#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Obama Campaigning for Warnock, WA Sheriff On Trial For Lying, World Aids Day, Road to the SWAC

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. We live in Georgia where there's only one day left for early voting. They are doing all they can to turn, especially African Americans. Talk about that. The UNI-PREP workers today in Georgia were at Center Raphael 1 on the Capitol in Decatur. We were there.

Starting point is 00:00:40 We will show you that. So folks, this is the We are leading a rally in Atlanta, Food Center 1. We're going to go there and carry history mark right here. Supreme Court has agreed to make a decision on whether or not President Joe Biden can give student loans and give the update on that. So a delay in the ruling

Starting point is 00:01:06 regarding the Black Springs in Oklahoma. We were there last night. We will tell you about that as well. And talk to the school to the Spice Championship. General Motors continues. We'll talk to the student government leader at Southern University about what students are feeling

Starting point is 00:01:20 about parents who claim Jackson State on Saturday in Jackson, Mississippi. It's time to bring the ball to the Newark-Norfolk. Watch the network. Let's rolling. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling.

Starting point is 00:01:55 It's on for Royal. It's rolling Martin. Rolling with rolling now. He's funky, he's fresh, yeah Rolling with Roland now Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Roland Martin Now Martin All right, folks, this is a live look at the rally in Atlanta.

Starting point is 00:02:28 The president will be speaking shortly in support of U.S. Senator Raphael. He is in a room. There's one day left of early voting, and they are doing all they can to push as many people as possible to go to the polls. Let's dip into this rally and hear what has been said right now. If we do not send the best candidates and that candidate is Senator Raphael Warnock. Early voting is from December 2nd and election date is December 6th. Visit IWillVote.com to make a plan to vote and thank you so much for having me. Please welcome Abubakar Siddiq King. Good evening, everybody. My name is Abubakar Siddiq King, or some of you may know me as Sid King.

Starting point is 00:03:47 I'm a 21 year old political science and marketing student at the illustrious Morehouse College. My family, both my mom and my dad's side, are from Sierra Leone, West Africa. And my siblings and I are first generations born and raised in this sweet peach state of Georgia. You know I just want this to be an honest conversation. A safe space for us to determine what this state and country's people need together to make sure that we elect the most qualified and capable candidate to Senate. I believe that we deserve a well-studied, thoroughly experienced, and passionate person to represent us and tackle the issues that Americans face every day. And luckily for us, I heard Senator Warnock is in town.

Starting point is 00:04:51 See, in my case, like many Americans, I carry the heavy burden of student loan debt. I got my student loan relief program approval literally the same day I got invited to speak here. And I couldn't help but think, would I even be having that if it wasn't for someone like Reverend Warnock sitting in that seat in Senate fighting for students like myself. I also was in the hospital. I was sick for two weeks in the hospital. You know how expensive those bills are. You know, I was able to be relieved because of people like Raphael Warnock sitting inside of our Senate and making sure that we are being helped medically, financially, that are showing up for us and taking care of the people. I have a mother. I have a sister. I have a niece, aunts, and cousins I would do anything for.

Starting point is 00:05:37 I love them. I learn from them. And mostly, I protect them. And I've heard some things about the other candidate that makes me wonder how he would treat every single one of us if he feels comfortable treating his own family like that. Senator Warnock, however, is a well-rounded Morehouse man. An honest man of God and a proactive thought leader. Although I don't have to tell you that, because you already sensed it when you voted for him and made him the first black African American to be elected to Senate in Georgia. Now, while my senator was out on the grounds having real conversations with the people of Georgia,

Starting point is 00:06:25 taking on the fight to lower the prices of prescription drugs while advocating for the people of this state and paving a road towards a new and improved tomorrow for students like myself. I don't have to wonder what the other candidate was doing. He said it himself. He was learning werewolves can beat vampires. No, no, no, no, wait. He was polishing his debate props, completely making a mockery of the true bravery and commitment displayed by our force. Or maybe he was up

Starting point is 00:06:55 at night watching something he knew was stupid but continued to watch anyway. And now the state of Georgia is unfortunately faced to do the same thing, watching him run for Senate. However, like I said before, today we have a choice. We have a choice to change the channel because we have a vote. Today, we have a choice and a chance. A chance to reinforce the fact that this generation of young people are no longer amused, nor will be fooled by political stunts and less than dignified antics by self-serving candidates. We do care.

Starting point is 00:07:34 We do understand the power of our presence at the polls. And we will vote. Because if we lose the fire, the passion, the dedication to get out and vote now, we will be left unheard and overlooked for six long years. Take this moment right now to be reminded of the effects of passionate people marching to the polls as one and the sacrifices made by those who came before us to make that possible. A vote for Herschel Walker is a vote towards a six-year circus. But if you believe that this beautiful, historic state deserves a true senator representing

Starting point is 00:08:12 us, vote Senator Raphael Warnock back into Senate. Do not stop now, because it is up to us to finish this race, and the polls are our finish line. I'll leave you with the ever so honest words of our 44th president, Barack Obama. The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on. I pray you all do the same and get back to the polls.

Starting point is 00:08:45 Because today, we vote for a better tomorrow. And I can't wait to see you all there. Thank you. We're going to continue to monitor this particular event. So we're sitting to continue to monitor this particular event. So we'll send a warning out. Let's see. Is Tia, I'd love to have you. Let's see, is Tia there? There we go. I'm having a hard time hearing you, though.

Starting point is 00:09:34 All right, Tia, can you hear me now? That's better. All right, give us a sense of, again, the folks who don't realize, just the enthusiasm that a number of people casting ballots early, one more day left, it's already 1.2 million. Yes, there is a lot of enthusiasm around this runoff. You know, part of the reason why we're seeing such record turnout, of course, is because the runoff window was condensed, which means there are fewer days for people to vote early in person. So as a result, we're seeing very robust turnout in the limited days that are available. But it does show that voters, you know, are still very engaged in this runoff.

Starting point is 00:10:19 They know that there is still a lot at stake for both parties. They are very invested in wanting their candidate to win, and that has resulted in big turnout. But unfortunately, it's also resulted in some long lines at polling places all week. As you noted, there's one more day of early voting on Friday. Have we seen any idea in terms of where the Democrats are going? Any idea? So I think what you asked was, you know, where the turnout is, if it's Democratic or Republican

Starting point is 00:10:58 leaning. And I will tell you, both parties say that there are things in the early voting turnout that they're encouraged by? You know, Republicans noted that some of the counties with the highest percentage of turnout, just percentage-wise, were Republican-leaning counties, but they were smaller counties population-wise. So some of the bigger counties that have had the biggest turnout in raw voter numbers are those Democratic leaning counties. Again, Democrats were very fired up because of that whole debate over whether early voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving would be allowed. Republican officials that controlled the elections in Georgia said it wouldn't be allowed, but Democrats in Warnock's campaign sued. They were successful in the courts. And so when that early voting, which was,

Starting point is 00:11:50 it was still an option, both Saturday and Sunday, it was optional. So there were Republican-leaning and Democratic counties that took advantage of that early voting, but it seemed that the early voting overall benefited Democrats more. Again, those Democratic-leaning counties have the larger population and had more of an advantage, especially on the weekend. And one of the things, Tia, that we are seeing here, we've been again, and it is a lot of enthusiasm. It's also the grassroots group really, you know, beating the door to make sure that people know what's going on with the campaign. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:12:39 So you mentioned grassroots and we're seeing that, you know, again, both parties are very invested. So on the Republican side, for example, Governor Kemp, who we know won his election outright after the general election, he lent his kind of door knocking organizing campaign to Herschel Walker. Mitch McConnell's apparatus is paying for it, but it's Kemp's on-the-ground operation. And then on the Democratic side, Warnock has a lot more money that he has raised, so he has a lot more money to spend. He has a very robust on-the-ground operation. But we see all these grassroots organizations, Black Voters Matter, the New Georgia Project. There are organizations specifically speaking to the AAPI community, the Michelle Obama's Get Out the Vote campaign, which again is nonpartisan.

