tv Politics Nation With Al Sharpton MSNBC November 10, 2018 2:00pm-3:01pm PST
2:00 pm
replacing my words of concession with an uncompromised and unapologetic call that we count every single vote. >> good evening and welcome to "politicsnation." you heard it, folks, recount in the sunshine state. we now know that florida's dramatic races for senator and governor will last at least into next week as new numbers from broward county narrow the gaps in both contests triggering a recount that has sparked protest for allies of both camps. the latest numbers have andrew gillum now trailing ron desantis by just 34,000 votes in the race for governor. in the senate race rick scott's lead over bill nelson is even
2:01 pm
tighter, just 13,000 votes. we'll have more on what it all means politically. while it may take at least a few more days before the dust completely settles from this week's midterm, the results were largely as expected. the most obvious change being that democrats will begin the coming year with a once in a generation house majority and some key gains at the state and local lechlvels. the real shift is how progressive messages are now starting to work in the reddest states. i'll talk with fellow radio host charlamagne about the black community's reaction to the wins, scandals, which is already looking at its next fight. this one over what former attorney jeff sessions ouster means for the russia probe, which acting attorney general
2:02 pm
matt whitaker says he will not recuse himself despite past criticisms of that escalating investigation. does the shake-up mean that its days are numbered, and can democrats now in charge of oversight protect special counsel robert mueller. joining me now "new york times" editorial board member mara gay, fordham university political science professor and author christina greer and republican strategist michael steele. let me start with you, myra. we've seen the biggest shift toward a democratic majority since 1974, watergate. what does this really mean politically? has the nation moved politically? is it the personality and behavior of president trump? what do you think is motivated
2:03 pm
this historic shift. >> i do see this as a repudiation of president trump. it's a referendum on him. what we're seeing is the house moving more toward the vision of the country shared by a majority of americans, whereas the senate, which is not done by population, is kind of stuck in the past. it's a pretty frustrating reality. i think that's why a lot of democratic voters woke up wednesday saying to themselves how could so many americans still support president trump. so you are seeing this split screen we have in this country, two visions for america. one represented in the house. the house looks more and more like the rest of urban and suburban america. we have women, we have people of color, we have openly gay, openly lesbian, native american.
2:04 pm
it's incredibly encouraging. >> muslim. >> muslim, absolutely. the senate is a little behind. i think that is going to create mayor and more conflict as this unfolds. >> now, michael, was it a mistake for president trump to make himself the center of the republican message. he actually started saying the vote for the republican is a vote for me. was that a mistake? >> this was a tale of two midterms. in the senate races which were dominated by senate democrats running in very red, very rural states where the president is still very, very popular, his support was very helpful. that's why you saw an expended republican majority in the senate. however, because of his personal scandals and harsh tone and policies, he was increasingly unpopular among suburban voters, particularly college educated
2:05 pm
women. that was toxic for house republicans. as for whether it was a smart political strategy for him to make himself the center of the campaign, i don't think it was a matter of political strategy, he simply can't help himself. >> that we agree. let me push it a little before going to professor greer. the fact is that we have arizona, florida, and a runoff in mississippi. so we don't know that they are going to end up gaining. they will have control. but if the democrats sweep these three, it's going to be more narrow than saying that he added to the senate. >> they will add more narrowly if these races don't go well for republicans. we'll see as the process plays out whether that turns out to be the case. in either case -- no matter what happens with that, we're going to have a republican majority in the senate, a democratic majority in the house and an entirely new battleground here in washington. >> now, professor greer, i was
2:06 pm
in florida last sunday the amendment and there was tremendous turnout. then when i heard about there may be a recount and now we do have a recount officially, i started having shudders. i remember 18 years ago i was in florida and the hanging chads and all of that. not to be as mara said, stuck in the past, but i can't help as i do to sleep at night, are we going to have deja vu. >> or is this foreshadowing of 2020, instead of calling real elections into question, saying this is voter fraud, which it isn't. we live in a free society, we should count the vote. i'm surprised gillum conceded so quickly. the last three elections are
