1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the race. As the twenty twenty four 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: campaign accelerates, Americas seem to be divided on a host 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: of issues, ranging from inflation and immigration to reproductive rights, 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: but a new ap Nork poll finds we may not 5 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: be as divided as you think. So according to that poll, 6 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: nine out of ten Americans say the right to vote, 7 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: freedom of speech, and equal protection under the law are 8 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: extremely or very important. The vast majority of Americans also 9 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: agree on the importance of the right to privacy, freedom 10 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: of religion, and freedom to assemble peacefully. But the poll 11 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: discovered some key differences as well. Only three out of 12 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: ten Americans believe the nation's democracy is functioning well, while 13 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: fourteen percent say the US isn't even a democracy at all. 14 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:45,160 Speaker 1: So here now to talk about this poll The Script's 15 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: news political analyst Steve Schmidt. Steve is also founder of 16 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: The Warning newsletter and podcast. Steve, thank you for joining 17 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: us tonight. I want to start with what Americans agree on. So, 18 00:00:55,800 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: if the vast majority of Americans value the same right, 19 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: why is part of politics still so partisan? Why is 20 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: there such a big disconnect? 21 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 2: Well, the simple answer to that question is is that 22 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 2: partisans hyperpartisans look at the other side as the threat 23 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 2: to those rights. So your Republican partisan looks at your 24 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 2: Democratic partisan and says that person is a threat to 25 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 2: my way of life, and vice versa, though both sides 26 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 2: claim fidelity to the same way of life, which is 27 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 2: based on these rights. I think it's important to mention 28 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 2: regardless of what the answer is, ninety percent, seventy percent, 29 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 2: it really doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it's three percent. 30 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: Those rights are the cornerstone of our way of life, 31 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: and they don't go away if they become unpopular. That's 32 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 2: why we have a Bill of Right so they can 33 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 2: never be taken away. The freedom of speech, of conscience, 34 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 2: of religion, these things are inviolate, and all of them 35 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 2: depend on an election process where both parties and both 36 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 2: politicians in it are prepared to lose an election by 37 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 2: accepting the will of the sovereign, which is the people. 38 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 2: And so that is the difference in American politics right 39 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 2: now between the two parties and the leadership. The American 40 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 2: people agree on these things, but as a practical effect 41 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 2: inside of American politics, inside two of the parties, one 42 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 2: of those parties has opted out of the agreement, the 43 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 2: compact that keeps it all salubrously working, which is the 44 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 2: idea that we assign power temporarily through an election. 45 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: Well, three out of ten people in this pole said 46 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: democracy is working. Well, that's a pretty low number. So 47 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,679 Speaker 1: how would you define a well functioning democracy? 48 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,959 Speaker 2: Well, I was astounded that thirty percent would say that 49 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 2: it's working. Well, I didn't, as John McCain used to say, 50 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 2: he wouldn't have expected that paid staffers and family members 51 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 2: were so numerous in the country. Our democracy is clearly broken. 52 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: Winston Churchill observed once that it's the worst form of 53 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 2: government except for all of its alternatives. So in the end, 54 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 2: the American people, if they're dissatisfied with the state of 55 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: the democracy, have to change the direction of the country politically. 56 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 2: But in the end, when we look out across the 57 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 2: depth and breadth of the country, we should be encouraged 58 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 2: what these numbers say, because these are the foundations not 59 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 2: just of American government, but the way of life and 60 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 2: a nation that's nearing two hundred and fifty years old, 61 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 2: that spanned a continent with three hundred and thirty million 62 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 2: people living on it, and so these rights, though we 63 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 2: are disputing, very very harshly. We are united at the 64 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 2: core of what it is we're supposed to believe in. 65 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 2: And that's a start. 66 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: Well, you said, fixing your democracy means, you know, fixing 67 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: it requires choosing the right leaders to fix it. But 68 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: right now, I mean, how do you see that working. 69 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: How do you see us breaking through the partisan divide 70 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: to try to elect leaders that aren't ranging and pushing 71 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: further and further to the extremes on the right and 72 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: the left. 73 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 2: Well, look, there have been times in American hit history 74 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 2: of hyperpartisanship where government has been completely broken down. We've 75 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 2: had epochs of political violence in the United States. And 76 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 2: we are at a fragile, tenuous moment both in the 77 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 2: world and in America. And so the next election in 78 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:22,919 Speaker 2: twenty twenty eight will be one where we have a 79 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 2: different generation of candidates. We have a closely divided Congress, 80 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 2: we have a dissatisfied public, We have an overwhelming percentage 81 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 2: of the country says we don't want either one of 82 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 2: the candidates. We have a third party candidate in the race. 83 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 2: And what all of this points to is that the 84 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 2: American people are braying at a system that is fraying, 85 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:52,039 Speaker 2: and we'll see over the course of the election how 86 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 2: the system responds to that. But but democracy is responsive 87 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 2: to the will of the people. Were in a moment 88 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 2: right now of dissatisfaction where these two political parties, these 89 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 2: candidates are going to have to find a way to 90 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 2: talk honestly and directly to people who are dissatisfied and 91 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 2: try to recruit them to their cause, to their side 92 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 2: in an election. Incredibly, that once again is going to 93 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 2: be decided across a dozen or so counties in three 94 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 2: or four states by ten twenty thirty forty thousand votes 95 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 2: at a maximum. And so the razor thin era of 96 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 2: American presidential politics is going to continue for at least 97 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 2: another four years. 98 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: Scription News little analyst Steve Schmidt breaking it down for us. 99 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: Thank you very much for your perspective tonight. 100 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 2: We appreciate it.