1 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: I woke up this morning, and, like I have for many, 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: many years, the first place I surveyed for the news 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: of the day was the Drudge Report, and as I 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: scanned the headlines, I came upon one that I couldn't resist. 5 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: George Santos, the disgraced former New York congressman expelled by 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: an overwhelming vote, is now on CAMEO. When I saw it, 7 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: before I came to my senses, I almost succumbed to 8 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: the nonsense, to the insanity, to the fact that what's 9 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: playing out in front of us, though it is deadly serious, 10 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 1: plays out like a joke, a farce, a Saturday Night 11 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: Live episode that never ever ever stops. The parody has 12 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: outraced the reality. The reality can't keep up. It is 13 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: an extraordinary moment. The absurdities around us continue to pile higher, 14 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:16,919 Speaker 1: and hire and hire, and no doubt there are thousands 15 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: and thousands of people who will avail themselves of the 16 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: opportunity to have George Santos call someone they know and 17 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: say something stupid. At any rate, it's likely that soon 18 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: George Santos will be in a federal prison, where he 19 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: belongs to be, because he is a fraud a com man, 20 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: an utterly an absolutely disreputable figure, and that he found 21 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: his way into the Congress from the state of New 22 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: York under the nose of the New York Times says 23 00:01:54,960 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: everything you need to know about the absolute neglection act 24 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: of our politics by the American news media, which has 25 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,639 Speaker 1: become an essential partner to the political class that they 26 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: are supposed to cover. Instead, they are in the conflict business, 27 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: making billions for cliques, sensationalizing lunacy and nonsense, and never 28 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: ever leveling straight with the American people. There are so 29 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: few that have stood up, stood tall, have done the 30 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: right thing, have followed their oaths and their consciences, and 31 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: did their duty to the American Republic. Let's be clear 32 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: about something. The burden of standing up to Donald Trump 33 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: has never been particularly high. What it called for was 34 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: the ability to hold firm against mean tweets. It's hardly 35 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 1: the same as running across Omaha Beach, which happens within 36 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: a living lifespan of people who to this day in 37 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: this country walk, live and breathe. But in this moment 38 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: of profound cowardice and cynicism, what we've seen is a 39 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: profound moral capitulation to the most unworthy of men, who 40 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: has built the most unworthy of causes, but one that 41 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: is within dangerous reach of shattering America's democracy and taking 42 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: away the agency, the liberty, the freedom to choose from 43 00:03:53,480 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: millions and millions of Americans. The American government will be 44 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: come a conspiracy of self interest between the political leadership, 45 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: the business leadership, the media leadership, and technology company leadership 46 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: of the country. There will be a small cast of 47 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: oligarchs who direct in control, substantially and overwhelmingly the lives 48 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: of ordinary people who are captive to breaking a leg 49 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:34,919 Speaker 1: and being popularized by the medical bill, who are prisoners 50 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: of the algorithm that is dictated to them and to 51 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: their children, or to the addictions that came from the 52 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: license given to some of the greediest people in American history, 53 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: who are directly responsible for killing a million of our 54 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: fellow citizens with poison that the government told the American 55 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 1: people was safe. All of this has led us to 56 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:08,360 Speaker 1: this moment of maximum danger where there has been an 57 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:16,720 Speaker 1: absence of truth telling. Watch Joe Scarborough say something deeply important. 58 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: Nobody is telling the truth, nobody is saying the quiet 59 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: part out loud, and yet the situation continues to worsen. 60 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: There are new polling numbers out today that again show 61 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: Donald Trump is winning. He is winning in the key 62 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: swing states. He is on the march, And there is 63 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: a great national delusion, abetted by a great national conspiracy 64 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,480 Speaker 1: of silence from much of the news media that refuses, 65 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: refuses to directly level with the American people around the 66 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 1: simple and central fact in danger of this moment and 67 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: in this era, Donald Trump is on the edge of 68 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: returning to political power. The event an election is less 69 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: than one year away. One of the people who has 70 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 1: stood tall in this moment is the former Republican congresswoman 71 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:34,600 Speaker 1: from Wyoming, Elizabeth Cheney, the daughter of a Vice President 72 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: of the United States who before this last election advised 73 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: his daughter daughter, defend the Republic. The American Republic is 74 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: one of the greatest creations and achievements over the entirety 75 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 1: of human history, and it is in danger. It is 76 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: in danger because of a combination of malice and cynicism, selfishness, 77 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: and neglect. But it is not yet too late. This 78 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: moment will require an articulation of the importance of union. 79 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: We talk often in America about our disagreements and about 80 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: our differences, and we apologize to each other in advance 81 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: for any affront to the possibility that you might be 82 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: exposed to a contrary idea. It has led us to 83 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: a dangerous place. What it is time to talk about 84 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: is what we share in common. And what we share 85 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: in common is a heritage of Americanism, and what Americanism 86 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: is is a philosophy of freedom that believes in the 87 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: American Constitution as a vehicle to guide us as we 88 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: move into the future. That gives us the flexibility to 89 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: conduct our own revolutions in our own time, to bring 90 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: about change to face injustice. What we have been given 91 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: by our ancestors is a profound gift, and what the 92 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: gift requires us to appreciate is that in union together 93 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: across a mighty continent, that we are stronger together, that 94 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: we are free together. That we must respect and understand 95 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: the limitations of the ambition of the people who seek 96 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: to lead us. They are not kings or emperors. They 97 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 1: are of us, and they are below us. Our government 98 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: is a government of ordinary people. Our system requires that 99 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 1: it be of the people, by the people, for the people. 100 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: In this moment is challenging that premise that central idea, 101 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: and that idea must be held up, It must be affirmed, 102 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: it must be celebrated. We must defend it. We must 103 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: defend the idea that in America, the people decide the 104 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: outcome of elections and thus the destiny of the nation, 105 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 1: and that the power to do so can never be taken, 106 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 1: not because someone wants it, not because someone demands it, 107 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: not because someone needs it, not because someone is said 108 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 1: that they lost it and were overeating. That's for you, 109 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: Kevin McCarthy, because what you did was, at a moment 110 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: when Donald Trump was flat on his back, was breathed life, 111 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: political life back into the lungs of this sick, demented 112 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: old man in demagogue who stands on the edge now 113 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: a few years later, of taking back the power legitimately 114 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: that he legitimately lost, with no intention of ever giving 115 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 1: it back again. What Elizabeth Cheney is talking about is 116 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:50,719 Speaker 1: important and necessary and timely. We must talk about it. 117 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 1: We must talk about it everywhere in every corner of 118 00:10:55,120 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: the country. We must understand this moment together what is 119 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:07,199 Speaker 1: at risk. We, Despite whatever differences exist in America between 120 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: us politically, the majority of Americans support freedom, ours, our 121 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 1: children's and each others. It must be defended. It must 122 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 1: be defended now. It must be defended so that the 123 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: next generation will know what we have known, the fruits 124 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: of liberty and its promises. It's time to reform America, 125 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 1: not burn it down. And that's what this next election 126 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: is about, Mark my words. A great time and season 127 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: of testing is ahead for the American people and it 128 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: is time to choose America or Trump.