WEBVTT - This Remains a Political Question.  Lanhee Chen talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, there are some, and the press makes more of

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<v Speaker 1>a fuss about the two they and the two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>who were over half of the Congress, after half of

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<v Speaker 1>the of the Democrats and the House sit on one

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<v Speaker 1>of these six committees, so they're all on a path

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<v Speaker 1>of finding more information. That's Nancy Policy, Speaker of the House,

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<v Speaker 1>making the point yesterday, and I you know, I think

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<v Speaker 1>she wanted to be on a microphone and say this,

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<v Speaker 1>look that I got like thirty eight people that are

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<v Speaker 1>for impeachment and two hundred that are not. Now we

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<v Speaker 1>are investigating and doing all that, but it's not even

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<v Speaker 1>close to the majority. I just heard CNN say there's

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<v Speaker 1>gonna be no impeachment unless Nancy wants it. How does

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<v Speaker 1>that work? I know the committee votes out recommendation for

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<v Speaker 1>impeachment or but does the Speaker of the House have

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<v Speaker 1>to put up that? Could she just say no, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what, even if all of them wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>do it, could could the Speaker of the House say no,

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<v Speaker 1>we're not We're not taking this up. I'm pretty sure

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<v Speaker 1>I know the answer to that question. But I am

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<v Speaker 1>certain that ln he Chen knows. He's the host of

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast Crossing Lindes with lan he Channe, also David

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<v Speaker 1>and Diane Stephy, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and

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<v Speaker 1>Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in Public Policy

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<v Speaker 1>at Stanford University. Lan he how are you, sir? Good morning?

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<v Speaker 1>Never dull moment? Oh my god. Truer words have never

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<v Speaker 1>been spoken. So to Jack's question, could Nancy hold up

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<v Speaker 1>impeachment single handedly? Yeah, I don't think she can do

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<v Speaker 1>it single handedly. What she is trying to do, obviously,

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<v Speaker 1>is she's trying to sway the view of people in

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<v Speaker 1>the Democratic concuss And the question is how many people

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<v Speaker 1>are loyal to her versus how many people are not.

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<v Speaker 1>And if at some point it becomes clear that there's

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<v Speaker 1>an overwhelming majority of her own people who say, look,

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<v Speaker 1>we've got to proceed to impeachment proceedings, that there's not

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<v Speaker 1>a whole time she could do. I mean, she could

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<v Speaker 1>weigh on people who support her, She could weigh on

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<v Speaker 1>people who are loyal to her, but as that number shrinks,

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<v Speaker 1>if people feel it's important for them to move forward,

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<v Speaker 1>she's not going to be able to hold this up

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<v Speaker 1>on her own. No, okay, just because they vote her

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<v Speaker 1>out or what would happen. Yeah, I mean, certainly they

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<v Speaker 1>that's one possibility that she refused to bring it to

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<v Speaker 1>the floor, they probably boot her. But we're nowhere near

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<v Speaker 1>in a majority. Were at a points, so it's not

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<v Speaker 1>even close. Yeah, I think I think we have to

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<v Speaker 1>be careful about about following some of the media narrative

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<v Speaker 1>on this, because I think that while it's true there's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of very vocal people in the Democratic Party,

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<v Speaker 1>including pretty much everybody who's running for president, saying that

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<v Speaker 1>Trump needs to be impeached, the reality is that a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of the rank and file Democrats in the House,

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<v Speaker 1>that's not where they are. So we have to keep

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<v Speaker 1>a close eye on where these numbers go. Now, if

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<v Speaker 1>it starts to creep up toward let's say a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>people or more than that, uh, then she's got an issue.

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<v Speaker 1>But for now, we're still talking about a relatively smaller

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<v Speaker 1>but very vocal minority. And I know exactly what you're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about because as I watched cable news yesterday, particularly

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<v Speaker 1>CNN and MSNBC to hear what they're saying, all the hosts,

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<v Speaker 1>all the guests thought it was imperative that they moved

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<v Speaker 1>forward with impeachment. I mean, without exception really on those

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<v Speaker 1>two channels. Well, right, it's it's a media narrative and

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<v Speaker 1>that's being driven by who has the biggest microphone, and

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<v Speaker 1>right now in the Democratic Party, it's not Nancy Pelosi.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the people running for president. And when you have

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<v Speaker 1>the vast majority of people, I don't know if it's

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<v Speaker 1>a vast shouldn't say vast majority, but I think it

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<v Speaker 1>is close to a majority, if not more than that,

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<v Speaker 1>who are interested in in proceeding to impeach Donald Trump.

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<v Speaker 1>That is why you hear this constantly, because those guys

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<v Speaker 1>are always on TV talking about whatever and and and

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<v Speaker 1>so those are the ones who are driving this dialog. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I thought it was interesting though, the the guy that's

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<v Speaker 1>got more more heff than all of them added together currently,

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Biden. He didn't say a word yesterday. Well yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>he probably will at some point, but listen, I just

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to interject that a lot of the people howling

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<v Speaker 1>for impeachment are are like you know, if I know

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<v Speaker 1>my wife is going to say no, there's no way

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<v Speaker 1>we get ice cream, I can say all day long,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm with you, as we ought to get ice cream.

