Sen. Raphael Warnock: "The Power is in the People. It's Not the People in Power”
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MSNOW presents the chart-topping original podcast, The Best People with Nicole Wallace. Each week, Nicole speaks with some of the people who inspire her the most. This week, former CNN White House correspondent and anchor Jim Acosta.
I think people have to make it their jobs to vote this fall. I believe the best turnout we've ever had in this country when it comes to a midterm, it's right around 50%. That's terrible. The Best People with Nicole Wallace. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
power is in the people. It's not the people in power, the power is in the people. And I think whether you look at the citizens who stood up bravely night after night in the blistering coal in Minneapolis, or the folks who stood up in my own state of Georgia two weeks ago when they were getting ready to gerrymander those maps, it makes a difference when you push back and stand up.
Hi there, everyone. Absolutely no one in America thinks that there isn't enough money in our politics. But in just a 24-hour period, we learned that the aspiring autocrat who sits in the White House is literally raking in billions, with a B, of dollars. And the Supreme Court is opening the floodgates to even more money flowing into our campaigns and politics. My guest this week has made it his life's mission to offer an antidote to that kind of flagrant greed and corruption, a pastor who still preaches most Sundays. From the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Senator Raphael Warnock embodies the progress that we have made as a country. He's out with a new New York Times bestseller. It's a book titled The Crooked Places Made Straight, Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America.
It's a must read. He warns all of us that we have, quote, moved closer to the politics of January 6th than January 5th, 2021. That was the day that he was elected to the Senate. Without any further ado, this is the best people and this is one of them, Senator Raphael Warnock. Senator, thank you so much for being here.
So great to be here with you.
I loved getting to talk to you on the show, and I had about 7,000 more questions for you. We really appreciate having this extended time with you.
Great to be with you.
The Supreme Court has left no mistake in anyone's mind, both of its partisan divisions with the words of their opinions. I'll leave the body language for others who are expert in analyzing that, but also in their alignment with... not just the MAGA mission, but Donald Trump's mission, decisions to end temporary protective status, decisions to gut the Voting Rights Act, and decisions this final week to let more money flow into our politics. How are they so misaligned with the things that would make our country more fair and more democratic?
Listen, I'm not going to sugarcoat it at all. It's deeply, deeply troubling and disheartening to see many of these decisions coming out from the Supreme Court. You know, we count on them to be the umpire, to call balls and strikes. And, you know, mature people know that sometimes Supreme Court rules in a way you like. Sometimes they rule in a way that you don't like.
Yeah.
But this is something different. This is altogether different. They are... The majority is showing themselves to be partisan hacks, in my view. And every day with these decisions, the decision to gut voting rights and the Calais decision, that's the most recent. But before that was Shelby versus Holder, Citizens United. And then, as you point out, in recent days, this awful... TPS ruling around Haitians in America, which is rooted in the most racist underbelly of our complicated American story. And yeah, to make it all better, how about more money in politics, more opportunities for elected officials to respond to the wealthy and the well-connected rather than everyday people? It's deeply troubling.
I have to say, when I wrote my book, The Crooked Place is Made Straight, I knew it was relevant, but my goodness, hasn't it gotten even more crooked than we could have imagined?
I was thinking, too, that my colleague Rachel Maddow often says, watch what they do, not what they say.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–12:52
2
How does Senator Warnock describe recent Supreme Court activism and its impact on democracy?
12:52–18:31
3
Why does Warnock call the Court's Louisiana v. Callais and TPS rulings 'deeply troubling'?
18:31–33:32
4
How does Warnock explain the Supreme Court's approach to gerrymandering and race after Calais?
33:32–52:17
Speakers
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