tv Alex Wagner Tonight MSNBC September 19, 2024 9:00pm-10:00pm PDT
9:00 pm
the moment i met him i knew he was my soulmate. "soulmates." soulmate! [giggles] why do you need me? [laughs sarcastically] but then we switched to t-mobile 5g home internet. and now his attention is spent elsewhere. but i'm thinking of her the whole time. that's so much worse. why is that thing in bed with you? this is where it gets the best signal from the cell tower! i've tried everywhere else in the house! there's always a new excuse. well if we got xfinity you wouldn't have to mess around with the connection. therapy's tough, huh? -mmm. it's like a lot about me. [laughs] a home router should never be a home wrecker. oo this is a good book title. no, ma'am .
9:01 pm
that does it for us, you can catch rachel maddow's new special from russia with love this friday, 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. you want to see it. but for now, i'm signing off. for all of our colleagues across the networks of nbc news, thanks for staying up late with me. see you at the end of tomorrow. when joe biden first dropped out of the presidential race, the earliest signs we saw of enthusiasm for kamala harris, the first indications that she might change the fundamental dynamic of this race was this headline. tens of thousands of black women mobilize to support kamala harris. we were built for this moment. black women rally around harris. when we vote, we make history. black female leaders rally around kamala harris. the very same day that president biden announced he was withdrawing from the race, a group called win with black women held an organizing call that was quickly flooded with
9:02 pm
support. 40,000 people logged on putting online meeting at capacity. while another 50,000 stream the event from other platforms. now tonight, that same group is holding another major vent for kamala harris. this time with the help of one of her most powerful surrogates. >> let's all choose kamala harris! >> tonight, just before we got on the air, tens of thousands of kamala harris supporters logged onto an online rally with oprah winfrey and kamala harris including some very high profile supporters. >> there is bryan cranston! >> hello! >> chris rock is in the house!
9:03 pm
ben stillar, jennifer lopez, tracy ellis ross. julia roberts! where are you? and miss meryl streep is in the house! >> vice president harris took questions from audience members and from oprah winfrey herself. >> it seems to us that something happened to you the moment joe biden, president biden steps aside and withdrew his candidacy that something dropped and you just steps into your power. >> it's time to step up. it is a great responsibility.
9:04 pm
and the incredible power of the people. right? i'm not the only leader in this. we're all leaders in this. this is so much bigger than me. >> the reason events like this are so important is because black voters and in particular, black women voters are the key to a potential future kamala harris victory. here is how win with black women put it when she was talk about how all of this came together. >> what we knew was that it was a moment in our country to show what black women have always done. i just think that it is an honor for all of us to be able to usher in this moment knowing that those who watered this mighty field are now allowing us to eat of the fruit . >> black women's support helped propel joe biden to the
9:05 pm
democratic nomination in 2020 and put him over the finish line in two swing states including georgia. but for most of this year, there have been warning signs. the democratic support from black voters was slipping. that all began to change when democrats switched their ticket. in the past few months, kamala harris has seen an outpouring of support and enthusiasm and organizing from the black community. one notable example has been support from the the divine nine. kamala harris herself is an alumna of a divine nine sorority. this year, america's oldest black sorority created its first ever political action committee to get involved in this year's election. while others have devoted resources to get out the vote efforts including launches new adds in swing states like pennsylvania. ones that are targeting black voters. >> a child born today may have fewer rights than her mother. and her grandmother. >> right now, those hard earned
9:06 pm
rights are being done. the right to vote, the right to choose. the right to learn our history. now it is up to us. to stand up. >> organize and use our power. our right to vote. it only takes one person to change the world. imagine what we can do together. >> you can see this enthusiasm in the polling. a new howard university poll black voters in swing states finds kamala harris winning 82% of black voters. in arizona, georgia, michigan, nevada, north carolina, pennsylvania, and wisconsin. donald trump on the other hand gets only 12% of black voters. harris' numbers are close to biden's share of the black vote in those same battleground states in the 2020 election suggesting that harris has gained back most of the ground lost among black voters since then. most, but not all. while this new polling shows vice president harris getting
9:07 pm
