WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.080 Ah from me historic Lemonard Park in Los Angeles, California. 2 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.400 I'm Tavist Smiley and I'm so glad to see you 3 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:18.480 and me back in stride again. Before we get started 4 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.079 with today's show, let me invite you to follow me 5 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:23.519 on Facebook and Instagram at the real Tavis Smiley and 6 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:27.399 get updates on x that's formerly Twitter at Tavis Smiley. 7 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:30.120 By the way, should you miss any product today's program 8 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.159 or want to catch up on previous shows, you can 9 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:36.119 always visit the Tavismileyshow dot com. That's the Tavismightyshow dot 10 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:39.359 com or wherever you get your podcast and listen to 11 00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:43.799 the Tavismoley podcast version of this live program at your leisure. 12 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:47.039 Another great show on tap for you today. It's Monday, 13 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:49.600 so we'll check in with dot Cornel West on the 14 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:52.359 top side of our two as per usual, on the 15 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:56.840 B side of our two, Karen Audiam is a bad girl. 16 00:00:57.320 --> 00:00:59.880 She was on this program when she was summarily dismissed 17 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.079 by The Washington Post last year for what you ask 18 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:09.040 doing her job. Today, an arbitrator ordered the Washington Post 19 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:13.760 to reinstate Karen after she posted about white men who 20 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:18.359 espouse hatred and violence following Charlie Kirk's killing of victory 21 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:22.239 today for the right kind of Karen, we'll talk about 22 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:24.640 it with my colleague and White House correspondent in the 23 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.239 quarterlot quote on the b side of our two, plus 24 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:31.000 Hakeem Jeffries is hanging out with Jared Kushner. What's that about? 25 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:34.200 Lots to cover on the backside of our two in 26 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.560 our third hour, two more conversations. First, we'll take the 27 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:40.879 political prediction market to task with Galen Druke of the 28 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:44.200 gd Politics podcast, and then on the b side of 29 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:47.920 our three year conversation with the Emmy nominated veteran actor 30 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:52.000 Ernest Harden Junior. Ernest is nominated for his outstanding guest 31 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:55.280 appearance on the HBO Max hit medical drama The Pit. 32 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:57.879 So Ernest comes live and stud do today in our 33 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.239 third and final hour on the backside at least, but 34 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:02.120 in this first hour, let's talk politics and more with 35 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:05.439 former White House speech writer and Emmy winner himself Eli 36 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:06.959 Addie Eli, How are you, sir? 37 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:08.960 Great? How are you to man? 38 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:10.520 If I can play man's good to have you, I 39 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:13.080 can plain that being ingrade, you know me, let me 40 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:17.240 let me. I mentioned South Carolina, and I want to 41 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:18.120 go there right quick. 42 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:18.319 Here. 43 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:22.080 Pete booda judge, was in South Carolina over the weekend. 44 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:25.240 He's thinking about another run and so he was there 45 00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:29.439 this weekend. Made made some natural news, of course, and uh, 46 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:31.599 we may talk about that a little bit later in 47 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:33.599 today's program. But I want to go to South Carolina 48 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:38.039 because Donald Trump was just in South Carolina, uh, and 49 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:40.520 had this to say about what he expects of Democrats 50 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:43.840 if and when they take back the House this fall 51 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:45.319 years ago. 52 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:49.159 They're gonna flee our country. I'm going to be impeach. 53 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:51.280 They're gonna do a peach me. They have no idea. 54 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:53.960 Why I saw it today A congressman said on one 55 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:57.159 of the shows, We're going to a peach person or Trump, 56 00:02:57.159 --> 00:02:59.520 We're going to a peach Oh really? Why the person 57 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:03.080 was saying a neutral commentator for a change. 58 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:06.560 I like neutral commentator. Oh, I see, you're gonnapeach him? Why? 59 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:11.759 Uh, well, I don't know, I don't know. 60 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:14.800 I mentioned earlier that we'll talk to new Cord lack 61 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:18.560 Quarte about Jared Kushner and Hakim Jeffries and the meeting 62 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:22.280 they had in the context or that is the backdrop 63 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:25.599 here comes Donald Trump saying they are going to impeach me. 64 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.240 I am not so sure about that. Uh, let me 65 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:30.960 just let me just well, let me do this. I 66 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:33.159 got thirty second shit, I wouldn't be fair. I want 67 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:34.360 to hear what Eli has to say about that when 68 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:38.319 we come forward. I do not believe that haw King 69 00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:41.439 Jeffries has the stomach to do that. I don't think 70 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:43.639 the Democrats went back to the House, Hakim Jeffrey is 71 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:46.520 gonna be jumping up and down to impeach Donald Trump. 