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<v Speaker 1>Ice cream is delicious, it's a nourishing treat. It's never

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<v Speaker 1>gonna happen. But I get all the credits, So it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's so phony. Uh, you know that that that's

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<v Speaker 1>a great point. I can say that's a great point.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, this whole impeachment discussion is phony, because what

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<v Speaker 1>we've got to realize is that it's a political discussion.

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<v Speaker 1>As much as these people who favor impeachment want to

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<v Speaker 1>talk about it, as you know they you'll hear them

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<v Speaker 1>talking about obstruction of justice and being a legal issue,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not a legal issue. It's a political question. It

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<v Speaker 1>was a political question when they impeach Clinton in the

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<v Speaker 1>same thing, and and and and so I just wish

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<v Speaker 1>we would have a more genuine discussion about what's really

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<v Speaker 1>going on here. Okay, well, what do you put the

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<v Speaker 1>percentages of an impeachment to proceeding happening at right now? Likelihood?

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<v Speaker 1>The likelihood? Yeah, I probably put it at one and

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<v Speaker 1>four one and between one and four, one and three,

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<v Speaker 1>So still not extremely likely, but not well enough percentage

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<v Speaker 1>that people can't ignore it. Yeah, I just I don't

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<v Speaker 1>see what's going to change it. The entirety of the

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<v Speaker 1>Mula report was out and did not move the polls,

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<v Speaker 1>and I odah, And then you've got old man Mueller speaking.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm certain that won't change it. And in a very

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<v Speaker 1>recent Quinnipiac poll, fifty of people say yeah, Trump committed

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<v Speaker 1>crimes before he became president. About six percent say he's

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<v Speaker 1>committed crimes. Wally was president, he had a paltry twenty

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<v Speaker 1>nine percent support even the beginning of the process to

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<v Speaker 1>impeach the president. It's not gonna happen. Yeah, I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I think the only the only factor I would add

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<v Speaker 1>to that, and I think all that data makes a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of sense, is that if you look at the

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<v Speaker 1>data amongst Democratic partisans, if you look at the data

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<v Speaker 1>amongst Democratic partisans are self identified Democratic primary voters, I

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<v Speaker 1>bet those numbers are a lot higher. And so certainly

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<v Speaker 1>for the presidential candidates, that's what they care about. And

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<v Speaker 1>then even for some of these Democrats who, let's say

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<v Speaker 1>they're more moderate but they're concerned about being primary from

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<v Speaker 1>the left, they may end up having to move left

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<v Speaker 1>towards that positioning to to protect themselves. And so I

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<v Speaker 1>think that's the dynamic we don't know enough about yet.

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<v Speaker 1>How lathered up. Is the Democratic base gonna get in

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<v Speaker 1>terms of agitating for for impeachment and demanding that their

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<v Speaker 1>people do it. Does lanh Chen watch Game one of

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<v Speaker 1>the NBA Finals time or the Michael Bennett's CNN Hound

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<v Speaker 1>Home but neither neither. I watched the Dodgers Mets game. Wow. Wow,

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<v Speaker 1>early season baseball questionable on the line, right, So listen

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<v Speaker 1>to the narrative from the President and the Republicans is

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<v Speaker 1>that the Democrats aren't legislating, they're investigating. They need to stop.

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<v Speaker 1>To what extent is that true? To what extent has

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<v Speaker 1>significant legislation installed? And we have about forty seconds for

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<v Speaker 1>your answer. Well, look, I think I think it's true

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<v Speaker 1>that there's no legislative action happening in terms of stuff

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<v Speaker 1>going through the House and the Senate. I think the

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<v Speaker 1>House and Senate individually are doing things, but it's almost

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<v Speaker 1>like Mars and Venus. They're not really really talking to

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<v Speaker 1>each other and they're not doing a whole lot together.

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<v Speaker 1>I take the president's point, which is it's difficult for

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<v Speaker 1>him to work together with Democrats when he every day

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<v Speaker 1>all Democrats want to do is try and and and

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<v Speaker 1>counter him and try and get him out of office.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's a fair and legitimate concern. But I think

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<v Speaker 1>everybody just needs to grow up and let's get some

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<v Speaker 1>things done to the American people, because Gosh knows that

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<v Speaker 1>there's a lot of stuff that needs to get done

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<v Speaker 1>here over these next several months and years, not the

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<v Speaker 1>least of which, by the way, is dealing with the debt.

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<v Speaker 1>That's the sort of thing you hear on crossing lines

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<v Speaker 1>with lan he Chan will have a link at Armstrong

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<v Speaker 1>and Gutty dot com. Ln he always enlightening. Thanks a million,

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<v Speaker 1>Good with you, guys.