%AND THANKS FOR COVERING THIS.
%>> THANK YOU.
%>> WE CAN'T MOVE FORWARD
%TOGETHER WHEN WE ACKNOWLEDGE
%REALITY IN PRIVATE AND THEN
%PEDDLE FALSEHOODS IN PUBLIC.
%THAT IS A QUOTE FROM AN ARTICLE
%PUBLISHED THIS WEEK BY THE
%FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE BROWN
%COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY, WHO
%LEFT THE PARTY WITH THE 2016
%ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP.
%IN HIS ARTICLE, MARK BECKER
%RECOUNTS A PHONE CALL HE HAD
%AFTER THIS YEAR'S ELECTION WITH
%WISCONSIN SENATOR RON JOHNSON.
%AND BY BECKER'S ACCOUNT HE WAS
%HORRIFIED BY WHAT HE HEARD.
%HE JOINS US NOW FROM GREEN BAY
%AND THANKS A LOT FOR DOING SO.
%>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
%IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE.
%>> SO WHAT DID SENATOR JOHNSON
%SAY TO YOU THAT YOU FOUND
%UNCONSCIONABLE?
%>> WELL, IT'S JUST SO
%FRUSTRATING TO UNDERSTAND THAT
%ELECTED OFFICIALS LIKE RON
%JOHNSON KNOW THE TRUTH.
%THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED.
%THEY HAVE A FIRM GRASP ON
%REALITY WHEN THE CAMERAS ARE
,
%OFF, BUT THEN THEY DON'T THINK
%THAT THE PUBLIC DESERVES TO HEAR
%THAT SAME TRUTH WHEN THE CAMERAS
%ARE ON AND IT'S ON RECORD.
%AND THE DAMAGE THAT'S DOING
%TUESDAY, TO THE FABRIC OF OUR
%SOCIETY, IS -- LIKE I SAID, IT'S
%UNCON SEVENTEENABLE.
%IT'S HORRIBLE.
%>> SO HE TOLD YOU THAT HE KNOWS
%THAT JOE BIDEN IS THE
%PRESIDENT-ELECT, BUT HE'S NOT
%WILLING TO STATE THAT PUBLICLY
,
%AND WHY DID HE SAY THAT?
%>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAW IN
%THE 2016 ELECTION WAS RON WAS
%THE HIGHEST VOTE GET ER GETTER OF ANY
%REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IN THE
%HISTORY OF THE STATE OF
%WISCONSIN.
%HE SAID MY GOAL WAS TO GET 1.5
%MILLION VOTES IN WISCONSIN.
%HE SAID I DIDN'T GET THAT.
%BUT DONALD TRUMP DID.
%AND SO, YOU KNOW, HE DIDN'T WANT
%TO TICK THOSE VOTERS OFF AND HE
%SAW THE BIG SWELL THAT PEOPLE
%THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN ABLE
,
%TO GET.
%BUT HE WASN'T WILLING TO ROCK
%THAT BOAT.
%>> IN FACT, IN YOUR ARTICLE YOU
%SAY THAT HE SAID TO YOU I KNOW
%BIDEN WON, BUT IT WOULD BE
%POLITICAL SUICIDE TO ADMIT IT.
%>> YES.
%YES.
%THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
%>> SO WHAT ABOUT THE SILENCE ON
%THE PART OF OTHER ELECTED
%REPUBLICANS AND THE STOKING OF
%CONSPIRACIES?
%HOW IN YOUR MIND DO THEY
%UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY, AS YOU
%NOTE?
,
%>> WELL, IT UNDERMINES DEMOCRACY
%BECAUSE THE SANCTITY OF THE VOTE
%IS THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THAT
%WE HAVE IN OUR POLITICS.
%IT'S STOKING THAT.
%IT'S UNCONSCIONABLE.
%IT'S HORRIBLE TO KNOW THAT THESE
%ELECTED OFFICIALS VALUE THEIR
%PARTY OVER THE OATH THAT THEY
%TOOK TO SERVE THE COUNTRY.
%AND SO, YOU KNOW, RON JOHNSON IS
%NOT UNIQUE IN THIS.
%I MEAN, THERE ARE REPUBLICANS
%ALL OVER THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
,
%AND ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT
%INSTEAD OF TELLING PEOPLE THE
%TRUTH, THEY LINE UP BEHIND THE
%-- YOU KNOW, THE ONE-TERM
%PRESIDENT.
%SO IT'S HORRIBLE.
