The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Sen. Raphael Warnock - Fighting for Voting Rights

Episode Date: February 13, 2023

"Change is slow. It's difficult. It comes in fits and starts, but we have to keep working at it." Senator Raphael Warnock sits down with guest host Chelsea Handler to discuss the chances of getting voting rights legislation passed in Congress, and how his children's book "Put Your Shoes On & Get Ready!" deals with the issue of race and honors the legacy of his father. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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No one. That was a very, very tight race that you were in. Well, thank you. It's great to be here and I'm proud of what Georgia did. Yeah. And now you don't have an election you don't have a runoff or a special election or any election for the next six years? That's right. My name was on the ballot five times in two years. So clearly I wanted this dog on job. And finally I have a six-year term. Yeah, that's very refreshing news for all of us,

so we never have to deal with that sort of chicanery again. I'm excited that you wrote a book. It's called Put Your Shoes On and Get Ready, which is about you growing up in a household you were one of 12 children. That's right. And you were number 11? One of 12 children in my family. I'm number 11 out of 12. My parents were both preachers. Clearly, they read the scripture.

Be fruitful and multiply. Yeah. Well, it was also nice of you. I mean, did you write a children's book so that Herschel Walker would be able to read it. So I have two small children. My daughter is six and my son is four. I have two small children. My daughter is six and my son is four.

And the title of the book, Put your shoes on and get ready is something my dad told me every morning. He had a fierce work ethic. You didn't sleep late in his house. And every day he said, get up, put shoes on and get ready. And it's something I passed on to my children. For me it represents preparation but also a sense of purpose. And the recognition that all of us have a place, I believe, in the world we've got gifts and things we're supposed to do. And I'm fighting every day to make sure that every kid has a place in America.

And you're also fighting pretty hard to be able to work across party lines and work with a lot of Republicans that a normal person would think was too hard to work with. People like Ted Cruz, you're working with him on something I know. I want to ask you like, how do you operate that? Like how does that work for you? Well, I'm a pastor. So, you know, I'm used to inviting whosoever will. I'm used to working with all kinds of folks. And I have found that in the Congress, yeah, we have our differences. They're real, but you're right.

I did an amendment with Ted Cruz. He and I are on the Commerce Committee together. I disagree with him most of the time. Honestly, some days I'm sitting there listening like really but but as it turns out one day there was something he wanted to get done that I also wanted to get done we couldn't get it done in committee we had to take it to the floor of the Senate and the night we passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill he stood on his side of the owl arguing about why he thought we should do it. I stood up on my side arguing why I thought we should also do it. And then I close with words I'd never imagine hearing myself say, in closing I'd like to

associate myself with the words of the senator from Texas. My colleagues, I think half of them didn't know what was in the amendment, but they said if he's for it and he's for it, let's pass it. It passed overwhelmingly. And it was really, it was just an amendment to get us closer to building a highway out that goes through Texas, but it also goes through Georgia. And even in this divided time, I think that there's a highway that runs through our humanity that's bigger than partisan politics, it's certainly bigger than race.

And if we build out the highway, everybody can get to where they need to go. I think that's my job as a legislator, and I think that's the job of every citizen, to try to find common ground to get the work done. And how, yeah. And considering the state of politics and the divisiveness of, you know, where we are right now in this country, I mean, are you hopeful about voting rights? I know that's something that you're working hard for and that you're also with police brutality that you guys had a caucus with the president. How do you see these things things things things things things things things things things things things things things things things things things things thi thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. that that. that. that. that. that's that that that that that that that that that that that that that's. And that's that's that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And that's. And, that's. And, th. And, th. And, th. That's. th. That's th. th. th. And, th. And, th. th. And, th. th. that, that, that, that, that that, that that that that that that that that that. And, the that. police brutality that you guys had a caucus with the president. How do you see these things playing out in this time?