overwhelming support from nearly every subgroup of black voters, there is one group proving harder to win over, young black men. more than one in five black men under the age of 50 support donald trump for president. when you look specifically at black men under 50 without college degrees, support for trump rises to more than one in four black men. so that may be why kamala harris told the national association of black journalists this week that she isn't taking black men and their votes for granted. >> i think it is very important to not operate from the assumption that black men are in anybody's pocket. black men are like any other voting group. you got to earn their vote. so i'm working to earn the vote. not assuming that i'm going to have it because i am black. but because the policies and
9:08 pm
the perspectives i have understands what we must do to recognize the needs of all communities. and i intend to be a president for all people. >> joining me now is melissa murray, the cohost of black women to america. all with me is charles coleman, melissa and charles, it's great to have two people who have been on the road talking to voters about the exact topics we need to get into. let me start with your reaction to this oprah event that i believe is still going or just wrapping up. i understand the inclination to do an event with oprah, if oprah called me, it wouldn't matter what it is about. i would do it with her. and there are a lot of stars in this event. but in terms of getting enthusiasm where she needs it, do you think oprah makes a
9:09 pm
difference? >> i'm going to say i think it is a real missed opportunity if oprah winfrey doesn't tell every woman in that crowd to look under her seat because you get a democracy, you get a democracy. missed opportunity. i don't know if she will play well with the demographic of young black men who are skeptical or trump curious but it makes clear that there is support within the black community and that could be very important in translating to young black men like their mothers, their grandmothers. maybe there is a reason for that. >> can you expand on that, charles? that family dynamic? you will vote for kamala harris, young black man in my family. >> it does exist and that may be part of the problem because of the conversation and the way it is being had, there are a number of young black men i
9:10 pm
spoke to who expressed a sense of part of the issue that they are having is the way the people are talking to them about their vote. as opposed to having conversations with them, a lot of black men have expressed that folks are talking at them and castigating them for having questions, and reservations. so at the end of the day, you are still talking about men. and so there is a feeling in some respects of hold on, who are you talking to me like that? >> and you could see that in her response. when she said i don't take them for granted. don't people they have to vote for me. >> give me a reason why. and i think that part of the problem with democratic messaging for some people, i survived donald trump once.
9:11 pm
and now you are telling me that this is going to be worse, but at the same time, you told me the same thing about george bush and ronald reagan and i'm still here. i'm not saying it's valid. i'm not saying it's valid but i'm saying if for example i'm a black male who is only seeing the unemployment rate in this country be surpassed by native american men and no other demographic selling me a vision of this is not the best way to go. >> but i think one of the things we saw when we went around the country, it is not just black men who have questions. young black women also have questions. women of my age and older are solidly in that camp and were before the switch. we talked to women who said i will vote for joe biden's desiccated body if it comes to that. but these younger women, they have questioning. they talk about police brutality, what has the biden administration done with police brutality? the biden administration has done a lot around police
9:12 pm
brutality. putting money into policing and police accountability. we don't really talk about that on the media. it continues to be generated independent of the biden administration. >> here is another part of this. this came out clearly. and i think it is the same with black men. it occurred to me, this is the generation of people who grew up in schools after no child left behind. so they grew up in a system. they may not understand as clearly as other people, the president has very limited power over the 18,000 police departments in the country. that's a municipality and locality issuement so part of this they want to see change, they are looking to the president and maybe that is not the person who is going to do this. so we have to think about the way in which our electorate is being educated. what it means downstream. this is not just about black
9:13 pm
men. we will see this further down the line with a lot of different groups. >> and when you account for the educational divide. i have to say, there is the case for, the positive case for voting for harris. and the case for voting for harris as an antidote to trump. and i have to wonder what you guys think of the rhetoric coming out of, directed at springfield, ohio. you can hear how she is framing it. >> we feel our our fellow citizens in springfield. the haitian families. the non-haitian families. everybody having to deal with this lie that has endangers the lives of haitian people and anybody who looks haitian. everybody in america feels for that. >> the key part of that is everybody having to deal with