Starting point is 00:13:35 But, you know, we're seeing so many organizations working to get people to the polls, make sure that if the lines are long long there are resources there to keep people engaged they're knocking on doors they're sending the text messages they're doing everything to try to turn out as many people as possible well i'll tell you we were uh we saw it yesterday where uh georgia stand up they had the food trucks they had the snacks the water across the street from the voting location. There was circumventing that new Georgia law that said you couldn't hand out stuff to folks in line, but they were actually doing their part.

Starting point is 00:14:15 And so we're seeing folks, and a lot of people are going to say, well, because of the natural turnout you see, you can't call it voter suppression. The voter suppression is not turnout. It's making it harder for folks to vote. People are still jumping over those hurdles. Right. And that's, you know, people like Stacey Abrams all along, that's what they've been complaining about Senate Bill 202, which is that election overhaul that Republicans passed after Democrats were so successful in 2020 in the 2021 runoffs. And this is a consequence that those who oppose Senate Bill 202 said would happen. Again, a shorter runoff window

Starting point is 00:14:55 just by design means fewer early voting days, which means that those who want to early vote are going to be compressed. And again, like you said, Senate Bill 202 made it clear that you can't pass out food and water to people standing in line near polling places. So what these grassroots organizations are doing is saying, okay, if the rule is 150 feet, we're going to go to 155 feet and we're going to set up our stations and make sure people know they can come to us and get what they need so just like with everything else those groups that have to adhere to the law are finding ways to do so and um but at the same time waiting in line is waiting in line you know anecdotally we are hearing that it is difficult at times. You know, if someone is going on their lunch break

Starting point is 00:15:45 and they only have an hour and the line is two hours long, then that means they have to leave and come back. And if the race is close, then those types of barriers, if there are enough people who say those barriers kept them from voting, that could be enough people to swing a close race. And that's always been the concern about Senate Bill 202. All right, Tia Mitchell, surely appreciate it. Thanks a lot for joining us. Thank you. Folks, I want to do this here. I'm going to go to a break. We're going to bring in our panel and also we'll take back into the rally and then President Barack Obama will be voting as we speak in Atlanta

Starting point is 00:16:27 on behalf of U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, who is seeking to be elected to a full six-year term against Hershel Walker. You'll see Will and Mark Unfiltered literally on the road here in Georgia. We'll be right back on the White House Network. Is it just me? Or does it feel like we've been here before? The whole country's finished voting and only us left. You'd think Herschel Walker would want to explain what he'd do in the Senate

Starting point is 00:16:55 if he actually wants to represent Georgia. Instead, he repeats the same lies, trying to distract from what we all know is true about him. But I think Georgians will see his abs for what they are. Don't you? I'm Rafael Warnock, and yes, we're doing this again. That's why I approve this message. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, inflation is on the rise. Interest rates are high thrive during these uncert get wealthy, you're gonna done just that living pro

Starting point is 00:17:33 to do to flourish during These are times where you going on. This is how peo richer. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Black Star Network. Mama always said all skinfolk ain't kinfolk. Georgia, we don't need a senator who's against reparations. Reparations teach separation.

Starting point is 00:18:02 Slavery ended over 130 years ago. We don't need this. I am with many police officers. And we sure don't need this. I want to be a leader like him. Walker wants to be like Trump and will fight harder for him than he will for us. We don't need a Walker.

Starting point is 00:18:19 Paid for by Black Voters Matter Action Pack, not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. We welcome the Black Star Network's very own Roland Martin, who joins us to talk about his new book, White Fear, how the browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. The book explains so much about what we're going through in this country right now and how, as white people head toward becoming a racial minority, it's going to get, well, let's just say

Starting point is 00:18:51 even more interesting. We are going to see more violence. We're going to see more vitriol because as each day passes, it is a nail in that coffin. The one and only Roland Martin on the next Black Table, right here on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Vivian Green. Hi, I'm Wendell Pierce, actor and author of The Wind in the Reeds. Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on? It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. We are literally on the road here in Georgia, on the road here in Georgia, where it is one day left of early voting. That's tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:19:53 Then election day is Tuesday, December 6th. This is a split-screen, you're seeing, rally of the president, Barack Obama, that's holding in Atlanta for Raphael Warnock. We'll go back to that rally when the next speaker comes up. I want to bring on my panel right now Erica Savage-Fowler of the Reframe Brain. Recy Colbert, founder of Black Women Views, Dr. Greg Carr, Department of African American Studies at Howard University. Erica, I'll go to you first of all to the control room to keep me abreast of what's happening with the rally. I'll go to you first of all to the control room. Keep me abreast of what's happening with the rally. I'll go to you, Erica.

Starting point is 00:20:27 You're from Georgia. The Walnut folks really, really, really are focused on the outlying area, not just the major metro areas, not just Atlanta, not just Savannah, the large cities, Augusta. They really have been focused on Plainsboro, Statesboro, Albany, Sandersville, Columbus. We can go on and on. Because what we saw in the general election, we saw black turnout in a lot of those places.

Starting point is 00:20:59 Again, Sandersville is an example. Black turnout was 48%. They really want to get to those places where you have, you know, 20, 25,000 people to be able to bump those margins up. Absolutely. And I just want to say thank you again, Roland, for being on the road. Everybody that's there with the Rovomobile, you've definitely been to many counties in Georgia, my hometown of Albany, Georgia. And you are right. Listening to the conversation that you and Tia were having talking about this specific election, you know, Georgia was doing the work of democracy before insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on January 6th.

Starting point is 00:21:41 They were out in the runoff. And it's so exciting to see the reports. You know, we look at the top of the week. We had half a million Georgians that voted in a runoff election. On Monday, the secretary of state's office reported that over 300,000 Georgians had voted on that day, breaking the Georgia's record before, which was like 233,000 early voting in one day. So you think about all of the students that are home for the holidays. They were out working with those groups that you and Tia talked about, those local groups, groups like 9 to 5, New Georgia Project, y'all mentioned.

Starting point is 00:22:21 Black Voters Matter has been saturated throughout the state of Georgia for quite some time. So all of those efforts and things that we've been talking about on Roland Martin Unfiltered, the work that you have been doing in person, yourself on the ground, many, many days, months and weeks out of the year, the fruit of that effort is what we're seeing in a dissent runoff that was triggered because neither of the candidates got over the 50 percent margin. So I just want to say that this is really the way that we have to keep this pretty much going forward. As the young man said, for Morehouse, Gen Z has really engaged this vote. And so the efforts that the young man talked about is that he said the poll lines or the

Starting point is 00:23:02 finish line is actually the beginning. But for them to already have a thinking that this is something, this is a race, that it is actually a marathon, that we have to keep the pace, because we're not just looking at this election. We're looking at many elections to come, the general, and especially having someone in office that is going to carry the concerns of not just a hostile domestic terrorist group, but that of democracy and the will of the people. So it's very encouraging, very proud of my home state to be turning up and be doing what they do, specifically on the Senate runoff election where the stakes are so critical, not just for Georgia, but for the entire country. You know, Recy, we stopped by Fort Valley State,

Starting point is 00:23:48 Warnock is being due, Kennesaw State, Georgia State, obviously, you know, the HBCU, and we talked about pretty cool, the young people's own. I saw a story two days ago, 75% of voters under 30 in Texas did not vote in the last campaign. And that was just an astounding number. And the thing that we keep talking about here, candidates in campaigns are going to have to figure out how to directly engage voters like that because you really uh how you're going to be able to win in these races uh because you have to be able to reach the folks who say hey

Starting point is 00:24:31 i don't really see uh this issue being important but you need to understand this part of the process but you gotta talk to them in a way to reel them in and i think that's one of the things also important over the next several days. The Warnock campaign, they're going to be dispatching a lot of artists all across the state holding concerts in multiple cities.