2:07 pm
within 1 percentage point. we should count every ballot, provisional, absentee, our soldiers who were voting out of the country. also wanted to go back to something michael said. we keep using suburban for white women. if we say white women we can say white women. as ucla talks about a lot of white women moving to the suburbs. >> it's not what it used to be. >> not what it used to be. >> metropolis not what it used to be. a little word mara taught me called gentrification. it's a whole different world out there now. >> indeed. when we look at the composition of how the house and senate turn out, enormous turnout. even though republicans by and large are not -- democrats are registered more for the most part and republicans tend to turn out more. we know in 2020 democrats will be prepared, i don't know who our candidate will be but there
2:08 pm
will be a real desire to try and turn certain senate seats but also the presidency. >> mara, one of the things i noticed is that many of the democrats that won were not to the far left. they were progressive. many of them medicaid for all and other things but they were not to the far left. does this give us a profile of where the democratic party is going or will there with an inner fight in the democratic party on direction as we saw with clinton, bernie sanders in 2016. >> there will be a fight among the democrats because they can't quite seem to get a unified message and that frustrates a lot of folks. i think beyond the actual policy difference what we saw is the people who are most successful from ontario delgado, outer suburbs of new york, first time black candidate, very impressive, won in a 90-95%
2:09 pm
white district. >> right. >> in the catskill and hudson valley region against a conservative republican who ran a race-baiting campaign. >> with impressive numbers. >> impressive numbers. we saw that there. we also saw beto o'rourke, stacey abrams, gillum, all three of them, those are impressive numbers. >> in new york city where trump is from the republican there lost. >> what they all have in common is actually an ability to build coalitions across racial lines, an ability to actually talk about what democrats stand for. for example, leading, i would say, with health care. with unions, with jobs. talking about the bread and butter issues that all americans care about that are very successful, that democrats are very successful with. they know how to talk about those issues with everyone.
2:10 pm
that's where the party needs to go. >> fall on the side of kind of didn't get there. there was a lot of report, michael, the night of the election and the morning after that the blue we have didn't happen. i think those that were drowned know that a blue wave did happen. in fact, you had the biggest turnover in the house since watergate. i know the president is entertainer in chief, but how do you spin that? they lost 30 to 35 seats in the house. that has not happened since 1974. >> yeah, there are two ways to look at that that people wound up feeling disappointed about a historic victory. the first the last two republican pickups of the house 1954 was 20 seats and 2010 was 50 seats. this looks small compared to those wave elections relatively
2:11 pm
recently. also frankly washington democrats let the expectation game get out of control. >> lights on certain races. christina, the fact is that whether or not, you know, michael says two ways to look at it. yeah, it is, whether you're drowning or whether you're trying to gulp for water on the blue wave. >> we know the president knew a wave happened. the next day he fires jeff sessions to distract us from the conversation. >> one of the most bizarre press conferences in presidential history. >> i do want to back up to something mara said. we need to look at women of color going to washington, d.c. they are going despite the party. look at cortez oath. >> one of the pillars. >> right behind nancy pelosi, priestly. she did this on her own. cbc endorsed her opponent. we have women coming in, new freshman coming in, i also want to have a conversation about
2:12 pm
what leadership looks like purchase and what the party looks like. the panel is back with us a little bit later. up next, additional returns from the midterms give the democrats their biggest house gains in 44 years. so why are they not happy? be right back. are they not hap? be right back. it was here. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto® to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. warfarin interferes with at least 6 of your body's natural blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor. for afib patients well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor,
2:13 pm
as this may increase your risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. before starting, tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures and any kidney or liver problems. learn all you can to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®.