9:14 pm
this lie that has endangered the lies of haitian people and anybody who looks haitian. we had the local head of the naacp and she says how her grandchildren cannot go to school. they are not haitian, they are black. and i have to wonder one of the areas where kamala harris is the most ground on donald trump immigration and the economy. talk about immigration for a second. when you hear rhetoric around immigration. when you hear how he is vilifying people of color in the united states. they could be haitians, they could just be black. is that not a deterrent? do you think that matters? in your experience? is that the kind of stuff that will penetrate young black men and their sort of information bubble? >> the notion of donald trump as racist is not new or foreign to young black male voters. in respect to what we are
9:15 pm
seeing in springfield, it need to be framed more broadly and it needs to be framed under the umbrella of white nationalism. the reason for that is racism is one lane. when you are talking about white nationalism, now you invite xenophobia. to other people. the reason that becomes critical is it is not just a conversation that black people or haitian people or people with dark skin dominicans or cubans need to be worried about. it is a conversation that if you are not a wealthy straight white male, you can be otherred. under this notion of white nationalism because it is a virus that spreads. and it is a virus that donald trump has no problem unleashing along with jd vance or the entire electorate. so because of that, you have to expand the framing so that people understand this is not just a racial issue that extends to people who might appear to be haitian in some way. this is something that potentially has the ability to affect all of us who can be
9:16 pm
otherred. >> the white nationalism frame i think encompasses some of the issues harris is good on. the way in which this antiabortion rhetoric is also accompanied by replacement theory. there is a reason you want to stop women from terminating their pregnancy. and a reason you are fine with certain women like amber thurman bleeding out in parking lots. so the worst effects will be visited on poor women. women of color. we are seeing that and it is also spreading to women who look like random suburban moms. now it is becoming a real issue. but it has always been an issue for women of color and she made that very clear. joining it to the broader message of white nationalism makes both of these issues and it's a real choice. >> there are also neonazis marching in springfield talking
9:17 pm
about the great replacement theory. so, the data points are there. it is just people may be connecting them to the candidates. two people on the road who know a lot more about this. thanks for joining me. i appreciate it. coming up, trump lackey and sitting united states senator lindsey graham makes a secret trip to the state of nebraska to try to convince republicans the way the state does its electoral vote. and he refers to himself on a black nazi on a porn website called nude africa. and he has no plans of leaving the race. that's next. leaving the race. that's next. am. then one day, she did. you were made to chase your passions. we were made to put them in a package.
9:19 pm
for 52 years, they've been trying to get roe v wade into the states. i did a great service in doing it. it took courage to do it. and the supreme court had great courage in doing it. i have talked with women around our country. you want to talk about this is what people wanted. pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage. being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail. and she's bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. she didn't want that. her husband didn't want that. a 12 or 13 year old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. they don't want that. i think the american people believe that certain freedoms, in particular the freedom to make decisions about one's own body, should not be made by the government. i'm kamala harris, and i approved this message.
9:20 pm
do you need assistance? goslings imprint on the first thing they see. you're his mother now. -mama. he needs to swim. i can teach him the way my mom taught me, swim. [ screaming ] let's say you're deep in a show or a game or the game. on a train, at home, at work. okay, maybe not at work. point is at xfinity. we're constantly engineering new ways to get the entertainment you love to you
9:21 pm
9:22 pm
not bad, some people need to be slaved, i would bring it, slavery, back. i would certainly buy a few. that is alleged commentary from mark robinson. the current republican candidate for governor in the key swing state of north carolina and an ally of the republican nominee for president, donald trump. according to reporting from cnn today, robinson under the user name mini soldier wrote these and plenty of other comments on a porn website called nude africa between the years 2008 and 2012. while endorsing slavery and cosigning on naziism was a new low for mark robinson, he is no stranger to shocking hateful commentary. he denied he posted these comments and insists that he will not exit the governor's race. >> this is not my words, this is not anything that is characteristic of me nor has it