72 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:50.039 So Trump feels that way. Clearly there are those in 73 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:52.400 the House who want to see Donald Trump impeached. I 74 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:55.639 just don't know if impeachment sits anywhere near the top 75 00:03:55.719 --> 00:03:58.759 of the Democratic agenda, if they can pull this off 76 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:01.919 coming November. But the president, he's bracing him himself for 77 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:05.400 effects if the Dems take back the House. We'll talk 78 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:07.240 about it with Eli Addi when we come forward on 79 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:15.240 Tavis Smile. So Donald Trump is is concerned or feigning concern, 80 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.279 that Democrats are going to impeach him if they get 81 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:20.839 to the gavel back come November. What say you? 82 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:24.120 You know, it's a complicated question because I'm a parent 83 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:27.600 of young kids and as a lot of people with 84 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.879 young kids will will tell you there have to be consequences. Right, 85 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:33.639 we do have a justice system. I think there's been 86 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:39.639 unbelievable corruption, self dealing, flouting of laws left and right 87 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:42.120 in this administration on a scale we've never seen. But 88 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:46.680 at the same time, I think if Leader Jefferies is 89 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:50.680 reluctant to make the next two years about impeachment or 90 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:54.279 even frankly about investigating you know, Trump in his cabinet, 91 00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:58.079 his highly corrupt cabinet, I would say, you know, up 92 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:00.839 and down, it's for good reason, which is that I 93 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:06.120 think this country right now is exhausted by inflation, you know, war, 94 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:09.959 a government that seems to only want align its own 95 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:12.199 pockets and to not you know, to be kicking people 96 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:15.920 off of you know, Medicaid and not expanding health care, 97 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:19.839 and in fact, you know, Obama Care premiums have been 98 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:22.800 tripling in some cases. I think they want I think 99 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:24.839 I think people in this country want a government that 100 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:29.399 addresses their problems. And if we spend, if Democrats take 101 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:31.480 back the House, which I think will almost certainly happen, 102 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:33.639 I mean, we have a good chance at the Senate. 103 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:35.720 It's hard to say whether that's going to happen, a 104 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:37.879 lot of things have to line up correctly. But I 105 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:42.319 think what we should do is use those two years 106 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:45.120 to try, in the Congress at least to focus on 107 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:50.839 making life more affordable for you know, working families in 108 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:54.600 this country, and expanding health care instead of cutting it back, 109 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:58.680 and expanding paths to come to this country legally instead 110 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:01.839 of restricting them, and make this a place of opportunity again. 111 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:05.680 You do realize, eli, with all due respect, that if 112 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:08.839 we were talking about Barack Obama having done what Donald 113 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:12.759 Trump is doing, no Republican guest on this program would 114 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:14.680 be saying anything near what you're saying right now. You 115 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:15.360 do realize it. 116 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.360 Well, you know, look, I mean Obama, who I you know, 117 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:23.560 love and got to meet, didn't really know personally, but 118 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:26.160 you know, he he His big scandal was that he 119 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:29.040 wore tan suit in the Oval office one day. I 120 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:32.560 don't know if you remember the weeks of Republican outrage 121 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:38.399 about the tan suit. It's just another level of hypocrisy, frankly, 122 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:42.160 And you know, there have been plenty of Democratic presidents 123 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:46.600 who have had their you know, versions of corruption and 124 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.199 self dealing. I think you know, Barack Obama was a 125 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:52.920 particularly morally upright person in that regard. 126 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:56.519 But still, but see that, I'm coming back to your word. 127 00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:59.160 I let you have to eli not that easy, brother, 128 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:02.680 not that I'm gonna put that hypocrisy word on you. 129 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.000 And I say it respectfully and lovingly, of course, because 130 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:07.839 because because this is the point. If Barack Obama with 131 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:10.560 his black self in his tan suit, we're in the 132 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:13.160 White House right now and it done what Donald Trump 133 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:17.759 has done, There's no way that any Republican guest on 134 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:21.040 this program would be saying to me, we shouldn't focus 135 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:23.879 on the president. We ought to focus on the people's issues. 