Donald Trump Race Crisis A Test For Congress To Take Real Action | Rachel Maddow

>>> A TRIO OF DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS, DEMOCRATS IN THE
HOUSE, ON FRIDAY, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, THEY'LL INTRODUCE THIS
NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION. IT'S A PROPOSED CENSURE OF THE
PRESIDENT, FOR WHAT THEY CALL HIS INADEQUATE RESPONSE TO THE
WHITE SUPREMACIST NEO-NAZI RALLY IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA,
OVER THE WEEKEND. THE DEMOCRATS WANT TO REPRIMAND
HIM FOR NOT IMMEDIATELY NAMING AND CONDEMNING THE WHITE
SUPREMACIST GROUPS. NOW, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF
THINGS, IN TERMS OF THE WAYS WE'VE GOT AS A COUNTRY TO HOLD A
PRESIDENT ACCOUNTABLE, A CENSURE IS LIKE KIND OF A BIGGY STUFF.
LIKE THE FIRST RUNG ON THE LADDER.
BASICALLY A STRONGLY WORDED LETTER FROM CONGRESS.
THE MAJOR CONSEQUENCE OF A CENSURE IS THAT HISTORIANS WILL
MAKE A MENTAL NOTE THAT IT HAPPENED.
IT'S LITERALLY THE LEAST LAWMAKERS COULD DO.
IF THEY WANTED TO RESPOND NEGATIVELY TO SHOW DISPLEASURE
WITH THE PRESIDENT'S DEFENSE OF WHITE SUPREMACIST YESTERDAY.
ACTUALLY, I GUESS I SHOULD CORRECT THAT, WE SORT OF FOUND
OUT LAST NIGHT THAT THIS IS THE LEAST LAWMAKERS CAN DO TO
DENOUNCE WHAT THE PRESIDENT DID. THEY CAN SEND OUT SOME STRONGLY
WORDED TWEETS THAT DON'T ACTUALLY MENTION THE PRESIDENT
BY NAME, BUT MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THEY THEMSELVES AREN'T COOL
WITH NAZIS, OKAY? NOTHING ELSE TO SAY ABOUT IT, OR
THE PRESIDENT OR WHATEVER HE MIGHT HAVE SAID.
JUST A HEADS-UP, DON'T LIKE NAZIS, ALL RIGHT?
THAT'S THE LEAST YOU CAN DO. ON A SCALE OF CONGRESSIONAL
RESPONSES TO A THING LIKE THIS, A CENSURE IS LIKE A FRACTION OF
A PERCENT STRONGER THAN ONE OF THOSE POINTLESS TWEETS.
IT WOULD HAVE NO REAL CONSEQUENCE.
BUT IF CONGRESS WANTS TO DO IT, THEY WOULD HAVE TO ACTUALLY PASS
THIS CENSURE LIKE AN ACTUAL BILL.
ASSUMING EVERY DEMOCRAT IN THE HOUSE WOULD VOTE TO PASS THIS
THING, ASSUMING PAUL RYAN WOULD AGREE TO PUT IT ON THE FLOOR,
THEY WOULD HAVE TO SCROUNGE UP VOTES.
IT SHOULD BE AN EASY TEST IN REASONABLE TIMES, REPUBLICANS
WILL HAVE TO DECIDE HOW MUCH THEY WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH
WHAT THE PRESIDENT DID YESTERDAY, AND WHAT HE SAID
YESTERDAY. VOTING FOR CENSURE WOULD BE ONE
EASY, UNCOMPLICATED WAY THEY COULD DO THAT.
TO SAY THAT THEY DID SOMETHING, ANYTHING, HOWEVER INSIGNIFICANT
IT MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE IN PRACTICAL TERMS.
IT IS ALMOST THE LEAST THEY COULD DO.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY BELIEVES THEY COULD MANAGE IT.
JOINING ME IS THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR COUNSEL OF THE NAACP
DEFENSE FUND. NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> THANK YOU. >> WE HAVEN'T SPOKEN SINCE THE
EVENTS OF THIS WEEKEND. I WANT TO FIRST GET YOUR TOP
LINE REACTION AND HOW YOU'RE FEELING THESE DAYS AFTER.
>> WELL, I'M PRETTY ENRAGED, ACTUALLY.
I'M PRETTY FURIOUS. BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW,
ANYBODY WHO WAS PAYING ATTENTION COULD HAVE SEEN THAT WHAT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN THIS WEEKEND WAS GOING TO BE SOMETHING VIOLENT,
WAS GOING TO BE SOMETHING UGLY. AND NOT JUST WHAT HAPPENED IN
CHARLOTTESVILLE. BUT THE ATMOSPHERE THAT HAS BEEN
CREATED BY THIS PRESIDENT, EVEN WHEN HE WAS A CANDIDATE, AND
THAT REALLY HAS BEEN ALLOWED BY THOSE IN CONGRESS AND OTHER
LEADERS WHERE HE HAS ESSENTIALLY UNLEASHED SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE
ALL KNOWN EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES.
YOU CAN'T BE, AS I AM A CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER, WITHOUT KNOWING
THAT THERE IS THIS ELEMENT IN THIS COUNTRY AND HAS BEEN FOR A
VERY LONG TIME. WHAT WE HAVE USUALLY SEEN IS A
SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY BY NATIONAL LEADERS.
A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY BY THE PRESIDENT THAT EVEN IF THEY ARE
ON THE RIGHT, THERE'S A LINE THAT DOESN'T GET CROSSED.
AND WHAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED, YOU KNOW, THE UNWILLINGNESS OF
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO DO MORE THAN TWEET, TO DO MORE THAN MAKE
OBLIQUE REFERENCES, YOU KNOW, TO HATE, DISEMBODIED HATE WITHOUT
ACTUALLY IDENTIFYING WHO'S DOING THE HATING, TALKING ABOUT ALL
SIDES AS THE PRESIDENT DID, OR MANY SIDES, OR BOTH SIDES.
THIS IS A COMPLETE ABDICATION OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING THIS
