>> I THINK IT’S A REALLY
AMBITIOUS PLAN, ALICIA.
BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE
SENATE TRIAL, IMPEACHMENT TRIAL
AND ALSO THE FACT THAT THERE
NEEDS TO BE CONFIRMATIONS MIGHT
BE A GOOD THING FOR THIS
STIMULUS PLAN.
AND I’LL SAY THAT BECAUSE I
THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE’S
ATTENTION WILL BE ON THOSE OTHER
TWO THINGS.
AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW,
BIDEN CAN PUT PRESSURE ON MITCH
McCONNELL, WHILE OUR ATTENTION
IS FOCUSED ON THOSE OTHER THINGS
TO GET SOMETHING PASSED.
I THINK IT’S INTERESTING THAT WE
ARE NOW IN A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE
THE CHANCE OF A FUNCTIONING
GOVERNMENT.
I THINK AMERICANS AT HOME SHOULD
REMEMBER THAT ONE OF THE REASONS
THAT THE GOVERNMENT’S ABLE TO
FUNCTION IN TERMS OF POLICY,
ALICIA, IS BECAUSE MITCH
McCONNELL IS NO LONGER THE
MAJORITY LEADER.
THE SENATE CAN GET THINGS DONE
QUICKLY IF THEY WANT TO.
IT ALL DEPENDS WHAT THE LEADER
PUTS ON THE FLOOR.
AND WE SAW THEM CONFIRM A
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE IN EIGHT
DAYS.
AND SO WE CAN DO THINGS TO HELP
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IT’S JUST A MATTER OF HAVING THE
WILL AND THE PERSISTENCE TO GET
IT DONE.
>> ADAM, HERE’S WHAT HOUSE
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI SAID
YESTERDAY ABOUT TRUMP’S SECOND
IMPEACHMENT.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> ON JANUARY 6th, THERE WAS AN
ACT OF INSURRECTION PERPETRATED
ON THE CAPITOL OF THE UNITED
STATES, INCENTIVIZED BY THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
ONE WEEK LATER, WEDNESDAY TO
WEDNESDAY, THAT PRESIDENT WAS
IMPEACHED IN A BIPARTISAN WAY BY
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
SO URGENT WAS THE MATTER, THAT
NOW WE’RE WORKING ON TAKING THIS
TO TRIAL.
>> ADAM, SO FAR, SPEAKER PELOSI
HASN’T SENT THE ARTICLE OF
IMPEACHMENT OVER TO THE SENATE.
HASN’T SPECIFIED WHEN SHE MAY DO
SO.
YOUR SENSE OF WHAT THE STRATEGY
IS HERE.
>> I THINK THAT THEY’RE PROBABLY
GOING TO WANT TO DO THIS AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
I DON’T GET THE SENSE THAT
THEY’RE GOING TO WANT TO DELAY
IT.
I THINK THAT THERE’S NOT A
REASON TO DELAY IT.
THERE’S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT
TRUMP IS GUILTY HERE.
THE ONLY QUESTION IS WHAT
OUTCOME.
I DON’T THINK THAT YOU PRESSURE
REPUBLICANS MORE BY WAITING.
I THINK YOU PRESSURE THEM MORE
BY GOING QUICKLY.
SO, WHILE THEY HAVEN’T SENT IT,
THEY MAY BE -- ONCE THE HOUSE
RELEASES ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT, THEY’RE DONE WITH
THE PROCESS.
THEY TAKE AWAY ALL OF THEIR
OPTIONS.
THEY MAY JUST BE HOLDING ON TO
IT TO PRESERVE THE OPTION TO
HOLD IT, IF THEY CHOOSE TO DO
SO.
BUT I SUSPECT THAT THEY’LL
PROBABLY SEND IT QUICKLY.
THE SENATE DOESN’T COME BACK
INTO SESSION UNTIL JANUARY 19th.
SO I THINK THAT THEY’LL PROBABLY
PROCEED WITH THE IMPEACHMENT
TRIAL PRETTY QUICKLY AFTER THEY
RECONVENE THEN.
>> ADAM, I WANT TO PICK UP ON
SOMETHING THAT ZERLINA SAID,
WHICH IS WHILE DEMOCRATS HOLD
THE MAJORITY IN BOTH THE HOUSE
AND THE SENATE, WHAT ELSE MIGHT
REPUBLICANS DO TO TRY TO
OBSTRUCT OR DELAY BIDEN’S
POLICIES?
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
AND DEMOCRATS WAS -- IN A
THRILLING EVENT, IT WAS GREAT TO
SEE DEMOCRATS TAKE BACK THE
MAJORITY IN THE SENATE WITH
THOSE RACES IN GEORGIA.
YOU KNOW, THE ONE DRAWBACK IS
THAT IT IS A SLIM MAJORITY.
LOOK, YOU ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE
THE MAJORITY AND ZERLINA IS
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, IT GIVES YOU
ENORMOUS POWER TO SET THE
AGENDA.