Starting point is 00:24:56 And not only Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but multiple concerts happening on Monday as well. They are pulling all the stuff out because at the end of the day, Tuesday, that's it. There's no more campaigning. It's all about voting. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the key for Democrats is capacity and maximizing the capacity of their voters. When 75 percent of voters or 25 percent of voters stay home,

Starting point is 00:25:25 then Democrats are going to have a lot of ground to make up. It's an uphill battle. And I've seen in polling where Raphael Warnock, Senator Warnock, is strongest with people under 50. But when you look at what the Republicans are promising to do, just yesterday, I think it was, Senator Thune said that the Republicans in the Senate are going to try to use the debt ceiling as a manner of cutting Social Security and Medicare. These are issues that are extremely important to seniors. And so what is not clicking for some reason is that with Republicans in power and Hershel Walker is a rubber stamp on the Republican agenda, seniors are particularly vulnerable here. And so I think that for the older population, they really need to be hammering home

Starting point is 00:26:10 things like health care, things like insulin that Senator Warnock has really championed to bring the cost down, as well as other prescriptions, benefits being prescription out of cost being limited to $2,000. And so there's that part. Hold tight one second. Hold tight one second. Hold on one second. There's a live shot here of Senator Warnock, who is speaking at the, let's go to Atlanta. I'm in this way tonight

Starting point is 00:26:38 on the 67th anniversary of a date when Rosa Parks sat down. And when Rosa Parks sat down, Martin Luther King Jr. and the people of Montgomery, Alabama stood up and changed America. I want you to think about that as we ask you to vote. Because the people of Montgomery stood together for some 381 days and by some stroke of destiny mingled with human fortitude and determination, they bent the arc a little bit closer to justice. We stand tonight on their shoulders. And then in 2021, hi baby,

Starting point is 00:27:56 how are you? In 2021, inspired by movements like that, we built a multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious coalition that sent the first African American senator and the first Jewish senator to the United States Senate in one fell swoop. Then you, you stood up again during this last general election. And on November 8th, you made sure my campaign finished first.

Starting point is 00:28:52 But here's the thing. Even though you made sure my campaign finished first, that doesn't matter if you don't dig even deeper work even harder build a movement that's even stronger and deliver the victory for the people of Georgia on December 6th are you ready to win this election?

Starting point is 00:29:29 it's time to vote. It's time to vote. Listen, I'm inspired by this strong early vote turnout. I am. But I don't want us to be lulled to sleep. The other side is already playing games. Have you thought about it? We saw record voter turnout last weekend, but don't forget what we had to do just so that could happen.

Starting point is 00:30:15 At first they said the counties could not vote on last Saturday. They said that the law would not allow it. They said, we're sorry, but our hands are tied. And so we thought about it and then we sued them. And we won. I want you to hear me now because this is important for the work we must do. I need you to understand how determined the opposition is. Remember, they said their hands were tied. We sued them, and the judge untied their hands.

Starting point is 00:31:29 And then they showed us their hands by appealing the judge's ruling. And we won again. And they appealed again. And we won again. And all weekend and over the last several days we have seen a diverse and variegated sea of humanity showing up in DeKalb County, in Fulton County, in Cobb County, in Gwinnett County, in Chatham County. And we've got to keep on showing up. We've got to keep on voting. We cannot let up, my beloved, not even for one moment. We've got to keep our foot on the gas all the way to victory.

Starting point is 00:32:23 Are you ready to win this election? So, as I ask you to vote, I want you to remember what your vote did the last time. Because you showed up the last time. We passed the single largest tax cut for middle and working class families in American history. It's called the Expanded Child Tax Credit. Because you showed up the last time. We invested in our veterans' benefits because those who fight for us

Starting point is 00:33:14 shouldn't have to fight with us to get the benefits they deserve. Because you showed up the last time. We invested in domestic manufacturing, because we shouldn't be waiting on chips to come from China, we ought to be making those chips right here in the United States of America. Because you showed up the last time we capped the cost of insulin and capped the cost of insulin and cap the cost of prescription drugs. Because...

Starting point is 00:33:50 Because you showed up the last time. We sent a black woman named Katonji Brown Jackson to the United States. Georgia, we need you to do it one more time. One more time. Tell your neighbors and tell your friends who have not already voted, tell them that a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children. Tell them that your vote is your voice and your voice is your human dignity. That's right, vote Warnock. Tell them that democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea. This notion that each of us has within us a spark of the divine.

Starting point is 00:35:39 We were created in what the theologians called the imago Dei, the image of God. And if you're not given to that kind of religious language, that's all right. Our tent is big. Put it this way, we each have value. And if we have value, then we ought to have a voice in the direction of the country and our destiny within it. Georgia, it's time to raise your voice because this race is about character and competence. I know we have political differences as part of what makes this country a great country. But let me tell you, in my race, this is not about Republican and Democrat.

Starting point is 00:36:58 This is not about right and left. This is about the difference between right and left. This is about the difference between right and wrong. I love this state. And I love you. I love this state and I believe in my bones. I believe in my soul.

Starting point is 00:37:32 The Georgians. Republicans and Democrats. If we're honest, I believe in my soul that Georgia knows that Georgia is better than Herschel Walker. Come on. Georgia is better than Herschel Walker. You deserve a senator who cares enough about the people to actually know the issues. You deserve a senator who will tell you the truth. You deserve a senator who actually lives in Georgia. Now, now, now my, my 84-year-old mother would tell me to be kind. And I don't mind, I don't mind giving credit where credit is due. Herschel Walker was an amazing athlete, an amazing football player. Created a lot of energy at the University of Georgia. He was an amazing running back. And come next Tuesday, we're going to send him running back to Texas.

Starting point is 00:39:27 Are you not a witness to Mexico? So, Georgia, let me say in closing, and nobody believes a Baptist preacher when he says in closing, let me say in closing that you must know that I want to work for you. I clearly want this job, not for me, but because it gives me a chance to continue my life project of public service in a new way. Here's why you know I want this job. This is the fifth time my name has been on the ballot in less than two years for the ballot, I finished first. One more time! One more time! One more time! One more time! Georgia helped me to do it one more time! Let's win, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, President Barack Obama. Rick Carr, you can tell right there the big difference between a Raphael Warnock and a Herschel Walker.

Starting point is 00:41:37 Absolutely. And I know we're about to hear from the 44th president. Herschel Jr. Walker is an embarrassment to the country and to himself. But at the end there, and I know we're going to listen to President Obama, so I'll just end with this for now. What we just saw was Warnock tapping into that true preacher tradition. He did the job right there. That shade was exquisite.

Starting point is 00:42:01 I'm sure Obama, everybody loves hearing Obama. We're going to hear him now. But what you just heard, whatever Obama's going to say, in contrast, the preacher just left the podium and he just sealed the deal without calling that man anything. You send your ass running back to Texas, bro. And he used his mama to do it. That was beautiful. Let's go back to the rally. Here's President Barack Obama. You get a buy one, get one free deal on elections this year. But I'm here today for the same reason that I was here the last time. To ask you to vote one more time for my friend and your outstanding senator,

Starting point is 00:42:48 Raphael Warnock. Now, I know a lot of folks have been voting early over the last few days. That is a good thing. That is an encouraging thing. But, you knew there was a but. Plenty of folks haven't voted yet. Tomorrow is the last day for early voting.

