 I want to talk about the negotiations regarding the stimulus relief package, if it's even going to happen. They've been entertaining, but simultaneously incredibly infuriating because we see no action. We've seen no action for months and people received only a one-time payment of $1,200. You have people on unemployment, struggling, small businesses, going out of business. What are you going to do? And the way that we've responded to this pandemic and the subsequent economic crash is in the same way you'd expect a failed state to respond by taking almost no action. So of course, we're going to talk about this segment. I'm sure you've already seen it by now, but this was quite the spectacle. But before we get to that, I want to get you caught up on basically how we got to this point. So Democrats passed the Heroes Act. This is not good enough. Quite frankly is laughable, but nonetheless, it's better than nothing. However, this stalled because Mitch McConnell refused to take it up. Now, last week, Trump tanked stimulus talks unilaterally. He then changed his mind when he realized that might not necessarily be a good idea if he actually wants to be reelected. And then he called for a one-time payment of $1,200. And now he's completely reversed his stance and all of a sudden he wants to go big or go home when it comes to a stimulus. And he's now proposing $1.8 trillion, which of course is less than what the Democrats want at $2.2 trillion, I want to say. So they're not getting everything that they want, but both bills are imperfect. Both bills don't go nearly far enough. I mean, Americans need $2,000 a month throughout the duration of this pandemic and then afterwards and then even more economic relief. But if you don't like that, Republicans won't give you anything that you want. You've got to understand that time is running out. The election is November 3rd. And if Trump loses, he will do fuck all until he leaves office. So if we don't pass something before the election, Americans aren't getting any relief until February. That can't happen. What I would be doing is pass whatever. Don't let Republicans play politics. Pass anything that gives Americans relief so long as it actually gives them some relief. You know, an extension of weekly unemployment benefits. Another one-time stimulus payment. Pass anything and then if you take back the Senate, then you could pass more legislation that is more thorough, that is satisfactory. And then if you're Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, you explain to voters that the only reason why it took this long is because Republicans were the ones who were stalling negotiations. We passed the Heroes Act. Senate Republicans refused to take it up. And now all of a sudden when their reelection campaigns are in jeopardy, now they want you to think that they care about you. Now they want a stimulus package. So understand, you can make this case to the American people. You can explain how they're just passing this now for optics, but they made you wait that long when we were taking action. But I mean, regardless, now it seems as if Mitch McConnell is starting to break after Donald Trump said let's pass something. So I mean, you've got to get relief to the people. They're struggling. And I think Ro Khanna put it best. People in need can't wait until February. 1.8 trillion is significant and more than twice Obama stimulus. It will allow Biden to start with infrastructure. Obama won in 08 by doing the right thing on tarp instead of what was expedient. Make a deal and put the ball in McConnell's court. Now additionally, Andrew Yang also said that Nancy Pelosi should pass the bill to at least give people some help before the holidays, which Nancy Pelosi's daughter then responded, saying that what Andrew Yang said is sexist. Yeah, it's sexist to say Nancy should pass the bill because you have to refer to her as Speaker Pelosi. Okay, whatever. But here's the thing. Now you are losing ground on a narrative that wrote itself. Trump looked like the bad guy because he was the bad guy. He was unilaterally stalling stimulus talks. And now he's saying, okay, I don't want to look bad. Let's pass something. So now if you say, no, I don't want to pass something because I don't want the president to have a check go out to the American people with his name on it, then all of a sudden you look like the bad guy. You're doing Trump's job for him. You're helping him do damage control because now Republicans are going to be disciplined and they're all going to in unison say it's Nancy Pelosi. It's Democrats now who are stalling America. Do you see what's happening? We want to pass a $1.8 trillion stimulus package and they don't want to take it out. So I mean, look, I get that Republicans have spent months not doing anything. And they do just want to do this because it's close to an election and they want to do something that will get the American people to think that they care about them. So I get this, but you have to play politics. You have to look at the optics and you have to make sure that you don't end up playing 40 chess while you're using the American people as a bargaining chip. Now Nancy Pelosi is doing just that in my opinion. And in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN, this was very interesting because Wolf Blitzer basically put pressure on her to explain herself. You're playing hardball with Trump and the Republicans in general. Not a bad thing in theory, but right now you're doing it at a time when people desperately need help. She got visibly irritated. This was something. Take a look. They really need the money right now. And even members of your own. I understand that. But even members of your own caucus, even members of your own caucus, Madam Speaker, want to accept this deal. $1.8 trillion. Congressman Ro Khanna, for example, let me just quote Ro Khanna. Man, you know, well, I assume you admire him. He's a Democrat. And he just said this. He said, people in need can't wait until February. $1.8 trillion is significant and more than twice the Obama stimulus. Make a deal. Put the ball in McConnell court. So what do you say