2:15 pm
2:16 pm
democrats won big on tuesday. they gained back control of the house and are on track to pick up between 35 to 40 seats. women were the driving force. so far a record breaking 121 women will serve in the next congress. so with all the history made, what are the lessons from this election and what do the midterms predict about 2020. joining me now is presidential historian and pulitzer prize winning author of "leadership in turbulent times" doris kearns goodwin and editor and publisher of cook political report, charlie cook. let me go to you first, charlie. what just in terms of raw data, nobody does it better than you, what did we really see in terms of the political patterns that the vote on tuesday showed us
2:17 pm
where the nation is politically in terms of active voters? >> you know, coming out of 2016, we had a split country, a split decision, popular vote going one way, electoral college going the other way. we kind of saw that again this time. the senate with republicans having a pretty good night, we have to wait and see arizona and florida and possibly mississippi. but we saw a split decision where the house of representatives, governors, legislatures went blue for democrats and senate went pretty good, awfully good for republicans. again, a split decision. these midterm elections, they are not good predictors of the next presidential election, but some of the states where democrats had problem in 2016, like michigan, like wisconsin, like pennsylvania suggest that maybe some of the problems democrats had in 2016 aren't
2:18 pm
quite as big as 2018. >> now, doris, i find myself on sundays going to the pulpit and my bible and leadership in turbulent times. you break down some things i could really preach about. tell us in the big picture where we are in terms of the historic patterns that are being made at this point. 100 years from now, what will they say about this point in the era of donald trump's presidency and in the era of completing the second decade of the 21st century. what does the big picture look like on american politics? >> i wish i were 100 years older and i could actually tell you what it would be. i think the most important thing that will come out of this is the record breaking number of women that have come into office. it's a long time in coming. we thought twice before we had
2:19 pm
the year of the women, i think this time there's a real movement. leadership is always a two-way street. it's never just who is in power but whether the citizens are awakened. everything that's really mattered has been from a movement, anti-slavery, civil rights, women's movement, not only are women coming in but from different places, teachers, doctors. they had never been in public life before and they wanted to be part of this process. we have an infrastructure for women we didn't have before. we've got many more donors. a list larger than before. training women and having boot camps for women. i think it's a permanent thing. the more women in library, commissioners, city council that can be role models for other women. more women come in, research shows more collaborative. research shows they go over the party line. research shows they care about issues that are forefront right
2:20 pm
now like health care. i don't think it's just me as a woman speaking, i really do think it's the fundamental thing some male historian will talk about 100 years from now. >> now when we look at this shift, and being led by many women who are not ideologues, people necessarily the ones out leading the movement, but they have been brought in and empowered by the movement and awakened by the movement, how will that shift american politics as we go forward, in your opinion? what would be your prediction? doris? >> my hope is it will bring us back to some sort of more bipartisanship. women in the house and senate over time have crossed party lines. it's time everybody in the country wants us to be able to solve problem. women have solve problems at local levels. hopefully when they get there they will solve problems at the washington level. i think there's a certain sense obviously this was a referendum on president trump.