Starting point is 00:43:20 And then we need to get people out to the polls on Tuesday, which means we've still got work to do. And you know what? I'm counting on you to do it. A lot of you may be feeling pretty good because a few weeks ago, people turned out to vote, and as a result, Democrats still have control of the Senate. And because of some really concerted efforts in a lot of important states, many of the most egregious, potentially dangerous, and let's face it, somewhat crazy, folks, election deniers, got beat. That's the good news. It turns out that most Americans prefer leaders who want to bring people together to solve real problems, as opposed to conspiracy theorists and fear mongers. That makes me somewhat optimistic. It's good to know that folks would prefer

Starting point is 00:44:50 normal to Looney Tunes. That's a good thing. But, and you knew there was a button. I'm here to tell you that we can't let up. I'm here to tell you we can't tune out. We can't be complacent. We have to run through the tape. And that means all of us doing our part to make sure that Raphael Warnock goes back to being the United States Senator from the great state of Georgia. And I know you can do it because you've done it before.

Starting point is 00:45:40 Last year you didn't just send one, you sent two Democrats to the Senate. John Assaf. Reverend Warnock. And because of what you did, you made all this progress possible. Don't let up. You've been listening. She's been paying attention. How old are you?

Starting point is 00:46:07 You're four years old. Four years old, and she understands you can't let up. She could have just summarized my entire talk. Out of the mouth of babes. If voters here in Georgia had stayed home two years ago, Republicans would have kept control of the Senate. And they would have blocked every single piece of legislation that President Biden and the Democrats ended up passing. It would have been their top priority. In fact, it probably would have been their only priority. that President Biden and the Democrats ended up passing. It would have been their top priority.

Starting point is 00:46:49 In fact, it probably would have been their only priority. But that's not what happened because of you, because you did not get weary. Because you did not act like everything was over. Democrats took back the Senate. And were eventually able to translate that into people's lives being better. In concrete ways. Because of you, President Biden and the Democrats, they didn't just rebuild the economy and keep unemployment low during the pandemic.

Starting point is 00:47:31 They passed a law that would lower health care costs and prescription drug prices. They passed an infrastructure bill that will put people back to work. They passed the first major gun safety legislation in 30 years. They made the biggest investment in clean energy in our history. That happened because of you, Georgia. And now we need you to do it again. Because for all the progress we've made, we all know we've got a lot of work to do.

Starting point is 00:48:04 Right now, too many folks in Georgia and all across the country, they're still hurting. They're still struggling to pay the bills. Parents are still worried about their kids' safety. Too many Americans are wondering if their freedoms could be taken away. And the question is, who's going to actually do something about it? Who's going to fight for you? Is it the party whose main agenda is cutting taxes for the rich and big corporations? The party that wants to gut Social Security and Medicare?

Starting point is 00:48:40 Flood our streets with more guns decide who you love when you should start a family or is it the party that's trying to put people back to work and lower costs and make health care more affordable and keep our communities safe and save our planet and give every woman the ability to make her own decisions about her own life. That's the choice in this election. That's what's at stake. And you know, the other side knows this. You heard what Reverend Warnock was talking about. They've spent millions of dollars here in Georgia over the past few weeks trying to get their folks to show up and get you to stay home.

Starting point is 00:49:35 Because they know they don't have winning ideas, their strategy is to scare you and confuse you and bamboozle you, run the okey-doke on you, and make you believe that your vote does not matter. Am I right, Mayor? I am right. Here's the thing. That only works if you let it.

Starting point is 00:50:03 You have the power to decide this election. You have the power to determine the course of this country. And if you work hard between now and Tuesday, if you get out to vote, but just as importantly, you get everybody that you know out to vote, then nobody's going to stop you. Go ahead. What's your name? Karan.

Starting point is 00:50:32 And you said we've got the power? That's that four-year-old again. She's still paying attention. It's a boy. It's a boy. He just got a long hair. You got the power? He's only four, and he's making sense.

Starting point is 00:50:54 Now, there are just a couple more things I've got to clear up here. Karam may already know this, but some of the rest of you may not. Some folks are asking, well, if Democrats already have control of the Senate, why does this matter? What's the difference between 50 and 51? The answer is a lie. Let me break it down for you. An extra senator gives Democrats more breathing room on important bills. It prevents one person from holding up everything. And it also puts us in a better position a couple years from now when you've got another election, but the Senate map is going to be tilted in the favor of Republicans. And it'll help prevent Republicans from getting a filibuster-proof majority that could allow

Starting point is 00:52:05 them to do things like passing a federal abortion ban. So that one vote in the Senate could make all the difference. But you know what? There's one more reason. And it's the biggest reason. 51 is better than 50 because it means wherever Warnock will keep representing you in Washington that's the number one reason he was wondering if I was going to get to that

Starting point is 00:52:39 come on Come on, Reverend, you know I got your back. Let me talk about Warnock just a second. Let me say good things about Warnock. Let me testify. As your senator, Reverend Warnock hasn't been off chasing wacky conspiracy theories. He has not been drumming up fear and division. He's been...

Starting point is 00:53:21 You know, Washington, they talk about some folks being show horses and some folks being work horses. And you've got a work horse here. He's been working to lower prescription drug costs. He's been working to boost manufacturing jobs. He's been working to make sure that our veterans who serve this country honorably have the care that they need. He's been standing up for democracy. He's been protecting a woman's right to determine her own destiny.

Starting point is 00:53:56 Rick Warnock is a workhorse. And he also is a class act. Right? He just likes the man. Because you sense his integrity when you talk to him. He's not just hard working, he's God-fearing. He's a community-serving person. He tells the truth. sticks to his word, treats

Starting point is 00:54:31 it with decency and respect, no matter how high or how low. Deals honorably even with those who oppose him. Kalon also once again summarized said vote for Warren Unner. I'm telling you. This young man, he's getting A's. Straight A's in this class. Now, on the other side, you got Mr. Walker. All right, wait. Don't boo now. Wait.

Starting point is 00:55:12 I told you all that. I told you the last time. Can't nobody hear you boo, but they can hear your vote. All right, all right. So you got Mr. Walker. Look, I was here last time. I think I made clear my thoughts on Mr. Walker. I had to acknowledge.

Starting point is 00:55:38 And, you know, some of you, you know, everybody here has pretty good home training right and so you know you're always reticent if you don't have something nice to say about somebody you don't say it so I talked about what a good football player he had been but I also

Starting point is 00:55:59 had to acknowledge that I did not think he had either the confidence, the character, the track record of service that would justify him representing Georgia in the United States Senate. Now, if you had forgotten what I said the last time, It's okay because you just have to wait a minute. He reminds you every time he opens his mouth. I mean, every day.

Starting point is 00:56:39 Every day he comes up with something. Every day. Since the last time I was here, since the last time I was here, Mr. Walker has been talking about issues that are of great importance to the people of Georgia. Like whether it's better to be a vampire or a werewolf. This is a debate that I must confess I once had myself. When I was seven. Then I grew up. In case you're wondering, by the way, Mr. Walker decided he wanted to be a werewolf.

Starting point is 00:57:37 Which is great. As far as I'm concerned, he also claimed that he used to let me beat him at basketball. But then he admitted that we've never actually met. So I guess this was more of an imaginary whooping that I laid on him. Now, listen, this would be funny if he weren't running for Senate. We all know some folks in our lives who we don't wish them ill will. They say crazy stuff. We're all like, well, you know, Uncle Joe, you know what happened to him.

Starting point is 00:58:38 You know, it's okay. They're part of the family. But you don't give them serious responsibilities. When you spend more time thinking about horror movie fantasies than you do thinking about the people you want to represent, that says something about your priorities. When again when again and again you serve up bald-faced lies, just make stuff up, that says something about the kind of person you are and the kind of leader you would be if you were in the United States Senate. So Georgia, look, I'm not telling you something you don't know. You deserve a senator you can be proud of.

Starting point is 00:59:29 Somebody who will talk straight to you. Somebody who will fight for you. Somebody who will garner respect in Washington. Somebody like Reverend Wernick who's been doing it responsibly and conscientiously and effectively, not just in the Senate, not just in the last few years, but his entire adult life. So that's why you need to get out and vote. That's why you can't let up.