136 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:28.399 They'd be going after Barack Obama every day, all day 137 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:32.639 for the tan suit and everything else he's guilty of. 138 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:35.480 And here you come now suggesting, well, other people want 139 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:38.240 the Congress to focus on their issues, and so we're 140 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:40.839 gonna let Donald Trump get away with literally no. 141 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:43.279 Look, I'm not I'm not for letting him get away 142 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:45.879 with anything. Yeah, You're making a very good point here, 143 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:48.759 Bern Tavison, and I'm not for that. But I think 144 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:51.519 at a certain point you have to be coolly strategic 145 00:07:51.959 --> 00:07:58.079 and realize that you know, I think Trump likes everything 146 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:01.920 to always be about Trump, and if we are attacking 147 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:05.639 Trump and tearing down Trump and impeaching Trump and investigating Trump, 148 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:09.120 that will be satisfying to some portion of the electorate. 149 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:12.199 And as I you know, began my answer by saying, 150 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:17.319 it may be what is morally and legally required, but 151 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:20.920 at the same time, I think this whole country is 152 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.079 exhausted by Trump and everything to do with Trump, and 153 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:27.480 a little disgusted. Look, his approval rating is now. I 154 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:30.160 think thirty three percent of the country in a Rutter's 155 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:32.960 poll that I saw this morning approve of his performance 156 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:36.080 as president. Sixty four percent disapproved. I mean, those are 157 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:39.720 you know, Richard Nixon may have had numbers that bad 158 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.799 days before he resigned from office. That's, you know, the 159 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:48.120 blinking red alarm. He doesn't care at all because he's 160 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.039 a lame duck, despite the fact that he wears these 161 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:54.679 you know, twenty twenty eight hats all the time, and 162 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:56.759 he doesn't really care about his own party. He doesn't 163 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.720 care about anybody, even hisself really, and he's out the 164 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:01.759 door and all he wants to do is build monuments 165 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:04.200 and put more you know, gold, you know, paint on 166 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:06.320 the walls of the Oval Office. Which apparently he's been 167 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:10.320 doing some gilding of the Oval office himself. That's what 168 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:12.799 he thinks is the good use of his time as president. 169 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:16.080 You know, talk about a metaphor. It's Marie Antoinette. You know, 170 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:18.320 he just doesn't have any connection to what people are 171 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.320 going through in this country and does not care, and 172 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:22.840 is making everything worse and is lining his own pockets. 173 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:25.679 So I think, and all of that, I suppose is 174 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:28.559 making the case for impeaching him or trying to investigate 175 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:31.039 him and you know, stir up all kinds of civil 176 00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:34.720 and criminal cases against him again. But I think what 177 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:38.720 the country needs, after a decade of this madness, you know, 178 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.720 other than the Biden years, is somebody who will put 179 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:48.399 their problems first. So I mean, the danger of an 180 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:51.679 impeachment proceeding or all these investigations, and maybe they need 181 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:54.480 to happen, but the danger of them is that it 182 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:57.840 just drags us into another Donald Trump rabbit hole where 183 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:00.279 it's Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump Trump until people. 184 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:03.679 I guess, no, I hear you, and I don't want to. 185 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:04.960 I don't want to make light of the argument that 186 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.200 you're making. I understand that the point you're making is 187 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:10.440 a strategic point or is George W. Bush would say strategery. 188 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:13.879 I get it. I get that, And yet I don't 189 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:16.840 think it has to be either or it can be both. 190 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:21.279 And we can have some new elected leadership in Washington 191 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:24.039 that plays by the rules, that doesn't violate the law 192 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:25.600 every day, it doesn't a lot of the American people 193 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:27.559 every day. We can do that and at the same 194 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.799 time both and not either or hold Donald Trump accountable. 