Sunday School 12/27/20

Let's dive in to your Sunday School with interviews Dana Bash had on CNN's State of the Union with Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL) and Democrats Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY) and Rep. Cori Bush (MO). The Dems were both newly elected in November. 

Kinzinger was asked if there are enough R votes in the House to override the president's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act. Kinzinger hopes so, noting that the veto was "for nonsensical reasons" including Trump's requirement that the bill eliminate the Section 230 protections for Twitter and Facebook.  

...we had way more than two-thirds votes to pass this. I don't understand. I could not justify if I voted for this bill and then voted to sustain the president's veto, instead of override it. I do not know how you justify that, besides saying, I'm just going to do what the president wants. This is a great bill. This goes after China, Russia. It does a lot to shore up our cyber-defenses, which, as we have seen, are extremely vulnerable. To sustain the president's veto, after you voted for this bill, I just don't understand.

He couldn't say he was confident they'd be able to override the veto, saying "...we're in such a time that I just have no idea right now." They could afford to lose some of the original 'yes' votes and still override the veto, but he doesn't know how anyone could explain that.

Bash asked what he thought was next for the stimulus bill. Kinzinger said "this just shows the chaos of the whole thing," noting that Steve Mnuchin negotiated it, "presumably, on behalf of the president." And if the president wants $2000 checks, he should have negotiated that all along, and he can negotiate that after the agreed-upon bill is signed.

I don't understand what's being done, why, unless it's just to create chaos and show power and be upset because you lost the election. Otherwise, I don't understand it, because this just has to get done. Too many people are relying on this. We have worked hard. We should have had this done a lot earlier...

He said when he talks to his constituents, he tells them the same thing he told her: they did the negotiating, it wasn't pretty, but an agreement was reached, and that while it's easy to point fingers at Congress, they're not the bad guys now. 

Kinzinger also laments the president purposefully conflating the COVID bill and the omnibus spending bill, which is money that would have been spent "whether we had COVID or not."

But to then say that we're giving money to other countries in the COVID bill is disingenuous. And it totally conflates two different issues. But -- and it doesn't do a service to the American people to explain what's going on and how these things are different.

When it comes time to officially accept the Electoral College results, he expects "there will be a little chaos," and said "This is a scam, though." The election can't be overthrown, isn't going to be overthrown,

...And so all that's being done is, certain members of Congress, the president, et cetera, and like -- quote, unquote -- "thought leaders" on Twitter are getting retweets, they're getting followers, they're raising money on this scam. It is a scam.

Disappointing to people who think the election was stolen? Yes, but the disappointment's misplaced. 

...instead of being disappointed in the people that led them on this grifting scam, they're going to somehow try to convince these people that it was, I don't know, what's the new word, the RINOs in Congress or something like that, and not the Constitution that prevents this from happening in the first place...

Finally, he's not worried so much, but

...if you convince people that Congress can change a legitimate election, and everything was stolen, and there's a deep state-slash-QAnon theory driving this, which is that it's Satanist pedophiles that run the government, you could see people being driven to violence. So, I'm concerned about that.

He's also worried about the future of the Republican party, "that's being destroyed by conspiracies right now and anger."

We need more Kinzingers, don't you think? We need people are willing to speak out, who seek and understand reality, even if it's not to their liking.

Next, Bash talked with Reps-to-be Bush and Bowman about the state of things for them, as progressives in the House where the Dems hold only a slight majority. She asked Bush if she felt "confident and comfortable" with compromising. Bush said her first priority is to bring St. Louis to the table, as a "politivist" which she describes as an activist and a politician.

So, I'm using what I learned on the streets of Ferguson and every other -- every other protest, every other movement I have been a part of, that moxie, that desire to apply pressure, that -- being bold and fierce, bringing that to Congress, making sure that our -- the voices of regular people, and bringing grassroots organizers, bringing the people that are actually on the ground doing the work, bringing that to Congress, and making sure that that voice is heard. I feel like that is something that is -- that we're not seeing enough of. So, that's what I think that has to happen.

And, she said, you can't compromise "if you don't -- if you're not one of the people that know exactly what's happening on the ground in our communities?" She knows, she's been there, she said, and "that is what I bring, my lived experience."

Turning to Bowman, Bash wondered how he'll work to act on his ideals, including his support for defunding the police. He echoed what Bush said, that "our job is to meet the needs of our constituents, period, point blank." He talked about his district and said 

I have had two police-involved shootings in my district over the last year. So, as we talk about defunding the police, we're talking about reimagining public safety, reimagining public health, taking a holistic approach to legislating to truly meet the needs of the constituents in my district. That is the bottom line.

And, as far as compromising? Yeah, you can't do that "when it comes to, what are the needs of the people in my district." 

People are hungry. People are homeless. People are jobless. Poverty rates are way too high. And my fight in Congress is going to be with the people of our district to make sure we deal with those issues explicitly and directly, without compromise. 

Bash asked about the stimulus bill. Bush said that $2000 is not enough.

And so when we talk about giving somebody $600, that's a slap in the face to people who are suffering. And let me tell you, when you're hungry, you're hungry all day. That's an every moment, every hour feeling. And it does something to you.

And whether Trump's right to not sign the bill? He needs to get "his Republican buddies" to up the amount, to give people the money, and worry less about "getting his friends out of prison."

Bowman said we need monthly $2000 checks, and continue the $600 unemployment bonus and that Trump 

recently suffered a malignant narcissist's harm by losing the election. He continues to go to court to try to overturn the results. He continues to lose. And now he's posturing to make himself -- to bring himself back as the hero of the American people, asking for $2,000. 

He didn't agree that Speaker Pelosi erred by agreeing to the bill, but said they need to get back and do more.  And, in addition to prioritizing winning the two Georgia runoffs, he had more harsh words for Trump.

The president is the embodiment of everything that's wrong with this country. He's a privileged person who rose to power as a reality TV star. And now he's trying to drive this country into chaos. I can't wait for him to be out of office. 

Finally, she asked them both if they would support Pelosi for another term as Speaker. The non-answers were consistent, I'll give them that. Bush said she was "working within her community" while Bowman said he was "organizing within our community"  - and each said we'd find out when they voted.

When Bash asked what that meant, and after each trying to let the other go first, here's what Bowman got in before they ran out of time. 

We got to bring HR-40 to the floor for a vote. We need reparations for the African-American community. We need a federal jobs guarantee. We need Medicare for all. 

Is Pelosi's career as Speaker in trouble? Maybe; we'll have to see. But it sounds like she might have her hands full with Bush and Bowman, two new aggressive progressives. 

See you around campus. Wear your mask, or I'll kick you out of class.