WEBVTT - Sen. Dick Durbin Talks Election Day

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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<v Speaker 2>Joining us now for more here in balance of Power

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<v Speaker 2>is Democratic Senator of Illinois Dick Dervitt, who chairs the

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<v Speaker 2>Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator, Happy election day, Thank you so

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<v Speaker 2>much for joining us. I'm not sure your degree of

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<v Speaker 2>confidence at this hour of Kamala Harris's ability to win

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<v Speaker 2>this election. But if she does so, to what extent

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<v Speaker 2>do you think the Dobbs decision and the Supreme Court

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<v Speaker 2>will have played a role in that.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a major factor. I can just tell you.

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<v Speaker 1>It motivates not just women to vote for Kamala, but

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of men are joining in the ranks. And

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<v Speaker 1>I see it with younger voters too. They look at

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<v Speaker 1>the actual cases of these women facing miscarriages, trying to

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<v Speaker 1>find competent physicians, and states where their criminal penalty is

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<v Speaker 1>being threatened, and they understand that they don't want to

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<v Speaker 1>be in that position. It doesn't sound like America to them,

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<v Speaker 1>and it doesn't sound like it to me either.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, how you feel about things going into this election day, Senator,

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<v Speaker 3>You've had a couple of them in your career. Illinois

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<v Speaker 3>is not a swing state. It's not going to be

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<v Speaker 3>one of the states likely to decide the balance of

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<v Speaker 3>power in Washington on Capitol Hill or the next president.

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<v Speaker 3>So where are you looking.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I'll tell you what I'm looking for, and I've

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<v Speaker 1>seen it this last weekend and before. We have literally hundreds,

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<v Speaker 1>if not thousands of Illinois volunteers who are going into

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<v Speaker 1>Wisconsin to help Tammy Baldwin in the Michigan to help

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<v Speaker 1>olssa slutkin, into Pennsylvania, to help Bob Casey in the

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<v Speaker 1>bottom line, to make sure that Kamala is elected president.

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<v Speaker 1>These are real volunteers who care and are making personal

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<v Speaker 1>sacrifices to help. I don't know what's going on the

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<v Speaker 1>other side. There's no evidence of this similar and undertaking.

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<v Speaker 1>And you can't buy this kind of support. It's like

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<v Speaker 1>comparing mom's apple pie is something you bought at a store.

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<v Speaker 1>It just isn't the same thing. These folks really care,

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<v Speaker 1>and if we do well in the blue arrange the

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<v Speaker 1>blue wall that they talk about here, I think it'll

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<v Speaker 1>be because of this factor.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, as you raise the likes of incumbent Senators Tammy

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<v Speaker 2>Baldwin and others who are facing tough re election fights

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<v Speaker 2>today as well, Senator It raises the question of even

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<v Speaker 2>if Kamala Harris is able to pull off this victory,

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<v Speaker 2>the prevailing wisdom is that you will become a member

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<v Speaker 2>of the minority, that the Republicans will be able to

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<v Speaker 2>flip the Senate as they only need to pick up

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<v Speaker 2>net two seats. How would Washington work in that scenario.

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<v Speaker 2>Where are the areas for cooperation?

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<v Speaker 1>That's a very good question, But I'm not going to

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<v Speaker 1>concede your point that it's going to be a Republican Senate.

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<v Speaker 1>We need one or two breakthrough and I can point

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<v Speaker 1>to the states you can too that are possibilities. If

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<v Speaker 1>God forbid, the Republicans take control of the Senate and

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<v Speaker 1>Kamala is our president, it's going to be a matter

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<v Speaker 1>of negotiating questions like filling vacancies and judge ships and

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<v Speaker 1>working together. I hope we can find that common ground.

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<v Speaker 3>Well how much, Senator, then, will the top of the

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<v Speaker 3>ticket help to determine the balance of power in the

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<v Speaker 3>US Senate? When we look at some of the Senate

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<v Speaker 3>races in the Blue Wall states, for instance, how close

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<v Speaker 3>they are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. Will the presidency help to

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<v Speaker 3>decide the balance of power in your chamber.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I think you addressed that earlier in the program.

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<v Speaker 1>In some years, it appears that it helps, in some

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<v Speaker 1>it hurts. I will just tell you that those three

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<v Speaker 1>senatorial candidates and many others we talked about, certainly have

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<v Speaker 1>a strong record and a strong message to bring to

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<v Speaker 1>the voters. Kamala is put together an amazing campaign in

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<v Speaker 1>a little over one hundred days that she's been the nominee,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think the fact that she's inspired so many

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<v Speaker 1>volunteers to go door to door in these states going

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<v Speaker 1>to make a definitive difference in the Senate races as well.

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<v Speaker 2>Well. As we watched all of this and the issues

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<v Speaker 2>voters will be considering as they make their choices up

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<v Speaker 2>and down the ballot, Senator, do you feel that the

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<v Speaker 2>Harris campaign has done an adequate job addressing all of them?

