% >>> THE NATION'S FIRST OPENLY
% GAY U.S. SENATOR, TAMMY BALDWIN
% OF WISCONSIN, WORKS TO GET TEN
% REPUBLICAN SENATORS TO VOTE IN
% FAVOR OF THE RESPECT FOR
% MARRIAGE ACT, A BILL TO%ESTA
BLISH THE RIGHT TO SAME-SEX
% AND INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE IN
% FEDERAL LAW.
% SUCCESS PILOT THE MAJORITY OF
% THE PUBLIC SUPPORTING SAME-SEX
% MARRIAGE, INCLUDING REPUBLICANS,
% THE PUSH FOR PASSAGE OF THE BILL
% ENSHRINING THAT RIGHT COULD BE
% AN UPHILL CLIMB.
% SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN IS JOINING
% US NOW, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH
% FOR BEING HERE.
% >> IT IS A PLEASURE TO JOIN YOU.
% >> SENATOR, FIRST, WE WANT TO
% ASK YOU WITH THREE DROPPING OUT,
% WILL YOU NOW FORMALLY ENDORSE
% MANDELA BARNES?
% >> I WILL BE TALKING WITH THE
% REMAINING CANDIDATES, AND,
% CERTAINLY, AS I'VE ALWAYS SAID,
% I'LL BE BEHIND THE NOMINEE.
% IT APPEARS THAT WILL BE MANDELA
% BARNES, AND I'M VERY EXCITED
% ABOUT THE RACE AHEAD.
% >> BECAUSE WHAT DOES THE
% THINNING OF THE FIELD SAY ABOUT
% HIS CANDIDACY IN YOUR MIND?
% >> WELL, I THINK IT'S A STRONG
% CANDIDACY.
% HE IS CERTAINLY RUNNING A VERY
% GOOD RACE AND GETTING ALL AROUND
% THE STATE, AND TALKING TO THE
% WISCONSIN VOTERS, BUT THE
% CONTRAST IN THE GENERAL ELECTION
% COULD NOT BE MORE CLEAR, AND
% MANDELA BARNES IS SOMEONE
% FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE OF HIS
% DISTRICT.
% WHEN HE USED TO BE IN THE STATE
% LEGISLATURE, AND NOW ALL OF THE
% PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
% AS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
% >> SO AS TO THE RESPECT FOR WHAT
% WE INVITED YOU ON TO TALK ABOUT,
% WHY IS THIS BILL NEEDED NOW?
% >> WELL, IN THE WAKE OF THE
% SUPREME COURT OVERTURNING ROE V.
% WADE, IT HAS IM IMPLICATED A NUR
% OF OTHER CASES THAT THE COURT
% HAS DECIDED ON SIMILAR GROUNDS.
% WHETHER THAT'S ACCESS TO
% CONTRACEPTION OR SAME-SEX
% MARRIAGE OR INTERRACIAL
% MARRIAGE, ALL WERE BASED IN PART
% ON CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO
% PRIVACY, WHICH THE MAJORITY SAYS
% DOES NOT EXIST, AND SO PEOPLE
% NEED CERTAINTY.
% THIS IS A GREAT TIME OF FEAR AND
% ANXIETY, BUT WHETHER SAME-SEX
% COUPLES' MARRIAGE LICENSE WILL%
BE VALID, AND THE RIGHTS AND
% RESPONSIBILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH
% MARRIAGE ARE CRITICALLY
% IMPORTANT FOR ONE'S FAMILY, AND
% SO THE RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT
% WOULD CODIFY THE OBERGEFELL AND
% GRISWOLD V. CONNECTICUT
% DECISION, AND PEOPLE COULD REST
% ASSURED THEIR MARRIAGE
% CERTIFICATE IS VALID.
% >> NOW, I UNDERSTAND YOU NEED
% TEN REPUBLICAN SENATORS TO VOTE
% YES.
% WHAT'S YOUR CURRENT COUNT?
% >> THERE ARE FIVE REPUBLICANS
% WHO HAVE PUBLICLY STATED THAT
% THEY WILL SUPPORT THE RESPECT
% FOR MARRIAGE ACT, AND I HAVE
% SPOKEN WITH A ADDITIONAL MANY, T
% FIVE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS HAVE
% INDICATED THEY ARE LEANING IN
% SUPPORT, BUT I THINK BECAUSE OF
% HOW CROWDED THE CALENDAR IS FOR
% NEXT WEEK, WHICH IS OUR LAST
% WEEK BEFORE THE AUGUST RECESS,
% AND IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE
% CAN'T HAVE ANY ABSENCES, WE NEED
% EVERYBODY THERE, AND WE HAVE A
% FEW MEMBERS WITH COVID, THIS IS
% PROBABLY GOING TO BE A VOTE THAT
% OCCURS, WHAT I WOULD HOPE, IS
% EARLY SEPTEMBER.