2:21 pm
more than two out of three people were thinking about him when they came into that election. the one thing you would hope he would take out of this election was to be chastened somehow and reach over to the other side of the party line. it doesn't seem that's what's happening now. it's got to be the people inside the congress that's going to think about a new way of doing things. we've been at war in the congress for nearly four decades. they don't know how to make peace anymore. that's why a whole infusion of new people coming in i think could bring fresh energy. more young people voted than voted in a long period of time. all that says something good in the country. if we can awaken our citizenry we can get our problems solved. without it nothing can happen. >> charlie, does your data show there is a desire to move towards a unified and civil kind of politics or are we as polarized as people see the
2:22 pm
projection from this president, when he plays to this base, whatever the base is, erosion in this base or constant us against them mentality in american politics that donald trump frankly has played very well. >> the way i learned politics, politics is about addition, not subtraction or division. in that sense president trump has not practiced politics of addition, trying to build on his coalition. if i could put in a plug, though, for doris's book, i read it within a week after it came o out, it was not just enjoyable but inspirational. i think people really should read it. to me the other thing coming out of this, it wasn't just women as candidates, it was women as donors and women voting. i think there was some experience coming out of 2016
2:23 pm
where you just had women turbo charged at every level. i do think it really changed politics this year in the on coming years. >> doris, i agree with his assessment. i read it on a plane and i refused to get onout of my seat until i finished the chapter i was on. are you hopeful? guarded? where do you see the country going? >> as i say, i think one of the things abraham lincoln said with public sentiment anything is possible. without it, nothing is possible. until citizens were awakened to what's going on in the country, the lack of leadership in the washington, i wasn't hopeful. we've come through worse times before. think about it, we're not in the middle of a civil war, not a depression, not world war ii. in each one of those cases we not only had the right leader in place but we had citizens shoring up the leader and
2:24 pm
bringing forth the possibility. so if this is an awakening of the citizens, not just women but young people and citizens and more people voting long lines than ever before in a midterm, that's terrific hope for the country. if the citizens are there, as fdr said, if the citizens are told what should be done, and they believe and understand where we should go by leaders and by their actions, you can never bet against america. so that's my hope. >> we needed make hope in these turbulent times as you see. thank you doris kearns goodwin and charlie cook. >> thank you. up next, my weekly memo to president trump. this time my advice on how to handle the media in a more presidential way. and next week, i'll be in washington, d.c., for the annual national action network's legislative and policy conference. we call it from demonstration to legislation. this tuesday and wednesday on capitol hill in washington, d.c. go register, it's free. be right back.
2:25 pm
2:26 pm
than psoriatic arthritis. as you and your rheumatologist consider treatments, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once daily pill for psoriatic arthritis. taken with methotrexate or similar medicines, it can reduce joint pain... ...swelling and significantly improve physical function. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests, and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. don't let another morning go by without talking to your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr.
2:27 pm
discover card. don't let another morning go by without i justis this for real?match, yep. we match all the cash back new cardmembers earn at the end of their first year, automatically. whoo! i got my money! hard to contain yourself, isn't it? uh huh! let it go! whoo! get a dollar-for-dollar match at the end of your first year. only from discover. when the guy inown front slams on his brakes out of nowhere. you do, too, but not in time. hey, no big deal. you've got a good record and liberty mutual won't hold a grudge by raising your rates over one mistake. you hear that, karen? liberty mutual doesn't hold grudges. how mature of them! for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise their rates because of their first accident. liberty mutual insurance. liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪
2:29 pm
a. time now for my weekly memo to president trump. a day after the election held a press conference this happened. >> you called a nationalist, emboldened nationalist. >> i don't know why you're saying that, that's such a racist question. >> mr. trump, may i remind you that the job of the media is to get information. that is a public interest. they are meant to ask tough questions. let me tell you what i've learned from my own experiences with the media. when i first started dealing with the media, i would be abrasive, let emotions overtake me, but i learned it got in the way of my message, and it got in the way of what i was trying to represent for people that needed to be spoken for. oh, but i forgot, you are your message. you're not speaking for anyone, you're speaking to your crowd so they can move for your interests and yours alone. not only were you outright
2:30 pm
absurd in how you handled mr. acosta, you seemed to reserve your nastiness for black women reporters, april, abby phillip, you would use characterizations that really were frankly, mr. president, your racism is showing. people see you particularly nasty to black women. if you really want to be perceived with respect, lest presidential, you need to put your emotions and abrasiveness inside and start giving people a message of leadership. after all, people need their needs addressed, not you trying to berate reporters that give them their information. be right back with radio host charlamagne. host charlamagne. . especially these days.
2:31 pm
(dad) i think it's here. (mom vo) especially at this age. (big sister) where are we going? (mom vo) it's a big, beautiful world out there. (little sister) woah... (big sister) wow. see that? (mom vo) sometimes you just need a little help seeing it. (vo) presenting the all-new three-row subaru ascent. love is now bigger than ever. ...that's why i've got the power of 1-2-3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy. the power of 1-2-3 ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 trelegy with trelegy and the power of 1-2-3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works 3 ways to... ...open airways,... ...keep them open... ...and reduce inflammation... ...for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia,
2:32 pm
and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling,.. ...problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. think your copd medicine is doing enough? maybe you should think again. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy and the power of 1-2-3. ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 save at trelegy.com.