to Ro Khanna? What I say to you is I don't know why you're always an apologist. And many of your colleagues, apologists for the Republican position. Ro Khanna, that's nice. That isn't what we're going to do. And nobody's waiting until February. I want this very much now because people need help now. But it's no use giving them a false thing just because the president wants to put a check with his name on it in the mail that we should not be doing all we can to help people pay the rent, put food on the table to enhance benefits that they don't lose their jobs if they're state and local. We're talking about the consequences of a pandemic, that the symptoms of a problem that the president refuses to address. But you know that is the coronavirus. We know the problem out there. But there are millions of Americans who have lost their jobs they can't pay the rent. Their kids need the food. That's right. And that's what we're trying to get done. One point a trillion dollars that the president just tweeted, stimulus go big or go home. He wants even more right now. So why not why not work on a deal with him and don't let the perfect as they say here in Washington be the enemy of the good? Well, I will not let the wrong be the enemy of the right. What's wrong with one point eight trillion dollars? You know what? Do you have any idea what the difference is between the spending that they have in their bill and that we have in our bill? Do you realize that they have come back and said all these things for child tax credits and earned income tax credits for helping people who have lost their jobs are eliminated in their bill? Do you realize they pay no respect to the fact that childcare is very important for people whose children cannot go to school because they're doing remote learning and yet they minimize the need for childcare, which is the is the threshold with which people, mothers and fathers can go to work if they have that. Do you have any idea of how? That's precisely why they're concerned. That's why it's so important right now. Yesterday I spoke to Andrew Yang, who says the same thing. It's not everything you want, but there's a lot there. Honest to God, you really, I can't get over it, because Andrew Yang, he's lovely. Rokana, he's lovely. They are not negotiating this situation. They have no idea of the particulars. They have no idea of what the language is here. I didn't come over here to have, so you're the apologist for the Obama, excuse me, God forbid. Madam Speaker, I'm not an apologist. I'm asking you serious questions. So many people are in desperate need right now. Let me ask you this. When was the last time you spoke with the President about this? I don't speak with the President. Why not call him and say, Mr. President, let's work out a deal. It's not going to be everything you want. Not going to be everything I want, but there are so many Americans right now who are in desperate need. Let's make a deal. What makes me amused, if it weren't so sad, is how you all think that you know more about the suffering of the American people than those of us who are elected by them to represent them at that table. And I ask these questions only, as you know, so many millions of Americans are suffering right now. But you quote two people who know nothing about the agreement. There is no agreement, but what the suggestions are is if there's some authority on the subject. Please give equal weight to all of the chairman on the committee who have written this bill. But so many of your fellow Democrats in the House, they want a deal. I don't know what to say about that. Wow. Look, I'm no fan of Wolf Blitzer, but I think that he did a good job here. And look, I'll concede to Nancy Pelosi's point that he is buying into the right-wing framing. Yes, that's true. However, Nancy Pelosi is not doing anything to improve the optics here. She isn't helping to take away, you know, that right-wing framing. Like, I think that you need to stand your ground, be firm, fight Republicans. But again, you do not do this if you're using Americans as a bargaining chip. We want you to fight Republicans. We want you to press for better. But both bills are shitty. Your bill is shitty, Republicans' bill is shitty. Republicans' bill is shitty. So pass anything before the election. That's what he's asking you. Why won't you just pass this bill now? And then later on, if you win the election, you could pass something better. But her answers are horrible. They come off as tone deaf. She says, what makes me amused if it weren't so sad is how you all think that you know more about the suffering of the American people than those of us who are elected by them to represent them. Nancy, you just were featured in a video on late night television in front of your two $12,000 refrigerators where you brag about the $12 applying ice creams that you have stocked your fridge with. You are not sensitive to the needs of Americans. Don't pretend as if you know what's best for them. And the problem here is that she kind of gave away the game. She said that it's no use giving the American people a false thing by allowing the president to put his name on another check. You just tacitly admitted that this is about politics. You just gave away the high ground, the moral high ground. After berating Donald Trump rightfully so for tanking stimulus talks, now it looks like Democrats are the ones who are being obstructionist. Now Republicans and Donald Trump could say, look it, we want to pass the bill, but the radical Democrats, Nancy Pelosi, don't want to take up our bill. I mean, look, if you're playing hardball for like the next week or two, but ultimately you will pass this before the election and you get a little bit more out of this. Okay, I mean, maybe you're gambling here, but you've got to understand the way that she's going about this makes her look so tone deaf, so out of touch. And it looks like she's trying to use the American people as a political bargaining chip and make no mistake about it, that narrative will be the one that sticks. Now, she says, look, so when you say to me, why won't you accept theirs? Why won't they