MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Raphael Warnock

Interview

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Joining us now is Senator Raphael Warnock from the great state of Georgia. Senator Warnock is a co-sponsor of the Freedom to Vote Act that was introduced this morning in the Senate.

Senator, thank you so much for being here. It`s a real honor and pleasure to have you with us tonight.

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): Thank you, Rachel. It`s great to be back with you.

MADDOW: So, I`ve put this, I recognize in an alarming context. In terms of some of the very dire threats, and some of the very high cliffs that we got very close to as a country over these last few months and these myths about stolen elections have really taken hold. It seems to me.

And tell me if I`m wrong here, that the Freedom to Vote Act that you have played such a key role in introducing here today, is an effort to try to provide light and not, he`d to try to cool down this, issue to try to be constructive and move forward in a way, that can attract very, very mainstream in widespread support.

WARNOCK: That`s absolutely right, Rachel. Our democracy is in a 911 emergency, and while there are a number of important items for us to address in this Congress, and we did so for the American rescue plan, through the infrastructure work that`s happening right now, the most important thing we can do right now, is pass voting rights, to secure the future of our democracy, we failed to do that, and I think we will have failed to rise in a defining moment, in our American democracy.

Which is why in June, when the Republicans blocked our ability -- I think that`s important for your viewers to know that`s what got blocked in June. Our ability to have a debate about voting rights just months after a violent insurrectionists attempt on the Capitol, after seeing this regime of voter suppression bills sprout all over the country, and it seems that folks then were then pivoting from to infrastructure, I insisted we can both work on infrastructure and our democracy at the same time we. I approached leadership and said we can`t allow this to slip away from us.

I`m so happy that nine of us have been in the room, Senator Manchin and myself, Senator Klobuchar and others, crafting this bill that was introduced today, to make sure that we protect the voices of the people who sent us here in the first place.

MADDOW: I feel like the more time I spent time with the bill and look at its provisions, and the more I hear from you and your colleagues who have taken a role in crafting, at the more I understand about your intent, and why you think this is the right path forward. I have to ask you about the nitty-gritty about how it gets done.

We do now have Leader McConnell making this public declaration, that just as he said, no Republican senators would support the for the people, act even supporting to debate on it. He also said that Republican senators will not support this.

And I tend to think that leader McConnell, whether you agree with him or disagree with, him he tends to say what he means, he tends to mean what he, says any tends to be able to count votes on his side pretty well.

Do you think he`s wrong? Do you think his mind can be changed on that? Or, does it now turn to procedural efforts because the ten Republican votes are just going to be there?

WARNOCK: Well, the good thing about democracy is that each of us who serves on the Senate, serves in the House, we were sent by the folks who voted for us. So whether or not this gets Republican support, is up to each individual senator. And it seems to me that voting rights ought to be about partisan issue. There was a time it was passed on a bipartisan basis.

So we got together over the summer. We put together a bill that is intended to give broad support. It does things like ensures that there`s access to the ballot. Who can be against that? To make sure that eligible Americans can vote. Whether it`s too early voting vote by mail, weekend voting, ensures that states will have same day registration the. Kinds of things that just make it -- makes voting accessible to the average person.

In addition to that, we are addressing these voter suppression laws that were seeing all across our country that are intended to turn democracy on its head so that instead of voters picking the politicians, the politicians get to select their own voters. It addresses the issues of partisan and racial gerrymandering, yet another way of squeezing the voices of ordinary people out of their democracy. And it protects the integrity of our democracy by dealing with issues around cybersecurity and it ensures that states like Georgia that have voter ID laws, that those laws are intended to make sure that eligible people can vote, they`re not used to cherry pick certain voters.

And so, the bill provides a baseline for voting. So that you have access to that basic American right, no matter where you live. It`s the most American thing we can do. It`s the most important thing we can do in this Congress. And I think that as important as other issues are, if we fail to do it, we will have failed the people who sent us here in the first place to debate about all of these issues. I think that history will rightly judge us harshly, if we fail to address voting rights in this defining moment.

MADDOW: Among the nine of you who worked on this, did you talk about procedural matters? If Senate Republicans don`t come along -- you make a great case on the merits. You make a great case in terms of the nonpartisan appeal of this, the all-American appeal of this, and I know Senator Manchin is working as hard as he possibly can to get Republicans on board.

But if they fit say full stop no, did you, among the nine of, your work on the legislation talk about a procedural way to get there? By finding a way around the filibuster? By carving out some rule, some space in that Senate rules so it can pass? Even against uniform Republican opposition?

WARNOCK: Well, I`ve been very clear from day one that we must pass voting rights no matter what.

MADDOW: OK.

WARNOCK: And nothing is more important. Certainly not a Senate rule. But we`ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I think for us to not do the work that Senator Manchin is attempting to do in reaching out to others, I think it lets them off the hook to easily. But at the end of the day we have to protect the votes and the voices of the people of Georgia and of the American people. And that`s what I intend to do.

MADDOW: Senator Raphael Warnock of the great state of Georgia -- sir, thank you for making time to be here. Tonight it`s always a pleasure to have you here whenever you can make. It

WARNOCK: Thank you.

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