Starting point is 01:00:12 Because change doesn't happen in one election. It doesn't even happen in two elections. It doesn't even happen in five elections. Change only happens if you keep organizing, keep voting, keep mobilizing, keep educating, keep speaking up, keep working hard to make change happen. Imagine looking back in history, right after the Emancipation Proclamation, imagine if all the abolitionists and the civil rights activists had said, oh, everything's going to be okay now, let's go home. Imagine if after some women, not all women, but some women got the right to vote.

Starting point is 01:01:05 Organizers said, oh, all right, I got mine. We're all equal now. Our work is done here. Imagine where we would be. If we want real progress, if we want lasting progress, we can't be satisfied with one victory because victories are always incomplete history doesn't just move in a straight

Starting point is 01:01:29 line and move sideways sometimes it moves backwards when we're not vigilant when we're not working so we can't allow ourselves to get tired we need sustained effort and by the way not just on election day but every day in between.

Starting point is 01:01:48 And when I think about that vigilance, when I think about that stick-to-it-ness, when I think about finishing the job, there are a couple people that come to mind. The first is Georgia's own, my friend John Lewis. So he and other SNCC workers were my inspiration for going into public service. I was two years old when they mobilized. I was on the other side of the world, but they were my inspiration. Because armed with nothing more than a backpack and a troop, John Lewis helped lead a long march towards freedom. At the age of 23. And so I had a chance to meet my hero when I was in law school.

Starting point is 01:03:00 I was at that point 26, 27. And when I met him, he was everything I had hoped he would be. He was humble. And he was kind. And he was generous. And he took a long moment to talk to me and encourage me. Despite all that he had accomplished, he had no errors about it. But what struck me most about John was not his incredible

Starting point is 01:03:36 heroism as a young man, but it's how he kept on marching and protesting. Even after he was elected to Congress, he's getting arrested in front of the South African embassy. He kept standing up for what was right. One decade, two decades, three decades, just kept on going. Even when his cause was unpopular, even when the spotlight had moved off him. In fact, the last time I saw John was at a virtual town hall that our foundation had organized in the wake of the George Floyd murder.

Starting point is 01:04:23 And it was about a month before he passed. He was already ailing. You could tell he did not feel well. But he considered it his duty to stand with a new generation of activists and to help guide them in a principled and inclusive way and remind them that although wrongs needed to be righted, that they need to be righted with nonviolence and with love and empathy and compassion.

Starting point is 01:04:57 Here he was a month before he was about to die, and he kept on going. So that's one person. The other person who comes to mind when I think about persistence is a woman named Ann Nixon Cooper. I talked about her in my first presidential election. You remember, we had Grant Park, and I talked to her. She contacted us to tell us, to let us know that she had voted for me at 106 years old.

Starting point is 01:05:42 She had figured out, no, I'm going to cast this vote. And I spoke about just trying to get that fixed. Erica, Recy, and Greg is still here. $2.89. $2.89. Folks, let me know when we have that feedback. What you see there is you see the contrast, but you also see, you know, both Warnock and Obama trying to be as respectful as possible. But knowing full well we're dealing with somebody who really has no business running.

Starting point is 01:06:56 Folks, is the feedback? Okay, we'll go back to the feed. We'll come back to the panel. Go ahead. One became an elected official serving a congressional district here in Georgia with great honor. The other... Yes, we should try to get this straight.

Starting point is 01:07:29 So, Erica, it's clear that they know this man has no business representing Georgia in the United States Senate. Yeah, you know, listening to President Obama be very slow and methodical about the way that he laid his shade out around, you know, Hershel Walker, really, you know, while laughable at some points, it really did speak to the level of disrespect that Republicans have for Georgians, specifically black Georgians, but Republicans as a whole. We've talked about this on this platform over and over again about what Republicans' goals are. It's raw, naked, unhinged at any cost power. Their God is whomever that authoritarian is that they place in control. They're godless. It has nothing to do

Starting point is 01:08:22 with the message of faith or belief. This is about power. This is about them being able to lord over people. And, you know, Georgians have had their fill of this for quite some time. When you think about this party at its highest, you know, have weaponized the presidency. They weaponized the senator with Lindsey Graham still kind of in somewhat of a, you know, court loop there with having to testify about the cause and what he was doing with regard to the 2020 senatorial election that Senator Warnock and Ossoff were involved in then. that they give zero fucks and that they will back someone who is unfit to do anything, quite frankly, especially when you're talking about such a serious branch of government, that it is really incumbent on those who are registered to vote to continue to pull their efforts and making sure other people get to the poll, but also

Starting point is 01:09:25 for continuing to highlight that this is who Republicans are, mainstream media is obsessed with fawning over them, being in the bed with them, redressing them, propping them up in our faces, but to have a strong rejection and to make sure programming and platforms such as Roland Martin and Filter continue to bring forward truth to help people prepare for the battles ahead, I think, are definitely something that Georgians are resonating with. So, this is indeed, you know, what President Obama is doing is really kind of a bit of addressing, because a lot of the work has already been done. And Georgians are really about the business of making sure that democracy goes forward

Starting point is 01:10:08 with all of the efforts that we're seeing here presently. Do we have a feedback? If we so, let's go back to the... Not only will we keep Georgia and America on a path to a better future, but we will be setting an example for a four-year-old right here and laying a foundation for him to build on. And that one-year-old over there, and I know I saw a three-month-old here, they're watching right now to see if we're going to get tired of them,'m going to tell them right now we're not going to be tied. We're going to bring one home.

Starting point is 01:10:48 Let's make this happen, Georgia. I love you. God bless you. Let's finish the job. One, two, three, four. As you know, folks, President Barack Obama has concluded his remarks. He's there on stage with Georgia United States Senator Raphael Warnock, who is trying to win his six-year term. Remember, in 2020, he won to complete the exp the expired term of Johnny Isaacson.

Starting point is 01:11:25 It was only two years left. John Ossoff won a six year term when he defeated David Perdue. And so this is what Warnock is is trying to do. This is the last major rally in terms of before early voting, early voting ends tomorrow. We see here in Georgia. But there are a number of other people coming in to Georgia. Entertainers, singers and actors. Dulé Hill was in Columbus today.

Starting point is 01:11:58 You've got Bishop Bastow McKenzie coming in. Tasha Collins Leonard coming in. Israel Houghton coming in. Other people have been reaching out and calling the Warnock campaign saying, hey, I want to come in. What can I do? They understand the stakes here and they're pulling out all stops. And literally, you're going to have multiple events happening across Georgia between now and Election Day recently. Yeah, I mean, I appreciate the rallying of the troops, but I have to stop for a second and say

Starting point is 01:12:32 this is fucking ridiculous. I think this is just fucking ridiculous that we have to beg and plead and pull out the stops this hard for an election that should be a landslide. We're talking about a distinguished senator, a pastor of Dr. King's church against a serial violent abuser alleged. Okay. We'll say that a serial abortionist, a pathological liar, a person who might possibly have brain damage. I'm not trying to be ableist with that, But he does not seem to have his faculties there. Who waxes poetic about vampires and bulls and cows and werewolves and shit. And who's literally a walking stereotype of every disgraceful stereotype you have about black men. Just because he won a Heisman, this motherfucker is in the running because he's Republican.