2:33 pm
whenshe was pregnant,ter failed, in-laws were coming, a little bit of water, it really- it rocked our world. i had no idea the amount of damage that water could do. we called usaa. and they greeted me as they always do. sergeant baker, how are you? they were on it. it was unbelievable. having insurance is something everyone needs, but having usaa- now that's a privilege. we're the baker's and we're usaa members for life. usaa. get your insurance quote today.
2:34 pm
welcome back. the mid terms are almost over. our country and government are still divided. how are folks reacting. earlier i into with charlamagne tha god, host of the popular radio show the breakfast club to get his take on the changing landscape of the trump presidency and politics as we know it. he's also the author of the new book, shook one, which touches on the importance of discussion
2:35 pm
mental health. watch. charlamagne tha god, first of all, we're honored to have you with us today. >> thank you for having me, rev. >> before we get to the book, and i want toting to the book, what are listeners talking about the after midterm elections, i know you were involved getting votes out. what vibe were you getting? >> people went quiet. they were talking about stacey abrams, andrew gillum because they became stars in a way. people trying to figure out what happened in florida and georgia. they don't understand it was a pretty good showing or democrats. we're in a better place since democrats took the house. i'm not sure in everybody realizes that yes. >> what the implications would be if we could hold them accountab accountable. >> i'm sure we will. >> part of it, donald trump has
2:36 pm
been able to spin it his way. you being who you are in terms of radio and tv and media, you understand spin. >> he's the best. >> he is. >> when he did the conference, they were so focused on how he was talking to reporters, that was all deflection, he didn't want to answer any questions. we should be focusing on why he's not answering questions not deflecting. >> anybody who made impact in the last several years has done the breakfast club. if you interviewed donald trump, what would you do? >> to be honest with you, i don't know if i would want to. the reason i don't know if i would want to, it would be a circus and show. i would want to see him being pressed by somebody who knows policy, legislation, can really nail him to the cross in a political way. that's the conversation we haven't seen him have with anyone yet. if anything i'd be calling you and angela and saying arm me with all the right questions to ask him. >> i don't know that he knows policy and legislation. that's the problem.
2:37 pm
>> that's why it's so easy for kim kardashian and kanye west to talk with him. he understands the talk of other celebrities. he doesn't understand politics, goes right over his face. >> we talked down through the years, trayvon and a lot of cases i was involved with and others, the quest for social justice is something you authentically have been involved in and call people out on. >> absolutely. >> here we are now, in florida we don't know where the gillum recount and where that will lead but we do know we want amendment 4 which gives us enfranchisement of voting. >> 1.4 million. >> 1.4 million of ex-felons. how big a deal is that. >> that's huge. you look how close the election is. you know those 1.4 million people that got their voter
2:38 pm
rights restored, the majority of them are black and brown. whose side do you think they are on. 1.4 million vote we wouldn't be sitting here talking about a recount. andrew gillum would be governor of florida now. >> making that nationwide, where it would be a million. expanding of electorate is important. part of the frus frags in the community you and i come from is that we are not heard and we are, in many ways blocked from using the vote. one of them is because of those that may have served their time, paid their dues to society, can't come back in and get their full dignity back as citizens. >> absolutely. that's one reason i'm happy the elections are so close in georgia and florida because we try to stress to our people that voting matters. i understand why they feel like it doesn't. a lot of times we vote these people into office and nothing changes in the black and brown communities. ic it's very important once we get these people in office, hold them accountable.
