WEBVTT - How Democrats Are Feeling Right Now 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:05.400 What is the mood amongst your fellow Democrats right now. 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:07.160 Well, it's one of. 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:13.880 Introspection to see what we need to do in terms 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:21.280 of connecting with rural communities, with the industrialized towns, factory towns, 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:28.960 communities of color, working class voters, to build trust. But 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:34.360 it's also one of resolve, a sense that we can 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:38.400 win back in twenty twenty six, win back in twenty 0:00:38.479 --> 0:00:42.200 twenty eight, stand up to the president when he engages 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:49.879 in actions that are extreme and betray the people who 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:50.599 voted for him. 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:55.040 Do you feel like that there's a plan or a 0:00:55.080 --> 0:01:02.120 plan coming together inside the House where there is a 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:06.840 vision to be able to block to pick up a 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:13.320 couple vulnerable Republican members, to help you block Trump from 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:19.960 doing his worst, including perhaps even voting to restrict funding 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:25.160 to some of Trump's more abusive policies. Has anybody sat 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:29.240 down so far and with you in the room, and 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:31.200 I would hope you would be one of the people 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:34.759 in the room and said, we're not going to talk 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:38.039 about what happened in the election, We're not going to 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:43.240 talk about why we're sitting in the minority by two seats. 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:46.040 We're gonna have a conversation about what the plan is 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:50.280 going to be come the noon hour on January twentieth, 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:57.160 to be upfront in opposition to the abuses that we 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:00.200 know are coming down the high way way. 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:01.800 Is that going on? It is? 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:04.200 I just was chatting with Jamie Raskin this morning in 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:07.680 the House Democratic Caucus, and he was talking about how 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:13.600 do we focus our attention on the most egregious abuses? 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:18.160 And we are having those conversations with the ranking members 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:20.720 on our committees. In fact, this morning we were electing 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:25.560 ranking members to so that every day on the House 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:31.440 floor in House committees, Democrats are speaking out about what's 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:34.760 going on and shining a light to it. In some sense, 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:39.120 we are the front lines of letting people know what 0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:43.679 the Trump administration is doing and calling it out. In 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:47.360 terms of Republicans joining in that effort, you know, the 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.760 Republican Caucus has not suddenly become more functional. I mean 0:02:50.840 --> 0:02:54.600 just today, I'm having to possibly cancel my trip and 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:56.880 meetings in New York end of the week because it 0:02:56.919 --> 0:03:00.160 looks like we're stuck here and they can't get a 0:03:00.520 --> 0:03:05.079 continuing resolution. So it's not going to take a lot 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:08.640 of work to find cracks in a Republican caucus. But 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:12.720 right now, under Hakeem Jeffrey's leadership, I mean, we're focused 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:18.600 on how do we have a vibrant, vocal, strong party 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:23.720 ready to go on January twentieth, willing to call out 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:27.200 the president when he does things that are clearly wrong. 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:30.040 With regard to the continuing resolution. As I understand the 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:35.240 politics of this right now, the Speaker Johnson wants this 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:41.760 to go into March, and Senate Republicans are saying, please God, no, 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:46.520 we want to clean slate coming into the Trump presidency. 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:51.320 We don't want to be stuck trying to fund the 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:55.360 government in the first sixty days of the Trump presidency, 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:58.520 in the middle of whatever it is he has planned, 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:02.920 with the possibility that we have a chaotic situation? Am 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:06.120 I assessing that correctly? That's the politics of it. 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:07.920 Yeah, And you've. 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:10.960 Got, as always some Republicans saying, we don't want these 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:15.160 continuing resolutions. We want to have a regular process. We 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:18.080 want to have a regular budget. The problem is when 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:21.880 they want a regular budget, they've got an extreme caucus 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:26.839 that wants to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, cut veterans benefits, 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:30.840 cut food stamps, and Johnson knows that if they actually 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:31.839 made those cuts. 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:35.920 They'd lose thirty seats. And so this is the dance 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:38.840 song and dance they've been playing for over. 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:42.320 A year that they keep giving the Continuing Resolution because 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:44.559 they don't have the votes on their side to pass 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:46.800 a budget that isn't catastrophic. 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:49.800 And what puts Trump in the most difficult position? Do 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:52.960 you think planning this till March and giving him the ball? 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:57.080 Well, look, I think that first were the Democrats are 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:59.720 committed to doing what's right for the country, aren't looking 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:03.039 at it from the lens of politics. And what will 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.479 be terrible is to have some kind of government shut 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.200 down before Christmas. 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:09.760 And before the holidays. 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:12.760 So we as long as they're not making cuts to 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:16.280 Social Security and food Stamps and veterans benefits, are going 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:18.360 to pass the Continuing Resolution. 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:22.320 But I think that is the likely outcome. And then 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:23.120 Trump is going. 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:25.240 To have to decide what is he what is he 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:30.440 going to do to get a budget and where is 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:30.960 he going to. 