Starting point is 01:13:22 This is really embarrassing. This is really embarrassing. This is really gross. And this is really disgraceful and disheartening that we have to try this damn hard to even get Senator Warnock past the finish line. I mean, right now, they're basically tied, 49 to 47. Thank God he is wiping the floor with Hershel Walker in the early vote. But in the same day, in the election day polling, Walker is leading. And so I go back to Erica's point earlier about pacing and making

Starting point is 01:13:54 sure that we don't let up going into election day. If you voted early, great. Take some money to the polls on election day. You know, do some text banking, do some phone banking, because there is a lot at stake, not just even for the sake of what's going to happen in the Senate, but for just the sake of black people not looking like fucking idiots every time Hershel Walker is representing us in the damn U.S. Senate. I mean, a four-year-old has more sense than Herschel Walker does. And I'll just say this, God forbid this motherfucker wins. All I have to say is I don't want to hear shit, policing, anything about any other black person. I don't want to hear nothing about bonnets. I don't want to hear nothing about how much I curse. I don't want

Starting point is 01:14:38 to hear nothing about anything that black people are doing anywhere else because this motherfucker got in office despite being completely unfit and a disgrace. But with that being said, please for the 51st millionth time y'all, vote. If you're voting already, thank you. If you haven't voted, please get your ass out there and vote. And please take 10 other people with you that are eligible.

Starting point is 01:14:57 We don't need no damn voter fraud shit. But take people that are eligible to vote. And I know y'all out there because only 50% of y'all voted on election day on November 8th or whatever day it was. So please, people vote so we can shut the hell up about this for at least six more years when it comes to Georgia. But here's the thing, Greg, and I certainly understand Reese's sentiment. but the reality is there are a significant number of people in this country who feel as if they have been left out, ignored, that their vote actually is a waste of time. This is one of the reasons why Reverend Dr. William Barber and others have talked about

Starting point is 01:15:36 Democrats stop chasing voters in the suburbs, really go after those low-income, poor workers, speak to their interests, young voters as well. And it also shows you, and again, it's been driving me crazy going to these small towns. And when I started asking about the numbers and then folks tell me 40 percent turnout and 45 and 47 and 48. Just the other day, Gary Chambers called me and we had a long conversation. And it was just abysmal talking about the low turnout of black voters in Georgia. I still think about 2018 when we were in Mississippi with Mike Espy, an unbelievable candidate who loses to an absolute idiot, Cindy Hyde-Smith, by 65,000 votes. And there were more than 65,000 African-Americans in Mississippi who did not vote. And even in the general election,

Starting point is 01:16:34 you get a black woman running for governor. You have an African-American man in Warnock on the ballot for a senator. And you're not seeing black turnout in these places at 65, 70, 75, 80, 85 percent. examine how we are communicating with people in order to get them to understand how voting plays a role in the issues they care about. I mean, when the autopsy of this funky set of the state is written, and it may be written

Starting point is 01:17:19 sooner than later, there are going to be whole pages devoted to what happens when people lose hope. As you said, Recy, this man is a victim. You didn't say that. I'm saying that. He's a victim of too many hits on the football field. By the way, Roland, the way you tore up Stephen A. Smith and him on first take, kudos to that.

Starting point is 01:17:45 I'm wondering why no one has asked Herschel Jr. Walker about his former employee that traded his ass for all the Cowboys that won the damn Super Bowls. Ain't nobody asked Herschel Walker about his former master, but at any rate, a victim of too many hits on the football field, a victim of an education system that reached down inside his brain and pulled it out and threw it somewhere in the trash, never to be recovered. And a victim of all these white nationalists who stand by him grinning as they are saying the N-word to all of us by actually campaigning for a man who every human being in the world, including that four-year-old, that one-year-old, and that damn three-, four-month-year-old sitting there looking at Obama, no, shouldn't be anywhere near elective office, but should be receiving some of that health care that if he gets in the United States

Starting point is 01:18:28 Senate, he will block for the very people who are going to pull that damn lever for him on Tuesday, who will have their limbs amputated because they won't get the insulin that will save their lives, who will not be able to take advantage of the same type of public programs from the federal government that their billionaire masters are taking advantage of. The women and men who work on the railroads. Amtrak goes back to Atlanta. I've ridden that train many times. But for 10 years, I was a daily commuter on Amtrak. And today, Joe Manchin, a punk out of West Virginia who will probably go to the Republican Party, joined 42 other Republicans

Starting point is 01:19:05 to vote against extending a seven-day paid leave to the workers on the railroads. And that legislation could have passed. Why do I bring that up? Barack Obama is a major disappointment to me on a many—well, I don't want to say disappointment. I don't expect anything out of presidential candidates. They're all employees, politicians. And I have my beast with Obama.

Starting point is 01:19:22 But I tell you what, since he can never run for election again, he seems to have freed himself up a little bit. And tonight he put it where, as Joe Madison would say, the goats can get it. Election cycles are not one year, two year, five year. This is long distance running. And Barack Obama said it perfectly tonight. You don't just get ginned up for one election and win. Eric, as you were talking about your home state and Roland, as you're talking about these folks who have not yet come out and voted, and, Recy, as you're telling folk you need to get out there and vote, please understand that this early vote, these white nationalists

Starting point is 01:19:54 and their complete utter devilment, they cut early voting in half to shrink it down to get it close enough to steal. Barack Obama was laying it out today in terms of the reality. He said, it would be funny, except this guy's running for Senate. So when you look at the fact that over 800,000 people have voted early, but in the 2021 election, 40 percent of the people who could vote in Georgia had already voted by the end of early voting, and now we're sitting somewhere about 12 percent of those who could vote. They shrunk it down so they could steal it. If they could have clipped off last weekend, they would have really gotten close because I got plenty of students at Howard who were at home last

Starting point is 01:20:33 weekend. And as you said, those college students went and voted before they went back to school. That's what they were after. They were after all those students from Penn and Harvard and Howard and A&T and all those Atlanta residents who were at home for Thanksgiving. That's who they were trying to get, because while we're talking about early turnout, these devils are marching to the five-town voting place where there is no line, because part of it is to create a funnel effect, so these lines are two and three and four hours, because you shrunk the early voting.

Starting point is 01:21:03 All this is a plan. Finally, let's be very clear. When it wins, Joe Manchin, take your ass back to a state where you are literally murdering your voters with your votes, and you go on and switch to the Republican Party. Kyrsten Sinema, you take your funky, toony loon ass back to Arizona and expect the primary from probably Ruben Gallego, because you've spent your last term in the United States Senate. See, if Warnock wins—Obama just laid it out. Fifty-one is better than 50 for any number of reasons, one of which is they are playing for all the marbles, the white nationalist party now, because they realize that if Warnick wins, you've just rendered Manchin irrelevant, and you've made Sinema wonder, does she want to try to keep a seat that she's

Starting point is 01:21:51 going to lose anyway, and you might soften her ass up. Let's talk about the fact that Raphael Warnick entered his remarks today, not with John Lewis, and all respect to the ancestor, but with Rosa McCauley Parks from Tuskegee, Alabama. When Rosa Parks sat down on that bus in 1955, she didn't sit so politicians could fly. She sat because she was the youth secretary of the NLACP. She sat because she had been trained at Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. She sat because that triggered a massive boycott. And, Roland, as you have sat and had conversations with Fred Gray, and that was only 67 years ago. Happy belated birthday by a day to your mom, Roland. She's 75, hit that diamond.

Starting point is 01:22:33 Congratulations to her. At the same time, she was eight years old when Rosa, representing a community, sat. And what happened then, what Warnock is really talking about, it wasn't just the fortitude to stay off the buses for a year. It was the fact that then, in June of 1956, after they had been off the buses for six, seven months, Fred Gray goes into court and argues Browder versus Gale, where you have five black women, including Claudette Colvin, sued in federal court

Starting point is 01:23:11 because they didn't include Rosa Parks, because that would have been a state issue, and they wouldn't have been able to trigger the 14th Amendment. It took them to win Browder versus Gale, to empty into the Supreme Court affirming that decision. And then when they went back into court, Alabama tried to refile, and the Supreme Court said, no, this is what you call long-distance running.