2:39 pm
i'm glad these elections are close. we can truly see every vote does matter. theres a meme on instagram, they say if it matters why they try so hard to suppress it. when you see them hiding provisional boxes in florida, this is real. we should take advantage of the voting every chance we get. >> i agree with that meme. in fact, when i was growing up in brownsville, i tell people now that somebody break in their house, the only steal bhawhat's valuable will if somebody is taking something from you, it must be of value. let me ask you about the book. what is the thing when people put your book down you hope they walk away with. i was on a plane and a lady walked past me and said have you read the book? i said i know the author. >> i didn't set out to write a second book, i started to go to therapy to get a handle on my anxiety.
2:40 pm
i've historically had anxiety, never did medicine for it. i thought i could pray it away. it was stress, ifgs unemployed. if i get a new job, i would be fine. six, seven years of really major success on the breakfast club i thought it should go away but it didn't. i kept a journal of things that gave me anxiety, i started to get to the root of ptsd and trauma of what happened to me when i was young. i had all these pages and i decided to put it together in book form. i reached out to a mental health therapist. he gave clinical correlation to all my experiences in the book. i would talk about my experience with anxiety and panic attacks and he gave the expert opinion on it. i'm not an expert at nothing. i've got some experiences i'm sharing with people. i would hope people realize it's okay to seek help. a lot of times therapy is such a tabu thing, especially in the
2:41 pm
black community. we need it. we're damaged people. >> because all of us come from some kind of brokenness we never deal with. >> absolutely. i think the problem is a lot of us are still within that brokenness. a lot of us are still in that hurt. sometimes when you transcend your circumstances and get out of the hood and looking from the outside in, you realize, a lot of that stuff we went through was not normal. we normalize it but it's not normal at all. i'm just a brother trying to do the work. >> do you find that by you becoming open with it and public with it that it also helps you deal even more with it in terms of your self? >> 100%. i'm the type person i've got to speak what's on my mind. if i've got these thoughts on my mind or feelings on my mind and i'm not talking about it, i feel lying i'm fronting, faking. i don't feel like that right now. i'm being my true authentic self. that's all i want to be at the end of the day. i want to be the real me. this is what i've been going through in the past year and
2:42 pm
change. now in this book form and i've got to go back on the press tour and talk about it, which is very uncomfortable. i realize i'm not really talking about this. i don't mind feeling uncomfortable because i'm growing. >> as you deal with discomfort, what are people most asking you about as you do book tours an appearances. >> not asking but coming to me and saying, thank you for talking about this. i feel with anxiety, imt on all kind of medication. i'm like, you don't have to whisper about it no more. it's cool. we're putting a mega phone to this conversation whispered about by so many people. you can't hear whl what you don reveal. that's how you eradicate it. >> you can't heal what you don't reveal. i'm going to use that in a sermon. i'll give you yesterday the first time. >> see you on the island new
2:43 pm
year's. >> the book, shook one anxiety playing tricks on me by charlamagne tha god. up next, the new man in charge of mueller investigation how acting attorney matthew whitaker could affect the outcome of the russia probe. outcome of the russia probe. let's be honest. every insurance company tells you they can save you money. save up to 10% when you bundle with esurance. including me, esurance spokesperson dennis quaid. he's a pretty good spokesperson. ehhh. so when i say, "drivers who switched from geico to esurance saved an average of $412," you probably won't believe me.
2:44 pm
hey, actor lady whose scene was cut. hi. but you can believe this esurance employee, nancy abraham. seriously, send her an email and ask her yourself. no emails... no emails. when insurance is affordable, it's surprisingly painless. this is frank. sup! this is frank's favorite record. this is frank's dog. and this is frank's record shop. frank knowns northern soul, but how to set up a limited liability company... what's that mean? not so much. so he turned to his friends at legalzoom. yup! they hooked me up. we helped with his llc, contracts, and some other stuff that's part of running a business. so frank can focus on the beat. you hear that? this is frank's record shop. and this is where life meets legal. shaquem get in here. take your razor, yup. alright, up and down, never side to side, shaquem. you got it? come on, get back. quem, you a second behind your brother, stay focused. can't nobody beat you, can't nobody beat you.