9:23 pm
ever been. >> how do you explain all of the matching details on the profile. it lists your full name, as mark robinson, the email listed on the account is an email that you used elsewhere on the internet including with your photo. >> i'm not going to get into the minutia of how people did this. but there has been over a million dollars spent on me with ai determined to destroy me. >> joining me now, sam, it was all ai that did it. i just want to remind everybody at home that these are posts from 2008. to 2012. which was really the pre-ai era. and mini soldier is also mark robinson's official handle on i believe pinterest, youtube, and twitter. what do you make of his excuse thus far? >> it is remarkable how
9:24 pm
advanced ai has become that it can do what it wants to with 15 year old internet posts. this whole thing is ridiculous. i'm glad i could talk about nude africa. this is ridiculous. and in a way that kind of insulting to the constituents of north carolina specifically. the republican one. that mark robinson, that survive this. but the idea that this type of article comes up, really suggests that he think it is constituents of north carolina can be duped. can be suckered. told that in fact everything in front of them is not real. that it is generated by ai and they shouldn't believe the compelling evidence of the grotesque statements of
9:25 pm
behavior. that is just the reality we live in these days. in trump era politics you can just plow forward. >> i think maybe the most appalling part of it, his calculation might be right. the north carolina republican party is standing by mark robinson, a man you pointed out is eight points behind in this race. i'm not saying it would be understandable if he was neck in neck. but the fact they have ever reason to get this man out of the race and are choosing not to tells you as much about the north carolina party as it tells you about mark robinson. do you think any of this is down to donald trump who is a mark robinson ally. he thinks mark robinson is better than martin luther king. do you think that the stench of the scandal walks over to donald trump or no? >> first off, the fact that trump compared him to martin
9:26 pm
luther king. probably mark robinson took that as an insult based on his internet history. so maybe that wasn't the best compliment to pay the guy. in terms of what you are saying, obviously, it doesn't help. you want someone running for governor who can bring in people that you are depending on. usually it's the top of the ticket. in this case, you know, mark robinson benefits from trump. but i talked to a couple of republicans in north carolina. they were like this is a huge distraction. he cannot go into the state and appear with mark robinson anymore. if he does, he would be asked why he praised this man so much. if you are a republican in north carolina, you will say is this really the incompetent o of republicans i want? are these elected officials that i want to elevate? so i don't know if it will have a huge impact but keep in mind,
9:27 pm
this is the state that harris' people have continuously said is their kind of main prize for flipping. >> it makes north carolina a kryptonite for trump. if he goes there, he'll have to talk about the website nude africa and black naziism. the words roll after your tongue and you can't believe you are saying it. not my words, mark robinson's alleged words. put on your sherlock holmes hat for a moment. the timing on all of this is very interesting. this is the deadline for him to stay on the ballot or be removed. does this have a little bit of
9:28 pm
opposition research to you from the democratic candidate? >> i thought about this too. i don't think democrats would be eager, first of all, andrew is an amazing reporter. in fits the pattern of incredible speech he has done. i did before i knew it was andrew, i had this exact thought. and i was thinking well, i talked to a couple of democrats close to the harris campaign. they were all despondent. why is this coming out september 19th? we needed it out october 14th. and republicans, look. if you wanted robinson to leave, this would be the time to do it. but the truth is like, this is way too late. he keeps fighting it. there is a huge swath of the electorate who feels like you cannot abandon these people.
9:29 pm
you have to fight any accusation level by the mainstream media. that is to give in, the mere act of giving in is political defeat in and of itself. we are at this place where republicans cannot give in. >> no matter how repellent the candidate is, you standby your man even if you have to say the words black nazi over and over again. sam stein, thank you for your reporting, analysis, and time. thank you for saying nude africa. >> any time. coming up, why did lindsey graham make a secret trip to nebraska? it's like 202 all over again. we'll get to that. but first, another day, another round of polls. these showing kamala harris leading in key swing states. we'll have more on that with democratic strategist next. t wh democratic strategist next.
9:34 pm
kamala harris' performance at last week's debate is beginning to move the polls. here now slow but steady movement in the key states she needs to win. in pennsylvania, three recent polls show harris leading trump. she is up by three, up by six, and up by four points. leadsthat are outside the margin of error.