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:32.120 Be willing to cut? 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.120 And he's going to have a lot of pressure from 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:38.200 House Republicans to make cuts for programs that working class 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:40.000 and middle class folks rely. 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:42.800 On in this vote, in this debate, So people who 0:05:42.880 --> 0:05:47.880 are watching and listening to this, so they understand basically 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:55.360 postpones that larger debate until after Trump is president sometime 0:05:55.480 --> 0:06:01.960 in March. When this continuing Resolution this basic, we'll put 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:05.360 it off till then postponement comes due. 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:09.480 Correct the continuing Resolution says we can fund government at 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:13.440 the levels it is right now, no cuts, but we're 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:18.440 going to wait to pass a full budget in March. 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.320 If we get the three months continuing resolution. 0:06:21.320 --> 0:06:26.000 And this will give Democrats, then in a two seat minority, 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:32.039 probably their maximum point of political leverage in dealing with 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:38.039 Donald Trump potentially abusing the powers of the presidency on 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:41.039 a range of issues with the power of the purse. 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:42.200 Absolutely. 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:47.760 I mean, this is going to mean that Johnson will 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.520 need Democratic votes. I can't imagine that he's going to 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:53.359 be able to get a budget passed without democratic votes. 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:56.040 He hasn't been able to do it so far. And 0:06:56.120 --> 0:06:59.440 so Keem Jeffries, our leader, is going to have the 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.800 leverage to go to Johnson and say, Okay, we're going 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:06.000 to give you the votes because you're not going to 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:08.160 want to be blamed for a shutdown a government. You 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:10.480 have every branch, you know, you got the House, you 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:12.680 got the Senate vote, Chambers, you got the presidency. 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:14.120 The Supreme Court. 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:18.160 Is Republican appointees. The American people know you're in charge. 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:20.120 But if you don't want to fail, we're willing to 0:07:20.160 --> 0:07:21.440 give you the votes in good faith. 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:24.160 But you can't, you know, have. 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:28.680 A Justice Department trying to put Liz Cheney and Jamie 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:34.120 Raskin in jail. You can't be mass supporting eleven million 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:39.000 undocumented immigrants, not criminals, but actual immigrants who have American families. 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:42.800 Here where the American families, American citizens are getting caught 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:45.960 up in these raids, and that is a power that 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:49.880 the House Democrats will have. Look, I'm bias, Steve, but 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.200 the action in the first six months in terms of 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:54.000 standing up. 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:56.640 To the worst of Trump is going to fall on 0:07:56.680 --> 0:07:58.280 House Democrats. 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:01.480 No doubt about that. And do you do you feel 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:04.040 like your team is ready? Do you go when team 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:05.120 Jefferies is ready? 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:10.280 I do. I mean, Hakeem is disciplined, he's eloquent, and 0:08:10.320 --> 0:08:15.600 he is strong, and the caucus is very united. I mean, 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:18.760 I know you read in the press generational battles and 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:19.680 that's all good. 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:21.640 I mean there, but at the end of the day, 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:23.880 it's a united FUCUS. 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:27.400 For example, today we had AOC running against Connolly. 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:28.960 I voted for AOC. 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:31.920 She lost Connolly one. You know, AC went over and 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:35.560 hugged Connolly. We're all now on the same team getting 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:41.240 the stakes of holding Trump accountable. So are there differences, Sure, 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:44.920 But it's as unified a caucus as I have seen 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:46.400 in my nine years in Congress. 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:48.240 And that's because people get the stakes. 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.400 If you had to take her aside afterwards, what would 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:53.880 you what would you say right or what would be 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.320 fair to say to her that well, if you want 0:08:56.320 --> 0:08:59.360 to win one of these elections next time, to chair 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:03.200 a major committee in the Congress, in your caucus, you 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:03.600 have to. 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:06.360 Do what Well, first of all, I think we should 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:10.880 elevate her, and I hope after Connolly she's next. 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:12.160 She got eighty four votes. 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:17.320 But I would say, spend time with some of the 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:21.400 key members, some of the more senior members. Just have 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:25.240 coffee with them, get to know them, spend time with 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:26.959 the Congressional Black Caucus. 0:09:27.520 --> 0:09:29.880 Spend time campaigning. 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:34.000 As you have so effectively in building a base outside 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:37.400 of Congress, you know, continue to do that within Congress. 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:40.240 And you know, she did a lot of that, so 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:43.560 I don't want to be seeming lam giving her advice 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:44.559 that she's not already doing. 0:09:44.600 --> 0:09:46.600 She's only been in Congress six years. 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.240 But I think if she continues on that trajectory, she 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:52.200 has a very very good chance of being the chair 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:54.120 of the Oversight Committee, which is a big deal. Like 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:57.319 Henry Waxman chaired this committee, so to be the chair 0:09:57.320 --> 0:10:00.240 of this in her thirties, if she's next in line, 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:01.840 is a pretty remarkable thing. 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:05.280 I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning and I invite 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:09.520 you to join. Subscribe on our substack, on our YouTube channel, 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:15.240 follow us. Welcome to the community.