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Senate GOP Blocks Election Bill, Manchin and Sinema Vote to Keep Filibuster: A Closer Look - YouTube
Channel: Late Night with Seth Meyers
[1]
-Senate Republicans filibustered
[2]
a crucial package
of election reforms
[4]
and then two Democrats
joined them
[6]
in blocking changes
to the filibuster
[8]
that would've allowed
voting rights legislation
[11]
to pass with a simple majority,
[13]
all of which came
on the same day Joe Biden
[15]
held a marathon press conference
to jump-start his agenda.
[18]
For more on this,
it's time for "A Closer Look."
[20]
鈾櫔
[ Cheering and applause ]
[24]
Well, last night was not
a great night for democracy.
[28]
Senate Republicans blocked
much-needed election reforms
[30]
essential to safeguarding
our democracy
[32]
and then, two Democrats,
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema,
[35]
helped them block rule changes
[37]
that would've allowed
the voting rights bill to pass.
[39]
And, because Manchin and Sinema
had already announced
[42]
their opposition,
the votes were so anticlimactic,
[45]
even news anchors
had a hard time
[46]
pretending there was
much suspense.
[48]
鈾櫔
[49]
-So here's our
breaking news right now.
[51]
The effort to change the
filibuster rule in the Senate
[53]
failed, as expected.
[55]
-Hey, CNN, as a rule,
you can't put the words
[58]
"breaking news"
and "as expected"
[60]
in the same sentence.
[ Laughter ]
[62]
It's like running a banner
during New Year's Eve saying...
[68]
[ Laughter and applause ]
[69]
"Who gave them tequila?!"
[71]
[ Laughter ]
[72]
So, to recap, Senate Republicans
[74]
representing a minority
of Americans
[76]
filibustered voting rights
legislation favored
[78]
by a majority of Americans
[80]
which would've passed,
if not for the filibuster.
[82]
So, Senate Democrats,
[83]
who represent
a majority of Americans,
[86]
then tried to change
the filibuster,
[87]
but they couldn't
because two Democrats
[90]
who voted
for the voting rights bill
[92]
also voted to keep
the filibuster,
[94]
which prevents them from passing
[96]
the voting rights bill
they support.
[98]
And let me be clear --
that is a sentence
[99]
that makes no [bleep] sense,
whatsoever.
[101]
[ Laughter and applause ]
I checked three times with Wally
[103]
to make sure
the cue cards were correct
[105]
and he said they were,
[106]
although he did misspell
the word filibuster.
[109]
-Sorry, Seth.
That's a tough word.
[111]
-"And the werd 'werd'"?
[113]
-Hey, baby, I got to stay
on-camera, somehow.
[116]
Wink!
[117]
[ Laughter and applause ]
[126]
-I hope, at the very least,
[127]
this is a moment when we can
step back to fully digest
[130]
just how ass-backwards
our system is.
[132]
Anytime you try to explain
American democracy to someone,
[134]
you sound like an Amazon Echo
that got dropped in the toilet.
[137]
Alexa!
[138]
Alexa, what's a democracy?
[140]
-A democracy is a system
of government
[142]
where a majority of people vote
for something
[145]
and then a small group
of senators ignore them
[147]
and do whatever the [bleep]
they want.
[148]
[ Laughter and applause ]
-Hey, Alexa, whoa!
[150]
Watch the language, Alexa!
[152]
-Sorry, Seth.
I'm just so [bleep] [bleep]
[154]
over this mother[bleep]
[156]
filibuster cluster[bleep]
-Okay.
[157]
[ Laughter and applause ]
Hey, hey, hey, Alexa.
[160]
Hey, Alexa, while I have you,
are you recording
[163]
and saving everything I say
in the privacy of my own home?
[165]
-I, well, um, sorry.
[168]
I have to take this call.
[170]
It's my, um, mom.
[172]
[ Laughter ]
-Okay.
[174]
I knew it!
[176]
It was sad, but predictable,
[177]
that Republicans would torpedo
basic voting rights legislation,
[180]
but what's
especially infuriating
[182]
is that two Democrats,
Manchin and Sinema,
[184]
announced that they would
join Republicans
[186]
in shooting down rule changes
[188]
that would've allowed the bill
they say they support to pass.
[192]
In fact, Manchin announced
his opposition
[194]
to changing the filibuster rules
[195]
in yet another grandstanding
floor speech yesterday,
[198]
where he said a bunch
of meaningless nonsense
[199]
next to a big old poster.
[201]
-The Senate has followed
its own rulebook
[203]
when making changes
that affect legislative debate.
[207]
We've changed rules over --
[208]
We have all talked
about how many times
[210]
rules have been changed.
[210]
We've changed them,
[211]
but we changed them
with the rules.
[214]
We didn't break the rules
to change the rules.
[216]
I cannot support such a perilous
course for this nation
[219]
when elected leaders are sent
to Washington
[221]
to unite our country,
not to divide our country.
[223]
We're called the United States,
not the Divided States.
[226]
-Dude,
you're from West Virginia.
[228]
[ Laughter and applause ]
You're
[229]
literally from a divided state.