accept ours? Again, that is a valid point. I think that Democrats are right to call out the Republican Party's obstructionism and Mitch McConnell's obstructionism and how he is trying to rush through the Supreme Court confirmation, but he's not willing to take up serious stimulus talks. So even if you do like a narrow relief package, even if you just do a one-time $1,200 payment again, that's not enough, but it's still something. Americans still need that and you can pass it and then explain to the American people, look, all of this was left on the table. We gave Republicans all of this and they left it on the table. All they wanted to do was give you the bare minimum and they wouldn't do more than that. So understand who's really fighting for you. Like there are so many ways that you can play this in your favor, but the way that she's playing this, like she's trying to play hardball, which again, like we want Democrats to fight Republicans and play hardball, but you do it tactically. She's the one who said, I am strategically savvy and a master legislator and politically astute. Well, you're not showing it because you're kind of looking bad in this situation. The American people are thinking, okay, well first, Donald Trump wanted to block stimulus talks and now Nancy Pelosi and Democrats want to block stimulus talks. Like how you get yourself out of this corner, if you can, I don't know how you do that now because you just made the situation exponentially worse. But I want to talk about one last clip here. This isn't necessarily substantive, but it was so awkward. It was so cringe-worthy that this may possibly have ripped a hole in the space-time continuum. Like this was, I don't even know how to describe it. Look at the way that this interview ended. And we'll leave it on that note. Thank you so much for joining us. We'll leave it on the boat that you are not right on this, we'll open. I hate to say that to you, but I feel confident about it and I feel confident about my colleagues and I feel confidence in my chairs. And it's not about me. It's about millions of Americans who can't put food on the table, who can't pay the rent, and we represent them. And we represent them. And we represent them. These long food lines that we're seeing. I know you are. We know them. I'm just saying. We represent them and we know them. As we say. We know them. We represent them. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, as they say here in Washington. It is nowhere near perfect. Madam Speaker. Always the case, but we're not even close to the good. All right. Let's see what happens because every day is critically, critically important. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you for your sensitivity to our constituents needs. I am sensitive to them because I see them on the street begging for food, begging for money. Madam Speaker, thank you so much. Have you said them? We feed them. We feed them. We'll continue this conversation down the road for sure. We'll take a quick break. We'll be right back. Yikes. Nancy Pelosi in that clip came across as a smug out of touch elitist who when challenged by the media could not explain why she's not doing something that helps the American people. Even if that is the reality or not, because Democrats did pass the Heroes Act months ago, it doesn't matter because that's what the narrative is going to be. And look, she's lying. She's not sensitive to the needs of her constituents. Almost 70,000 people every single year were dying before this pandemic because they didn't have health insurance and yet she doesn't support Medicare for All. A majority of Americans want a Green New Deal and she called it The Green Dream or whatever. So don't fucking lie and pretend like you know what the American people want. You are a multi-millionaire. You couldn't be more out of touch even if you tried. Don't pretend as if Wolf Blitzer is the one who's in the wrong year. Wolf Blitzer, of course, is concerned trolling. I don't believe that he actually cares about the American people but he's doing his job by actually trying to hold you accountable and explain why you aren't taking action, why you unilaterally aren't doing something that would objectively benefit the American people. Now, once again, I want to be nuanced here and admit that, yes, it is the case that Republicans overall have been more obstructionist. That doesn't mean that Democrats haven't blocked relief talks at some points throughout this process. A month ago, as Jeff Stein explained in the Washington Post article we cited earlier, he explains how Democrats did in fact I think rightfully block one relief bill that excluded a one-time payment of $1,200. But that was last month and now time is running out. You've got three weeks until the election and if you don't get it done before November 3rd, you're not going to get it done. We get no relief until February and can you imagine how catastrophic that would be? So she doesn't know what to do, how to appear as if she's the good guy here. Like the way that she tries to challenge Wolf Blitzer even though the media is biased, even though the media oftentimes does bind to right-wing framing, she's not helping in this situation. She comes off as tone deaf and out of touch and she is making it seem as if now she's the one who's trying to use the Americans as a political bargaining chip because she doesn't want to give Donald Trump anything to brag about before the election. Now again, I will stand corrected happily so if she ends up holding out for like an extra week and they get more concessions from Republicans. But Republicans aren't going to act because you kind of already gave them the narrative that they were looking for. They wanted to deflect. They didn't want to make it seem as if Donald Trump was the one who was unilaterally stalling negotiations or Mitch McConnell. And now Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are saying we'll do something. And now it's Nancy Pelosi who's saying no, I want you to do my bill, which is still shitty, but it's less shitty. I mean, look, people don't have time for all of this fucking bullshit.