WEBVTT - Election Fatigue...Already!!??  Lanhee Chen talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>Listen, you've slandered this man. Yeah. What I sort of

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<v Speaker 1>want to know is how do we how do we

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<v Speaker 1>get to this point? I do not think that anyone,

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<v Speaker 1>Mr Chairman, I am done. Thank you, very man. You

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<v Speaker 1>slandered this man from top to bottom. I want to

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<v Speaker 1>say this before we welcome our esteemed guest, Maizie Herono

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<v Speaker 1>from Hawaii. Sounds like a dope. Now, it's fairly unlikely

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<v Speaker 1>she's actually a dope. Is it possible she just has

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<v Speaker 1>resting dope voice? I mean, like this guy here turns

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<v Speaker 1>up as a astrophysicist. I mean it's possible. So a

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<v Speaker 1>majority of Americans don't want impeachment proceedings to happen in Congress.

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<v Speaker 1>I think people are just getting tired of all this.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if that hurts Trump or the Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>or everyone or no one. I don't know. So we

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<v Speaker 1>should talk to somebody smart. Indeed. Lan he j Chen

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<v Speaker 1>is the host of the podcast Crossing Lines with lani

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<v Speaker 1>enln He is also a David and Diane Stuffy Research

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<v Speaker 1>Fellow to Hoover Institution Director Domestic Policy Studies at Stanford University.

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<v Speaker 1>Lon he how are you, sir? Good morning, gentlemen doing well,

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<v Speaker 1>how are you awesome? So that there is a big

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<v Speaker 1>ABC Washington Post poll came out. I guess over the

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<v Speaker 1>weekend um majority people don't want impeachment proceedings to start.

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<v Speaker 1>The vast majority of people their opinion wasn't changed one

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<v Speaker 1>way or another over the Muller report. I just I

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<v Speaker 1>just think I just feel like people are worn out

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<v Speaker 1>by all of this, and does that help or hurt?

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<v Speaker 1>Who's that helper hurt? Yeah? I do think that there's

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<v Speaker 1>a certain amount of fatigue that's set in. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I think most Americans look at this and they just say,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what, stop pickering and get something done, you know.

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<v Speaker 1>I I think that's that's the predominant frame through which

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<v Speaker 1>people see all this. In terms of who it helps

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<v Speaker 1>or hurts. I think it depends on how the cards

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<v Speaker 1>are played. If the Democrats do proceed to impeachment proceedings,

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<v Speaker 1>I can't do you think that's a possibility. I haven't

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<v Speaker 1>even considered that actually might happen. You think that could happen? Well, there,

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<v Speaker 1>you gotta remember there's this conflict in the Democratic Party.

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<v Speaker 1>For all the talk about what's going on in the

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<v Speaker 1>Republican Party, with Trump and people who don't like Trump.

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<v Speaker 1>The bigger divide and the bigger story over the next

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<v Speaker 1>year is going to be the division within the Democratic Party.

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<v Speaker 1>And you see this played out between Nancy Pelosi and

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<v Speaker 1>Alexandria Kazio Cortez. I mean, no one is thrown more

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<v Speaker 1>shade at Alexandria Kazio Cortez and Nancy Pelo. Now, now

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<v Speaker 1>Nancy Pelosi has got a problem, which is that she's

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<v Speaker 1>the only same one in the room there. She's the

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<v Speaker 1>one saying, She's the one saying, look, we can't, we

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<v Speaker 1>can't do this impeachment thing. It's not going to make

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<v Speaker 1>a whole lot of sense given what we have on

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<v Speaker 1>the record. Now, the problem is there's so many people

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<v Speaker 1>agitating for this on the progressive left, and it's it's

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<v Speaker 1>not even just raw numbers, guys, it's how loud they are.

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<v Speaker 1>And oftentimes you, I mean you, you fellows know this.

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<v Speaker 1>Whoever yells the loudest in an argument wins. And So

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<v Speaker 1>while I don't think it makes any sense on God's

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<v Speaker 1>green Earth or Democrats to proceed to impeachment proceedings, it

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't surprise me if they do it either, Just in

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<v Speaker 1>where the energy is in their party. Wow. Interesting, that'd

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<v Speaker 1>be something that'd be what a what a crazy maneuver,

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<v Speaker 1>that would be against the wishes of your House the

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<v Speaker 1>House Speaker. And I'm guessing Chuck Schumer's not into it.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, when when Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi came

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<v Speaker 1>out of that infrastructure meeting the other day with Trump

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<v Speaker 1>and all talked about how we had a great meeting,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is that that's not a couple of leaders

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<v Speaker 1>who are excited about impeachment, or they wouldn't be talking

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<v Speaker 1>that way. Well, that's right. And the interesting part of

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<v Speaker 1>this is you've got a dynamic here, right, because some

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<v Speaker 1>of these Democrats, particularly marginal Democrats who are elected in

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<v Speaker 1>twenty eight team, let's say from southern California, who represent

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<v Speaker 1>districts that are pretty evenly divided, they'd love to have

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<v Speaker 1>a two trillion dollar infrastructure package to take home at

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<v Speaker 1>some of that to their districts and say, look at

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<v Speaker 1>what I've got, Look what I was able to win.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem is going to be on the other side

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<v Speaker 1>of this if, in fact, you have a situation now

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<v Speaker 1>where you've got people who are running for president, let's say,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, they would benefit from nothing more than having

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<v Speaker 1>a little more conflict, and it doesn't fit the narrative.