BUT WHAT REPUBLICANS CAN DO,
THOUGH, IS THEY CAN SIMPLY DENY
PRESIDENT BIDEN COOPERATION IN A
SIMILAR WAY THAT THEY DID TO
PRESIDENT OBAMA.
BIDEN NEEDS TEN REPUBLICAN VOTES
TO ADVANCE MOST PIECES OF
LEGISLATION.
HE’LL NEED TEN REPUBLICAN VOTES
TO ADVANCE HIS COVID PACKAGE, SO
REPUBLICANS CAN SIMPLY DENY HIM
THAT COOPERATION TO TRY TO
MANUFACTURE GRIDLOCK IN THE SAME
WAY THEY DID THE PRESIDENT
OBAMA.
UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK THE SAME
INCENTIVES STILL APPLY.
BLOCKING BIDEN MAKES HIM LOOK
BAD, IT MAKES DEMOCRATS LOOK
LIKE THEY CAN’T GET ANYTHING
DONE AND SETS REPUBLICANS UP TO
SUCCEED IN THE 2022 MIDTERMS,
WHEN THEY ONLY NEED ONE OR TWO
SEATS TO TAKE BACK THE MAJORITY.
I THINK WHAT BIDEN WILL HAVE TO
DECIDE RELATIVELY EARLY ON IS
WHETHER HE WANTS TO BE
AGGRESSIVE, NOT JUST WITH HIS
POLICY, AS HE IS DOING, IN
PUTTING FORWARD VERY BOLD, BIG
POLICIES HERE, BUT ALSO BE
AGGRESSIVE IN HOW HE WANTS TO
ADVANCE THOSE POLICIES IN TERMS
OF DOING THINGS LIKE REFORMING
SENATE RULES OR USING BUDGET
RECONCILIATION, SOME OF THE
OTHER OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE
TO HIM.
>> ZERLINA, I WANT YOU TO TAKE A
LISTEN TO WHAT VICE
PRESIDENT-ELECT HARRIS SAID
ABOUT HOW THE SENATE WILL NEED
TO MULTI-TASK WHILE BALANCING A
POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL WITH
OTHER LEGISLATIVE TASKS.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> WE KNOW HOW TO MULTITASK.
THERE’S A REASON THAT WORD
EXISTS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
THAT’S WHAT’S GOING TO BE
REQUIRED.
WE HAVE TO MULTITASK, WHICH
MEANS, AS WITH ANYONE, WE HAVE A
LOT OF PRIORITIES AND WE NEED TO
SEE THEM THROUGH.
>> ZERLINA, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE
ALL GROWN UNACCUSTOMED TO HAVING
A FUNCTIONING GOVERNMENT, BUT
PUTTING ASIDE THE MECHANICS OF
HOW CONGRESS IS GOING TO HAVE TO
MANAGE THEIR TIME, LIKE THE REST
OF US, WHAT DO THE POLITICS OF
THIS LOOK LIKE?
>> WELL, I THINK THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, TO ADAM’S POINT,
NEEDS TO BE VERY AGGRESSIVE
HERE.
HE IS RIGHT THAT THEY CAN USE
THE BUDGET RECONCILIATION
PROCESS TO PUSH FORWARD SOME
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND I
REALLY THINK THAT IF THEY CAN
MESSAGE THE FACT THAT MANY OF
THESE PRIORITIES INTERSECT WITH
ONE ANOTHER.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU GET
POLICY PUT FORWARD AND FUNDING
INTO THE STATES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS TO REOPEN SCHOOLS
AND GET MONEY INTO THE HANDS OF
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, THEN YOU
HAVE DONE A LOT FOR COVID AND
ALSO THE ECONOMY.
BECAUSE THOSE TWO ISSUES ARE
INTIMATELY INTERCONNECTED.
THEY ARE NOT SEPARATE.
THEY’RE BASICALLY THE SAME ISSUE
AT THIS POINT.
BUT THEY REQUIRE DIFFERENT
POLICIES.
SO IF YOU ARE A VERY AGGRESSIVE
IN TERMS OF TRYING TO TACKLE
COVID FIRST, UNDERSTANDING THAT
THE ECONOMY WILL BE IMPACTED,
YOU CAN GET A LOT OF
ACCOMPLISHED.
AND YOU KNOW, THE PROOF IS IN
THE RESULTS THAT PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO HAVE MONEY IN THEIR
POCKETS AND THEY’RE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO REOPEN THEIR BUSINESSES.
ADDITIONALLY, I THINK, IT’S
IMPORTANT FOR THE BIDEN/HARRIS
ADMINISTRATION TO FOCUS ON THE
WAYS IN WHICH THE COVID PANDEMIC
IS DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTING
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
SO THERE NEED TO BE TARGETED
POLICIES THAT ADDRESS THOSE
CONCERNS.
SO RACIAL JUSTICE HAS TO BE A
NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR THIS
ADMINISTRATION, AS THEY ARE
TRYING TO TACKLE THE ISSUE OF
COVID, WHICH IS LINKED