%>> YOU WRITE THAT IN FACT,
%THOUGH, THAT JOHNSON WAS
%UNCONCERNED ABOUT ALL OF THAT.
%HOW SO?
%>> WELL, HE SAID THAT THE
%BIGGEST THING WAS, YOU KNOW, THE
%PILLARS OF OUR DEMOCRACY ARE
%STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THIS.
%AND, I MEAN, I GET IT.
%THE PILLARS OF OUR DEMOCRACY ARE
%VERY STRONG AND WE ARE LUCKY FOR
%THEM.
,
%BUT RON JOHNSON IS PART OF THAT
%PILLAR OF OUR DEMOCRACY, THE
%UNITED STATES SENATE, THE HOUSE,
%CONGRESS.
%THAT IS ONE OF THE PILLARS OF
%OUR DEMOCRACY.
%AND IT'S UP TO THEM TO BE ABLE
%TO STAND UP TO WHEN THEY NEED TO
%BE STOOD UP TO AND THEY'RE
%FAILING IN THAT MISERABLY.
%>> SO SENATOR JOHNSON DECLINED
%TO BE ON THE PROGRAM, BUT SAID I
%HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT IN
%BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
%STATEMENTS THAT I BELIEVE THERE
%ARE WAY TOO MANY IRREGULARITIES
%AND SUSPECT ISSUES THAT NEED TO
,
%BE INVESTIGATED AND PUBLICLY
%VETTED BEFORE A FINAL RESULT IS
%DETERMINED AND A PEACEFUL
%TRANSITION OF POWER TAKES PLACE.
%THE ARTICLE, THE ONE THAT YOU
%WROTE, HE SAYS, SHOULD BE VIEWED
%AS THE POLITICAL HIT PIECE IT IS
%AND SIMPLY IGNORED.
%SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO HIS
%STATEMENT?
%>> YOU KNOW, I WISH HE WOULD
%TELL ME -- I WISH HE WOULD TELL
%THE PUBLIC WHAT HE TOLD ME IN
%PERSON.
%YES, HE WAS CONSISTENT ABOUT HE
%THINKS THERE'S IRREGULARITIES,
,
%BUT HE ALSO SAID THAT HE
%UNDERSTANDS THAT IT WASN'T
%ENOUGH TO OVERTURN THE RESULT OF
%THIS VOTE.
%HE SAID THE SAME THING THAT
%WILLIAM BARR, DONALD TRUMP'S OWN
%ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID.
%SO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW ON, IF HE
%THINKS THAT THIS SHOULD BE
%IGNORED, THAT'S FINE, YOU CAN
%IGNORE IT, BUT WHY DON'T YOU
%IGNORE THE PEOPLE IN THE TRUMP
%ADMINISTRATION THAT ARE SAYING
%THE SAME THING?
%IF YOU WANT TO IGNORE MY PIECE,
%THAT'S FINE, BUT WHY DON'T WE
%PAY ATTENTION TO THE REPUBLICAN
%ELECTION OFFICIALS IN
%BATTLEGROUND STATES THAT ARE
%SAYING THAT THIS VOTE WAS
,
%SECURE, IT WAS OVER AND JOE
%BIDEN WON, FULL STOP.
%SO I WISH RON WOULD SAY THAT.
%>> JUST VERY BRIEFLY, WHAT KIND
%OF REACTION HAVE YOU BEEN
%GETTING FROM YOUR ARTICLE?
%>> I MEAN, IT'S BEEN POSITIVE.
%I'VE BEEN ENCOURAGED BY SOME OF
%THE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW THAT ARE
%REPUBLICAN OPERATIVES AND
%REPUBLICAN OFFICE HOLDERS WHO
%HAVE SENT ME MESSAGES AND SAID,
%YOU KNOW, GOOD JOB, THANK YOU,
%BECAUSE, I MEAN, THIS IS A
,
%TURNING POINT AND THIS IS A
%DECIDING POINT FOR THE
%REPUBLICAN PARTY ON WHERE DO
%THEY WANT TO GO NOW.
%YOU KNOW, THEY LOST THE
%PRESIDENCY AND IT'S UP TO THEM
%IN THESE CONVERSATIONS IN THESE
%VERY PIVOTAL MOMENTS TO FIGURE
%OUT WHAT THE FUTURE IS GOING TO
%LOOK LIKE FOR THEIR PARTY.
%AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE NOT DOING
%THE RIGHT THING.
%>> ALL RIGHT.
%MARK BECKER, WE NEED TO LEAVE IT
%THERE.
,