the year congressman sensenbrenner was talking about there, 2013, two years ago. now sensenbrenner is sponsoring a bill with john conyers of michigan, a bill that would reinstate parts of the act that the supreme court gutted out. there were only six republicans co-sponsoring the bill, six republicans out of all of the republicans nearly 250 of them in the house of representatives. among those republicans who are co-sponsoring that bill, republican congressman charlie dent of pennsylvania, and joining us now is republican congressman charlie dent of pennsylvania. congressman, i really appreciate you taking a few minutes to join us tonight. let me start with the bottom line question. the bill that you have your name on, we talked about the margins back in 2006 when it was 390-33 in the house to reauthorize it. if the bill with your name on it right now came to the floor and not a vote, would it pass? >> absolutely. and, steve, thanks for having me on the show. i absolutely believe that the sensenbrenner bill that would reauthorize the voting rights act that changes

now, that said, the sensenbrenner bill does allow jurisdictions. states that have been violation free for ten years, they're out of preclearance. i think that's really the issue. and i say preclearance for your listeners. i mean many of these states must have the justice department approve whatever changes those states make to their election laws. so those states always had to go through justice department. a way to get out and now we set up a national model so any jurisdiction could potentially go into preclearance. i don't think any republicans are looking at this saying we haven't done well in the african-american community. therefore, we should punish them by not approving the voting rights act. i do believe our members, some still have questions because this can be a little complex for some who aren't familiar with it. it strikes the right balance. sensenbrenner has done a great job with it. >> republican congressman charlie dent from pennsylvania one sponsoring the bill after the supreme court ruling. thank you for your time tonight. really a

sensenbrenner's amendments, so that we can restore what the roberts court has done to that 1965 voting rights act. >> what do you make of these republicans pushing they voter i.d. requirements, and even in pennsylvania, the leadership which dominates the legislature saying we're openly doing this to say we're doing it to keep votes. that seems completely in violation of the purpose of the voting rights act, this game they're playing about voter i.d. cards. >> just as in 50 years ago, it took the congress to respond in a way that was favorable to the protection of people's rights, it may take that again today, because remember, these are 20 some odd individual states who are doing those things. i would hope that congress would not just fix -- fix the formula, but i would hope we would go further with john lewis's bill, the voter empowerment act, to take a look at all of these schemes that they're now developing, schemes which, if you look at them, could be tantamount to poll taxes and other kinds of schemes they used back in the '40s and '50s to dilute and deny people's votes. >> well s

sensenbrenner and mr. conyers. the very act of going to selma was put upon us an obligation to come back and respond to that trip. the bill before us has tried to meet some of the objections that were raised. there's a rolling preclearance formula for example, that does not require congressional re-authorization. there is a bail in section of the act to reach those who had had not been covered. there are minimum number of violations over a period of time that have to be recorded in order to come under the act. as my good friend from beavepl says, the act is not what all of us certainly wanted. but it does mean that in the spirit of compromise and because of the necessity of this act, this act which demock rahtized the south -- which democratized the south and is necessary, perhaps not as necessary as 50 years ago, but there can be no doubt, as the supreme court justice said himself there was discrimination in voting practices but he said it was up to the congress to modernize the bill. i don't see how almost 100 re

here mi with representative sensenbrenner when he reads the bill i just photocopied for him. do you know how many likes that's going to get? >> jon: no. >> zero. no kid deserves zero likes. >> jon: you know hasan i really think they'll be fine. >> they will they will be fine. because you can make a real difference in the life of a former aaron schock intern. i started a trip did -- trip starter to send the interns to all the excursions they would have gotten to go on if schock hadn't resigned. i'm talking about coachella about spring break in cancun and i'm talking about the harry potter theme park at universal studios. >> jon: dude, dude let me tell you something that's like your@[bleep] hogwarts it is unbelievable. >> it is it. >> jon: even when it's hot out and there is still wearing the sweater. it's unbelievable. >> i mean, but now these poor interns will be forced to live as muggles. unless you chip in. jon, for a one time donation of just 156,000-- . >> jon: wow. >> you can help a dying kid's wish come true. >> jon: they're not dying. they're just -- >> aren't we all j

one republican house member sensenbrenner who joined in the last. a party who was built on opposition opposition to racial oppression opposition to slavery. it's my hope we can find after this incredible and moving weekend in selma that we can still find some republican colleagues. i was carrying the bill with me so i could go up to them and say, will you join me in this bill? although i remain hopeful, so far not one. >> not one, not one republican. >> not one. >> because your republican colleagues, senator rob portman, told "politico" that after the supreme court gutted the voting rights act, it's "probably appropriate for us to take it up." but he said he just heard about congressman john lewis' bill saturday plorngmorning, saturday just passed. ahead of the ceremony. and he never read it or learned the details so he couldn't commit. i think, do you think senators like rob portman could sign on to your bill senator coons? >> i have to remain hopeful. some of the statements you just recited are, of course, frustrating and discourageing. the idea w

whole host of issues but at then this point the party of lincoln is refusing to stand with james sensenbrenner, an incredibly conservative republican from wisconsin who has come forward with a good voting rights act, a good new bill, and so what i would suggest to you is, go and find your republican representatives. i'm serious. i know some people would say it's hard to communicate -- go and find them and look at them -- look them in the eye and say, how can you as the party of lincoln, the party that actually did back civil rights -- how can you not get on board with this and at the same time one final thing, i absolutely agree with those who say that voter i.d. is a new poll tax. the fact of matter is you have to pay for an i.d. and we have a constitutional amendment from 1964 that banned the poll tax and as lee says if we had a cop on the beat, voter dining room laws would be getting knocked out like that. so an answer but not happy one. >> let's go over here. >> ron barber not withstanding with the incredible dysfunction and paralysis of congress, why should we care who gets elected? >> i

whole host of issues but at then this point the party of lincoln is refusing to stand with james sensenbrenner, an incredibly conservative republican from wisconsin who has come forward with a good voting rights act, a good new bill, and so what i would suggest to you is, go and find your republican representatives. i'm serious. i know some people would say it's hard to communicate -- go and find them and look at them -- look them in the eye and say, how can you as the party of lincoln, the party that actually did back civil rights -- how can you not get on board with this and at the same time one final thing, i absolutely agree with those who say that voter i.d. is a new poll tax. the fact of matter is you have to pay for an i.d. and we have a constitutional amendment from 1964 that banned the poll tax and as lee says if we had a cop on the beat, voter dining room laws would be getting knocked out like that. so an answer but not happy one. >> let's go over here. >> ron barber not withstanding with the incredible dysfunction and paralysis of congress, why should we care who gets elected? >> i

you see congressman sensenbrenner standing there the late-senatorsenator specter standing there. i was standing there with my camera as one of the people who helped put the bill through. president bush had invited me to be there. and i took this photograph. i'm going to give this to president bush because it is the only photograph where you can actually see his hand and the signature going down. that's because i was the only person with a camera standing behind president bush. i don't say that to praise my photographic ability. i say this to praise president bush for signing the bill. and then in response to the supreme court's shelby county decision a decision where five members of the supreme court decided they had a far better idea of it than virtually all house members and senators. i had been working with congressman sensenbrenner on bipartisan legislation that would restore the voting rights act. so the president could sign a bill as president bush did. unfortunately, no republican senator has yet stepped forward to join me in introducing this legislation here in the senate