Page 6 - Democracy Issue News Today

I want to get practical. if republicans walked out of the statehouse because they didnt want to pass a bill in a state democrats were in charge, would you feel the same? >> reporter: depends, if it was a bill on voting rights, absolutely. i think there are republicans that should have gone with the democrats. bottom line, i dont see voting rights as a partisan issue. i see this as a democracy issue. theres an existential crisis around democratic participation. we judged health of democracy based...

But there are a lot of voters for whom that partisan frein is not going to resonate. for them this has to be a question of morality. this has to be a moral issue. how do you talk about this in a way that doesnt let anybody off the hook and at the same time appeals to a voter who might not be motivated by the partisan frame? >> you know, my leader, dr. barbara, i just -- the bottom line is we have to be recognize that this is a democracy issue. at the end of the day my right to vote should not be...

Resisting reform at the federal level. you have democrats pushing back. but there are a lot of voters for whom that partisan frame is not going to resonate. for them this has to be a question of morality. this has to be a moral issue. how do you talk about this in a way that doesnt let anybody off the hook and at the same time appeals to a voter who might not be motivated by the partisan frame? >> you know, my leader, dr. barr, i think that he said it succinctly earlier. we have to recognize tha...

Beating around the bush. hes increasingly vocal about voting rights. what do you think is propelling him to speak out now and why? >> i think no doubt, alex, the activity that is happening in so many states around the cannot that threaten access to the ballot box for so many, i think is clearly driving the former president being out there so foesfully on this. i think the argument he was making there was also pitched to the business community. in that if we pull apart the fabric of our democracy...

Outcome. and so we want to really attack this from our local level to state level but we need sleeping legislation. the good news is that we have an opportunity right now. we have four the people act and we have the john lewis voter advancement act. both of those acts right now, given with their past in the senate, will actually provide the kind of federal protection that we need. and so weve got to put president, we got put pressure on democratic senators, weve got to put pressure--you know the...

Almost nonexistent or very, very minuscule voter fraud is outweighing what is, again, a constitutional right to vote. so do you need to go to court to keep polling places open? whats -- whats the horizon on that? >> you know, lets see -- lets let -- from 2013, when there was a stripping of the voting rights act when section 5 was pulled out. these are the states, georgia, is a deep-south state that has a horrendous history of really preventing the voting rights, particularly of black voters. and...

And weve got to deal with that problem. one, we really got to deal with the strict voter laws that are in this state. secondly, weve got to challenge these acts of voter purge -- voter purging. thats why im so happy that fair fight georgia is actually taken this and has taken this to court. its because of their work and for their intervention that ultimately the judge has a -- has a hearing today around the prevention of 120,000 voters that are going to be purged that were scheduled to be purged...

Happened before. >> jeremy, youve been a very important voice for american jews who believe there should be negotiations. what is your reaction? >> i think that the threat that both trump and netanyahu posed to the underpinnings of democracy is really what unites all of this. this is a threat around the world. as we see despotism and au autocracy rearing their heads, this has to be fought by people on all sides of the political spectrum. its not just an israel issue, its a democracy issue. its a...

Head the maduro regime will understand the venezuelan people have made its days numbered. every option is on the table. well do the things that need to be done to make sure the venezuelan peoples voice, democracy reigns and a brighter future for the people of venezuela. >> sandra: next steps in venezuela? >> continue pushing to have a democratically elected leader in venezuela as this administration continues to look at south america and say where can we put more democracies, as china continues ...

Stage, you cant assume that hes always just talking about donald trump and the republicans. globally, authoritarian movements seem to be gaining strength. whether youre talking about putin or china or isis or some of these more right-wing populist movements in europe. you know, brexit, et cetera. movements that seem to be very authoritarian, very xenophobic, very intolerant. sometimes playing footsie with violence, are growing. and thats not a partisan issue. thats an american issue. thats a dem...