% >> SO ON THE VOTE, THOUGH, THE
% LATEST GALLOP POLL ON THE MATTER
% SHOWS 70% OF THE PUBLIC SUPPORT
% SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, INCLUDING 55%
% OF REPUBLICANS.
% IS THERE A DISCONNECT FOR
% ELECTED OFFICIALS AS SO WHY, YOU
% KNOW, YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THESE
% OTHER FIVE?
% >> THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED
% STATES, SADLY, HAS OFTEN
% FOLLOWED PUBLIC OPINION RATHER
% THAN LED PUBLIC OPINION, AND I
% AM STILL VERY HOPEFUL THAT WE
% WILL HAVE -- IN FACT, I BELIEVE
% WE DO HAVE THE TEN VOTES
% NECESSARY TO AVOID A FILIBUSTER,
% BUT, YEAH, IT IS SOMETHING WHERE
% I HAVE -- IN THE ARENA OF CIVIL
% RIGHTS, THE U.S. PUBLIC IS OFTEN
% AHEAD OF THEIR ELECTED
% REPRESENTATIVES, AND THAT'S TOO
% BAD.
% THERE'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, SADLY, A
% VERY STRONG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
% THE PARTIES.
% EVERY DEMOCRAT IN THE U.S.
% SENATE SUPPORTS THE RESPECT FOR
% MARRIAGE ACT, AND I DON'T THINK
% THIS SHOULD BE AN ISSUE FROM A
% PARTISAN DIVIDE, BUT IT SEEMS IT
% STILL IS.
% >> THERE IS SENATOR RON JOHNSON,
% ARGUABLY, ONE OF THE MOST
% CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS, SAID HE,
% QUOTE, HAD NO REASON TO OPPOSE
% THE MEASURE, BUT THEN HE CAME
% BACK ACCUSING DEMOCRATS OF
% CREATING A STATE OF FEAR OVER AN
% ISSUE TO FURTHER DIVIDE
% AMERICANS FOR POLITICAL BENEFIT.
% HOW DO YOU RECONCILE THAT?
% >> WELL, I'M GOING TO TAKE HIM
% AT HIS WORD WHEN HE SAID THAT HE
% HAS NO REASON TO OPPOSE IT, AND
% I WOULD VIEW THAT AS THAT HE
% WOULD SUPPORT IT, BUT I THINK
% THAT WE HAVE BEEN TRYING VERY
% HARD NOT TO POLITICIZE THIS AND
% TO RESPOND, AGAIN, TO THE FACT
% THAT THE SUPREME COURT
% OVERTURNED ROE VERSUS WADE,
% PRESIDPRECEDENT OF 499 YEARS ANR
% REASONING LEADS PEOPLE TO
% LEGITIMATELY FEAR THAT THE
% SUPREME COURT WOULD LATER
% OVERTURN CASES INVOLVING ACCESS
% TO CONTRACEPTION AND CASES LIKE
% THAT DEAL WITH INTERRACIAL
% MARRIAGE AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.
% >> YOUR CALL FOR THE BILL COMES
% AS A RESULT OF THAT CLARENCE
% THOMAS CONCURRING THE OPINION IN
% RAISING THE ISSUE OF REVERSING
% ROE, BUT ON THAT, AS YOU KNOW,
% REVERTS BACK TO THE 1849 LAW
% WITH NO EXCEPTION FOR RAPE OR%
INCEST.
% WHAT DO YOU THINK OUR STATE
% LEGISLATURE SHOULD DO ON THIS?
% WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE?
% >> WELL, I THINK THAT THEY
% CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT SEND WOMEN
% BACK TO THE MID-1800s WHERE,
% AT A TIME WHEN WOMEN DID NOT
% EVEN HAVE A VOTE.
% IT IS UN-- IT'S HARD TO PUT
% WORDS -- INTO WORDS HOW CHAOTIC
% THIS CASE HAS MADE THINGS IN
% TERMS OF WOMEN BEING ABLE TO
% ACCESS THE HEALTHCARE THEY NEED
% AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE BODILY
% AUTONOMY AND CHOOSE WHEN AND%
WHETHER TO HAVE A FAMILY.
% THE FACT THAT WISCONSIN WOMEN
% HAVE A FEWER FREEDOMS THAN THEIR
% MOTHERS AND GRANDMOTHERS IS JUST
% HARD TO WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND.
% I THINK THE STATE LEGISLATURE
% NEEDS TO APPEAL THAT 1849 LAW,
% AND I BELIEVE THAT THEY SHOULD
% CODIFY A STATE VERSION OF
% SOMETHING SIMILAR TO ROE VERSUS
% WADE.%>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT
THERE.
% SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN, THANK YOU