9:35 pm
another very interesting data point coming from polling on how kamala harris' approval rating has changed in pennsylvania. the new york times today found harris' favorability in the state has risen to 51% up nine points since the last survey in early july. joining me now is the former campaign manager for bernie sanders 2020 presidential campaign. and the founder of more perfect union. it is always great to hear from you, i wonder as a campaign expert with you can unpack the goal that exists between people having liking kamala harris, her favorability going up, but that not translating directly into a greater share of the vote. how do you explain people who are in significant numbers saying i like her. but also not saying they can vote for her? >> she is newer to a lot of people. and she is coming onto the scene at less around her
9:36 pm
policy. the upshot of all of that alex is the room for growth for her is greater than donald trump. people have already decided i think the majority of people and all the battleground states around the country that trump isn't for them. so he has to count on disspiritting a number of voters to vote third party. and you can count on him and his campaign trying to engage in those nefarious actions down the home stretch. kamala harris is hoping to reach people on the number one thing on their mind. the economy. the narrative of her values are still a bit, least defined for her. probably they know the least about herment know the least about her values. the opportunity is there for her, but she has to tell a story about what is it that animates you? why do you want government power so much? >> just to unpack that further,
9:37 pm
does that mean the undecides, they don't know if they can vote for her. it is all about what harris says in the closing weeks of this campaign. the onus is on her to close the sale. it is not about donald trump at this point. because they already like kamala harris which suggests they don't like donald trump and they are not necessarily even considering him at this point. >> i think that is correct. to a degree. and how she talks about herself. it is not that she needs to tell more people that she lived a middle class life. i'm not arguing that. she did that well enough to this point. is it is more about her reflecting that i know your life. i know the pain you are dealing with and the economic insecurity and lack of freedom that you feel. i am aware of all those things and i can contrast that with a person who i know doesn't get your life. that donald trump, he fights for the wealthy, much more by
9:38 pm
public polling. most people know that donald trump standing for the wealthy. you have to show you stand with the people. and you know and understand their life. i don't think they expect that you are going to solve their problems immediately. but the opportunities are right for her. 16 years i didn't get a pay raise. you have dock workers about to go on strike. automation is taking our jobs. the teamsters. amazon workers in queens said we want to organize. because we are tired of being exploited. if you can access and talk object those conditions of the economy, the opportunity for growth for her is huge. >> i will say the polling on her being a trusted steward of the economy is getting better
9:39 pm
and better. she has caught up to trump and surpassed him on the question who do you trust the most to handle the economy. do you owe that to her being out there more? the argument she was making looking to the camera saying i'm fighting for you, he is fighting for himself during the presidential debate? what do you attribute that to? >> one, the convention did a great job of entrusting her. the choice of how they will frame the successes of her record. the prosecutor has fought for working people to vouch for her. that is one. and then, if you look at the ads that are running and say the number one ad i was looking at the other day is one about corporate price gouging. i know you are feeling hurt. i have a plan about going after
9:40 pm
corporate predator landlords. that is doing a lot of work for her to introduce her policy agenda as well. >> does she need to do more media? part of the frustration is donald trump has no plan except for tariffs and tax cuts on billionaires. and harris is being told that she needs to put more meat on the bones and they need to know more and see more. where does she need to display that? over if she went to march on the% line, would that make a difference? she did an event with oprah winfrey online. it is hard to understand where those inflection points are in the last 45 days of this race. >> yeah. i will not argue against her doing more media. i think she is good at it.
9:41 pm
i think she would do great in those settings but even if you weren't going to do more media events it is getting her into more settings where she is interacting with more people where she is better showcased. seeing her humanity and values and how she expresses the ability to connect with people. that to me is much more vital and you could do that in a lot of different settings. i can imagine that you could get creative with this and creative on the platform. tiktok. that to me is much more critical. i would focus more on making sure she can connect with real
9:42 pm
people and document and show that in animated and interesting ways. >> with the people. >> a wealth of information. thank you for joining me tonight my friend. >> thank you alex. still to come, republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina turned up in the state of nebraska yesterday on a quest that if it works could hand the electoral college to donald trump. we will explain coming up next. new centrum menopause supplements help unpause life when symptoms pause it. with a multivitamin plus hot flash support. daily zz for quality sleep. and enxtra for focus and clarity. centrum, powered by clinically studied ingredients. (♪♪) [child laughing] (♪♪) [child giggling with delight] (♪♪)
9:43 pm
(♪♪) ♪ ooooh. ooooh. ♪ ♪ ooooh. ooooh. ♪ come on, you two. dinner time. ♪ ooooh. ooooh. ♪ baby. ♪ ooooh. ooooh. ♪ hey, everybody. w. kamau bell here. they say that america is the land of the free. but right now, people in the u.s. are seeing their freedoms taken away at an alarming rate. freedoms some of us take for granted. the right to vote. equal access to health care. book banning and other forms of censorship that threaten our right to learn. and here's something truly shocking, right now in our country hundreds of thousands of people are incarcerated simply because they couldn't afford bail. that's not free and it's not fair.