2:45 pm
2:46 pm
2:47 pm
welcome back. with former attorney general jeff sessions ousted this week, the president seems to have found the loyalist he always wanted. acting ag matt whittaker, will he now have the protection he always sought from the escalating mueller probe. back with me "new york times" editorial board member mara gay, author and fordham university professor greer, mike steel and joining me msnbc legal analyst paul butler. let me go to you first, paul. there's a question of whether or not he is constitutionally in line to be in the position he's in. what is your view? >> so the constitution requires a principle officer to be confirmed by the senate. a principle officer is someone
2:48 pm
who reports directly to the president. the attorney general reports directly to the president. the administration's view is they filled the position in a temporary way through what's called the vacancy act. even the vacancy act seems to require somebody with some kind of senate confirmation. they are saying, well, because he was confirmed by the senate to be a u.s. attorney many years ago, that counts. i think that's kind of dubious. i think we're kind of in a race though. i don't think whitaker based on his improprieties, wacky, farrout extremist use for the trump administration i don't think is fog to be around long. >> christina, when you have someone, when we look at mueller investigation, that has attack the investigation directly, i mean derided it in no uncertain terms, how can we be comfortable he's not going to interfere with it by the extreme of firing mueller or by starving the
2:49 pm
process because mueller has to go to him to get the money to further the investigation and do certain things. isn't this a crisis in confidence for the american public of any party? >> people keep saying we're approaching constitutional crisis, i would make the argument we have been in one. we see the president consistently destroy norms since he walked down that gold escalator before he became president. with whitaker, a new things will happen. i think he could very well last but now that the house actually has a majority, we see the president acting erratically. he knows mueller has been very silent and the elections are over. if by make chance whitaker tries to starve the mueller investigation, it will be the house that needs to step up and make sure they either support mueller in some sort of capacity or put forward an agenda to figure out if it's something as minor as taxes. there's a divide within the democratic party, some people don't want to go down that
2:50 pm
route. but there have been many elected officials that say something taxes might explain why the president is acting so erratically and what mueller was looking for. >> and the fact you have the ability, mara, now, to subpoena. you're talking about because you're talking about chair people of committees. you know, if i'm donald trump, i hear voices at night saying elijah is coming. as in elijah cummings. elijah cummings is overnight to directly how falls into the attorney general's office, by all of that he can question and subpoena. >> here's what's difficult for democrats is that when trump -- trump is essentially putting the ball back in their court and he's saying dare me -- or i dare you rather to do something about this. i'm going to act the way i want regardless of what the outcome of the midterm is and i will force you to risk your majority and your capital to subpoena may. that's difficult because the
2:51 pm
democrats who won and flipped seat on tuesday, they didn't do so by promising to subpoena the president. these are purple districts where they actually said, yes, it's important to be a check on trump but actually i'm running for health care and that's the first thing i'm going to do. the democrats don't want to have to use the subpoena power and out of the gate. they're going to have to if he continues his behavior. >> well, charlie, will he continue this behavior? you're a republican that has been evenhanded critical of the president. will he wave the red flag and force the democrats to either answer him directly or duck? >> of course. i mean, he's increasingly backed into a corner politically. i think the white house is still absorbing how impactful for them the house subpoena power, the house democratic majority is going to be. i also think this is an appointment that erodes the constitutional authority of the senate, and senators in both parties are going to have real
2:52 pm
concerns, particularly if he starts restricting the mueller investigation, or if it's not clear there will be a formally nominated senate approved attorney general any time in the near future. >> that's the question, paul. you said he was given, he being whitaker, a temporary position but we don't know how long is temporary. when is temporary too long? >> 210 days under the law. but we already know he applied for the job on cnn, writing up ads saying it's a witch-hunt, saying mueller has already exceeded his constitutional authority. he will be advised by ethics officers of the department of justice he has to recuse himself from this investigation but it's his decision and he's not going do that. we already know how he's going to try to stop it. he said, you don't have to fire mueller. all you have to do is not give them any money. when he oversees the investigation, he controls the
2:53 pm
budget. any new direction mueller goes in, mueller has to check with him. we already know he says no. >> but this is a dangerous position for the country. we're talking about the justice department. >> this is the perfect example of how many of the biggest scandals are right in our faces. this is exhibit a. exhibit b will be how in the governor's race in georgia, how can you, if you're brian kemp, how can be you the secretary of state and run for governor at the same time? so you're controlling that election. >> you're the referee and opposee? >> but they're so big you don't have to hide from them. so it's very difficult for americans to wrap their minds around the severity of the issue. >> it's not the new jim crow, it's the old jim crow. >> it's the old jim crow in a it new suit. thank you michael steele, paul butler. , paul butler here we go.