195 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:34.279 And yet I'm sensitive to your point about the strategy 196 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.200 that the Democrats need to figure out how they're going 197 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:38.679 to employ. Here's what I'm bothered by. I hear your 198 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:41.240 point that people are exhausted by Donald Trump, no question 199 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:43.559 about it. But are we not exhausted by a chief 200 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:46.159 executive who breaks every law on the books? Are we 201 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:52.279 not exhausted by a president who's engaged in a grift, 202 00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:55.799 a big grift? Are we not exhausted by et cetera, 203 00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:58.039 et cetera, et cetera. And here's the thing, at the 204 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:01.399 end of the day, if we don't make some effort, 205 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:05.279 some attempt to investigate and to hold him accountable, then 206 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:08.799 what you have is another white male getting away with 207 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:12.600 high crimes and misdemeanors. That's what you have, another white 208 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:16.720 male and in the most multicultural, multiracial, multi ethic America ever, 209 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:20.799 that absolutely sends the wrong signal. Number one, let me 210 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:23.000 still go back to your babies, your precious babies you 211 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:26.879 referenced earlier. That's the wrong message to your kids. You 212 00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:28.320 can get away, becames man. 213 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.039 I'm of two minds about this, right because I do 214 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:33.360 think there have to be consequences, and I do think 215 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:35.840 we have to become a nation of laws again in 216 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:38.240 a way that we aren't right now, you know, for 217 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:42.360 you know, in too many ways because of this trend 218 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:45.960 and because of this president. But let's say we take 219 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:49.559 back just the House, which seems like the most likely outcome, 220 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:51.200 though I think we have an increasing shot of taking 221 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:53.320 back the Senate. You know, there's a limit to what 222 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:56.120 a speaker Jeffreys will be able to do. He's not 223 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:59.120 going to be able to enact a legislative agenda almost 224 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:01.519 at all. Despite this meeting with Jared Kushner, which we 225 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:04.399 could talk about, you know, he's he's gonna it's mostly 226 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:08.120 going to be trying to show some voters at the 227 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:12.000 margins what the difference is between the parties after two years, 228 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:14.480 where there's basically been no Congress, and Congress has just 229 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:17.480 you know, laid down and abdicated their job and let 230 00:12:17.559 --> 00:12:20.720 Donald Trump do whatever he's wanted to do because Republican 231 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:22.960 members of the House and Senator are scared of him. 232 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:24.480 They're scared of what he can do to them in 233 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:30.200 Republican primaries. So I think if if the danger is 234 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:35.120 that if a speaker Jeffries is seen as focusing primarily 235 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:39.559 on impeachment investigations, and even if he does thirty percent 236 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:41.679 that and seventy percent the other stuff, you know that 237 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:45.840 right and left, the press will largely focus on the 238 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.480 source of conflict, which is the impeachment in the investigations, 239 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:51.919 I think it'll just seem like Park's on both their houses. 240 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:55.240 It's just they're all just you know, in a sandbox, 241 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:57.639 you know, fighting with each other, even though we're trying 242 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:00.120 to you know, meet out some kind of justice. I 243 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:04.399 would love for the contrast to be We're actually focused 244 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:06.720 on the problems of the American people, and he's trying 245 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:09.120 to you know, line in his own pockets and do 246 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.799 these horrible things. You know, there's an old theory of 247 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:16.519 presidential politics that my old friend David Axelrod likes to 248 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:21.440 talk about that the country for presidents doesn't elect replicas, 249 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:25.759 they elect remedies. And I don't. I don't think the 250 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:31.799 path forward for Democrats is a pugilistic, extremist democrat. I 251 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:34.559 think it's somebody who is a more successful version of 252 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:38.200 a Joe Biden, somebody who can be seen as someone 253 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:41.159 wants to govern, someone wants to solve problems, someone who's 254 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:43.559 a little bit of a conciliator. Can heal the country 255 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:47.000 after all of this horrible toxic damage that's been done. 256 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:50.240 Yeah, a couple of minutes on this, and I'll push 257 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:51.480 for you, but let me just let me let me 258 00:13:51.559 --> 00:13:54.639 lean on it one way time here. So Democrats have 259 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:57.159 been promising that if in fact they take back the House, 260 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:00.360 they're going to investigate Donald Trump for X, Y, and Z. 261 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.240 They've been saying that on the record for months now, 262 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:05.840 and that's part of the appeal, as you well know, 263 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:08.679 to get to vote for them, that if we get in, 264 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:12.080 we're going to investigate this fool. So what is the 265 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:16.080 point of investigating Donald Trump if you're not prepared to 266 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:19.000 take it the full length, which is to say, if 267 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:22.120 it calls for impeachment then you ought to be impeached. 