9:44 pm
but there is hope for change. it lives in people like you and in a great organization called the american civil liberties union. so please join me and other concerned americans in defending our civil liberties by joining the aclu as a guardian of liberty today. all it takes is just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day. when you're surrounded by oppressive laws you can't just sit back and be oppressed. you get up and fight and all of us at the aclu are fighting for you. whether it's criminal justice reform or protecting the lgbtq plus rights, abortion rights or voting rights. the aclu is in the courts fighting for your rights, and mine and i, for one, sleep better at night knowing they're working every day in all 50 states to protect our freedoms. but these freedoms are at risk. we have to fight for them tirelessly and with your help, we will continue to do so. so please go to myaclu.org and join the fight for just $19 a month.
9:45 pm
use your credit card and get this special we the people t-shirt, aclu magazine and more to show you're helping ensure justice for all. as an individual, donating to the aclu is one of the most powerful things you can do to fight for justice. but the aclu can't do it alone. they need your support now to continue defending our democracy and the freedoms we hold dear. so please join us. call or go online to myaclu.org today. thank you.
9:47 pm
was trying to drum up support to change the way nebraska handled its electoral college funds. >> holed up. what was a republican senator from south carolina doing in nebraska yesterday? missing votes in the u.s. senate to speak with the nebraska state legislature about how their state allocates electoral college votes. almost every state in the country uses a winner takes all system to distribute its electoral votes. if you win california you get all of california's electoral
9:48 pm
votes. the two exceptions to that are the states of maine and nebraska. they split their electoral votes. for example, in 2020 donald trump one, most of nebraska but joe biden still walked away with one electoral vote from the state and joe biden won most of maine but donald trump still got one of that states electoral votes. cut to 2024 in this election is so close that those single electoral votes could be the margin that decides the whole race. >> if she were to hold those three states -- wisconsin, michigan and pennsylvania, there you go. you see it. she is at exactly 270 electoral votes. this would also require her to hang onto that one congressional district around omaha, nebraska. >> now maine is a reliably blue
9:49 pm
state in nebraska is a reliably red state so historically, there are two states of balance each other out but it seems like south carolina senator lindsey graham wants to change that. he wants the red state of nebraska to become winner take all and if he gets what he wants, then donald trump would have an edge, an edge that would come too late for the state of maine to do anything about. for example, to change the way it allocates its electoral votes and make that winner take all. why is it too late? it is too late because yesterday was not just any random wednesday. yesterday was 90 days until december 17th which is the day that all of maine's electors cast their electoral votes. that is when maine's electoral college votes are locked in and in maine, the bill only becomes a law 90 days after it is passed unless the bill gets two thirds vote in both chambers and democrats in the state don't have the votes to do that
9:50 pm
so they have to abide by this 90 day deadline. if wants to make changes to their electoral vote designation they have to do so yesterday which is 90 days to november 17. -- december 17. so, lindsey graham and his friends in nebraska are essentially trying to pull a fast one to change the rules of the electoral county nebraska in a way that will benefit trump and to do so just light enough that democrats in maine cannot respond by leveling the playing field. this is all ringing a faint bell to you without not be because of what lindsey graham did in 2020. before donald trump's infamous call telling secretary of state roethlisberger to find him 11,000 votes to put the election before that it was south carolina senator lindsey graham calling up the georgia secretary of state, pressuring
9:51 pm
him to toss certain mail-in ballots that would give donald trump an edge. now, brad roethlisberger did not been to either trump's or grams attempts but there is a pattern here. republican south carolina senator lindsey graham traveling the country, trying to make our elections less democratic. lindsey graham knows that it is almost without question that vice president harris will win the popular vote in november and knows that despite all the electoral -- advantages the electoral college gives donald trump that this race could be decided by a handful of votes but rather than try to convince people why they should vote for donald trump, lindsey graham is trying to disenfranchise them. >> reporter: what is your argument about having nebraska be winner takes all? >> i think nebraska should not be the state that gives her the presidency.