Starting point is 01:23:33 We're not going to win this war in this funky place by thinking you can win with one election. But I tell you what, there are moments. And this is an inflection point. And when the autopsy of this funky place is written in 10, 20, 30, 150 years, one of the lines is going to be what happened at moments of inflection when you didn't do what was necessary to defend yourself. And God forbid, if Herschel Jr. Walker runs his ass up in the United States Senate as an embarrassment to the whole concept of humanity, threatening

Starting point is 01:24:05 women, having forced the people to terminate pregnancies. Man don't even know his damn name. He wins. Then we're going to have a different kind of conversation. I'm right with you, Reese. You don't come running then. Your running need to be to the poll on Tuesday. But I do want people to understand, and again, I'm a firm believer of, in terms of how you keep these things in perspective,

Starting point is 01:24:26 we are actually having a conversation about re-electing African-Americans statewide. I mean, I can literally remember having the conversations of the difficulty of black candidates even running statewide. I mean, I'm talking about, look, I turned 54 this month. I'm talking about we were having this when Harvey Gantt ran against Jesse Helms for the United States Senate in North Carolina and came very close to beating him. And so here we are. And yet the numbers are not, you know, they have a ton of folks. But the fact of the matter is we are now seeing, because of demographic shifts, we are now seeing more African-Americans on the state level, elected statewide. Obviously, this U.S. Senate race.

Starting point is 01:25:25 I still contend, I still contend that, and I use the Harold Washington race as a perfect example, Erica. Congressman Harold Washington said to Lou Palm and others, y'all got to get X number of people, I think it was 100,000, some of those lines to register. They did it. And then he was like, damn'all got to get X number of people. I think it was 100,000, some of those lines to register. They did it. And then he was like, damn, I got to run now. He said, put a number out there.

Starting point is 01:25:52 The thing that I remember the most was that when it came, when he ran, the percentage of black voters who turned out was extraordinary. It was upwards of 80% of all eligible black voters who turned out was extraordinary. It was upwards of 80% of all eligible black voters. And what I am suggesting is that, and I did this the other night when we were in Sandersville, they kept talking. I said, no, no, no, let's talk numbers. Let's talk numbers. I said, if X number, if there was a woman who says she had a list of 1900 people who live there who did not vote. And I said, you pull that list. That's almost 20 percent of the winning margin for Biden and Harris in 2020. And see, I think if we have to be thinking like that, I just think that we have to we have to reframe, redefine how we are having these conversations with people to connect with them. I just think the way it is being done right now is wrong.

Starting point is 01:26:58 I fundamentally believe, Erica, all across this country that there should be citizenship training classes. Churches should be saying every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., we're having citizenship training. I just think because we just got a lot of people who literally just don't fully understand how government works because they're not being taught. And so they're just like, you know what, I don't care about none of that stuff. I think that's a huge role. And when you look at these numbers of folks who don't vote, yet when we enlighten them and educate them, that could be the difference maker. Absolutely. And when people who are more educated, they're more empowered to make decisions. And we've seen this play very well on the side. So, you know, listen, I think that that's something

Starting point is 01:27:50 that we have discussed here at length, at least on Roland Martin and filter all of us jointly together and separately throw the old playbook away. It does not work. We have talked about how to get out the boat, coming into black communities, doing things at last minute, going back to the ways in which at least I grew up. I'm 45 years old. I can definitely remember, you know, going to church all day on Sundays and being in Sunday school and all of those things. So I was really raised in an environment of learning. And that's just how it always was growing up. So citizenship, watching C-SPAN, but even as a kid, if I didn't watch C-SPAN, we had public broadcasting television. And so there was a lot of that that was baked into the programming that we watched as well, too, and then the conversations about current events, having newspapers delivered to our home.

Starting point is 01:28:41 So fast forward to being in another day and time where information is consumed quite differently, there's still plenty of opportunity, particularly as we see all of these different generations that are represented in the world, that are represented in politics and in other different areas that are very important. I would urge people, Recy talked about, you know, the legislation around the health legislation that's going to be important for seniors to Medicare, how Republicans are really wanting

Starting point is 01:29:13 to break Medicare, make it privatized, right? So that's an issue for seniors, but not only for seniors. As somebody, as you all know, I've been open about this, as someone who had a life-changing

Starting point is 01:29:25 injury, Medicare comes into play then, right? So it's not just people who are seniors. We definitely want to fold that into the conversation because seniors definitely are a community and group that we care about and also bring other people to the conversation and say, you may be 19, 20, 30 years old. However, because of the current pandemic, people that are suffering from long COVID and they're suffering from brain issues, brain injuries, lung, respiratory issues, a myriad of different issues. We want them to know that that is why this legislation is important for them as well. So I do believe and think that collectively, Roland, what we've always been talking about,

Starting point is 01:30:05 that the organizing, the educating, the making sure that people who don't make money to rent yachts or sun on Instagram or whatever social media platform that they do, that people who are going to work, keeping the economy going, those essential workers, people who we don't see, but we feel the effects of them having been present and showed up for work, that there definitely needs to be education, civic education that is more tailored for them. If they work 12-hour shifts, you know, multi-generational household, this is an approach that needs to be taken. Because honestly, the only thing that Republicans are committed to doing is speeding up their racial, their radicalism, their domestic terrorist tactics that they're continuing to use.

Starting point is 01:30:55 So to actually do some preventative work on the digital end, and both talking to people in person of what you mentioned, Dr. Reverend Bishop Barber has been doing for quite some time, is going to be absolutely essential, critical, and necessary in maintaining any fragment of democracy. I think that, Gracie, to this point, I really do believe that the work of organizations like Black Voters Matter is critical, but it's also why they have to get the funding also for people's campaign. Because what they are trying to do is, they are trying to create 365 day-a-year organizations.

Starting point is 01:31:43 I fundamentally believe that the mistake politically has been only focusing on the three months before the campaign. And it's like you're having to restart an engine where it has to be this continuous education, training, classes, building that slog. If anybody really takes the time to study the Civil Rights Movement, what they will realize is it was tough going to black

Starting point is 01:32:19 Jim Crow. And it wasn't until the Voting Rights Act had been passed, all of a sudden numbers exploded. And so this ain't easy work. And that's the key. And I think, unfortunately, folks have only looked at it as, well, let's just get it going when it's election season. That's why even last year, I would say to the Biden folk that they got inaugurated. I'm like, y'all got to be focused on 2022. Because getting people to understand that, I just think that's where we are right now. There is a roadmap, I do believe, to getting our numbers up. But it's going to require a lot of work, a lot of resources, and a lot of time.

Starting point is 01:32:59 I completely agree. I mean, what we're seeing is there's a credibility gap when it comes to disillusioned and disaffected voters. And part of that is that there is an intentional campaign to disillusion people, particularly black voters, when it comes to disinformation, when it comes to different chaos agent campaigns. I'm not going to name names, but y'all know what they are. And those people are much more relentless and much more consistent than when we see political messaging. You know, what people are exposed to is largely algorithm driven. It's largely driven by what they are interacting with. And so some of this political stuff doesn't necessarily get into their feeds as much. And that's why it requires additional efforts to find the relevancy in people's day to day lives.

Starting point is 01:33:43 And so I get it. I mean, I was just in Florida and I was at this dive bar with a bunch of trailer park folks and, you know, people missing teeth probably ain't got Medicare because they didn't expand Medicaid down there in Florida. And Ron DeSantis just won handily. And I was looking around and I mean, maybe this sounds elitist to me, but I was like, I get it why these people you know don't feel like let me vote for Charlie Chris and get some Medicaid so I can have some teeth in my mouth or my leg don't get

Starting point is 01:34:11 amputated they sitting up there enjoying their $3 beers karaoke and singing Fleetwood Mac and that's life for them they ain't thinking about getting more than $7.25 an hour etc etc so there's a large section of people who just getting by, who are, you know, they don't really see a connection between politics and improving their own life. If they can get their $5 Jagermeisters or $3 Coronas, they all sit.