268 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:25.080 I don't understand why we'd be investigating him if that's 269 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.960 not what if that's not the end and aim once 270 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.120 he's found guilty, which we all know he is, of 271 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:33.759 these crimes. And mister Meanors, as I said a moment ago, 272 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:36.159 the other point I'm raising is to use your back 273 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:38.720 to your word pugilistic. I think there's gonna be some 274 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:42.120 pugilism inside the Democratic Party. We see every day the 275 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.399 intra party fighting, as it is at the Democratic National 276 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:48.600 Committee level. Even inside the House we see Democrats not 277 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:51.639 always on the same page. What happens when a fight 278 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.559 breaks out openly, because as you well know, there will 279 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:58.120 be Democrats who will demand that Donald Trump is investigated. 280 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:01.559 They will demand that Donald trum impeached. And whether Hakim 281 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:04.000 Jeffies goes along with it or not, he's got a 282 00:15:04.039 --> 00:15:06.720 fight on his hands inside of his own party the 283 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:09.480 minute he becomes the historic black Speaker of the House. 284 00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:14.320 Eli ADDI, you know, look, I get that there's going 285 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:16.440 to be a lot of energy, a lot of juice 286 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:21.200 in the fall elections about taking Trump to task, investigating 287 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:23.879 him and peaching him. And on the merits, I agree 288 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:28.080 with you, he completely deserves that. It's going to depend 289 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:31.039 on what happens in the Senate, because let's say we 290 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.840 don't take back the Senate. Let's say we do and 291 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.080 we have a one seat margin, which I think is 292 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:39.120 the realistic option. You know, if we take back you know, 293 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:40.960 take back the Senate at all, we're never going to 294 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:43.440 convict them Trump in the Senate. We're just never going 295 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:45.279 to be able to do that. That's not going to happen. 296 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:49.759 So then it's you're a prosecutor deciding do I prosecute 297 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:52.039 this case that I actually can't win a conviction on. 298 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:54.320 Do we want to How much time do we want 299 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.559 to take up doing that when we could instead take 300 00:15:56.600 --> 00:16:01.480 up time trying to, you know, get Obamacare subsidies back 301 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:04.399 in place, so people whose health insurance costs have tripled 302 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:07.639 and who now you know, have to use emergency rooms 303 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:10.159 as crisis care because they don't have doctors. You know, 304 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:12.799 how much time do we want to spend you know, 305 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:16.879 actually trying to have an infrastructure policy in this country 306 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:21.279 that creates jobs, trying to you know, get inflation under control, 307 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:24.080 trying to expand affordable housing. You know, I would rather 308 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:27.720 do that then, and again, I'm no fan of Donald 309 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:30.480 Trump's and I think he deserves, you know, whatever the 310 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:34.799 worst punishment is. But we're not going to convict him. 311 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:36.559 We're not going to convict him. So do we want 312 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:40.799 to spend all that time? It's it's satisfying emotionally, but 313 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:42.519 is it really going to achieve anything? 314 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:45.360 True Responses Two Responses will move on to Jared Kushner 315 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:47.480 and Harakeen Jeffrey speaking of Vakueen Jefferson as being the 316 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:52.000 ad I've said more times I can count, and with 317 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:53.879 the course on my career that if you really want 318 00:16:53.879 --> 00:17:00.120 to know whether or not there's any real justice at 319 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.320 the epicenter of whatever issue you're discussing, if you wonder 320 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:05.000 if there's any if there's any real justice embody therein, 321 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:07.480 all you have to do is to flip the frame. 322 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:10.160 Flip flip the frame. By that, I mean just switch 323 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:13.599 out the colors. I repeat what I said earlier. If 324 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:17.359 Donald Trump were black and doing this, we know exactly 325 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:20.920 where this conversation would be leading us, Just as if 326 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:24.559 those insurrectionists on January sixth were black, we know how 327 00:17:24.599 --> 00:17:26.400 the outcome would be very different. All you got to 328 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:28.839 do is to flip the frame. Just switch out the color, 329 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:32.799 and that tells you whether or not it's a legitimate conversation. 330 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:35.920 That tells you whether or not there's any real modicum 331 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:39.000 even of justice at play when you flip out the colors. 