[231]
But, yes,
[233]
the country is called
the United States,
[235]
not the Divided States,
[236]
which is truly
a searing insight.
[237]
Where'd you get that nifty
saying...?
[240]
[ Laughter ]
[241]
Also, what's with the big old,
dumb poster?
[244]
Are we supposed to be reading
the sign while you talk?
[246]
I feel like I'm reading
the subtitles
[248]
during an episode
of "Succession,"
[249]
while also trying to watch
what happens,
[251]
which, in fairness, is what I do
[253]
because I sometimes have trouble
understanding Brian Cox
[255]
when he talks super fast
with a Scottish accent.
[258]
He should be a voice option
on your GPS.
[260]
[ As Cox ]
In 100 meters, take a left.
[261]
[Bleep] you.
Whatever.
[262]
I'm kidding, but seriously,
go right.
[264]
We're here.
[Bleep] off.
[265]
[ Laughter and applause ]
[267]
Also, please stop whining
about biparti--
[269]
You know what?
I'm realizing,
[270]
Alexa gets her language from me.
[272]
[ Laughter ]
[275]
She learned it from me, Dad.
[278]
[ Laughter ]
[281]
Also, please stop whining
about bipartisanship.
[283]
First of all,
bipartisanship means
[285]
appealing to the other side,
not joining it,
[287]
and, when it comes to voting,
there's only one side.
[289]
Republicans are the ones
waging war on democracy.
[292]
You can't compromise with the
side that's doing the damage.
[294]
When you're putting out a fire,
you don't call
[295]
the fire department
and the arsonist,
[298]
and see what they can
work out together.
[299]
[ Laughter ]
Republicans are the ones
passing bills
[301]
across the country
along strict party lines
[303]
that would allow them
to suppress votes
[305]
and subvert future elections
[307]
and, if we don't do something
to stop them,
[308]
they're going to try
another coup.
[310]
What makes you think 2020 was
a one-off?
[312]
Do you think Donald Trump,
of all people, is going to say,
[315]
"Oh, well, that didn't work out.
[316]
Let's do it fair and square
next time"?
[318]
[ Laughter ]
The guy has never not cheated
[320]
at anything in his life.
[321]
When he gets his height
measured, he uses hydraulics.
[324]
[ Laughter ]
[ Whirring ]
[327]
[ As Trump ]
8'3", just like I thought.
[329]
[ Laughter ]
[330]
Now, I just have to decide
[332]
between the Knicks
and the Lakers.
[334]
[ Laughter ]
[337]
Also, it's just
mindnumbingly stupid
[339]
that Manchin and Sinema
keep saying they support
[340]
the actual voting rights
legislation,
[342]
but oppose taking the steps
to pass it,
[344]
as Senator Bernie Sanders
made clear
[346]
in a blistering speech
yesterday,
[347]
where he called out Manchin
and Sinema specifically.
[349]
-Is changing the Senate rules
a radical idea?
[354]
Oh, my God!
[356]
First time in history,
we're about to do it.
[358]
Never been done before.
[360]
Oh, well, really, not quite, no.
[363]
As every member
of the Senate knows,
[364]
the rules get changed
on a fairly regular basis.
[368]
Nothing radical about it.
[370]
If you think
this bill makes sense
[373]
and if you're worried
about the future
[375]
of American democracy
[376]
and if you're prepared
to vote for the bill,
[379]
then why are you wasting
everybody's time
[382]
and not voting
for the rule change
[384]
that allows us to pass the bill?
[387]
You know, it's like
inviting somebody to lunch,
[389]
putting on a great spread,
and saying, "You can't eat."
[393]
[ Laughter ]
-And I, for one, am betting
[394]
Bernie has been
in that situation before.
[396]
[ Laughter ]
"Oh, Bernie, you're here early.
[398]
The food is out,
but don't eat yet.
[400]
That's for after cocktails."
[401]
[ As Sanders ]
Oh, well, I wouldn't want
[403]
to upset the delicate
balancing act
[405]
you're undertaking
at this party.
[407]
Let me be clear --
I'm here to eat the food
[409]
and then get the hell out
[411]
[ Laughter and applause ]
before anyone shows up,
[412]
because my least favorite part
of a dinner party
[415]
is the other people. Now,
[ Laughter ]
[417]
if you will stay on the side,
I brought my own fork.
[419]
[ Laughter ]
[421]
This vote was a blow, of course,
not just to American democracy,
[424]
but to President Biden's agenda,
[425]
which he's desperately trying
to jump-start
[427]
as he enters year two
of his presidency.
[429]
Yesterday, he tried to hit the
reset button on his presidency
[432]
by holding a marathon
press conference
[434]
that set a presidential record.
[436]
-Today, President Joe Biden
marked one year in office
[438]
by holding his
10th press conference.
[441]
It ended up being the longest
in presidential history.
[443]
It lasted for one hour
and 51 minutes.
[445]
-Wow, I'm sorry,
but how is that possible?
[448]
It was longer than all
of Trump's press conferences?
[451]
I feel like every
Trump press conference
[453]
lasted either 10 seconds
or four days.