Starting point is 01:34:34 That's a win for them on that day. And so what we have to do is connect the dots for people. That's not a campaign ad. That's not even a rally. And that's not a last minute situation. There has to be this constant engagement, not just from organizations, but from politicians themselves. Stop being afraid of black media. Stop being afraid of giving somebody a soundbite that Republicans are going to run with. Come talk to your people and make yourselves known and your presence relevant to their lives. And you won't have as much work to do on Election Day getting people to the polls. That's right. Greg, again, I think for a lot of people,

Starting point is 01:35:15 I'm going to keep saying this until I'm blue in the face, that if you do not have sustained voter education, if you do not literally have classes connecting the dots and walking people through, then we're going to be having the same conversation. And we have to impress upon our people because the numbers don't lie. Literally, if we take black participation from 40, 45, 48 percent to 70 percent, we literally clean house. The numbers don't lie. No, you're right, Roland. I mean, you know, it's really disheartening. It's really disheartening thinking about the things that people, if they are aware of the relationship between voting for specific politicians and policies, the things that will improve their lives, the gap between that and the reality is disheartening. And Risa, you said this, and Erica as well, the playbook has to be thrown out. Rappers and entertainers having rallies, that's great, but people really aren't responding

Starting point is 01:36:41 to that. What you said is absolutely the only way that you can engage in protracted struggle. There are no days off. And as Paul Robeson said, there is no sheltered rear. So when you look at Rosa Parks, for example, to go back to that, she was part of the NAACP, Edie Nixon, and organized 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And when they formed, it wasn't the Montgomery Bus Boycott Committee. It was the Montgomery Improvement Association, which led to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. And you had a strong network of black churches, black media, as you're always making us, black

Starting point is 01:37:21 newspapers, not only in Birmingham, but the Atlanta Daily World when they move SCLC headquarters in Atlanta. I mean, these black institutions kept this going, and it was 24-7, 52 weeks out of the year. Septima Clark and the Citizenship Education Program coming out of South Carolina, where she linked citizenship to literacy. And one of the first things they do is start working on reading the Constitution. Esau Jenkins from the Sea Islands joining her. And then when that gets brought into SCLC, and you've interviewed so many of these folk over the years talking about this, it is a 24-7 campaign.

Starting point is 01:38:08 In Tuskegee, where Ms. Parks was from, I was just rereading Jesse Guzman's book on the Tuskegee Civic Association. One of the members of that association, many of these folk worked at Tuskegee, but many of them just rather rank and file black folk in Russell County and Tuskegee around their farmers. You know, that's where Dr. Gamillion, Charles Gamillion, came from that filed the voting rights suit, Gamillion v. Lightfoot, that made it to the Supreme Court, that destroyed gerrymandering in the city of Tuskegee and laid the foundation for the 15th Amendment, standing up and saluting before the Voting Rights Act. But as you said, they didn't start that two weeks before, six months before, or even a year before. This is long-distance running fighting.

Starting point is 01:38:35 And you're absolutely right, Recy. I mean, these white nationalists, and you've said this many times, Roland, I know Adam Harris, our brother, has written about it at The Atlantic. The cruelty is the point. The damn railroads were about to be shut down because workers have been screaming bloody murder for years. I'm not just talking about people that punch your ticket. I mean the people who are out there busting their ass right now in this cold so you can

Starting point is 01:38:56 eat food and go to the grocery store so you can go. These people have been screaming bloody murder. It took the federal government intervening, and they brokered a contract, but they had a rider, a separate bill, that said, will you please give us some paid leave? Only six days paid leave. Joe Manchin, you punk-ass piece of human, voted against it. I'm going to tell you, Joe Manchin voted against it, and you know who voted for it? You know who among the six Republicans who voted for it today? Marco damn Rubio. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz voted for it. They said, you're screwing the working class.

Starting point is 01:39:29 And guess who else voted for it? Bernie Sanders. See, some things are beyond, are beyond. This is human decency. The feds got involved because they were going to shut the railroads down. So they forced these people to accept this contract they had negotiated. And in human cruelty, they wouldn't even pass a law to let these people have six damn days paid off to work. F the United States of America forever, as far as I'm concerned, because I'm the son of an enslaved person.

Starting point is 01:39:58 When this shit go away, I won't shed a tear. I hope I live long enough to see it disintegrate. But if you don't understand that we are not fighting for America, we are fighting self-defense. Gary Chambers called you brother. Louisiana, North Carolina and Georgia saw the numbers of black voters in these election cycles over the last several years go down. We're not rallying for America. We're rallying for our self-defense. And there are enough of us if we go out and do this one thing. There are enough of other people in this country that will join with us. And you won't have to live through a moment that when this thing falls apart and you say, oh, now, now, here's another type of civic education.

Starting point is 01:40:38 Can you shoot a gun? Can you fight the whole damn army and the police in every fucking state you got in every city? Can you fight them all? Because that's the civic education you're going to need if you don't take this civic education seriously. Trust me, there is no alternative. I know my revolutionary friends will say they are at me. We can talk all day and all night, baby, and I'll take your chapter and verse. Absolutely, folks.

Starting point is 01:41:03 That is it for us. As I said, we are here in Georgia, literally on the road. We're in Fort Valley State, heading back to Atlanta right now. We will be, tomorrow's the last of early voting. We'll be in Georgia, visiting some early voting locations tomorrow. And then our team will be headed to Jackson, Mississippi, covering the SWAG Championship pregame show, partnering with General Motors on Saturday morning. So we'll be broadcasting from there. We'll be back in Georgia on Sunday, be here Sunday, Monday. And of course, we'll be here election night, Tuesday, broadcasting from the Warnock campaign headquarters on Tuesday night. And so folks, busy. If you know anyone in Georgia, give them a phone call,

Starting point is 01:41:46 send them a text, tell them they need to vote, vote early. Don't wait until Tuesday, cast their ballot and bring five to 10 folks with them as well, because every vote absolutely is going to count. Erica, Reese and Greg, I certainly appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Folks, we were supposed to have the Southern University student body president on, but the rally went over, and so we're going to try to get them on. It's a special time tomorrow. I'm going to be broadcasting tomorrow, y'all, at 4 p.m., so here's what's going on. I am one of the presenters at the Urban One Honors. They're taping the Urban One Honors at 6 p.m.

Starting point is 01:42:25 So I will be actually live tomorrow on Roland Martin Unfiltered from 4 to 6. Of course, we'll restream it later as well. But tomorrow I'm live from 4 p.m. Eastern to 6 p.m. Eastern tomorrow on Roland Martin Unfiltered. And then, of course, we'll be restreaming it because I'll be participating and presenting the award to Congresswoman Maxine Waters at the Urban One Honors, which will air on MLK Day on TV One. Folks, that is it. Don't forget, download the Black Star Network app, Apple Phone, Android Phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Also, please join our Arena Funk fan club. You can support us.

Starting point is 01:43:06 And first of all, if you're on YouTube, hit the like button right now. Okay? We should be at the thousand likes before I sign off. See your check-in money or the PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C.,

Starting point is 01:43:16 20037-0196. The cash app is Donald's Sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is RolandinUnfiltered. Venmo is RMUnfiltered.

Starting point is 01:43:25 Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And get your copy of my book, White Fear, How the Brownie of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Available at Ben Bella Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Books, Bookshop Chapters, Books A Million, and Target. You can also download your copy on Audible. You can order through your favorite Black bookstore as well. Folks, that's it. So I appreciate it.

Starting point is 01:43:50 Thank you so very much. I'll see you tomorrow. Holla! This is an iHeart Podcast.

Pet Camera - EBO Air 2

#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Obama Campaigning for Warnock, WA Sheriff On Trial For Lying, World Aids Day, Road to the SWAC

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.

Your Ad Here

Pet Camera - EBO Air 2

#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Obama Campaigning for Warnock, WA Sheriff On Trial For Lying, World Aids Day, Road to the SWAC

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.