MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Patty Murray

Interview

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MADDOW: That was Senator Patty Murray speaking today.

The vote on Brett Kavanaugh is tomorrow. Election Day is one month from  tomorrow.

Joining us now is Senator Murray of Washington. She ran and won her seen  in 1992. Senator Murray, it`s nice to have you with us tonight. I know  this is a big night in the Senate. Thank you for being here.

MURRAY: Thank you so much.

MADDOW: I haven`t had the chance to talk with you during the course of  this nomination. We`re now at the very home stretch. I just want to get  your overall reaction to what this experience has been like for you and  what you think this experience has been like for the country, what the  consequences are here.

MURRAY: I`m reliving 1991 where we are watching a woman come forward with  a courageous story to do her civic duty, to let us know something about the  man that may become a Supreme Court justice and feeling it`s so important  we know about what happened to her. And a very powerful group of people on  the other side who this time listened a little more respectfully, but at  the end of the day said go away, don`t worry, go back to your little house.  You`ll be fine. We`re going put this man on the court.

So, the deja vu in me is saying more people are listening to you. We  respect you. There are women on the court on the Democratic side this time  listening to you.

But I think the result will be the same. That women will listen to this as  I did back in 1991 and realize that elections matter. Who is in charge  matters.

And that today in this year in 2018 the year of the #MeToo movement, we are  not going to sit at home and be quiet and just let it happen. We`re not  back to our houses. We`re not going to not tell our stories.
We are going to tell our stories. We will be believed. And we will make  this country into a place that we are proud of.

MADDOW: Are you pleased with the way that your party, the Democratic Party  fought for this nomination? Obviously, this was a very closely fought  nomination. Senator Manchin crossed over, appears to be a yes vote  tomorrow as well as yes vote for cloture today. Other than that, all  Democrats held together against this nomination, there was a very fierce  fight in the judiciary committee every step of the way over this  nomination. Democrats I think went as hard as they could against this  nomination. It does not seem to have been successful in the end.

Are there other things that you think Democrats could have done or should  have done better? Was this a winnable fight?

MURRAY: Well, it`s hard to win when you`re not in the majority. And  that`s why elections matter. I will tell you what was so inspiring to me  is my daughter was 8 years old with me back in 1991 watching Clarence  Thomas/Anita Hill hearing.

And today, she is a mother with two young daughters. And she sent me a  text during the first hearing and said to me, mom, look at the Democratic  side. Unlike when you and I were watching it many years ago, I can turn to  my young daughters and say there are women on the Democratic side.

There are diverse voices. They are listening and they are fighting. Don`t ever think we haven`t made progress. And I keep that in my heart.

MADDOW: When I think about the Democratic Party and its efforts, honestly,  to capitalize on this fight and the frustration that people fear -- people  feel who were against Kavanaugh and people who thought that the Democratic  fight might succeed and now today they realize it hasn`t, I do wonder about  Senator Manchin. I know that he is a beloved colleague for both Republican  and Democratic senators. I know that he is a friend to a lot of senators,  as well as being a colleague.

Him crossing over and deciding to vote for Judge Kavanaugh, I have to ask  if that was the subject of a lot of interparty discussion, if he was  lobbied hard, if this is going to be an issue in terms of support for his  reelection effort in West Virginia, how that proceeds? Because the  Democratic Party can`t say as a unit, as a unified force, we were all  opposed to this.

MURRAY: Well, I have to tell you that each senator has to make their own  decision, and we certainly understand that in our caucus. But I can tell  you how I feel, which is that this motivates me more than ever to get out  and help some of our great candidates who are running, the courageous  candidates like Heidi Heitkamp, who this was not an easy vote for but did  the right thing in her heart. I think that sells most of all.

But what inspires me is all of the women running across the country today  are candidates who are out there saying we can be a better country. We  have a better vision. We want something better for our young daughters,  and we do not want the message sent to them that they have to not share  their story, and we don`t want the message to our sons that they can get  away with this.

MADDOW: Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington. Senator, I hope  that you`ll come back more frequently than we`ve had the chance to talk to  you in the past. I really enjoy having you here on the show and I  appreciate you taking the time to be with us.

MURRAY: Thank you.

MADDOW: Thanks.

MURRAY: You bet.

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