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<v Speaker 1>Well if Trump is able to do a deal with

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<v Speaker 1>the Democrats. So in some ways, all the incentives are

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<v Speaker 1>misaligned here and that's why Americans are so sticky tired

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<v Speaker 1>of all this. Yeah. Yeah, it is the age of

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<v Speaker 1>hyperbole everywhere, from social media to the TV, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>just the radio and politics is a hypercharged hyperbole, I think.

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<v Speaker 1>But yeah, I think that's probably why Joe Biden is

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<v Speaker 1>so clearly trying to be Mr com Mr We're fine,

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<v Speaker 1>Mr chuckling warmly. In fact, you know, he said the

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<v Speaker 1>other day that the China is not a competitor us.

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<v Speaker 1>That's fine. They're nice folks, they're good folks. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>so his uh, his strategies definitely emerged. Would you agree

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<v Speaker 1>that's his thing. Yeah, he's he's sort of I'm going

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<v Speaker 1>to be the voice of reason, and I'm going to

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<v Speaker 1>be the comfortable blanket you you know, you throw on

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<v Speaker 1>when it's corn it's cold on a winter night. The

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<v Speaker 1>problem is, and it gets back again to this beforetime

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<v Speaker 1>about earlier, which is the split within the Democratic Party.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not so sure the Democratic primary electorate, which is

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<v Speaker 1>the electorate he needs to speak to right now, is

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<v Speaker 1>particularly interested in a restoration of things past. I think

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<v Speaker 1>they're interested in a forward looking vision and dramatic, bulk change,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's not Joe Biden. I mean, you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Biden his policy prescriptions straight out of there's not

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<v Speaker 1>a whole lot he's talking about that's going to be

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<v Speaker 1>anything new. And so that's the challenge that I think

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<v Speaker 1>that that I think he's gonna face, which is what

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<v Speaker 1>he's selling fundamentally, is probably not something that a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of Democratic primary voters want. Now, they may end up deciding, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>we'll swallow it and we'll take it because we think

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<v Speaker 1>he's the guy best equipped to be Trump. But I'll

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<v Speaker 1>tell you he seems a little bit out of step

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<v Speaker 1>with the Democratic Party elector now, not out of step

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<v Speaker 1>with maybe what the general independent public wants, but in

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<v Speaker 1>terms of Democratic primary voters, it doesn't sound like a

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<v Speaker 1>great message to me. I I hate to derail the conversation,

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<v Speaker 1>but I find that to be a really interesting question.

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<v Speaker 1>A statement in the form of question what would be

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<v Speaker 1>the best way for the parties to select president chill candidates?

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<v Speaker 1>Because what you've described, and it's undeniably true, sounds like

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<v Speaker 1>a bad way to do it. We're going to have

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<v Speaker 1>a fired up, small minority of people pick who appeals

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<v Speaker 1>to them, then we'll trot them out to the general population,

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<v Speaker 1>who we already know is looking for something different. Yeah. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the way that they used to do it

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<v Speaker 1>was the old smoke filled rooms where party elders and

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<v Speaker 1>leaders would get together and figure out who they wanted.

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<v Speaker 1>And that was probably better, wasn't it. I mean, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I kind of feel like it might be. That's that's interesting.

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody's come full circle on that. When I was younger,

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<v Speaker 1>I thought that just sounds terrible. A couple of powerful

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<v Speaker 1>people making all the decisions. But Nancy and Chuck would

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<v Speaker 1>do a better choice than the than the than the

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<v Speaker 1>energized AOC wing is going to do. Yeah, I think

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<v Speaker 1>that's right. And you know the funny thing about this

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<v Speaker 1>is we're always fighting the last fight. Okay, So I

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<v Speaker 1>think about the Democrats. The perfect example of this. What

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<v Speaker 1>they do in is they decide we're going to get

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<v Speaker 1>rid of something called super elegance. Right, just to let

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<v Speaker 1>you know, we've got like forty five seconds. But go ahead, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>So I'll try to make this quick. They've got these

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<v Speaker 1>super delegates, right, which are basically party elders who helped

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<v Speaker 1>select the nominee they decide. You know, we're going to

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<v Speaker 1>get rid of those, so fast forward. We're in now.

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<v Speaker 1>The party elders in the Democratic Party have far less

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<v Speaker 1>influenced unless there's a contested convention, then they gain influence again.

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<v Speaker 1>But this is what I'm talking about. They're always fighting

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<v Speaker 1>the last fight, and in some ways going back to

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<v Speaker 1>the way things were sometimes might not be a bad

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<v Speaker 1>idea because you might actually end up with a better outcome. Listen,

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<v Speaker 1>let's follow up on that next time we chat. To

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<v Speaker 1>apologize for the abrupt and long he but it's always

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<v Speaker 1>a pleasure. Lon he Chan as the host of the

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<v Speaker 1>podcast Crossing Lines with lon Chan. That's interesting. That sounds

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<v Speaker 1>like they've got a recipe for a less um effective

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<v Speaker 1>candidate than they've ever had. More democracy is not always

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<v Speaker 1>better