Look, change is slow, it's difficult, it comes and fits and starts, but we have to keep working at it. I'm not about to lose hope. I mean, if the preacher loses hope, then we, you know, we're in a dangerous place. So I'm not about to lose hope. I was John Lewis's pastor. He didn't have any reason to believe that he could win. I think we looked back at the civil rights movement and we act as if these victories

were inevitable when in fact they were quite improbable. They kept fighting the good fight. He fought until the very end, who am I to give up? And I was disappointed that we didn't get voting rights done last Congress. But I'm not about to stop fighting. The last time we passed voting rights in this country, it passed on the Republican president. It passed the Senate, I think 96 to zero.

Some of those folks are still in the Congress. And democracy, for me is not just one one that that th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they the. theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they think 96 to zero. Some of those folks are still in the Congress. And democracy for me is not just one issue alongside other issues. It's the framework in which we get to fight for everything we care about, climate change, the issues around police brutality, giving people access, affordable, affordable health care. All of these things are fought for within the framework of our democracy. And so I'm going to keep fighting until we get voting rights done. thiiiii right th right to th right th right th right to th right the th right th right the to th right the th right th right th right the th right thi thi thi thi is not just thi is not just thi is not just thi is not just thi is not just just just thi is not just thus thus thoes th just th just th just th just th just th just th just th just th just th just th just th just th just th is just th is just just th is just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just to to to to the the the the the the the the the to the to the the to thi to the the an to to to the thean. to the thean. to to the to the an to to to to to thi. of these things are fought for within the framework of our democracy. And so I'm going to keep fighting until we get voting rights done. And with speaking on the subject of books, we have a, you know, a governor in Florida who is trying

to ban books and trying to ban bids and trying to ban critical race theory. And let's just talk for a second about how damaging that is for little children growing up in this country. Oh, I think it's quite unfortunate. And we have to reject the idea that our children will be so traumatized by the truth of our complicated American story that they can't bear it. You know, the script, forgive the preacher

for quoting scripture, but Jesus said, you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. And all stories are complicated. All families have complicated stories. And so does the American family, and all of us have to push back against this idea th story story story story story story story story story story story the the story story story the story story the story story the story the story story story the story story story story story story the story story the story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story story, that that that that th the the the the th thi th th of th of th of th th of th of th of th of th of thi thi thi thi th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the of our the of of of of of of of of ofooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. of of of of complicated stories. And so does the American family. And all of us have to push back against this idea that education is the enemy. All of us, red, yellow, brown, black, and white. This black history is the American story.

And that's why I wrote this book. I deal with the issue of race in this book. So I don't know if my book would be banned or not. But I'll tell you, as a dad, I was trying to figure out how to talk to my kids about what I know they will encounter. And I think I deal with it in a way that honors the legacy of my dad, who, as I talk about in the book, he served in the Army during the book, was a, he served in the Army during the World War II era, all stateside, and one day he was asked to give up his seat on a public bus

while wearing his soldiers' uniform. For some, the skin he was wearing was more important than the uniform he was wearing, and so he had to give up his seat. That's a part of the American story. But here's the skin he was wearing was more important than the uniform he was wearing, and so he had to give up his seat. That's a part of the American story. But here's the other part of the American story. My dad had to give up his bus seat. Now I have a seat in the United States Senate, a kid who grew up a public...

That's right. That's right. That's right. That's right. That's right. Only in America. Only in America is my story possible. And we can't give in to the demagogues. We can't give in to those who peddle in division because people who have no vision, traffic and division. We have to fight for that grand American covenant. Epluribus unum, out of many one.

That's what makes our country great, and I'm deeply honored to represent the people of Georgia. Yeah, yeah, and the people of Georgia are honored to have you because you instilled so much faith in them when the race was tight and you had another election, against you know who, you said, I believe the people of Georgia will make the right decision and they did make the right decision. So it all ended up in the way that it should. And so yeah, you're a pleasure to have serving in the United States Senate. It's great to watch you.

Thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. to be the show. It's available now. Explore more shows from the Daily Show Podcast Universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts.

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