332 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:41.279 That's the first point. If Donald Trump were black, we'd 333 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:43.400 be having a very different conversation. Number One, I don't 334 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:44.680 mean eli, I mean the country. 335 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:46.720 Yeah. No, and there's no question. And we know with 336 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:49.119 you there is no question. 337 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:51.400 The second point is I said earlier, it sends the 338 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:53.519 wrong message in so many ways. I'm thinking of all 339 00:17:53.559 --> 00:17:57.160 these black and brown people in this country right now 340 00:17:57.839 --> 00:17:59.720 who have been caught up, who are in fact caught 341 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:02.319 up right now, many of them innocent, but caught up 342 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:06.920 right now in our system of injustice, our system of jurisprudence. 343 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:11.240 Who would love to hear somebody saying, you know what, 344 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:15.440 we ain't gonna We're not gonna charge you, we're not 345 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:17.960 gonna prosecute you, We're not even gonna investigate you, because, 346 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:20.799 you know what, the American people have real problems that 347 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:24.079 we need to be addressing. And Jamal and Letitia, we 348 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:26.960 you know, and and and and and Jose and Maria 349 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:30.240 we not We're not gonna spend time. We're not gonna 350 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:33.920 waste time hemming you up for the crimes that you 351 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:36.759 allegedly committed, because we have other problems we need to 352 00:18:36.759 --> 00:18:38.680 focus on. I know black and brown folk who would 353 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:41.920 love to hear that kind of commentary, that kind of analysis, 354 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:46.799 and they never will. But because he's Donald Trump, because 355 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.319 he's a rich, powerful white male, because of strategory, we're 356 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:53.519 gonna let him off the hook because we got better 357 00:18:53.559 --> 00:18:57.039 things to do. And again I digress, but I think 358 00:18:57.079 --> 00:18:58.839 you take my point last word to you, ELI on 359 00:18:58.880 --> 00:18:59.839 this issue, will move forward. 360 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:04.480 Look, there's nobody who would be happier if Donald Trump 361 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:07.799 were impeached and remove from office. I think he's unworthy 362 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.160 of the job. I think he's highly corrupt. I think 363 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:12.599 we're going to be spending decades finding out the full 364 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:16.039 scale of the way he's looted our government. I think 365 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:18.000 they're going to find half the China missing when that 366 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:22.319 guy finally leaves the building, and his fingernails, you know, 367 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:26.799 in the doorway as they pull him away. But I 368 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:30.039 try to, as I said, be coolly strategic. I try 369 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:33.160 to step back and think what am I actually hoping 370 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:35.759 we achieve in this country? And I want to make 371 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.599 you know, I want a government that makes people's lives 372 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:43.160 better in measurable ways. And you know he's he's just 373 00:19:43.279 --> 00:19:47.960 one of these people who tends to slip through your 374 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:50.519 hands just when you think you've got him, and maybe 375 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:53.119 you know, we should just let him go off into 376 00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:56.240 the sunset. And if you look at the guy walking around, 377 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:57.359 that may not be long. 378 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:01.519 Yeah, you point, that's why he's Anemy winning TV writer. 379 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:05.720 Fingernails in the in the in the doorways, they're pulling 380 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:08.759 him out half the china missing. That's why Eli Aaddi 381 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.319 is an Emmy winner himself. Let me close on this note. 382 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:14.000 I think we started this half hour playing this Donald 383 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.039 Trump clip and mister President, you ain't got none to 384 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:22.240 worry about. Democrats ain't gonna do nothing. They're gonna they're 385 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:24.599 not gonna come anywhere near trying to impeach you. I 386 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:27.440 don't believe, and I believe that's why Donald Trump is 387 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:30.880 making a mockery of Democrats in saying what he said 388 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:34.119 in South Carolina. He knows they ain't coming for him. 389 00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:37.440 He knows that, and so he's leaning into this making 390 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:40.359 fun of Democrats because he knows that they're not gonna 391 00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:42.640 impeach you. They ain't got the temerity to do so. 392 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:46.640 I digress from now. You're listening to Eliaddi on Tavisli Addy, 393 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.480 Emmy Award winning TV writer from a speechwriter in the 394 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:52.640 White House, specifically for Vice President Al Gore as delight 395 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:54.440 to have Eli on the program in case you just 396 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:57.599 and then we had a spirited, uh, spirited debate, not 397 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:59.799 really a debate, but we would it were spirited them 398 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:01.920 in the first thirty minutes. 399 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:03.519 We mostly agree, yeah. 400 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:05.640 We mostly agree, Yeah, but it was spirited. We've been 401 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:08.640