9:55 pm
ugh, moving's the worst. with xfinity, you can transfer your internet in just a few taps. just a few easy moves. did somebody say “easy moves”? ♪ ♪ oh no. no, i was talking about moving your internet. this will move the internet. ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh. -let's keep it professional. professional dancers! -ok! stay connected during your move with the best in home wifi. easily transfer your services in the xfinity app. bring on the good stuff. is it possible to count on my internet like my customers count on me? it is with comcast business. keeping you up and running with our 99.9% network reliability. and security that helps outsmart threats to your data. moaire dida twoo? -your data, too. there's even round-the- clock customer support. so you can be there for your customers. with comcast business, reliability isn't just possible. it's happening. switch to reliable comcast business internet with security and get started for $49.99 a month. plus ask how to get up to a $500 prepaid card. call today!
9:56 pm
i went to talk to some senators and the governor and the governor asked me to come out and talk to the caucus about the state of the world and the consequences of the next election on foreign policy front. >> that was senator lindsey graham, republican of south carolina this morning after a quick hop to the midwest yesterday to drum up support for the book that would prevent the state of nebraska from awarding one of its five electoral college votes to kamala harris. joining me now is mark leibovitz, staff writer at the atlantic. first of all, lindsey graham saying he just went to nebraska to talk foreign policy, like why bother at this point? >> we know one thing about
9:57 pm
lindsey graham he is a student of nebraska constitution, maine, what have you. no, it's bizarre. cover the qui of this, it could obviously have a corking -- impact on the selection. the impact of lindsey graham and the trajectory he's been on over these past years always seems to fall on some errand boy kind of sure that he does. if you look at this i mean, his bearing of the interviewed you just showed in the clip -- he just seems kind of defeated or confused or tired like he almost doesn't know what -- it's not like a larger principles guiding him or anything. he is just kind of going all over the place is sort of the adhesive to donald trump wherever you simpson. you know, i hate to use the word of the day, but this is
9:58 pm
weird. >> you know lindsey graham is a creature of washington, and it is just starting to see the man who once called trump a race baiting xena phobic religious bigot, then did his bidding in the 2020 election to try to subvert democratic votes, and is now doing this to try to change the way estate in the midwest allocates its electoral college votes. the shamelessness is staggering and goes right to the peace you have in the atlantic where you talk about the way in which trump rolls over weaklings or aims to rollover politicians who trump considers saps and weaklings. i wonder now about the few holdouts in the state of nebraska who are almost certainly going to get calls from donald trump, those republicans in the state legislature who are standing between him and maybe one more electoral college vote. >> i would be surprised if they haven't already. when you get right down to it, we are talking about a few votes.
9:59 pm
there are some steadfast principled republicans apparently in the legislature who are not committed to voting for this. it is the kind of thing where we are old-fashioned arm twisting, lobbying nationally known politicians like lindsey graham and donald trump. if i am a citizen of south carolina, i'm thinking, what is my senator doing here? he put all the quaintness of that aside, it's just a strange role he continues to take on for himself and if there is one thing we have seen about donald trump, he can seize on the weakness of individual politicians that he feels he can roll over and in this case, entire political parties from which lindsey graham, who at one point had a lot of principles and was seen as kind of an honest broker in these things, has been completely turned into a big pile of jell-
10:00 pm
o on these things. >> i do wonder, though, you can see this coming from a mile away given all the chicanery in and around the 2020 election, of course republicans are trying to do this in nebraska. does it surprise you that democrats of not been lobbying maine to make their state winner take all? there seems to be no plan on the left. >> when you get right down to it, this is all legal. states that control legislatures and parties that control legislatures can change laws, can change constitutions. every state has a different set of laws. maine could have conceivably done this and a separate group of people would've credited them for being savvy on all of this so maybe this could have a massive difference in the course and trajectory of the nation's future but hopefully it is just going to be a sideshow that we will never speak of again. >> if we are talking about this on november 6, seven, eight and nine, it's not good for the country. as fun as it is. thank you for your time tonight.
37 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on