COUNTRY. BECAUSE THIS COUNTRY IS STITCHED
TOGETHER OF MANY PIECES. AND IT'S A PATCHWORK, AND IT'S
BEEN DIFFICULT. THERE'S BEEN BLOODSHED TO BRING
US TO THE POINT THAT WE'RE AT TODAY, WHICH IS NOT SHANGRI-LA,
BUT IT CERTAINLY IS NOT 1860, AND IT'S CERTAINLY NOT 1954.
THAT TOOK BLOOD, THAT TOOK SWEAT, THAT TOOK LAWSUITS, THAT
TOOK SIT-INS, THAT TOOK SACRIFICE TO BRING US TO THAT
POINT. WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE
WILLINGNESS OF LEADERS TO KIND OF CAVALIERLY ALLOW IT TO BE
DISSIPATED. AND THAT MAKES ME ANGRY.
WHAT I ALSO AM IS VERY REZ OH
RESOLUTE THAT WE WILL NOT BE PALMED OFF BY TWEETS,
EXPRESSIONS OF CONDEMNATION. THAT'S THE LEAST YOU CAN DO, AS
YOU SAID, I SAID YESTERDAY THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS PRETTY MUCH
JUMPED THE SHARK. I HAD BEEN PART OF THE GROUP
THAT WAS SAYING, GET THE WHITE NATIONALISTS OUT OF THE CABINET,
FIRE BANNON. AT THIS POINT IT'S THE
PRESIDENT. IT'S THE PRESIDENT.
SO NOW WE HAVE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT.
WE HAVE A CONGRESS THAT HAS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT
THEY CAN DO, NOT WHAT THEY CAN SAY.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY THINGS THEY CAN DO IF THEY'RE WILLING TO DO.
IF PAUL RYAN REALLY SAYS HE'S REPULSED BY WHITE SUPREMACY, IF
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, YOU KNOW, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, HAVE
TWEETED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHITE SUPREMACY, AND WE DON'T STAND
WITH THIS, THEN LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WHITE SUPREMACY, WHAT IT
ACTUALLY IS. LET'S TALK ABOUT FEDERAL
GOVERNMENTS FINDING THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE OF TEXAS, AND
THE STATE LEGISLATURE OF NORTH CAROLINA CREATED VOTER
SUPPRESSION LAWS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DISCRIMINATING AGAINST BLACK
AND LATINO VOTERS. THAT IS WHITE SUPREMACY IN
ACTION. SO WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN ON THAT?
WHAT HAS PAUL RYAN SAID? WE CAN'T EVEN GET REPRESENTATIVE
BOB GOODLOT CONDEMNING THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RALLY TO GET A
HEARING ON THE AMENDING THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT TO DEAL WITH
THE VOTER SITUATION. DO WE REALLY TRUST JEFF SESSIONS
TO PRIORITIZE HATE CRIMES AND TO PRIORITIZE THE INVESTIGATION OF
THESE WHITE SUPREMACIST GROUPS? NO, WE NEED CONGRESS TO NOW
SCHEDULE OVERSIGHT HEARINGS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, SPECIFICALLY TO FIND
OUT FROM THEM WHAT RESOURCES ARE THEY ALLOCATING TO THIS.
WE KNOW JEFF SESSIONS IS ALLOCATING RESOURCES TO ENDING
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, TO DEFENDING SANCTUARY CITIES, MS-13.
I HAVEN'T HEARD HATE CRIMES AND WHITE SUPREMACY AS PART OF THAT
PRIORITIZATION. THAT'S CONGRESS' JOB TO MAKE
SURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS PROPERLY PRIORITIZING
THOSE THINGS. SO THESE ARE THE ACTUAL TANGIBLE
THINGS THAT CONGRESS CAN DO. WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THEM UP ON
OUR WEBSITE, WE PUT IT ON OUR TWITTER TIME LINE.
I'M AFRAID THAT THE WINDOW'S GOING TO CLOSE.
THIS IS NOT A SITUATION THAT CAN BE RESOLVED WITH PLATITUDES.
YOU KNOW, HEATHER HEYER IS DEAD, SHE WAS KILLED.
PEOPLE WERE INJURED. OUR CHILDREN, MEMBERS OF THIS
COUNTRY, HAVE SEEN SWASTIKAS ON FLAGS AND NAZI FLAGS.
WE'VE HEARD HOMOPHOBIC SLURS, WE'VE HEARD RACIAL SLURS,
ANTI-SEMITIC SLURS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.
IF THEY THINK WE'RE GOING TO MOVE PAST THIS, AS THOUGH THIS
IS JUST A POLITICAL MOMENT, THIS IS AN AMERICAN MOMENT.
AND IF PEOPLE REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS DEMOCRACY, AND IF LEADERS
HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO LEAD THIS COUNTRY, THEN WE HAVE THE RIGHT
TO RESPECT THEM, THAT THEY WILL USE THE POWERS THEY HAVE, I
UNDERSTAND THEIR POWERS ARE LIMITED, BUT THEY DO HAVE POWER,
AND THEY MUST USE THAT POWER IN THIS MOMENT TO GET AMERICA BACK
ON TRACK. >> PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR COUPLE
OF THE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU, ONE
QUESTION FOR YOU ABOUT WHAT THIS BEHAVIOR BY THE PRESIDENT DOES
TO THE FAR RIGHT IN TERMS OF WHETHER IT MAKES THEM MORE
CAPABLE OF

Donald Trump Race Crisis A Test For Congress To Take Real Action | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

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