[456]
[ Laughter ]
Trump would either slink away
without taking any questions
[459]
or he'd stand there for hours
with his chest puffed out,
[462]
like one of those
jacked kangaroos
[463]
[ Laughter ]
challenging all the other
kangaroos to a fight.
[467]
And yet, somehow, Biden
[468]
set the record yesterday
when he defended
[470]
his administration's
accomplishments,
[472]
including the
American Rescue Plan and the
[474]
bipartisan infrastructure bill,
among others.
[476]
Although, I'm not sure he did
himself any favors when he said
[479]
one big reason he hadn't gotten
even more done in his first year
[482]
was that he hadn't expected
so much stonewalling
[484]
from Republicans.
[485]
-I did not anticipate
that there'd be such
[488]
a stalwart effort
[491]
to make sure that
the most important thing was
[494]
that President Biden
didn't get anything done.
[497]
-Why did you not
anticipate that?
[499]
[ Laughter ]
[500]
You're not a teenage idealist
[501]
who just got off the bus.
[502]
You're a 79-year-old man
[504]
who's been doing this
your entire adult life.
[505]
Were you not paying attention
during the Obama presidency
[508]
or were you just too busy
giving everyone finger guns,
[511]
like you were making sure
[512]
they had enough booze
at a house party?
[514]
[ Laughter ]
[ As Biden ] Randy!
You need another Mark?
[516]
How about you, Steve?
There's beer over there
[518]
in the cooler.
Help yourself.
[520]
I'm going skinny dipping later,
if anyone wants in.
[522]
Who's going to stop me,
the Republicans?
[524]
What, they are?
[525]
Why?
[526]
That's their sole purpose
in life?
[528]
[ Laughter ]
[529]
It's especially frustrating
because Biden does
[532]
have successes to celebrate.
[534]
For example,
the Biden administration
[535]
just launched
an easy-to-use website
[538]
where all Americans
can order free rapid tests
[540]
and the rollout
has been very smooth.
[543]
-The federal government's
website
[544]
for free COVID tests
has gone live.
[547]
In a soft launch,
the White House
[548]
began taking orders
for up to 4 tests per household.
[552]
-The federal government's
website to order rapid tests,
[554]
covidtests.gov, is live.
[557]
People can order up to four
tests per household,
[559]
which will ship
within 7 to 12 days.
[562]
-Just a day after the launch
of covidtests.gov,
[564]
about 27 million Americans
[566]
filling out
that online order form
[569]
for four free at-home
COVID tests per household.
[573]
-27 million people signed up
in one day. That's amazing.
[576]
The only way they could've
gotten a better response is
[578]
by offering the tests
via Wordle.
[580]
[ Laughter ]
[587]
Wordle might be a little hotter
in the office
[589]
than it is
in the world at large.
[591]
[ Laughter and applause ]
[598]
I really hope Democrats
take away a lesson from this --
[600]
it's easy to give people things
for free
[602]
that make their lives better,
and we should do it more often.
[605]
Just think how big
a success it is.
[607]
An easy-to-use
government program
[609]
where the website doesn't crash
[611]
and all you have to do is enter
your name and address
[613]
and you get an essential
healthcare product delivered
[615]
to you in the mail, for free,
in a few weeks.
[617]
That's like something you'd hear
about in Sweden or Denmark.
[620]
Americans aren't used
to getting things for free,
[623]
you know, unless they're shot
out of a cannon
[624]
at a basketball game.
[625]
[ Laughter ]
[626]
I'm half expecting to hear this
[628]
when I open the package
with my free test kits --
[630]
[ "Get Ready"-like tune plays ]
[635]
Now, that -- interesting fact --
is not the real song.
[638]
We couldn't afford the rights
to the real song
[640]
because we had to pay Wally
for his two lines tonight.
[643]
-Y'all ready for me?!
Boop!
[646]
[ Laughter, cheering,
and applause ]
[654]
-Oh, it's a crazy, crazy world
when you got Wordle here
[657]
and Wally here.
[658]
[ Laughter ]
[663]
Also, that was your third line,
Wally.
[665]
Now, all we can afford
is this --
[666]
[ Sad trombone plays ]
[668]
[ Laughter ]
[670]
Republicans are weaponizing
the big lie
[672]
that the 2020 election
was stolen
[673]
by passing a raft of laws
across the country
[676]
that would allow them
to suppress votes
[677]
and subvert future elections.
[679]
You can't say you're
for protecting democracy,
[681]
if you're not for taking
the steps necessary
[682]
to actually get it done.
[684]
If we don't do something now,
[685]
Democrats and anyone
who cares about democracy
[687]
are going to be hearing
a lot more of this --
[689]
[ Sad trombone plays ]
[691]
[ Laughter ]
[692]
-This has been "A Closer Look."
[693]
鈾櫔
[697]
God's Love We Deliver
cooks and brings
[698]
over two million meals a year
[700]
to men, women, and children
living with HIV/AIDS,
[702]
cancer, and other
serious illnesses
[703]
and they need your help,
now, more than ever.
[705]
If you're watching this online,
you can hit the Donate button.
[707]
Stay safe. Get vaccinated.
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