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<v Speaker 2>We obviously have heard a lot of her argument around

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<v Speaker 2>reproductive freedom, especially casting Trump as a threat to democracy.

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<v Speaker 2>Talking about the economy, Yes, but so too has Donald Trump,

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<v Speaker 2>who has cast a lot of blame for the last

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<v Speaker 2>four years, and the inflation people have experienced on her

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<v Speaker 2>in this administration. Seeing goes for the border. Are those

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<v Speaker 2>the issues that she risks losing on if that's how

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<v Speaker 2>it turns out tonight.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think so, and I'll tell you why. From

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<v Speaker 1>the beginning, Kamala has made the economy the issue. That's

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<v Speaker 1>what the voters are saying, and she's backing them up

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<v Speaker 1>by saying that'll be a high priority in her administration.

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<v Speaker 1>But I'll also tell you when she talks about the

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<v Speaker 1>management style of Donald Trump, the question about the future

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<v Speaker 1>of our democracy is at stake here. He's a candidate

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<v Speaker 1>who's running and basically says, if I lose, it means

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<v Speaker 1>that there is cheating and somebody stole it from me.

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<v Speaker 1>He's stuck with that story for four years, the big lie.

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<v Speaker 1>This is an even bigger lie if he does. And

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<v Speaker 1>that's similar circumstance. So I think she's talking about our democracy,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a fundamental issue at stake in this election.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, with that said, Senator, and based on your perch

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<v Speaker 3>on the Judiciary Committee, Donald Trump appointed over two hundred

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<v Speaker 3>federal judges in his term.

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<v Speaker 1>What would a.

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<v Speaker 3>Trump two point oh mean for the US judiiary.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, that's a good question. Under the rules of the Senate,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, we have something called a blue slit, which

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<v Speaker 1>means that both parties and their senators have quite a

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<v Speaker 1>bit of a say as to whether a nominee is

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<v Speaker 1>going to move forward, So there has to be compromise

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<v Speaker 1>in that regard. But I will tell you that Donald Trump,

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<v Speaker 1>with the help of Democrats, had two hundred and thirty

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<v Speaker 1>four nominations filled in his four years. We have filled

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<v Speaker 1>two hundred and thirteen under President Biden and have another

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<v Speaker 1>twenty plus on the calendar for the remainder of the year.

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<v Speaker 1>So we can matching. I hope we do well.

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<v Speaker 2>If we consider as well the highest court in the land,

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<v Speaker 2>the Supreme Court. Senator there is a chance the next

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<v Speaker 2>president will have some vacancies to fill. Would a President

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<v Speaker 2>Harris have difficulty doing so depending on what the Senate

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<v Speaker 2>majority looks like.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, it is a simple majority in the Senate when

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<v Speaker 1>he comes to filling the Supreme Court vacancies, and that's

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<v Speaker 1>why Trump was able to put three anti choice justices

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<v Speaker 1>on the Court. If we're going to move forward and

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<v Speaker 1>the circumstances you're describing with President Harris and a Republican Senate,

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<v Speaker 1>there will have to be compromises made. The only way

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<v Speaker 1>we can pass something, even by majority in the Senate Senator.

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<v Speaker 3>The last time we sat down with you was in

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<v Speaker 3>Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. One of the big

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<v Speaker 3>storylines going into the DNC it was the protest vote

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<v Speaker 3>that we saw materialize in the primaries, the uncommitted vote

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<v Speaker 3>that Joe Biden withstood and faced in many cases from

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<v Speaker 3>Arab American voters and others who were not happy with

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<v Speaker 3>many progressives not happy with the policy in Israel. Expectations

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<v Speaker 3>for widespread protests that the DNC never materialized, though, And

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<v Speaker 3>I wonder if you see that being a risk tonight

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<v Speaker 3>for Kamala Harris or if this is a media narrative.

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<v Speaker 1>There are so many elements go into this decision making process,

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<v Speaker 1>but the fear at the outset was that there would

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<v Speaker 1>be a boycott support of Democratic candidates over Middle Eastern issues.

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<v Speaker 1>I think once Donald Trump was articulate in his own

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<v Speaker 1>way as to where he stood, people realize there's too

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<v Speaker 1>much at stake to lose this series over that issue.

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<v Speaker 1>It will affect some voters, for sure, but I think

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<v Speaker 1>by and large we understand that Kamala Harris as a rational,

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<v Speaker 1>thoughtful approach to this which wants to end the conflict

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<v Speaker 1>soon and help on a humanitarian side as quickly as possible.

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<v Speaker 3>Any election day rituals, superstitions you want to share with us.

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<v Speaker 1>Senator, there's a great delicatessen in Chicago called Manny's, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm on our way there now. Every election day for

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<v Speaker 1>the last twenty plus years, I've gone there and I'm

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<v Speaker 1>looking forward to Cornby sandwiches.

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<v Speaker 3>That sounds good. I hope you have a great lunch, Sir,

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<v Speaker 3>Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. We thank you.