline. pandemic, notof a just a health pandemic, but an economic pandemic, i am not get past that. beyond that, we have to start asking ourselves, are we willing to keep funding everything we can possibly write a check for which means putting more debt on the backs of future generations ?nd do that in good conscience

i think it is wrong. i think it has been wrong under both parties who have had control of congress and the white house in the past. at some point, you want a constitutional change. i am in favor of the balanced budget amendment to get fiscal discipline back into place so we don't spend tomorrow into oblivion because of the unwillingness to contain spending now. republican.aller, caller: good morning. i keep track. you have this republican on now. but for the last few days, all the guests you have had on our leaning toward the democratic side. because iask c-span,

watch you all the time, why can't you do democrat, republican, independent every time? guy, i ampublican definitely a republican. the problem with the republican party is they are too easy going and the democrats will run all over you. most of the democrats in washington, not the local people because they are being fed a bunch of baloney, but they are evil people. you republicans need to grow some balls and tell the republicans because if not, the republican party will be gone forever and we will be in a communist country. young people want everything for free. here in indiana, i live in a small country area, there is jobs everywhere. everywhere you go, "help

wanted." what is wrong with these people sitting around wanting free handouts from the government all the time? host: all right, adam goodman. guest: i think you just heard from a donald trump voter. i think she raises good points which has been driving republican optimism moving forward that inevitably americans want self-reliance as well as self-assurance to be in play. today seems to be a demand for support without doing your part to honor the social compact. the social compact in america since certain things are expected in return for benefits. one benefit is the benefit of national defense and a unified system taking on a pandemic. in return, what do you owe? i think the caller is asking

that question. what do we owe in return? i think we all have to look in the mirror and say, what have we done lately, at any time in memory where we were giving, simply toomething not enhance our own bottom line and agenda? come to grips with answering that question in the affirmative, we will keep looking to others to give us answers and remedies to do things we are not willing to do. betty,, inast call, wheeling illinois. caller: i don't think trump is a republican. i think he is just a trump. it is sad that he has brought down the institution of republicans. in 2015, he started attacking everybody that was running.

he did not care who he hurt. he has ruined some the lives and families. i think he is not a true republican. i would like your answer to that. guest: thank you very much for the question. i hear what you are saying. i think he is a very different kind of public leader, very different. as i said earlier in reference to bernie sanders, it is hard to put a party label on either one of them. but if you are talking party in terms of republicans and looking forward, because a lot of calls have suggested republicans might be handcuffed because of this current president in terms of moving forward and growing the party, look at the potential bench of people who may run for president in 2024. nikki haley, tom cotton, rick scott, josh hawley, tim scott,

kristi noem, ted cruz, craig abbott. you have a wealth of talent ready to come forward that everything of major import the president has pushed for four years. but they will be different in personality. some people may miss not having donald trump on the playing field. many people will be very happy to see him retreat from the playing field. but the personalities to come will still bring the basic approach which is small government, living within your means, foreign policy where we are not funding adversaries, where we are trying to rally behind allies, trying to create breakthroughs and relationships that make a difference. we are not ashamed to secure our borders. we are not ashamed to ask everyone do their fair part in driving the american experience forward. those kinds of leaders are in ample supply. they are about ready to come off

the bench. i think the future of the party is all good. i think we will see this as a historyhapter in a long of party ideology and service to this country. host: >> wasn't a journal. we are taking your calls live on the air and we will discuss policy issues that impact you. this morning, a discussion about the coronavirus relief bill and the $1.4 trillion government spending bill with -- and we will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected budgets in american cities with the executive director, clarence anthony.

watch washington journal, at 7:00 eastern this morning. join the discussion with your phone calls, text messages, facebook discussions, and tweets. >> new york times columnist brett stevens discussed the impact of the trump presidency at a virtual event hosted by jews united for democracy and justice. this is about an hour. >> thank you. you ateased to join another virtual town hall. back at over nine months of programming, i want to join for a moment in the tooting of our lord. horn.e -- tooting of our u20to pass told