For the People, with Rep. John Sarbanes
Skullduggery
Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman, Victoria Bassetti
4.0 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 20 March 2021
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How can we save our democracy from partisan gerrymandering, the influence of big money in politics, voter suppression, and the spread of disinformation? Congressman John Sarbanes says it is through the pro-democracy reforms of the bill he authored: the For the People Act, which is H.R. 1 and S. 1 in the current Congress — and he says a majority of the American people, regardless of their party affiliation, agree with him. He sits down with Michael Isikoff, Dan Klaidman, and new Skullduggery host Victoria Bassetti, legal expert and former Senate Judiciary Committee staffer, to talk about the sweeping implications of these proposals, and whether there will be enough political will to overcome the Senate filibuster and GOP opposition.
GUEST:
- Rep. John Sarbanes (@RepSarbanes), U.S. Congressman (D, MD-3), author of H.R. 1
HOSTS:
- Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
- Dan Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
- Victoria Bassetti, Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice
RESOURCES:
- H.R. 1, the For the People Act, Fact Sheet
- H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021, full text
- H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Enhancement Act of 2019, full text
- "GOP warns HR 1 could be 'absolutely devastating for Republicans'" by Kendall Karson and Meg Cunningham, ABC News (Mar. 20, 2021)
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| 0:00.0 | In Georgia, Republican lawmakers are pushing bills to place sharp new limits on weekend |
| 0:05.9 | voting and add tough new ID requirements for mail-in ballots. |
| 0:11.2 | In Texas, they're behind proposals through restrict voting hours and require accelerated |
| 0:15.3 | purges of voting roles. |
| 0:17.9 | Those are among 250 bills that GOP legislators are backing in 43 states. |
| 0:23.5 | Many of them, inspired by the fraudulent, stop-to-steel claims of former President Trump and |
| 0:28.5 | as allies, bogus charges that ultimately led to the assault on the US Capitol last January |
| 0:34.1 | 6th. |
| 0:35.1 | So now Democrats are striking back, with a sweeping bill known as for the People Act, that |
| 0:41.2 | would essentially federalize the rules for US elections across the country much of it |
| 0:46.1 | designed to make it easier, not harder for people to vote. |
| 0:50.2 | But does the bill, which has already passed the House, go too far and does it have any |
| 0:54.2 | chance in a divided Senate? |
| 0:56.8 | We'll talk to the bill's chief house sponsor, Congressman John Sarbanes of Baltimore, |
| 1:01.6 | about why he thinks it's needed and how he responds to Republican claims it amounts to |
| 1:06.8 | a partisan power grab on this episode of Skolduggery. |
| 1:11.0 | Hi, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United |
| 1:20.0 | States. |
| 1:21.0 | I will, to the best of my building. |
| 1:23.0 | I will deserve protect and defend Constitution of the United States. |
| 1:27.3 | So help me God. |
| 1:28.7 | So help me God. |
... |
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