2:54 pm
2:55 pm
i'm a musician about to embark on a concert tour,r. with the majority of which will be down south. atlantic city? the deep south. this thanksgiving... in the deep south, there's gonna be problems. when you see me worried... tony. you'll know if i'm worried. how about some quiet time. it's amazing you said that, my wife used to say that all the time. their journey inspired an unexpected friendship. i don't think i ever met anyone with your appetite. [ laughing ] we were talking about the model t. now here we are
2:56 pm
talking about winning the most jd power iqs and appeal awards. talking about driver-assist technology talking about cars that talk and listen. talking about the highest customer loyalty in the country. but that's enough talking. seriously. that was a lot of talking. back to building that was a lot of talking. i am a techie dad.n.
2:57 pm
i believe the best technology should feel effortless. like magic. at comcast, it's my job to develop, apps and tools that simplify your experience. my name is mike, i'm in product development at comcast. we're working to make things simple, easy and awesome. one of the victories from tuesday night's midterm election was the winning of amendment 4 in florida, which restored the voting rights of ex-felons, as charlemagne tha god said on this show, 1.4 million people that were disenfranchised. we can't keep telling people to reform themselves, restore themselves, and then not give them the dignity of being full citizens, and that includes the
2:58 pm
right to participate in the process. and to become full again as citizens in doing so. in april, right after the action naks network convention, my first stop was tallahassee, where i spoke, reverend r.b. holmes of the television action network had a big rally there around amendment 4. my little brother had been pushing me for a long time to join a lot of groups that has been on this a lot longer than we have. it won on tuesday's ballot. florida i was miami to be exact watching with jay gordon and other union leaders as we joined other ministers called you souls to the polls saying it's not about me, it was souls to the polls. i was there saying amendment 4 yes. it is important that we have a democracy that even is open to those who may have made a
2:59 pm
mistake or who couldn't afford to prove themselves innocent, because until everyone has a participation, then everyone does not feel included. i hope to see us make federal law where people who fall down are allowed to get back up and when they get back up, they should be able to do whatever anyone else standing on their own two feet can do. that's what amendment 4 in florida did. that's what we need to do all over the country. for democracy to work, everyone should be able to participate, and florida became one more state that got in line with that feeling. that does it for me. thanks for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow night at 5:00 p.m. eastern with a new live show, and to keep the conversation going, like us at facebook.com/politicsnation, and follow us on
3:00 pm
twitter @politicsnation. up next, "deadline: white house," hosted this time by john heilemann. >> aloha and namaste. it's 4:00 in new york city. i'm john heilemann in for nicolle wallace on this friday, when we saw the latest installment of donald trump's latest rhetorical trope. i hardly know the guy. in this case, the guy is the newly appointed attorney general matt whitaker from whom trump already seems to be distancing himself. >> well, matt whitaker, i don't know matt whitaker. he worked for jeff sessions, and he was always extremely highly thought of and he still is, but i didn't know matt whitaker. he worked for attorney general sessions. he was very, very highly thought of. now in all fairness to matt whitaker, who again, i didn't know, okay, other than through reputation. matt whitaker is a highly respected man but i didn't know
124 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on